Playing Joan Rivers with History

Yes, the role of “Joan Rivers” will be played by me today.  I am going to talk about different fashion for women over the centuries, in an “E Network” kind of way.  :D

The awards go to:

Worst Dressed:  Women in the 1980’s and aristocratic women in the 1700’s.  I don’t have to explain the 80’s to you, because most of you know why that is.  But let’s talk about 1700’s fashion (European/American aristocracy).  The corset has come along, but for some reason, women are wearing it on the outside of their clothes.  White, powdered wigs are enjoyed as well.  Women would actually cut their hair off and wear these on a daily basis.  They not only powdered their wigs, but also their faces with a washed out, chalk white powder.  Don't forget the frilly sleeves!  Also, it seems like it was popular to make it look like you have “box hips.”  Instead of the beautiful southern belle hoop skirt to accentuate your hips that will come later, or accentuating your natural hips like pencil skirts of the 1940’s, 1700’s “Georgian” women make their dresses stick out to either side, creating a “box hip” look.  Real flattering….

Most Practical/Comfortable Dress:  People these days talk about “practical and comfortable” dress in the form of jeans and a t-shirt, but I disagree.  I think jeans are pretty far from comfortable (what’s comfortable about stiff pants that make your thighs look huge?).  If you want to talk about real comfort and practicality, look no further than Biblical times (specifically Jesus times).  Men and women wore robes.  Do you have to wash your hair?  No, just wear a veil.  Now, fashionably speaking, these look like giant mumu’s to us, but still, you can’t argue that mumu’s are comfortable.  Some would have been made of wool, which isn’t so comfortable, especially in the deserts, but I’m speaking of the ones NOT made of wool.  If you want to get this look, but in a much prettier way, look to general traditional Indian dress.  I mean the country, India.  Women wear/wore robes and veils, but much more colorful, and the robes are a tighter fit, decorated with jewelry. 

Most Scantily Clad:  Believe it or not, the answer to that question is not in the past 40 years, although, there have been some scantily clad…many in fact….it is not our “in general, acceptable, everyday fashion.”  I also exclude tribal fashion, because it does not count under “widely and popularly worn.”  So the winner for most scantily clad goes to ancient Egypt.  Sleeveless tops, dresses that go down to your feet, and nothing under it.  Sounds like I’m describing lingerie.  To make it more enticing...it was popular for a while for women to wear transparent linen.    

Most Modest:  To go from who wore the least to who wore the most, the award for most modest goes to Victorian women.  Queen Victoria herself set a very modest fashion for the 19^th century.  No low-cut tops or short dresses in this time period.  We have long-sleeved dresses, cinched slightly at waist, and dresses flowing to the ground, puffed out by layers of petticoats (and at times in the 19^th century a hoop skirt or a bustle).  Some of you may argue that 17^th century (1600’s) fashion was more modest because you’ve seen a picture of Queen Elizabeth where she has a frilly turtle-neck, which would be more modest.  This was not the fashion of all, just the queen.

Best Fashion of Now Times:  I don’t hate everything that comes out in the modern age (although I feel like fashion has become rather careless since the 1960’s, and also boring and ugly).  It’s funny, even though I said I hated the 1980’s (and yes, most of it was a terrible time for fashion) my favorite modern fashion came out of it.  It is a fashion that is popular now, once again.  This is the big shirts (pretty ones) with tights underneath it, cinched at the waist with a belt.  This look can be done with flat shoes, but I think it looks better with heels.  It is a flattering look to women was long as the big shirt (or better, short dress) covers you past the butt a little.  As long as it does that, it is wonderful to flatter your waist, your upper body, and your legs, as well as accentuating curves.   

Best Dressed:  Fashion is all about opinion, so in my opinion, the best time for fashion was the 1950’s.  1.)  You get to wear short sleeves, and even sleeveless for once.  2.)  Your dresses and skirts don’t need to go floor-length; they can go to the knees.  3.)  These are the most flattering to a woman’s figure because typical dresses are cinched at the waist, then flow out to the knees.  4.)  Hairstyles and make-up are meticulously done, but not overdone.  5.)  The whole look is pulled together with elegant, understated pearls, which were very popular.  The downside of this fashion would be that you still wear petticoats underneath, but I don’t think it’s as big of a deal when they are knee-length (they don’t get as hot).   

1950's style from etsy.com

"Runners Up" that are Well Dressed:  Even though I’m not a modern historian in the least, I prefer 1900-1950’s dress the most.  In the 1900-1920’s, we have some Victorian leftovers, but the fashion of this age mostly goes toward a more fitted look.  Your skirts still go to the floor, but they are flowy with less layers underneath and more fitted to your body.  Short sleeves become more popular and acceptable.  In the 20’s, you can dress in skimpier outfits and cut your hair off and look absolutely adorable.  The 30’s and 40’s are about jackets with big buttons to the side and knee-length skirts with a mere slip underneath, however very dark and neutral colors.  The pencil skirt starts to come along in this period, although many women still wear long skirts.  Another separate period I like is the 1500’s nobility.  You get the big dresses, but you can also enjoy low necklines, and tighter tops, so your natural figure is still in view.  Also, everyone loves the southern belle look of the late 1850’s, early 1860’s. 

Today's Project of the Day is another very simple one for everyone.  It's what's for dinner!  :D  Something very simple for busy moms or generally busy women (like me).  If you want something really fast and easy that is also delicious, try cooking rice, and separately cooking a can of vegetable soup, then pouring the vegetable soup over the rice.  It's very yummy, filling, and easy. 

Progresso Vegetable Soup over rice

"You lonelily let him push under your bones...."

I have had my own issues with temptation.  I've been faced with it in the form of real offers from men I once loved.  In my short marriage, I had to draw clear lines early on.  The first thing I turned to to figure out where my lines should be was google (lol).  I read experiences ranging from "open marriages" to "just being tempted is a sin," and everything inbetween.  The best source I have found on this issue is a blog I found http://star-crossed-hearts.blogspot.com/ .  This is a normal, middle-class Christian woman, wife, and mother discussing her story of having an "affair of the heart" and how it effected her marriage, how she dealt with it, and what she learned from it.  I highly recommend reading it.

Women tend to commit "affairs of the heart" more than men.  Yes, I realize it takes two, let me rephrase that.  Married women tend to commit "affairs of the heart" more than married men; they are commiting those affairs typically with unmarried men.  Men have more actual physical affairs that involve physical/sexual transgressions.  No, I'm not going to talk at length over which one is better or worse.  I will say that a marriage can with greater ease recover from a sexual affair than it can when a spouse has fallen in love with someone outside the marriage.

I don't know if this is true or not but I've heard that Johnny Depp once said, "If you are in love with two people at the same time, go with the second.  Cause you wouldn't have fallen for them if you still loved the first one."  I love Johnny Depp, but I disagree with that sentiment.  You can truly and deeply love lots of people at once.  You can love them for different reasons and they may be different people, but you can love two people at once.  Your love may be true, but that doesn't make it right. 

The number one reason these affairs occur, especially in women is a need for emotional validation.  When you have a bad day, your husband is working, or you feel neglected by him, it feels nice for that other guy to tell you how beautiful you are and how much they want you.  After being married, you don't get to experience that "crush" feeling so much and it feels nice. 

So you ask yourself "What is cheating?"  You say, "Flirting isn't cheating; giving someone a compliment isn't cheating."  Don't try to skirt the line to see how close you can come to cheating without it actually happening.  Just think, "Would my partner be upset if he/she knew I was doing this?"  That is the question to ask to figure out if what you are doing is right or wrong.  Sure, that text telling your ex-boyfriend how good he looks and how much you miss him is not cheating.  But would your husband be upset if he knew you said that?  I can tell you what your husband would be thinking.  Things like, "She never says that to me" or "I remember when she used to say those things about me."  It's things like that that lower their self worth and make them trust you less. 

In short, my line is set.  Being tempted is not sinful, but giving in to it is.  If it hurts my husband, it's not worth it, not matter what "exciting" feeling it may give me for five seconds.  This guy may be a fun crush, but it's my husband I love.

If you don't sew or knit, but you want to make one of my projects of the day, I have an easier one tonight.   It is a "homemade" candle.  I say homemade, because it is made at home, but from other candles.  You can melt down candles you already have or buy.  Melt these with caution in their containers, in a pan on the stove, on medium heat.  Pick out the wick and washer with tweezers or tongs.  Pour melted candle(s) into a new glass container with a homemade wick.  I used a washer and yarn (it burns faster than store bought candles, but it's homemade).  The way you can get creative with this is by combining colors or adding ingredients.  I had a vanilla candle melting and I added cinnamon to it to make it a cinnamon vanilla candle.  If you want a "rainbow" candle, you can pour in a little of one color, wait until that hardens, then pour on the next color, et cetera.  Here is one I made recently:



My "Homemade" Candle (Cinnamon Vanilla)



I'm a sucker for song lyrics, so here is a pretty good song, albeit a sad one, about a relationship ruined by affairs.  Just click the cut to.....

Real jobs for real moms...

Want to be a stay at home mom?  Are you already?  Perhaps you're a student?  Or is your dream job just to work from home?  Well, I would implore you NOT to type into google "work from home jobs" because you are sure to be overwhelmed with spam.  None of those links are honest.  Most of them require an "investment" (which means they are gonna take your money and you won't get anything out of it). 

However, there are REAL work online jobs.  I'm not talking about software developer, although if you are one, or want to be, that is a real online job that is quite lucrative.  I am talking about average women with average skills that maybe want to make a little extra money while they raise the kids or go to school full time. 

1.)  Professor jobs.  Yes, these will require a Master's degree.  Not an MBA, but an M.A. or M.S. in your respective field.  If you already have a Master's degree or are seeking one out right now, this will be a good choice.  There are full time professor jobs online, and there are part-time/adjunct ones.  The best place to look for these  is http://www.higheredjobs.com/ and click on "online/remote."

2.)  Other university jobs for those of us who do not have an M.A.  Once again, on http://www.higheredjobs.com/, they have online university positions other than teaching positions such as clerical, administrative, and technology opportunities.  It is listed under the search criteria as "remote/online," so just click on that.

3.)  Tutoring positions.  Now there are some scams associated with some of these, so once again, do not type in "work from home tutoring jobs" into google.  However, there are some good ones.  The best one by far is http://www.smarthinking.com/ .  Tutors can work anywhere from 8-19 hours per week and you get a regular, bi-weekly pay check like a normal job.  However, since they a reputable site, they do expect their tutors to be reputable, so bachelors is preferred.  The other one that is pretty good is http://www.tutor.com/.  On this one, you are paid monthly, and can get as much as 800-1600 a month if you are very active, but that would be the maximum.  I would still recommend Smarthinking over this one, though. 

4.)  Call center jobs.  Don't just google this one, because there are alleged "work from home call center jobs" that are scams.  Go through a respectable company like Alpine Access (http://www.alpineaccess.com/en/apply/).  If you have at least one year experience in customer service, a computer with internet, and a landline telephone, you qualify for this full time work from home opportunity with benefits.

5.)  Finally, if you would just like to see what random companies may be hiring someone to work online, go to http://www.simplyhired.com/ and type in "telecommute" into the "keywords" section and press search.  Don't type a location.  Just "telecommute" in keywords.  Then you will see many legitimate work online jobs.  Currently, the results reveal companies hiring for software developers, program managers, graphic designers, pricing analysts and customer service.

The number one thing I can say is NEVER TYPE IN "WORK FROM HOME JOBS" unless you are just really wanting to be scammed.  If you aren't satisfied with my recommendations, and really want to google search, please type in "telecommute" to get more reputable results.

My Project of the Day is a baby blanket! It is very easy if you are already a knitter. Just cast on 4 stiches and increase to 120 stitches, then decrease back down to 4 and cast off. I made one for my friend's new born baby for Christmas and I am actually working on making another one right now.



The baby blanket I made Gabriel





Gabriel and his new blanket

Dating, sex, and/or marriage throughout the years...

I have a long and informative entry today, so the Project of the Day will come first, then please go on and read about my overview of human sexuality!

Project of the Day
For the project of the day today, I have been working on this yellow skirt. It is made very simply. I actually made one of these for a friend for Christmas, so I'll post the picture of that one since the yellow one I'm working on is not done yet.

The skirt above and the one I'm working on now are both made by hand. I measured my waist (27 inches). If I wanted a figure fitting skirt, I would only add a few inches to that. However, I want a full skirt, that I might could fit slips or petticoats under that has some natural flow to it, so I multiplied 27x2 for the width. For the length, I measured down past my knee (22 inches). So I cut material 54 by 22. I hemmed the bottom by hand. I folded the top over to leave room to insert a draw string and sewed that down. Make sure you leave room for a draw string to go between. Then I turned it around to where the "wrong side" or underneath side of skirt and sewed the length together by hand. Lastly, I turned it back out to the "right side" and inserted the draw string (some pretty, machine washable ribbon) with a crochet hook. The picture above is the first skirt I did. :D

There have been entire books written on the subject of human sexuality and the history of marriage and courting. So how can I fit it into one blog for the average woman to have a working understanding of it? Watch me. I will include brief descriptions of the history of marriage, courting, and sexuality since ancient times. I have researched this subject for years, so I have a basic knowledge of this subject enough to write in my own words from my memory. I think it's important for people to have at least a basic knowledge of this. Especially, it's important to remember that our way is not always the best way.

For instance, in our culture, you can choose who you want to be with. However, we have a 50% divorce rate, and many people choose how they want to be with by being promiscuous, which leads to unwanted emotional complications. In a culture with arranged marriages, the divorce rate is 2%. Yes, there are reasons for this. The point is, let's not think about which is better and which is worse, but think about the fact that even though everyone does it differently, the results are still the same: Man, woman, sex, babies. Not in that order always....and sometimes there were two men or two women, and much of the time 15 children per family. :D

If you have anything to add on the subject, or if you feel I've left something important out, please comment

(Forgive the brevity of this overview....this is a blog, not a textbook) So please click on the cut to...

Cookin' Up Some Love

Woodstove cookery.



Fried chicken, rice, chunky mashed potatoes and corn I made for Zach and Tater













I don't cook every night, but I do plan all the meals through grocery shopping, deciding which night we're going to eat out, or by whipping something up. Basically, I do feel the meal planning thing is my responsibility in the marriage. This is mostly because I am home earlier than Zach, and I'm also the hungrier one most of the time. I do think it's important to cook at home for a few reasons. 1.) It ends up saving you money in the long run. 2.) It helps create more of an attachment to a home, and adds stability to your life. 3.) You can fix what you want the way that you like it.

So this post will be dedicated to posting two of my favorite pasta recipes. :) These recipes will NOT help you lose weight!  But they are tasty!  These recipes will also be counted as today's project of the day.

1.) Chicken and Pasta in a White Wine Sauce:
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup white wine (Riesling is what I used)
Diced tomatoes (you can used canned or fresh, just make sure if it's canned, they're drained).
Some oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil (as much or as little as you want)
Garlic (powdered or cloves)
Pasta of some sort (any sort...though I use angel hair)
Salt and pepper

Pre-cook chicken in the oven (best if marinated beforehand, but optional) until done, then cut chicken into bite size pieces. Combine chicken in large skillet with water, olive oil, garlic, and spices. Add tomatoes, wine, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat and cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
Make pasta while the sauce simmers. When pasta is done, dish it onto a plate and ladle the sauce on top. Good with croissant rolls and the rest of the wine.

2.) Basil Pesto Sauce (My husband's favorite!)
I have used this sauce on pasta and on chicken. It would also be a good dipping sauce for any kind of potatoes.
Ingredients:
3 cups fresh basil
3/4 cup pine nuts
2/3 cup parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced garlic (optional)
1 and 1/2 or 2 cups olive oil

You can add a little water, to make it smoother, but that is up to you.
Place ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Put into a pot on the stove and bring it to a boil, then immediately simmer until your pasta or chicken is done.



Yummy Basil Pesto Pasta!  Zachary's favorite!



You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman

Men seem to have such varying taste in women, it's difficult to predict what one man will want. The stereotype, of course, is that men want tan, big breasted, small-waisted blondes that wear plunging neck lines, short skirts and heels. Some may go for that. Then some may go for you, no matter what you're wearing. These men don't care if you put on make-up, they don't care what you wear. There is more going on here than superficiality vs. genuineness. This isn't just a blog about how some men like apples and some oranges. If you are in a relationship, both of you should accept each other for how you are. The only time intervention should occur into the other's looks is if the person is becoming unhealthy, and this is an issue that should be approached with extreme sensitivity and delicacy since it most certainly would be taken with offense, but still must be said, none the less.

If you are already a lucky lady who has a wonderful man that values you for who you are and not how you dress, then I have a challenge for you: Give up the facade. This is certainly not to say "give up." I think people should take pride in their appearance, and women especially should feel beautiful. I gave up the facade, but I didn't give up. I still know how to look hot without looking or feeling fake. :)

Here is what I do in order to give up the facade. Maybe you would rather start small by cutting back on make up. I was able to figure out what feels natural to me.

1.) I only wear mascara for make up. I still have other make-up for really special occasions, but on a daily/work basis, I only wear mascara. My skin quality has improved immensely, but the mascara still gives me a little pop.

2.) I do not shave. This was a difficult one because I felt better physically after shaving in the past and hairy legs made me feel masculine at first. Then my husband reminded me that it's not masculine...it's human. We are the ones that changed things. Of course, I still wear short skirts with tights. I never show my legs. And with it being winter, it feels cozy. This isn't to say I won't shave come summer time, but it shouldn't be an expected thing to shave even when legs aren't seen.

3.) I only wash my hair 2 or 3 times a week. This is one most people are already aware of because many magazines like Cosmo have been recommending that women now wash their hair every day for years. It is better for the health and appearance of your hair. But your hair gets oily if you go a day without washing it? That is because you wash it every day. Try showering at night, the next day you don't wash it, the next day you shower again at night. That's a good start. Also, to get over that oil phase, try putting baby powder, baking powder, or even flour in your hair to soak up the extra oil. I still bathe daily, I just avoid washing my hair.

4.) A huge thing that aids women's health is avoiding wearing underwear. Underwear is extremely bad for your feminine hygeine. Cotton is best because it's somewhat breathable, but it is still not preferable. The underwear holds in heat which is a breeding ground for bacteria. You can get vaginal infections and it is not pleasant. The absolute best way to be healthy down there is to wear a skirt (maybe with a slip or petticoat under it, or not) with no underwear. Of course, I don't do this every day myself, I'm just telling you what's best. I still wear pants most days, just pants that are better without underwear. And I try to wear skirts more.

5.) You don't have to do exactly what I do, just do something to make yourself feel like you, without all the fake beauty things we do. Do something to avoid the facade.

Feel Beautiful Naturally!

My project of the day today sewing potholders. You make it like a little quilt by piecing four squares together (handsewn). Then you find a backing that is about an inch bigger all around than your square. Take some kind of batting (the middle piece) like cotton, wool, or even other materials and sew through all three layers to quilt it either on machine or by hand in whatever quilting pattern you'd like. Finish it by folding the bottom layer over the top layer all around and sew it down. Voila!

This is before it is sewed down, but you can still get an idea of what the finished product will look like.

New Years Blog

I am going to reiterate the purpose of my blog.  I talk about practical living for modern women, but taking advice from all previous time periods as well as our current one. 

New Years Resolutions...a lot of people feel as though this concept is overdone. It's almost annoying...no one keeps their resolutions, so why make them? It may irk you that I'm simply talking about them. Well, first of all, everyone is free to talk about whatever they want. Second of all, it's good to have goals. If we didn't have the tradition of New Years Resolutions, someone would have to invent them. We know why. We're already thinking about our lives in terms of what we did and did not do at the end of an old year anyway. A new year truly is a new beginning. It isn't the only new beginning in the year...but it's the first. I don't like talking to people out loud about my resolutions, but somehow I don't mind putting anything into writing. Now that you respect my decision to make a resolution, here are a few of mine:

1.) I'd like to start a business in the near future with handcrafted items. I am going to spend this year building my inventory.
2.) I am going to truly get this blog started by posting at least two or three times a week!
3.) I'm going to start saving/making things for Christmas now.
4.) Yes, I must put on here weight loss, but so must we all after holiday food. I lost 20 whole pounds last year as a result of a resolution, and now I just need to get off the extra 5 holiday pounds...should be easier.
5.) Do not buy clothes for one full year. (I don't buy that many now, so this won't be difficult, I have way more than I need).

But I would also like to say, let us make sure whenever we make resolutions, we also remember accomplishments, cause otherwise you'll end up focusing on all the things you're not doing instead of the things you have done.

In 2011, I....

Lost 20 pounds
Went on trips to St. Louis, Daytona and St. Augustine, FL, places in Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and a houseboat trip on Lake Cumberland.
Did the thing I've been dreading for years....the GRE'S! And I got a pretty decent score!
Got into grad school towards an M.A. in History (which I begin in 2012).
Worked a dream job at the Homeplace Living History Museum, and when that came to an end, I got a different dream job as a translator for the public schools!
Celebrated one year with the most amazing man I've ever known, my loving, sweet husband, Zachary!

My project of the day is a really easy one I've been working on, especially with my new sewing machine I got for Christmas: turn a pair of pants into a skirt. Cut your pants below the knee, the cut along the inner seam of the pants around until they are totally open. Turn the pants inside out and pin the inner seams together on both sides. Then fold the bottom up and pin it in order to make a hem. At this point you may want to try it on to make sure it looks alright, then work out the kinks. Sew the inner seam together either by hand or on a machine, making sure you leave your 1/4 inch seam allowance. Finish by sewing down the hem either by hand or machine. Voila! I've made two out of khaki pants and they're nice enough to wear to work.
Ladies take heed, skirts are superior to pants for the purposes of feminine hygiene, but more to come on that topic later.

This is the skirt that I made for today's Project of the Day!  I intend to wear it to work!