That was then...this is now.

I am in the process of making myself a craft/scrapbooking station after being inspired by all of you talented ladies out there. While clearing out some drawers of my new workspace, I came across this vintage (1938) Brown and Polson Cookery Club magazine that my mum gave me a while back. It was my Auntie Jean's and it is a fun peek back at life for the everyday housewife in the late 30's. I thought I'd share a few gems with you...

One enterprising mother offers this advice: "Sandwiches made with thin bread and butter and a thick layer of Brown & Polson Corn Flakes make an excellent 11 o'clock lunch or supper for children if served with a glass of milk." Uhmm...yeah...sure...my kids would jump at that!!

What to consider when buying the cheaper cuts of meat for your family:

Sheep heart stuffed and baked makes a most nourishing meal. Oyyy...Why weren't there more vegetarians back then??

Tripe contains a large amount of nourishment and is very easily digested. What exactly is this??

Pig's Fry can be bought cheaply and make a wholesome and tasty dish. No doubt...

Sheep's head can be boiled and served with sauce or used for making brawn. Is anyone hungry yet??

Another old book I forgot I owned is Rose Buckner's Book of Homemaking. Rose has many tips on being a great wife and mother. Here are just a few...

"The woman makes or mars the marriage. She it is who has the job of making a new world for two people, and whether happiness or bitterness dwell in it must depend largely upon the woman." Is this akin to the saying, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." ??

Here's a doozy:

"More married men have been driven to other women by loneliness and that feeling of being shut out from their own family than from any other cause.A mother is sometimes too ready to exclude Father from the family kingdom. It's not because she wants to keep him and the children separated, but usually it is a desire to get the children out of the way and the house looking tidy before Father comes home. And, perhaps, to allow time to titivate herself for his return." Titivate...titivate...hmmn??? tit·i·vate : transitive verb : to make smart or spruce ( well, that's a relief...I didn't know where Ruth was going with that...!!!).

I was somewhat surprised to read some of Rose's rather progressive beliefs:

She writes, "Many women are better wives and mothers if they have the satisfaction of accomplishing something other than home duties. There is no suppression then, no frustration."

"No interference should be tolerated by the newlyweds. Marriage has little hope of success where there is outside interference. I think a girl knows instinctively if the 'in-laws' will cause trouble. If she has any suspicion that they will, she should never share their home." Amen to that!!

"One obstacle to a happy marriage is the ease with which a woman can, unknowingly, become a 'home-worshipper' instead of a 'homemaker'. When she comes to think more of the pile on a carpet than she does of the child playing with bricks and making the carpet untidy, then there is not much harmony in the home."

I bet Ruth was a kind mother, too. She is sounding more modern indeed:

"It is an indignity to be smacked by by an enraged parent. The parent forgets in time- the child, never. I should not be worthy of my children's respect if I took advantage of their defenceless position and smacked them just because I couldn't control my temper-for that is all it amounts to..."

"Children need to dream; to be left alone to sit and do nothing. They are not lazy; in their little minds they are inventing, planning, lost in a world of make-believe magic where string and nails make magic carpets that can achieve miracles." I think I like this woman very much...

And finally:

"Children owe nothing at all to their parents, except respect, and parents have to work hard to earn that."

Trade ya...!!

I, as you have likely noticed, am a huge Pottery Barn fan. It therefore drives me crazy that I cannot get my hands on their gorgeous catalogues (they won't ship them to Canada)!! Sure, I peruse their website and enjoy seeing all the great room ideas there, but there is nothing like having a real one in my happy, little hands.

Soooo, I have come up with a plan to get some, in a way that is mutually beneficial to the lovely person who will send me a few. Here is the deal: I will send you an equal amount of Canadian Home and Country magazines (a gorgeous magazine that will appeal to all you modern country style fans and lovers of all things vintage) if you will send me the most recent Pottery Barn Home and Pottery Barn kids ( I am pining for the fall and Christmas issues, especially). Sound fair? That way the cost of shipping will be relatively equal and everybody's happy!! Any takers out there??

Where were you?

My all-time favourite photo of the late Princess Diana...

It seems every generation has a famous person for whom you could ask the following question: Where were you when you found out that ???? died? For some it was John F. Kennedy, others it was Marilyn Munroe, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Mother Theresa, John F. Kennedy Jr....the list goes on. For me, it was Princess Diana...and the memory is burned into my mind.

I think almost every little girl of my generation loved Princess Diana. I remember the first time I became aware of her mystique and presence. I was watching an interview on television of a newly engaged couple, and I was unsure as to who the people were. I asked my mother, who was watching the program intently, and she said it was Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. She gave me the background on the two of them and as I watched the program with her, I slowly became enamored of this shy, pretty girl. I listened to the newsperson describe her as tall, pretty, shy and virginal ( I also had to ask my mother what that meant) and possessing a "peaches and cream" complexion. I thought that sounded lovely and I began a period of hero worship that would last basically until she passed away.

I began clipping every photo and article I could get my hands on and carefully glued everything into a scrapbook that was soon filled to the brim. Having a dear aunt and uncle who had recently emigrated from Ireland meant that I was able to secure some very good and unique memorabilia of their wedding. They took a trip back to Ireland around the time leading up to the wedding and brought me back a stamp set, a pencil case with their image, a mug, book, and more clippings...this time from British papers!! I felt very privileged, indeed, to have these treasures in my possession and I still have them today. Like every young girl I arose at approx. 5am to be able to watch the wedding on television. I imagined her excitement and nervousness as she prepared to make that grand march down the aisle. I can still remember the excited butterflies in my stomach as I caught that first glimpse of her in the carriage with her father. By this time, I knew every detail reported about her and Prince Charles and had read every book about them I could get my hands on. I even struggled through a rather lengthy book about Charles as I felt the need to be well-versed on his life as well, if I was truly going to be a "royal expert"!! I continued to devour every detail of their marriage, their children, and lives right to the bitter end of their union. I was so anxious to see what direction her life would take her following the divorce, and secretly hoped she'd find a wonderful man to settle down with and perhaps have a little girl in her image.

The day she died was such a shock to me. I had just arrived for my nursing shift at 7am and as I was receiving report, one of the LPN's arrived at the nurse's station and casually asked, "Did you hear that lady Diana died??" The first thought that entered my head was, "How tacky! Who calls her Lady Diana anymore? " and then, "Where did she hear such nonsense...The National Examiner??" I basically said as much (not the tacky part...) and she went on to elaborate some of the details. I literally felt cold inside and full of disbelief. But it was true. Every room I entered that morning, as I distributed the medications, had the t.v. on regurgitating the same scant details. Princess Diana was dead. I think I cried with every one of my elderly female patients while the elderly men tsked-tsked as they watched the details unfold. It took me a very long time to administer my meds that day. I will never forget the details of how I found out; and unreasonably, it still irritates me to this day the way the news was delivered to me. It was as if I expected it to be relayed to me in a more gentle, respectful way. Didn't anyone know what a huge part of my childhood she was? In fact, when I played Barbies (and I did so every day), my Barbie was Princess Diana. Her children were William and Harry, but her husband was...Prince Andrew!! I couldn't bring myself to make my handsome blonde Ken doll be Prince Charles. Ken was too smiley to be such a serious sort. Indeed, Prince Andrew was handsome, fun, and had a certain appeal...if you know what I mean...!!

Oh, and by the way, did I mention that I MET the princess? Well, I did. I was about 11 years old and she was visiting our area, so a lot of the local schools organized bus trips to the private school they were visiting nearby. We waited a long time for them to emerge from the building; but when they did, it was well worth the wait. I got to shake both Princess Diana's and Prince Charles' hands and she chatted with me and my friends about how we had waited a long time in the drizzle to see them and that she hoped we hadn't had to miss our lunches. I have a photo of her speaking to me (my friend snapped it from beside me, so I'm not in it, but she was thisclose to me) and I remember thinking that her complexion really was like peaches and cream and how beautiful her engagement ring looked up close. She wore a pale lemon dress in a drop waist style with pleating all around the bottom and a lovely matching hat. It was one of the highlights of my childhood!

Now that Diana is gone, I still find myself wondering what would have become of her. How would her boys be different, and would she have remarried? I still remember thinking that the world would miss seeing her beautiful face on the covers of magazines...that the world would be a far duller place, for no one could, or has ever matched her appeal or kindness. And, most importantly, the people who lost the most were two boys who knew her simply as Mummy.

"A girl given the name of the ancient goddess of hunting, was in the end the most hunted person of the modern age."- Earl Spencer, Diana's brother -