Vintage Chicks

Christmas AGAIN !!

I promise this is really not a post about Christmas.  Instead it is about one of my latest obsessions.  Because of the cats in the house I did not bring out any of my old glass ornaments this year.  I wanted to be able to relax and not hold my breath .  I decided to make ornaments out of pages from an old cookbook.  I enlisted Linda's help and we cranked them out.  Linda is a very good paper folder.  I then stuck some faux antique stickers on and hung them on the tree.The paper was nice and aged and the white lights through the ivory ornaments were just lovely ...and unbreakable.  I am going to make some for Valentines Day.  I think they are really simple but elegant and they can be completed in a very short time.  It is the ideal craft for a woman with no patience.  I'm not naming any names.

Walter Is A Foodie

As many of you know I have two cats.  Walter and Tater.  I never thought I would have a cat named Tater, but that is for another post.  This wonderful image is of Walter.  He takes after me, he is a foodie.  He will not stay out of the kitchen.  As soon as he figured out he could jump on the kitchen counter and walk through my pass thru window he has been impossible to keep off the counter.  I don't generally tolerate this kind of behavior but he does it with such panache and face it, I find it adorable. Last night I decided to steam some broccoli.  I cleaned it, put it in the steamer on the stove and walked away to do some other chore before turning it on.  About five minutes later I notice that the two cats are fighting over one of their toys (they have about fifty) when I realize it is not a toy but a broccoli floret.  I was dumb-founded.  I could not believe what I was seeing.  Then it dawned on me......Walter.  I know a more prudent woman would have rushed to the kitchen to examine the broccoli but I was so shocked and kinda proud of my cat's prowess I made a phone call to brag instead.  While I was on the phone Walter decided he was never getting the floret back from Tater so he would just help himself again.  It was at this moment I came to my senses and realized a cat on the stove was probably not only gross but unsafe as well.  I don't want to scare you off,especially any of you who may find themselves dining with me, I keep a very clean house.  But there are just some moments in life where what is happening is more fun than the required and desired activity of cleaning.  I can assure you that the counters have been sanitized and if you ever do come to dinner I will shut the cats in the office.  For now, I am brain storming a way to market a broccoli shaped cat toy.

I Love Carmen Miranda

I have always had a fondest for Carmen Miranda.  She always seemed so exotic and cheerful.  I dressed up as her for Halloween and my fruit hat was a big hit.  After Christmas I was checking out one of my favorite thrifts and found these darling little honeycomb fruits.  They have hangers but I have chosen to pile them up in a bowl in my kitchen.  There is a pear, several apples, two kumquats and some persimmons.  I just love their cheerful colors and diminutive size.  In fact they were the impetus I needed to start blogging again.  I thought they were just so wonderful and I had no one to share them with.  It's funny how life works.  Don't you think?

Back To School

Today was back to school day and it went off without a hitch.  If you don't count the nose bleed, the crying, the skinned knee and the over all lethargy of my students.  I do think they are glad to be back but it takes some adjusting.  They are use to sleeping in and running wild and the confines of the classroom seem a little overwhelming. I know I am glad to be back.  The Winter break was lovely........but enough already. 

Living Green

My sister and I have been collecting Jade-ite even before Martha Stewart.  Needless to say...it has been a long time.  For Christmas my sister surprised me with this little set of children's dishes.  They are just wonderful and the gift was made even more special because they were pieces from her "private stock".  They will live with the rest of my collection in my kitchen.  They will however, be given front row seating so that I can enjoy looking at them everyday.

Happy New Year

There is a wonderful old poem by Robert Herrick called To The Virgins.  It says "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a flying:  And this same flower that smiles to-day To-morrow will be dying."    I was reminded of it tonight while watching one of my favorite old movies.  It is a bittersweet thought but one that is fitting for the new year.  We are all so busy making resolutions and looking forward that we sometimes forget that while full speed ahead is good, looking back is good too.  I truly believe that life is short and "keep calm and carry on" is the slogan that keeps me marching but this time of year I also like to reflect on what has gotten me here so far.  So instead of writing down what I would like to change in the new year I would like to take a moment and reflect on those things that won't.  1.  The air always smells sweetest after a Summer thunderstorm when the air is still wet and your nose is pressed up against an old screen door.  2.  My heart will automatically begin to beat just a little bit faster (sometimes much faster) when I spot a wonderful hidden treasure across a dusty old junk store.  3.  Nothing is more comforting that a cozy blanket and a couple of cats sleeping next to you in the middle of a lazy weekend afternoon.  4.You are your own North star and as fast as the universe spins your internal compass will lead you home if you just listen.  5.  There are no certainties in life, just when you think you've got it figured out the rules of the game will change.  My wish is that this new year will bring me Peace.  I think I wish for that every year.  I want to laugh more and breathe more and listen to my own song a little more.  I want to gather my rosebuds and maybe a few daisies too along the way.   

Thanksgiving Wish

I know it has been a long time since I posted but with the Thanksgiving holiday upon us I wanted to let you know what has been happening in my life.  This Fall I began a new job working with special needs children.  My team and I have 28 students with the possibility of more to come on a daily basis.  It is the hardest and the best job I have ever had in my life.  For the first time as an adult I love my job and can't wait to get to work.  I start off the day running and every moment is truly in the now.  My Mother has adjusted well to her new living arrangement and I am free to pursue my own interests and passions.  I have two new adorable cats which are pure joy.  My family is healthy and Linda is still my best friend and partner in The Vintage Chicks.  The bottom line is, I am enjoying my reclaimed life so much that I wasn't sure I had the time to continue blogging about junk.  I still love the junk and we will continue to search out new finds and share them with you but I may be self indulgent and also share some of the new things I learn everyday via my students.  They give me so much more than I could every give to them.  It is like dealing with humanity in it's rawest form and realizing the miracle of it all.  We will always be the Vintage Chicks and we wish you a wonderful and thankful holiday.

Walter Middy Mothershead Moore

You know by now that I am a bit of a crazy cat lady.  Not the kind like you see on "Hoarders" but I do always seem to have some kind of cat drama happening at any given time.  My beloved Elizabeth Taylor had to be put to sleep a couple of weeks ago.  She was the"brain surgeon" of cats; highly intelligent, humorous, charming and a little bit of a snob.  She was truly the smartest cat in any given room.  She suffered from Asthma, Hypo-thyroid-ism, Acid Reflux, Allergies and many other conditions I will not reveal in order to insure her privacy.  She was a mess.  She lived a long and useful life but at some point her happy ending had to come.  I had her cremated ( I know, spare me the lecture about using the money for charity or retirement.)  I was going to pick up her remains last Saturday  and when the day started I had no intention of coming home with more than a box full of cat ashes.  I picked up her box and continued on my way running errands and doing all those thousands of things we have to do every week-end.  I ended up at Pet Smart, God knows why, and that is when my moment of insanity began.  They have adoptable pets from local shelters on premises for inspection.  They had ten cages full of adorable cats and before I knew it, as if in a fugue state, I found my self signing adoption papers and coming home with Walter.  Walter is not a brain surgeon kind of cat.  He is more like a stand-up comedian or an annoying Uncle you only see at Thanksgiving that asks you to pull his finger.  He is brass, funny, bossy and a bit of an actor.  In the store he acted all cuddly and gentle.  He was quiet and reserved.  The minute he got home it was like all bets were off and he was sitting by a pool in Vegas waiting for me to take his drink order  and snubbing out his cigar in my houseplants. I have adopted the Rodney Dangerfield of cats!!!  Who says Karma doesn't have a sense of humor.

New Junk

This was the first weekend in a long time that I have had the opportunity to junk.  It was not a big haul weekend but I did find a few little treasures that came home with me.

A few kitchen items.

A few linens and some plastic doilies.

A trio of pin cushion tomatoes and some blanket binding.

A medium sized floral print with a great chippy frame.

A motto sign featuring my favorite poem " The House By The Side Of The Road."

It was a beautiful day, and although the Junking Gods were rather greedy about giving up their treasures, it felt good to be back in the saddle again.  

Cape Neddick

"I sat alone with my conscience.."  I promise this is the last of the vacation picks but I just loved this picture taken down the beach from the Nubble Lighthouse at Cape Neddick.  I guess it is a good thing I don't live there or I would soon be a homeless person living under a bridge.  I would just sit all day looking out to sea and would forget to go to work or do my duty as a citizen of the world.  The ocean is a wonderful place just to think and ponder life's little questions.  I promise my next post will be about junk....I promise.