Vintage Fashion

Obviously Vogue has always been more about fantasy than the reality of everyday dress, but oh isn't it fun to look at all this gorgeous vintage fashion?

Let's Talk About Flip Flops

Do you love flip-flops or hate them? It seems there's no middle ground where they are concerned. I recently organized my closet and my shoes and realized that the majority of my shoes are flip-flops of one sort or another. I like how versatile they are, how easy they are to slip on and how they can be dressy or super beachy casual. Some of my best friends absolutely hate them, either because they don't like anything between their toes, or because they think they're tacky.

I have some like these from Old Navy that I paid $2.50 for and I wear to the pool and keep in my car for "emergencies". Emergencies such as when one of the girls didn't put on shoes before leaving the house because she didn't think she would have to get out of the car or my dressy shoes are killing me and I don't want to be crippled. We all have those sorts of emergencies right? )


I also have these Havaiana flip-flops (I have the brown pair) that are great for the pool or the beach, but have a more sturdy and comfortable sole and are fine to walk around in too.


I have a pair similar to this silver pair with a bit of a heel that are dressy and cute for church (although I didn't pay nearly so much for them). I got them on clearance at Steinmart several years ago and I have worn them over and over.


Next on my wish list is a gold pair like these. I think they would be cute with so many different outfits from dresses to capris. Of course I will wait until I can find something on clearance somewhere. Maybe Steinmart again since I have a coupon for 20% off any already marked down item.



And just for fun take the flip-flop test and tell me what you get!

Your Flip Flops Say You're Relaxed

You are super laid back and peaceful. Not much disturbs you. You're content with what you have in life, and you can't stand feeling worked up. A lot of good things tend to come your way in life... You're not too busy or stressed to let an opportunity pass you by. Your ideal warm weather place: Hawaii

The Flip Flop Test

Hope your week is off to a fantastic start!
Much love,

HomemadeTortillas

My family loves homemade flour tortillas. They taste so much better than the kind you buy at the grocery store and they're a quick and frugal addition to almost any meal. Today we had soft tacos.

Here's my secret recipe...

Tasty and delicious every time although not always perfectly round. :)

Lemon Bars

Oh y'all I just never cease to be amazed at the wonders of the internet! Seriously I should never buy a cookbook again because there is just so much deliciousness to be found for free!



Paula Deen's son Bobby has been taking some of her recipes and making them lighter. Why didn't I know about this before today? I'm so excited!



I made Bobby's Lighter Lemon Bars this afternoon. I loooove anything with lemon, especially in the summertime.



You know how sometimes a recipe just really hits the spot? That's exactly what these lemon bars did. They are the perfect mixture of sweet and tart plus they have 198 fewer calories and 10 grams less fat than the originals. What more could you ask for?



Run, don't walk, to your kitchen and make these lemon bars today! You can thank me later. :)

I think I'm going to make the whole list of Bobby's lighter recipes.

Baking Day

I've been baking bread today (made with half whole wheat flour and half white flour) and while I had the oven on I thought I would try a new dessert too.

I found a recipe for oatmeal bars in the July issue of Family Circle that sounded delicious! I altered it slightly (half whole wheat flour like the bread) and they turned out great! They were a little crumbly but still tasted so good. They're similar to granola bars. You could reduce the butter and maybe substitute with applesauce to make it a little more healthy. If you did that I think they would be great breakfast bars.

I think you have to register to see the recipe, but it looks like it's free. I would give it to you myself, but I don't want to get in any trouble. :)

Mexican Dress

In Texas it's practically the law that you have to eat Mexican food after church on Sundays. So as law abiding citizens, that's exactly what we were doing last Sunday when I noticed a woman (probably in her mid to late 30s) in a darling Mexican dress. She looked so cute! I had a purple one back in the 80s and I loved, loved, loved it! It was the coolest, most comfortable thing to wear in the summertime. It was a great casual dress with sandals and also cute to wear on the way to the pool. I literally wore it to shreds. I'm seriously thinking of ordering one as soon as I have a little money in my fashion budget.

Is this solely a Texas thing or are these sorts of dresses seen in other parts of the country?

Pineapple Upside -Down Cake

Last night we had sort of a Luau themed supper (how 50s can you get?). I made teriyaki chicken, rice, steamed vegetables, Hawaiian bread and a pineapple upside down cake for the first time ever. Can you believe I had never made such a classic dessert? Everyone loved it and was so easy. Here is the recipe I used.

I wish I had thought to play my beach music CD from a birthday party a few years ago. That would have been fun and added to the luau atmosphere. Maybe next week I'll come up with some other theme to plan supper around. Any ideas?

Blue and White

Blue and white is one of my favorite color schemes in decorating. I've collected blue and white dishes for years, particularly Blue Willow, and the color combination is still fresh and pretty. It's perfect for summer.

Above photos via Country Living

The mauve and country blue that I decorated my very first kitchen in (complete with a duck theme) didn't last, but I think blue and white is classic and timeless. Some things never go out of style.

Here are some examples of blue and white in my own kitchen. I think plates are a great way to decorate a wall.


This is the mosaic that I made behind my kitchen sink

How was your first kitchen decorated? I'm curious to know if anyone else fell victim to the mauve and blue trend in the 80s like I did.

Cherry Pie

Celebrating a summer Friday with a little cherry pie. I'm currently trying to watch my figure so I only ate a small piece with a little scoop of low-fat ice cream. It was delicious and so worth it although I probably still need to take a brisk walk to burn a few of those extra calories!

I hope you have a beautiful weekend!