Happy For Bread & Butter!

Food! Who doesn't love food? I totally love it! Though, sometimes food could become my worst frenemy.

Because of health reasons, I do have a restrictive diet. For many years I couldn't eat many things that I used to enjoy. I know life can sometimes through you a couple of hiccups on the way. Though, thanks to a great natural doctor, and some supplements, I could once again enjoy some great food!

One of the many things that I could now enjoy occasionally, is bread! Oh, how I missed it! I would salivate when I saw someone taking a piece of bread along with their heavily seasoned spaghetti sauce! It was hard for me to feel somewhat left out, when all I could eat was a simple Caesar salad, which was perhaps the only food that I could eat whenever we will go out to a restaurant. Of course having great company was priceless, like that commercial says.

Now as a newborn baby, I am again experimenting with new foods! Though, I still have to be cautious, because sometimes I ended up paying for it. Like for instance two months ago, I was in the kitchen making one of my favorites soups, cream of squash. In my pot I added squash, some milk, brown sugar, a couple of spoons of butter, than I finish it off by sprinkling some cinnamon. I then asked hubby to try the soup. He tried a couple of spoons of it. And like the cute mouse from my favorite cartoon movie Ratatouille, he made his suggestions by adding more ingredients to my soup.

My hubby is not a chef or a cook, like some husbands are. I just wanted my hubby to try some squash soup. I thought that if he was also behind the cooking process and added his own suggestions, that he will at the end eat some of his vegetables.

You see my hubby doesn't care much for vegetables.Whenever I would add a side of vegetables to his diner, it was left untouched. So after many years later, I kind of cave in to his preferences. Well, that is what marriage is all about. As a matter of fact, I am thinking of purchasing the books The Sneaky Chef or Deceptively Delicious, that way I can make sure that he eats his veggies, without him noticing it. My little secret!

Anyhow to make a long story short, the soup turn out a great hit! That is, a hit to my stomach. My tummy couldn't handle all of that extra cinnamon. And can you believe that I am still paying for it. For several weeks, all I could do was lay down on the couch and watch TCM, which by the way is making me an old movies expert!

So what does the title of my post, "Happy for Bread and Butter", have to do with the story. Well, even though I might hold off on the cinnamon for now, I am still enjoying some good things of life! And that leads me to the happy part of my story. I am so thrilled to share with you my new and favorite bread and butter combination: Pumpernickel bread with honey butter!

If it wasn't for Sweet Tomatoes, I wouldn't have been able to rediscover my passion for bread and butter! If you are not familiar with Sweat Tomatoes, it's an all you can eat salad, soup, and pasta buffet restaurant, And the best part of this story is that this is the only restaurant that hubby gets to eat all of his veggies!

At the end, my hubby is happy. I am happy. And my tummy feels happy, after of course, I eat all of my salad with my two slices of pumpernickel bread with honey butter!


I am a happy and grateful girl!



Chao,



Carmen

Photo: Flickr Creative Commons by Jonathan Gill.

Retro Shopping at Target!

As a retro lover, I spend some of my time researching and browsing through the internet and visiting my favorites vintage stores. Two days ago, I decided to visit some stores that I haven't been in a while. So I went to Target, looking for that special item, and there it was, not one, nor two, but a whole collection of retro dresses and accessories for sale! I was totally blown away by all of these selections! For the last two days I have been walking on cloud nine.


Here are just a few retro items that caught my eye:


























And the best part in shopping at Target, is the unbeatable price!



Chao,



Carmen

Fantasy Retro Dream Home

For all of you retro lovers out there, this is what my retro dream home would look like! A silver retro trailer attached to a vintage woody wagon! Simple outdoor living, with an hint of sophistication! I am totally loving it!

Even though I love being in my little quite home, and I love my neighborhood, deep down inside I am a very adventurous gal. You see I came from a family that wasn't afraid to get up and move to another town, city, or country. The longest that I lived in one place is three years. We never really didn't have time to settled down like many families do. My dad will come one afternoon from work and would say, "It's time to move." My mom and us four kids knew the drill. And within that day we were packed, in the car, and ready to go.

So when I asked a friend how long they have been living in their house, and they say, "I have lived here all my life," I find it really strange and amusing. I can't fathom being in one place for all my life. I think that most of my life learning came from my experiences of living in different places. That is way I love traveling!

I always wanted to have my own retro trailer and travel throughout the states. And I am not just saying for vacation, but that is how I would love to live. I know that it sounds pretty crazy for many people, but I think that being stuck and one area is quite boring.

For several months my hubby and I was thinking of making a big move. The job market was bad where we live. So we put our home in the market. And hoping that we can sell it, and move to a new location! I was all for it. I was ready to start a new chapter in our lives. And the best part of it my hubby was also!

You see my hubby also grew up moving from one place to another. Just listening to his stories about how he grew up, was like if we both grew up together. Finding that we were in this together gave me a chance to share my plans. Yes, I started with, "Oh, my goodness I would like for us to get a silver trailer and travel through out the states! You can get the job that you want. We can can stay at different locations. If we get bored we just pick up and go. Wouldn't that be great"?

My hubby then said, "huh. living in a trailer?" Yes, I did say trailer. Hubby was a bit surprised. You see several years ago before we bought this house, hubby suggested for us to buy a mobile home. I was not 100% convinced about living in a mobile home. Living here in Florida with hurricanes and tornadoes, and imagining that we were not in Kansas anymore, made me think twice in moving to a mobile home.

My idea about us traveling all over the States in our cute little retro home on wheels, made my hubby a little apprehensive. He was definitely ready to move to another state, though not in a home on wheels. He then explained the reasons: "It is more expensive than renting a place and we will be cramped in this very, very small place."

And that is when I knew that my hubby is not as adventurous as I thought he was.

So at the end I couldn't convince hubby. In the meanwhile I kept on dreaming about how our lives will be if we traveling in our retro home. Then that is when I saw this movie: The Long, Long Trailer (1954; MGM).

This is the very first technicolor movie that Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz appeared on. This movie is about honeymooners who buy a trailer home and soon encounter the problems of living in a house on wheels.

When I first saw the beginning of the movie, I was totally excited! Here it was the very thing that I am dreaming of doing. The wife dreamed of having a little place to call her home. And she got her dream, when she was able to convince her husband in getting the trailer. And after they were off in starting their new life living in a trailer, that was when things started to really look ugly for them and for the trailer.

There was one scene where they went to a heavily wooded area just like the picture above. Though imagine the scene with a torrential rain. The trailer ended side ways and stuck in the mud. That scene was so funny for the first few minutes, until I thought that that could easily be me and my hubby under those same circumstances. My hands literally started to sweat.

Even though my retro dream home fantasy came to a screeching stop. It didn't dampen the possibility that hubby and I could one day own our silvery vintage trailer... of course only for vacation purposes!


Chao,


Carmen

P.S. I am totally enjoying my Sunday with the live broadcast from the Cidada Club! Enjoy your week!

Photo: Flickr Creative Commons.

My Little Red Dress

Winter is finally here in the Sunshine state! And I am totally getting out my warm pretty dresses! Last Sunday when I decided to wear my little red dress, it was very cold. So I couldn't go out bare arm. That day I wore a wool gray jacket over my dress, and added my black fur.

The weather here in Florida changes drastically. One minute it is crispy cold, and then before you know it you are melting like a snow girl. For that reason, I make sure to layer with light and heavyweight clothing.

Here I am in my Paris room and modeling my little red mod dress. This sleeveless knitted dress makes me feel like little red riding hood. Going along with my mod theme, I did my bangs in a half way french twist, and left the rest of the hair loose. For accessories, I added a sterling silver pink earrings, my black sleek gloves, and a glittery belt with a black bow, that I found by the way at my favorite thrift store!



















In the last two pictures you can appreciate my glittery belt better. Because the dress was a bit short for me, I added a black lacy ribbon on the bottom seam of the dress, which I think added more character to the dress!


Enjoy your weekend!



Chao,



Carmen

Phonograph Gallery in Paris

I always wanted to have a phonograph! Playing an old record on a phonograph is like trying on a vintage dress, until you wear it you don't have the full vintage experience. Several months ago we went to a vintage shop and saw this beautifully elegant phonograph. And the best part of it was that it was a working phonograph! Now what are the odds of that? And of course because it was in mint working condition, and well persevered it was always very expensive.

I came across a website called "Phonogallery". They are located in Paris France, of course. They sell phonographs, gramophones, cylinders, and much more. They also sell phonograph parts, and they even repair them, which is great if you happened to buy one that doesn't work. And if you happened to be working on a project and need a phonograph, well they to rent them out! Now that is swell!


Here are some pictures from their gallery:




















And if you happened to know of a nice little old lady that is giving away her phonograph, just let me know, I will send my agent over. Thanks!




Chao,



Carmen

Photos: Photogallerie.com on Flickr Creative Commons.

In Vogue: The Illustrated History

The other day hubby and I went to the book store for some relaxation and inspiration. Yes, we both are book worm, though he more than me. We have this routine where we both get our different reading materials and then we meet in one of those comfy chairs. So I went to my favorite girly fashion and beauty isle, while he went to the history section. Then that is when I saw the new beautifully illustrated book, "In Vogue: The Illustrated History of the World's Most Famous Fashion Magazine." I have been wanting to get my hands on this book since it's been out. And there it was right in front of my nose!

This book is a compilation of illustrations and fashion of Vogue magazine throughout history. My first impression: This book is dark, tall, and handsome!

The white and black photograph on the cover of the book caught my attention. I wanted to right away dive into it's pages. This book is as big as an encyclopedia! So when I tried to pick it up from the shelf, I realized that I needed man power. So I asked hubby to help me take it to my seat.

After I finally sat down and got cozy, and I opened the first few pages, I knew that this will be a book that many fashionistas would want to have. This book is filled with vintage pictures and illustrations that made Vogue famous. I especially loved the stories behind the scenes. You will get to learn the different takes and techniques that photographers had back many years ago. It's interesting to note how models and fashion have changed over the years. As a retrochic, I loved looking at the fashion photos of the 20's through the 60's.

For me this book is one of the most beautiful fashionpedia book that I have ever seen. If you like Vogue, fashion, and history of fashion this is the book for you!

I wish that I could have taken this book home. It is quite the price for my modest pocketbook. At the book store it cost $75. But don't worry, you can still buy it used for about half the price, which is worth every penny!


I just love fashion inspiration!



Chao,



Carmen

Train Traveling Case

My dream vacation will be to travel with hubby by train through Europe! Just thinking about it makes my heart warm and cozy. And what girl doesn't want a lovely traveling case to take with her?

I had spotted this vintage traveling case a few months ago at an Etsy shop called Nineteen O' Three. And like an elegant lady, it is waiting for someone to ask her for a dance. The seller did a wonderful job in restoring the traveling case. She even added a few little touches here and there, making this traveling case one of a kind.

Sooo retro Parisian!
















I haven't gone to my favorite vintage shop in a while. I am hoping that one of these days a nice traveling case like this one shows up. And I will make sure to give it a great home!


Hope that you all have a pleasant weekend!



Chao,



Carmen

My Life As a Retro Artist!

The other day I was contacted by a Cnn reporter! I was totally excited, because I had never had another person approached me to interview me! As a Retro Reporter I do the interview and bring the stories to my viewers. Of course, I am in front of the camera most of the time and sometimes behind the scenes when I interview my guests. I don't like it to always be about me. I just love listening about other peoples lives. I am a people's person and that is part of who I am.

Though, I have to admit, that it does feels nice to once in a while receive a complement or commendation from another human like myself. So that made my day!

I knew that having the opportunity in being in national T.V. would be something big! So, I took the opportunity and made my video "My Life As a Retro Artist"! Yay, movie time! This short film is a biography of my career as a Retro Artist, Reporter, and Filmmaker. Since I was young, I have been fascinated about time traveling, history, and retro living! I always wanted to learn about how people lived in the past.

Come with me, as I share with you my life as a Retro Artist!


Chao,


Carmen