The "Stork"

This is my lovely aunt who came to visit Saturday.

She brought me a baby bottle for my collection!
I've added it to my shelf.

It's the center one on the top shelf.
I've never seen one like it before.

I've been trying all day to get a great shot of it, even filling it up with different colored water.

This is the best I could get.

It says "Stork" on it.

I love it.

Little Pitcher

Tomorrow I hope to take some time to find just the right place for this little pitcher.

It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it!

Nice Old Pitcher

THGGM found this old pitcher today.

I think I'm going to use it to hold iced tea spoons.

It looks very old.

B a b y

I found this cute little baby pillowcase today!

I love the embrodery on it.

Chicken Scratch

I rescued this apron from the trash!

I only kept a few of them, the rest I brought to my unfriendly neighborhood thrift store so someone else could reap the benefits.

Aprons are so cool. I really really should wear them, but I'd rather just look at them.

My kids wore aprons for bibs. It worked so much better than those tiny little pieces of cloth that passed for bibs in those days.

The 'Stuff' of Everyday Life

I found this apron at an antique mall a few years back. It reminded me of my grandma.

My friend Pat gave me the old wooden ironing board. I love how the apron looks drapped haphazardly over it.

The yellow lunch box is one of my favorite finds. I love it because it has been repaired. Notice how one handle is shorter than the other. To think that someone took the time to repair it makes it worth something to me!

My Favorite

This is my favorite magazine EVER. "Home Companion" is one of my favorite magazines, but that isn't what I mean. This PARTICULAR issue, from the fall of 1998 is my favorite.

My Aunt gave a copy to my mom, who gave it to me when she was done with it. I'm still not done with it. Almost eight years later, I'm still gleaning from it.

This is actually the second copy I have. I bought this one at an antique mall in Lansing, MI for 60 cents. I remember it well, as I was so thrilled to have another one.

Try to find this one. You will not be disappointed.

Just in case I were to lose both of my copies, today I took digital pictures of the inside.

I know. I'm pathetic.

Shadows On My Wall

1920, Rock Rapids, Iowa

This is a wedding picture from 1920 of (i think) THGGM's grandfather's sister. It was taken in Rock Rapids, Iowa.

I think this picture is so beautiful.

And they look like pleasant people.

Yogi Bear Would Be SO Disappointed!

THGGM had a vacation day today. I found this old picnic basket at an antique store just a mile or so away from us. It was on sale.

It has a cool basket that fits on the top, which is actually the reason I bought it. I thought it was spectacularly cool.

Picnic baskets are SO useful! This one is number seven in my collection. One was a wedding present, the others I found for really cheap.
The wedding present one holds boxes of cereal on top of the refrigerator, an idea I copied from my cousin, who kept chips and things in hers.

The one I bought today has been put to use for all of my crochet needs.

Notice how the tableware holders hold the crochet hooks so well?
I have it in my sewing corner. The white picnic basket has all of my pin making stuff in it.

i took the neat little basket out and stacked that too, to hold pieces of fabric while I decide what to do with it.

What do I use the other four picnic baskets for, you might wonder (you need more to do!)?

One holds stamp projects, one I decoupaged and it now holds decoupage scraps, one holds the past seven years worth of tax stuff, and one...I can see it from here, but I don't have a clue what is in it. I'll check later.

The really weird thing is, if I were to go on a picnic, I would not dream of using one of these.

Another Collar

Hey! I found this beautiful crocheted collar right here, at my house!

A dear sweet lady from my church made it. I had a sweater that it worked perfectly on, but lately I'd been using it as a doily under a lamp.

Now it can daily remind me of Alta, who lived just six months short of 100.

She invited me to her beautiful home and let me pick out a collar that she had made. Since I crochet, I do know how much work went into this delicate piece.

I'm so glad I remembered it! And, Alta.

Antique Mall Find

I bought one of my styrofoam heads a collar at the antique mall on Saturday.

I can tell by the look on her face that she just LOVES it!

Now the other heads are a wee bit jealous.

I will have to look for more collars...which reminds me...I think I HAVE one here...somewhere...excuse me while I go look for it...

Norman

Hmmm. I've moved the Norman Rockwell Mother's Day plates back into the living room. I'm not at all a fan of the decorative plate, but I am a fan of Norman. So, they stay.

Since I am incumbered with a headache, I have had ample opportunity today to look around my house from the vantage point of my couch.

So, I expect that once I am up and moving around I'll be up and moving things around.

Again.

Still.

It's what I do.

The Painted Pair of Chairs

THGGM spent the weekend spray painting these. The one that he hadn't already spray painted 'mushroom' came out nicer, but really, they both look pretty good in my humble opinion. I will let you know if for some reason I discover a drawback to painted chairs. Really, we had nothing to lose. They were thrift store finds on clearance.

He didn't even use fabric paint. This is just Krylon satin. The only weird thing was that THGGM went to church this morning with finger nails the color of the chairs. We've since located the polish remover.

I Can't Leave Well-Enough Alone

Surprise!

I've already changed it.

Good-bye Norman Rockwell Mother's Day Plates (i'm just relocating them).

I found a plate this afternoon, which sort of matched my thrift store find from a few weeks back.

And, I remembered about the battery candles left from Daughter and Son-in-law's wedding.
I really like how it looks in the candle light.

I'm glad I have a lot of rechargables batteries!

Something New (something old)

THGGM found this cabinet last week when he was on vacation. I hemmed and hawed and dragged my feet about it. But, it was his vacation and he was the one with the bonus! So, we went back last week to pick it up. But, it didn't fit into our car. So, early this morning THGGM rented (for free, he still has some free rentals left) a Chevy TrailBlazer and hauled it on home.

The price was excellent. I'm sure this is because you can tell it was ripped out of a house. It has 'pillar' marks on the top, and the right side has been patched with a piece of paneling - but it doesn't show!

Anyway, they had it labeled as a jelly cupboard at the antique mall, be we know it's not.

So, this afternoon we loaded our "Grandma's Kitchen" Pfaltzgraff into it.

I love it! It works! Hurray to THGGM!


He is fabulous at finding bargains.

It helps that we aren't particular about condition. When everything you own has something not quite right with it, it all works well together!

Of course, there is something not quite right with the two of us, but, we don't actually WORK all that well together. We PLAY together just fine. Yes.., just fine.

What a fun day.

My Final Answer

I have settled on this!

The picture still needs to be hung.

The lamps need to be plugged in and given a floor switch, as I cannot with ease reach the switches on the lamps.

I'm sure I'll continue to tweek it here and there, but for the most part, I like it.

Still Not Exactly Sure if I Like This

Okay now. I'm going to try living with this for a few days and see if I like it. The picture needs to be hung yet, so that will give some more height. I need to hide the cords if I choose to leave the lamps here. And, I think the stuff in front of the little windows will need to go.

I can't decide if I want stubby little candles in the holder or not. And, I can see that it needs to be moved to the other side of the picture to balance with the kitty.

I have black button shoes like the ones in the picture, but very small. I also threw some black gloves up there, but they are to big. So.., I'll see what I think in a few days.

Please tell me, what do YOU think?

Maybe This? I Don't Know.

This is what I've come up with so far. It still needs a lot of work. I broke a very old clock that THGGM really really liked. I didn't mean to. See that white tower just to the left of the fireplace? It's two pieces. I didn't know that. I picked it up and the top pulled off and broke the glass dome to the clock. Urrgghhh...

A New Look

THGGM and I have a new picture. He found the print on sale a while back. Then, we found a frame. Just this week we got a double mat for it. Last night he put it all together and propped it up on the mantle.

Tonight my job is to update the things on the mantle to fit with the picture.

It will be a challenge.

I hope I'm up for it.

If I come up with anything, I will post it.

Spoons.

If just for fun you want to start collecting something, start with spoons!

I bought this spoon rack in a little shop in Long Grove, IL when I was in high school.

I remember paying $8.95 for it. It was very dark, and the spoons didn't show up very well so I spray painted it white. Now the spoons show up VERY well.

The third spoon from the right in the top row is my baby spoon. It has a picture of the Gerber baby on it, presently hanging upside down, which looks somewhat sad. I saw an identical spoon at an antique mall Saturday for $9.95.

I remember sneaking this spoon out of the drawer when I was a very very little girl and using it to eat dirt next to my house. The dirt were the myrtle grew, I remember, was the best. I even remember what it tasted like. And, my mother's horror at finding me doing this.

I've no idea why I am tell this story. I just remembered it when I saw that spoon on Saturday. Not when I see my spoon everyday hanging next to the washing machine on the back porch.

In My Own Little Corner

Everyone should have a little corner in which to sew.

Even if you do not sew.

I do not sew, much.

But, it's a nice little corner full of baskets of yarn and shelves of scrap material and boxes of colored thread and patterns.

This room is too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. But, if by chance the weather is ever perfect, you might find me sitting in this very hard chair sewing some yo-yo pins. Or felt pins.

I MIGHT. You don't KNOW that I won't.

Whittier's Poems Embossed with Roses

I love it when a book has an embossed cover.

This one is so pretty!

If I had ten of them, I could find places to display them.

I move this one all around, because it just looks good everywhere.

She Needs Her Rest

Isn't this a great picture? I found it while antique shopping today.

Yes. Antique shopping. AGAIN!

This has been a lovely vacation.

I have three Dutch pictures now with images of mother's and children. I am crazy about them.

Since most of the Dutch pictures I have seen have three children, I'm just going to assume that the mother in this picture is pregnant. The other children would be just about the right age for her to be me.

Mini Plate Holder

I found this miniature plate holder at the Wooden Shoe Antique Mall in Holland yesterday. I have a large one in my living room, which I painted white. Although, I think I might paint it black again.

I'm trying different things on this one. So far, I like it best with the children's cups and saucers on it.

It will be moved to a more stable spot if I decide to keep it this way.

I love it whenever I can stack stuff up!

Spray Painted Upholstery

I am really impressed with the spray painted fabric! The chair started out rust. THGGM spray painted it 'mushroom'. In the picture it still isn't quite dry yet. I like it!

We're not sure yet if we will keep it this color, but if it were up to me, I would.

THGGM has seen this done on one of the TLC home improvement type shows.

It sure looks better against the pink carpet!

Scenes from the Back Porch

I'm working on the back porch.

Not sure if I like this yet.

I'm trying to find a spot to put all of my Dutch plaques out here.

Spoons and Linens

Five soup spoons and a dresser scarf, at the antique mall on Saturday.

Five iced tea spoons and a mini table runner, at an antique mall today.

I just love vacation!

A Change of Hats

I changed the hats on my heads today.

No more fur. Of course, these in no way resemble Easter bonnets, but, I have no spring hats.

Both of these hats belonged to THGGM's grandmother. Somewhere, we have a picture of her wearing one of them.

I still have one more styrofoam head waiting for me to alter.

I can hardly wait...

You Can Never Have Too Many Dutch Children

I found this little plaque while antiquing on Saturday.

It happily joins my other Dutch plaques.

Someday I will find the perfect place to put them.

They seem to be gettng harder to find.

The other ones I have I found a few years back for $1.00 each. I paid more than that for this one.

I think the picture is precious!

The Music Cabinet

This is the music cabinet that THGGM fought while antique shopping on Saturday.

It took until Tuesday to actually get it here, and then we had to wait for the carpet to dry before we could move it in.

But, it's in now, and I really like it.

Inside the front doors are neat drawers for holding music, which shouldn't be too surprising, as it IS a music cabinet.

I do have quite a bit of music, but since I don't have a piano here, I think I will fill it up with interesting things for Baby Boy to discover.

Like board books.

THGGM is excellent at sniffing out bargains!