MONTH of MAY
I have a MOTHER & DAUGHTER duo for YOU ALL being the MONTH OF Mother’s Day here in the STATES!
Meet MARTHA and her MOTHER who has had 107 BIRTHDAYS!
LOUISE CAMPBELL DENBOW.
Martha has answered MY QUESTIONS and then asked her MOTHER to do the same!
I hope you ENJOY this POST as I did putting it ALL TOGETHER!
AFTER you read MY POST head over to Cindy Hattersley DESIGN to read about HER PICK for the month!
CINDY WRITES A POPULAR BLOG ON DECORATING,ENTERTAINING and FASHION she is a WEE bit older than me and the NICEST PERSON you would ever WANT TO MEET!SO, while you are there join her SUBSCRIPTION LIST!
A) SHE is NOTHING LIKE ME!
B) HAS A CONTRACTOR HUSBAND LIKE ME!
C) DRESSES WITH FLAIR BUT NO THEATRICS LIKE ME!
D )ALWAYS HAS A KIND WORD of ENCOURAGEMENT!
E) NEEDS VERY LITTLE SLEEP TO FUNCTION!UNLIKE ME!
F) HAS TWO KIDS AND IS NOW A GRANNY to a 3 year year OLD!
MAKE ME PROUD and if you donot have TIME today maybe RED FLAG the BLOG and do it when its convienentt.
I KNOW TIME IS FLYING!
NOW TO MEET MY GUESTS THIS MONTH!
“I’m excited I get to be a part of your Ageless Style post,
Although I know my mother at age 107, will truly be the hit!!”
Martha Foss on the RIGHT!
LOUISE CAMPBELL DENBOW
MOTHER OF MARTHA at 107!
MARTHA SAYS: I was born and raised in Orange California, back when it was truly all orange groves. My dad came to California, during the depression and started by picking lemons for 10 cents a day in Torrey Pines. When he had saved up some money, he bought an old truck, fixed it up and got it running. He then bought a tractor and a spray rig and turned this humble beginning into a 65 year career!! He met my mom at an Orange City dance, and told his friend that he wanted to dance with the girl with the big smile!! They were married within the year, and surprisingly, I came along a year later!! (My mom at this point was mid 40’s!!). My sister came along 17 months after me, so we were always together, as we lived on 5 acres of oranges and avocados!! Even though we grew up in Orange, every summer we packed up our camper and drove to British Columbia, Canada for the summer. My mom had grown up there and wanted us to experience the beautiful summers there. When I was 9, my parents bought a little old beach house, perched on the side of the beach on Vancouver Island. Every year we spent from June to September in Canada. We had the best childhood. We had lots of friends that lived by us, and we spent all our time, either on the beach,riding our bikes or swimming at the river! We were outdoors from the time we got up, until the sun set, (which up there, is about 10:30pm). Our family still owns the beach house. The original house burned down in 2003,but we rebuilt, and in 2007 we had a new improved and much bigger house, for the entire family to enjoy!
After I married, I lived for over 35 years in the San Francisco Bay area. I started to feel like I was a Northern California gal, instead of a Southern California gal…but in 2017, we moved back down to North County San Diego, to be closer to my mom (who at that time was only a mere 104!) My life really has come full circle!
How would you DESCRIBE your personal style?
My style is really easy going/casual. I have been a flight attendant for most of my adult life, so uniforms have been a BIG part of my wardrobe. I would have to say, that 75% of my wardrobe is easy, jeans, white tee shirts and light sweaters. When I splurge on clothing—I splurge on natural fiber clothes. I love linen!! I don’t mind ironing ( a weird quirk, I know) and I think a great white linen shirt with natural colored linen pants and a classic belt is one of my favorite things. I love Brooks Brothers shirts, both their linen and their non-wrinkle classic white shirt. Just last year, I purchased some J.Jill faux wrap linen pants that work great for traveling. I love a classic khaki trench coat, it can be your main travel coat 75% of the time. Besides working, my husband and I love to travel. My travel wardrobe is a pair of Mario Seranni of Italy, black knit pants, a white blouse black cardigan and a great scarf!! The pants never wrinkle,and are super comfortable, even after an all-night flight.A beautiful pashmina is the secret weapon, for walking off a plane, after many hours, and still looking pulled together!
Which accessory is your ABSOLUTE FAVORITE?
My absolute favorite accessory is a turquoise and coral necklace, a friend gave me over 20 years ago. It brightens up any outfit, and looks great with a white shirt, white tee shirt or makes a casual dress look a little dressier! My runner up item is a suede Coach belt, I bought at Lohmans, about 25 years ago! It’s getting a little tighter, but I still love it!
What was the FIRST thing you noticed about the AGING PROCESS?
Hair loss, skin issues, bone loss?
The first thing I noticed with aging, for me, was probably dark spots, appearing.
I have olive skin, which tends to be a little less prone to wrinkling, but since I have spent a lot of time outdoors,I do get some dark spots.
I have had some burned off my face, so now I try to always use sunscreen, and I love Australian Gold Botanical BB cream. It is tinted, so I can use it, most of the time, in place of foundation!! The other thing I have noticed with aging, is that my hair has gotten thicker and frizzier, as I’ve aged.
I believe it is all those crazy gray hairs!!!
Who was your MUSE growing UP?
Growing up, my muse was Cheryl Tiegs.
She represented, to me, the all-American girl, that everyone wanted to be and look like!! I can remember getting so excited when the September issue of Seventeen Magazine would come out!! It would hit the newstands about mid-August, and I would desperately be trying to find it in Canada, usually not finding it until we got on the ferry to head home!! My sister and I would pour over every picture and figure out our “look” for the upcoming school year!! Cheryl Tiegs was a staple of Seventeen Magazine. Her picture graced my bulletin board for years!
How about in TODAYS WORLD?
As an adult, I have admired Diane Keaton, for years.
She has that classic look down to a tee and everything she wears looks great!
What is your FAVORITE make-up product?
How about skincare products?
How often do you wash your hair?
ANY SHAMPOO’s YOU CAN RECOMMEND?
I might go to the grocery store looking like a wreck, but I will always have on lipstick and blush!!
I have worn Clinique “A different Grape” for years, although I love to buy every plum/rose colored lip gloss out there!! Before, masks, I would always line my lips with Mac “Half-Red” and then use Buxom gloss in Brandi. For the last few years, I have been using Nars “Hot Pursuit” for blush. My skin tends to be sallow, so I always wear blush. My favorite eye make up product is Urban Decay glide-on eye pencil in “Rockstar”. I have blue-green eyes, so the eggplant color makes them appear bluer, (or so they say!!)
When I was in high school, one of my good friends’ mom was just stunning. I was over there one day, when she happened to be putting on Clinique “Dramatically Different” moisturizer. She turned to me and said, “never forget to use moisturizer every day”.Those words stuck with me, and as soon as I could, I went to Bullocks Department Store, and bought the Clinique lotion. I have been wearing it ever since!! Lately, as my skin has been getting dryer, I have started wearing Tatcha “Dewey skin Cream” It is so rich and I like to think it is melting my wrinkles away!! My daughter has gotten me hooked on the Tatcha rice wash, as well as the eye cream. Sephora just recently, had a travel set, on sale. With anticipation of actually traveling again, I bought it to make sure I have it in my suitcase.
Growing up, I always used to have to wash my hair every day. Then about 15 years ago I went to every other day. Now, I can actually go about 4 days, unless, I am going out!! I just use Patene Micellar shampoo and Aussie 3 minute miracle conditioner. I love Perfect hair day 5-1 styling treatment and highly recommend Aveeda “Speed of Light” blow dry accelerator spray. San Diego is much more humid than Danville was, so on more humid days, I use Perfect Hair Day Restore smooth blow dry concentrate, as well as Perfect day humidity shield hair spray. This is also my defense when flying in very humid areas!! Florida weather can be ruthless on hair! I have my hair professionally highlighted and colored every few months, but to touch it up I depend on the Loreal Magic root coverup!! I can extend my color by at least 2 more weeks!!
On a scale of ONE TO TEN how important are your GIRLFRIENDS in your LIFE?
Can you share a GOOD GIRLFRIEND STORY with us?
On a scale of 1-10…… girlfriends to me are a TEN!!! I have a group of friends, from highschool, that we still get together every year, for a few days of love and laughs and sharing each other’s sadness and joys. One of the groups has been my friend since I was seven!! Some of my very best friendships were made when our children were very young. Those days, really bond you to other women, who are going through the same struggles of motherhood, as you. From flying, I have friends throughout the country, and it is always special to have a layover, in their hometown and get to visit! I was in Scotland, having dinner in a castle in Ballater. From the other side of the booth, I heard someone say “Is that Martha Denbow?”(my maiden name) Almost 45 years later, one of my friends from high school, was staying at the same hotel, and recognized me!!
Which color is your ABSOLUTE FAVORITE?
Do you wear it in your clothing and do you use it in your Home DECOR?
I would have to say turquoise blue is one of my favorite colors to wear, especially in the summer! I think it brings out my eyes, and even more so when I’m tan!! I do have a lot of blue in my home, more of the darker blues, but I do have a guest room, that is accented with lots of turquoise and ocean pictures!! So I guess, I do dress like my home!
They say our DOGS look like their OWNERS…………
Do you think you “DRESS” like your home decor?EXPLAIN THAT!!!
I think I do dress similar to my home!! I love jeans and a white shirt, with a bright scarf and my home is blue and white with vibrant colored rugs! Lots of white slipcovers and pillows that change with the season. The classics that I can change with accessories!!
Pick Two COLORS below to wear:TELL US WHY YOU WOULD PICK THOSE COLORS?
A) Brown & Pink
B) Red & Orange
C) Blue & White
D) Green & Pink
I really do love most of those colors, but I would have to say Blue and white permeates my wardrobe. I love a bright pink, (espcially on a tropical vacation) and I have a red jacket, that is part of my uniform, which I really love!! Since my skin is olive, I tend to lean towards the warmer red tones!
This was a portrait done after my mom graduated from college in about 1933. It was probably done a year or two afterwards. The dogwood pin she’s wearing at her neck is a China pin given to her by her father for graduating from college.
I know you have a VERY ACTIVE MOTHER at the age of 107!!!
Do you think you have inherited her genes?
Can you share her “SECRETS”?
Did she keep moving?Are you happy you left her in her own home?Can you share some of those benefits with us PLEASE?
My mother is amazing!! At 107 , she lives like most women do at age 80. She has always been very energetic!! I believe her secret is, she has always been a fast walker!! She is only 5’2″ (now probably 4’10”) but she could walk circles around almost any of her friends. Her nickname in college was “Strider”, because she walked so quickly between classes. I read an article once, that said your longevity could be determined by how fast you walk….This is certainly true in my mom’s case! She is also very determined and stubborn. She doesn’t let anything stop her! We were on a cruise ship a few years ago, and we kept telling her, her walker wouldn’t fit through the door, as I was explaining WHY it wouldn’t fit, she pushed the obviously, too-wide walker, right through the doorway!! A Group of people walking down the hall, who witnessed the whole thing, said”Well, she showed you!!”
She was also a very healthy eater, and made sure we were too. When a neighbor tried to give us candy, my mom asked if she would give us radishes instead! To this day, radishes are one of my favorite vegetables! I do think I am alot like my mom, minus the extremely healthy eating!! I look alot like her, and have her energy. It’s amazing to listen to her stories and realize that this is the second pandemic, she has lived through. During the Spanish flu, her mom would tie a hunk of camphor on a string, for her to wear around her neck, to smell, when she had to sit next to others in the streetcar, to get to school! She loves to travel, and my sister and mom and I take a trip every year, someplace special. Her favorite place is our beach house on Vancouver Island. She hadn’t missed a summer there in over 65 years, until this pandemic hit. We are certainly hoping Canada opens the border up this summer. Mom says”I hope I don’t have to wait until I’m 109, to go back!!
I asked her some of the Ageless beauty questions, and here are her answers:
Her look is classic, and she always wore a scarf!! The brighter, the better! Although she sewed all our dresses for school, Mom was a teacher and at the start of every school year, we would go shopping for her new clothes at Buffums, in Santa Ana Fashion Square. She usually bought skirts and blouses, so she could always mix and match. I would walk through the clothes, and dream of the day, I could go to a department store and pick out my own wardrobe!!
Her favorite piece of jewelry is a beautiful engraved silver cuff, from her best friend, Minnie. It was given to her on her college graduation. On the inside it says, “To Louise from Minnie for Graduation May 11, 1933. She wears it every day.
Her biggest problem, from aging, is back pain. If her back didn’t hurt, she is sure she wouldn’t need her walker, that she has only really used starting about 103.
Her muse growing up, was a girl in school named Mary Lamberton. My mom admired her, because she was the smartest girl in her class. After school, she would go to Mary’s house and her mother would give them the best chocolate eclairs! My mom commented, “Mary was so smart, but it was such a waste, she didn’t take the test for university, and ended up working at the dime store.”
Her favorite beauty product has always been the original Neutrogena Clear Bar Soap.She didn’t use face lotion very much, because she had very oily skin. When she started to use lotion she always used Oil of Olay. She always says that having oily skin as a young girl, saved her from wrinkles now!
Mom had a special girlfriend, named Minnie that she grew up with One of her favorite memories is, they drove in Minnie’s new car, from Vancouver to Seattle, and stayed in a hotel for 3 days. While they were there, they picked out Minnie’s trousseau. They also bought all her sheets and towels, as they were much less expensive in the states, than in Canada. They went to Pennys, as it was one of the nicest stores in Seattle! Minnie had a job as an operator with the phone company, and made lots of money. My mom had gone to university, and could only get one teaching job a week, for $5.00 a month. Going on this trip to Seattle, seemed like a dream!
Her favorite colors are green and pink!
She believes they are the color of life-in a garden!
She dresses flashier than her house!!
She loves bright colors and jewlery!!
Her house is more in neutrals, but with flashes of bright colors and LEOPARD PRINT in pillows!
Her secrets of growing old:
-keep moving
-eat healthy- start your day with oatmeal with flaxseed and hot water with lemon
-eat an apple, with cheese, when you need a snack!!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU TWO FOR JOINING AGELESS STYLE!
TO FOLLOW MARTHA on INSTAGRAM TAP AWAY HERE!
IF ANY OF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR MARTHA OR LOUISE PLEASE WRITE IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.
JUST KEEP SCROLLING DOWN AFTER THE SUBSCRIPTION BOX!
NOW SKIP OVER TO CINDYS BLOG ON AGELESS STYLE AND SEE WHO SHE IS FEATURING!
I HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED THIS I CERTAINLY LOVED PUTTING IT TOGETHER………..just a side note!Martha shopped at my vintage/antique shop years ago when she lived in Northern California!We have yet to meet in person AGAIN but I know it will be a THRILL!Martha also worked for THAT OTHER MARTHA ONCE UPON A TIME!We may need to do a POST ABOUT THAT!
BE WELL…………BE WILD……….BE LIKE LOUISE
XXX
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