I Wonder if My Great Grandma Knew What She Was Making

I come from a long line of amazingly creative women. From Great-Grandmas down to my Mom.

My Great-Grandma Palma, on my father’s side was only in my life for a short time. I believe she passed away when I was 7 and I only got to meet her a few times. Those few visits though inspired me greatly and were wonderful memories. She had a huge collection of salt and pepper shakers and other beautiful things that I loved to look at and made me want to start collecting antiques. She gave me quite a few of her salt and pepper sets that I still display in my home. She also gave me a very old miniature cast iron stove to use with my Barbies that my daughter now uses with her dolls. She crocheted doll dresses for me that my daughter also still uses.

My most loved gift from her though was my crocheted collars. She made me about 10 in all different colors. I wore them all of the time in elementary school. I thought they were the most extraordinary things! I began putting them on my own daughter when she was in Kindergarten and she thinks they are equally as cool as I do!

I wonder if my Great Grandma knew as she crocheted those little collars for me and gave me those little gifts that they would be with me forever and that I would pass them down to my own daughter. I wonder if she knew that she was making me more than a crocheted collar….she was making a piece of herself, a gift of love, that I can hold on to forever and spread her love to many more.

Iris wearing one of the crocheted collars to school today.

A close up of the collar

 

 

Show and Tell

I have always had a love for antiques. I love the history that they contain and that there’s a story behind them. I actively began buying antiques when I was a teenager but even as a young child I had a fascination with them. By no means am I buying expensive antiques. In fact I prefer items that show that they were used and loved. Today I thought I would share with you some of my favorites and the stories behind them!

The Wardrobe

The Wardrobe

This is the first antique I bought when I was 16 years old.  I bought it from a resale shop for $50. It was plain wood at the time and in semi-rough shape. I brought it home and restained and varnished it. It is a big, cumbersome piece and traveled with me to all my apartments and houses. My Dad hated this thing. He would spit and swear under his breath every time he had to help me move. My first house had a steep stairway leading upstairs and a narrow landing. In order to get it up to my bedroom this had to be hoisted up over the landing at such an angle. It got dropped once. My Dad said he would never move this thing again! It now resides in my daughter’s room and my Mom painted it for me.

The Iron Bed

The Iron Bed

I love old iron beds but could never afford one. They can be quite pricey. I spotted this one on the back of a guys pickup truck one day when I was in my early 20’s and out with my Mom. He had a lot of junk in the back of his pickup and I came to the conclusion he was collecting things to bring to a scrap yard. I instantly hopped out of my car and asked him what he was going to do with the bed. He looked at me in a confused manner and managed to let me know he didn’t speak English. I somehow was able to explain to him that I wanted that bed. I took out my wallet and offered him money for it but he just waved it off and unloaded the bed and put it in my car for me. The only problem was I still needed the bed rails for it too. Trying to explain bed rails to someone that doesn’t speak English is nearly impossible so I just started digging through his truck until I found them. This clearly goes down as one of my ultimate finds because it was free and was quite the adventure trying to get it! This was my bed for many years and now serves as my daughter’s bed.

The Hoosier Cupboard

The Hoosier Cupboard

I found this piece through a newspaper ad when I was 20 years old. It was advertised for $250. I took my brother along to come look at it with me. I instantly fell in love with it and offered $200. The lady selling it accepted my offer as she said her husband was making her get rid of it because it was too big. I estimate this piece to be about 100 years old. It has the original etched glass in it which is very hard to come by. This has always been my baking cupboard. It stores all my cake pans, measuring cups, spices, baking ingredients etc. It is absolutely one of my favorite things I own!

The Stove

The Stove

I found this Stewart stove at an estate sale with my Mom when I was in my early 20’s. It was in a basement hooked up and the owner said she still used it to do her canning on. I asked her if she wanted to sell it. She said yes but she would have to get $25 for it. In a blink of an eye I handed over the money. The thing about this stove though is that it weighs a ton! As I said it was in the basement so my Mom and I had to carry this thing up the stairs and then down the street to where I was parked. It was really insane when I think about it now. I have always had this sitting in my dining rooms as just a decoration basically. It serves no purpose. A few years ago I set it out to a rummage sale I was having and put $150 on it. A guy came and said he wanted it but he had to run to the bank quick and get the money. As soon as he left I got a sick feeling in my stomach and made a “sold sign” and put it on the stove. When the guy returned I told him someone else bought it and had given me the money and were just going to get their truck. Even though this stove is not an essential piece I just can’t part with it!

The Frames

The Frames

Throughout the years my Mom and I have found several different frames at rummage or estate sales. They are usually in pretty bad shape but cost no more than $5. Some of them even contain the old bowed out glass which I don’t think is made anymore. My mom fixed all of these up and through the years I have added them one by one to my living room wall. We have our wedding picture, all of the kids baby pictures and our family picture. These are by far my most cherished pieces!

I hope you enjoyed my Show and Tell today!

This Boy is Creepy

My 7 year old daughter’s room was becoming overrun with toys, papers and other things she has been hoarding. With the influx of new toys this past Christmas I told her we needed to go through her room and downsize. I went around her room and held up one item at a time and asked if we could keep it or get rid of it.

My 5 year old son Bency witnessed us doing this and although he is somewhat of a neat freak and keeps his room extremely tidy he thought this looked like fun and wanted me to join him in his room and do the same thing.

We both went and looked around his room and knew there was nothing there he would be willing to part with but then he thought for a minute and quickly ran and got a decoration off of his dresser.

He said “I definitely want to get rid of this! He stares at me all the time and it’s really creeping me out.”

Big Boy

I was shocked! I was floored! I just couldn’t believe it! My sweet Big Boy that I rescued from a garage sale 20 years ago for 25 cents. The symbol of a beloved restaurant franchise that went out of business in our town when I was in elementary school.

How could this cute little plastic boy be creepy?

Wait…why is he smiling? He does look like he’s up to something. Is he plotting a scheme? Why is he looking at me? Quit looking at me Big Boy!

Okay, Bency’s right. He is kind of creepy!

Cowboys Are Superheroes

When my now 5 year old son, Bency, was 2 ½ we moved him out of the nursery and into his own bedroom. He didn’t get a say in the decorating of his room because, well, he was 2 ½ and mainly because I love antiques, had a large collection of cowboy decor and had been waiting to have a boy so I could utilize my finds.

Boys these days don’t know much about cowboys. My generation knows a little about cowboys mainly because we grew up with 5 channels and occasionally an old western show or movie was the only option. My parent’s generation loved cowboys. I have pictures of both of my parents dressed up as cowboys as little kids.

My Dad on the far left with his brother in the middle

My Mom on the far right with her sisters. My Grandpa is peeking out the window!

Cowboys were the superheroes of their day. Cowboys were strong, rugged and calm under pressure. They could lasso a cow with precise aim and draw their guns and shoot their enemies in seconds. They were resourceful and not afraid of anything. They lived by their own law.

I don’t like science fiction. I like real stories. I like history. I would like to think we all learn from past accomplishments and mistakes and the people in our history have helped forge the path to help us become better people.

Cowboys weren’t perfect citizens. There was unneeded death, drinking and gambling. However, their story also reminds me that we as human beings are capable of living off the land, surviving outside with only a campfire, water and beans. We are capable of using our heads in the face of danger and we are strong and have amazing healing capabilities.

I recently asked my son if he wanted a new room. He has “real” interests now. He likes dinosaurs, zebras and superheroes. He said, “No, I love my cowboy room.” Bency doesn’t play cowboys. He doesn’t dress up and go around pretending to shoot people. He doesn’t don a bandana around his nose and mouth like his grandfather and pretend to rob a bank. I’ve read him stories from the old Gene Autry books I have and he’s watched a few westerns with his dad. He understands about cowboys but I didn’t think he loved them.

I guess I don’t go around dressed in a cowboy hat either and I don’t cook us beans in the backyard over a campfire. I would have no idea how to lasso a cow and I’m allergic to horses. That has not stopped me from loving cowboys. It’s a story and it’s real and it’s a comfort to know that we can all be superheroes if we have to because the cowboys showed us we have it in us.

Bency’s bed with an old chenille bedspread

Most of the stuff in his room is from rummage sales I had collected over the years

Bency is very protective of his “decorations.” He never plays with them and never lets anyone touch them!