More Wedding Preparations

Gran, Mrs. Beth Stewart, always seemed to like me. She was delighted to have me for a daughter and married to her son. When Bruce left the Air Force it was she who encouraged him to look me up.  She seemed so excited as she prepared this house to be our home. This was  the old farmhouse which was the home where Gran and Grandpa lived since they left the Stewart Homestead home and it is here they raised their 6 children. Though they now lived in the little ‘house on the hill’ this was home. They were filled with joy getting this house ready to be our home. 

1936 Stewart kitchen remodeled and published in Successful Farming Magazine

In 1936 this was an up to the minute, modern kitchen. Shown is Bruce's sister, Elsie, about 18 or 19 years old. There are many Jewel Tea ceramics on the counter. Gran, you see, decorated around the window, painting the decor to match. 

an ancient French lilac grew outside that kitchen window.

The old sink beneath the window was replaced with a double drainboard modern metal sink

She asked me what color I'd like the kitchen. 'Pink", I said, and pink I got. In a way it clashed with the linoleum flooring yet we made it work.

 This 2-story + basement home had a sunny room just a right turn up the back entry stairway, a bathroom, this kitchen referred to above, a dining room, living room and a downstairs master bedroom which was the room just beyond the stairway to the 2nd floor. There were 3 bedrooms upstairs and one tiny room  left of this stairway which we would call  nursery.  Their old maple bed remained in the master bedroom also having been used by their son, Fred and his wife, Cassie,  when recently living here. Now we would use it. 

Yellow rose outside bedroom window

Gran had the walls in the bedroom papered in a beautiful, huge, refreshing floral pattern, green and white with yellow roses. Her yellow rosebush would soon bloom just outside the bedroom window.

We had a kitchen table with drop leaves we painted blue and chairs to go with the table.

We were given the 1910 oak dining table with 6 chairs

Then there was that same round oak dining table we have even now with 6 oak chairs. There were other antique things about, like a heavy oak library table in the living room. My mother and dad gave us a nice mahogany lamp table. It wouldn’t  match right now. I think Jim has the table.  My parents also gave us a set of maple, cushioned den furniture. My plan was to replace them  soon and have these to furnish a den. I made blue slipcovers for the cushions, which now were green multi-striped, to better fit the decor. I ordered a large, 9 by 12 gray shag rug for the living room. We had 2 white bookcases either side of the windows and one beneath. Bruce had a membership with Book-of-the-Month-Club. There was an overstuffed recliner and footstool, blue plaid drapery..

I would continue my decorating later on. 

I added a Gorham Camellia bon-bon spoon and a fish fork to my set

The teachers from Darien High School and Grade School held a shower for us after a school day in the form of an evening pot luck meal at 6:30 P.M. Bruce couldn't make it. He was committed to his responsibilities at home.We played games. They had pitched in together for the gift, a bon-bon spoon and fish fork in my chosen Gorham Camellia sterling silver pattern. 

My THIRD SHOWER-  Invitation:

This: It will be fun to have you - add your sunshine to the shower - for Mary K. Bergin

Kind: Miscellaneous on 3/17/51 at 2:00 o’clock P.M.

The Place: Stewart Ellsworth’s

Hostesses: Erma Fellows [cousin Chuck’s wife] and Phebe May Ellsworth [Bruce' Aunt Dolly]

St. Patrick's Day- This was a very green, nice Irish theme carried through the party. Many of the Stewart clan showed up giving us some useful gifts for our future home.

I was given at Sweet Pea Corsage to wear and others wore sweet peas in their coiffures.

Shower Gift Cards I saved

 

Many evenings after we had returned from a family visit, a date, movie, we would sit out in the yard in the Kaiser and share together dreams of the future, comments on the day. We'd often sit there with arms about  each other, especially on moonlit nights enjoying each others company even until 2:30 the next morning. This was not wise. Bruce would only get a couple hours sleep before chores began. I refer to a popular song,  'Give Me Five Minutes More'. This how it was for us.
Writer(s): Cahn/Styne

Give me five minutes more, only five minutes more
Let me stay, let me stay in your arms

Here am I, begging for only five minutes more
Only five minutes more of your charms

All week long I dreamed about our Saturday date
Don't you know that Sunday morning you can sleep late  [Dairy farmers can't]

Give me five minutes more (Here am I begging for), only five minutes more
(Let me stay, let me stay)
Let me stay, let me stay (stay) in your arms