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I'll apologize that I don't have any wonderful treats to share this morning. I spent yesterday afternoon making a big batch of laundry soap instead of baking goodies for the meeting. You understand, don't you? Anyway, later this week I thought we'd discuss dishing the dirt, or how we deal with cleaning the house. I know, it's kind of a boring topic but I've found a great product that I'll share with you and put your thinking caps on because I'm going to ask you to share your best cleaning tips.
Spring is still promised and when it finally arrives I want to be prepared for a big spring cleaning extravaganza here on the prairie.
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Didn't you love that photo of my grandmother and her friends that I posted yesterday? They were three total characters.
Susan mentioned in the comments that she thought that Martha was wearing a hat (she wasn't), which is really funny because she was a milliner and was rarely without one. My grandmother was also a milliner which meant we always had the most fanciful Easter bonnets. I've got a picture of one somewhere.
Mary mentioned the fact that girdles were used to keep everything under control. Girdles? GIRDLES???? Mary, you had to go and mention girdles? I'd banished the thought of girdles years ago simply because it's too painful to think about.
Who invented those anyway? Someone had to dream up that system of rubber knobby thing and metal hook to keep the nylons up. It was positively painful. I can still feel them cutting into the back of my legs when I sat through church services. What I can't figure out is why I was wearing one. I only weighed 115 pounds back then and had neither a lump nor a bump to constrain. Thankfully, pantyhose came on the market about the time I graduated from high school.
Before we leave the subject of girdles, let me tell you about my grandmother's girdle. She'll probably be rolling over in her grave about this one because she was pretty vain. Anyway, my grandmother did not have a derriere. It was flat and she wanted to look curvy and cute in her sheath dresses. The solution? She bought a padded girdle. It was padded in all the places she wanted curves. She's probably wearing it in that photo.
OK Grandma, I won't tell anymore of your secrets. I promise.
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Last week I mentioned the World's Largest Catsup Bottle Festival and imagine my surprise when I discovered that some of you lived nearby the bottle or had relatives who sold their tomatoes to the manufacturers. That's so cool.
For those of you who wanted more information, the catsup bottle and the festival are in Collinsville, Illinois, located about 15 miles northeast of St. Louis. I believe there's a Waffle House somewhere nearby and don't forget to visit the Cahokia Mounds.
World's Largest Catsup Bottle Festival
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I'm always amazed when I check into my Sitemeter account and look to see who's on the website. I'm astonished that people are reading from Serbia, Indonesia or a thousand other exotic places I've never been. But yesterday I saw a location that made me smile. Someone was visiting the blog from Horse Cave, Kentucky. We stopped there on a trip south and as I remember, stayed in the nicest family owned motel. It was vintage decor, having never been updated and clean! I loved that little motel.
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Omigosh!! I almost forgot to announce the winner of the apron.
As you can see the Farmer was tucked under a quilt as the snow was flying outside. As you will notice I do not use a computerized number generator. I'm old school and low tech. I trust the man to do the job. He's digging down into the 25th Anniversary jar........
It's Mary!!!
I'll e-mail you. Congratulations.
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Thanks for braving the snow and blustery conditions to come the meeting. The floor is now open for discussions. Girdles, catsup bottles.....whatever!
17 comments:
Fun post, Suzanne. The luck of the draw! I am so happy for Mary winning the apron, but I was close, right? I see Schnitzel in your 25th Anniversary jar....maybe next time. Darn!
Sorry. I'm not in my pj's. I always get up, make my bed, shower and dress before I ever come downstairs.
Girdles....I have never worn one, but my Grams liked to tell the story of when she and her family went a beach and they only had outhouses.
She had to take her girdle completely off, and she lost it down the hole.
Congrats Mary!.. and oh.... I sure wish you had photos of that little motel... bet it was caayute!
Di
The Blue Ridge Gal
(I remember garter belts... ACK)
Snowing? Oh this is not good. Thanks for the quilts.
Congrats to Mary! She's going to love, love, love her apron.
Girdles...I was stuffing myself in like a sausage back in the day, too, and I weighed about what you did. I figure the entire girdle thing is why I've come so undone. This all has reminded me of an awful girdle story. My own mother laughed to the point of falling down. She was laughing at my being stuck in that contraption. Gee, thanks for bringing this all up.
Hope that snow is a fading memory in a few hours.
Congrats, Mary! (even though we all wanted to win the apron!) My daughter made some cupcakes last night--maybe I could sneak a few over to the meeting for us to enjoy. They look yummy!
Thanks for that quilt; I definitely needed it this morning!
I remember my mom's girdles, but I think she ditched them the second pantyhose came out.
girdles...oh dear...i didn't even reach 100 lbs as a teen but, yes indeedy, i wore one. was it some victorian thing about nothing can wiggle? or just to hold up the nylons? now that i could REALLY use alittle help-no way. i will just love myself as i am-gag-a women. love my quilt. i wish i had a bit of choc-chic in me. offen i get all my morning work done before showering, can't tell you how many peeps have visited my in me p.j's.
I love these meetings. I am sorry it is still so cold there. Enough already! ;)
[gulp]
I have been know to resort to shaping garments (sounds much nicer than 'girdle'), especially when singing in public. It seems counter-intuitive, but I can't relax my diaphragm and breathe deeply while relying on tensed abdominals to hold my tummy pooch in! Sometimes a little help is a necessity.
Anyway...a word to the wise if anyone here finds herself in shaping garments at some future date.
DO NOT wait until the last minute to visit the ladies' room! Do you know how difficult it is to extract oneself while doing the 'potty dance' ?
Seriously, it was a near disaster, and I do not have bladder control issues as a general rule. I suspect the fact that I began laughing at my desperation didn't help matters much. :)
Go ahead and laugh at my vanity - it is much deserved. Sorry if this is TMI. Just remember the tip!
Congrats to Mary on the win!
Oh dear Paula.. you made a memory flash into my conscious. Remember the "handy" split crotches that were to make removal of the garment for bathroom breaks unnecessary.. RIGHT they were invented by a man. LOL
too funny. And Darn I will have to miss the catsup festival. I will be in PA at a bridal shower for my dd. But we have to make a side trip there before she moves from Springfield to PA. That is one fantastic bottle.
Will you share your laundry soap recipe? I've been wanting to do this myself but I've had a hard time finding some ingredients.
Love these meetings!
I am so sorry to see you are all wrapped in white again! It seems this winter is everything else but a quitter.
We had temperatures near the 80s today. Lets hope we don't get an April surprise.
Hey Suzanne; Thanks for the quilts, they really were so warm and cozy.. I remember when I had my first girdle. I was so excited to have one,,, but then I was in the 5th grade... haha not much to hold in back then.. I don't think I would wear one now though. I like to let it all hang out hahaha
Hugs;
Alaura
Well! It's 4 pm here ... am I too late for the Monday Morning Staff Meeting? I try to join in first thing Monday morning, but WORK got in my way today (darned clients)! Good thing you didn't supply baked goodies ... I would have been severely disappointed if y'all ate my share before I got there! My Auntie stuffed my 90 pound 12 yr old body into a 'panty girdle' once -- the same day she decided I needed 'makeup'. The whole event lasted long enough to walk from bedroom to kitchen, announce I CAN'T BREATHE, and rush back to my bedroom to reclaim freedom. I've left the 'shaping' to Mother Nature ever since! Of course, I don't weigh 90 pounds anymore and could probably benefit from some 'shaping' ... LOL! Are we talking spring cleaning next Staff Meeting??
Ahh shucks, I never win anything....big whine. Tell us about the homemade laundry detergent!
Hello Suzanne,
Loved the story about the girdles!! My mother wears one every day even when she walks at the gym. We get to tease her about it. I don't know how she does it! I wear one on Sunday and can't wait to get home to pull that thing off!!Thanks for the laugh.
Sue
Wow Suzanne - do you seriously make your own laundry detergent? Do tell!
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