Polka time

My daughter and I were both wearing polka dots yesterday. She looked down proudly and said, "circle!" I said, "Yes! But their proper name is polka dot."But then I thought, why? For me, polka dots bring Lucille Ball to mind. 

An iconic '50s look that has never gone out of style.

But the round pattern goes back to when the polka dance craze hit Europe in the 1840s. Polka supposedly means Polish woman in Polish... And when the dance became popular, the word "polka" was attached to all types of products. But like many things in our language, this term stuck. Minnie Mouse, Winston Churchill and Lucy all loved polka dots. What is it about this print that makes starlets and stay-at home-Moms feel pretty? 

I might have 4 polka dot items in my closet right now, most of the black and white variety.

Since polka dots had another surge of popularity in the '80s, I do remember wearing leggings and such with the pattern. Just like Madonna I was!

I call my red and white pin dot dress the "diner dress." Looks like I could be bringing you your corned beef hash and eggs...

This is another beauty from Lindy Bop I'd like to have...

As I type this now, I'm in my favorite road trip shirt. I recalled this is the exact outfit I wore on my last road trip to Tennessee.

It's long enough to cover my rump with another road trip fav.....leggings:) It's like a dressed up version of sweatpants! An now... Here are some ladies who probably never got close to sweatpants... But loved a good polka dot!

I have a black and white polka dot bathing suit from Target, but much prefer my red and white gingham from the Esther Williams collection. But if you add just one polka piece to a wardrobe, make like Audrey and buy a one piece. Instant retro flair❤️

Classic trench

Every girl needs an iconic trench. But if you live in Florida, you only get to wear it about 3 times. It was a chilly 50ish degrees on our way to Miracle on 34th St. at the Athens. And what better place to wear a trench than to a theatre built in the '20s?  I love how I can belt it for some waist definition, and pop the collar if I want to. I have a great many brooches that will find their place on my lapel. Coat is from CAbi. Handbag and jewelery is vintage. Shirt from PinUp Couture, skirt from LindyBop and shoes by Mel.

Mad for plaid

I'm sure I had some adorable Christmas pajamas when I was a child. Or a sweater with kitties donning Santa hats. But I have found my favorite Christmas outfit ever!

 Lindy Bop is becoming my favorite retro-clothing Web site. 

http://www.lindybopusa.com/

Both top and skirt are from this British site. It's amazing I like plaid after 8 years of Catholic school. Everything fit right out of the box... A first from an online store. Paired with my Mel shoes from Pinup Parlor, I had a festive look. I loved my jewelery tonight. Crescent-moon shaped red rhinestone earrings with a matching necklace added merry sparkle. 

Some poinsettias from the craft store made a perfect hair piece. 

Retro wrapping

I wrapped my first Christmas present of the season for my dear friend Martha. And I was so pleased to use my vintage wrapping paper for the first time. 

Plucked from a garage sale where everything was in original 1950s packaging, the box boasts 400 inches of paper. I swear that's about 4x more than wrapping paper today. Sometimes I get three presents out of one of those cheapy rolls. This vintage multi-colored paper could last me 2 Christmas seasons. And it's thick! Have you ever wrapped a present only to have the corners rip when you try to make a neat fold? Not this paper! 

For more vintage Christmas flair, I spent an hour at RiverTown Antique Mall. It's 3 stories!! I carefully flipped through dozens of Christmas cards, passing over the discolored ones or ugly graphics. I found the cutest ones, and sprinkled them around my house. They were about 50 cents each. 

Merry Christmas! 

Mama's things

I have a bowl I reserve just for meatballs. That's how often we eat them. I can remember my grandmother, known as Mama (Mah-MAH) serving pasta with meat sauce in the same vessel. It's not a fancy piece of china, and there's no artisanal stamp on the bottom. It's painted with flowers and fruit. It's the perfect size for meatballs...and I think I make great meatballs.

 I've watched my grandmother (who owned the Red Riding Hood cookie jar), then my own mother make these little meaty morsels. You can't mix meatballs with a fork or spoon. You take off your wedding band and dive in wrist deep. It's how it's done. My husband asked for spaghetti and meatballs this week. I have converted my meat and potato man into a meat and pasta guy. This bowl will never see the dishwasher... It's a hand wash item. And it's already back in the cupboard ready for it's next batch. 

A simple sheath

I forget I don't always need to buy online or in a boutique for retro clothing. You can find vintage details in department stores, too. I found this gem in Dillard's. A Venetian scene makes this dress  anything but plain. One piece and I'm dressed. Feeling put together doesn't have to be hard. It was perfect for walking around Winter Park with my family👗

Preserving culinary history

In almost every issue, Southern Living magazine has an essay about some author's Momma's sweet potatoes or biscuits. They talk of stained recipe cards, watching said Momma knead dough while a youngin' helps snap pole beans on the counter. Well... Damnit! All those things really do happen here in the South! 

She may be knee-high to a grasshopper, but my daughter is already my sous chef. In this photo, I'm elated she can snap a bean in half. Wait till she cracks an egg with no shell in the batter.. We may have a parade. Even watching cream whip is exciting!

She watches me cook dinner 5 to 6 nights a week. She helps me go through magazines and rip out interesting recipes. I file them neatly in clear sleeves, which then get stuck in a binder. No alphabatizing, just a general grouping for appetizers, soups, entrees and desserts. I've upgraded from a purloined school binder to a pretty pink one.

 

I got this idea from Mom, and no I don't call her Momma. She is more organized than I, and has binders designated just for dessert and things. She also journals what she serves at each holiday and if any mayhem ensued. Like the year the garbage disposal backed up (almost every year) or the  first time I brought my now husband home for the holidays.  Mom still has her roll-top recipe box of hand-written or typed cards. 

I am still on the hunt for the perfect recipe cards for me on Etsy or in a local store. Not an easy task! 

I also learned from Mom to annotate my recipes, any substitutions or thoughts afterward. 

I have started to write "Company worthy" next to recipes I deem good enough for visitors. When I make something for the first time, I always ask my husband, "Good enough for company?" If it's a yes, there's a special note. And you better write down who you served it to and when...lest you fret if you've made the same spinach gnocchi with goat cheese and roasted tomatoes twice for the Kaufmans. Was it Spanikopita and souvlaki for the Greens? I would NOT be ok with them thinking I was a one-trick pony. 

 

And it's generally a rule to never try out a new recipe on a guest. But then, you could be like me.. And a tried and true au gratin potato dish turned purple gray in the oven under a blanket of basil cream and cheese. Disaster!! I have served that dish with success at least 10 times.  ( My hubby raced to Publix and picked up icky heat-lamp warmed mashed potatoes instead. It was better than hearing me stomp around and curse the kitchen gods, I guess.)

A thoughtful gift years ago came from my mother-in-law. A compilation of every Carter family recipe from the '50s to the '70s.  I'm not sure which Carter or Stoudenmire cook made what, but I can call it a family recipe. And I guess I should make these rolls based on the title...

Recipes for banana bread are next to Blushing Bells, sandwiches of ground canned ham and mayo. There's chess pie and ways to prepare pheasant. Happy Day Cherry Pie and Zanzibar spice cake sound fun.

Did you note the "Man's eating chocolate?" Like a man's sipping whiskey but for the kid at heart? Oh, the 50s.

I can't pull a memory from every recipe...and there are some recipes I have yet to try.  But there are dishes that are stamped in my tastebuds. My friend Kim's Mexican lasagna, I'm so lucky to have it handwritten! 

The recipe from an 8th grader who insisted I have her recipe for "crawsawnt" dough cookies dipped in sugar. The double chocolate cookies my 6th period class (6B) lovingly called "poo cookies" because of their dark brown and lumpy appearance... One student begged me for them nearly daily, so I named them after him... But the class got jealous. Those cookies lasted 3 seconds every time I made them, always a double batch. 

Thanksgiving is here, and I made a retro cold  broccoli salad with sunflower seeds, raisins and a sweet and tangy dressing. I also made pecan espresso toffee and a apple cream cheese buddy cake. Delicious! And this hideous turkey concoction for breakfast! Heehee.

Another Thanksgiving in the books:)

Renninger's extravaganza

Before I found all my treasure today at Renninger's 800+vendor market, we waited on the highway. For 30 minutes... going 10 miles an hour. This was no joke. Thousands of antique lovers converged on Mount Dora this weekend. It was everything you see on shows like Flea Market Flip. 

I can spend hours in one antique store, so to peruse hundreds of mini stores was going to take all day. My husband and I spent about 5 hours walking.. Thank goodness for fried Wisconsin cheese curds in a jalapeño batter. And all the other food trucks that pumped good smells into the air.

I dressed for the occasion of course, with quick Pin-up hair and a swing dress. I figured other gals might do the same... Nope.  So the people who buy vintage hats, purses, jewelry and more don't ever wear it? 

This was the coolest booth!! The artist takes old trucks and makes them into sofas, tables, wall hangings...Apparently Miranda Lambert is a fan. And he sported this slightly terrible, yet terrific shirt. Just needs punctuation😁

If my husband and I weren't renting the tiniest house ever, I would have taken home some furniture or a larger item.

 And when you realize you have to lug it to your car...You realllly have to want it. People pulled wagons and carts behind them for their loot.. These were the professional pickers.

I think I'm turning into a jewelry picker. I can NOT pass up a glass case or a tangle of rhinestones. I just can't do it. Luckily my patient husband will wait for me for while I pick up the same earring 5 times. And he still finds the energy to answer, "You like it?" I found the best booth and spent about 25 minutes trying on all types of jewels. I have learned to never accept the first price. Always polite... But asking, "Is that your best price?" can take you far. I did get the price down $15. Woot!

This set is my favorite!! Ruby red rhinestones atop a pink hair scarf plucked for $1:) My hubby spotted this next pair.. And I'm so glad he did. They go with everything..called Thermaset, aka lucite.

This pin screams PillowTalk, the film with Doris Day and Rock Hudson. 

I also picked a $10 mink collar for a cardigan... Have to have seamstress Mom work on that one😌

If you are a size 2... You can find some tulle party dresses straight out of the '50s. I have never seen anything bigger than today's equivalent of a 4... Sigh.

Two things I forgot to snag... Don't ever say to yourself, I'll just come back for it. You WILL forget and you won't find it ever, ever again. Maybe a bit dramatic... But some of these things are hard to come by. I wish I had snagged this pink rolling pin and pink toy stove.

But I think my favorite pick is a purse. Those who know me... Say, of course! But when the same thing sells for close to $90 new and I got a 1950s version for $15... I was jumping for joy. I think this explains it all...

It's mine!! Plus it was hidden under other purses, so I found the diamond in the rough. Blue shimmering Lucite handles... Yes!!

PinUp Girl Clothing offers a similar purse for $78...pictured below. So my retro pick is a steal!! Needs just a touch of cleaning, but no rips or stains.

Though I enjoyed this market immensely, I won't go back until we move to a bigger house. Too much temptation to buy and decorate with beautiful things. I would recommend this to everyone!