Cul-de-sac Shack is dedicated to all things mid-century. From my house, to interesting things I find, all will be shared here!
Follow along as I restore my small Ranch House to it's 1958 glory!
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A lady at my church knows how much I love vintage goodies. We are usually at the same estate auctions, and spend a lot of time chatting with each other while waiting for the items we want to be sold. Recently she told me she had a set of glasses she wanted to give me, so I went by and picked them up. What she gave me are these six gold leaf beauties.
The design on them is attractive, and in great condition overall. The only problem is, I don't know who made them or what the pattern name is, if it has one. I know there are some collectors of glassware that follow my blog, so today I'm asking you to take a look at these and see if you can tell me anything about them.
Some of my huge collection of vintage Pyrex was put to good use for Christmas. I'm not a great cook, unless you want boxed macaroni and cheese and frozen pizza for Christmas dinner. So, I took some of my vintage Pyrex over to Mom and Dad's and Mom put it to good use. Here it is in action!
Can you spot it all?
First up, corn casserole in a 2.5 quart Golden Poinsettias promotional.
Next, hot rolls in a 404 4 quart Golden Leaf promotional.
Finally, broccoli and rice casserole in a 2 quart Holiday Casserole promotional.
On this, the day of our Savior's birth, I wish you a very Merry Christmas. May you and your family know true peace and happiness today. If you are traveling today, I pray for travel mercies for you.
Where ever you may be, Rejoice! For today is the day our Savior came into this world to save us all!
Luke 2: 1-14 NIV
The Birth of Jesus
1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register. 4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels
8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord.12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
I don't usually have time to put Christmas decorations up until after I get out for Christmas break. That trend held true this year. So, I didn't go overboard decorating. Just a few things in the dining room and I called it good. So, here they are:
Pretty simple this year. I just got the aluminum 4 foot tree at an auction this fall. It was $35 (which is more than I normally spend, but much cheaper than antique store prices). It is decorated in vintage red and gold ornaments in honor of Pittsburg State's national championship victory. I have filled a couple of Pyrex bowls with ornaments (the green dot square bowl was part of my Christmas present from Mick over at Everyone Goes to Mick's). I also had to put up my ceramic tree. Aside from some small pieces, that's it! Merry Christmas!
I have made it a tradition here on the blog to share the same post each Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Here is this year's Christmas Eve post, along with today's carol, Silent Night.
Tonight we continue family tradition, heading to church for Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion at 6:00 which always ends with the congregation holding candles and singing Silent Night. Then we're heading over to Grandma's house for dinner afterward. We have done this all of my life. Grandma's now 91 years old, and we provide the food instead of her, but we still meet at her house.
This year's version of Silent Night is sung by the amazing Susan Boyle. I absolutely love listening to her sing.
Today's song, Home for the Holidays, is the fun version that T-Mobile used for their big Christmas production this year. Something about this song makes me feel so relaxed. This version was beautifully put together. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I don't know how many times I have watched it since I first came across it a couple of weeks ago.
I love singing this song in church each year. Then again, I love singing Christmas songs each Sunday during the Christmas season. Today's version of Angels We Have Heard on High is sung by David Archuleta. Enjoy!
This past Saturday, my alma-mater, Pittsburg State University of Pittsburg, KS, won the Division II NCAA National Football Championship. I want to take a moment to congratulate the Gorillas and share some Gorilla pride! Below is the video of the celebrations in Pittsburg when the team arrived home Saturday evening. I was in Pittsburg a few hours before to pick up my national champions shirt, but other commitments kept me from being able to join in the celebrations. Oh well. It looks like it was an exciting gathering!
Here's a pic of me with one of my coworkers wearing our new Gorilla gear to work on Monday. The quote in smaller print at the bottom of the shirts says "Not too bad for a team picked 5th in the conference."
I am celebrating the first day of Christmas vacation by sharing one of my absolute favorite Christmas songs with you. I have loved Carol of the Bells for so long. I have yet to find a version that I don't care for. Today I'm sharing a few different versions. First, something from my rock n' roll side, a version by August Burns Red. What a great beat!
Next, a more traditional version by the Vienna Boys Choir. I absolutely love this version!
Third is this unreleased version by Thrice. This just might be my favorite of all.
It's the last day of school this year! On this day the teachers are just as excited as the kids!
Today's song for Carol Countdown is Bing Crosby's "Mele Kalikimaka". Ah, spending Christmas in Hawaii, what a wonderful thought! If I did that I might never come home though. So, in Missouri I will stay!
Merry Christmas - or should I say - Mele Kalikimaka!
I'm finally starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel - until January 2 at least. A day and a half, and Christmas vacation will begin. To count down the days until Christmas, I'm sharing some Christmas songs. I'm starting the party out with The Muppets singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" (last night's post was an "oops! clicked on the wrong button!" post - so, you get an extra song this week). I love this version because of the little extras that Miss Piggy puts in during the verse about figgy pudding. Piggy pudding? Ha!
I hope you all are enjoying the Christmas season and are not too rushed. Don't forget to sit back and remember the real reason for this season!
I can't believe that it has been six months since our neighbors in Joplin endured that horrific tornado. Rebuilding has begun, and parts of Joplin are starting to look normal as business are reopening in new buildings. Here's a music video on the Miracle of Human Spirit shot using video from the Joplin tornado. Have a great day!
15 years ago today, on November 13, 1996, my grandma (Granny) passed away. I can't believe that she has been gone more than half of my life! If she were alive today she would be 92 years old. I miss you, Granny.
Also, I would like to apologize for my prolonged absence. I have been given extra duties at work which often have me working 12 hour days. By the time that I drive 30 miles home, all I want to do is eat dinner and go to bed. I promise that I haven't forgotten you all, and that I will be back soon with new posts.
On this tenth anniversary of the terrible events in New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania, I am keeping things simple. Here's a little classic Kate Smith singing the classic "God Bless America" and Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA." Also, I feel that the iconic Budweiser Clydesdale commercial from the 2002 Super Bowl is appropriate to share as well.
In the few minutes of spare time I can squeeze in, I read young adult books so that I can make recommendations to my middle school students. I usually enjoy these easy, fun reads. Occasionally I come across one that I don't get in to, but overall they are pretty good.
This weekend, I read a book that I purchased at the school book fair last week. The Limit by Kristen Landon is set in a world much like our own. However, the government has set up debt limits for each family. If your family goes over their limit, several options exist. One of these options is that the oldest child is taken to a workhouse where they are educated and work to help repay the debt their parents have created. This is the option that is chosen for the main character, Matt.
I'm not going to give anything else away. If you are curious, check the book out. Overall, I would give the book an A-. The book kept my interest and I finished it quickly, which is a good thing. Occasionally I have a book that I nearly have to force myself to pick up. However, while the book is good, it is not as good as some books that I have read, thus the A- scoring.
Check out the book trailer below:
And, if you want to know what the very best young adult book that I have ever read is, check out this video:
I plan to periodically provide updates on the rebuilding of Joplin after the devistating EF5 tornado took out a huge chunk of the city on May 22. Here's a video from earlier this week about a business that has completely rebuilt and is open again in their former site, all in three months.
It has been quite a summer as the efforts of clean up and then the beginning of the rebuilding efforts have begun. However, I am proud to claim this part af the country. The people have been upbeat and positive throughout the summer. They are so appreciative of all the volunteers, and the transformation since May 22 is nothing short of a miracle. I am excited to share that Joplin is beginning to rebuild! Even after losing several schools, they were able to renovate existing spaces in the city over the summer and begin school on time. Sometime soon I will share a video of the new 11th and 12th grade high school building - it's in an empty department store!
So, here's the video of perhaps the first business to have rebuilt and reopen in the same location:
So, what happens when a teacher has a little time at home alone (like about 2 weeks over the summer - and you all thought we got three months).
Well, this teacher had too much time to check eBay for Promotional Pyrex goodies! Here's what a little time searching and several clicks of the mouse landed me:
Let's see, top to bottom: an 8 inch square baking pan. I have never seen one with a straight gold line on it before. The gold line is on all four sides. Next, a Holiday 1960 promotional 2 quart casserole, and lastly a 1959 Golden Tulip promotional 2 quart casserole.
Next up, a 1.5 quart Empire Scroll (Vines) promotional casserole and a 2.5 quart Charcoal Snowflake casserole.
Top: a yellow Desert Dawn pie plate, a 2.5 quart black and white casserole which I do not know the name for. However, it is very similar to the 2.5 quart Gourmet promotional casserole. This piece had its original stand. I have been wanting this piece for a long time, and finally a good deal came my way on eBay. It has it's original lid and cradle. The best part about this piece is that it is Delphite (blue) Pyrex, which has been painted white on the outside and then had the gold decoration painted on.
But wait, there's more! Once again, top to bottom: a 1959 Compass promotional divided server, a Musical Staff promotional baker (not in the best shape) and lastly, a Spring 1958 promotional piece - Rooster Black 2 quart baking dish with a cork handled cradle.
Wow! Eleven new pieces, most of which are promotional pieces. Nine of them came from eBay, two of them (the yellow pie plate and the red Holiday casserole) were local purchases. I call that success!
However, I must do something to curb this addiction...
No, they aren't mine. I don't know the people selling them. But, it sure was fun looking up all the old AMC's! I thought since I did the AMC post yesterday, I'd follow up for Friday with a little eye-candy that you could put in your own driveway if you so desire. FYI - I do not gain any profit for sharing these with you, nor do I gain any profit if you purchase one of these cars or anything else from clicking into eBay this way.
I don't know why I am so fascinated with American Motors. I have always been a huge GM fan. I love my Buick. Maybe it's the company name: American Motors. No question about it, they are American cars. They lasted through most of the 1980s, before they finally bacame part of Chrysler. The only nameplate to survive from American Motors it Jeep.
So, today, enjoy these two fun videos on 1966 American Motors.
Comparing an American Motors vehicle to a Cadillac? Yes, they did!
Oddly enough, I really like this 1966 Rambler Classic Wagon. It's styling is attractive and not awkward like AMC vehicles became in the 1970s (although I do like their 1970s designs, they just weren't well thought out for main-stream car buyers in my opinion).
Of course I can't mention Rambler and Cadillac in a post without also sharing this fun video of the Playmates song Beep Beep (The Little Nash Rambler) as sung by a Cadillac and a Rambler.
Just wondering if I'm the only person having issues with Blogger on commenting on other people's posts? Of course, if there is an issue for everyone, you won't be able to comment here... HMMM....
It keeps wanting me to choose my profile, and won't accept that I'm logged in to Blogger already. I have had this issue in the past, and it has been my computer. I normally run CCleaner and it cleans the junk off my computer and I am able to comment again, but that hasn't helped this time.
Any suggestions?
** After a little more digging, this appears to be an issue with Internet Explorer. When I use Firefox, I can comment all that I want. Any suggestions on getting IE to let me comment again?
Mick's girlfriend, Patricia, with the Chicken Annie's sign
In my recent post about Mick's visit, I mentioned that we had dinner at Chicken Annie's. JKaye asked for more information on Chicken Annie's, and I'm always happy to share my favorite restaurant with people!
The following information came from the Chicken Annie's Girard webpage, which is a secondary location of the restaurant.
"The History of Chicken Annie's
Ann Frances Rehak met Charlie Pichler in 1914, when she left home to do the housework at the Pichler's. In the early 1900's the only work available to young ladies was housework. Ann and Charles were married on April 28, 1917.
They started their married life in a three-room house in Yale, a mining camp called No. 13, five miles north of Pittsburg and 31/2 miles east. Charley was a miner and worked in several of the area mines. Out of this union, four children were born: Ann Irene, Wilma, Carl, and Louella.
Charley was in a mine accident in March 1933 at 24 Western. He was severely injured, one leg was crushed and the other had to be amputated below the knee. It was now up to Annie to become the breadwinner of the family. For a short while she worked as a seamstress for the WPA, which was a government project during the depression. Then she started selling ham and veal cutlet sandwiches for 15¢ and home-brew. This was during prohibition days and many of the foreigners made their own wine, whiskey, and home-brew.
Ann started serving chicken dinners in a small way in 1934. In the beginning she raised her own chicken, but as the demand became greater, she purchased chickens from neighboring farms. She also raised peppers and pickled them. Her chicken dinners consisted of three pieces of chicken, German potato salad, cole slaw, a strip of pickled pepper, a slice of tomato, and bread, all for 75¢. All of the preparation of the food was done by hand -- the chickens were slaughtered, dressed, and breaded. While Anne took care of the purchasing, cooking, finances, etc., Charley did some of the preparing of the food and was also the bartender and cashier.
The road leading off the highway to get to Chicken Annie's was a dirt road -- in the winter and during rains, huge ruts formed and made traveling difficult, but it didn't seem to deter customers. In fact, many made the remark they enjoyed the drive into the country as it was like coming home.
The Restaurant became known as Chicken Annie's at the suggestion of Dr. Scott, from Fort Scott. Saturday nights were quite lively as the customers not only enjoyed their meal, but also could drink beer and dance to the jukebox. As the business grew the little three-room house had to be remodeled and several rooms were added. People would come out and had to wait, with the picnic tables and big yard, they didn't mind.
In 1961, Annie and Charley retired, passing the business on to their daughter, Louella, and her husband Louis Lipoglav, and their son, Carl and his wife, Rosemary. By 1972, the country home was no longer adequate for the prospering business. A new building was built down the street from the old Pichler house. Carl and Rosemary left the Chicken Annie's Original to help their son, Anthony, establish Pichler's Chicken Annie's, located south of Pittsburg. In 1971, Louis and Louella purchased the Girard location formally known as the "Sunflower Tavern & Chicken Dinners" in Ringo from Louis's mother, Mary Pistotnik.
On May 10, 1978, Charley died and Annie passed away on September 25, 1991, leaving the family tradition to their children and grandchildren."
Chicken Annie's was featured on The Travel Channel's show Food Wars about a year and a half ago. There is another chicken restaurant, Chicken Mary's, that sits 300 feet from Annie's. I'm not discussing Mary's, as I am an Annie's die-hard.
Anyway, I wanted to find a video from Food Wars to embed in my post, but the video isn't available to embed. To see some of the best fried chicken you will ever find in your life, check out this link to the Food Wars video on Chicken Annie's.
** Edit 7/21/2011 12:00PM **
I found the video in an embedable version! See it below!
Enjoy! Now I'm going to have to drive a half hour to get some of the best fried chicken ever!
Recently when I shared my latest Hull finds, suzieQ asked how I go about removing those nearly impossible calcium deposits, which were pretty bad on the pink Hull bird planter.
I failed to get a before picture of the planter, but the build-up was some of the worst I have ever come across.
To remove the deposits, I needed a few things. First, my nice deep kitchen sink. Second, a bottle of CLR cleaner. Third, a magic eraser. Lastly, plenty of water.
I stopped up the sink, poured a decent amount of CLR in, and filled it up with nice hot tap water. Finally, I put the piece to be cleaned in. Make sure there is enough water in the sink to cover the piece you are cleaning. I let the piece sit in the cleaner for quite a while (I don't remember exactly how long, it was somewhere between 12 and 24 hours). Keep checking the piece periodically and rubbing the areas of concern with the magic eraser. The calcium will rub off eventually!
Hopefully you have a nice double-bowl sink like me, so that you still have use of at least part of your sink.
Good luck!
P.S. Next time, I will try to remember to get pictures of the whole process. I realize this post is rather boring without any photos.
The Saturday of Mick's visit we visited several antique malls and flea markets, scouring them for great mid-century deals. I've really been cutting back lately, so my purchases were on the light side. Still, I found some great things!
Planters! Who would have guessed?! LOL! The little grey one sits on my bathroom counter, and is the container that gets to hold my watch, ring, and bracelet at night. The pink piece is a fixture on my dining table, and the orange planter is adding some color to my coffee table, along with the green planter that Mick brought me.
The things that weren't planters were kitchen things. I picked up two Marcrest Daisy Dot dinner plates for $1.98 each for my sister who collects it at the D.A.V. Thrift Store, the chrome Penguin hot/cold server for $3.00 at an antique mall / flea market, and the two little oblong blue Pyrex 700 pieces were $5.99 for the pair at an antique mall.
I was very excited about the Penguin server, as I now have one in chrome as well as the rare copper colored one that I picked up last fall.
Remember my posts about preparing for company? I kinda didn't mention who was coming. So, here he is (and his girlfriend!). Mr. Mick of Everyone Goes to Mick's and his girlfriend Patricia.
We had a wonderul time visiting and going to dinner at Chicken Annie's on Friday evening.
On Saturday morning, bright and early we were up going out to hit up the local antique shops and flea markets. I found some great pieces that I'll share with you tomorrow. We finished our time together by going to watch Cars 2 at the local drive-in theater. It was a blast! I certainly look forward to future visits from them!
Mick even came with some gifts! Take a look at this awesomeness!
The school sign from the schoolhouse on the set of Tom Sawyer. Mick named the school after the one-room school that my grandma taught in back in the 1940s. He also brought a great green planter (as many of you know, I have an ever growing collection of planters - they have so many uses!), a stone that he hand painted and has a little picture of his cabin, a postcard for the Glenn Miller Band, and an avocado green Ice-O-Mat to go with my avocado green kitchen.
Thanks for coming to visit, Mick! Y'all come back now, ya hear?
We all have that piece of furniture in our homes that is our absolute favorite. Many of you have pieces of Hey-Wake that most likely is your favorite piece of furniture. While I have a beautiful Hey-Wake bedroom set that I do love, it isn't my favorite. My favorite is my little drop-leaf Duncan-Phyfe style dining table and chairs.
While most mid-century lovers go crazy over blonde furniture, I have filled my house with dark wooden furniture. Mahogany is my absolute favorite. That love of dark wood furniture combined with my love of having my home be a little more formal in appearance makes my Duncan-Phyfe style dining set a natural choice. It took a while to find the right piece. The dining room in the Shack is 8' by 8' approximately; not exactly the kind of space to hold a large dining set.
The set that I finally purchased for $125 is a small set that fits perfectly in the space. The home it came out of was a 1950s ranch with a similar sized dining room, and it was perfect in there. I purchased it from the lady who accidentally bought it at the estate auction (don't ever raise your hand to wave at someone while there is bidding going on - it can be costly!).
I love the formality of the legs on the table, and the fact that it is a drop-leaf. When you need to seat large numbers of people, you can. When you just need a place for one or two, leave it folded up and push it over to the wall, giving a small space a larger feel.
While I like the lyre-back style chairs most frequently associated with this style of table, I like that this set has a little bit of a modern feel. Since it is from the 1950s, the chairs have a much more simple shaped back. Perfect for my taste. The dark reddish-brown fabric on the chairs is original. I'd say that the original owner hardly ever used this set.
Finally here is a little more of a view of the dining room. Please ignore the boxes stored in the corner on the left. I always bring my personal posessions home from school for the summer so that they don't accidentally disappear, and this corner was the only place I had to put them.
What's your favorite piece of furniture in your home?
Last fall several people were sharing pictures of the kitchens in their mid-century homes. I finally got around to taking pictures of mine. Considering the room is approximately 8' by 10', there is only one angle that you can really see it from.
My house is an open-concept floor plan, which for this area, was very ahead of it's time when the house was built in the late 1950s. My living room, dining room, and kitchen are all one big open area, seperated by a couple of half-walls.
Since the living room is done in the colors of avocado green, burnt orange and brown, the kitchen and dining room are in keeping with this. I painted the two walls in the kitchen a color from Sherwin Williams called "Brassy" which really looks like good-old avocado to me. I love the way it looks.
Here's the view from the living room.
And the view from the hallway.
Looking from the hallway through the kitchen, dining room and living room toward the door to the garage.
One last view of the kitchen. Small but efficient!
I had today's post all written and scheduled to be published when I came across this video. I felt this was a great way to go with today's post. Enjoy this video of soldiers reuniting with their families. Being a teacher, the clips with kids (and there are many) really got to me. Be warned - you will cry.
Have a great 4th of July! The post that I shared yesterday was the original post I had created for today. If you didn't see it, check it out - it's Kate Smith singing The Star Spangled Banner.
I'll end today with a quote from one of my favorite presidents. "America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand." ~ Harry S Truman.
Always remember - there is NO period after the S in Harry S Truman. The S is actually his middle name. There's a bit of trivia for ya!
Enjoy this recording of the classic Kate Smith singing The Star Spangled Banner. Of course, the pitcure of Rosie the Riveter is perfect for this video. What's more American than that?
Wishing you and your family a beautiful holiday as we celebrate our nation's birth! Have fun and be safe!
I've recently acquired a few new pieces of Hull. A three piece set of birds - Swans? in a green finish, and a pink bird planter that I haven't come across before. The green set is like new, but the pink piece needs some elbow grease. It was used for a long time and has some calcium deposits and paint specks on it. Still, I love the shape! Anybody else ever come across a Hull piece like the pink one?
I love these old car commercials that are constantly being added to YouTube. The first one is for my favorite car of all time, the 1957 Chevrolet. This is an ad for the extra-cost TurboGlide transmission. Ah, what I'd give to have one of those sitting in the driveway of the Shack!
While the convertible would be amazing, I have a feeling that the station wagon (the SUV of yesterday) would much more likely have been what sat in the driveway of the Shack. Still, I would be happy to have one of those as well. I've always liked station wagons!
Have a great Friday! It's the last day of Summer School! Yay!
Wow, five blog posts in one week! Maybe I'll finally get back into the hang of this (or maybe I'll start writing all of my posts on one night like I did this week - whatever works)!
It's time to get back into the routine of Movie Friday. I'm getting to the point that I have gone through my classic movie collection, so it is getting a little more difficult to come up with movies!
Today I'm sharing a classic from 1959, Ben Hur, starring Charlton Heston. This winner of 11 Academy Awards is set in 26 AD and follows a wealthy merchant from Jerusalem. The film has a great plot, which has too much depth for me to share here. If you would like to read more about the movie, you can find a detailed account of it on Wikipedia (here).
My company is going to be here tomorrow. I thought this video was appropriate. The Ozark Jubilee, which this clip comes from, was filmed about 80 miles from here. Totally fitting in my opinion!
As I mentioned on Monday, my neighbors have put their house up for sale. This means that there is only one house out of nine on my block that hasn't been for sale in the past 5 years. It also means that when the one next door sells, only one person will have lived on the loop longer than I have (and she and her late husband have been here as long as their beautiful 1960s brick rancher).
So, here's the place that's for sale next door. Before you get all excited about it though, when the elderly couple that lives there now bought it 6 years ago, they completely ripped out the original kitchen and bathroom and updated them. So, it's a nice house, but missing some of the best original features. After talking with the people that live there now, I found out that it had a pink and black bathroom. Now it's builder grade white. Sigh. The best feature of the place, in my opinion is the nice shop in the back yard. Otherwise, I think I prefer the Shack. My house may be 120 square feet smaller and short one bedroom, but my lot has more trees and is 10 feet wider. I'll take the smaller house to have the larger yard.
Look closely for the yellow house in the background of these photos (to the left in the first photo and to the right in the second photo), and you'll catch a glimpse of the Shack!
Click on any photo to see it larger. Have a great Wednesday!
Living just a short drive of about 20 miles from the mother road, I felt this was fitting for my area as well as the era that we all love so much. I completely forgot that this song mentioned Joplin, MO in the lyrics, and with all they have endured over the past month (and all they are going to have to endure for quite a while to come) it reminded me of better times in Joplin, and in the better times to come.
Emotions are so strange when company comes to visit. You're excited to see them and can't wait for them to get here. Then there's that, oh crud, the house is a mess feeling. I hate that part of it. Tonight I managed to power wash the house. I hate that so much, and I skipped it altogether last year. I paid for that decision tonight though, the yellow siding of The Shack was almost the same color as my green shutters in some places. Never fear, after a couple of hours scrubbing away, the house looks great. Or as good as it can at the moment. I'm having the wooden soffits replaced with vinyl and new guttering as well this summer. So, the old wood has some bad places in it and a couple of pieces have been taken down in anticipation that I would have replaced them with new wood. I even have the new wood cut and painted and ready to put in place, but I don't want to mess with it again, so I'm going with vinyl. Once that is done, the outside of the house will be completely maintenance free. Yay!
Yet another house has been listed for sale on my block. Out of nine homes on my block, only one hasn't been on the market since I moved in 5 years ago this summer. I'm starting to take it personally!
I hope that everyone is having a relaxing summer. I'm teaching summer school, and looking forward to that being over on July 1.
I'll post pics of the house next door that's for sale soon. Would you be my neighbor?
I was reading a nice article tonight about the efforts of a radio station in Joplin that I've been listening to for updates as they have been doing 24/7 broadcasting about relief and recovery efforts when the little yellow / black "Breaking News" box popped up.
"Breaking News: Spotters confirm a tornado on the ground moving toward Joplin, Missouri, where a twister on Sunday killed 124 people."
That's definitely not a good thing. Thankfully the worst part of the storm missed Joplin (as of this 10:30 PM writing). The sirens sounded again in Joplin due to wind speeds in excess of 75 miles per hour, raising concerns that existing debris could be blown around.
I think we're all ready for Mother Nature to take a break.
I believe this footage is the most intense thing I have ever watched. This first person video of a group of people huddled inside a walk-in cooler at a convenience store is not for the faint of heart to watch. This video was shot at the Fastrip on east 20th Street. The people in the video all survive, but you still might want to have a box of tissues with you if you wish to watch the video.
* This video is first person in that it was not captured by a news outlet - it is not first person as in me filming it. It is just one of many videos that have been posted to YouTube showing the destruction in Joplin.
As it has made national news, I am sure that many of you have heard of the tornado that struck Joplin, MO around 6:00 PM yesterday evening. Many of my readers know that I live in the Southwest section of Missouri. I want to assure you that I am safe and fine, as I live approximately 40 miles from the location of the tornado.
My brother and his family live a few miles north of the devistation, and thankfully they were all at home and not in the city when the tornado hit.
The tornado destroyed a large section of Joplin, including a direct hit on one of their two hospitals. The patients at that hospital have been transferred to hospitals in Springfield, MO, Pittsburg, KS, as well as smaller hospitals in surrounding towns such as the 25 bed county hospital here in my hometown.
The following information is from a Facebook page set up for information on the tornado:
"Live Press Conference is wrapping up. Please only repost confirmed information to avoid confusion and panic. So far - we know 89 people are confirmed deceased as of 5:30 a.m. * Search and Rescue is top priority, going door to door and grid search. * Patients in uninhabitable facilities have been transferred to nearby hospitals. * Unknown number of people still need to rescued from rubble. * 25-30 percent of Joplin has been directly affected. * Area radio stations have opened phone lines to answer questions and let you pass along information - Please utilize this. Phone lines will be busy but keep trying. This will be an immediate way to ask for help over the next several days if stations continue to offer this option. Please turn down your radio if you are live on air. 102.9 FM 1310 AM 102.5 FM 97.9 FM 93.5 FM 92.9 FM"
I hope and pray that all of my readers are safe. Please be in prayer for the people of Joplin - they have a long road to recovery.
Hey everyone! I know that it has been a while since I last posted. This time of year is complete chaos for a teacher (at least one that coordinates Federal Programs for their school district... it's time to submit all of next year's plans to the state). This brings long work days and exhaustion when I am at home. It's a great recipe to keep the blog from being updated.
I do have a few fun finds that I need to get pictures of and share with y'all. It may happen before school gets out, but I can't make any promises. My last day with the kiddos is May 25. It's always an exciting time, but it also gets me down a little as well, I enjoy my students so much, and believe it or not, I miss the little boogers over the summer!
I am finally getting to the point that I can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Out of the nearly 20 things on my must-do list at the beginning of last week, I'm down to somewhere around 5. At least I can see the progress as I cross them off the list!
To add a touch of vintage to this post, I've included a really fun (although somewhat long) clip from 1941, showing the last pre-war Pontiac.
After watching President Obama's speech last night announcing the death of Osama bin Laden, I felt many emotions, as I am sure most people did. I instantly remembered that day, almost 10 years ago that changed our country forever, and felt intense sorrow. Watching the crowds that gathered at the White House, in Times Square, and at Ground Zero, I felt pride in my country as well. The man who planned the World Trade Center attacks is dead. I wasn't sure what the best way to share this on the blog was, but I felt that sharing a little Kate Smith was appropriate. Of course, that national anthem is alway appropriate, and I have never heard a better version that what you will hear in the video below. Have a great day.
1On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " 8Then they remembered his words.
