Welcome!

Welcome to Millie and Kate’s Blog! I am delighted you are here! Since this my first post, I thought some background information would be helpful!

First, who the heck are Millie and Kate? Millie and Kate are my maternal great-grandmothers. Millie or more widely known, as Mildred, is my mom’s maternal Grand Mother and Kate or Kathryn is mom’s paternal Nana. While they couldn’t be more different from each other, Millie and Kate had significant impact on my mom’s life.

Millie lived on a wheat farm in Pratt, Kansas.

The ever-proper Millie Knop was born in 1900 and spent her days living on the family farm near Preston, Kansas. The mother of six, kept her hands busy between sewing, cooking, church socials, the quilting bee, crocheting and even delivering neighbors’ babies in exchange for chickens! She worked from sunup to sundown while still making time for entertaining friends and family in her home. She thrived to nearly 105 years old and above her bed hung the sign, “I am so old my friends in heaven think I’ve gone to hell.”

Unlike Miss Millie, Kathryn “Happy” Goodfellow was a world-class traveler. The globetrotting gal flew by the seat of her pants, bouncing around the world living on a boat floating in the middle of the South Pacific to commanding a small town in Southern California as the Sheriff. In her later years, Kate used her wild creativity to make and sell art on the side of the road between Kingman, Arizona and Laughlin, Nevada. She made everything in life a celebrated event. Even feeding the dog became an event as she served boiled celery in a fancy china bowl on a lace placemat with a napkin.

At my vintage wedding! Millie and Kate would be proud!

Next, what is Millie and Kate? I started Millie and Kate on Etsy.com in Fall 2013 after I got married. Millie and Kate is a collection of treasures my family and I found, created and curated. Most items are vintage or vintage inspired or handmade. You will find everything from the perfect hostess gift to the most delectable decanters to adorable baby items. Check it out here! https://www.etsy.com/shop/MillieAndKate

Third, what do I plan to blog about? This is my second attempt at blogging (the first was for a graduate school project and required LOTS of perfect posts that constantly stressed me out!). But this time, I plan to blog about whatever comes my way. From weddings, parties, etiquette, style, fashion, cooking and whatever else I deem interesting. However it must be noted, this time around I plan to be much more opinionated. While, being politically correct is always preferred, I do think it’s okay to take a stand. So this is your warning…either I will scare you away or hopefully, peak your interest.