It’s been a busy month, but I had to pop in to wish you all a very, very happy new year. And while I’m at it, I figured I’d share this photo of my grandma Mary (second in on the left, next to the guy in the glasses) on the eve of 1957. The thing I love most about Dec. 31st doesn’t have anything to do with bubbly drinks, big meals or fancy dresses. Taking stock of the year that has past and making plans and resolutions for a better, brighter and happier new one—that’s where it’s at for me. I wish you all wonderful evenings, whether you celebrate in sweatpants or sequins. Call a cab, sleep on a couch or get a free ride home, just be safe.
xo,
Meghan
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cooking, domesticity, family, good times
Something you should know about me: I could read recipes all the live-long day. Another thing you should know about me: I absolutely love projects, especially ones that require sorting or better yet, alphabetizing. So yesterday, when my mom pulled out two huge recipe boxes full of my grandma Ella’s recipes, and asked me to categorize them all, I was pretty much in heaven.
I came across a lot of old favorites from growing up, including this one for Sloppy Joes, aka one of my most beloved comfort foods.
It makes a batch large enough to feed a small army, but it freezes like a dream. I remember eating this at Grandma’s on a homemade whole wheat bun, with raw veggies, ripple chips and dip. And now I’m hungry.
xo,
Meghan
Happy Father’s Day, lovelies!
I’m so happy to be spending this morning with my dad (and big brother) up north at the cabin, where this photo was snapped back in 1984. It’s one of my favorite places on earth.
Tonight, I’m hanging out with another daddy-o in my life, my boyfriend. He won’t be able to spend today with his beautiful daughter, which is a bummer. My plans for taking his mind off missing her include treating him to Jucy Lucys and then going to a show.
Whatever’s on your agenda, I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday, honoring the dad(s) in your life!
xo,
Meghan
Hot pink shantung sheath. Rhinestone details. Diamond engagement ring. Gold mesh watch. Perfectly coiffed hair. A tiny glimpse of old-school Spanx. (Quelle horreur!) And a cocktail glass in need of refreshing. This, my dears, is my grandma Mary, circa 1969. She will always be one of the most beautiful, poised and elegant women in the world to me.
Recreate this look with a bubblegum pink silk cocktail dress with diamante details, a gold bracelet watch, hot rollers and hairspray, thigh-slimming shape wear and a ’60s-era structured vintage floral sofa. Then have a devoted lover buy you this, and you’ll be sitting pretty.
xo,
Meghan
P.S. I posted a photo from my grandparent’s wedding last Memorial Day. Check it out here, if you wanna.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Blue Ridge China, Christmas, family, vintage
This Christmas, my mom gifted me one of her biggest thrift-store scores of 2010: A 57-piece set of blemish-free Blue Ridge china.
The pattern is Quaker Apple, which was produced in 1953 as part of a promotional deal Blue Ridge had with Quaker Oats. That year, housewives reaching into their box of oats were surprised with a full-sized china teacup featuring a hand-painted deep red apple and and trimmed in green. Encouraged by the ad on the back of the container saying “start your set now and save!,” homemakers built a collection of hand-painted ceramics $1.95 at a time. A spoon rest, oatmeal bowl and bread plate today, a set of plates or a handful of soup bowls a few months down the line. Bit by bit, piece by piece.
A few years after this, Blue Ridge stopped producing china. The market had dwindled, drawn away by the lure of indestructible plastic dinnerware. Most larger pieces made after the ’30s have the Blue Ridge stamp. Some are numbered, most are not. Very limited collections of hand-signed pieces were also produced.
If you were wondering what 57 pieces of china looks like, this will give you some idea.
10 dinner plates, 10 saucers, eight small plates, seven fruit/dessert bowls, seven soup bowls, seven teacups, three various-sized platters, an oatmeal bowl, a sugar pot, a creamer, a spoon rest and a large salad bowl. Sweet, right? At first, I was a bit off-put by the “is that a teacher present?” vibe the apple was giving off. But once I started looking at the different pieces and noticed the one-of-a-kind-ness each one had, I fell a little bit in love. I think I’m going to use them everyday, since I’m definitely more of an “every day is an occasion” type of person.
I feel very lucky to have received such a surprising, sweet gift this year. (Thanks, Marmee!) I hope you all had very merry Christmas weekends, too. Did any of you get your socks knocked off by a gift, big or small, thrifted or not?
xo,
Meghan
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: family, good times, home, Lake Michigan
Glory be, isn’t this the prettiest lake in the world?
Every time I visit home, I take a solo trip to the beach. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s 70° and sunny or 20° and icy, or if I spend an afternoon there or just half an hour…being by the water makes me feel sooooo gooooood. I don’t realize how much I miss living by a huge body of water until my feet are on the sand, and I’m just enchanted by the water, the waves and that sky.
Anyway, I hope you all had wonderful, joy-filled weekends. I’ll be back to regular posting soon. Now, though, it’s time to start tidying up my very messy house and readying myself for the work week…I have an extra special house guest coming in just a few short weeks and have *lots* to do before she arrives. Plus, welcoming the new year with a cleansed, pared down household just feels right.
xo,
Meghan
On Monday morning, I rubbed my eyes just after 7 a.m., looked at my phone and got some very exciting news. My friend Jamie had delivered her baby girl around 2 a.m. that morning, one month ahead of schedule. (!!!) Her name is Zora, and last night, Andrea and I went to the hospital to meet her. Jamie is feeling awesome, healing nicely and resting a lot. And Zora. Well, she’s just perfect. And her toes!! I melted for those itty bitty baby toes.
Welcome, pretty girl. I can’t wait to watch you grow.
xo,
(Auntie) Meghan
My cousin Joanna lives way, way, way, too far away in Boston with her sweetheart of a husband, Nate, and their adorable baby, Audrey. To say I miss her a lot is an understatement. To help stay in touch, we surprise each other with an occasional letter & care package. Last Thursday, I was having a rough day and found this lovely surprise in my mailbox.
Talk about perfect timing! There were so many sweet goodies inside, but my favorite thing has to be the oversized book of vintage souvenir matches from the Alligator & Parrot Jungle in Miami, Florida. Aren’t they so cool?
My other fav? The announcement of the arrival of baby Audrey Hilda, accompanied by a cute lil’ mix CD honoring the wee one, featuring my favorite Bob Dylan song (“Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right”), Janis Joplin & Mahalia Jackson (“His Eye is on the Sparrow”).
Listening to it definitely made me want to make a mix…maybe one to even share with you, sweet readers!
Anyway, now that it’s my turn, I have to start saving up fun stuff to send her way. I hope my package will arrive on a day when she’s needing some extra love, as hers did last Thursday.
Do you all have pen pals? Have you gotten anything via snail mail that’s made your day brighter?
xo,
Meghan
Here’s me, as well, I don’t know what….a clown, I think?
I wish you all a safe & fun Halloween!
xo,
Meghan
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: family, Salvation Army, thrift store, thrift-store shopping, thrifting, wisconsin
This weekend, I took a drive to Wisconsin to visit my mom & thrift my fanny off in my hometown. With only a couple of weeks until the sale, I was a bit hesitant to go, since my to-do list is ultra scary, but occasionally, I crave a road trip like you would not believe. And this weekend was one of those times.
Sadly, much of the 14-hour round-trip drive looked a lot like this…Rainy, rainy, rainy. Gray, gray, gray.
Saturday, I got up and thrifted like crazy. I went to a bunch of my favorite spots from when I was in high school and had major luck. How hilarious is this sign at the register at the Salvation Army?
Here’s a pretty find from the morning…an extremely soft, creamy white, hand-tooled leather handbag from Mexico. I want to keep it, but am probably going to sell it. *sniff* It’s the nicest size and in impeccable shape. So lovely.
After thrifting north of town, I met my mom at home and she drove us to some more stores in northern Illinois (Gurnee, to be exact). On the way, we passed the reason for my crazy asthma…the Pleasant Prairie Power Plant, which generates 13 percent of all of Wisconsin’s electricity, but also puffs out 8.6 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. Yucks.
The thrifts in Gurnee were all complete dumps. Imagine: diaper-y smell, dim lighting, hoards of kids, dirty merchandise. All around nasty and stupidly expensive. After a couple of (discouraging) stops, we were shopped out. We headed home, I washed a bunch of my thrifted goodies, we ordered Chinese, watched “American Masters” and called it a day.
The drive home was uneventful, with just a couple pit stops for gas, one of these and some smoked string cheese for my honey. I did see this little guy, tied up in the rain outside a gas station, however. Random, right?
All in all, it was great (albeit quick) trip home, and I anticipate another one in my near future.
(All the pics for this post were taken with this app, btw.)
How was your weekend? Do anything fun? Hit up any thrifts? I hope it was a lovely one, whatever y’all were up to!
<3!
Meghan
