Will I be on Ellen's TV show?

What do you think? Will I be on Ellen's TV show someday?

She likes bad school photos. Is this one bad enough?



I can assure you that a lot of time and effort went into primping for this third grade picture.

Yes, I sent it to Ellen for consideration.

Just for fun...

Just for fun I did an eBay search for my birth date. I was able to obtain a December 1945 issue of the Ladies Home Journal.

This is the front cover:


And this is the back cover:


My scanner bed wasn't large enough to scan a complete page. This magazine is 10 3/4 inches by 14 1/2 inches.


I enjoyed seeing the things that were being advertised the month I was born. Like these Singer Sewing Machines.


There were quite a few cigarette ads like this one:


This looks so much like the kitchen in the house I grew up in:


I think this little guy should fear the taste of Cod Liver Oil:


I thought this advice was pretty funny:


This one has timely advice for even today. Can you guess what they're advertising?








Yes, let's protect all those babies out there by wrapping our heads in toilet paper before going going out. We wouldn't want any of them to get sick!

Second Time Around Tuesday - Vintage Recipes

It's time for Second Time Around Tuesday sponsored by Diane at A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words. Be sure and visit her blog for the list of this week's participants.

I enjoy collecting vintage recipes in boxes or books. I find plenty of recipe boxes and books on my travels, but most are empty. I like the ones that still have the original owner's recipe collection. I never spend more than $5 or $6. Any more than that and I pass.

The long wooden box in the front is my one exception. I don't recall what I paid for it, but there were no recipes inside. I just liked the box and it now stores my recipes.




And I like these books...especially the ones with the pockets stuffed with recipes. The one in the back on the right hand side was my mother's. The rest I purchased at either a resale shop, estate sale, or antique mall.




Pretend you don't see Zoom on the kitchen table. She just wanted to see what I was doing.

SECOND TIME AROUND TUESDAY-Old Confirmation Certificate

It's time again for Second Time Around Tuesday hosted by Diane at A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Worlds.

This week I'm showing my great aunt's confirmation certificate from 1907. I have it framed under glass and tried to photograph it without too much glare. This certificate is from Zion Lutheran Church in Westwood, New Jersey which was founded by German immigrants. My great grandfather Wilhelm Volz was one of the founding members. That is why this certificate is in German.

When my great aunt died her family came from out of town and I guess after they kept what they wanted they had a sale and sold the rest. Some years later my mother was out for a walk and stopped to talk to a lady a few blocks away. During the conversation my mother mentioned that she was related to the Volz family. The lady said, "Wait, I have something you can have." She went inside and brought out my mother's, aunt's confirmation certificate. It was in an old frame (not the one I currently have it in) and the price was still on it...$1.00. The lady said she had no idea why she bought it and it had just been sitting around.

At that time I was dabbling in genealogy, so my mother sent it to me. I reframed it and it now hangs on a wall in my den. My great aunt's name was Lina Katherina Volz, but we all called her Taunty. I think Taunty might be aunt in German.

When I walk through garage sales, resale shops, antique malls, etc., I'm always surprised and saddened by the things I see. Things like old photographs, certificates, etc., that no one apparently wanted. I'm grateful to that lady that Taunty's confirmation certificate is getting a "second chance around" on the wall of my den.




Click on picture to enlarge.

Bronze Shoe Collection For Second Time Around Tuesday

For this week's Second Time Around Tuesday hosted by Diane at A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words I'm sharing my bronzed baby shoe collection. I don't know how family members can just donate or sell their relative's bronzed baby shoes. When I see them I feel this need to rescue them if they're cheap enough.

This first shoe wasn't rescued at an Estate sale, garage sale, flea market, or antique mall. No, this first shoe was my mother's. My sister has the mate.

All the rest of the shoes were purchased, but I never spend more than $15. This little girl's dress shoe is so cute. It's a bookend and I have the mate.

This shoe has bells. I have it's mate too.

These shoes are mounted on a base and originally must have had a picture frame for the baby's picture.

This was just a lone shoe.

And this is from another pair of bookends. This is the first set of bronzed shoes that I bought and I got the set for $3 in Canton, Texas.

My one regret is that I passed up an adorable set of tiny bronzed cowboy boots. They were $30, but I've never seen another set in my travels.

Meanwhile, I continue to rescue all reasonably priced bronzed baby shoes. It makes me sad to think that someone didn't want them.

I'm participating again in Second Time Around Tuesday hosted by Diane at A Picture Is Worth a 1000 Words. For a list of participants be sure and visit her blog.

This week I have something I spotted at either an antique mall or resale shop...I can't remember which. I recall seeing these message boxes when I was a child in the 1950's. They were hung on the front door or front porch and were for visitors to leave a message if they came while the home owner was gone. The home owner would use the clock to indicate when they expected to return.

Inside was a pad and pencil for the visitor to leave a message.

I keep mine as a sentimental decoration hanging in the entryway. It wouldn't last very long outside with our heat and humidity.

Another SECOND TIME AROUND TUESDAY

Today I'm participating in Second Time Around Tuesday hosted by Diane at A Picture Is Worth a 1000 Words. A list of this week's participants is on her blog.

I'm sharing my coffee table which I bought up near Round Top, Texas during the antique fair that's held twice a year. I found this table at one of the booths along the side of the road. It's made from an old door. What I like about this table is that it's already beat up and I don't have to worry about scratches or dings.
Here's the table cleared off so you can see what I mean.

No one has to worry about putting their feet up on the table and being comfortable, putting a drink down, etc. And it 's a great size too.

Vintage Cards and Chatty Cathy for PINK SATURDAY

Today for PINK SATURDAY I'm going to share some vintage birthday cards that I received as a child. My mother saved them intending to add them to my childhood scrapbook. On the back of each card she put the year and my initials. They're from 1951 or 1952 and they all have some PINK on them. For a list of PINK SATURDAY participants, and to find out what PINK SATURDAY is all about, just click on the PINK SATURDAY logo on my sidebar.

I love looking at these old vintage cards. They're so different from what is made today. Feel free to help yourself to any of these cards. I enjoy sharing.







This one is a pop-up card and is really cute when opened, but impossible to scan that way.

I must have been mad at my sister because my mother added the year and initials and I added a note about my sister. I had never noticed that before and it was only as I turned the card over to scan it that I saw what I had written.

I wasn't all bad. I found this note too.

Some of you might remember Chatty Cathy from your childhood. Do you remember this commercial?



Although I have some Chatty Cathys in my doll collection I never played with her as a child. She came out in 1959 and by then I was interested in boys...not dolls. This week I was in an antique store and spotted an old tin stove for my Chattys. It had been $40, but was marked down to $20. I know I've posted a picture of this doll in her pink dress before, but I wanted to show off my new/old stove and she is wearing pink.

SECOND TIME AROUND TUESDAY

This is the first time I've joined in with "Second Time Around Tuesday" at Diane's blog, "A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Words." I hope I'm doing it correctly.

I found these little trading stamp boxes at two different antique shops. They look like they were probably made by the same company. I'm wondering how many different styles were made? These are the only two I've ever seen in my travels, but it's the beginning of my trading stamp box collection. The stamps and books in the boxes belonged to my mother. She had them stuffed in a desk drawer for years. I guess she was waiting for trading stamps to make a come back.

I remember as a child looking through the S & H Green Stamp catalog. There was a wide assortment of things to chose from. Mom would count up her books and we'd head over to the Green Stamp Store to do a little "shopping."

I think they're kind of cute and I have them hanging on a wall in my kitchen. I took this picture in the evening, so the lighting wasn't the greatest. (I'll try and do better next time.) :)

I'm wondering if anyone else collects these boxes?

Thanks Diane for letting me participate.

BREAKFAST WITH THE GINNY DOLLS

I thought it was time to put up some more picture of my dolls. All dolls in these pictures were made by the Vogue Doll Company. All except one are vintage dolls from the 1950's. The vintage Jill Doll is supposed to be Ginny's teenage sister, but in my doll world she's the mom. She's wearing an outfit that an eBay seamstress made. We're pretending one of the Ginnys had a sleep over and Jill is cooking breakfast the next morning. The three Ginnys at the table are vintage dolls and they are wearing vintage pajamas in three different colors...blue check, red check, and pink check. The doll sitting on the floor is a vintage reproduction made by today's Vogue Doll Company and she's wearing a pair of pajamas that were made for the reproduction dolls.


I bought the oatmeal at a doll show and some of the food is Rement and some is Barbie. I made the spilled milk and the glasses of milk.


This picture shows the oatmeal cooking on the stove and the Quaker Oats container. I bought the oatmeal in the bowls, the pot with the oatmeal cooking, and the Quaker Oats container as a set.

WHAT TO DO, WHAT TO DO...

I've been fooling around with my blog and doing a little tweaking. Did you notice? This is an experiment and could very well be temporary. I can never make up my mind.

I need help. When I was getting my Dad's house ready for the estate sale a couple of years ago I found my mother's wedding gown hidden away in the attic. My sister and I never knew that it was there and were quite surprised to come across it. It appears to be in good condition for something that's now 66 years old. It's dirty along the bottom and discolored from age, but all things considered it isn't too bad. I can't find any holes or rips.

And here's the headpiece. The veil does have lots of holes and I didn't bother to photograph it.

I should have scanned the wedding picture. I'll try and remember to do that tomorrow and add it to my blog.

If anyone has a suggestion as to what I should do with the gown please let me know. I didn't want to throw it away or leave it in the estate sale. I'm a sentimental old fool...remember? I know I could have it preserved in a box, but that would probably be expensive and I'm not sure the old fibers would survive a cleaning. So, I'm open to suggestions. Is there a way I could discretely display it? I wouldn't want it hanging in the living room. I'm hoping some creative person will come forward with a suggestion.

MEMORY LANE...

Last Friday I met a friend for lunch down in Rice Village in Houston. Rice Village is located near Rice University and is one of Houston's older shopping areas with many stores and restaurants. In a way it reminds me of going downtown to shop or eat when I was a child growing up in the 50's and 60's in New Jersey.

Coletta was visiting from California and we decided to meet for lunch at La Madeline's. We had a leisurely lunch and then browsed through a few stores. One of the stores we visited was the 5 and 10 cent store. Of course, nothing is 5 or 10 cents anymore, but that's OK. It's still a nice trip down memory lane.

Variety Fair 5 & 10 has been there since 1948. They still carry many of the same things that I remember from childhood. A lot of the little toys and trinkets I hadn't seen for many years.

I don't remember rubber chickens (that must be a newer item) and had to talk Coletta out of buying one.

But she was a good sport and graciously agreed to pose for pictures in the store.

I think the cash register has been there since 1948 too.



And then she kindly took a picture of me, so I could prove I was there

Now if there had only been a soda fountain next door where I could have bought a chocolate Coke the day would have been perfect. You haven't really lived until you've had a chocolate Coke. Forget cherry Cokes, vanilla Cokes, or lemon Cokes. Chocolate is the way to go.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! IT'S THE EPIPHANY!

Yes, January 6th is the Epiphany and that's why my Christmas decorations are still up.

Well, that's the excuse I use anyway because I don't want to take them down. I guess it's a Southern tradition, but a lot of people around here put their trees out at the curb on December 26th. Maybe they're concerned about the fire hazard, but I have an artificial tree and I'm in no hurry to get it down. It took a while to get everything up...so what's the hurry?

I have to admit that we're the only people on our street tonight with outside Christmas lights on. I guess some people might think we forgot. No, it's intentional. I'm having fun!

Our Christmas tree might not look pretty to you. It's full of faded construction paper ornaments that the kids made many years ago. Over the years I've had to make emergency repairs with scotch tape. And, I hang all the old pictures of my kids with Santa on the tree too. Can you blame me for wanting to enjoy it just a little while longer?



Our kids are 39, 38, and almost 33. This stuff's been around for a while!

And take a look at this picture. The Santa in the middle was made by ME in pre-school and I just turned 63! I joke with the kids about who made the prettiest ornaments. My mother used to decorate her tree with the things we made and gave me my things some years back.

And when I was packing up my Dad for the move to assisted living here I saved some of the vintage Christmas ornaments and put them in my mother's punch bowls. The only ornament that isn't vintage in this bowl is the little Santa Claus in the middle that says 1918. That was the year my father was born and when I saw it this year I had to have it. It looks vintage anyway.

And here's the other bowl. It's our centerpiece on the dining room table. Good thing we don't drink punch.

And I'll take this opportunity to show you my Norman Rockwell Christmas Village. This is supposed to be Main Street in Stockbridge, MA. I love Norman Rockwell and the one place I want to go before I die is the Normal Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA. ( Hey...the trip will be a lot cheaper than Hawaii or some other exotic location.) Please ignore anything that might be knocked over. For some reason the cats love to stroll down Main Street.

And here's the church.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!