Life Gets In The Way

Do you ever plan to write a post and just sit in front of your computer, staring blankly at the screen?  This is where I am at lately.  I have several ideas floating around in my head, but somehow they never make their way out my fingertips onto the keyboard.  They usually just get lost in the jumbled, stressed out mess that is my brain at the moment.

My father's illness is taking a toll on our entire family, and I know that we are just at the beginning of this journey.  Our lives have been put on hold and all of our energy is focused on his health and well being, which is the least I can do for the greatest man in my life. Each day we have left with him is a blessing that I will cherish.

But, it does tend to diminish my creativity and consume my thoughts.  I would like to keep Retro Gran as a happy place, a refuge from every day life, if you will.  Lately, my posts have become sporadic in their scheduling because I am trying to maintain the atmosphere I hope to portray here, but my heart is far from being in a happy place.  When the mood and time allows, I try to seize the opportunity and create several posts at once before the moment is lost again.  I hope that you, my dear readers, will be understanding of this and stick around.

With that, I would like to leave you with lots of love and happy thoughts.  Here is a photograph of one of my grandsons enjoying his time on the beach.

Sean and his rubber ducky having a grand time at the ocean.  Photo taken by me.

Spotlight On: June Cleaver

For my "Spotlight On" series, I thought I would do something a little different and shine the spotlight on a tv character rather than the actress playing the part.  In honor of Mother's Day, I chose to shine that light on TV land's greatest mother, EVER, June Cleaver.

As a mother, June was nurturing, and tried her best to support her sons through all of their ordeals, even though her youngest son, “Beaver” had a hard time staying out of trouble.  She was dedicated to her family.  When the boys came home from school each day, you could always find June in the kitchen chopping vegetables, or basting a roast, or icing a cake.  And her kitchen was always immaculate as was the rest of the house.

June was ladylike and slightly formal in personal appearance, always seen with perfectly coiffed hair and tasteful facial makeup. Her wardrobe consisted of simple but elegant dresses, suits, or skirts paired with blouses or sweaters and high-heeled pumps for shoes, and she always wore a pearl necklace, even when working in her garden.

She had a great intuition about what was going on in her sons lives and was quite the disciplinarian when she needed to be. She had a loving but no-nonsense approach to rambunctious sons Wally and Beaver. She met misbehavior with a knowing look and even tone, making surrender the only option. She was a loving, happy, stay at home mom.

So in short, she was a perfect mother, who was perfectly dressed, and kept a perfectly clean home.  How can I ever live up to that standard?  

Well, here's what I think.  June remained calm when things got out of control at home, she tried to protect her sons by teaching them right from wrong, and she stood her ground when anything got in the way of that.  Above all else, she was loving and nurturing, that's what makes her the perfect mother in my point of view, and that standard is one I can strive to achieve.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you "perfect" mothers!

Out And About - Brookgreen Gardens

Recently, we had the opportunity to visit Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina.  They have been named by Coastal Living Magazine as one of the country's top 10 public gardens and after visiting them, I can wholeheartedly agree with this.

The gardens were founded in 1931 by Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington.  It is a garden museum to preserve the native plants and wildlife and display objects of art within that natural setting.  Today, it is a National Historic Landmark with the most significant collection of figurative sculpture in the country.  It also is home to the only accredited zoo on the coast of the Carolinas.

The garden is home to over 1400 sculptures, the largest collection in the country.  The founders built the collection around Anna's own works and those of her contemporaries. Over the years the collection was extended back to artists of the early nineteenth century and forward into the twenty-first century.

The property encompasses 9100 acres, so when we purchased our tickets to enter, I was pleased to learn that gave us access to the gardens for 7 consecutive days.  I wanted to be able to take my time and enjoy the beauty within and there is no way we could cover that much area in one days time.  We visited two days and there are still things that we missed.

The Mister and I both carried a camera and together we took nearly 900 photographs.  It was an amazing place, one that I will not easily forget.  If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend visiting.  It is well worth the $14 admission price.

Here is a sampling of the photos we took that day.  If you would like to see more, I will be adding lots of them to my facebook page.  Come "Like" my page and check them out.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo

Many people outside Mexico mistakenly believe that Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican independence, which was declared more than 50 years before the Battle of Puebla. That event is commemorated on September 16, the anniversary of the revolutionary priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla’s famous “Grito de Dolores” (“Cry of Dolores”), a call to arms that amounted to a declaration of war against the Spanish colonial government in 1810.

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army's 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. A relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations. Cinco de Mayo traditions include parades, mariachi music performances and street festivals in cities and towns across Mexico and the United States.

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I thought it would be fun to take a look at traditional Mexican styled clothing and what one might wear to these festivities. Traditional Mexican clothing for women reveals a world of vivid, intricately crafted garments with European and native elements. The clothes are made with specifically favored materials and embrace bold colors. Here's some fantastic examples:

Hand Painted Circle Skirts

This lovely 1950s Mexican hand painted skirt has a fantastic beach scene. 

There is such detail in this amazing 50s hand painted skirt.

As an item that has become known to most northerners as a traditional piece of Mexican fashion, this classic skirt has only recently been adopted by native Latin Americans. Originally created to be sold to tourists who wanted a wearable memento of the their travels, these hand-painted skirts were thought of as something only worn by American visitors. They were typically 100% cotton and designed to reflect the culture of Mexico, using architecture, nature, historic Mexican art and people.

Puebla Dress

This lovely embroidered Puebla dress has already been sold.

You can find this darling puebla dress here.

A Puebla dress is traditionally loose flowing, made of cotton and embroidered with vibrant thread; it could also be beaded. The dress could be embroidered with flowers, animals, abstract figures or national Mexican symbols, such as an eagle clutching a snake or a prickly pear cactus. Although traditionally white, Puebla dresses can come in other colors, especially vibrant hues.

Mexican Folk Dance Dress

This fantastic dress can be found here.

You can find this lovely dress here.

The Mexican folk dance dress is a ruffled dress that includes enough fabric to make six regular dresses. While dancing, the women hold up the sides of the dress and move their hands quickly. This outfit is still used by folk dancers in performances and during carnivals.

Huipil

Green velvet huipil can be found here.

Look at the fantastic embroidery work on this huipil.

The huipil (pronounced "wee-peel") is a sleeveless, tunic-like garment. As with many other cultures that use garments to identify their specific areas of origin, the distinctive design on a huipil can distinguish the community that the wearer belongs to. The designs may also convey the wearer's marital status or personal beliefs. A ceremonial huipil is one worn by wives of religious figures in the community, as well as statues of saints.

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I don't know about you ladies, but I am in love with those circle skirts.  The intricate detailed hand painting is true art.  If I owned one of these, I don't think I would ever want to take it off!

Sandy Toes

While planning my wardrobe for our trip to the beach recently, I noticed my closet was sorely lacking in summer dresses, so I decided to invest in a couple.  I wanted to share one of those with you today.  I found this adorable dress at Pinup Girl Clothing.  It is the Jenny Dress and I love the Tiki print.

I love the shape and feel of this dress.  It is my first PUG dress and I am impressed with the quality and fit,  I'm sure it won't be my last.  The fabric has some stretch to it, but not a lot, so it gives you a little wiggle room on the measurements.  The straps are adjustable and the top has some boning for shape and is lined with satin.

We ventured out onto the beach for a lovely walk along the ocean, which, by the way, is not conducive to maintaining any type of hairstyle.  It's always such a nice breeze along the coast line.

*Outfit Details*

Dress - Pinup Girl Clothing

Cardigan - Liz Claiborne

Hat - Nine West

Scarf - Ariele Sierra Designs

Belt - TJ Maxx