August 24, 2010

Life Takes Amazing Turn

I really don't know when I actually took the turn in the road. It seems somewhat foggy to me. Was I even looking to take a turn? Or did I just see something that interested me and I made the turn without thinking. I guess it does not matter much about the whens or even whys. The important aspect of it all is that I TOOK the turn and it has changed my life.

I have mentioned a few times that I am a creative sort. Life does not appeal to me unless I am creating something and it seems in hindsight that what I created in the past few years was a lot of fear. There was reason for this too. After 9/11 life seemed more fearful to me. Fear was on the news each night and with a son serving in the military it seemed closer than ever before. I turned my fear into a creative outlet called " I Surrender This", which on top being something I "created", it also helped me with my fear. Win-win. I still feel overjoyed and thankful for the opportunity to help others manage fear in their lives. I love talking about "letting go", and "living in the moment". I love the feeling of "not feeling" that I need to accomplish anything other than to just "be who I am". It is freeing and peaceful and true for me.

This leads me to the reason for this post. The new creative outlet I have found in all things vintage. Whether it be sewing, collecting sewing patterns, knitting or my newest passion for creating a mid-century home. That's right, a home. Not a house with the purpose to resell it, but a home. Our home. My home. A home.

Last night while cruising the internet looking for kitchen laminate (no granite for me) for a 1946 home, I found Retro Renovation on facebook.  Which then led me to Pam's website www.RetroRenovation.com. I almost fell off my chair with excitement. There it was all on one page. This is what I wrote to Pam in an email:

I've just got to tell you that I am OVER the TOP with your website. OMG...it is all I have been looking for. I could spend days here, and wish a gigantic snow storm with internet intact would befall us so I could cuddle in bed with my laptop and go through EVERY page of this and all the links. LOVE it. I will do a mention on my "little" blog in the next few days. We have a cute little pantry that I want to keep totally retro. Been looking for shelf liner and now I know where to get it. Thanks for the most amazing retro website EVER.
Sassy Lassie


Now today she posts this. As much as I love this laminate, hubby is really dead-set against it. I read that it is eco-friendly. That helped. I read that it stands the test of time. Helped. I read that it is coming back in vogue. Are you kidding he said? Well maybe stretching the truth a bit I said coyly.

This is a picture of our kitchen on the day we purchased the house-minus the clock on the wall. The family decided they wanted it. It does not get any simpler than this. We have moved the table to the center of the room and added a lovely vintage kitchen tablecloth. That is it for the moment.
  I spent the first day doing a little clean-up in the kitchen. This unit is like new. No scratches or dents. Mr. Rooney had put heavy duty linoleum over each shelf and it preserved it beautifully.
 
 The sun streaming in!
 The gas stove is a Montgomery Ward "Magic Menu". I would like to replace it with something older. As I would the fridge. But a small battle goes on with hubby over efficiency with these old appliances. Ugh!
This is the stove I would like to replace it with. It about takes my breath away with its beauty.
It may well be out of my price range though.


This may be more practical. These are both old stoves that have been refurbished by http://www.antiquegasstoves.com

Some may look at these and say, "ewwww. I want a nice stainless Viking with all the newest gadgits. But let me tell you I have always had Champagne taste and with these stoves I continue. These start at well over $3000.00 and go up to $15,000. I bet the first one I chose would go for about $10,000 if not more.  
Yup Champagne taste with a Boone's Farm budget. That's me.
The Pantry
These were all left in the house.
So my amazing turn has taken me all over the decades of the 1940's and 1950's and it has made me happier than ever. I love the simple task of making something out of nothing and I am so happy to be making this home (Mr. Rooney's) into our home.

10 comments:

  1. I am so in love with the blue chicken! Is it Pyrex?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love it too. There are no markings on it so I don't know.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The blue chicken! My grandmother had a green one like it. I have no idea what happened to it when she moved into assisted living. I hope somebody in the family kept it.

    I love retro furnishings ... maybe someday I'll have a house to decorate too. Meanwhile, I'm getting lots of vicarious enjoyment out of yours! I actually love your current range -- it looks pretty retro to me already!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey Andrea, giggle...that is the sink unit. The stove is not visible. It is very retro though.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you so much for your nice comment on my blog. How wonderful to put your own special touches into your home.

    Trudy
    www.sewingwithtrudy.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hold onto those great looking Pyrex nesting mixing bowls---they no longer come cheap. Those two stoves are amazing! They bring to mind the early 60's six burner, double oven Crown stove at my old house. Great stove--wish I still had it. Only problem was that mice had chewed some of the insulation out of one of the ovens so the calibration was way, way off.

    Lassie, I'm sure that whatever you do to that house, it will be wonderful and lovely!

    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  7. I also love retrorenovation. Even though my home was built in 1718, living happily in 1956, all I dream about in the kitchen is those type of countertop, aluminum trimmed and a new floor of vintage linoleum/vinyl. I am going to have to redo our kitchen next spring as the floor is literally sinking into the ground (and the kitchen is only 150 years old!). Lucky for me here in 1956, hubby is happy in his den with his pipe and slippers and cares little what the kitchen looks like as long as I am happy to be in there cooking and baking his lovely food. So, for me, I get all decisions in the redecorations. I am not even sure if hubby would notice if the stove changed or not?

    ReplyDelete
  8. P.S. Lassie, I just LOVE the Retro Renovation website! I now understand your desire for a snow storm in the middle of summer!

    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have very much enjoyed the posts about your new house. I love your pantry. Did you put the curtains up in the pantry? I think I have the exact same ones in my kitchen.
    Amy F.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks Amy,
    I did not put the curtains up in the kitchen or pantry. They came with the house. I love them too.

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate each and every one of your comments. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me.

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails