Sound the alarm! It's time for a mid-mission intervention!!!
I stepped on the scale this morning for my Friday morning weigh-in and found the scale hadn't budged at all since last week. Not a pound. It hangs there at 192 - which is exactly what I weighed last Friday. And three weeks in is way too early to plateau... So it's time for a mid-mission intervention. It's only been a few days since I set some goals for the week ahead, but I'm going to step in now and bump them up a notch - at least the fitness and reducing goals. I will not step on that scale next Friday to the same results as today!
Fitness
Walk 30 minutes a day, three times during the week.
Walk 45 minutes a day, both days during the weekend.
Reducing
No eating anything I haven't purchased at the grocery store. It's only at the grocery store where I usually make choices based on planning and forethought, not reflex. That means no takeout, no lunch ordered in, no convenience stores... Nothing that hasn't been purchased at either the supermarket on Saturdays or the natural foods store on Wednesdays. I will make an exception for the odd social activity or the rare occasion that I truly forget to pack my lunch for the workday, but these exceptions should be few and far between.
This one's going to hurt.
Effective immediately.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Powder Puff
Has cleansing and powdering my face every morning made any improvements in my appearance? It's hard to tell. What I can tell you is that I'm getting to know my face in a whole new way. I had no idea that I had so many blemishes! My nose and the center of my forehead have large pores and there's a furrow starting between my brows. Yikes! When did that appear? So this is what comes of spending all this time looking at myself in the mirror!!! Well, I guess I would have discovered these blemishes sooner or later. Better to find them now and get cracking on repairs. :)
I started my new mission yesterday morning with a container of Maybelline New York Shine Free Loose Powder. (Maybelline was around in the '40s, but only as a brand of eye cosmetics. They didn't expand to the face until the '70s.) I don't think I've ever purchased loose powder. I usually have a compact of pressed powder on hand, but am continually frustrated when the powder starts to harden and I can't get any more on the puff. When I was growing up, my older sister - whom I idolized - had a little vanity in her bedroom. She was still too young for most cosmetics, but she did have a container of loose powder and I can remember sitting at her vanity when she wasn't home and dusting myself with that wonderful, fluffy powder puff. Loose powder still holds the same fascination for me. It seems so luxurious. Just like a great makeup brush.
My new powder is in a shade called "light" and I immediately noticed that it was a little too light for my southwestern complexion. I've always been very fair - not ivory - but fair. I've spent so much time lately walking outdoors, though, that I've got quite a bit of color. I'm hoping the color will fade as I become more careful with a hat and sunblock, but for now the face powder is just a smidge lighter than my skin tone. 1940s beauty experts cautioned against buying face powder in too late a shade. Women were advised to change their face powder with the seasons. A summer tan called for a darker tint of powder than did a pale winter complexion.
Remember, powder shades lighter than the skin tones will be very unbecoming to you. The lighter the shade of powder the more it highlights the lines and wrinkles. Always choose face powder that is one shade deeper than your own skin tone. ("Plan for Your Beauty," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 18, 1940)
Apparently, there's also a technique for using face powder. Max Factor, Jr. outlined the process in his syndicated newspaper column, "Hollywood Beauty Parade," during the summer of 1947.
The powdering should be started at the lower part of the cheeks. From there it should be gently patted toward the center of the face. The nose should be powdered last of all. Then with the powder puff the powder should be pressed lightly into all the little lines which almost invariably exist around the eyes, nose, mouth, and chin… Finally, all surplus powder should be brushed away with a powder brush. Face powder is the only one of all the make-up materials which must and should be applied with a non-sparing hand… Never use a soiled puff. And never scrub your powder on. Always pat it on. (St. Petersburg Times, August 3, 1947)
I started my new mission yesterday morning with a container of Maybelline New York Shine Free Loose Powder. (Maybelline was around in the '40s, but only as a brand of eye cosmetics. They didn't expand to the face until the '70s.) I don't think I've ever purchased loose powder. I usually have a compact of pressed powder on hand, but am continually frustrated when the powder starts to harden and I can't get any more on the puff. When I was growing up, my older sister - whom I idolized - had a little vanity in her bedroom. She was still too young for most cosmetics, but she did have a container of loose powder and I can remember sitting at her vanity when she wasn't home and dusting myself with that wonderful, fluffy powder puff. Loose powder still holds the same fascination for me. It seems so luxurious. Just like a great makeup brush.
My new powder is in a shade called "light" and I immediately noticed that it was a little too light for my southwestern complexion. I've always been very fair - not ivory - but fair. I've spent so much time lately walking outdoors, though, that I've got quite a bit of color. I'm hoping the color will fade as I become more careful with a hat and sunblock, but for now the face powder is just a smidge lighter than my skin tone. 1940s beauty experts cautioned against buying face powder in too late a shade. Women were advised to change their face powder with the seasons. A summer tan called for a darker tint of powder than did a pale winter complexion.
Remember, powder shades lighter than the skin tones will be very unbecoming to you. The lighter the shade of powder the more it highlights the lines and wrinkles. Always choose face powder that is one shade deeper than your own skin tone. ("Plan for Your Beauty," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 18, 1940)
Apparently, there's also a technique for using face powder. Max Factor, Jr. outlined the process in his syndicated newspaper column, "Hollywood Beauty Parade," during the summer of 1947.
The powdering should be started at the lower part of the cheeks. From there it should be gently patted toward the center of the face. The nose should be powdered last of all. Then with the powder puff the powder should be pressed lightly into all the little lines which almost invariably exist around the eyes, nose, mouth, and chin… Finally, all surplus powder should be brushed away with a powder brush. Face powder is the only one of all the make-up materials which must and should be applied with a non-sparing hand… Never use a soiled puff. And never scrub your powder on. Always pat it on. (St. Petersburg Times, August 3, 1947)
Who knew? I'm glad I have some tips to help me face down my blemishes in the mirror tomorrow morning.
My dear readers convinced me two days ago to listen to my stinging skin and substitute some cleansing cream for the soap, so I picked up some Pond's Cold Cream at the drugstore and tried it out this morning. The sting is gone --- and I was very happy with the list of ingredients on the container. But I was dismayed to read online that Pond's is made by a company that still tests its products on animals. Not cool at all. Especially when cosmetics company after cosmetics company has proven that this is unnecessary. Well, I've already purchased this container, so I'll use it up - but I'm also going to use this time to find some alternative cleansing creams. Any product suggestions?
Come to think of it, I think the mystery to all these ingredients in cosmetics and cleansers is part of the reason I stopped spending time in the mirror. Learning how to figure out which of the ingredients with umpteen syllables is an animal by-product and which is not was really tough. When you're a vegetarian, you spend a lot of time reading labels and extending that to your cosmetics is a pain. So I gave up - and for years used very few beauty products. Well, it's still a pain, but there are lots of resources online now to help you understand what's what on a label. And once I pinpoint some good products, it won't be so hard. I'll just have to be extra vigilant for awhile.
I spent so much time (for me!) shopping for cosmetics this week, and one of the things that struck me is how smooth the plastics are that are being used for containers for these products. It's like night and day compared to the plastics in which household cleansers or food are packaged. Face creams and ointments in particular are packaged in these incredibly silky smooth plastic containers. I guess that's part of the marketing. "Pick me up and I'll make your skin just as smooth as my packaging!"
One of the nicest surprises this week was at the breakfast table on Tuesday morning. Rice Krispies! I'd forgotten just how fun they sound - like a party in your bowl! - and how good they taste. One of the things I've loved about The Experiment is getting reacquainted with some of these cereals I loved as a child. Modern cereals are so --- complicated. There's a little bit of everything in cereal these days. I even saw some cereal the other day with crunchy clusters flavored with pomegranate and dark chocolate. Oy. Who needs dessert at the breakfast table?
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Week Twenty-four: The Mission
Consult your mirror. Decide what you want to be, then set out to be that very person.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (March 18, 1940)
While I continue fine-tuning the kitchen routine, I'm going to take advantage of the momentum of the last few weeks and make this another vintage beauty mission. I hope you'll all excuse the interlude from housework! I haven't stopped the housework by any means, I'm just trying to balance all of the many things that would have been important to my '40s counterpart in caring for her home and for herself. I've got all kinds of ideas for future missions - everything from cleaning the bathroom to vintage culture - but I also want to take the time to make sure I've got this kitchen thing down pat before I add another roomful of chores to my weekly list. In the meantime, there's plenty in the world of vintage beauty to keep me busy...
Fitness
Walk 30 minutes a day, three times during the week.
Walk 40 minutes a day, both days during the weekend.
Reducing
I'm cinching the noose a little tighter... No snacking after 7:30 p.m.
Grooming
Here's the next step in the 1946 grooming routine. First thing in the morning - as soon as you get out of bed, go into the bathroom, drink a glass of water, brush your teeth, and wash your face - you're to powder your nose. Or rather your face.
Pat on a bit of powder to take away that soap-and-water shine.
Walk 30 minutes a day, three times during the week.
Walk 40 minutes a day, both days during the weekend.
Reducing
I'm cinching the noose a little tighter... No snacking after 7:30 p.m.
Grooming
Here's the next step in the 1946 grooming routine. First thing in the morning - as soon as you get out of bed, go into the bathroom, drink a glass of water, brush your teeth, and wash your face - you're to powder your nose. Or rather your face.
Pat on a bit of powder to take away that soap-and-water shine.
I've been thinking a lot lately about what it is in the vintage manuals and magazine articles that I enjoy so much. It's not just the content or the illustrations or even the window into the past. That's the icing on the cake. What draws me to these things is pure attitude. There's a spirited optimism in all these how-to type books and articles. Optimism that with the right instruction, the playing field is leveled. You can do anything and create anything you set your mind to! It seems ironic at first considering how dark the era was in terms of world events, but it's right in keeping with the faith Americans were coming to have in scientific progress. Machinery, chemicals, synthetic fabrics, plastic --- there's a science to housework and beauty that makes anything feel possible. And such faith in the team of professionals standing ready to assist women in looking their best. Oculists, dentists, beauticians, hairdressers, a good corsetier.
That optimism and faith in possibilities is like a drug to me now. What a change in tone from all the self-defeating angst of our own times!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Skin Care
Soap and water may have been okay for the teenage crowd, but 1940s beauty experts did have a few tricks up their sleeves for women looking for a little more in cleansing the face.
If you use a granular wash, such as beauty grains, you will find the skin tone clarified, and the texture improved. (The New American Etiquette, 1941)
An effective routine for the care of the war worker’s skin is frequent, thorough cleansing with warm water and a medicated soap. ("No Ration on Soap," St. Petersburg Times, 27 August 1943)
After cold water is used, an astringent should be applied with cotton, allowed to dry on. Cosmetic counters are full of them. ("To Improve Defects in Facial Skin," St. Petersburg Times, 28 February 1941)
I don't know yet if I'll take them up on any of this advice, but it's nice to know there are plenty of vintage options... The soap and water thing is probably not going to work in the long term for me - at least not just soap and water. I love the clean, but it leaves my face feeling a bit stingy even a couple hours later.
Could it be that I'm getting used to cooking dinner from scratch? For the first time since I started making the vintage dinners, I actually sat down at the table last night without feeling completely exhausted. Here's the menu:
Boiled Potatoes
Buttered Carrots
French Fruit Salad
Gingerbread Square
The Boiled Potatoes and Buttered Carrots are pretty self-explanatory. The Gingerbread was a wartime recipe - made without any sugar or eggs. It was easy to make and yummy fresh from the oven. (No nudges necessary to eat those leftovers!) The superstar of this menu was definitely the French Fruit Salad. The original menu calls for a Jellied Fruit Salad made with the leftover orange, pineapple, and banana from the previous menu (see last weekend). I don't eat gelatin as it's an animal by-product, so I paged through the chapter on salads looking for something I could make using the same fruits. Here's the recipe that caught my attention:
*****
FRENCH FRUIT SALAD
1 orange
1 banana
1/2 pound Malaga grapes
1 dozen walnuts
Lettuce
French dressing
Peel the orange and cut the sections from the membrane with a sharp knife or a pair of shears. If the fruit is allowed to stand in cold water after peeling, the bitter white membrance will come off easily.
Peel the banana and cut in quarter-inch slices. Remove the skins and seeds from the grapes. Break walnuts into small pieces, but do not chop. Mix these ingredients thoroughly and place on ice. Serve on lettuce leaves with a French dressing.
*****
The trick is making the French dressing variation that's suggested for fruit salads. No garlic, no pepper, light on the mustard, paprika, and sugar, citrus juice substituted for half the vinegar. The orange, banana, grapes, and walnuts were a lovely combination. Alas, I couldn't find any Malaga grapes at the supermarket. (Malaga grapes are both red and white grapes originally cultivated in a region of southern Spain. By the '40s, they were a profitable California crop.) My grapes were Chilean. And, no, I didn't peel 'em. What's with the '40s phobia about fruit skins? They're peeling their tomatoes, peeling their grapes. It's perfectly good fiber! And I love the snap of a super fresh grape - skin intact.
If you use a granular wash, such as beauty grains, you will find the skin tone clarified, and the texture improved. (The New American Etiquette, 1941)
An effective routine for the care of the war worker’s skin is frequent, thorough cleansing with warm water and a medicated soap. ("No Ration on Soap," St. Petersburg Times, 27 August 1943)
After cold water is used, an astringent should be applied with cotton, allowed to dry on. Cosmetic counters are full of them. ("To Improve Defects in Facial Skin," St. Petersburg Times, 28 February 1941)
I don't know yet if I'll take them up on any of this advice, but it's nice to know there are plenty of vintage options... The soap and water thing is probably not going to work in the long term for me - at least not just soap and water. I love the clean, but it leaves my face feeling a bit stingy even a couple hours later.
Could it be that I'm getting used to cooking dinner from scratch? For the first time since I started making the vintage dinners, I actually sat down at the table last night without feeling completely exhausted. Here's the menu:
Boiled Potatoes
Buttered Carrots
French Fruit Salad
Gingerbread Square
The Boiled Potatoes and Buttered Carrots are pretty self-explanatory. The Gingerbread was a wartime recipe - made without any sugar or eggs. It was easy to make and yummy fresh from the oven. (No nudges necessary to eat those leftovers!) The superstar of this menu was definitely the French Fruit Salad. The original menu calls for a Jellied Fruit Salad made with the leftover orange, pineapple, and banana from the previous menu (see last weekend). I don't eat gelatin as it's an animal by-product, so I paged through the chapter on salads looking for something I could make using the same fruits. Here's the recipe that caught my attention:
*****
FRENCH FRUIT SALAD
1 orange
1 banana
1/2 pound Malaga grapes
1 dozen walnuts
Lettuce
French dressing
Peel the orange and cut the sections from the membrane with a sharp knife or a pair of shears. If the fruit is allowed to stand in cold water after peeling, the bitter white membrance will come off easily.
Peel the banana and cut in quarter-inch slices. Remove the skins and seeds from the grapes. Break walnuts into small pieces, but do not chop. Mix these ingredients thoroughly and place on ice. Serve on lettuce leaves with a French dressing.
*****
The trick is making the French dressing variation that's suggested for fruit salads. No garlic, no pepper, light on the mustard, paprika, and sugar, citrus juice substituted for half the vinegar. The orange, banana, grapes, and walnuts were a lovely combination. Alas, I couldn't find any Malaga grapes at the supermarket. (Malaga grapes are both red and white grapes originally cultivated in a region of southern Spain. By the '40s, they were a profitable California crop.) My grapes were Chilean. And, no, I didn't peel 'em. What's with the '40s phobia about fruit skins? They're peeling their tomatoes, peeling their grapes. It's perfectly good fiber! And I love the snap of a super fresh grape - skin intact.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Transitions
One more pound bites the dust! I weighed in yesterday morning at 192, so that's two pounds gone (for keeps) in two weeks...
And though I wasn't aware of it, I must have been snacking every night after 8:00 - because that mission has kept me every.single.night from nibbling one thing or another. One night last week I was tossing and turning at 2:00 in the morning. I finally got out of bed and found something to do with my insomnia and, sure enough, no sooner was I out of bed then the cravings hit. All I could think about was the leftover pizza in the fridge. I went so far even as to open the fridge and hold the pizza --- and then I caught myself and put it back! I'm very proud that I haven't broken that 8:00 rule even once this week.
We're experiencing full-blown summer here in the Southwest, so I'm making the transition to the summer version of my vintage breakfast menus. The American Woman's Cook Book (1945) contains little footnotes just below each menu with seasonal options. I should start seeing some fresh fruits filling in for the dried fruits and cold cereals occasionally taking the place of the hot cereals. So instead of Stewed Apricots and Oatmeal this morning, it was Fresh Berries (whatever kind might be in season - strawberries, here) and Corn flakes. This should be a nice change of pace!
50s gal mentioned a series of photos on Flickr that I've been poring through during the last couple of weeks - and what a treat! It's a series called Mom's World and the pictures were taken by a Michigan woman, almost all of them during her first marriage (late 1940s and early '50s). She had a full-time job in a doctor's office and continued working even after the birth of their first child several years into the marriage. (It's the child, all grown up, whose been posting the photos. His mom narrates the introductions and actively responds to comments left by viewers.)
And though I wasn't aware of it, I must have been snacking every night after 8:00 - because that mission has kept me every.single.night from nibbling one thing or another. One night last week I was tossing and turning at 2:00 in the morning. I finally got out of bed and found something to do with my insomnia and, sure enough, no sooner was I out of bed then the cravings hit. All I could think about was the leftover pizza in the fridge. I went so far even as to open the fridge and hold the pizza --- and then I caught myself and put it back! I'm very proud that I haven't broken that 8:00 rule even once this week.
We're experiencing full-blown summer here in the Southwest, so I'm making the transition to the summer version of my vintage breakfast menus. The American Woman's Cook Book (1945) contains little footnotes just below each menu with seasonal options. I should start seeing some fresh fruits filling in for the dried fruits and cold cereals occasionally taking the place of the hot cereals. So instead of Stewed Apricots and Oatmeal this morning, it was Fresh Berries (whatever kind might be in season - strawberries, here) and Corn flakes. This should be a nice change of pace!
50s gal mentioned a series of photos on Flickr that I've been poring through during the last couple of weeks - and what a treat! It's a series called Mom's World and the pictures were taken by a Michigan woman, almost all of them during her first marriage (late 1940s and early '50s). She had a full-time job in a doctor's office and continued working even after the birth of their first child several years into the marriage. (It's the child, all grown up, whose been posting the photos. His mom narrates the introductions and actively responds to comments left by viewers.)
As you can probably guess, what intrigued me most was her description of housework. Every other Saturday afternoon (she worked on Saturday mornings), she'd give her kitchen a thorough cleaning. Anything done in between was just regular maintenance. This kept her kitchen quite clean and left her plenty of time to spend rambling through the woods, boating, visiting amusement parks, etc. Genius, I thought! Especially as I realized the other day that I could see my reflection in the inside wall of my refrigerator. Does my fridge really need to be quite that clean? And it would be awfully nice to have some time left over on the weekend for something other than housework. Ever since I added the kitchen to my routine, that's become a real problem.
I've been giving this some serious thought and what I'd like to do is try and break my kitchen routine up a bit. The chores described in the manual as daily chores must be done every week:
Every Saturday...
1. Open windows top and bottom for free circulation of air, or open kitchen ventilator.
2. Rinse and stack dishes, pots and pans.
3. Check and reorganize foods; put away.
4. Collect all refuse and put in garbage can.
5. Wipe off top of refrigerator and all work surfaces in need of cleaning.
6. Wash dishes. Dry and put away, if not room to rinse with hot water and leave to dry.
7. Wipe off surface of range. Clean spilled food from drip pan or oven.
8. Dry damp work surfaces.
9. Dust radiator or register.
10. Take out garbage; put clean lining in garbage can.
11. Clean sink. Rinse dishcloth or mop; hang outdoors if possible.
12. Collect soiled towels; wash. Hang fresh towels.
Every Saturday...
1. Open windows top and bottom for free circulation of air, or open kitchen ventilator.
2. Rinse and stack dishes, pots and pans.
3. Check and reorganize foods; put away.
4. Collect all refuse and put in garbage can.
5. Wipe off top of refrigerator and all work surfaces in need of cleaning.
6. Wash dishes. Dry and put away, if not room to rinse with hot water and leave to dry.
7. Wipe off surface of range. Clean spilled food from drip pan or oven.
8. Dry damp work surfaces.
9. Dust radiator or register.
10. Take out garbage; put clean lining in garbage can.
11. Clean sink. Rinse dishcloth or mop; hang outdoors if possible.
12. Collect soiled towels; wash. Hang fresh towels.
The heavier jobs, the ones described by the manual as weekly chores, are going to be done on alternate weeks:
Week A...
1. Put away all foods except those belonging in refrigerator. Remove all foods from refrigerator. Wash interior of refrigerator. Return food to refrigerator.
2. Wash exterior of refrigerator.
3. Clean range thoroughly.
4. Clean, scald and sun vegetable bins, bread and cake boxes.
Week B...
1. Clean out and wash 1 cupboard or several drawers in rotation weekly.
2. Dust lighting fixtures. Dust window shades or Venetian blinds. Wash wall behind sink, stove and work surfaces, if washable. Wash work surfaces. Wash exterior of cabinet work and shelving to remove fingermarks.
3. Clean garbage container thoroughly.
4. Clean metal fixtures, soap dish, sink strainer, and dish drainer. Wash, rinse and scald dishcloth or mop or send to laundry; hang outdoors if possible.
1. Put away all foods except those belonging in refrigerator. Remove all foods from refrigerator. Wash interior of refrigerator. Return food to refrigerator.
2. Wash exterior of refrigerator.
3. Clean range thoroughly.
4. Clean, scald and sun vegetable bins, bread and cake boxes.
Week B...
1. Clean out and wash 1 cupboard or several drawers in rotation weekly.
2. Dust lighting fixtures. Dust window shades or Venetian blinds. Wash wall behind sink, stove and work surfaces, if washable. Wash work surfaces. Wash exterior of cabinet work and shelving to remove fingermarks.
3. Clean garbage container thoroughly.
4. Clean metal fixtures, soap dish, sink strainer, and dish drainer. Wash, rinse and scald dishcloth or mop or send to laundry; hang outdoors if possible.
The kitchen routine is definitely a work in progress, but I must find a way to keep it clean and still have some time left over for, well, even the basics. I've been pushing so hard with this stuff, I haven't had time for things like getting the oil changed in my car, going to the library, etc. Maybe this change will make a difference... And speaking of kitchens, it's time to get started on mine. Off to work!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
An Age-old Debate
One cosmetic issue just as hotly debated during the 1940s as it is today: whether or not to be gentle to your face when washing it. I find myself now - at 35 - being much more gentle with my face than I was in my early 20s. When all the world was my oyster and my skin would be beautiful forever... On the other hand, you do see all those infomercials with gorgeous women in towel turbans praising appliances meant to massage and stimulate your facial muscles. That's supposed to be the key to keeping a youthful skintone, so they say.
I'm not sure what to think, but it is a comfort knowing that my '40s counterpart probably would have been just as confused. Helen Follett, touched on the debate on the women's page of the St. Petersburg [Florida] Times during the early 1940s.
Never Be Afraid of Your Face
November 9, 1940
Don’t be afraid to give your complexion a thorough friction with soap and water. Some women clean their faces with little dabs as if the skin were something sacred, should be treated with the utmost gentleness. Friction tones the tissues, stimulates glandular activity and rouses up the blood streams which give good coloring to the flesh. Muscles and tiny fibers are exercised.
Don’t be afraid to give your complexion a thorough friction with soap and water. Some women clean their faces with little dabs as if the skin were something sacred, should be treated with the utmost gentleness. Friction tones the tissues, stimulates glandular activity and rouses up the blood streams which give good coloring to the flesh. Muscles and tiny fibers are exercised.
To Improve Defects in Facial Skin
February 28, 1941
Mirrors magnify complexion defects; let that be a consolation to the girl whose complexion is of coarse texture, pores large and falling into little dents. She longs for a fine-grained facial coat, and if she will be persistent she can improve the one that is so disappointing to her. She must avoid the use of hot water when washing her face, have the water just warm enough to form a suds. Friction is a help in skin toning and refining, so when rinsing away the suds she should use the palms of her hands, dashing the cold water first on her chin, working up over her forehead. A first-class face washing can be a pretty fair facial treatment. When drying the face, wrap the towel around the hands and do that same upward slapping.
Mirrors magnify complexion defects; let that be a consolation to the girl whose complexion is of coarse texture, pores large and falling into little dents. She longs for a fine-grained facial coat, and if she will be persistent she can improve the one that is so disappointing to her. She must avoid the use of hot water when washing her face, have the water just warm enough to form a suds. Friction is a help in skin toning and refining, so when rinsing away the suds she should use the palms of her hands, dashing the cold water first on her chin, working up over her forehead. A first-class face washing can be a pretty fair facial treatment. When drying the face, wrap the towel around the hands and do that same upward slapping.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Catchup
I can't believe it's been three days since my latest vintage dinner and I haven't posted the results! Yesterday was kind of a tough day. I was running late in the morning and ended up having to dish my oatmeal and pineapple into a mug and eat it when I got to work. (Not the most relaxing breakfast I've ever had!) I'd forgotten about some lunch plans and needed to get my five walks for the week in - so I went to the park after work. Which made me late getting home and feeling very unmotivated to do anything else. Yep, the routine took a hit yesterday, but I was back in the game when my alarm clock went off this morning. With a new resolution: No internet allowed in the a.m. on a weekday. I love getting online to find out what's going on in the world, but it's definitely a liability when it comes to time.
Here's the 1945 dinner menu I whipped up last Sunday evening:
Browned Potatoes
Asparagus Salad
Enriched Bread
Fresh Fruit Cup, Three
The Browned Potatoes are also called American Fried Potatoes in the cookbook. Potatoes parboiled, then cut in slices and fried on the stovetop in a "very little fat." I boiled mine for too long to start, so they were a little softer than I'd have liked - but still good. The Asparagus for the Salad was boiled, then chilled 'til cold. (Canned asparagus was suggested as an alternative.) The recipe instructed me to cut rings from a green pepper, place four stalks of asparagus through each ring, and serve on a bed of lettuce. The basic French Dressing recipe was dressed up this week with a squirt of Catchup, but it didn't make much of a difference in the taste. You know, I think if there's one thing I step away from when it comes to these menus, it'll be the dressing. I cut the recipe in eighths and still end up having to throw much of it away. I may go ahead and buy a bottled viniagrette that I can get some real use from.
Fresh Fruit Cup, Three was a real puzzle... I finally realized that the cookbook contains three recipes for Fresh Fruit Cup. The author must have been calling for the third version this evening. It was a tropical fruit salad - diced orange, diced pineapple, and sliced banana served in layers in a tall glass with coconut. The one step I'd do without next time? Pouring fruit juice over the whole affair before serving. I used orange juice thinking it'd go nicely with the fruit, but it just made the whole thing soggy.
My vintage dinners on Sunday evening have become a lovely kind of ritual. I still make lots of mistakes, but I guess that's the only way you can learn how to cook. The one thing I'm really proud of is that I've been making myself eat at least one serving of leftovers. (Those of you who have been following along know that I have some issues with leftovers!) I've found that if I nudge myself hard - and eat 'em before they're three days old - I can shelve those phobias about food spoilage.
Unlike my housework last night, my vintage beauty missions were not sacrificed to my mood. And the walks might be paying off. I could be imagining things, but I think I actually felt a little spring in my step today. Fancy that! It's as if my muscles are slowly waking up - fiber by fiber - and remembering what they're there for. I had this strange sensation just in walking around the office at work today. This feeling that I could go a little faster and a little farther. It's been just two weeks since I started exercising. That's only ten walks. If it feels like this at two weeks, can you imagine what it'll feel like at four weeks - and eight weeks?
Monday, April 20, 2009
"You're a Hard Man, McGee!"
Ahhh, Monday nights. One of the more relaxing evenings of my week. The only special task for me on Monday evenings is putting all my clean laundry away and prepping the clothes and linens that need ironing on Tuesday night. The living room gets a tidy up, anything soaking in the kitchen sink gets washed, and it's off to bed for a very good night's sleep.
I groaned when my alarm clock went off this morning, but - as I was toting all that dirty laundry downstairs to the laundry room - I found myself thinking of my great-grandmothers... Alice, widowed with seven children during the Depression and doing laundry with only a woodstove to heat her water. Margaret, the daughter of Irish immigrants, who proudly wears such a sparkling white apron in the only picture I've seen of her. How hard she must have worked to keep that apron so white! Agnes, a Canadian immigrant who roomed in a boarding house near the lumber camp where her husband was working. Did she have to do her wash in her landlady's kitchen? Addie, who did her washing for herself while "baching it" on a homestead claim on the plains of South Dakota. She must have scrubbed her clothes clean with water from a well.
All these women must have faced Monday mornings with trepidation. Wouldn't they would have been astounded to know how easy their great-granddaughter has it! All I have to do is tote the laundry basket up and down stairs, move two loads from washer to drier, and clean a lint trap or two. My great-grandmothers would probably have grown faint at the thought of the luxury Wash Day has become by 2009. It makes me feel very lucky. The only real sacrifice I have to make is waking up a little earlier than normal.
I treated myself this evening to one of my favorite vintage radio programs, The Great Gildersleeve. Have you ever heard this program? It's a wonderfully sweet comedy which made its premiere on NBC in August 1941. A spin-off of one of radio's best-rated programs, Fibber McGee and Molly. Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve (played by the amazing Harold Peary) was a neighbor of the McGees and proprietor of Gildersleeve Girdle Works. In 1941, he moved from 
Wistful Vista to the city of Summerfield, where he became guardian to his niece and nephew, Marjorie and Leroy Forrester.
Gildy finds work as the Summerfield water commissioner and dates up every attractive lady in town. Though little Leroy never ages, we see Marjorie grow up, marry, and eventually become a mother before the series ended in the mid-1950s. (Marjorie was first played by one of radio's hardest working women, Lurene Tuttle.) Gildy continually butts heads with the local judge, though deep down they are fast friends. And the local pharmacist, Mr. Peavy, always steals the scene - and a roar from the audience. It's such a thrill to hear these programs delivered before a live audience! Kraft was the longest-running sponsor for the program and ran a number of popular promotions during the late '40s and early '50s.
Wistful Vista to the city of Summerfield, where he became guardian to his niece and nephew, Marjorie and Leroy Forrester.Gildy finds work as the Summerfield water commissioner and dates up every attractive lady in town. Though little Leroy never ages, we see Marjorie grow up, marry, and eventually become a mother before the series ended in the mid-1950s. (Marjorie was first played by one of radio's hardest working women, Lurene Tuttle.) Gildy continually butts heads with the local judge, though deep down they are fast friends. And the local pharmacist, Mr. Peavy, always steals the scene - and a roar from the audience. It's such a thrill to hear these programs delivered before a live audience! Kraft was the longest-running sponsor for the program and ran a number of popular promotions during the late '40s and early '50s.
If you've never listened to any OTR, this is a wonderful place to start!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Beauty and the Bath
Have you ever noticed that food becomes much more interesting the minute you've barred yourself from snacking?
From the minute the clock struck 8:00 last night, I could think of nothing but the snacks I'd like to be eating. (Even though there are probably many nights when I'm not snacking at that hour!) And with a kitchen full of new groceries, there was plenty to tempt the palate. I ended up turning in early just to banish those awful cravings. Well, wouldn't you know, I managed to survive the night. For years, I've indulged every whim when it comes to eating, so to put even the slightest of boundaries on food feels harsh and twisting --- but I'm sure that feeling won't last forever.
I survived my walks as well. 35 minutes - that's three laps 'round the track at the park - on both Saturday and Sunday. I'm glad I broke out the baseball cap, because it was already a sunny 89 degrees by the time I got to the park this morning. I may give some thought to walking on the weekend before I eat my breakfast and do my morning chores. Maybe even before I shower for the day...
This evening's 1945 dinner menu:
Browned Potatoes
Asparagus Salad
Enriched Bread
Fresh Fruit Cup, Three
My first decision as I prepared to begin washing my face in the mornings? Whether to do it in the shower or in the sink. This would have been a moot point for most women in the 1940s as showers were just beginning to gain in popularity. The grooming routine does recommend that the face be washed in the evening after taking a bath. With that in mind - and in order to give my face the attention it deserves - I decided to wash my face in the sink after my morning shower. Besides, the skin's already been steamed. The pores are open. It should be an ideal time for cleansing. Next, I had to decide on a soap. I've been using a bar of Ivory soap scented with lavender in the shower. But my face has always been sensitive to fragranced things, so it was off to the drugstore to hunt up something mild and fragrance free. What a disappointment not to see almost any of the brands I'd been admiring in vintage magazines! No Lux, no Woodbury's, no Palmolive (at least not in the face soap aisle!) --- I ended up taking home some unscented Ivory.
The soap and water does make my face feel clean, but it also feels a little taut. I can't tell yet whether that's the soap itself or the toning effect of the cold water splashed on at the end. Judging from the articles in magazines and newspapers of the period, women in the '40s were also concerned then about the drying effect of soap. Beauty experts seem to have universally advised the daily use of cold cream to re-moisten the skin, but soap was still deemed the best cleanser available: "Nothing can cleanse the skin so satisfactorily as soap and water, leaving the face fresh and glowing." A warm water rinse was essential, though, as cold water wasn't thought to thoroughly remove soap residue. Check out this darling article I found in the women's column of the April 18, 1943 edition of the St. Petersburg Times:
Beauty and the Bath
by Betty Clarke
Dear Housewives:
There's no excuse girls for looking fagged out and weary when papa comes home from work! It's just as much your duty to give his eyes something to feast on as it is to have his dinner on the table.
Even though time seems to be on your rationed list now that you're cook, cleaning woman, laundress, and gardener yourself, you still must sandwich in a few minutes for nothing but beauty...
[The author goes on to extol all the merits of a late afternoon bath.]
While you're running the tub, you can do so much. First be sure to tuck your curls high on your head or they will get wet and stringy. Then take care of your complexion by lathering your face with a deep pore-cleansing soap delicately scented with lavender. The next step is skin lubrication - smooth on a night cream generously and let it soak in as you soak in the tub...
And now back to your face. Remove every speck of cream that hasn't been absorbed and dash on a refreshing skin lotion. Then, your make-up.
Do you remember last winter when I realized that I really ought to start wearing a bathrobe and slippers around my apartment in the morning? That streaking about in my nightclothes probably wasn't very vintage-minded? That's been a hard habit to break. Until yesterday. As I stepped out of the shower, dried myself off, ran a brush through my hair --- I found myself reaching for a bathrobe. I didn't want to stand there over the sink washing my hair and trying to keep a towel wrapped around me at the same time. I guess when you spend even a few extra minutes tending to yourself in the morning, that robe or housecoat really comes in handy.
From the minute the clock struck 8:00 last night, I could think of nothing but the snacks I'd like to be eating. (Even though there are probably many nights when I'm not snacking at that hour!) And with a kitchen full of new groceries, there was plenty to tempt the palate. I ended up turning in early just to banish those awful cravings. Well, wouldn't you know, I managed to survive the night. For years, I've indulged every whim when it comes to eating, so to put even the slightest of boundaries on food feels harsh and twisting --- but I'm sure that feeling won't last forever.
I survived my walks as well. 35 minutes - that's three laps 'round the track at the park - on both Saturday and Sunday. I'm glad I broke out the baseball cap, because it was already a sunny 89 degrees by the time I got to the park this morning. I may give some thought to walking on the weekend before I eat my breakfast and do my morning chores. Maybe even before I shower for the day...
This evening's 1945 dinner menu:
Browned Potatoes
Asparagus Salad
Enriched Bread
Fresh Fruit Cup, Three
My first decision as I prepared to begin washing my face in the mornings? Whether to do it in the shower or in the sink. This would have been a moot point for most women in the 1940s as showers were just beginning to gain in popularity. The grooming routine does recommend that the face be washed in the evening after taking a bath. With that in mind - and in order to give my face the attention it deserves - I decided to wash my face in the sink after my morning shower. Besides, the skin's already been steamed. The pores are open. It should be an ideal time for cleansing. Next, I had to decide on a soap. I've been using a bar of Ivory soap scented with lavender in the shower. But my face has always been sensitive to fragranced things, so it was off to the drugstore to hunt up something mild and fragrance free. What a disappointment not to see almost any of the brands I'd been admiring in vintage magazines! No Lux, no Woodbury's, no Palmolive (at least not in the face soap aisle!) --- I ended up taking home some unscented Ivory.
The soap and water does make my face feel clean, but it also feels a little taut. I can't tell yet whether that's the soap itself or the toning effect of the cold water splashed on at the end. Judging from the articles in magazines and newspapers of the period, women in the '40s were also concerned then about the drying effect of soap. Beauty experts seem to have universally advised the daily use of cold cream to re-moisten the skin, but soap was still deemed the best cleanser available: "Nothing can cleanse the skin so satisfactorily as soap and water, leaving the face fresh and glowing." A warm water rinse was essential, though, as cold water wasn't thought to thoroughly remove soap residue. Check out this darling article I found in the women's column of the April 18, 1943 edition of the St. Petersburg Times:
Beauty and the Bath
by Betty Clarke
Dear Housewives:
There's no excuse girls for looking fagged out and weary when papa comes home from work! It's just as much your duty to give his eyes something to feast on as it is to have his dinner on the table.
Even though time seems to be on your rationed list now that you're cook, cleaning woman, laundress, and gardener yourself, you still must sandwich in a few minutes for nothing but beauty...
[The author goes on to extol all the merits of a late afternoon bath.]
While you're running the tub, you can do so much. First be sure to tuck your curls high on your head or they will get wet and stringy. Then take care of your complexion by lathering your face with a deep pore-cleansing soap delicately scented with lavender. The next step is skin lubrication - smooth on a night cream generously and let it soak in as you soak in the tub...
And now back to your face. Remove every speck of cream that hasn't been absorbed and dash on a refreshing skin lotion. Then, your make-up.
Do you remember last winter when I realized that I really ought to start wearing a bathrobe and slippers around my apartment in the morning? That streaking about in my nightclothes probably wasn't very vintage-minded? That's been a hard habit to break. Until yesterday. As I stepped out of the shower, dried myself off, ran a brush through my hair --- I found myself reaching for a bathrobe. I didn't want to stand there over the sink washing my hair and trying to keep a towel wrapped around me at the same time. I guess when you spend even a few extra minutes tending to yourself in the morning, that robe or housecoat really comes in handy.
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