Lists, Stationery and Such

I've written before about lists, and stationery, as well. But I came across a few more things and I felt like writing about them, too. I like lists, because I feel such a sense of accomplishment as I cross the things off! "Things I Mustn't Forget" is dated 1972. You already know I keep things:
Pretty blue note paper, and two more tablets, the phone and the owl, that I've also had for years - I'm pretty sure those were made by Counterpoint:
Cute little Post-A-Note cards and their original box:
These next three are Fold-It Note cards that Lori found at a thrift store. Pretty flowers:
Partridges in a pear tree:
Little girls with posies and bows:
And, I also like these little recipe cards, though they are not vintage. The stove ones are from Current, and the kitty is Mary Engelbreit. I'm not sure about the bears...
...but they sure did remind me of the bears on my sweet little vintage baby dish!

Hope your porridge is just right.
And that you manage to cross off all kinds of things on your list of things to do today!
And speaking of that - I wish I were further along with my Christmas list!

My Dear Friend Lisa

I have a wonderful friend named Lisa. She is the sweetest, most giving person you could ever know. First, she and her husband John surprised me by sending me this beautiful Tinker Bell sculpture!!

And, as if that wasn't enough, when she met us for dinner at the RainForest Cafe in Downtown Disney recently, she surprised me again by bringing me a fabulous birthday cake from SusieCakes Bake Shop!! Oh, my gosh, it was good! We even hauled the leftover cake all the way home, and I enjoyed a piece every night until it was gone!
I love you so much, Lisa- thank you from the bottom of my heart. We were delighted to have dinner with you, and the cake was wonderful.

(Weight Watchers and my scale aren't too happy with you right now - but let's not go there!)

Then and Now #55 Hormel Chili

Hormel Chili in a can, shown here in a couple of old magazine advertisements:
This is one is from 1953 (sorry neither of them could fit completely on my scanner!):
Serve it at your party to warm up a cold night! From 1971:

And "Now", they have a number of varieties to choose from, including Turkey Chili - these two are from our pantry:
I may be an oddball, but I'm kind of funny about chili. While I do sometimes enjoy nice homemade chili from a simmering pot, I actually prefer it from a can! Sorry, people.

A Disneyland Holiday

Disneyland is so beautiful all decorated for the holidays! The lights on It's A Small World - so colorful!
There are trees and other decorations in every nook and cranny throughout the parks. The tree pictured here with Lori was inside the Coca Cola Refreshment Corner on Main Street:
Space Mountain is my favorite attraction, hands down!
And for the very first time, I was brave enough to go on California Screamin'!! Yep - loved it!
I even had to get myself a T-shirt to commemorate the occasion! (And that's a Tinker Bell pin I purchased, as well):
You know how much I love Tink! Had to snap this picture of the Christmas ornaments:
Lori and I both liked this Tinker Bell shirt she has on in the photo below so much that we each bought one!
This is the tree on Main Street by day:
And at night:
A snow-covered Sleeping Beauty Castle for the holidays; here's how it looks in the daylight hours :
Oh, and the "Believe In Holiday Magic" fireworks show truly was spectacular; we watched in awe:
And here is the way the castle looks after the show. Stunningly gorgeous:
I think Lori may have gotten some much better shots than I have shown you. (She may be persuaded to do another post with more pictures from the parks. Keep your fingers crossed.) But that's it from me for now:

We had a great time, but unfortunately our trip was marked by tragedy. Shortly after we got into the park on the first afternoon, our friend Debbie received a phone call that her daughter's beloved fiance had been injured in an accident in San Francisco. Another dreaded call came later - he had not survived his injuries. We managed to get her to LAX for a flight so that she could go and be with her family. We missed you so much, Deb, and our hearts are filled with love and sympathy for you all.

Blessings To All For a Wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

It's finally here....

We'll be busy in the kitchen...
But I wanted to send a wish to everyone...
May all of our readers, family and friends enjoy a warm and happy Thanksgiving Day of blessings and joyful thanks.

And some turkey, too!

Placerville Cigar Store Indians

Good morning. Gold Country Sister Tina checking in again, because it's Wednesday and it's my turn. I am going to show you a couple of photos of some Cigar Store Indians which used to be fixtures in Placerville, California before they became politically incorrect and were removed to who knows where. I liked them and I miss them. Luckily I liked them enough to have my picture taken with them. I will also share a few photos of Placerville as it was in 1969.
This is Main Street Placerville looking North in 1969. On the right you can see the big blue bell which was the signage for the Blue Bell Cafe and the Blue Bell Bar. The bar was one of the places which had Cigar Store Indians in front. If I remember right, there was an Indian chief and also an Indian squaw, although I don't have a photo of her. The sign is now the property of the El Dorado County Museum.

This photo is also from 1969 and is of the window of the Round Tent Bar. They filled their windows with interesting old gambling items, and also a lot of Chinese gambling items. The bar is closed now, and hopefully the old items have been saved somewhere. Placerville used to be full of bars, but over the years they have all gotten into trouble, either money trouble or because of too many fights there, or other various reasons, and most of the old ones are closed down now.

This is the Indian chief cigar store figure that stood in front of the Blue Bell Bar. You can see to the left a slight darkened area which is the squaw that I didn't take a photo of. I have looked through all my photos and postcards of Placerville, but this is the only one I have showing the Indian, and it was taken in October 1969. He was such a fixture it was hard to imagine he wouldn't always be here. I think he looks happy.

This is the Cigar Store Indian which stood for years in front of Raymond's Liquor Store on Broadway in Placerville. This photo was taken in 1972. Raymond's is still there, but no Indian. I do not remember when he disappeared. I hope he found a good new home. (And, yes, that is me on the right in both photos.)

This is the El Dorado County Courthouse in October 1969. It was closed for a while due to earthquake damage and worries, but has been in use for many years since. It actually sits right on an earthquake fault which runs north down Bedford Avenue and south to Diamond Springs. I used to live on Bedford, worked at the Courthouse, and also lived on the fault in Diamond Springs, so I used to think if there was an earthquake I didn't stand a chance. We never had the big one, though I've felt my share of smaller ones.

My last photo is Dillinger's Furniture on Main Street. My Dad worked there for many years, and was working there when I took this photo in October 1969. Hopefully they fixed their signage! Just this fall Mrs. Wentworth, the owner passed away, although Dillinger's has been closed for a long time. It is now where the Tom Kinkade gallery is located.

Is there anyone else out there with memories of Cigar Store Indians? I would like to hear about them. Apparently they got their start in Europe in the 17th century, when the American Indians brought tobacco to the notice of the Europeans.

Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce

Yes, it's cranberry time, all right. And just like nearly every other household in the country, we will have it on our Thanksgiving table.
But it never really gets eaten. Well, maybe a little bit on our plates on turkey day, but the leftover sauce? Never gets touched. If we have turkey again for Christmas, we serve it then, too. Last year when it was our turn to host the family for dinner, I made homemade sauce - with Ocean Spray cranberries, of course. Nobody ate hardly any of it - if it was touched at all. I liked it, but it's just not really my thing.
Oddly enough, this Cranberry Souffle salad, below, actually looks good to me. Wonder if anyone would eat those?
Oh, good Lord, no - do NOT try to get me to eat cranberry sauce in an omelet. Now, I MIGHT be convinced to try a little of the whole berry sauce in a cream cheese blintz, I suppose:

The Stagecoach Inn restaurant that used to be in Columbia, California (where I worked for 15 years) used to serve the BEST turkey sandwiches in the county. Whole turkey breasts were roasted nearly every day, and sliced to order for the sandwiches on your choice of bread. We always served a little cup of cranberry sauce on the side, so that you could add it to your sandwich if you liked. We also had fabulous Monte Cristo sandwiches that were known far and wide. Even the presentation on the plate was spectacular. They were as good as (and quite possibly better than) the ones served at Blue Bayou in Disneyland.
Man, I STILL miss the food at that place.

Almost Here..

It's almost Turkey time!!
I just love this image, below - everybody is helping out in the kitchen. And while I'm on the subject, what a nice kitchen! I have a yellow bowl like that one on the counter - and do you know who made that pretty blue cookie jar with the hollyhocks on it? Ransburg! I don't have as many pieces of their gorgeous painted crockery kitchen ware, but I have a few, and I love them just as much as the painted tinware canisters, and all of my other kitchen items.

A Thanksgiving Party for children is depicted in this sweet page from a 1935 Children's Party Book. Hmm....Creamed Tuna in Toast Baskets - I'm not sure how many people would choose to fix that for a children's party these days - but it actually sounds kind of good to me! And I'll take some of that chocolate pudding, too, please.

Simple and pretty, that sure is a nice looking turkey on the table in this setting from a 1950's magazine:
And I wouldn't mind having those great Danish Modern candle holders in the picture below! I already have a salad serving set that would go perfectly with the carving set they have at the ready in this table setting from a 1959 Better Homes and Gardens magazine:

What are the traditions on YOUR table? One thing that we do NOT have is green bean casserole. We didn't grow up with it, and just haven't ever chosen to make it one of our traditional side dishes. But we will have our favorite mashed potatoes, and we'll have pumpkin pie, of course. Cranberry sauce? Yes. (More about that tomorrow.)
I do love me some leftover turkey on some nice sourdough bread - but just mustard and/or mayonnaise for me, and maybe a little lettuce.
How about you? What goes into your favorite turkey sandwich?
We feast on the leftovers for days afterward, and love every bit of it.
What's up with all these articles that say leftover turkey should be used within 2 or 3 days?
Please.

Finds - Yet Again!

Well, it was nearly a month ago now, but these are more of the things I found during my birthday weekend visits to thrift shops and yard sales. A Jack-O-Lantern mask, a pretty leaf pin, a brightly colored fabric remnant, and a gold Hall China mug to go with the creamer I found a while back!

A Vernon Ware Early California platter in turquoise, an enamel poppy pin, a string of "pearls", a restaurant china cup and saucer, a set of Vera napkins, some little baubles I'm hoping to make into earrings, and a bright fabric sample I would love to make a pillow out of:

An embroidered souvenir apron from Portugal, a painted napkin holder, a couple of black frames, another floral fabric sample that is pillow-worthy:

The same fabric sample as a backdrop, an orange speckled pottery pitcher from Italy, a set of three yellow-speckled restaurant china plate/platters, and that ceramic napkin holder in the front has a turkey on the other side:

Christmas stuff! An adorable card box, a tin, a tray, a mug, and a tea towel:

And three more movies!
Better late than never posting about these, I guess. I know some of my favorite posts by other bloggers are theirs where they show their latest finds - so I'm hoping maybe you enjoy seeing mine, too!