I Love: The Revival of the Obsolete

Wow! What a title - but it really does say it all. I'm an introvert, sensitive person. As a general rule, folks like me have a difficult time with change. When I revisit a site from my childhood that has radically changed, it is almost like I've landed in a foreign country; I am confused, a bit anxious, and want my old, familiar surroundings back.

When CD players were introduced, my feeling of dread was palpable. I LOVE vinyl. I lived for my record players, the pops, the slight anomalies from one record to the next. I loved to feel them, put them on the record player, read the sleeves and paper in-sleeves. Then CDs had to come and wreck it.

Have you noticed how many style bloggers are writing about record players? Mostly the Crosley Stack-O-Matic (which I bought years ago when Restoration Hardware started carrying them), but also Fisher Price players, Wilcos, and all of them in great turquoise and salmon colors. Clearly I am not the only vinyl lover out there.

And typewriters. I will be the first to admit that word processing is infinitely more easy than type writing, but I miss the Clack, the Ka-Ching when the return button is hit, I even miss correction tape. I miss walking into a room at a business and hearing the cacophony of taps and zips that only a room full of typewriters can create.

And again, the stylistas are snatching them up! I don't know if they are actually using them, but there is something immensely stylish about a typewriter. Mostly I think they are being used as photo props; there is something romantic, though about the idea of sitting down and typing a letter or doing your daily writing at a typewriter.

Atari consoles are becoming collectors items, as are Commodore 64s, 1st generation Macs, and original Gameboys. I read a blog the other day about a site that is taking modern television shows and pixelating them into games with a distinct early Windows feel.

Is there something that you miss and wish would return? What are you happy to see again? Do you love The Most Interesting Man in the World as much as I do? Leave a comment!

Photos We Heart It

BTW - You may have noticed an absence of original photos. I CAN'T FIND MY CAMERA! I better do something about this before Creativity Boot Camp (which starts Sunday, all you creative types)! And I took the cutest pictures of Phillip the Hedgehog!

Custom Imperial

I live in a brick ranch built in 1968. Since the day that casa Wallace was born, nothing has been changed in it. Sure, it's gotten some paint and repairs, but the kitchen, bathrooms, built-ins, everything is pure 1968. I know from HGTV that my first act upon moving into the house should have been gutting and remodeling the house - but I bought it because of the time capsule charm. I love my yellow tub.

I've written about my super cool kitchen before. Now that I have a photography class under my belt, I thought I'd share some better pictures of my fab cooking space.

Swiss Steak Deliciousness

According to my grandfather, Swiss Steak is one of those old-timey recipes that just aren't made correctly anymore. I have been surprised at the number of people who have never heard of it (except that I wasn't surprised when Swiss people didn't know about it, or Scandinavian people in general, as it is an American name for a dish that is actually more Italian in flavor). As I've said before, it's a tradition in my family; almost everyone requested it for their birthday dinner, which was why I was so thrilled to serve it on Will's birthday.

In reading about Swiss Steak on the good old Internet, I found this vintage advertisement eschewing the virtues of meat with this to say about said dish:

"Swiss Steak . . . put it in the pan . . . turn on the heat and sniff its steaming fragrance as it simmers, bubbles, and browns . . . smothered in its own gravy . . . That's hearty flavor for you."

So here's to an old-fashioned dish that's high in flavor, full of good-for-you ingredients, and that the kids will actually eat. It does take a bit of prep work and more time that your average weeknight meal, but the efforts are well worth it. Enjoy!

Swiss Steak

Prep time: 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes for pressure cooker, 5 - 6 hours for crock pot or slow cooker

You will need:

At least two pounds of higher quality beef steak or roast, at least 1 inch thick, cut into thick strips

vegetable oil*
1 tbsp salt
approximately 1 cup flour
4 carrots
2 green peppers
1 onion
3 or 4 ribs celery
4 small (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
a lot of oregano
1 tsp pepper
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp Steak Sauce

* Note: This recipe cooks up best in a pressure cooker. If you don't have one, though, you can use a slow cooker or crock pot (I'll give directions for both).

1. As noted above, cut beef into thick strips. Place into a bowl, and add 1 TBSP salt, coating beef thoroughly.

2. Flour beef lightly and brown on all sides.

3. To the pan containing the beef and the drippings, add all vegetables, peeled and coarsely chopped. Mix well.

4. Add all sauces, pepper, and a very liberal sprinkling of oregano.

5. Place all ingredients in the pressure cooker. Bring cooker up to cooking stage and let cook for 45 minutes. (If using a slow cooker or crock pot, you will need to cook on High for at least 5 - 6 hours. When the meat easily falls apart, the dish is done.)

6. This dinner is traditionally served over mashed potatoes, although my mom says that it's also good over a baked potatoe.

*The vegetable oil is for browning the meat. Add it to your already hot pressure cooker and this will keep the swiss steak from sticking to the pan at clean-up.

I hope you love it as much as I do!

I Love: Old Books

One of my favorite spots to waste away a day is a musty, crammed to the rafters used books store. I love the dust. I love the way the books feel when you open them, the slight yellowing of the pages, even that slight smell of mildew that comes from a long stored treasure.

Walk into a store like this with me and count your day gone. I will not be leaving soon. Who Knows what treasures await?



When I was a child, I found a medical textbook from the 1800's. "Chill Blane" was a diagnosis. So was "Histrionic Female."

Perhaps I will find a new addition to my ever growing Wonder Book and My Book House collection. I read these over and over again as a child, somehow parted ways with them, and am slowly reacquiring them.



In Paris, a French biography of Marcel Proust (that I can't read as my french is not good enough) with a beautiful red leather cover. This the same day I placed a Madeleine on his grave site.


jleeson21, photobucket

In New Orleans, the complete Remembrance of Things Past to add to my Proust obsession. In England, first editions for my mom's Miss Read collection. The journals of a Country Doctor. A cookbook by Toulouse Lautrec in which "Grilled Saint on a Stick" is an entree.

My great grandmother's copy of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and Tennyson's poems. My mom's High School year book.


StarGazer806, photobucket

I Love Old Books.

My Inspiration Book

If you are looking for the yarn Give Away, it's here.

I love magazines. Love them. One day a few years back, I noticed that my pile of magazines in the corner was getting unmanageable, so I came up with the idea of cutting out the pictures that I liked and recycling the rest. I've been doing it ever since.



I have fun with my Inspiration book. Sometimes I make little collages and other pages are sentimental. Mostly, it is full of images that strike me in some way.





I have this daydream about my book. It is that someday some famous designer will move to Marysville (yup, it's a daydream) and they will become great friends with me and want to decorate my house. I will be able to pull out my book and say "this is what I like" and I will have the most amazing, unique house!





I do think it's important for people who are artistic to keep something like this. It helps us to understand what our true aesthetic is. Before I started keeping this book, I really didn't know that I was such a fan of muted colors (blue in particular) and that I loved primitive pieces and things that remind me of the Heartland so much.







So that's a little look into my Inspiration Book. If you don't already have one, start one of your own. Over on Bloom there is a great post about her scrap books. Get thee a book and start to paste!

Vintage Christmas

The family and I went to my mom and aunt's condo for our family Christmas celebration last night. It was a wonderful time, especially when a rollicking game of charades was started!

My mom and aunt have long been antique and flea market shoppers. And treasures from their childhoods are displayed throughout their house.


Welcome in!


Here Comes Santa Clause!


Christmas Sparkle


Choirs Sing


Santa and Mary


Tiny Old Elf

Have a Wonderful Holiday!