Gobble, Gobble

Prior to my trip this past weekend, I made up my mind to begin a new collection---vintage "turkey" plates. As I browsed through the booths in Warrenton and Roundtop, I kept my eyes open for affordable options. But, by late afternoon, I decided that perhaps my vision was just way too high for my pocketbook. While I ran across several beautiful plates, they were way out of my price range.Then, we drove down to Carmine, TX and visited the corner house that is always filled to the brim with antiques. I found a variety of patterns both inside and outside the house and was able to bargain for a price I could afford! Altogether, I found seven plates, featuring four different patterns. It would be great to have one more brown plate and maybe one more pattern. And I'm wishing I'd bought those dessert plates at the house (I bought two later at another booth), but that will just give me something to search for in Canton. I think it will be fun to serve Thanksgiving dinner off the variety of plates someday--and fun to continue to collect matching pieces to complete the "set".

All Good Things Must Come To An End . . .

The weekend is almost over and tomorrow I will have to go back to work. I had such a good time with Valine, her aunt and friends in Roundtop, TX for a weekend of antique shopping. It was a much-needed rest from the past couple of months. Despite a couple of would-be roadblocks such as vehicles that don't start, bad weather and airline difficulties, we all ended up at the farmhouse in Fayetteville, TX Thursday night (well, Lisa arrived on Friday afternoon).
Friday morning, we gathered our things and headed out for the day. We were glad to have rain ponchos since it drizzled off and on several times during the day. The weather kept the crowds at bay, but we were not deterred. My first purchase of the day was a wooden box that caught my eye. I have no idea what I will do with it, but I just loved the dovetailed corners and the vendor gave me a great price.

As is our tradition, we took pictures in the bluebonnets on our way back to the house. The rain had cleared up by this time, but the wind was unbelievable! Our hair is definitely windblown in all the pictures (you can click on the individual pictures to see them larger).



































Once home, we relaxed a bit and then participated in "show and tell" where we shared our purchases of the day (we often don't see what the others in our group purchase until then). We all agreed that Pam B should get a prize for the "tackiest purchase" for her bejeweled Christmas Tree. I'm glad that she can see the possibility of beauty in it and even happier that she was such a good sport as we teased her. (We love you, Pam!)

Saturday, we awoke to temperatures down in the thirties!! We layered t-shirts and zipped up our windbreakers and braved the wind and cold air. Late in the morning, we were thrilled to find garden gloves for sale in one of the booths!! (those are my orange gloves) Here are some photos of some of my favorite booth displays.I guess that I'd better get outside and unload my car now so that I'll be ready to go back to work in the morning!

Oilcloth project

With my Roundtop Antique trip fast approaching (I can't wait!!), I finally got busy last night to make some little gifts for my shopping buddies. The first year I went with them, I made oilcloth cart organizersThey went over well and in fact, last year, if I'd had a bunch of extras, I could have sold them as we walked around the antique show.
Last year, I made these tissue holders complete with a velcro strap in the back to hook to the cart. My challenge this year was to think of something new and useful to give my friends. Of course, the precedent had been set to use oilcloth, but since I only have a few scraps left, I knew the project needed to be small.
So, with a few scraps of these prints. . . . a little velcro and a clip. . . .I began sewing and came up with this. What is it, you say? And why is there a hole in it?Given the dust we roll our carts through and the toileting facilities that are available to us, hand sanitizer is a "must". I came up with these handy, dandy hand sanitizer holders that can be easily clipped on the shopping cart, or even clipped onto a purse handle or key ring. And with the hole in top and the velcro closure, it is refillable!
Someday, maybe I'll make a little tutorial for these. In the meantime, hope my friends enjoy them!

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie . . .

This morning, I needed to get some house cleaning done, so I decided to focus on straightening up the living room and the kitchen (the rooms seen by visitors). I began by mapping and sweeping and then putting away some laundry that was stacked on the couch. As I opened my linen armoire to put away a couple of pillowcases, I was reminded how messy it was in there and how so many of those linens could probably be given away. So, I began taking them all out and as I did that, I sorted them into different stacks. Sheets to keep, sheets to give away, blankets, etc., etc.






Stacked under a bunch of sheets were quilts that belonged to my mother. Some she'd made herself, such as these:




















And others were made by her ancestors:There were quilt tops made many years ago by her grandmother














and this Crazy Quilt top that was made by the lady who lived next door to us when I was a little girl. It IS crazy, but isn't it wonderful!!!






Near the bottom of the stack were a few baby blankets, sheets and quilts. Of course, looking through those brought back more than a few memories, but I was able to part with some. I found the Easter quilts that Momo made for the girls when they were young. (those little animals are all attached with velcro so that they can be taken off and played with)











. . . . and a pile of autographed pillowcases from a number of slumber parties. (by the way, I don't think Callie still feels quite the same passion for Beanie Babies).

Seeing all the quilts and linens reminded me that I needed to take some pictures before I put them all back in. And of course, after taking a few photographs, I knew that I needed to post them to my blog. Being on the computer, I chatted online with my daughter, which reminded me that I was really supposed to be cleaning house. Alas, back to work I go . . .

P. S. To clear up something my daughter asked me---I didn't give away ANY of the wonderful quilts, etc. ---only old sheet sets, old blankets and old crib sheets.

Round Robin--The Old Place

This is a picture of my church, Noel United Methodist Church. It is located in Shreveport, LA and has been around over 100 years. It has quite a history, located in the Highland neighborhood. This is a transitional neighborhood and Noel has faced its challenges in staying in the present location. But a recent decision once again to stay and to increase its outreach to the surrounding neighborhood has proved to be a wonderful thing in many ways. Our congregation is now much more diverse and such an exciting place to be lately.And my second "old place" is located about 1/2 mile from my house. Many years ago, this was the path of the Red River, but through the years, geography changed the course of the river and this section that was left over, is now bound by land on all sides and known as the Old River. The neighborhood I live in is to the east of the the Old River and is called Shreve Island, dating back from a time when the land was actually surrounded on most sides by water. Now, the Old River is more frequently known as the Duck Pond and has a great playground and lots of ducks to feed on a spring day.

Child Bride

The weather the past few days has been absolutely beautiful! Just cool enough in the mornings to require long sleeves or a light jacket and then warming up to around 70 degrees each afternoon, with a crystal clear, blue sky. I love it! Today was no exception. As I drove around town today to the various schools I visit each week, I enjoyed having my car windows down and looking at the beautiful flowers on display in most yards.

As I stopped at a stop light for a few minutes, I saw these in a yard nearby and grabbed my camera to take a quick picture.
I don't really know what they are called, but when I was a little girl, we had a couple of large bushes of them beside our fence. One of my favorite things to do with my friends was to pick them, arrange them in bouquets and imagine ourselves walking down the aisle as brides. The airy, white blooms just seemed perfect for a bridal bouquet.

Thank You's

People have been so generous and I am so thankful for their support. Friends and family have made donations of flowers, food and memorial gifts to our church in memory of Daddy. Finally, I am getting the last of my thank you notes in the mail. Now, I can allow myself to do a few sewing projects and such.

Under Glass

Inspired by these pictures from Country Home,
I decided to create a terrarium of my own. I purchased a pretty Primula and planted it inside my large apothecary jar. I scattered a few rocks around, inside and out, and added my favorite little nest-egg. Voila'! Spring on my coffee table!