Jamie Janosz

I can't believe I missed this book when it was first published! Adventures in Churchland tells the story of rockabilly drummer Dan Kimball and his search for Jesus through the harrowing world of the evangelical church. They were not prepared for him with his Doc Martens (and flashy yellow stitching) or his slicked back, 50s-pompadour style hair. He was even less prepared for evangelical worship songs that sound like Celine Dion and Christmas pageants where men wore bed sheets as costumes. I found myself chuckling and nodding out loud - and wincing more than once - as I read his account of an "outsider" approaching the church with honest questions. Dan has it right. It's not about what we think church "should" look like. It's about Jesus. He finds his way in through an 83-year-old man in London who gives him a cup of Ovaltine and invites him to meet the real Jesus. This is a book about Jesus and church and finding your way home. It is a boo...

Photo by the fabulous Jill Obermaier. Milt and I have been slightly obsessed with all things 50s for the past few years. Well, in all honesty, my vintage obsession goes back a bit further. Here, in this article for Christianity Today 's blog Her.meneutics, I share why my love for the past links to my faith. Enjoy!  My rockabilly friends hoard 1950s-era fiberglass lampshades and Formica-topped tables. They drive clunky, chrome-trimmed, gas-guzzling cars that have no seatbelts and sometimes leave them stranded on long trips. The guys sport gabardine suits and greased-back pompadours. The gals carry '50s Lucite purses and wear full-skirted dresses with armfuls of bangles. They swing their dance partners to thumping music played by tattooed upright bass players. Walking into these events, a retro dance or hot rod car show, it feels like traveling back in time. These 21st-century folks live and breathe the culture of the 1950s. Yet again, in our seemingly endless cycles...

Polynesian dresses were the order of the day as Chicago area Rockabilly types welcomed fall with the First Annual Fong Fest - a tiki fest featuring food, vendors, bands . . . and no palm trees anywhere. Bands, with names like The Hot Rod Huxters, The Concussions, The Dyes and The Neandrathals, graced the main stage wearing crazy get-ups from rubber skeleton masks to fur caveman outfits. Chicago's mayor of Rockabilly, Mr. Ken Mottet, emceed the two-day long event. Luckily, the temps had dropped to a respectable mid-70s, so the fur-wearers weren't sweating. It wasn't until 9 pm that the skies opened and guests rushed under the canopies or inside the restaurant to keep from washing away. Tiki vendors sold home decor and vintage clothing. My husband, Milt, inside the Chef. We enjoyed the company of John and Tina (my friend and fellow blogger at Retro Fashion is My Passion ). Go go dancers, a group named The Janes, entertained th...

When we fell in love with mid-century style, it meant giving our plain-jane, modern, split-level home a retro feel. I also quickly learned that reproduction modern items could be pricey, and (sometimes) we couldn't find or afford what we needed to make our vintage look complete. After reading some other decorating blogs, I thought I'd share a few of our quirky, mid-century, do-it-on-the-cheap projects. Project #1 - What do with a long, plain hallway? Our hallway was basic beige and the major view out of our living room. We decided to paint it a soft aqua green, and panelled it halfway up with an inexpensive bamboo paneling. We trimmed it in a slightly darker molding to match the pre-existing molding in the home. Probably the biggest improvement was giving some detail to the far back closet door. While I loved the storage for sheets and blankets, the door way was dark and blank. I faux painted - with simple light ivory paint, measuring out a HUGE diamond...

My mom taught me to never drive past a garage sale. On the way to buy groceries last week, I spotted this pea green bike in a neighbor's driveway sale. I have been looking for a simple coaster-style bike, so I couldn't resist. Twenty dollars and a much-delayed grocery trip later, it was mine. As a girl, it took me a long time to learn to ride a bike. I had a beautiful grape-colored bike with a banana seat covered with daisies. My poor, patient dad would run alongside of the bike, and I would start to get balanced. Then, he would let go, and I would crash headfirst into the nearest tree or street sign. Even after I learned, I was accident prone. my friend Amy and I, while riding our bikes to school, tried to jump up and down the curbs. This was not a good idea for me. Halfway to school, I crashed off of my bike falling headfirst onto the cement curb. I walked to the nearest house that had a "safe house" sign in the window (remember those?), and asked for he...

There are a few places I have visited in my lifetime where I have instantly felt transported back in time. My visit to the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, was one of those places. I felt like the main character in "Peggy Sue Gets Married," where she enters a modern-day class reunion and falls back through decades of time and space. Oh how I wish I could be here when the room is filled with music. The dance floor is enormous and gleaming. Small wooden booths line the perimeter of the floor in three levels, where dancers can watch and rest and chat. The Ballroom is forever known as the location for the Winter Dance Party in 1959 - the last concert of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper, before their plane crashed, and we lost them all. The ballroom is still standing and remarkably similar to what it looked like years ago. They have worked hard to keep the site historically accurate. They have even preserved the phone booth where Buddy supp...