Vintage Thingies Thursday: A Bag of Bunnies

It is that time of the week again, Vintage Thingies Thursday hosted by Lisa at Confessions of an Apron Queen. This day always proves to be most interesting. I encourage you to visit The Apron Queen's site and check out all the vintage goodies on display there. It's a lot of fun.

This week, I have some really cute bunnies to show you. First off, let me tell you how I happened upon them.

I was in the process of planning a baby shower, and when I am in the planning mode, I often check our local Goodwill stores in the area for things I can use. That is what I was doing on this day, when I happened upon a large plastic bag of these little guys. At first, I just glanced at them, but then something caught my eye. In fact it was the bunny in this picture with the black ribbon around it's neck that caused me to take a second glance. After a second look, I realized these were vintage bunnies in this bag. A lot of bunnies to be exact. These went in the cart in record speed.

These bunnies are marked Japan on the bottom. The cute one holding the flowers has a cracked ear, which had been repaired. It's still adorable. The little guy with the black ribbon around its neck measures 3 in. tall. That should give you an idea on how small some of these are.

These have stamped Made in Japan on the bottom as well. I don't know if they were a set. They look like a momma and her bunny to me. So I took their picture together. How cute!
On second thought, it might be dad. Look at the look on his face, like he's not too happy about watching junior.

These two are most adorable. The one on the left, marked Japan is a small planter, I think. It is no more than 3 1/2 inches tall. The one on the right, I believe is a cotton ball holder. I have seen these in antique shops with cotton balls sticking out the backside, like a cottontail. There were several of these in the bag, some were pink, some blue. I just took a picture of a couple of them to show you how cute they are.
These are especially charming. There were several bunnies in the bag that give you the impression they are sleeping. However, they are ever alert to any dangers in the area, as they have that one ear up. The white one is a small planter. It still has it's original sticker on the bottom which says Haeger Pottery, Dundee, Ill. The tag is square, green and gold.

This is the largest of the bunnies I acquired that day. He is really no bigger than a coffee cup turned sideways. The adorable little guys sitting next to him are salt and pepper shakers. They are really quite cute.

I wanted to show you what a neat little added bonus on the underside of the large white bunny. I hope you can read it. This is such a personal touch to the collection.

This is the bunny who offers a hint of who the original owner of this cute collection might have been. It also dates the rabbit.
The inscription says:
To: Miss Jackson
From: Lavell L.Swindoll
Ft.Worth
May 1940
Do you see that little number "44" on the bottom of this rabbit? Well, every single rabbit in that bag had a little number on the bottom just like that. They were not in any order, just numbered. Some were missing, but all had a number. I found that interesting.

This one has no markings on the bottom, but it reminded me of Thumper from Bambi. Adorable.

This one....I'm not so sure about. He certainly was not my favorite....but he could be worth a mint. HaHa. This fellow has a sticker on the bottom, It is blue and silver, part of the sticker is missing, but what is visible says ".OTANGL Pottery" Now I'm not sure what first letters are missing. Maybe someone out there will recognize what sticker or pottery maker this one could be.

These adorable ducks were in the bag as well. They are really cute. I am quite sure they are vintage. I just had to let you see these cute little guys. I am saving this cute collection to display around Easter. I think they will fit in nicely with Easter decorations.

I have to tell you, the day I found this bag of goodies I was so excited. I could not wait to get home and see what treasures were there. But I must say, along with the excitement, also came a little sadness.
I was sad thinking about who these could have belonged to, and how did they end up at Goodwill. I know someone had to have loved these bunnies, because they are in excellent shape, and very well cared for. I find it hard to believe, someone did not want them. Want them for a keepsake, or memory of the person they belonged to. Living or not.

Since posting with Vintage Thingies Thursdays, I have thought a lot about what items become important to people, and why. I would like to encourage you to think about your own treasures, and seek out someone who will love them as you do. Don't ever think that the items you hold dear would not mean something to someone in your life. You just never know.
I am sure, if you take a moment, you will discover that there is someone willing to continue caring for and love your prized possessions as much as you do. Often times, the memories of the person associated with the object is worth far more than object itself. That is something money can not buy.

Just like this little bag of treasures, I find it hard to believe no one wanted these little bunnies. Maybe the owner just decided to get rid of them, and not inquire with anyone to see if they might like to have them.
None the less, they have found a good home with me. I will treasure them. And if they end up back at Goodwill, it will be because I have left this life, and not because I decided to just give them away to a stranger.
~~Hint to my dear husband...we need a bigger house!

Wordless Wednesday: Summer Flowers

This is my Red Carpet Moment

I would first and foremost like to thank my mom, without her, this would not be possible......my husband, for his constant support.....my agent....oh, wait, I don't have an agent...never mind. Sorry, I got carried away. Caught up in the moment so to speak.

I have had an exciting week so far...and it's only Tuesday. I received two awards this week for my blog. That is so super exciting to me. I have seen so many people's blogs with awards, and well to be honest, I so wanted one to proudly display on my blog. Amazingly, not only did I receive one, but two this week.

The first one is so cute and colorful.This is the super commenter award. This was given to me by Patty at Pipstitch. What a wonderful award to accept. I love reading comments, and think it is important if you are going to take the time to read what someone has to say, you should leave a comment. It becomes part of a permanent record. That is important to me. It becomes a part of history, for future generations of readers.
Oh, am I getting carried away again? Sorry.
Thank you so much Patty. I am honored. Take a minute to check out Pipstich. I just love her header, it's an adorable little donkey. She enjoys things vintage, aprons, sewing, and animals...dogs to be exact. You will find her delightful.

I can not even explain my excitement in receiving this next award which was presented and given to me by Sally from smilingsally. This was so exciting, coming from a special lady. Check out her blog, she has a marvelous sense of humor, her post are most refreshing and I love all her "clean" jokes and cartoons she post weekly. They always bring a smile.

I have seen this award on many blogs I visit, and thought it looked quite regal. What a wonderful thing to be awarded such a lovely trophy. I could hardly believe she thought my blog was worthy of this recognition.

This is the Arte Y Pico Award.

What does that mean? I found this explanation over at Arte Y Pico blog. This seems to be the origin of the award. Here is the explanation or translation she gave.

What is the meaning of the expression: And basically, ironically, it translates into a wonderful phrase in Mexico, “lo maximo.” LOL! It will never find its counterpart in English, but if it HAD to, it would be something like, Wow. The Best Art. Over the top.

How wonderful it that? And how lucky I am that Sally felt my blog worthy of such an award.

Along with accepting this award, comes a few rules.

1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and which also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2. Each award has to have the name of the author and a link to his/her blog so that it can be visited by everyone.

3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link of the blog that presented him/her the award.

4. The award winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link arte y pico blog so everyone will know the origin of this award.

5. Show these rules.

I would like to pass on this award to the following people, and they are in no particular order.

headcookandbottlewasher ~ She seriously has some great recipes and cost cutting ideas on her blog.

Tootsietime ~ She has won this before, but her blog is a wealth of information for gardeners. She deserves this award again.

farmchick ~ This lady is a delight, she has wonderful recipes, and I love reading about her life on a farm. Among other things, they raise sunflowers, and she has some great pictures on her blog of the beautiful sunflowers.

the7msn ~ I really enjoy this ladies blog. She has some great stories to tell about living among all things wild. You will enjoy her stories.

Lit and Laundry~ Even among the laundry, there is humor. This mom always brings a smile to my face. Her tales of motherhood bring back so many memories of when my kids were young. She is talented, refreshing and you will enjoy reading about her life.

I could only list five, so these were my nominees for this great award.

Thanks again, Patty and Sally for awarding me with these gifts. I will treasure them. You will find them proudly displayed on my sidebar under awards. {how exciting}
I now feel a little more important. Notice I said "feel". I know I have not risen to "rock star" status.
Just keeping it real.

Now in case you are wondering where all the paparazzi are, and why they were not taking pictures of me during my "red carpet moment".
I have to tell you. Someone forgot to warn me and I was not prepared.
Also, it may have something to do with the fact that I am sitting here at my computer, in my gown, sipping Pepsi, hair askew, no makeup, and barefoot to boot. No designer duds here, no expensive shoes, no loaned jewels, no spray on makeup or fancy hairdo. In other words due to fact I was not prepared, I think they decided to skip this ceremony. Thank goodness.

Blackberry-Peach Cobbler ~with a message at the end of post~

Since the last few weeks of summer are slowly coming to an end, and fall is at our doorsteps, I thought I would share my peach cobbler recipe with a twist. Blackberries. Utter Goodness.

Blackberry-Peach Cobbler

2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen peaches
1 1/2 cup blackberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup water
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk

Put fruit, water, 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon butter in saucepan. Boil for 5 minutes.
Mix 1/2 c. sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, milk and 2 tablespoons melted butter together. Pour into a greased baking dish. Pour hot fruit over batter. Do not stir. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour. Never fails recipe.

If you are ready, let's get started.
List of willing participants: Peaches, blackberries, sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, milk, water, and butter.

First, cut and slice peaches if you are not using frozen. I used frozen today, because well, to be honest I was just too lazy to slice and dice some fresh ones. I know, shame on me. Anyway, combine peaches, blackberries, sugar, butter and water in a saucepan.
Oh, and I added a heaping tablespoon of brown sugar. Sorry, the brown sugar missed the lineup of participants.

This is how all of this goodness should look. Now lets get to cooking this little group of sweetness.


Now, bring to a boil for about 5 minutes in a medium saucepan. Turn off heat and let cool.

Oh, I wish you could smell the sweet aroma coming from my kitchen.

While the fruit is cooling, Let's mix up the batter.

Combine sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, milk and butter in a bowl. Mix well.

This will be thin like pancake batter.

Butter or spray your Pyrex baking dish. I was lazy and used the spray stuff in the blue can. It works just as well. Butter is however, the preferred choice. Now pour your batter in your buttered, or in my case, sprayed dish.


Now, gently pour fruit mixture with all its wonderful juice over the batter.

Do not stir. Please, do not stir. Slide your dish in the oven just the way it is.

Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour or until golden brown.
Golden brown, with swirls of fruit juice goodness. I am really sorry this picture is not scratch and sniff. You will just have to trust me. It smells Divine.

Now I recommend letting this cool a bit before you decide to take a bite, the fruit will be super hot. This is what the finished cobbler should look like. Lots of deliciously cooked fruit and crust that is crisp on the outside, but butter soft on the inside.
You can top with whipped cream or ice cream. I however, prefer to eat this little dish of heaven, just like it is.


Oh, and in case you are wondering about this last picture. Let me tell you something. Today is the 79th Birthday of my beloved Aunt LaVoice. I'm sure if you have been following my blog, you know how special she is to me.

"Happy Birthday Aunt LaVoice". I hope this next year brings you much happiness and joy.

And let me say, she is a very young, youthful, and energetic seventy-nine. I truly hope that I will be in as good of shape as she is when I am her age.
So if you were my aunt, this is what you received for your Birthday.....The other blackberry-peach cobbler.... with ice cream on the side.... with a little surprise....and much love.

If you would like to comment and wish my Aunt LaVoice a Happy Birthday, please feel free. She loves reading my comments about as much as I do.

Instructions for leaving comments to post

I know a few readers out there are not aware how easy it is to leave a comment. So I decided to post instructions here. These instructions are for the viewers who do not have blogs themselves. So for the bloggers who are old hat to this, you may just want to move on. I am hoping someone out there who maybe are new to blogs will find this helpful.

I decided to take a minute and write the instructions so anyone who wants to leave a comment can. Oh, and let me remind you of the give-a-way in October. So you might as well get in the habit of leaving comments, because in order for you to have a chance at winning my give-a-way, it will require a comment. So now is as good of a time as any to learn. Don't worry. It's easy-peasy.

First: Go to the comment section at the end of the post.
Next: In the large box, type your nice or not so nice comment. Try to limit the not so nice ones.
Next: You will need to type the colored jumbled letters in the word verification box.
Next: Under Choose Identity: check the dot next to name/url. Then, type your name or what ever you chose to call yourself in the box after the word name. You do not have to use your real name.
Lastly: hit the orange publish key. Once you do that you should notice on the top of the page in green letters "Your comment has been saved". Your comment will be published for all to enjoy and become a permanent record on my blog. How about that?

I know there are lots of you reading on a regular basis. I am hoping this tutorial will take away the fear of leaving a comment. Really, I promise you have nothing to fear.
Thanks for taking the step in learning to post a comment. If you are some of the select few readers who I have already sent your instructions on commenting, you can just ignore this post.

Now - Let's see those comments!


Have a great week everyone!

The Love Fern

One of my very favorite movies is How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. I love this delightfully funny chick flick.
My daughter and I have watched it many times....in fact, too many times to count. My husband on the other hand, is too macho for chick flicks, but it seems he has paid attention (while walking into the room) of various scenes in the movie, scenes I deem my favorite.
One such scene is when Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) arrives at Bennie's (Matthew McConaughey) apartment with a box of personal items to invade on his personal space. If you have not seen the movie, this is one of Andie's plots to "lose" the new boyfriend. One of the items she brings is a Boston fern and quickly coins it as their love fern. I love this scene. It always sparks a laugh and it seems my dear husband remembered that as well.

The beginning of the summer, I usually buy a Boston fern for my front porch, for some reason, this year I did not buy one. I kept meaning to, just never did.
One day, my husband came home from the store with a large fern and hung it in a tree in our backyard while I was not home, as a surprise.
Why? That is easy, it is simply because he loves me.

When I noticed the beautiful fern hanging in the back yard, he jokingly referred to it as my love fern. See, he was paying attention to my favorite movie, even if it was short segments of it. Macho guys need to know that chick flicks are entertaining, and it's OK to watch them from time to time.

Well, as luck would have it, this summer started out exceptionally windy here in Texas. Along with the high winds, and heat, it takes its tole on hanging plants. My work hours were such that I was not home in the evenings. I would water my fern in the mornings, and consequently, my husband was trying his darnedest to keep it alive by watering it in the evening as well. The result was this....
Too much water, high winds and heat, did it's number on the Love Fern. As the edges curled up and browned, I would water it more thinking it was super dry, my husband did the same thing. This was the results.



By the time I realized what was happening, it was really too late. My Love Fern died. But still today in the tree hangs my dead Love Fern.



Now, believe it or not, I did not throw a fit, nor did I cry like Andie Anderson did, accusing Bennie of killing their love fern, and their love.
I did however, leave it in the tree as a reminder of the love my husband has for me. You see it was not neglect that killed it, but love. Somehow, that warms my heart.
Just like the end of the movie, when Bennie whisks Andie away on the back of his motorcycle, and you guessed it, the Love Fern was on the back of the motorcycle in a basket. It too survived.

And Guess What?? We had a really much needed rain last week here in Texas, and would you take a close look at what I discovered.....
Look closely, the green leaves are there!



Green leaves peeking out of the dead ones. Just like the love we share, it's not that easy to kill it. It will always surface even in the most adverse conditions. After 20 plus years of marriage, I think that is pretty good. Today, I feel really lucky and blessed to have someone in my life who cares about me and finds little ways to show it.
Even if it means killing a perfectly good plant to get the job done.
~Good Stuff

Vintage Thingies Thursday: Child's China Tea Set

Hello and Happy Thursday. You know what that means...
Vintage Thingies Thursday. Thursdays have turned out to be really special, thanks to Lisa over at Confessions of an Apron Queen. Please visit her site for more great vintage finds, and maybe share some of your own vintage treasures. It really is a great addition to the long week.

This week, I decided to show you my vintage toy china tea set. Just in case you have not heard enough of the word China in the media the past couple of weeks. He He.


I found this one day when I was in a local thrift store. The box was taped up, so I could not even see if all the pieces were there. Luckily, when I got home and opened the box, everything was there and in its place. Looks like it was never used.
I thought this child's tea set was cute, I would have liked it better if it had dogs on the china, as I am a dog person. But the kitty cats are really adorable. What caught my eye in the first place was the graphics on the box itself. That alone, gives the hint that it is old. There are no dates on the box at all. The box does say made in china - imagine that.


I keep this little tea set in my spare bedroom closet. It safely sits on a shelf, waiting. Waiting for what you ask? Waiting and hoping that I one day have a granddaughter. A granddaughter who will want to have tea parties with her teddy bears and will put this to good use. It is being saved for a special little person. The wait will be worth it.

Hope you enjoyed a glimpse of this vintage cutie!

Wordless Wednesday: Wishing You.....

I won something.....Shocked!

A few weeks ago, I was blog scrolling. What is that? Well, that is what I call checking out other people's blogs, and reading what is happening in their lives, checking out new recipes, and see if anyone is offering tips on how to improve the quality of life. I dubbed that blog scrolling, but in reality, it's my new favorite pastime, there are so many interesting people out there with wonderful stories.
Anyway, one afternoon, that is just what I was doing, blog scrolling when I happened upon Lit and Laundry's blog. Now, I am fairly new to this blogging business, but the first thing I noticed was she had a give-a-way on her blog.

She was taking part in the massive Bloggy Giveaway Carnival. Which, I discovered is a great effort to drive more traffic to your blog, and get more readers. People can visit your blog, see what you are giving away and can enter your contest by leaving a comment.

Here is what I won!! Troll Bags - 2 of them.
While visiting Lit and Laundry's blog, what caught my eye were these adorable troll bags that she makes herself. Now mind you, I had never heard of the Carnival, I just thought I would enter her contest because the bags were just so darn cute. They reminded me of the trolls my daughter had when she was little. The bags just sparked a memory of my daughter and her trolls. So I entered.
AND WON. I never win anything. But I WON.

Now, I have to say, winning is not everything. And in this case the bags alone were not the top prize. You see, the sweet lady of Lit and Laundry announced my winning on her blog. And the write up she gave of my blog was so special to me, it really touched my heart. Especially since I had just started writing by blog, and I really never thought anyone would care to read it but me. I want to share the kind words she wrote, so please go here and read the announcement. See how blessed I am? While you are there, check out her great blog. She is a great writer, and she has some darn cute kids. I have discovered we seem to have a lot in common, and I feel like I have met a new friend. Thanks again, Lit and Laundry.

And in case you are wondering what I am going to do with these great bags, I will tell you. First and foremost, I am wanting to get away from using those darn plastic bags from the grocery store. I just would rather not use the plastic ones...I am trying to go green in lots of areas in my life. You know, Save the Planet and all. Seriously, we all need to put forth more effort in that department. Anyway, these are perfect. Truth be told I really need about 20 of them. The quality is super, the craftsmanship in these bags are top notch. These totes are a great size for carrying groceries, books, my crochet and yarn......Oh, and you guessed it.....toting dogs.


See how roomy they are....Dora and Sophie fit nicely.


Sophie would like me to tell you how wonderful they are for a snugly nap mat. This was her one time shot at using this for a nap mat. I had left the room to answer my phone, and she wanted to try one out for comfort.

Sophie has decided that this is her personal bag to use for her nap. Sorry, Sophie, I hate to disappoint you but the bag is not for you.

Well, I wanted to share these cute troll bags with you, and share how cute my little dachshunds are. They look Adorable in the bright colored bags, don't you think?

I have learned through blog scrolling that the next carnival will be held October 27-30th. I will be participating in that give-a-way. In fact, I have already started working on my give-a-way item. It will be hand made by me. And no, I am not going to tell you what it is just yet. Sorry.
It's a secret....well not exactly a secret....but I'm not telling. Be sure to check back next month. I will remind you about the carnival and the give-a-way I will host on my blog. Maybe...if you look closely in this write up, you will find a hint hidden here about the prize I will be giving away.

Dora, on the other hand would like to say...forget the carnival. She will happily take the prize I am offering as her own.
Shame on you Dora, for sticking your tongue out at the nice people. Where are your manners!!
~Have a great week!

For the person who needs these words....
Love is like a puzzle. When you're in love, all the pieces fit but when your heart gets broken, it takes a while to get everything back together. ~Author Unknown

Vintage Thingies Thursday: Roosters & Chickens

It's another installment of Vintage Thingies Thursdays hosted by Confessions of an Apron Queen. If you have not checked it out on Lisa's blog, please do so. It's great fun.

This week: Something to crow about!!


This week I have a couple of favorites of mine. The first one is a magnificent rooster that watches over my kitchen. This wonderful creation was done by my Aunt LaVoice. She made this years ago, she made one for herself and one for her sister Joyce. This is the rooster that was in my Aunt LaVoice's kitchen for years. I can remember being a little girl and walking into my aunt's kitchen, this rooster was the first thing I always saw. He hung over her kitchen table and I always was intrigued by it.


I loved the colors, the craftsmanship and the way this picture came together with beans, popcorn, and seeds. Just look at the detail. Pure talent at its best to create something so full of character.


Of all my prized possessions, this picture is high on my list. When I look at this masterpiece, I can almost smell fish frying, and fresh tomatoes sliced ready to eat when I see this picture. Oh, and I can not forget the homemade french fries. Man, I loved those homemade fries my aunt made. You see, they were not the frozen packaged fries, these were homemade, and special. Yummy.
Funny, how that is what I remember when I think about eating at my aunt's house. My Uncle Noah frying mouth watering fish and those fresh tomatoes from my aunt's little tomato garden she had in her backyard. Oh, and the fries. Now my Uncle Noah was a talented man, and there was not anything that he could not fix or repair. But nothing could top his fish frying. I always thought my Uncle Noah could fry the best darn fish in this city. Believe me when I say the meals we had at my aunt's house, although they were not frequent, they were special.

Now these are a favorite of mine as well. You see, my Aunt Joyce is the chicken queen in our family. She has a set similar this which sets on her hutch in her kitchen. I found these one day several years ago in a local antique mall and they reminded me of the set my sweet aunt has.
I had to have them. You see, they just go with my rooster picture. I always have had a fondness for chickens, they remind me of the country and a simple life. These two chicken items also remind me of two dear ladies in my life and the childhood memories I have of each one of them.
And that my friends is the very thing that turns ordinary items into family treasures.
~Good Stuff