The Big FIVE OH!

It's finally happened!  I have 50 51 followers!  I'm so excited.  It's amazing that so many people think that I'm interesting enough to follow.  Look for a giveaway coming very soon.  I hope to have all the details up this Saturday.

Have a wonderful Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow with Movie Friday!

Granny's Country Music...

I happened across a video for Rosanne Cash's Tennessee Flat Top Box from 1987 while browsing YouTube last night, and the memories it brought back were wonderful.  This was one of my Granny's (yes we called her Granny, what else do you call the classic gray-haired country farm wife?) favorite songs.  So I though I'd share it today, along with one other favorite of hers, Mercury Blues by Alan Jackson.

Thanks for humoring me through my trip down memory lane!

Springtime at the Shack

As we move into the outdoors time of year, I'm going to be sharing a lot more of the exterior of the Shack.  After all, my blog is not only about my fun retro finds, but about the house as well.  My original intention was for it to be mainly about the house.

Probably about once per week through the flowering season I will be sharing photos of different plants in my yard, and how things are changing throughout the year.

Above, you can see one of the few tulips that came up this year.  I planted probably around 50 bulbs in fall of 2008, and they all came up beautifully last year.  I followed the advice of a local gardener last summer after they had bloomed.  This year, only 7 came up.  Next time, I'm gonna dig those boogers up after the blooming season.

The quince is getting some beautiful blooms on it.  This isn't the prettiest bush in the world, though.  I have no idea how old it is, but it's been at the Shack long before me.  It was wild and badly overgrown, and my attempts to prune it while keeping it looking natural were marginal at best.  Maybe if it had been better taken care of when it was younger...  It also has evil thorns that you have to watch out for when you mow around it or prune it.

The daffodils are all done, except for this late bloomer.  This has amazing blooms!  What do you call this type?  I personally would call them double blooms.

I swear I could sit and watch the leaves grow on this tree!  On Saturday, my young River Birch had no leaves on it at all.  Just look at the little leaves in this photo that I took on Monday!  Amazing!  God's creation never ceases to amaze me.

Have a great Tuesday!  We start state testing today, so the next two weeks are going to be awfully long.

Weekend Finds

I found another beautiful vintage chair!  This one was found at an estate tag sale (my second one - I still prefer auctions).  I did a double take when I read the price tag: $15.  I think that I can use it in the bedroom-to-den conversion, but if not, I'm sure that I'll be able to get my money back out of it.

It's Missouri made!  Bishop of Lebanon - Lebanon, MO.  When I first saw the chair, I felt certain that it was Kroehler.  My mistake.  The chair has faded some over time - it was originally more of a darker purple-brown color, as can be seen in this piece that is hidden under the cushion.

I think that it's going to go really well with the Kroehler chair.  They're both really comfortable.  Now, I'm still looking for that elusive sofa to finish the group.

Other finds:

The First Family album from 1962 - 25 cents.

Vintage car planter - no maker's mark.  $1.

New York World's Fair mug - 1964-1965.  25 cents.

I really like this Hazel Atlas white, pink and black sugar bowl.  Too bad the matching creamer wasn't there.  Oh well, 50 cents.

I'm not exactly sure what exactly this is.  A double vase?  Who knows.  I think that it would be great to store artist's paintbrushes in.  I was really attracted to the color.  $1 for the whatchamacallit.

Large vintage postcard of Summit Hotel on Mount Summit in Uniontown, PA.  Not sure of age, it's unused so there is no postmark to help, but my guess would be 1920s or 1930s.  Looks like this place is still around and still open!  It's also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to their website.  A pretty nice piece for $1.

Have a great Monday!  It's my last day of Easter vacation before returning to work to begin two fun filled weeks of administering the MAP test to our students.

He Has Risen!

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.

Luke 24: 1-8 NIV

Have a beautiful and blessed Easter!

Thank You Vintage Christine!

What a wonderful surprise to come home Friday afternoon and find a package in my mailbox!  Inside the package, which was decorated with Easter egg stickers, I found two wonderful treasures!

First, there was a nice note from Vintage Christine on the back of this Anne Taintor post card.  The post card itself is wonderful, and features a picture of a beautiful vintage Tappan Deluxe stove, just like mine!  I wish that kitchen were in my house!

Also included in my surprise package was this amazing vintage Hotpoint cookbook.  I've been thumbing through it, and I'm getting lots of ideas for things to try out on my new Tappan, once I get it working and installed.

Speaking of the Tappan, I think I have finally settled on a name for her.  Ethel.  After the classic Ethel Mertz played by Vivian Vance on I Love Lucy.

Movie Friday: Stand and Deliver

I was saddened this week when I read that Jaime Escalante, the teacher who inspired the movie Stand and Deliver, passed away after a battle with cancer.  Being a teacher, this movie really hits home.  Having the vision to help struggling students that the rest of the world is ready to give up on is a great gift.

This inspirational movie follows Escalante as he works toward a goal of teaching inner-city kids Calculus. His passion for his students and their success is amazing. This is one of those feel-good movies that every person should see once in their life.

Have a great Friday!