Vintage Thingie Thursday: Vintage Farm Journal's Country Cookbook

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday. If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a "dog-gone" good time each and every week!!! If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so  please make sure you follow the instructions. 
Please only ONE link per week.    

One of my favorite things to look for when I go to estate sales is unusual cookbooks or cookbooks that have basic tried and true, down home cooking recipes! I found this one not too long ago and as I was thumbing through it, I know I had to have it!

Farm Journal's Country Cookbook was originally printed in 1959. In 1972 it was published again and promised to be a revised, enlarged edition by Farm Journal, Inc.  Trust me, there are 525 pages of amazing photos and recipes!

Here is the inside cover.....with a promise of more goodies to come!

Jellied Meat Molds.....ummm...I realize these were all the craze at one time, but I am sorry, I don't think I could even think of serving these types of dishes, much less eating them.

What I love about this book is all throughout there are check marks like this indicating a saved recipe. It always makes me wonder if it was a favorite with the previous owner of the book or did she mark the ones she had already cooked. There were lots marked in this book, so I tend to believe they must be all good!!

After all, with photos like this.....they'd have to be delicious...right?? Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday everyone!! Have a wonderful weekend.

A Real Live Boy.....Remembering Newman

Yesterday morning was much like any other Sunday morning around here. I got up, got something to drink and once I was dressed stopped off at the computer to read some blog post and check facebook before I started the day. I had lots to do, but still some things are a priority!!

I quickly noticed a post on my facebook by Nita over at Mod Vintage Life and it was titled My Heart is Dead......all I can say is from that second on, my day took a drastic turn and I spent most of the day grieving for this lady and her beloved pet. Everything just did not get done as I could not or would not do much as I felt such a lose and heartbreak for a blogging friend. I can hardly talk about it today, it has made my heart hurt so for I can relate on all levels. To lose a pet even in its old age is one of the hardest things to face, but losing one unexpectedly is something I pray never happens....but you just never know.

Please take a moment to stop by and leave a few kind words for Nita. Bless her heart, I have cried a river for her loss, and I know she must have cried an ocean. Newman was, like most pets so much more than just a pet, he was a piece of someones heart that can never be replaced. Nita's farewell post will touch the very soul of a pet lover....be sure to have a tissue as you read her tribute and story.

Newman....I believe you were a real live boy......as I have a real live girl who lives with me. You will be missed!!!

Nita, I along with Sophie, Dora and Bailey send warm hugs and comforting thoughts your way.

One Fine Blessing: Senior Birthday list for September!

This month we have a senior who will be turning 88 on her birthday, September 3rd. She lives in an assisted living place alone. It is my understanding she does not get hardly any visitors at all, not even from family. I am hoping her family just does not live close, but I don't know. All I know is she is there and alone. She is on a very fixed income with only her social security to pay her living expenses and just a tiny amount left over for the month for any extras like a coke from the vending machine or to get her hair done once in a while. It breaks my heart, but I know this is not an uncommon story for seniors today. Sad indeed.

So what a perfect candidate for some Birthday cheer and maybe a little surprise in the card!!! I will get mine in the mail this weekend, so I thought I had better get this post up too so we have time to make Mary Ellen's 88th birthday one she won't soon forget!!


Her birthday is September 3. She will be 88.

Mary Ellen Stone
c/o The Wesley House, Room 141
1102 S. Williams St.
Atlanta, Texas 75555

Thank you each and every one of you who take the time to send a card to our seniors. It means so much to them, in fact, more than we could ever know! I know the cards sent for our August birthdays are being received well, and I will have a post up about that in the 5th of September. I'd love to have more names to add to the list, and I know you may be tired of me asking, but if you know any seniors who we could add to the list, please let me know!! I am all about spreading a little cheer as far and as wide as I can and I know there are so many more that could use some of that very cheer!!

Have a wonderful week, and for those of you in the path of Irene, please know I am thinking of you and hope this is not as fierce as they predict!!

Five Minute Friday: Older.........

Today I'm linking up to Lisa-Jo aka the gypsy mama, who chooses a topic every Friday and writes for five minutes.

Only five minutes

And the rule is that whatever you write about in that five minutes is what you posts. No editing your thoughts. Today, her topic choice is "Older....."

Ready. Set. Go......

Funny, or not, how older is the topic today as I spent last evening thinking on this very thing. The past several months, I have decided that I don't like being older or shall we say, the age I am looming to be in the up and coming months. The dread of that number has been lurking in the back of my mind for a while, and it just is not too favorable to me. So I try and not think about it.

As a matter of fact, I was in a conversation with a relative yesterday and she had not remembered that this next birthday of mine was going to be the big 5-0 and she quickly told me I had better get going and enjoy these last seven months of my forties as I would never get them back. Well, just slam the door on my face, I thought. So I spent most of the evening thinking about this milestone that I have spent so much time fretting about. All of a sudden, I felt,  I have gotten not older, but old. After all, I spent most of my young life thinking fifty and over was just what old people were. Now I am that person....and how did that happen? Suddenly, several things began to become clear to me and these are things that I have just not thought about before.

For each and every second I have spent dreading this next birthday, was time wasted on enjoying the moment. Time I can not get back. Time that could have been better spent on happy thoughts and memories. Because honestly, looking back over the last year, there are not too many stand out memories to overshadow all the thoughts of gloom and doom that is sure to be coming. Talk about a wow moment.

I do know, older is harder. My younger days were spent ripping and running at both ends of the clock. Today, I can barely make it through the day and am worn out. Is it really physical or mostly mental? I think with all the dread in my mind....must be a little of both. Older requires more work on our parts. Work that needs to be done to keep in shape, work in choosing the right foods to eat, work in maintaining what we have instead of letting it waste away. Work that I clearly have just simply not done and must start doing if I just would like to maintain at least what I have today. Ideally, I'd much prefer to fall back to the days of ripping and running and never feeling an ache or pain but I know that is just not realistic. Accepting that fact is clearly something different and a motivator to improve for myself.

Older also requires a lot of acceptance of the things we can not change. Again, not easy for me. One of the big things I have trouble with is the fact my eyes are not as they used to be. It is rather a major inconvenience to remember to carry eye glasses every where I go or guess what?? I can not see......see well.  Most times than not, I can not see very well because I fight what is for today. Oh, how I wish when I was younger I had appreciated my good eyesight. I never, ever dreamed there would come a time in my life that I could not see well without glasses. Thus, I fight not wearing them, as I long for when I did not need them. Accepting and embracing this part of being older is not easy for me.

Older has left me longing for things that used to be, and I have completely lost focus on what is. I thought about lost time, time spent worrying over things I can not control. Time spent wishing for things that were, instead of embracing the things that are. Too much time fretting instead of actually living. That is really the only thing I can control. I need to change the way I view rounding that bend in the road that has the big old 5-0 lights flashing in my face. Older does not have to be gloom and doom at a dead end in the road, but instead a growth of opportunity to make the very most of what is left of the journey.

Talk about a swift kick in the backside.....I may have to tell myself that as long as I am seeing the next birthday, I am still here...no matter the number and that is a good thing! Famous words by the way, of my Aunt LaVoice who turned 82 yesterday......she certainly does not spend any time worrying about her age.....she inspires me to get with the program and stop worrying over something I can not change.

Although realistically, I long for our younger days, when I had a body  that had unlimited energy and could keep up with the energizer bunny. True joy comes in realizing the fact that older is not something I can avoid, only embrace and accept. In doing that, I will lose the dread and gloom and focus on the possibilities of lasting memories being made in the journey ahead of me.

I am not going to deny the fact I may wear sunglasses as that big old 5-0 sign comes flashing into view in a few months. I know it is coming and  I have to see it, but maybe I can block out the glare just a little bit!....Stop.

Vintage Thingie Thursday: Vintage Restaurant Ware

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday. If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a "dog-gone" good time each and every week!!! If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so  please make sure you follow the instructions. 
Please only ONE link per week.    

I have been working on rearranging some things around here lately and thought it was a good opportunity to show you a few of my well loved restaurant ware I have in my collection.

I just love this mug with all of its red floral design that just makes me smile. This Syracuse cup is heavy and reminds me of cups used in diners long ago.

I wish I could remember where I picked this plate up from, but I can  not. I do wish I would have found more than one, but one was all I found that day. This is another great restaurant plate that is really heavy. Funny thing is, when I find these restaurant ware plates, the first thing I notice is the size of these compared to the size of dinner plates today. These vintage ones are much smaller than the oversize ones we fill up today....no wonder we ( I ) have a weight problem. I have decided to start using these vintage plates and no refills!!

I love this old beat up platter. The navy floral design is just stunning. The pattern is called Daisy. I know it has a lot of wear and tear but that only adds to its charm for me.

I wonder, if I am the only one with a passion for old restaurant dishes??? Surely, I could not be alone!!

Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday!!! Have a great week ahead!!

Senior Birthday August Update!!!!

If you have signed up for the Birthday mailing here at Coloradolady for the Birthday greetings for seniors, please check your email. I have added one more name for the month of August.

Also, I would love it if you know of a senior having a birthday now through the end of the year. I'd love to add them to the list and send lots of greetings to their mailboxes this year in celebration of their big day. Please email me at onefineblessing (at) yahoo (dot) com Thanks again!!

Begging Quilt Blocks - Block By Block

Block by block, my quilt top is coming together! Over the weekend, I got a bright idea of taking a photo of each block and uploading it to a flicker account. That little idea took several hours to complete and boy, was it a job.

The idea was, if you cared to look at the blocks individually, and find some of the fabrics you donated for this project, there would be a place to see the closeups of the blocks. I have decided that there is no way a photo of a completed quilt would ever show each tiny block in detail!!

I will say this, there is a LOT OF PINNING of these blocks together before I sew them. Don't know what I was thinking as I really am not too fond of the pinning part at all. My husband asked me why I don't just sew them and not worry about pinning....said as far as he was concerned, it would all be the same anyway.....**** crickets chirping*****...........too bad I did not think of that......Thanks dear, but no.......

I do a lot of thinking while I do all that pinning of the blocks, and I have decided I am going to try and see if I can get one of my blogging buddies who does long arm quilting to quilt this for me. It is totally a blogging family quilt, so I think it is appropriate to have a blogging friend quilt it. Hopefully, that will work out!

The following is a link to the Begging Quilt Blocks flicker account. Take a moment if you wish to scroll through all of the blocks. I will say this, I should have pressed them before I took the photos of the blocks, but thought about that when I was almost done.....so excuse the not perfectly pressed blocks!! Feel free to leave comments on the blocks you find your fabrics in.....that would be so fun to see!!!

Begging Quilt Blocks, a set on Flickr.

* In case you are not familiar with Flicker, click on the block on the left, it will make it larger, then at the top right of that block is an arrow to see each one individually. There is also a slideshow option at the top of the page, click that and the slideshow will start. Enjoy! And have a great day!!

An Over Worked Bird Bath!

This summer the bird bath has been working overtime!! The heat has been a major inconvenience for man and beast of all types. During the day, I have noticed lots of cardinals and birds stopping by our backyard for a drink and a swim. I even have a couple of squirrels that stay close to a small bird bath I have by a large oak tree. I keep them filled and cleaned with fresh cool water, or at least as cool of water I can in the hundred degree heat.

But the real show is not going on during the day, but right at dusk and into the darkness.

Every evening, we have anywhere from five to six of these adorable owls dropping by for a drink and a cool bath. These little owls are so speedy and quiet, it is almost like they are just appearing from thin air into the bird baths. One night, I was watering what is left of my flowers, and passed by this particular bird bath, there was a swooping of air that caught my shoulder and I looked around and an owl landed right on the perch of the bath and just looked at me. It happened so quickly, I did not have time to think to be frightened.

I quickly went to get my camera, and sat in a lawn chair and started snapping away. There were five that night that enjoyed the fresh water as we sat and watched. Funny, they really are not too scared of us at all. We sat about 8 feet from the bird bath at best, and just watched. We have really enjoyed them this summer....oh, and in case I forgot to mention, we live slap dab in the middle of a big ole city, not in the country where one might expect to see such wonders......so the fact that these owls come to our yard for water is a wonderful occurrence to say the least. Sometimes, it almost seems like a scene from Harry Potter, right in our own back yard.......and that is a wonderful thing on a hot summer evening.