Lotsa Stuff

There is a sweet little shop here in Colborne ON., called Lotsastuff. I wander down every few days to see what's new. Mostly I browse but I have also bought some lovely treasures there as well. These birds just sang to me of the coming spring and as much as I dearly love winter, it has been a hard and sorrowful season this year and I need to hear my birds singing again.

I have a window in my kitchen that looks into the sunroom. There are shelves in the window and I am having a great time dressing the window for seasons and holidays. Upon entering the sunroom, it is one's first impression of the house and what can be found inside. One of my teacups suffered a tiny chip in the rim making it no longer safe to use so I put a tiny little hippopotomus figurine in it that my aunt gave me from a job lot she bought at the auction.

She bid on salt and pepper shakers and anything that didn't fit the bill, she gave to me. I also gleened this tiny kitten and it sits in what I believe is a sugar bowl. The bowl has been in my mother's cupboard since I can remember. I decided it needed to come out into the open where it can be admired. If anyone has any information about this dish, I'd love to hear from you.

I am looking for some beaded eggs I made to go into the display as well but they are lost at the moment from the move.

Winter is more than half over

We're being soaked with rain at the moment but that's not going to last for long. I actually prefer snow because it's dry and cold rather than wet and cold. Here are a few pictures I took in my backyard during the last big snowfall.



The screenroom was becoming less like a screen and more like a wall.



This is a picture of one of my favourite things about winter. Nature's balancing act. This twig is about the size of a pencil lead yet it can balance a fair amount of snow even in the blowing wind.



There is a huge old pine out in the yard. It served as a sort of umbrella while I was playing fetch with Brady. This picture was taken with me leaning against the trunk and looking straight up.



Check out the grin on Brady's face. This dog is not happy unless he's herding or fetching.



Here is a picture of the yard. It's so pretty. The barn in the background is not ours but belongs to our neighbour. That twisty looking bush to the left is a very old lilac. I imagine a nice reading bench parked right under it in the spring.

recipes worth trying

Some friends and I share recipes for a group cookbook. Some of us send in recipes in a "scrapbook" format. Although I can not share their recipes on my blog, I can certainly share mine. If you notice "hugs tato" on any of my posts it's because that's how I'm known to this particular group.

If you click on the image it should open large enough to read or print out if that is your pleasure. Please feel free to copy any of these pages but please don't publish them without my permission.


Let me know how you like any of the recipes you try from my blog.

My first quilt

I had completely forgotten about this quilt. It was made years ago for my youngest son. He's had it stuck in a box for years. When he moved out, he emptied all his boxes and washed everything in them ( while he still had the use of my washer and dryer) Anyway this is a twin size quilt and it now has a few holes in it but the pattern is pretty and I might try it again only this time on a bigger scale. I think the pattern is called twisted ribbon but I would need to check. It was also done before I had a walking foot for my machine and the back has a few spots where the fabric bunched. Still, it's wasn't bad for my first learning quilt.

Is there an end to this sadness?

This morning I was awakened to a call from my cousin. My uncle on my mother's side passed away last night at 72 years. He was my Godfather and I will miss him very much. My mother loved him dearly and although there is no way I can be happy that my mother is no longer here, I am grateful that she didn't have to deal with his death as I am sure it would have been too much for her after losing one of her sisters just three months ago.

I am now left with just two aunts from a closely knit family that has always been such a huge part of my life. In the last three months, I have lost my dog, my aunt, my mother and now my uncle. My remaining aunts, Sally and Suzanne are crushed. Especially since one lives in Newfoundland and the rest of the family has always lived in S. Ontario.

My cousins Valerie and Sherry will miss their father so much. He leaves behind, a wife, two daughters, six grandchildren and three great grandkids.

When my aunt Vickie died in November it was just a week past my losing Beulah, my beloved dog of almost thirteen years. Valerie lost her dog of seventeen years on the day that my mother passed.

At my mom's service, I invited guests to mourn not only for my mother that day but also for the other losses both past and future of family, friends and pets. My mom requested no funeral but family and friends gathered for a wake.

vintage advertizing

Here are a couple more vintage ads from those old magazines I was gifted. These particular ads come from BH&G April 1947.

Hmmm, just what every woman wants. A plastic apron! But how would you iron it? Ha, ha.






















My mother used to give me Milk of Magnesia but it wasn't for a facial. For some reason the link below doesn't want to open. Only half the address comes up but if you copy and paste the link into your address bar, you should get through.
http://www.old-time.com/commercials/1930's/Phillips%20Face%20Creams.html