We got about another 6 inches of snow last night. It took Brett 1 1/2 hours to rake the roof (thanks to new leakage problems this year) and clear the drive. Feel bad for the guy. We are all so ready for Spring around here.
I tried to give you a visual on how deep it is.
All I accomplished is that it looks like I am saluting the snow. But people! You have to know it is DEEP.
And yet, it is really pretty despite our aggravation with it this year:
Enough about all of that!
This morning I read a post on The Beautiful Matters blog highlighting the harmony of pink and aqua. I couldn’t agree more which made me think of two books I have out on display in my living room:
I have a predominantly blue/aqua/champagne colored living room. A few months back I decided to add a couple pops of pink to the decor, which included the book “Bubbly on Your Budget” by Marjorie Hillis. I bought this book last summer while on my beach vacation and had an enjoyable time reading it while by Lake Michigan. I simply adore vintage “how to”, “decor”, “home economics”, “fashion” type books. Anything that takes me back to the world of the 1930s, 40s or 50s keeps me intrigued. What always blows me away with many of these books is how àpropos the information or advice is for the 21st Century. So when I saw this title I had to snap it up.
“Bubbly on Your Budget” was written by Marjorie Hillis in 1937. According to the back of the book, Marjorie Hillis “worked for Vogue for more than twenty years, beginning as a captions writer for the pattern book and working her way up to assistant editor of the magazine itself. In 1936 she wrote ‘Live Alone and Like It’, the superlative guide for the “bachelor ladies”. It was an instant bestseller and was followed by this book, originally titled ‘Orchids on Your Budget’.” I think she sounds like the type of woman I would have liked to have known–very well.
She is a straight talker and shoots from the hip. The whole book is about making the best life for yourself no matter what your financial or economic status. There will be flush times, there will be lean times and how you survive them has much to do on YOU and your attitude. After all, there are “the people who use their difficulties as an excuse for Letting Things Go, and the other [group] takes in those individuals who have the brains and energy to Do Something About It.” And who can refute this advice (in regards to personal maintenance during the lean times):
“If these periods are prolonged, you can learn to wash your own hair, manicure your own nails, and give yourself a facial, which reduces the time and money spent in beauty shops considerably, but shouldn’t eliminate them altogether (unless you’re shipwrecked or exploring the African jungle, and even in these emergencies, we hope you’d manage a few beauty preparations somehow)…The point is to plan your spending so that you can have the things you really need for good grooming and to plan your time so that you can apply them. A well-groomed woman seldom feels completely licked, and she never looks it. Those low moments come when your hair straggles down in the nape of your neck and your hands look like a washwoman’s.”
That is just one gem of many in this book. I love how she writes. It’s like you are having a heart to heart with your best girlfriend over tea. I encourage you to get this book if you enjoy a great read and vintage advice. However, if you are in lean times, please see if your library (or library loan program) has it first. Otherwise, it is worth the splurge HERE (this is a link to the Amazon Kindle edition but there are paperback options).
Do you like reading vintage advice and how-to books too?
~~Heather~~
