My Waitress Dreams is a journal that tells the story of a waitress and her experiences and frustrations with different aspects of her work. Roberta Lavadour uses a stereotypical guest check pad commonly found at diners, even though it appears from the description of the special of the day, which includes lemon mousse, asparagus, and baby red potatoes in dill sauce, that her job was at a more upscale restaurant. The familiar and nostalgic green and white order tablet and the text that it contains communicates to the viewer that, whether at a five-star restaurant or at a no-star greasy spoon, the life of a waitress can be arduous and stressful.

The feeling of nostalgia is also at the center of Fragrant Phrases by Patty Bruce. The book memorializes Bruce’s experiences of learning to knit, embroider and sew from her grandmother.  Her memories of learning these traditional crafts are stirred together with recollections of the sweet aromas of her grandmother’s baking and her common sense sayings that ultimately were carried from one generation to the other.

The experience of this book begins with a box adorned with vintage paper and appliqués. Inside the viewer finds knitting needles, buttons and other sewing accoutrements.  A book inside the box is filled with aphorisms and quotes about