Show and Tell Friday

It's Show & Tell Friday over at Kelli's There's No Place Like Home. Drop by for a visit and see who else is there for Show & Tell.

So glad you stopped by to share in my Show and Tell. Today I wanted to share with you one of my keepsakes from the years I was in Girl Scouts. This is my sash that with the pins and badges I earned for different activities. The two gold stars on green were for the two years I was a Brownie scout, and the four gold stars on yellow are from the four years I was a Junior/Senior scout. Did anyone notice I only earned eight badges in six years of scouting!?! I look at this now and just laugh out loud! One badge is for sewing (which I am not good at) and one was for cooking (again, which I am not very good at). If only they had badges for loving to talk and laugh with my friends, daydreaming, and eating Girl Scout cookies I would have had that sash covered!

Here is a school pictures during that time in which I proudly displayed by Girl Scout pride. Take a look at those chains on my glasses! Too funny!

Well, thanks for stopping by my show and tell today, I have had fun!

Mother Of The Bride

Well the "countdown" the aisle is on. My daughter is getting married in June so I have the official title of "Mother of the Bride" aka M.O.B., which just happens to be the title of a book my daughter bought me at a used book store. I guess she thought I needed a little direction in this area.

This is what I have learned so far:

• Gown Shopping: You tear up after seeing your baby girl in the first one or two beautiful gowns. But after hundreds of miles on the car going from town to town, bridal shop to bridal shop, gown #75 (the one that looks like it just came off a mermaid, and has feathers coming out the backside) you just smile and say "Hey that one looks good, let's buy that one!" She just rolls her eyes, shakes her head no and we move on to the next boutique.

• If it has the word BRIDAL in front of it, the cost is 100% more than it would otherwise. A pair of white shoes at a department store $50; a pair of white "bridal" shoes $100+.

• The bridal stores offer "Packages" just like funeral homes.

• The "perfect dress" is only carried at a store two hours from home . . . and yes I did cry when she tried that one on. She is beautiful in it.

• Thank God for family! My sister is a photographer, my sister-in-law the wedding director, my husband just happens to work at a funeral home . . . he will be driving the limo.
  

• The last and most important thing I have learned is that it only seems like yesterday she was born, and 23 years have gone by in the blink of an eye. And I have cherished the time spent with her planning the perfect wedding. My baby isn't a baby anymore.

Disapointment And A Lesson Learned

A couple of weeks ago I read a post by Liz over at Mables House about a vintage Homer Laughlin "Orange Tree" bowl that her husband had given her. I had never seen one before, but thought it was beautiful. I immediately began my search and came across a reasonably priced one on e-bay. There were several bids on it already but I kept my eye on it for several days. The auction was ending while I was going to be away on my scrapbook retreat without access to the internet. My daughter was sweet enough to make sure she was on e-bay and call me as the final minutes of the auction ticked away and made the final winning bid! I was so excited! I knew exactly where it would be displayed when it arrived. Everyday I check the front porch to see if it had been delivered and on Friday my daughter called and said that the postman had just dropped it off! Wooo-hooo! I could hardly wait to get home and open the box . . . .


. . . . well this is what I found when I opened the box! I was so upset and disappointed!



I thought the bowl could have been wrapped a little better for protection, but that was neither here nor there. After e-mailing the seller about my concern he agreed to refund half of the payment; which was generous on his part.

I did not choose to pay the extra $1.65 for USPS shipping insurance. The moral of this story: Pay the little bit extra for shipping insurance! It won't fix the bowl but at least I wouldn't have been out the entire amount.

Show and Tell Friday

It's Show & Tell Friday over at Kelli's There's No Place Like Home. Drop by for a visit and see who else is there for Show & Tell.

Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a good week, I am still trying to recover from my scrapbook retreat weekend. We are having a little wintry weather here today, but its warm inside and I have some warm cocoa ready so come on in and let me what I have for Show & Tell!

Today I wanted to share with you something I got a couple of weeks ago. A beautiful black vintage toleware tray! It probably dates somewhere between 1940 - 50's. I love the intricate gold work around the edges but especially the pink roses. So pretty. The red and black toleware trays are my favorite, but I am holding out on getting a red one until I can find a place to display this one! Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting. I promise to be better and post more next week!


Okay ladies, put on some hot cocoa because I am coming over to visit each of your Show & Tells today!

Crop Around The Clock!

Well I am back from my weekend of scrapbooking with my friends! We had a wonderful time, laughing, talking, and working in our scrapbooks until well after midnight.

I began scrapbooking about eight years ago. I have always taken pictures especially after my children were born. Many of these were framed or displayed somewhere but the rest of the photos and negatives were just stuck in boxes, drawers, envelopes, or anywhere else that might be handy get them out of the way.

One of my best friends introduced me to scrapbooking and helped me get all of my photos organized in one place; which when broken down into the logical sequence of sorting by decade, then by year, then by month, I was surprised at how easy it was to get hundreds of photos covering over 30 years under control! After this monumental goal was met, it made the task of scrapbooking the pictures and the stories they told enjoyable.

I have made scrapbooks for each of my children documenting their lives, made scrapbooks of special trips and events in our lives. I also have scrapbooks that are a continual work in progress like our wedding anniversary album, where a few new pages are added each year documenting our celebration of our life together.

Each year a new scrapbook is started that documents the entire year; not only the special events such as birthdays and holidays documented but also everyday events. These probably are the most important ones; how we live our lives. The pages in my scrapbooks document not only the good times but also the not so good, sickness, disappointment, and the loss of loved ones. Have you ever looked at old family photographs and wondered who the people were, how they were related, and what was going on in their lives? I want our story to be told long after we are no longer here. To me this is important. This is the title page for this year's scrapbook.

You know what the best part is about going off for a weekend cropping day and night with girlfriends? We can be ourselves and just enjoy being silly! I can't wait for the next one!

A Special Day

What a wonderful day, it began with the sun rising and reflecting on the beautiful unexpected snowfall from the night before. It was one of those wet snows that clings to the branches and makes everything look clean and fresh. I was able to snap a few pictures before going to work.

When I walked into the kitchen this morning my sweet husband had me the prettiest valentine card I have ever gotten, a balloon, and a cute little valentine schnauzer puppy that barks. I only wish it was real, as I miss our little dog that died a couple of years ago so bad. But this one is cute, and doesn't make a mess! It has been a hectic week, as you have probably figured out since I haven't posted for a few days. So this evening my sweetie let me relax while he cooked dinner. Did I mention how lucky I am to have him as my husband? He is one of a kind and makes me so happy.

I will miss you all tomorrow at Show & Tell Friday over at Kelli's There's No Place Like Home. I'll be off with my girlfriends for a weekend of scrapbooking! I will fill you in on that next week.

Hope everyone had a nice Valentines Day, and a great weekend.

My Pie Safe

I have wanted a pie safe for several years. My husband and I have looked at antique shops and found several but not in the price range or quality that we wanted. Last Christmas I found this new piece. It is a wonderful piece of furniture and was handmade by a gentleman in Pennsylvania. I love the bead board in the back, it really adds something unique and special.

I love it and play with it like a doll house, adding new things, rearranging, and planning new displays. My husbands tells me I am going to wear the hinges off it it opening it up so much! It may sound silly, but having this place that is just mine to plan and play with makes me happy.

Right now I have many of our family keepsakes displayed; the dough bowl and rolling pin that belonged to my husbands grandmother, her picture in an old frame on the bottom shelf, stoneware bowls, my Old Salem bisque houses, and other collected pieces. I recently bought several vintage table clothes that will be placed in there.

I found this cute white ceramic sign that I have hung on the front right now. You will probably see this piece again in future posts with other displays.

Show & Tell Friday

Its Show & Tell Friday over at Kelli's There's No Place Like Home. Drop by for a visit and see who else is there for Show & Tell.

Another very busy week, but I wouldn't miss Show & Tell!

Since it is so close to Valentines Day I wanted to step away from my usual heritage posting, and show you what I have displayed on my pie safe cabinet. I had these berry stems on my Christmas tree and tied them together with ribbon after taking down the tree. The little house is so cute with a felt roof and sort of red siding; I love the wire "smoke" coming from the chimney. Inside the jar I placed a small bouquet of red silk roses. The portrait is of my husband's daughter who passed away in 1977. I love all the red together!

I hope you all enjoyed my show & tell! Have a wonderful weekend.

Clothesline Memories

Clotheslines. Clothespins. Laundry baskets. Fresh sheets. Stiff towels. Blue jeans that could stand up by themselves after drying all day on the line. The wonderful fresh smell of clean clothesline dried sheets . . . fond memories. . .

I remember when we got our first clothes dryer, which I'm sure was a huge relief to my mom who spent years hanging freshly washed clothes (and thousands of freshly washed cloth diapers; there were four of us kids). But even with the dryer she still hung clothes on the line if the weather permitted. I loved going to bed and having sheets fresh off the line to lie down on; there is no fabric softener or dryer sheet that smell as fresh and clean.

My younger sister and I, along with the neighbor girls, would swing our Saturdays away on the swing set in the backyard, singing to the top of our lungs "Found A Peanut" song; pumping our legs to swing higher and higher to see over the clothesline filled with the weekend laundry.

When my children were small I had a clothesline put up in my backyard to hang the laundry, and enjoyed seeing their tiny clothes hanging between the sheets swaying in the breeze. When my son was about two years old I had just taken a laundry basket of freshly washed sheets out to the line to dry, he was playing nearby with his new shovel. I had just hung up the first sheet and came around to get the next one, and there he was shoveling red clay dirt right on top! If you are familiar with North Carolina clay, you know this is not something you can just brush off! Oh well, I have to smile at the memory now.

The Clothesline Said So Much

A clothesline was a news forecast
To neighbors passing by.
There were no secrets you could keep
When clothes were hung to dry.

It also was a friendly link
For neighbors always knew
If company had stopped on by
To spend a night or two.

For then you'd see the fancy sheets
And towels on the line;
You'd see the company table clothes
With intricate design.

The line announced a baby's birth
To folks who lived inside
As brand new infant clothes were hung
So carefully with pride.

The ages of the children could
So readily be known
By watching how the sizes changed
You'd know how much they'd grown.

It also told when illness struck,
As extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,
Haphazardly were strung.

It said, "Gone on vacation now"
When lines hung limp and bare.
It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged
With not an inch to spare.

New folks in town were scorned upon
If wash was dingy gray,
As neighbors raised their brows,
And looked disgustedly away.

But clotheslines now are of the past
For dryers make work less.
Now what goes on inside a home
Is anybody's guess.

I really miss that way of life.
It was a friendly sign
When neighbors knew each other best
By what hung on the line!

Author: Marilyn K. Walker (http://susie1114.com/Clothesline.html)

Valentine Hearts

I remember when I was in elementary school during the first week of February everyone in the class was given a white paper bag to decorate for Valentines Day. Out came the scissors, red and pink construction paper, doilies, markers and crayons. We all taped our decorated bags to the front of our desks, and then waited until February 14th eager to see who would drop their valentines into the bags. Some even had candy attached to them, of course those were my favorite! My very favorite were the candy conversation hearts. I would read each one, pop it into my mouth, and then on to the next piece. I still have a hard time passing up these sugary treats! I bought this apothecary jar at an after Christmas sale with the intention of using it next year to hold my Christmas cards, but the ruby color of the lid and base are perfect for Valentines Day. Filled with boxes of conversation hearts and a vintage valentine card make a nice decoration and easy access to my favorite valentine treat!

Show & Tell Friday

Its Show & Tell Friday over at Kelli's There's No Place Like Home. Drop by for a visit and see who else is there for Show & Tell.

Oh my, what a busy, busy week! I haven't even had time to stop by and visit many of my bloggy friends. I will try to catch up this weekend. This show & tell is like some of my others, part of a family memory/memorabilia and part history lesson. I hope you enjoy it!

This is the original portrait of my grandmother Bertha Violet on her wedding day May 9, 1915. When it came into my possession it was cracked and broken as you can see. I had it framed to try and perserve it as best as it can be. She was my daddy's mother; I posted a picture on a previous Show & Tell of her holding him.

As you can see she is wearing a collar with a cameo pinned to hold it in place. A bouquet of purple and lavender violets were pinned to her dress as well. When I was given the picture my aunt also gave me the cameo she wore and a couple of lace collars that belonged to my grandmother. I had these framed and have them hanging in my bedroom.

She died when my daddy was 7 years old, so I never had the opportunity to know her personally, but I am so glad that these small items are mine to treasure and preserve for others. It will be 93 years this May 9th, since Bertha Violet wore this cameo on her wedding day.

As a point of reference 93 years ago, Woodrow Wilson was President of the United States, World War I was underway, in Washington, D.C. the first stone of the Lincoln Memorial is put into place, postage stamps cost 2 cents, and women in the United States were not allowed to vote until 5 years later, when on August 26, 1920 the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was signed into law.

I wonder if my grandmother ever voted?