Infant Care Magazine from 1943

This is a pretty cool find. Right smack dab in the middle of WWII, well towards the end I suppose. Here is this little magazine on how to take care of your aged 0-1 years old. What a nice piece of normalcy during a time I cannot even fathom living through.

The magazine is 16 pages, front and back, with tons of pictures. It starts right in at breast feeding and give you all of the appropriate milestones a baby should hit throughout it's first year of life.

It's been a while since I had my babies, but it doesn't seem like a lot has changed. We have more options as far as formula goes, and parenting style certainly goes through fads, but the basics remain the same. A few things have definitely changed. The cribs I see in this magazine would not meet code anymore. The bars are begging for little people body parts to go through them, and I'm sure they did.

I must point out the hats here. The nurses on the back cover page are wearing those typical nurses hats that only now seem to make an appearance around Halloween, heaven help us all. Sexy nurse costumes? Really? As a nurse myself, I can tell you with some authority that having multiple persons bodily fluids all over you is not sexy. 12 hour shifts? Nope, not even close to sexy. Hard, long, physically and emotionally draining days those were. I do miss some of the patient care, getting to know people. The world is full of amazing people, just have to listen to them for a few minutes. I learned so much during my time in the hospital.

These days I spend my time selling my books, playing with the  kids, and watching life flash before my eyes at a million miles an hour. Still getting a little patient care though. Laser tattoo removal, also not sexy. But meet the coolest people and hear some pretty amazing stories.

Bluethroat Bird

This little beauty is about 5 inches by 5 inches and has the word Bluethroat written on it in Danish. This is pretty remarkable. If you look closely you can see the scratches of a pencil or two on the top of the wings creating texture. I wish I knew how old our artist was, at what point do kids start thinking about adding texture to a drawing? I used to doodle quite a bit in my youth, that's when I discovered I have exactly zero artistic skill. Hence, why I excel at being an admiring audience member for others. Whether it be drawing, music, acting or writing, I am the one giving you all loads of applause, my money, and compliments. You're welcome.

Copenhagen Bookmark

Well, it's spelled differently on the bookmark itself, being made in Denmark and all. Love finding homemade....well, anything! How many things are homemade anymore? I remember being very little and my mother being at the sewing machine making clothes for the 5 of us. The four of us really, by the time the youngest came along, I think she had gone from making clothes to sewing blankets. I remember a particularly pretty dress, pink and white with black lace in various places. Oh, that thing itched like no other. Just seeing a picture of my small self wearing that dress makes me want to scratch myself. Rambling as per my usual. Cool bookmark.

Faded Memory

Literally the most faded photo I have yet too come across. Beach, boat, water, sign me up! I wish this had a date or beach name or anything. Someone probably spent a lovely holiday in a tropical oasis and turned to have one last look, pulled out the camera and created a lasting memory.

 I recently discovered that people used to take photos of loved ones after they had died. They prop them up and make them look as though they are still alive. It's morbid, on the one hand. I totally understand it on the other. But, if you know someone is ill and may not live, why didn't they take the picture at that point? Accidental deaths, sure, that I can kind of see. But, still morbid.

There was a movie I just adored as a child, it was Disney's The Parent Trap, not Lindsay Lohan, the original with Haley Mills and Maureen O'Hara. There's a scene where Haley's character "makes a memory" with her grandfather, recalling that he smells of tobacco and peppermint. I find myself doing this when a moment is just perfect. And, it's not at all morbid.

Denmark 1909 Christmas Seal Julen

One would think this stamp came attached to an envelope, but it was found a folded half sheet of paper. It is currently selling for a whopping 5 dollars online. It seems like it should be worth more, doesn't it?

I've tried to find who they used as a model for this stamp, but no avail. Isn't she lovely. Her moppet blonde hair, the perfect choice. Although, I do think this stamp looks a little more like springtime than Christmas. The star at the top is its only saving grace.

Beautiful Baby Antique Photo

Beautiful baby, look at those cheeks and that bow shaped mouth. Throw a little blonde hair on top of her head and she looks just like my niece. I all at once love to find pictures in my books, but at the same time it saddens me that it lost its way from the family who loved them.

 As a resident of Southern California, I have more than once packed up all my most important things to run away from a fire. Twice, actually. Which I think is more than enough for one lifetime. That said, photographs are the first things I go for. The old ones from my childhood, but more important to me are the photos of my children. The things that really matter, not truly the tangible things, but our memories.

WWI Postcard 1918

 This little card is from 1918, at first glance I thought the little guy was Hitler, but I had the wrong war. The postcard asks if Herold needs help at the store anymore and asks what he did for Easter. The writer also mentions a camp, military I am assuming. Love when I can actually read the writing.

Isn't it funny, the card about going to war? I think throughout history there has often been a sense of adventure  associated with going to war so of course little boys would be annoyed at being left out of the fun. These days, with the Internet and it's bringing the true violence and horrors of war right into our homes, we are not as woo hoo about going off to fight the good fight. Certainly we do. Of course we do. But it's a different kind of creature. Shout out to military people everywhere who do indeed fight the good fight.