Red at the Main Street Grill

I didn't have a single red thing in mind for Rednesday today.....

(or for Vintage Thingie Thursday for that matter.....)

until I took a mug out for my morning coffee.

And there it was!

I've always liked these mugs with their red sign reading "Main Street Grill" 

....and their retro look

They are from Hallmark and go along with the Mitford series houses (now retired) which were based on Jan Karon's books. They make drinking coffee (and cocoa in the winter!!) a lot of fun!


♥♥♥  Linking my mugs to Rednesday over at It's a Very Cherry World. Check it out for more red fun!!
♥♥♥  Linking them too over at Vintage Thingies Thursday at Colorado Lady. Lots of fun vintage goodies to see!

                          

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Rita Hayworth ~~ Stayin' Alive!

Bet you're wondering about that title, aren't you?!!

Well, my brother sends me all kinds of crazy stuff and when I saw this I knew I would have to post it!

It's a compilation of Rita's movie dance sequences set to the music of the song "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees

Fabulously done and so fun to watch!

It will make you smile .... guaranteed!

Plus she dances with my absolute, hands down, favorite dancers of all time --

Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire!

♥♥♥  I'm linking Rita to Rednesday over at It's A Very Cherry World -- 'cause there's lots of red  : )

♥♥♥  And linking to Knick of Time Tuesday -- 'cause Rita is definitely vintage!!



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Puzzles, Ponies and Clowns!!

Boy, I've really neglected this little blog! I've been doing my posting over on my other blog, Magnolia Surprise, and the Attic has taken a back row seat! But I'm back now with a post for Rednesday to show off some neat reds that I've recently come across ....

Sometimes when I'm keeping Noli on a weekend, she likes to go to thrift stores and garage sales (a child after my own heart, she is)!!  I mean what could be better than a six-year-old actually WANTING to go to garage sales! Of course, this means that she will get "new" toys, twisting my arm -- "please oh please, puh-leeze can I have it? -- and I fall into her trap. And the little sneak usually scores a few freebies along the way!

So, we recently went to our favorite thrift store -- Noli being on her best behavior since she knows that's the only way she can pick out anything to buy. I'm always ready to negotiate with her, lining up her hopefuls and telling her she can pick two. "But I want this one and that one and I NEED this other one...." Into her trap I go -- Oh, OK, you can have it, you've been so good today.

STRENGTH --- I need STRENGTH to resist this small child! Can't do it, not ever and besides, isn't it a grandmother's right and privilege to spoil their grandchild? You bet it is!!

We found a really neat puzzle -- we put it together when we got home but I forgot to take a pic ....

Don't you love the colors? Are chameleons really blue? Red, yes, but blue? I dunno! Of course we had to talk a bit about how animals camouflage themselves (I'm always on the lookout for a way to sneak in a little learning!)

We couldn't leave the store without a few ponies -- this kid is pony obsessed! We found a bag full. 

And, the unicorn pony has a red mane and tail!!

And she found this big pony ("I NEED it for my Cabbage Patch dolls. I don't think it's a REAL Cabbage Patch horse but it looks like one, and I NEED it for my dolls to ride on. Puh-leeze? And it's PURPLE! Puh-leeze?") Who can resist?!!

So what did I find? Well, these two cool thermoses (is that right for the plural? Maybe it's thermosesses? Thermosi? Anyway, the gold one is HUGE -- that thing will hold a lot of coffee! And the red one is just a cutie I think.

And then I found these two clowns. Now I'm not a lover or even liker of clowns. I'm one of those people that just don't find them funny. They're not scary, unless they're Stephen King clowns but we won't think about those evil sharp-toothed clowns!! I just don't much like them. Well, I liked Red Skelton's clown but then I liked anything Red Skelton did!

Anyway, these two clowns are totally cute in their red jackets and playing their musical instruments. I like the big red spots on the violinist, and the way the drummer's toes stick out of his shoes! They are porcelain and made in Korea.

They and the thermoses (that must be the right one because the auto spell-check is not underlining it in red) will be happy and cozy in my Etsy shop soon, sooner, soonest! And if you like clowns, you know where these two will be!


♥♥♥  I'm linking my red thermos and clowns, and Noli's red puzzle and pony over on Rednesday at It's a Very Cherry World -- hop on over and see some more reds!!

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A Red, White and Blue party

Miss USA throws her party tonight and we've got to be ready to celebrate vintage style!

This fabulous dress is both fun and flirty -- just right for a Fourth of July party! Swirl on the patio to patriotic music and indulge in a few hot dogs! Vintage Dress in Red, White and Blue from xoUda

Dress it up with vintage red, white and blue jewelry....

Fabulous floral enamel earrings from Antique and Vintage

and a fun lucite beaded stretch bracelet from LifeTravelsDesigns 

Carry all your essentials in this beautiful beaded drawstring bag from TinkerzTreasure

You'll be the envy of the party in these awesome patriotic sandals from VintageDame

Did I forget anything? 

Oh yeah, the mister!

 

The fireworks are already happening on this shirt!! 

Vintage disco shirt by Sideburns

♥♥♥  My party will be taking place over at It's a Very Cherry World for Rednesday! You're all invited!

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Kitchen Gadget or Tool of Destruction? Mwahahahaha

Doesn't this look vicious? Like maybe it would be good to keep under your pillow at night .... just in case ....

Well, it is but a lowly meat tenderizer and not a tool of destruction and mayhem ....

I remember my mother using the edge of a plate to tenderize meat -- bang, bang, bang across, then bang, bang, bang the other direction. Made a little cross hatch design in the round steak!! Add some flour and bang, bang, bang again.

So, of course, when I grew up and tenderized my own round steaks, I used the plate method too!


But then I came across this -- and now I'm a bit scared to put it in my kitchen ....

Afraid that it might tenderize more than the round steak ....

(have I got you wondering just what kind of a cook I am?)
(or am I of the Lizzie Borden variety?)
Mwahahahaha

: D

♥♥♥  Linking my meat tenderizer (mwahahahaha) over on Rednesday at It's a Very Cherry World
  and  Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady.


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My Favorite Cookie Jar

Wow! I can't believe it's been a full month since my last post! Well, I can believe it and I'm having some pretty intense talks with myself about that right now!!

So, maybe Knick of Time Tuesday, Rednesday and Vintage Thingie Thursday are the paths to getting me back in blog land!!

Today I'm sharing my favorite cookie jar -- it resides on the baker's rack in my kitchen and every time I look at it, I smile. It's really hard to sneak cookies out of it -- there's a distinctive clink sound no matter how careful you are to gently replace the lid. Gives me away every time!!  And, even though it's pretty beat up and isn't so lovely in the looks department, it's very special to me.

It belonged to two of my aunts -- they were my father's older half-sisters and if they were alive today, they would be well into their 100's. The older aunt was Aunt Annie and, after her husband's death, she moved in with Aunt Florence who never married.

Aunt Florence taught school and I guess was the typical "spinster school teacher" but I sure loved going with her sometime to her school. Made me feel like a big girl!! Aunt Florence wasn't the cuddly type but she did take a lot of time with me. She loved doing crossword puzzles and got me started on that (I remember going in their garage and finding stacks of TV Guides -- those were my first crossword puzzles!!)

Aunt Annie WAS the cuddly type and she was the one filling that cookie jar! I would sit on her lap and she would read to me. She was, shall we say, ample, and it was cushy love that she gave me. She had a great sense of humor too -- once, she said she was going to fix frogs' legs and, of course, I ewwwed and thought how gross. Well, that lady took me into the back yard where there was a small pond, and proceeded to catch a few frogs. We won't talk about what happened after that, but she had a good laugh and I had my first frogs' legs!! (taste like chicken, don't ya know...)

I loved going to their house in Alabama -- we would visit just about every summer. One summer I developed mumps on our trip -- and got to stay with Aunt Annie and Aunt Florence while my parents went on to visit some friends for a few days. I was thrilled!! There was a little boy that I could play with since he had already had the mumps, but the little girl across the street (who I really wanted to play with!) could only look at me through the screen door! I think I was about four or five then and it was a big deal to stay by myself with my aunts!

OK, back to the cookie jar!

It's a very shiny black with painted on red flowers and green leaves. The paint has chipped away a bit and, to tell the truth, the original paint job really wasn't so hot! I have no idea how old it is or the brand -- there are no markings of any kind.

My mother brought it to me after Aunt Florence died and I'm so glad to have this remembrance of my aunts. I have a few other things too, including a beautiful quilt which I'll share with you another time!

♥♥♥   I'm linking my cookie jar to Knick of Time Tuesday,  Rednesday at It's a Very Cherry World! and to Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady 

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Oatmeal and Creamy Wheat

When my kids were little, they referred to Cream of Wheat as "Creamy Wheat" and the name has stuck to this day! No doubt, in their now adult years, the kids rarely if ever think about Creamy Wheat, much less say it, so it is up to my hubby and me to carry on this tradition.

So, when grocery shopping recently, imagine my delight when I saw none other than "CREAMY WHEAT" sitting on the shelf! It fairly jumped into my cart! It surely knew that I would enjoy it more than any other brand  of cream of wheat.

Then that got me thinking of oatmeal and a couple of long ago memories. My mother made oatmeal frequently (and creamy wheat too!) and she always put raisins in it. Now I'm sure that she figured that the addition of raisins would increase the healthiness, not to mention the deliciousness, of said oatmeal. Well, she was WRONG!! I probably never told her (being the obedient kid that I was) that I could not stand, disliked intensely and otherwise detested the raisins in my oatmeal. I would eat them anytime straight out of the box, but hot in my oatmeal? Nooooo. So I suffered through the hot raisins.

And you know what's funny now?  I LOVE raisins in my oatmeal!! Who knew! I guess my mother did : )

Quaker Oats Tins -- Vintage Nonsense

My other oatmeal memory is of a time when I was about four, maybe five, and had to have my tonsils out. Back then, if you got sore throats, they yanked your tonsils. Well, my throat was sore for pity's sake and I didn't want any old oatmeal -- with or without raisins.

Vintage Milk Bottle -- LovenVintageLaura

So along came the milkman making his milk delivery. Milkmen back then knew the people on their routes and ours was always friendly and offered a bit of cheery conversation as he picked up our empty bottles and left our milk order at the back door. I liked to talk to him and watch him put the bottles in the wire basket that my mother put out on the back steps. (The best was when she opened a new bottle and stuck a table knife in the cream on top -- I got to have some before she mixed it into the milk. Yum!!)

Milk Bottles with Carrier -- Modred Vintage

The day of my tonsillectomy (since I refused to eat the oatmeal) my mother asked him if he would feed me a few bites and see what happened. Well, you know the end of this story! He got me to eat the oatmeal, I got my tonsils out, and afterwards had all the ice cream and jello that I wanted!!!

And, my little friend from down the street was waiting on the front steps when I got home from the hospital -- just like he told my mother he would!

♥  I'm linking my creamy wheat and oatmeal memories over at Blue Monday at Smiling Sally's.
♥  And also linking over on Rednesday at It's a Very Cherry World.

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Home is Where Your ♥ Is

I came across this sweet crewel embroidery at a thrift shop and just had to have it! I popped it in this wooden frame I had on hand -- I think it looks pretty good in it!

I love the cheery colors -- the yellow watering can and those sweet red strawberries.

The strawberry vine reminds me of picking strawberries and blackberries at my grandparents home in Alabama. They were planted against the fence and we could just go outside and pick them -- heaven for a little kid! I remember one time that my brother and I went with some neighbors to pick blackberries -- there were rows and rows and you had to wear long sleeves so you didn't get scratched and it was so HOT in the summer! But sweet.... oh my goodness! I probably ate as many as I picked!


Ah, but those cute strawberry jars -- I've always wanted to try my hand at growing strawberries in one of those. I think I'll just have to look for one in my ramblings about.

And do you see the little woodland creature peeking out of the Dutch door? I think Dutch doors are just the best -- I always had one in my pretend houses when I was little! I thought it would be so much fun to open the top of your door to greet a visitor, or cool pies on the ledge of the bottom one!

And who wouldn't love the sweet saying across the bottom -- and the teeny ladybug strolling by!

I did a bit of online exploring and found that, as I suspected, this is a Sunset Designs Jiffy Stitchery which came in kit form. It's a design by Chris Davenport and was copyrighted in 1978. It took me a while to find a picture but I finally did -- and when I enlarged it, I could just make out the year (in Roman numerals no less)!

So cute -- if it hadn't already been embroidered (and very neatly done, I might add) I think I would have grabbed it to do myself! I've done some crewel embroidery from kits like this one was, but don't know if I still have them. I may have given them to my daughter since she asked for them! Hmmm, I'll have to do a bit of hunting!  I also did a special one for my mother that she hung in the livingroom -- I have it now. But those are for another day....

♥♥♥ Today, I'm linking my sweet embroidery to Knick of Time Tuesday
and even though there's only a tiny bit of red, those strawberries want to be linked to Rednesday !


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A Tale of Two Stoves

This was my little play stove when I was a kid, back in the dark ages. I have it in my kitchen on my baker's rack and it makes me smile whenever I look at it. Wouldn't it be fun to have a real stove like that, with the cool primary color buttons? How about the electrical outlet? Or the built-in salt shaker?

I had some metal pots and pans to cook with and my dolls had some very delicious meals! Can you see the deep fat fryer on the back?  In real life, that was a frying basket that was removable and the heat element was down at the bottom.

Goes to show you how much frying went on back in those days! No Fry Daddies needed, it was all in your stove!

I was looking at some old family pictures and came across this one of my mother, taken in 1958.  Doesn't it look like a photo out of a Ladies Home Journal or Good Housekeeping?  I remember this stove -- it was electric and had two really deep drawers at the bottom. She kept all her pot lids in one of them, and kitchen linens in the other.

  

Like my toy stove, it also had the deep fat fryer on the outside back burner. Our kitchen had a swinging door that was next to the stove and opened into the dining room. The dining room was an extension of the living room which had a door leading into the hall (always kept open). From the hall was another open entrance into the kitchen. (Are you following this? I've never been good at directions!)  

Anyway, you could run in a complete circle from kitchen to dining room to hall and back to kitchen. Which, of course, I did with much regularity.

OK, back to the deep fat fryer, which (as a reminder) was on the outside of the stove, next to the swinging door.  So my mother was frying chicken -- I was running through the doors -- my long hair was billowing out behind me -- I know you know where this is leading -- I singed my hair!!! 

Fortunately nothing really bad happened -- except I wasn't allowed to run in the circle anymore.  My mother, however, did go on to fry more chicken!!

♥♥♥ Linking my stoves to Rednesday over at It's a Very Cherry World. Check it out for some more reds!

♥♥♥ Found a brand spankin' new link up party for vintage kitchen goodies and recipes -- it's called What's Cooking in the Cottage Kitchen (hosted by Etsy Cottage Style) and it sounds like fun! My stoves are linking up there, too!

♥♥♥ Yay!  Another new linky for me!! So now I'm linking my stoves to Knick of Time Tuesday over at Knick of Time Interiors! Have yourself a look, lots of vintage treasures to see!

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Today's Rednesday!!

It's Rednesday over on Magnolia Surprise!!

I usually post my Rednesday here, but decided to mix it up every now and then and post over on my other blog, Magnolia Surprise! 

So head over there and check out the super-duper lighted trees!

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Two Special Santas

Today, being Rednesday, I wanted to share these two very special Santas. They were made by my aunt many, many years ago.

I remember this jolly Santa sitting out every year -- she always told me that I could look at it, but not pick it up... I'm glad she did because, after I grew up, she gave it to me! And I could pick it up all I wanted! I've always been very careful with my special Santa, because so many happy memories are associated with him.

My aunt would occasionally spruce him up with a bit of paint here and there where needed -- no sprucing needed on my account I can tell you!! But I have chosen to leave him just as he is -- the little chippy areas just make him all the more special. I don't know his real birthday, but he's at least 60 something... or he could be in his 70s or 80s for all I know, depending on when she painted  him!

Side view -- isn't his tummy the best? Or, in his case, I believe that roundness might be officially called a "belly"!! He's made of plaster and is quite heavy, probably because of all those cookies he eats each year!


This cutie ceramic Santa is a bit newer -- my aunt only signed her name on the bottom but did not date him.  But she probably made him in the 60s. She gave him to me in the mid-80s.

Sometimes he carries Christmas cards in his pouch, sometimes candy canes, sometimes poinsettias -- you just can't ever tell what Santa will have in his bag!

I love his blue eyes -- and his cute bald head! Did you know that Santa was bald on top? Why else would he wear that hat all the time? And you know that every picture of him in his jammies shows him with a nightcap on. Bald, for sure!!


Linking up my special Santas to Rednesday on It's a Very Cherry World. Be sure to stop by and check out more reds!

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