VTT - Emmie and Me

See the Happy Baby? That's me!

See the Happy Lady holding the Happy Baby? That's Emmie!

I told you about her a couple of weeks ago.


Thought I'd share more of her stuff today.

Check out this box.


















Isn't that a sweet latch? Because of age the box is a little wonky. There's a mirror inside on the lid.

It was an inexpensive purchase I am sure. I'd love to know what, if anything, came in the box. It's sides are a very thin metal and the top and bottom are lucite. (Sorry my pics aren't fabulous as the box is.)

Let's see what Emmie kept inside.


Whoa! Old prescription bottles and even one left over drug! Yikes! The labels are from now defunct Drug Stores but are interesting anyway. They have Emmie's name, her doctor's name and sometimes instructions but none of the drugs names are on the labels! Scary.

The Ray-o-Vac battery is still "factory sealed" but rusty. There's an old tube in the box of Blistex - gotta love the lips. There's a tube of mecurochrome in the other box. Remember getting skinned knees painted with that stuff? A hair clip and a crochet hook in there too.

But this is one of my very, very, very favorite things evah!


It's an enamel pot with lid that Emmie covered with gum machine charms and buttons and old jewelry. A few have fallen off over the years. I copied the picture of us and glued it to a button to fill one of the spaces.

You see, of the 4 children that Emmie helped my Great Grandparents raise only 2 of them had children. One boy and one Girl - my Mom. Mom was the oldest by several years and being the first she was the "favorite." My siblings and I were the only great grandchildren and being the first I always felt like the favorite. I doubt any of us really was but Emmie always had a way of making one feel super special.



See the fancy "B" and the little "E" here? Emmie told me it was for "Becky" and "Emmie." See why I felt so special? The only other letter on there is an "S" for my Great Uncle Sam. He was the youngest of the 4 and lived at the homeplace and ran the store until his death.

Emmie kept Red Bird brand peppermint sticks in this pot. They are almost as good as her sugar cookies were.

Happy VTT everyone! Go check out more Vintage Thingys at ColoradoLady's Blog

Be sure to check out the Summer Fun Pic Print Give Away which ends tomorrow!

Weigh - In Wednesday #3

Yooooo!!

Down another .5 pound! Yay!

I have been charting my progress at Fitness Magazine's website. They have some great wisdom to share on healthier living. Menus, articles, beauty tips and a bunch of great charts for plotting your course. According to my weekly weigh-in I am 14% of the way to my ultimate goal of getting rid of 50 pounds in a slow, steady, healthy way. But I am more than 100% to my goal of losing 4 pounds this month.

Drinking more water than diet soda has been the biggest change followed by more veggies & fruits and capped off with more exercise.

Yesterday and today I mowed our lawn. (Ran outta gas so had to finish today.) I would say I mowed the grass but we really don't have grass so much as we have a former cow field with lots and lots of weeds.

Our humble abode was built less than 20 years ago as part of a small neighborhood of rental properties. Most are now single owner homes like ours is. These are some super sturdy houses. Very well built but plain.

The land's former life was of fields and pastures. The builders did not do one bitty bit of landscaping but did provide large parking areas of gravel.

Gravel from the road all the way to the house.

Gravel a good 10-12" deep in some places.

I hate gravel.

Can't walk barefoot on it. It washes away in a big storm. Can't walk barefoot on it. Weeds grow up in it.

And did I mention - can't walk barefoot on it?

So we have toiled with re-arranging the gravel, importing fill dirt and planting perennials and gardens and clotheslines and a picnic table.



I actually like to mow the yard. I walk around and around and think. (Bill hates it when I do that cause I get ideas! heehee)

I daydream and plot my next yard projects. Like how to transform this pile of broken bricks in to a lovely beginning of a patio at the bottom of these back steps.














That ugly plywood needed to go 3 years ago when we bought the house!

As I walked yesterday I was extremely hot and sweaty but every now and then - a gust of wind giving temporary relief. I thought about what an outdoors kind of kid that I was and how "citified" my own kids are.

I drank from the side of the house water spigot just as we did as kids.

I watched grasshoppers flee for their lives in the path of my mighty Honda motored mower, laughed at the blue tail lizards scurrying up the side of the house,
wondered how to rid the yard of the burrowing varmints whose tunnels I step into,
waved at neighbors who passed by,
and for all the hard work I was rewarded with this




and I relaxed.







Don't forget just a few days left on the Canvas Print Give away!
Be sure to enter!

Weigh -In Wednesday!

Just a quickie.

I nearly fainted this morning!

I have lost a total of 5.5 pounds!!!

I am not hungry either.

Veggies and fruits are good!!!

Be sure to check out this Give away - Canvas Print Giveaway-Summer Fun Pic Print!

Canvas Print Giveaway-Summer Fun Pic Print!

So I'm checking out some stuff online the other day. I came uponst this group that sponsors give-aways on blogs. Let's give it a whirl I think.

So here's our first whirl!

It's very simple. All you have to do is leave a comment here describing which summer fun picture you have taken that you would like to have printed on 16" x 20" canvas by Online Poster Printing! And for blogging this I get one too!

I think I would have this one of Jordan's band made into a poster. My son is the handsome bearded devil in the green t-shirt.


100 Yorktown made their debut 6 years ago when the guys were in high school. A few lineups changes and growing musical prowess and here they were! They were the 2nd stage band all day at a recent Raleigh Downtown Live. They rocked the park between acts on the main stage and by their last set had 1000+ rushing over to catch their tunes! You can check 'em out here. Be sure to add them as a myspace friend. It will help them land a label.

(Don't I sound as if I speak the music industry code?)


But I digress............

To win your very own 16x20" Rolled Canvas Print:

Leave a comment here describing what summer photo you would have printed.

That's it! Really. How much easier could it be?

Make sure you leave a way to get in touch with you too.

All Blogger Appreciation Canvas Prints and Blog Winner Canvas Prints will be awarded by coupon code on Friday July 31, 2009. The email sent out with the coupon code will also include directions on how to order. Make sure you have your high-resolution photo ready.


Check out what Online Poster Printing has to offer.

About Online Poster Printing
Online Poster Printing specializes in printing high-quality posters using premium materials. We offer a money back guarantee on all our products, such as photo canvas prints, vinyl banners, wall stickers, and rolled or mounted poster prints.

Disclaimers:
Giveaway is open to US/CAN residents. Shipping of prizes is not included and must be paid by winner. Online Poster Printing reserves the right not to print obscene or offensive materials.

All designs submitted in the form of a giveaway may be used by Online Poster Printing for online marketing and promotional uses. The designs will be used solely as examples and will not be printed or commercially distributed.

Have fun and Good Luck!

Vintage Thingy Thursday - Shopping with the Girls

I love thrift shopping.

Yesterday, my BFF Anne and I met up with Bea of Bea's Blabber. It was great to meet in person.

We three were on a mission. Our five-hour mission: to explore strange old stores; to seek out old stuff from old civilizations; to boldly go where no man dares to go!

(I love Start Trek!)

The day started sorta foggy.





















Truckie is all gassed up and ready to go.



Whoa! What the heck?








Oh man, I gotta do a trash/recycling run on the way. I'm gonna be late.


Anne and Bea are waiting for me and are having a good time gettin to know one another. We head to our first destination - "Everything but Grannie's Panties." This old 2 story house is crammed full of old stuff! We wander through the rooms ooohing, ahhing and saying "I have one of those." "My Mom has one of those." "I remember those."

Each room is set up with it's own theme. The kitchen has kitchen stuff, the dining room has dining stuff - you get it. In the Parlor there are fancy clothes and swimsuits hanging around the walls. Anne is preoccupied with "art" while Bea and I sit down to go through the big basket of little linens.

Bea finds a "pretty."

We moved upstairs where there are a couple of bedrooms and an "attic."

I found a coat and hat.
Chic, qui?

Coat was to small.






Bea and I went through the bathroom which is strangely where they keep all the crafty things. Weird. I found 4 cool patterns.

Anne came around the corner ready for the Kentucky Derby!

We all bought some old stuff to add to our stashes. Here's what came home with me.













Then we were off to "Pennies for Change." This store was established to raise money to help victims of domestic violence. I hadn't been there in a couple of years and was quite impressed with the improvements. Not a whole lot of vintage here. We did find some bargains though. I scored a pair of linen pillowcases in pristine condition. Yay me! Maybe I'll embroider 'em around the openings and convert 'em into pajama bottoms. (To totally steal an idea from a friend, Lisa of The Hemline who sells these at her etsy shop of the same name.)

By this time we were all hungry and I was close to getting cranky. Good thing Anne was driving us around.

We had lunch with the Colonel.



We then ventured to the Duke U Thrift Store. They were already closed. One whole minute before the posted time too. That's okay, we agreed we didn't wanna give dook any money as we three are Carolina TarHeel (Anne), Kansas U (Bea) and Wake Forest/Clemson (me) fans.

Off to the Goodwill - which is huge! After we looked at everything Bea declared, "That's it. I'm done. Time to go home."


Wish I had taken more pics. We laughed a whole, whole bunch.

Three storytellers with funny kids we are.

Three on a mission.

Aaarrgh!


Check out all the other cool Vintage thingys by going to Coloradolady's blog for the list of participating blogs.

Weigh - In Wednesday

Good morning folks!!!

Last week I told you my doctor told me to lose some weight.

Today I am happy to say that my efforts are paying off.

I have switched my usual forty-eleven diet sodas a day to 4 or 5 and lots of water. I am working on the aimless snacking. I luuuuuv pretzels and popcorn. I have really, really, really been working on the 5 a Day fruits and veggie goal. BillHubby and I have been trying to walk every day even though I didn't stretch enough and got some lovely shin splints - ugh! But throw in some yard work and serious porch cleaning and I am getting in more calorie burning activity.

My weigh -in this morning -down 1.5 pounds! YAY!!

Gotta run now! Actually I don't run. When I did I looked like a cartoon character with legs flailing.

What I mean is that I gotta get outta here.

BIG DAY!!

My BFF Anne and I are meeting up the road with Bea from Bea's Blabber! We discovered we live a few miles apart, okay 30-40 minutes. But we are meeting in the middle to go THRIFT SHOPPING!!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited! Anne knows all the great spots in Durham, NC so she will be the tour guide.

If you are in the area and see a big black Trailblazer with 3 "old" ladies just a-laughin blow the horn!

Vintage Thingy Thursday - Family Stuff

Last week Kat and I hopped in my truck and headed for the Hills, foothills that is, the Yadkin Valley which is nestled between the Brushy and Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina.




We went to help my Mom clear up some of her clutter. The first day was filled with clearing junk outta her garage, some shopping and a movie. Three generations of women laughing ourselves to tears watching "The Hangover." It just happens to star a native of my home town - Zach Galifinakis - who grew up with my little sister. "The Hangover" isn't for everyone. In fact it is quite bawdy. We loved it though. Partly being proud of Zach's performance and partly our warped senses of humor.

The next day we ventured further in to the hills to my Great-Grandparents homeplace.

It's a beautiful house built in the early 1910's by this guy, my Great-Grandfather.



Here he is when he attended the Corcoran School of Art in D.C.

He later married and they had 4 beautiful (if I do say so myself!) children. One of whom was my Grand Daddy (Mom's Dad.) Great Grand Daddy was not just an artist he was also the store owner and Post Master for their small community.

He and Great GrandMa had in house help with the children. Her name was Emmie. She is who I remember most from our trips up there when I was a child. She made the best ever sugar cookies! And there was always a jar with Red Bird brand peppermint sticks handy as well.

I come from a very long line of pack-rats. And I am so very glad too. Mom gave Kat and me lots of stuff from her house and the old home place.

Lucky me received Emmie's aprons! I think I nearly passed out when Mom said I could have these.































This appears to have been Emmie's favorite pattern!

Be sure to check out everybody else's cool vintage stuffs at Coloradolady's blog!

I didn't get to sleep late!!!

Dangit! I forgot. I had my yearly physical this morning at 8:40!

I love my doctor. I have been her patient since 1992. She is wonderful. Our kids were in school together so we have that tie too.

Today is the first time she has ever said that I should lose weight. I knew it already :( My BP was a wee bit higher than it should be. I go back to see her in a month and hopefully the 4 pounds she advised me to lose will be long gone.

Bill and I are going to start walking early mornings. I need it and so does he. And I gotta quick munching on pretzels and chips and popcorn so much. Duh, Summer is here and fruits and veggies are super fresh and readily available!

Now that I am publicly declaring War on Fat I hope it will help me be more proactive!

Anybody wanna have weekly weigh-ins with me? Honor system. We can just report how much we have lost and how we are doing it. Healthy ways only folks! None of those diet pills!

Yeppers that's it.

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-ins!

I'm still breathin'

Hey Gang!

This is just a quick note.

I am still livin and breathin! But what a busy 2 weeks I have had!

Last week KatDaughter and I headed to Mom's house for some relaxation and girl time. Heh! We worked our butts off. More on that later.

We came home and Kat scurried on back to her house. Probably afraid I'd find more manual labor for her.

BillHubby and I had a fabulous 4th weekend. Did some yard work, went to a party, went to an Antique Mall and looked and looked.

Part of the adventure to the foothills of NC was to pick up stuff that I'd left up there years ago. More on that later this week too.

Let me just tell you that I scored major on family heirloom type stuff and have been washing and unpacking and reading and taking pictures.

AND - drum roll please - I sold an apron on etsy!!!!! The cute Kat flirty half apron. Wish they had a visitor counter so I could know if anyone else has looked.

Oh well. Time to check the dryer and then watch the new SciFi show, Warehouse 13, then Rescue Me, then Hawthorne, then Saving Grace. I may sleep late tomorrow if Petey will let me.

Have you all met Petey yet? He's 12 and snores louder than Bill and I do ;)