Time passes and children grow up

Many years ago when our grand kids were tiny I found a dollhouse at an Estate sale.  It was a bit beat up, obviously well loved by the grandchildren of the lady of the house.  I rolled it to my car and cleaned it up at home. There were some furnishings; a couple of beds, a cast iron stove, kitchen table and chairs, living room set and a claw foot tub!  It was something the kids would play with whenever they came over and I added pieces whenever I saw something of the right scale.  I got a picture for over the fireplace and at Christmas I had a tree and lights. 

One summer I used a cross cut slice of the pine tree we removed as an outdoor "patio" for the house and added Adirondack chairs, a picnic table, green grass and a fire pit.  There was a stuffed RV with tiny people driving it too!

 The house has been sitting for awhile, the grand kids on to more grown up entertainment so this week I called the family across the street and asked if they would like it.  Her three are all under 9 years old and it was a great hit!  So the happiness is passed on to another family.

Made for Travel

In my 40's I travelled a lot for work and spent many hours on airplanes at a time when the last few rows were for the smoking section and you could run through the airport at the last minute and when you arrived home someone could be waiting for you at the gate.

Another offering of those days were gifts in flight, particularly on international flights where you could shop duty free.  I bought this clever makeup kit on one of those flights.  It had everything needed to look presentable when you landed; blush, powder, eye shadow, lipstick, eyebrow pencil, brushes and a mirror.  It all slid together into a compact case with a gold-toned clasp. 

It was well used and probably earned several thousand airline miles of its own in those years.  These days, I rarely use any makeup and carry more tools for aches and pains than for beauty. Au revoir glamour kit!

Last load

Today, the Maytag washer my ex-in-laws got me for college was pronounced DOA at age 44.  The drum pads wore out and the base is flexing and that base part is no longer available, so I’ll be buying a new washer.  The repairman was younger than the washer.  He suggested I put it out on eBay as a vintage item!  I can't recall ever having it repaired before.  Good bye to an old reliable machine.

Post script:  I nursed this great machine through March of 2020 when being cooped up at home I just ordered a replacement (another Maytag) online and had it delivered.  This one was hauled away.

Stitching memories

I learned how to sew in Colorado in 6th grade Home Economics.  We traced concentric circles and square mazes with a treadle sewing machine.  I think I made an apron.  From then on, I began sewing my own clothing and I still have the machine I received as a high school graduation present.  Throughout my 20's I made most of my own clothing for school and work and when my son was born, I made many sets of overalls and shorts with deep pockets for him.  I made matching warm up suits for the whole family (big fail!) and Halloween costumes. 

My career took me travelling and I spent many, many hours on airplanes.  Cross-stitch was sewing I could do while flying and I collected patterns over the years. 

This group of booklets reminds me of the baby clothes I embroidered with the "Alphabet Children" and the store-bought sweater I embellished with embroidery. 

The Cactus design I used to embroider some squares for a quilt that one of my aunts put together for my Grandmother Mary Emery Schwab. 

My eyesight isn't great anymore for counting the tiny squares involved in cross-stitch.  You'll find me coloring digital paint by number pictures now on my Google Chromebook.  Time marches on.

China Doll

A beautiful gold and white porcelain tea pot, it's spout tipped up like a lady's left hand with the handle her other hand on her hip, her gown scattered with golden leaves.  I got this as a gift from either my mother-in-law or her mother-in-law to go with the teacup collection they gave me over the years. 

And then several years ago in the Spring of 2008, my friend participated in a fundraiser for a theatre group.  The group was hosting a fashion show of theatre costumes by local smart set ladies during a elegant luncheon with the teapots filled with flower arrangements as centerpieces.  I donated it for the occasion and it was auctioned off with the other ones to a lovely home I hope.  My dear friend cared for the donated teapots before the event, arranging them in on the shelves in her garden room window, like these on display at the Juliette Gordon Low museum in Savannah, Georgia that I visited in June of 2009.

teapots on display at Juliette Gordon Low museum

A memory of holidays past, where tea was served after dinner with dessert in delicate china tea cups to guests full from dinner, settling their digestion with a bit of sweets and hot sips. 

Lacy underthings

slips, teddies, lacy underthings

Coming to terms with what I *really* look like vs what my mind tells me--what no longer fits, both physically and in my imagination.  These lacy things I' been gifted or bought as a gift for someone else to enjoy seeing me in.  They made me feel pretty, the silky full slip creating visions of Stella in "Streetcar Named Desire", the teddy's either Victoria's Secret model or Rocky Horror Picture show, take your pick. 

Desktop Detris

Desktop Detris

I've been lax on posting about items I've gotten rid of over the past.  I have several pictures to catch up on.

This group of items were in my home office and have now gone on to better adventures.  The saying about work was a picture given me by an employee I supervised in the 80's.  She was quiet spoken and recognized I was living at work.  Unfortunately, I struggled to get my priorities straight and lived at work until I was laid off.

The Creative Whack Pack was a clever deck of cards to inspire innovative thinking and problem solving.  I think I might have used it to inspire writing but more importantly it helped expand my thinking about what I could do and how to do it.  The Maxine button was a little giggle that always made me smile!  The aqua mermaid was a gift from a work friend that was given one Christmas to honor the feminine side and the little hands clip a way of lightening up those stacks of papers everywhere. 

The picture of sandhill cranes I picked up on my first visit to the fields in Wilcox, Arizona with my girlfriend and my nieces. A special memory of a trip we took before I met my future husband.  It still confounds me how little pieces of my past persist into the present.