Bonus post! Classic cars

Hey there.  Our club had a classic car show today.  I missed it due to a soccer game but stopped by just before it was over.  I took some pictures but unfortunately don't have much info as to the makes/models.  Here you go!

My favorite, and one of the few from the '50s.  It was parked in front of the paddle courts and not with the others on the street.  Not sure why.  The club has been around since the 1890's so I bet in the '50s this car and similar models were actually in the parking lot as simple transportation- not part of a car show.  I can just imagine elegant housewives driving over to the club for bridge...

Not sure what this is.  Anyone know?

Wish I could have gotten a pic of this orange one from the front.  Very cool.

 I spoke with the owner of this '61 Mercedes.  He and his wife actually drive it every weekend during the summer.  He likes to enjoy his car, not just look at it.  I agree!

I hope everyone is having a happy Sunday.  As you can see it's beautiful weather here.  I wish I could go out and enjoy it more but I've got a lot of laundry.  Travel soccer will do that to a mom.  ;)

Sarah

Hey there, Rosemary!! Thanks for my shiny, happy hair!

Once again I'm going off topic but it's food related so it's cool, right?

I'm sure by now many of you blog lovers have heard of natural hair cleaning options like "no 'poo",  conditioner only, or ditching everything all together and just using water.

So what does all this have to do with this Rosemary chick?  Well after 3 years of no 'pooing followed by my ultimately luxurious L'Occitane leave in conditioner the company reformulated their wonderful product into a hair oil.  My hair was not happy and neither was I.  Just no 'pooing was fine but I was afraid I was killing my hair (There's some no 'poo controversy out there.  Google and learn.) and it didn't look as shiny.   Boo hoo.

Enter Rosemary tea.  Not sure how I found it but someone blogged about using herbs for healthy hair.  All you do is make a tea with the dried leaves and pour it on your hair after washing and conditioning.  No rinsing.  And ta dah…healthy shiny hair!

My Tervis tumbler keeps my hair tea warm while I get my baking soda and vinegar ready.

Here's the recipe:

1C Water
2-3T Dried rosemary

Heat rosemary in water until boiling.  Simmer for a few minutes.  Take it off the heat.  The longer the tea sits with the rosemary the stronger and darker it will be.  When it's at the desired strength strain, reserving the liquid into a plastic cup or other container with a spout top.  Let the tea cool until it's a comfortable temperature.  Wash and condition your hair as usual, ring out your hair, and pour the tea over your hair.  Don't rinse.  Style as usual being careful of light colored clothing if your hair is long.

Other tips:

*I've done this on the stove top and in the microwave.  The microwave is easier but be sure to cover your (glass) container so the rosemary doesn't float out when boiling.

*The darker the tea is the more staining you may have.  Beware if you have light colored towels.  My hair color isn't effected much (I have very dark brown hair.) except the grey is less noticeable.  Those with lighter hair may want to make their tea less strong.  Unfortunately the staining isn't enough to forgo coloring my hair but it makes the color more varied and natural looking.

*If your hair tea gets too cold it can be reheated in a microwavable container.

*You may like to make a big batch to keep in the fridge.  Just multiply the amounts keeping the proportions the same.  Just reheat before you hop in the shower.

*Using this much rosemary gets pricey.  Buy it in bulk if you can.  But try it first by using what's in your spice cabinet.  Then go out and buy the highest quality you can afford.

*You may be wondering if your hair will smell like rosemary.  Yes, when it's wet; no when it's dry.  Personally I love the results enough to not mind smelling like a chicken roasting in the oven.

Using the rosemary tea in combination with the no 'poo method allows me to get away with washing my hair once a week versus every day when I was using conventional hair products.  Seriously.  I went to a girls night out over the summer after a busy week and crazy day with the kids.  No time to wash my hair but I put it up with hot rollers.  The results were excellent.  I got compliments from many of the ladies, including some who are regulars at the beauty shop.  Boo ya, my friend Rosemary!!

I promise to get back to recipe posts.  Just not much cooking going on.  Tonight hubby and son are going to the annual lobster boil at our club (Remember my 10 year old foodie??) and us girls are having girls night at home.  Not sure what's for dinner but it will probably include popcorn.

Sarah

Vintage kitchens

 I wanted to share some pictures of vintage kitchens I found in local real estate listings.  Sometimes when I'm at an estate sale I can picture a fictional lady of the house fixing breakfast for her family or cleaning up after dinner.  (Weird?  Well I call it imagination.  HAAAAA!)  I also notice the kitchen's layout and storage.  It's not usually not ideal by today's standards but somehow it worked.  A lot of vintage kitchens have double ovens, even if space was tight.  The ovens aren't huge European models- just basic Sears models or another solid old American made brand- but they were clearly a necessity in the age before the microwave.  I know some people don't use microwaves due to safety concerns but at least today it's an option.  I can't imagine having what we call "leftover buffet" without being to heat up food in the micro.  That's one of the reasons I love leftover buffet night- less cooking time and no pots to wash.

Onto the kitchens!  Here's a double oven.  See how narrow it is?  Probably 36 inches.  I love how there's room between the burners so the pots aren't crowded.  The little cabinet to the right is typical of what I see in vintage kitchens around here.  In my old house the kitchen was redone a few times before we bought it but I could tell from other homes on my street (with less updated kitchens) that mine probably had this type of cabinet.  Much more functional than what was build to replace it.

This kitchen seems to have the original cabinets in which the fronts have been painted blue as an accent.  I love the natural light from the big window and the back door.  A back door coming right into the kitchen looks convenient for taking out the trash or bringing in groceries but in reality it would mean snowy boots, backpacks, coats, and doggy paw prints strewn in front of the sink for me.  Ha ha.

This is my favorite!  There was an estate sale at this one and I'm so bummed I missed it.  I think we were all sick that weekend.  The whole house was beautiful in the real estate listing photos.  It needs updating but the character shines thru the old decorating.  It's a landmark home so the integrity will be kept but I bet we can say bye bye to the kitchen.  The stove looks awesome.  Much larger than the typical vintage range.

This is the same kitchen from a different angle.  See the doorway in the back?  Looks like it's the old service porch that was enclosed and now houses the refrigerator.  Not the most convenient but quaint nonetheless.  It may serve as a mudroom too.  (I say keep the paw prints and kid accouterments contained if you can.)   Love the long counter in the back and the cute floral wallpaper.  You may have to click on the image to really see the details.

 This kitchen has been updated a bit but the cabinets seem to be original.  The open lines in the wood in front of the sink show that these are old wood cabinets.  Does anyone know if the open lines are decorative or functional?  I think they're to circulate air under the sink if you have dish towels hanging to dry inside but they may just be the style.  The range is obviously newer but it appears to be free standing, another very vintage kitchen trait.

I hope you enjoyed these pictures.  I'll be back to posting recipes soon.  Between school and soccer season I've been just making basic dinners- nothing exciting to post.  But I'll be back!

Sarah

Edited to add- I found another kitchen.  Well just a picture of the stove in an estate sale listing.  Pretty cool!!