My Week As A 1950's Housewife - Saturday

Saturday! In a housewife's life I imagine Saturday was a very special day, for her husband was home for the whole day and it wasn't busy with church things and the big Sunday dinner. Saturday was for big breakfasts and spending time with the man of the house that had the whole weekend before him! Our Saturday was much the same, though the evening was filled with preparations for a party Quinn was throwing for his friends (his birthday is on Monday, January 15th!). This is not written about here since it was his party and I did not want to "50's-a-fi" it, haha! I hope you enjoy this look into our nice, tranquil Saturday!

I didn't set anything big aside to be cleaned Saturday and Sunday as to give myself some time off. However, the everyday things still needed to be done, and since I have yet to show you pictures of my morning housewife routine, I will now!

I would start off my day by getting up early (before my husband, but not before my corgi!), and since neither of us drink coffee there was no coffee maker to start (all of my research showed that the wife's first job in the morning was to start the coffee, isn't that interesting?). I would instead set out breakfast things - usually milk, cereal, orange juice, and perhaps some bagels. I would then set my hair in curlers, do my makeup, and get dressed. Quinn would usually be up by this time, so we would eat breakfast (down at the counter top instead of at the table), and then I would start my chores!

I would start with the upstairs: making the bed, tidying up the couch and any clutter that had been left out from the night before. I would also vacuum off the couch if there was an abundance of Greta fur on it.

Next would be the bathroom! I may have had my hair still in curlers during the chores upstairs, so I would take this time to do my hair and then tidy the bathroom. This was not too terrible Saturday since I've been doing it every morning all week. What a nice feeling!

The kitchen was always spotless in the mornings so it didn't need any work. I would often sweep a bit and shake out the rugs, but that wasn't needed Saturday since I had done it Friday morning (and we really don't track in much dirt when there's snow outside!).

By this time it would be light outside and it was time to deep clean or start the bigger chores for the day. But not Saturday! Today it was time to make a big breakfast!

But before we get to the food, let's talk about my outfit for the day! This black polka dotted dress is one of the first vintage dresses I ever owned - gotten for me by my mother while on a trip to Seattle (where they have lovely vintage things!). Someone hand-made it a long time ago, and they certainly did a lovely job!

And the best part of the dress (or any dress really)? 

It has pockets!

As you can see, it snowed a bit more on Friday. We got around 3 or 4 inches, but Quinn graciously made a path for me to my picture taking spot (don't worry, it's really just right out our front door!). 

Saturday I wore pearls, a paint pallet brooch, and a black head scarf. I think the dress looks really lovely with the snow and the black and white colored world!

I can't paint whatsoever, but I loved this colorful brooch! 

It added a nice pop of color to the outfit I think.

 

I really like how long this dress is, and the fabric is nice and thick - perfect for a cold winters day. I have really been fond this week of wearing scarves in my hair! I have never really done it up like that before and I have really enjoyed it. Not only do they keep stray hair out of your face while you're cleaning, but they look so retro and pretty! What do you think, Dear Reader? Do you wear scarves in your hair? Have you ever tried them? 

I think I'll be wearing them a lot more, and not just with dresses, just with regular everyday outfits too! It will be a nice way to bring some retro into my everyday styles. 

And now on to breakfast! This is really my favorite meal of the day, and it's the most important too! When I worked at my local youth shelter I always stressed to the kids that breakfast was important, for they would often skip it and then complain of being hungry later. It's the base of energy for the rest of the day, so make it balanced and yummy!

Since we would be busy Saturday evening with Quinn's guests, I decided to go all out for our breakfast! On the menu were:

Belgian Waffles

Spicy Sausage Patties

Pan-Fried Potatoes

Sugared Strawberries

Orange Juice

Now that the house and I were clean and tidy, it was time to get messy! Haha! I knew the potatos and sausage would take the longest so those got prepared and set on the stove top first.

Oh dear! Did you spot that I forgot to put on my apron! What a travesty! Lets get that fixed and move on to the strawberries, and the waffle batter...

Hurray for stiff peaks in the egg whites! 

Have you enjoyed my rather large apron collection this week? I simply don't have a favorite, they're all so lovely. The one I'm wearing in the photos above I bought at the best antique mall in Iowa, but all the others have been given to me by family and friends. I always say if there's a chance to wear an apron put one one! They simply make cleaning and cooking (and anything really!) so much more fun!

Next came the strawberries! I'm a big fan of strawberries, they're on of my favorite berry. And now a story: When I was in high school there was a boy in one of my classes who had a huge crush on me. He had asked me out multiple times but I wasn't interested. I was a very shy girl then (if you can believe it, I still am!) and I was so scared to hurt his feelings by saying no! One day I finally couldn't take it anymore and I told him I didn't want to go out with him. I'm sure you can imagine how crushed I was, for he started crying! My dad brought me strawberries to help make me feel better, and I think they helped. Since then I always get strawberries (and maybe some angle food cake too) whenever I'm not happy and feel like crying, they always help me feel better!

While the food cooked on the stove top, Quinn helped me out by setting the table (though I may have gone up later and switched some things around...sorry honey! I promise you did a good job!). It was nearly ten o'clock and we were getting hungry with the amazing smells wafting throughout the Barn. Would everything be ready soon?

As the potatoes finished browning, I poured batter into my little waffle maker and soon everything was ready! My goodness, looking at these pictures makes me want to eat it all over again, it was simply delicious!

Quinn had made a pitcher of orange juice and the color matched the tablecloth perfectly! 

I added some fun navy stripped straws to our glasses just to make it a little more fun.

Can you tell what shape our waffle maker is? It makes a ring of little hearts! I love it, and we use it quite often! Quinn got me a new Scandinavian cookbook for christmas and it has a recipe for cookies to be made inside a heart shaped waffle maker! Perhaps I'll be sharing that recipe soon (maybe around Valentine's Day? What do you think?).

It was a lovely breakfast. We listened to more of our 50's music (we now know a lot of the songs and can sing along to them! Our favorite one has to be "The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane" by The Ames Brothers. If you've never heard it, you need to! It's simply hilarious!

While we enjoyed the music and the fantastic breakfast, we couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching us...Hmmm. Now who do you think that would be?

Greta loves it when we make fancy breakfasts, because she gets to lick the plates afterwards (and maybe gets a little piece of sausage for all her help). She was ready and waiting for us to finish, from the very start of the meal! Haha! Silly puppy!

Well I hope you enjoyed spending a nice Saturday morning and afternoon with us! We'll see you again soon, Dear Reader!