Norwegian Enamel

I have never heard of Cathrineholm Enamelware until recently. I saw some in a group on Facebook and fell in love with it. It is enamelware from the 1950's - 1960's that was made by a Norwegian lady and was popular in Norwegian homes. Not sure on the history of how it came to the U.S., but it is showing up everywhere I look now. The sad part is that unless somebody doesn't know what it is, the prices are outrageous. Most of it is in excess of $150 for just one piece. Guessing this is something I will be admiring from afar.

Some things I've seen

I haven't been to a thrift store or yard sale in several weeks so I am having withdrawals. I spend a little time last night scouting on Craig's List and also checking out some thrift stores that posted pics on line. Here are a few things I found that caught my attention.

This really caught my eye. I have the Pyrex set of nesting bowls in this pattern. I have been looking for the Cinderella bowls to match. Someone in Knoxville has these on Craig's List for just $10.00 for the set. That is a good price. I will probably call them at a decent hour this morning to see if they are still available. 

This was a display at a thrift store in Jefferson City. I hope to make it there soon. I love the little mixing bowl in the middle. 

Look at this vintage refrigerator. Not bad shape to be as old as it is. 

I love this little drop leaf table. 

This is a vintage canister set. 

I love these glasses. But I just bought twelve glasses a few weeks ago so I think I am good for now. 

How beautiful is this?

A cute little table. I would love to have this for my Americana bedroom.

I fell in love with this sewing machine. I have never seen a blue one. 

This is another thrift store in a neighboring county. I wonder what the price on the Cinderella bowls are. 

An enlarged view of the same thrift shop. 

I love this old globe. I would like to have one for my office. 

If you follow my blog much, you will remember a couple months back I was talking about my fascination with the old wheat pattern. Can't believe someone is selling a whole set of it. 

I wish I had room for this table. It is awesome. I love the old enamel drop leaf tables. 

This just cracked me up. I remember Mom owning a pair of plastic boots to wear over her shoes. I had forgotten all about them. These are some to go over high heels. How neat was that. 

That triggered another memory. Do you recall these rain bonnets. They were so little and cute. My sister and I were forever buying them. I would love to find one just for old times sake. 

Another antique store I would like to visit. The breadbox and canister set caught my eye along with the mixing bowls on the top shelf. 

Well, I have truly made myself want to go to a thrift store today. 

When people can be jerks....

Sometimes I get a little sensitive and I take things that are said the wrong way. Sometimes, I just let it pass and go on but sometimes it just really bugs me. 

I recently found a Facebook group that is Pyrex group that shares their good finds and they sometimes offer items for trade. They are a wonderful group and I have seen Pyrex on there that I didn't even know existed. I loved the group....until the other day.

I am blown away at the amount of Pyrex some of the members in the group have collected. I posted a pic of my measly little collection.

I said I had just started collecting so I didn't have much yet and that the bottom three items are not Pyrex, but I like them anyway. My collection was found at yard sales and I never paid more than $1.00 for any of it. Some of it was a gift. 

A man in the group posted this remark about the picture:

That blue bar code casserole with the lid looks in good shape...total beginners luck!!

I thought the "total beginners luck" sounded a tad on the snide side, but it may not have been so I commented back that it was in great shape and was a gift from a friend of mine I met through church. I said I had never seen that pattern and found out later it was really rare. She had found it at a yard sale. 

Then he comes back with:

Well, we're all very happy for you  but just so you know...stuff like that never happens in real life....

Well, dude, it does 'cause it did. What a jerk. 

On the brighter side, I have seen some awesome Pyrex and Fire King pieces in the group that I have never seen before.

I definitely need to branch out and look in some neighboring thrift store. Our local ones never have any good stuff like this. Yet so many collectors find their stuff at thrift stores. 

A sentimental fool...

I can get so sentimental about the silliest things. Yesterday, I mentioned a pair of flip flops that I have that are really ratty and old, but I won't part with them. They have way too many memories attached. Join me for a trip down memory lane....

I bought them about 10 years ago when hubby and I were preparing for a trip to the beach. They were so comfortable and I thought the rattan inner souls would keep my feet from getting hot and sweaty in the South Carolina sun. I was right. They were awesome.

They soon became my "go to" shoes for comfort and coolness. If they get wet, they dry out really fast. They have walked the sands of Myrtle Beach and Panama City. They have been splashed as I walked through the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. They have adorned my feet as I worked with my flower pots or tended my watermelon and pumpkin plants. They have walked across rocks in the creeks of the Great Smoky Mountains. They have waded on the banks of the French Broad River, with the river gently lapping around my ankles. They have walked through the evening summer dampness to catch lightning bugs and the early morning dew to walk to the river to see the waterfowl

But the best memory ever and the reason I will keep them for eternity due to their sentimental value is the goose poop episode. (I apologize for the wording, but it loses something in the story if I don't use that word.)

It was about 8 or 9 years ago. Garret, my oldest grandson, was about 4 or 5 years old. He had spent the night and we had already walked down to the river to throw rocks a couple of times. I had left the shoes outside to dry in the hot sun. That evening, when we went down to the water, I went to put the shoes on and a goose had mistaken them for a public restroom. I was disgusted. I took them to the outside hose and got some disinfectant and a brush and scrubbed and hosed and cleaned and put them back in the sun to dry. We went on down to the river and the goose had taken care of some business on the way there and Garret almost touched it when he bent over to pick up a rock. I told him not to touch it because it was where the goose had used the bathroom. He looked at it, he studied it, then moved on to another rock and nothing else was said. 

The next morning he went to Sunday School with me. After class, I went to pick him up and I asked his teacher how he did. She said they had an interesting time. When I asked her in what way, she replied...

"We asked Garret to introduce himself to the class and he said 'My name is Garret and I am allergic to goose poop.' "

Now you know why I can never ever, ever part with these shoes. Maybe I should have them bronzed. 

A flipping and a flopping

This summer has been so hot that it has been tank tops and flip flops for me every day....I mean EVERY DAY. I haven't had on "real shoes" since April. I wear my dressier flip flops to church even. But last Friday, hubby and I were going to Sam's to shop and walking on all that concrete makes my feet tired so I wore my little white tennis shoes. Hubby was shocked. He had gotten so used to seeing me in flip flops. I am very easy on shoes so it is years, sometimes decades before I throw a pair of shoes away. Therefore, I have over 30 pair of flip flops. But I realized Friday, that I have only bought one or two new pairs this year. That is sooo not me! 

Well, being the great internet surfer that I am, I went a flipping and a flopping to find something new I might like.  I found quite a few flip flops plus some sandals that I thought I would like.

Who wouldn't love flip flops that say Coach. And they are pink, one of my new favorite colors. 

I love butterflies on anything. These are too cute. 

These Crocs look so comfy. I would love to have these. 

These are cute with the little owls on them. I know a lady who would go nuts over these. 

Thee are cute but I am not sure what the little bow says on it. They just look like a pair of everyday flip flops that could be worn with shorts and tank tops. 

Love this color. I have several outfits these would go good with. The bottoms talk about mythology....not sure what connection that has with the flip flops, but I liked the color. 

These are not my normal style of shoe. They are a little too bulky for what I like. Less is best with me and sandals, but these do look very comfortable. I may have to search for some to wear when I am going to be on my feet a lot.  

I don't play piano, but I do love music. These are just too cute for words. 

Love the glitzy look to these. I also adore the double straps. Too cute. 

A very cute sandal with an ankle strap. Looks really comfortable. 

These with the rattan bottoms are a gorgeous shade of pink. I love rattan flip flops. I have a pair that I have had for over 10 years. They are getting very ragged, but they have lead a hard life. They have been through muddy waters, the ocean, goose poop (long story) and sandy beaches. I need to get these pink ones for dressy wear.

These are really cute sandals. I like them real well. They look patent leather....which I love. 

Then Came The Morning

I love this song. I hope everyone has a blessed Sunday.

 

A little excited today

After months and months of research, weeks and weeks of waiting, hoping and wishing...I have finally made a decision on a tablet. I started at my birthday looking into the possibilities. I wanted something that was wi-fi for two reasons. I did not want to pay a monthly connection fee to use it and my reasons for wanting one were for use when vegging out on the couch or to take on vacation to use in my hotel. Those are my main reasons and they both have wi-fi so I didn't need the added expense of a "plan" to be able to use it. 

Which one did I finally decide on? The Acer Iconia 10.1" Tablet w/ Android™ Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 Operating System...and it is RED! My all time favorite color. I am thrilled. I get to pick it up this morning.

Now comes the fun part (other than getting to use it and explore how it works), I get to shop for a sleeve and accessories. First thing I want to do is order this packet of stylus pens just in case I want to use them. 

I need to buy an inexpensive sleeve for it until I can decide what type of case I want. I will probably stop by Walmart or Staples today to see what they have. These are not very expensive. 

Then I will start looking at a bag or quilted sleeve. Here are some I have found online that I like. (Obviously the gun one is NOT me but it was in the picture.)

I am very partial to Vera Bradley so that may be the route I go. 

Well, I am off to clean house then run and get my new tablet. I will probably play with it the rest of the day. Have a great weekend.