Five Minute Friday: Color

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 "Color....."
Ready. Set. Go......

Today's prompt was right on target for what had been on my mind all week. It has been a busy week with lots of things packed into each day and it all seems to have passed in a blur. When I think about that and how the week has played out, what comes to mind most is the fact that it seems to all have taken place not only in a whirl wind fashion but in black and white as well.

Not literally in black and white of course, but as an example of living life too fast. It is trying to get so much done in a short amount of time. It is being so busy that all the fun stuff is lost in the stress, and most of the week passes in a black and white blur. Simply no color to be found. Where has the joy gone in seeing all the beauty in every moment...the color of life. It has been replaced by a fast forward button like that on a old tape recorder and we are missing all the color and only seeing the blur.

Unfortunately, most of this year is much of the same, a black and white blur. If I had to pick several defining moments of this year and list them, it would be most difficult. It has already passed at warped speed, time gone and not to be retrieved later. The colored pages of my life overlooked and blown away like dried leaves on an fall day.

If you look around and notice, this time of year especially, there is color all around us. Beautiful colors that bring out the magic and the best in people's hearts. It is not the fact we don't know that the colors are there, we are just too busy to see them for what they really are. A brilliant display of love and hopefulness in our lives. Time to slow that fast forward button down and just let life play.....see the colors of everyday and the gifts they are.

What about you?? Are you seeing in black and white these days or in color?? Think about it.... STOP.

Vintage Thingie Thursday: Vintage Fruitcake Card and Memory

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. 

This week, I want to share a Christmas card that was found in my grandma's cookbook. She kept it, and I believe it was sent to her from one of her cousins. It sits in my grandma's china cabinet this holiday season.

I love the front of this card, shows a cute kitchen scene with a fruitcake for the holidays.

On the inside is a fruitcake recipe. This is not the one my grandma used, but she did save this one. I love it.

My grandma always made fruitcake around Thanksgiving and she would wrap it up and she stored it in the hot water heater closet until Christmas. I don't recall liking fruitcake as a child and I am quiet sure I don't care for it today either. I took her old recipe, (not this one) but her original recipe and thought I'd dip my hand in making this Christmas treasure.

My vintage Soreno Anchor Hocking aquamarine mixing bowl works great for holding all of this candied fruit. Uggh....what a sticky mess! Trust me!

Now, I love raisins by themselves. I can not stand them mixed with or in other things. See the small ones on the right...that is dried currants.....and oh. the. smell. And not in a good way to me!

This is candied ginger. Now a small bottle of this at Walmart was over $10.00. A quick trip to Central Market and I got what I needed for $1.26. Speaking of Central Market, I needed some Mace spice.....expensive! At central market, it was $46.99 per pound. Luckily what I needed only cost me only 46 cents.

Add the nuts and rest of the goodies and this is what you have.......except for the most special ingredient.... BRANDY

Here is is all ready to rest for 24 hours....soaking up the Brandy......Oh. The. Smell. I don't drink and don't like the smell....this was quickly covered with plastic wrap and left alone until the rest of the steps took place and baked.

So there you have it, a vintage bowl holding ingredients from a vintage recipe that holds lots of memories. However, I won't be eating any of this...I don't like fruitcake..... What about you?? Is it one of your holiday favorites or something you'd rather not see.... or ahem...smell!