I found this kitchen courtesy a friend who found it on JES's blog Strangers and Pilgrims. It's dated 1921 and that's just the time frame I've been looking at this month. I was immediately drawn to this kitchen because of the linoleum rug on the floor. I think it is so pretty and combined with the blue gingham check curtains it's just a pleasing combination overall.
This kitchen has more built-ins than many we've looked at this month. I suspect this was the beginning stages of realizing that women NEEDED storage in their kitchens especially if it was to be a room that was essentially lived in year round and so many of the kitchens were. Bedrooms were almost always reserved for strictly sleeping in and living rooms were more likely to be a more formal setting reserved for company, especially in farmhouses. But the kitchen often was the warmest room in winter so the family congregated there to study, read in the evenings and it was the room in which the majority of the housewife's work would have taken place from sun up until sun down quite literally.
Here we see a nod to the fact that storage might be welcome and I love that whole wall of shelves, cabinets and drawers. It obviously serves as a baking center and work station for the kitchen. The sink with it's slanted drainboards either side and a stool handy for sitting while doing dishes is placed at a window. That is a pet peeve of mine. Who ever decided that a woman washing dishes wanted to stare at a blank wall?! I do realize not every kitchen can have a sink at the window but I recall one of Mama's kitchens had a sink on the counter space between dining room and kitchen. On the outside wall of the room was a whole bank of windows. And you can bet when she had that kitchen redone, the sink got moved to that wall!
I love that the stove is more dainty and feminine looking. I've seen these sorts of gas stoves in antique and flea markets and I want one! I do! They are just so pretty and delicate looking but obviously sturdy to have held up for nearly 100 years. This one features a roomy shelf underneath to store pots and pans and that too is a nice convenience.
I think we're safe to assume there was a big kitchen table in the middle of the room and no doubt the ice box on the back porch just outside the kitchen door. I wonder if there was also a pantry? Curiosity always makes me wish there was a blue print of the kitchen I'm looking at.
later: Rhonda commented on that big hood over the stove. I noticed that yesterday but then just simply didn't see it when I got around to the stove once more. I was too caught up with that shelf under the stove and the handy storage it provided.
It's doubtful the hood is electric like ours today but it appears that the steam from the kettle is going right up it, so it's perhaps a chimney/stovepipe above the stove that draws that heat out?
And while I'm noticing things I didn't mention yesterday, what do you all suppose that little canister thing next to the sink is for?
NOTES: 1. Quickly I'll share a few things. There is a new email subscription link on the sidebar that replaces the reader model going out in July. I made a separate post to instruct you all about it, but the blog site deleted my post saying it was not allowed. No idea why. But if you'd like to continue to follow via email please use the new subscription button on the side bar of the blog page and sign up.
And now, the platform has reinstated the post saying that upon review they found nothing objectional about it...Perhaps it was just a glitch they experienced. Anyway, I've shared with you all...
2. Last week in comments I shared a link for the website I looked at to determine what our food budget ought to be per government guidelines. I can shorten that link considerably so please press here to open the site in a new tab or window. I hope this page automatically refreshes each month.
Just for fun this afternoon I went all the way back to the April 1994 listing and noted that for our family I ought to have been spending about what I'm supposedly supposed to spend NOW for just two...Which does kind of prove what I felt all along. My grocery budget has never really gone down that much despite my household getting smaller over time.
3. And one more little item. I am going to be selectively moderating the comments. If I mess up and delete a comment that was not in the least offensive accept my apology before hand. I sometimes have a page scroll on me when I'm trying to hit something else. I'm getting a few stray spam and hateful comments and I'm done.
Now on to the week ahead.
Work:
Zone 3 Beds and Baths...I don't really have big tasks in any of these this week beyond just a routine clean and dust. I've already made up the beds with Spring/Summer covers. I will try to get curtains for both the bedrooms and perhaps go look for that picture to go above the bed in the guest room as well as the baths. I will start with my own stash of pictures first and see if I need new frames or if I need new to me pieces and will shop accordingly.
I have zinnia and Balsam seeds and want to get those planted in the shed flower bed this week. I also have the Achimenes rhizomes to pot up.
There's a bag of mulch I still need to spread in my existing flower bed/s.
I want to make a run for a truck load of mulch that will be spread at the house in town. This is dependent upon Chad's schedule this week. We're trying to improve the landscaping at that house. Most of the overgrown shrubbery got ripped out this winter and John and Chad cut some heavy overhanging limbs this past week, as well. Now it's time to get the materials to do the body of the work on the front and side flower beds.
Not really my project but John's. Maddie is digging dirt out from under his shed and she's compromising the foundation. We want to get wire up on the higher end of the building to keep her OUT. We're probably also going to lay some wire in my flower beds because she wants to dig them out as well. She has a few places I've left specifically for her to lay in, as I know she gets quite hot and wants the cool bed but doggone it! I want to have some space for my own purposes, too.
John and I have two small group meetings this week with church. Both require a dish to share. We're taking soda to one and I have a casserole I'll carry to the other one.
I plan to get a haircut.
I need to buy a can of fabric protector and treat the new dining room chair seats.
All the rest of my week, whatever there is of it, will no doubt fill itself up quite well with the usual activities of housework, meals, family visits, etc. If I find myself with time heavy on my hands, I've a long list of projects that I might begin.
Kitchen:
I'm finding it very helpful to do a prep day in the kitchen each week. It frees up hours each week though it hardly seems it might. I don't have to stop in the middle of a project to prep food for a meal then cook and clear up behind it. It's more streamlined and it is a time saver. So definitely going to plan to make that happen on Monday.
I'm going to include the Gathered Fragments and Menus here this week:
Fragments: Broccoli Stems Slaw would be nice. I also saw a salad that used shaved broccoli stems as part of the salad greens.
about 1 cup of wild rice
Leftover pizza (this is so common that I think after this week I'll leave it off. We always end eating it for lunch at some point in the week anyway).
1 Zucchini that I need to use this week, for sure
1 cup of table cream The zucchini and cream will make a lovely Zucchini au gratin side dish. I likely won't use all the cream but it's a start.
5 cups yogurt Whey courtesy of Bess. I usually use this in making bread and since I'm making two loaves a week now, it will go fairly quickly.
1/2 cup of salsa
4 tortillas from the package I bought last month
Salsa Cream Cheese dip John doesn't much care for this but I like it quite well However, even I cannot finish a full recipe of it. I can however use it as spread on a wrap sandwich...Good use for those last Tortillas, too.
Taco Pasta about 1/2 recipe or two servings
I think I'll make an extra batch of bread dough this week to turn into cinnamon rolls and dinner rolls. I also want to make bagels, something I meant to do last week and didn't bother to do. Result we had only enough bagels for one this Saturday morning.
Breakfasts: Bagels for John, Toast and Yogurt for me
Cinnamon Rolls, Bacon
Sausage Biscuits
Eggs and Toast
Oatmeal and Toast
Sausage and Muffins
Cereal and Toast
Lunches: Artichoke, Chicken and Pesto Pizza
Leftovers of Soup and Pizza should do us two days at least
Pimento Cheese Sandwiches, Chips Likely times two for this and the tuna salad
Tuna Salad Sandwiches, Corn Chips
Taco Pasta leftovers
Main Meals: Saturday we'll snack only
one night we'll be out at a meeting
Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Wild Rice* , Rolls
Chef's Salad, Baked Potatoes A good time to use those broccoli stems*
Salsa Meatloaf, Zucchini Au Gratin*, Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Chicken, Asparagus, Spring Salad Bowl
Mac and Cheese, Pan Roasted Italian Vegetables
Personal Care:
I've really enjoyed reading but have yet to pull my stack of books for May. I started the Lisa See book I shared last week...Not sure how I like it thus far. So I'll make it a priority to choose some other books to put beside my chair.
It's time to bring out my vintage June magazines.
Give myself a fresh pedicure this week.
Get my hair cut. Gracious I'm beyond needing that! I put off getting it last week because we were both so busy and it was time I just didn't want to take from other tasks. This week for sure!
Now that pollen is mostly past take time each day to just sit on the porch and listen to the natural sounds about me. Birds singing, leaves in the breeze, etc. are so soothing and calming.
Make a point of getting some fun time out alone. I likely won't be alone for too much of the week but I have seldom taken that time to go out shopping on my own since John retired unless he also were busy. I believe he plans to cut our lawn one day and that would be a good time to leave home for a couple of hours and do my own sort of shopping.
19 comments:
I've seen you mention Pineapple Salad many time and would love to know how you make it. Thank you. Ann
Ann, It's something popular from the late 1940's and early 1950's. Simple as can be: lettuce leaf topped with two pineapple rings, a dab of mayonnaise in the middle and then topped with grated cheddar cheese and a cherry. Same for a pear salad. It's incredibly good for something so simple and very refreshing in hot months if served icy cold.
Terri, thank you so much. That's exactly what I've been wanting - just couldn't quite put the pieces together so to speak. There was almost always a platter of that at after funeral meals in KY and I would always make sure I got my share. Ann
That is a pretty vintage stove and the giant hood over it surprised me, I wasn’t expecting hoods 100 years ago,
This was such a pretty kitchen. I can imagine people back then having a preference for the Ice box being on the porch instead of right in the kitchen. There would usually have been a man delivering the ice, and I would prefer not to have non family member popping into my kitchen early in the morn or whenever.
I have not had my hair cut, except my bangs which I did myself, since early March of 2020. My hair is longer now than it was in 1972 when I graduated from high school. Back then it was blond. Now it is brown with a bit of gray mixed in. My bangs are all goofed up. I know one thing, my 2021 face is not as well suited to long hair as my 1972 face was. Next week my husband and I plan to go to Great Clips. He used some kind of clippers on his hair once during the year. He wasn't very satisfied with how it turned out so he only did it once.
We got our second vaccination a little while back so tomorrow we will be able to hold and hug our little 4 month old grand daughter for the first time, hug our grandson and our daughter for the first time in more than a year. I can't wait. I will be able to be close enough to smell that baby scent on little Emilia. She is at the stage now when she grins so big whenever she hears her name and is so proud of herself when she rolls over.
I had a ‘me’ day last week, first in a long time. Son at baseball practice, both daughter working, husband out at my sons house cutting up a rickety wooden deck for the whole day. No grandchildren needing watching. Pure.Bliss. I puttered around the house a bit, drove over to the mall to pick up an item. Picked up some hamburger meat for dinner, and sat outside with a magazine. I don’t need much, and just some spare time alone is therapeutic for me. I did miss them, and it didn’t feeel ‘right’, so when everybody got back, it felt normal again. I know one day it is going to be like that permanently, so I don’t pine too much for days like that. I know they will eventually be here. Have a great week, liz. P.s.... I never did understand hateful comments, what could anybody possibly say? I feel like you have one of the most non- controversial blogs lol
Gasp! Rhonda, that gigantic hood over the stove was something I meant to point out in my view of the kitchen and I completely forgot! I was curious about how it might operate or if it would have been just an open chimney and air and cooking smells went up on their own?
Susie, God bless you! Get your haircut (our Great Clips requires you to have your temperature taken and for customers to wear a mask) and hold that baby and sniff deeply of her sweet baby scent!
Liz, I love my alone time which is far rarer these days but I rattled around like a lonely pea in a tin can when Katie left home and it was just me here for hours alone...I got used to it though. Now I seldom have any time on my own unless I carve it out for myself.
Hateful comments...You'd be surprised what triggers them. In the age of The Spirit of Offense, there is someone I apparently routinely offend in many ways.
I am sorry you are getting hateful comments. There is no need for that!
Ellen
Hi Terri,
I really like this kitchen. The blue and white are so fresh and clean looking. I wonder if the canister under the sink could be for food scraps to be collected. If this was a farm house, those scraps would be taken out to the hog pen and fed to the pigs.
I love pineapple or pear salad! My mother would serve one or the other often for Sunday dinner (lunch) after church. So simple, and yet so delicious.
Susie - I haven't been to a salon since February of 2020. I normally had my hair colored every 5 weeks and trimmed every other visit. I've been coloring my own hair all this time and I had my husband trim it once (one side was slightly longer than the other - ha!). I cut myself some bangs once. I am going to ask my stylist if she's vaccinated (I know her husband is; he's a friend of my husband) and if so I'm going to make an appointment next month. I've worn a lot of ponytails this past year but I'm ready for a proper cut and color.
As for my husband, he wears his hair very long and usually in a ponytail which has turned out to be quite handy this past year. I cut about 6 inches off this past summer but he's due for another trim.
On the plus side, we've save a LOT of money since my visits alone were over $100 each time. Must look at the bright side, right? :)
Enjoy those baby snuggles!
Fun reading about your life and everyday doings. You sure never give anyone any reason to not admire and respect you. You are certainly not political or confrontational. Would sure miss your journal, it's like getting a letter from a longtime friend I have followed you so long,when I come here. Gramma D
My Mom's pineapple salad had a scoop of cottage cheese on top. I haven't had that in many years.
This week I am waiting on a letter from the courthouse telling me that I am excused from Jury duty because I am the caregiver of a disabled person. I can breathe easier once I get that because I cannot leave my husband home alone all day.
My Mom is having a risky procedure on Thursday. It is due to her age and current health but if it is not done she will likely never be any better than she is right now. She is fully dependent on others for her care and she hates it. My thoughts are that if nothing can be done that we take her back home and hire a full time caregiver for her last days.
We have a breakfast planned with some friends that we have not seen in several weeks and our besties are home from three months in Africa and I am anxious to see them and give big hugs. We also have a few more things to do out on the deck like put the party lights back up for the summer.
Have a good week all!
Thanks for the new link to the price of food. We, too, are well under the "thrifty" plan, which makes me wonder what the heck people out there are doing in the grocery store. We do eat our lunch out a couple of days a week, but how much could that cut off our grocery bill, and we didn't eat out at all under the year of Covid. And a great deal of the time I'm not even a from-scratch cook.
Amy Dacyzyn used to say that sometimes people would come to her for advice on spending less, and, without fail, she could always identify areas in which they could cut.
I think some of us are just born frugal. :D
I hope you can help me with a question I have. I know our weather is similar (very humid). My onion and garlic powder hardens into a blob that is hard as a rock. Even if I manage to chip away pieces, they are too large to be useful for things like garlic toast nor do they dissolve easily. I'm tired of throwing away half used bottles. Do you have this problem or how do you prevent it?
Christine, I have that problem too and I hope someone has an answer!
Anne, I think that so many buy single serve packages that cost many times per serving plus the deli and bakery are a huge way to eat up the grocery budget.
Lana and Christine I found this online about the problem (and yes, I have it too). It was suggested that one might use something to absorb the excess moisture. The author of the piece I read suggested putting in beans (rather than rice which might come through the holes) to absorb the moisture but also pointed out that we tend to use those two spices OVER the already hot steaming food we're trying to season. It was also suggested that we do as they might on a cooking show: measure it out and put it in a separate container with other seasoning ingredients and then dump it into the dish. I think that is most likely the best suggestion of all. And the final suggestion in the article was to make sure the container is truly air tight. I personally find that the spice jars that have a screw on lid with a shaker lid underneath is far better at fully sealing than the caps with a flip top lid. I'm going to try and remember to wipe away any residue with a dry cloth before trying to close them up again on my flip tops or find jars that I can decant them into that seal better. I'm going to start with the last two ideas and then measure out before hand before I dump in beans...
Deanna, I hope your stylist has had the shots and you can go pamper yourself once more. But you are right. So many things just became a built in savings for us all with the virus thing going on.
Anne, I think the figures are likely higher than many people would spend on food because they are averaged over costs nationwide and some areas are really high while others are just not.
I laughed over your mention of Amy D. noting right away where someone could cut out extras and bring down costs. I watch these vlogs with families and they do these food 'hauls' and I'm thinking "Uhm...No, No, not that and get rid of this and you can really lower that budget down a lot!" Truth is, we're all going to eat what we want to eat and some of us balance splurges with thrifty choices and some are just going to splurge and don't really want to know how to save.
Lana's mentioned how well they do on groceries many times. She has a Lidl, Aldi and a discount grocery as well as an Ingles and other stores near her home. I drive 35 miles to get to Aldi or a Publix (high but good quality, mostly shopped for sales, just as Lana uses it). Ingles is 30 miles in a whole other direction. The discount grocery I go to once a month is NOT the same sort of discount grocer that Lana has near her. Now we are in two whole different states and part of my issue is that I live in a rural area with pricey stores and poor produce, hence the reason I do drive 30 miles one way to go to another store.
I will say that though I spent all of my 'new' budgeted amount (or pretty near it) I still didn't buy a whole lot of things I 'want'. I got needs and often used items and supplemented my current stock with a few choice items and that is that. So I think the new budgeted amount is going to be helpful. I would be alarmed if I got to the end of the month and had bought all I 'wanted' and felt the new budget was far too high. That's the frugal girl in me, lol!
Lana, Your mom's still on my prayer list and I'll keep her there!
Frances M. I've done pineapple and peach salads with just the cottage cheese too in summer as Lana said her mom did. And for pears a good topping is to toast nuts, mix with cream cheese and a tiny bit of mayo and put that in the hollowed out core area.
Ann, that would be just 'dinner on the grounds' sort of food for us...But really funeral/dinner on the grounds foods are so good and many are not splurge items just dressed up budget ones!
Ellen and Dora, It does seem implausible there would be reason for negative or harsh comments but nevertheless...Lana unfortunately has seen a few of them before I got them deleted so she can attest to the fact. She's responded to them, too! Never mind. No doubt the person responsible is a 'poor soul'.
You got me thinking about the needs vs wants at the grocery. Wants for us would be deli or bakery and I avoid them like the plague. We pretty much only buy needs and boy is it boring! Before Bi-Lo closed up here I could amass points for free groceries by buying gift cards when they were giving bonus points. We used those points for splurge items like the deli and bakery when we went to the lake but that is long gone now. I have only been shopping at the discount grocery stores for about a year. I did not know they were here before that. I really have to be careful about what I buy there and I pray hard before going that I will not get carried away and buy things we will not eat just because they are low priced. We have two and average a trip to each once a month. One carries a ton of restaurant foods that are not really a good deal in my opinion but they are so tempting. I rarely shop Publix because it is the highest priced store here. Crazy high! I go to Lidl maybe once every two months. That store is dirty and sales are not great and the employees are so rude. We go to Sam's every 6-8 weeks. That really just leaves Aldi regularly and Ingles which is about twice a month. Ingles is so often out of sale items that if you don't go the first day the shelves are empty and all we get is rainchecks. Really my low grocery budget is my strong will and determination not to go over.
Thanks for praying for my Mom.
Oh how I love sparring with the rude comments! (Did I just say that?)
Thanks for the advice about the garlic powder. I'm going to measure away from hot food too. I'm considering putting some in another empty spice container with beans to find out what happens. I appreciate the time you take to give us such a helpful blog.
You're very welcome Christine. I have always been one to look things up and see what/why/how something is, so this is just a fun part of my blogging for me!
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