Mitzi's Miscellany

Views of Life in the 1920's

I was cleaning up some of my shelves over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and had to stop to leaf through some old photo albums I found.  I purchased the albums a while ago, and I have no idea who the folks are in the pictures.  Still, I find old photos fascinating.  They make me think about so many things about life long ago.....

I love this photo of a Christmas gathering.  Those appear to be real candles on the tree, and the person dressed as Santa looks a little frightening.  The kids in the foreground are holding a big pan of popcorn (I think they are making popcorn balls) and a tray of apples:

Back to School Way Back When

Now that everyone has returned to school and settled in, I'd like to share some of my "back to school" images from many years ago.  Some of these images have appeared on my blog before, but I think they deserve an encore.  For some reason, I really enjoy group photos from old schools.  Maybe it's because both my mother and grandmother were teachers, and my dad was a principal, and I've spent many years working in the school environment as a school psychologist before I retired two years ago.

The first two photos are from dorm rooms at Michigan Agricultural College, which is now known as Michigan State University.  If you have college-age children, or have memories of college fresh in your mind, consider how different dorm life was back then without the technology we have today:

 

Charming Vintage Baby Related Ephemera

 I opened a box recently and it was full of vintage baby-related ephemera, including postcards, baby photos, and birth announcements.  Sometimes I buy things like a box lot of paper ephemera and stash bits and pieces away.  Over time I forget what I bought, so it's sort of exciting to open up these little mystery boxes....  

This postcard and most of the other items were printed in the early 1900's:

 

Glimpses of Life Long Ago

Recently I opened an old postcard album I had acquired quite a while back, and as I looked at the pictures I was amused at the glimpses of life about one hundred years ago that it held.  I thought it would be fun to share with you, too.

Years ago, family photos were often converted into postcards.  This group of children playing in their yard captures the simple joys of childhood:

 

Relatives You Didn't Know About

I'm in the process of cleaning and organizing my crafting room/office.  It's a long, agonizing process!  As I go along, I keep finding wonderful things I forgot I had, like boxes of old photos.  Of course, such discoveries slow me down because I have to stop to scan them into the computer and share them with y'all.   I decided this group of lonely folks are long lost relatives we didn't know about, and they need to be assigned to  new families.  You can "adopt" them by clicking on the images and "saving" them, and using them in a future art project, or simply framing them and adding them to your wall of family portraits!

Your cousin Mildred, once removed:

The adorable brother and sister of your great great Grandfather:

Your depressed great great Aunt and Uncle, their two depressed children and their depressed dog:

Your great great Uncle Edwin:

Little Hazel, whose mother always curled her hair every day.  Hazel is somehow related to your dad, we're just now sure where she fits in:

Adorable little Edwina, your great grandmother's sister:

 Little Viola, your great-great aunt:

Your distant cousin's wedding photo:

Your dapper dressing great aunt Josephine:

The sweet children that are related to your father in some way:

Your great great aunt Wilhelmina, who marched to the beat of her own drummer.  She wore her hair short, dressed in men's clothing, and dared to smile during her photo session!

I know you'll provide a great home for these deserving souls!

Mitzi

Some Happy Easter Decor from Cindy Koth

Happy Easter, everyone!  Today I'd like to share some of my loyal blog reader Cindy Koth's cheerful Easter decor.  You might remember some of Cindy's Valentine decor that I shared a while back.  I'd say Cindy celebrates the holidays in great vintage style, wouldn't you?

Here we have a lovely grouping of plush bunnies in baskets:

 

Bunnies do have a tendency to multiply....and some of these are mechanical:

 

Charming children's tea sets with rabbit motifs:

A very special tin litho set in its own cupboard:

Cotton bunnies and other delights from the past:

Mohair and plush bunnies and a Kandies for the Kiddies tin:

Cindy can't stop the rabbits from reproducing!

Little bunnies pulling their carts to load up with Easter treats:

You can tell the grass inside these carts is the old cellophane type from the 1960's:

Cindy said the bunny on the left is pulling over the others for speeding!

Another shelf of bunnies and their carts:

A charming cover of The Farmer's Wife magazine:

Cindy's Easter decor puts mine to shame!  I want to thank her for sharing her treasures with us today. 

To end my Easter post, I'd like to show you a picture of me back in the 1960's, wearing my new Easter bonnet.  We were getting ready for church, and I was very uncomfortable because the bonnet had prickly flowers that were scratching my head.  I didn't look very happy, did I?

I hope you have a happy Easter with your family and/or friends, and pets if you have them.  My dogs are looking forward to some ham.  They've been good helpers lately, so I'll give them a few bits.

Mitzi

Happy Birthday to My Mom

Saturday, March 30th is my mom Lucile Maran's birthday, and she'll be 86 years young.  I'd like to celebrate by sharing some pictures from her interesting life.

This photo was just taken last month.  I think my mom looks great for her age, or for ANY age, don't you?

My mom has a youthful attitude, too.  She's not one to sit around and watch TV.  She's still selling antiques at the consignment shop Up for Grabs in Naples, Florida, and works there part time too.  She enjoys walking her dog Jezebel every day and having lunch with her dog loving friends, Clorinda Haug (left below) and Rochelle Baum (center):

My mom has always had a special sense of style, and I've learned a lot from her.  She knows how to set up great displays from all her years as a store owner, first as the owner of an antique shop attached to our home, then as the owner of the Mole Hole gift shop in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, and as the owner of the Wind in the Willows boutique in Naples, Florida:

Here she is back in the 1970's, watering her plants at the Mole Hole in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan:

Jezebel loves to go for a ride in the car:

"Walking" Jezebel in Naples with friend Alexandra Berz (right):

I'm really proud of my mom.  My dad passed away just over a year ago, and it's been a tough year, but she's made the huge adjustment to her new life really well.  She married my dad when she was only 19 years old, and they had a very happy marriage:

Recently I helped her pack up many things in her townhouse so she could put it on the market.  She wants to move to a smaller home with a little less maintenance.  We took down all the family photos, like this "glamour shot" of her from college:

My mom's Easter decor:

I just returned from Naples a couple weeks ago.  My brother will be going there for my mom's birthday, and I'll be going back in May.  We take turns visiting so she always has something to look forward to, although at Christmas we both went at the same time.

So I'd like to wish my mom a Happy Birthday, and end this post with a picture taken at Easter long ago.  We were dressed in our Easter finery, getting ready for church.  You can tell in the picture I wasn't fond of getting all dressed up:

Happy Birthday, mom!  Much love to you!

Mitzi

Happy Holidays from Mitzi's Miscellany

Hello friends!  I've had a lot of fun sifting through my boxes full of old pictures lately, and have acquired several new boxes full of vintage fun at recent auctions.  I can get carried away for hours thinking of captions to go with some of the unusual family photos or individual portraits. 

For some of you readers that might be new to my blog, you simply must visit some of my older posts when my dear friend, photographer Joshua Smith, was a "guest" blogger.  He was kind enough to share some valuable tips about photography with us.  His initial post was so popular, I invited him back a second time for more lessons in his craft for those of you interested in improving your own skills (wink).  You can also download and save his images for your own art, such as collage work, if you wish.

 

I invited Mr. Smith back a third time, when he was all excited about his employee of the month at Joshua Smith Studios, Miss Caroline Wilkins.  Perhaps you'll want to visit his post here to learn about the talented Miss Wilkins and get some ideas for holiday hairstyles!  Yes, I've had a lot of fun with my dear friend, Mr. Joshua Smith!

Here's a hairdo you might want to try.....or not!

I've created a little holiday card with a curious family photo I found in a box, just for you, with my special brand of humor:

I hope you have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or whatever else you may be celebrating!

Mitzi

Three Generations

When I visited Naples, Florida recently, I helped my mom pack some family treasures and made some discoveries along the way.  First and foremost, my mom showed me our family bible from her side of the family.  It came with her grandparents all the way from England on the boat, and eventually made its way to Isabella County in mid-Michigan, to a small town called Mt. Pleasant, where I was born.

My grandma, Harriett Pitkin Audlin, was born on January 1, 1875.  Believe me, she wasn't wild about the middle name "Pitkin", and we aren't really sure where it came from, either!  Also, note below where it says "One child died an infant June 1881".  I'm surprised that only happened once.  Infant mortality was very high back then.

A beautiful chromolithograph marriage certificate:

And the inevitable deaths of the older folks....

Then, an amazing discovery!  My grandma was born in this log cabin!  I'd never seen this picture before.  And for my friends familiar with the Mt. Pleasant area, this was near Riverwood Golf course:

My grandma went to college at Central Michigan Normal School in Mt. Pleasant, which eventually became Central Michigan University, and became a teacher:

After growing up in a log cabin, my grandma was no stranger to roughing it!  As a newlywed, she and my grandpa lived in a tent when my grandpa worked building the new highways in Florida:

My grandparents returned from Florida and decided to start a business together.  No longer a teacher, my grandma became an entrepreneur and never looked back!

My mom graduated from Central Michigan College in Mt. Pleasant too, and also became a teacher.  That's my mom on the right, with the black hair:

She began to weary of the teacher's life, and after the antique-collecting bug bit her, she and my dad started an antique shop in part of our house.  Realizing that a creative outlet was the way to go, a full blown downtown store was the next step.  She and my dad set up The Mole Hole, which was a huge success in Mt. Pleasant.  She went from teacher to business owner just like my grandma.

A dear friend, Jack Harris, called in 1979 with an offer my parents couldn't refuse:  a store of his called the Wind in the Willows was up for sale in Naples, Florida, and he wanted to sell it to my parents.  They bought it, and loved their new life in beautiful Naples!

 

If only my grandma could see the beautiful home her daughter (my mom) has lived in for the last 15 years!  What a luxury, compared to a log cabin and a tent...

Now my mom is still in business at age 85, selling her antiques at Up for Grabs, an upscale consignment shop on US 41 in Naples.  She also works there once in a while,  usually at Up for Grabs Too, the expansion store two doors down.  Stop by and say "hello" if you are in Naples!

I've told my early story before, for those of you that are interested.  Here's one of few pictures I have with all three generations:  my grandma, mom, and me at Christmas with my grandpa and my brother Mike.  I got my Christmas wish, Winnie the Pooh and Piglet!

 

I used to live above the Mole Hole, which was an awesome downtown penthouse.  But I've had my share of apartment living, once above a garage, and another that had a constant parade of roaches.  I didn't handle that well at all! 

This is my home now:

Just like my grandma and my mom, I attended Central Michigan University and obtained a degree in education, although I was never a teacher.  I became a school psychologist, but I ended up working in the elementary schools just like they did.  My career spanned 27 years, but eventually I needed to pursue another dream and I retired early to run my antique business full time.

I'm sure people think I need my head examined for leaving a job that had such great hours, summers off, and other perks.  Now I work seven days a week, starting at 4:00 a.m.!  Not really from necessity, more from excitement and enthusiasm than anything.  I just love what I do, that's all!

So here we are, the Three Generations, at work in our businesses:

Do you share a special legacy with the women or men in your family?  I'd love to hear about it!

Mitzi

Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management

When I shop estate sales, I don't always take the time to leaf through the books for sale.  Earlier this month I attended a sale in Owosso, Michigan, which was a 40-minute drive from my home that turned into over an hour because I got lost.  As I drove around town on my unintentional tour of Owosso (which is a lovely little town, by the way), trying to figure out who to blame besides myself for the confusion, I decided to take my time once I got to the sale.

I'm so glad I spent some time at the bookshelf!  I discovered Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management and brought it home.  It certainly deserves some appreciation, and I'm more than happy to give it.  Just look at the thickness of this tome!  Mrs. Beeton has a lot of information to share:

 

 

Just as I've done all my life when inspecting a book, first I see if it has pictures.  Yes, Mrs. Beeton has some wonderful color plates of various foods, making them look very appetizing:

 

Wonderful looking vegetables, piled high on their serving platters:

 

 

Then she gets into some rather bizarre recipes.  Eel is the same as "conger".  How would you like some eel pie, or eel stewed in milk?  Calf's brains with black butter sauce, anyone?  How about fried calf's feet?  White Soup from Tinned Rabbit?  And then there's Cold Cabinet Pudding.  Hmmm....I hope that's not made from an old piece of furniture!

 

 

I don't know about you, but I don't like to stare down at an animal's face at the dinner table:

 

 

 

Did Mrs. Beeton fricassee the Easter Bunny?  I hope not....

 

 

Suddenly I've decided to become a vegetarian.  I wouldn't mind one of Mrs. Beeton's salads.  A work of art, each one of them!

 

 

Have you ever seen cheese look this beautiful?

 

 

And how about some crackers to go with the cheese?  Mrs. Beeton calls them "biscuits", because she's British.  Check out the center biscuit with the little face.  How cute is that?

 

 

Of course the Fancy Cakes and Sweets are going to be beautiful:

 

 

 

 

I always imagined being sick back in the day would be a nightmare.  Not at Mrs. Beeton's house!

 

 

But Mrs. Beeton isn't just about food.  She begins at the beginning, with a chapter called "The Mistress."  There she covers the functions of the mistress of the house, including "home virtues", hospitality, good temper, proper dress and fashion, wages for the house servants, and the social norms for visiting friends,  leaving calling cards, and hosting parties.  Mrs. Beeton wrote her book in 1859-61, so this is the era we're talking about, the Victorian era.  There were many rules to be followed then.  The introduction notes that Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management was a favored wedding gift for half a century.

The lovely Isabella Mary Beeton:

Photo Credit:  Wikipedia

Mrs. Beeton even makes suggestions for social conversation:  "One should never dwell unduly on the petty annoyances and trivial disappointments of the day.  A wife should never allow a word about any faults of her husband to pass her lips."

Ads in the back of the book claim Vaseline is your friend for a hundred troubles, both internally and externally!

 

 

The previous owner of the book had pasted a cutout obituary of Isabella Mary Beeton inside the book.  Sadly, she passed away at the young age of 28, just a couple years after completing her book.  Curious about the cause, I discovered Mrs. Beeton died of "childbed fever", a bacterial infection she contracted the day after the birth of her fourth son.  What a tragedy!  You can read more about Mrs. Beeton at Wikipedia.

Yes, I enjoyed the rules of household management circa 1850's via Mrs. Beeton's book.  I learned an important lesson, too.  Take time to open old books, because there could be a wonderful discovery inside!

Mitzi

P.S.  My friend Laura Loew notified me that there is a BBC production about Mrs. Beeton called The Secret Life of Mrs. Beeton.  I know I'll want to watch it, how about you?