I found this kitchen courtesy a friend who found it on JES's blog Strangers and Pilgrims. It's dated 1921 and that's just the time frame I've been looking at this month. I was immediately drawn to this kitchen because of the linoleum rug on the floor. I think it is so pretty and combined with the blue gingham check curtains it's just a pleasing combination overall.
This kitchen has more built-ins than many we've looked at this month. I suspect this was the beginning stages of realizing that women NEEDED storage in their kitchens especially if it was to be a room that was essentially lived in year round and so many of the kitchens were. Bedrooms were almost always reserved for strictly sleeping in and living rooms were more likely to be a more formal setting reserved for company, especially in farmhouses. But the kitchen often was the warmest room in winter so the family congregated there to study, read in the evenings and it was the room in which the majority of the housewife's work would have taken place from sun up until sun down quite literally.
Here we see a nod to the fact that storage might be welcome and I love that whole wall of shelves, cabinets and drawers. It obviously serves as a baking center and work station for the kitchen. The wink with it's slanted drainboards either side and a stool handy for sitting while doing dishes is placed at a window. That is a pet peeve of mine. Who ever decided that a woman washing dishes wanted to stare at a blank wall?! I do realize not every kitchen can have a sink at the window but I recall one of Mama's kitchens had a sink on the counter space between dining room and kitchen. On the outside wall of the room was a whole bank of windows. And you can bet when she had that kitchen redone, the sink got moved to that wall!
I love that the stove is more dainty and feminine looking. I've seen these sorts of gas stoves in antique and flea markets and I want one! I do! They are just so pretty and delicate looking but obviously sturdy to have held up for nearly 100 years. This one features a roomy shelf underneath to store pots and pans and that too is a nice convenience.
I think we're safe to assume there was a big kitchen table in the middle of the room and no doubt the ice box on the back porch just outside the kitchen door. I wonder if there was also a pantry? Curiosity always makes me wish there was a blue print of the kitchen I'm looking at.
NOTES: 1. Quickly I'll share a few things. There is a new email subscription link on the sidebar that replaces the reader model going out in July. I made a separate post to instruct you all about it, but the blog site deleted my post saying it was not allowed. No idea why. But if you'd like to continue to follow via email please use the new subscription button on the side bar of the blog page and sign up.
And now, the platform has reinstated the post saying that upon review they found nothing objectional about it...Perhaps it was just a glitch they experienced. Anyway, I've shared with you all...
2. Last week in comments I shared a link for the website I looked at to determine what our food budget ought to be per government guidelines. I can do shorten that link considerably so please press here to open the site in a new tab or window. I hope this page automatically refreshes each month.
Just for fun this afternoon I went all the way back to the April 1994 listing and noted that for our family I ought to have been spending about what I'm supposedly supposed to spend NOW for just two...Which does kind of prove what I felt all along. My grocery budget has never really gone down that much despite my household getting smaller over time.
3. And one more little item. I am going to be selectively moderating the comments. If I mess up and delete a comment that was not in the least offensive accept my apology before hand. I sometimes have a page scroll on me when I'm trying to hit something else. I'm getting a few stray spam and hateful comments and I'm done.
Now on to the week ahead.
Work:
Zone 3 Beds and Baths...I don't really have big tasks in any of these this week beyond just a routine clean and dust. I've already made up the beds with Spring/Summer covers. I will try to get curtains for both the bedrooms and perhaps go look for that picture to go above the bed in the guest room as well as the baths. I will start with my own stash of pictures first and see if I need new frames or if I need new to me pieces and will shop accordingly.
I have zinnia and Balsam seeds and want to get those planted in the shed flower bed this week. I also have the Achimenes rhizomes to pot up.
There's a bag of mulch I still need to spread in my existing flower bed/s.
I want to make a run for a truck load of mulch that will be spread at the house in town. This is dependent upon Chad's schedule this week. We're trying to improve the landscaping at that house. Most of the overgrown shrubbery got ripped out this winter and John and Chad cut some heavy overhanging limbs this past week, as well. Now it's time to get the materials to do the body of the work on the front and side flower beds.
Not really my project but John's. Maddie is digging dirt out from under his shed and she's compromising the foundation. We want to get wire up on the higher end of the building to keep her OUT. We're probably also going to lay some wire in my flower beds because she wants to dig them out as well. She has a few places I've left specifically for her to lay in, as I know she gets quite hot and wants the cool bed but doggone it! I want to have some space for my own purposes, too.
John and I have two small group meetings this week with church. Both require a dish to share. We're taking soda to one and I have a casserole I'll carry to the other one.
I plan to get a haircut.
I need to buy a can of fabric protector and treat the new dining room chair seats.
All the rest of my week, whatever there is of it, will no doubt fill itself up quite well with the usual activities of housework, meals, family visits, etc. If I find myself with time heavy on my hands, I've a long list of projects that I might begin.
Kitchen:
I'm finding it very helpful to do a prep day in the kitchen each week. It frees up hours each week though it hardly seems it might. I don't have to stop in the middle of a project to prep food for a meal then cook and clear up behind it. It's more streamlined and it is a time saver. So definitely going to plan to make that happen on Monday.
I'm going to include the Gathered Fragments and Menus here this week:
Fragments: Broccoli Stems Slaw would be nice. I also saw a salad that used shaved broccoli stems as part of the salad greens.
about 1 cup of wild rice
Leftover pizza (this is so common that I think after this week I'll leave it off. We always end eating it for lunch at some point in the week anyway).
1 Zucchini that I need to use this week, for sure
1 cup of table cream The zucchini and cream will make a lovely Zucchini au gratin side dish. I likely won't use all the cream but it's a start.
5 cups yogurt Whey courtesy of Bess. I usually use this in making bread and since I'm making two loaves a week now, so it will go fairly quickly.
1/2 cup of salsa
4 tortillas from the package I bought last month
Salsa Cream Cheese dip John doesn't much care for this but I like it quite well However, even I cannot finish a full recipe of it. I can however use it as spread on a wrap sandwich...Good use for those last Tortillas, too.
Taco Pasta about 1/2 recipe or two servings
I think I'll make an extra batch of bread dough this week to turn into cinnamon rolls and dinner rolls. I also want to make bagels, something I meant to do last week and didn't bother to do. Result we had only enough bagels for one this Saturday morning.
Breakfasts: Bagels for John, Toast and Yogurt for me
Cinnamon Rolls, Bacon
Sausage Biscuits
Eggs and Toast
Oatmeal and Toast
Sausage and Muffins
Cereal and Toast
Lunches: Artichoke, Chicken and Pesto Pizza
Leftovers of Soup and Pizza should do us two days at least
Pimento Cheese Sandwiches, Chips Likely times two for this and the tuna salad
Tuna Salad Sandwiches, Corn Chips
Taco Pasta leftovers
Main Meals: Saturday we'll snack only
one night we'll be out at a meeting
Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Wild Rice* , Rolls
Chef's Salad, Baked Potatoes A good time to use those broccoli stems*
Salsa Meatloaf, Zucchini Au Gratin*, Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Chicken, Asparagus, Spring Salad Bowl
Mac and Cheese, Pan Roasted Italian Vegetables
Personal Care:
I've really enjoyed reading but have yet to pull my stack of books for May. I started the Lisa See book I shared last week...Not sure how I like it thus far. So I'll make it a priority to choose some other books to put beside my chair.
It's time to bring out my vintage June magazines.
Give myself a fresh pedicure this week.
Get my hair cut. Gracious I'm beyond needing that! I put off getting it last week because we were both so busy and it was time I just didn't want to take from other tasks. This week for sure!
Now that pollen is mostly past take time each day to just sit on the porch and listen to the natural sounds about me. Birds singing, leaves in the breeze, etc. are so soothing and calming.
Make a point of getting some fun time out alone. I likely won't be alone for too much of the week but I have seldom taken that time to go out shopping on my own since John retired unless he also were busy. I believe he plans to cut our lawn one day and that would be a good time to leave home for a couple of hours and do my own sort of shopping.