Milk Cartons

I do still buy my milk in cartons, rather than the plastic bottles. I usually have three kinds of milk in the refrigerator: soy milk, nonfat milk and 1% milk. The house we live in (where my husband grew up) still has the little door where bottled milk and other dairy products would be left by the milk man! We Gold Country Girls lived "out in the country", and I don't remember ever having milk delivered. But we did used to buy milk straight from the cow from our friends the Mosbacher family. When we lived near them, Lori and I remember carrying home the gallon jars - we didn't want the cream at the top to get mixed in with the milk- but usually it did. We could skim it off and make whipped cream, if we were so inclined. I must confess that I AM old enough to remember when milk cartons were waxed. See the top with the flip-up spout on the smaller cartons, below? I think I even remember when some cartons had that kind of opening.
Yes, I'm old. (The picture below is from a Kellogg's ad. Since they show it as sort of a bank - may I just say that I WISH I had a milk carton full of quarters! I'd use them all to shop at the thrift stores!)
Sturdy milk cartons could be used to craft with. We made canisters out of them years ago, and covered them with papier mache - wish I had a picture of one of those!
Pure-Pak - "Your personal milk container"
Maybe the wax-coated cartons were bad for some reason? I don't recall - but it was considered a big-enough deal when they no longer had it that Pure-Pak advertised about it a LOT in the magazines:
And I DO remember these candles that people used to make, too!
Since I do still have cartons in the fridge, I am rather fond of my Handi-Holders. If I recall correctly, all of them were here in the house when we moved in. I left the original label on the tan-colored one, because I like the yellow ones best, and use them daily.
They are indeed handy, and they make it easier for my (old) little hands to pour out my milk!

Then And Now #60 Cream Of Wheat

Cream of Wheat - can you believe it's been around since 1893? The history of it is interesting. Here is a picture of an advertisement from 1917:
I wish I had one of the great old ads with Rastus to show you. If I find one, I will add it in later. For now, these will have to do. The one below is from 1955. We grew up eating Cream of Wheat, and adding brown sugar and a little bit of butter to it has always been my favorite way to eat it:
And another, this one with Dennis The Menace is from 1956. Honey sounds good, or maybe even some maple syrup?:

One more advertisement from 2003:
I still like it, but I wasn't buying it anymore because I like to have cereal with some fiber in it for breakfast, and it only had one gram. But "NOW", they have come out with this!

Six grams of fiber, and protein, too - now we're talking! I tried it, and I like it, but I still want to add brown sugar and butter to it!
(I add sweetener, a little cinnamon and "butter" spray instead, and that's pretty good, too.)
Isn't it funny how you will think of something that you wish a product had or could change - and then, like magic (albeit maybe a few years later), it appears on your grocer's shelf? I love it when that happens.
Thank you, Cream Of Wheat.

More Thrift Finds

A few more of the little things I have been lucky enough to find recently. Another gingham apron - in olive green this time, a set of four floral napkins, another pair of lovely large floral napkins (underneath everything else), and a new small handkerchief:

These cookie cutters were all inside of a little tin from Current (the lid is shown), for 50 cents. This is one of those things that months after I first saw it, I went back and it was still there!
(I believe it waited there for me on purpose.)
A set of three green enamel ware plates, and a large fabric remnant:
That remnant above, sure looks a lot like this fabric sample I found a while back. I still think these would make some gorgeous pillows:
Another Betty Crocker spiral bound cookbook to add to my collection:
This large (18" X 18") brass-toned metal easel was $1.50! Do you know how much large easels cost at a retail shop? A LOT - that's how much. I was thrilled to find it. I use them to display large trays or platters, framed prints, and the like:
On the left, below, you see the pattern on a lovely blouse I found at a thrift store. And on the right? That's my new ironing board cover from T.J. Maxx! I needed one BADLY, and I had been pricing them on eBay and elsewhere - the only ones I liked were priced much higher than I wanted to go.

But this fabulous brown paisley one was 9.99 - perfect. And it's a GREAT improvement over my old stained one! Seriously, it's even more fun to iron now.

More 60's Dresses

Remember the post I did last year about paper dresses? Well, I found another one, and I decided I'd show it to you along with some other unusual dresses from the 1960's that I found in my magazines, just for fun. Here's the paper one, from Owens-Corning. Pink - like their Fiberglas insulation, and you could send away for it:
I think this gal in the polka dotted dress was from an ad for Formica - maybe to show you all of the colors they had available:
And here's an unique style in vinyl, complete with zippered front, a ruffle, and matching boots - from a 1969 advertisement for Armstrong vinyl ceiling tiles. They weren't limited to flooring, you see:

Silver - here in a dress found in a 1965 Life magazine. The accompanying text reads "Shimmering outfits like these are perfect to wear to a futuristic spiritualist's seance. The girl on the right wears a supple shift of aluminum faced acetate ($70), a fabric that looks like a thin and pliable leather with a permanent silvery polish." That fabric sounds interesting...

....and gold - here's another dress you could send away for - this fancy gold number with matching coat!
Cheryl Tiegs in a sequin-trimmed sleeveless dress, here in this ad for Gala paper napkins from 1968:
And, all right, maybe cheating just a bit with this last one, because it isn't really a dress, but rather a jumpsuit with palazzo style pants - but I couldn't resist including it because of the bright and colorful print of the fabric. This one is from a 1968 ad for Seagram's 7::
Hope you enjoyed this romp through the sixties!

Plants I Know and Love No. 5: Cherokee Rose

Good morning. Tina here. I am going to tell you about a wonderful shrub that I discovered and fell in love with soon after I moved to Kelsey, the Cherokee Rose.

It is an evergreen climbing rose which originally came from China. Brought to the United States in the early 1700's by immigrants, it was soon growing in home gardens. It is very sturdy and can thrive in poor soil and in droughts.
The rose, which has a very short blooming period in late March and early April, is a lovely snow-white with a yellow center. In looks it is similar to the matilija poppy flower which I showed you in the blog December 2nd, but it is much smaller. It is also quite fragrant.

This is a shot of one of my Cherokee Rose shrubs when it was first planted against the deck on the South side of my house. I ordered the two shrubs I have from the Internet. This was my second attempt. The first plants I received were very small and not well-rooted and did not make it. These plants, which now are about 7 years old, were in much better condition, and did well. As you can tell by the fencing, the deer find them quite tasty.

Sometime after we moved to Kelsey in 1999, there was a photo in the Placerville newspaper, the Mountain Democrat, of a large climbing rose bush completely enveloping the side of an old barn in Coloma. White flowers covered the shrub. I was enthralled and soon drove to Coloma to find the barn. I discovered the name of the plant and decided I wanted one, and could not find them in the nurseries around the area. That is where the Internet comes in handy!

After I had planted my shrubs and they were starting to get larger, the paper ran another photo of the barn in Coloma and the rose. This was about 5 years after the first photo which had caught my eye. However, in this photo the photographer identified the plant as a camelia! I do have to admit that the flower can look like some camellias I have seen, and it does bloom early. Even the leaves, since they are evergreen, can look like camellia leaves. I have seen plants mislabeled in photographs in the paper many times, I get a kick out of it.

The Cherokee Rose became the state flower of Georgia in 1916. It is tragically linked to history in that state by the "Trail of Tears". In 1838 thousands of Cherokee were forced off their lands east of the Mississippi River, and the path they took on the journey was called the Trail of Tears because of all the tears the women shed as they traveled. The legend is that a Cherokee Rose grew everywhere a tear dropped.

This is a closeup of one of the beautiful fleeting blooms of the Cherokee Rose.

The rose is starting to climb up a trellis by the deck. It started flowering the next spring after it was planted, and now when it blooms it is fully covered. I can't wait until this spring. Someday perhaps the whole side of our house will be covered like the barn in Coloma.

Here on the left you can see a spray that has escaped the deer fencing and is attempting to cover the air conditioning unit.

This poor little shrub is my other Cherokee Rose which is growing against the garage on the West side of the house. The soil there is terrible and the sun is relentless, but it still tries hard to grow. I want it to grow up and cover the windows someday, if the deer give it a chance. This shrub has had a tough time, between the soil and the deer, and the workers who re-sided our home. Wood, gravel, ladders, you name it, was piled on it. Then two years later my husband painted the house, so it had paint on it from the sprayer, and got cut back and pushed aside. Now maybe it will have a chance to grow tall. The Cherokee Rose can reach heights of 20 feet.

This is the shape it was in (along with its neighboring hollyhock) after the workers put the siding on. Above are the windows of the garage I hope to have shaded by the shrub someday.

This is my garage rose about 3 years ago. It is getting bigger (in spite of the deer) and it blooms well.

A close up of the many blooms. You can see here how someone could mistake both leaves and blooms for a Camellia.

Keep growing, don't give up!

The Cherokee Rose on the South of the house has now grown up past the railing of the deck and it attempting to make it to the deck roof. It finds the boost the drainage spout offers very helpful. I haven't had to tie it up at all. I have helped it wind its way through the trellis occasionally.

The bush is very full of thorns, so I am glad I don't need to prune it or work with it too often.

If you are in need of an evergreen flowering shrub to cover your garage or barn, look into the Cherokee Rose. You can plant a bit of history right there in your yard. You will be rewarded with lovely blooms and a sturdy fast-growing hardy plant.

My Grandsons Robby and Bobby Jr.

This is Lori and I wanted to show off my grandsons.
First, here is their all important pet turtle. Can you guess his name? Yep, it's Swimmy!!

This was my daughter Amber's Wedding to Bobby. It's a his, mine and ours, with Robby, Bobby Jr. and a "Bun in the Oven", baby Addison due mid-March.

This is Bobby with my grandson, Bobby Jr. at his yellow belt ceremony for Martial Arts.

Here is my grandson Robby, Christmas 2008.

Here are the 2 cutest grandsons in the world!!! Look at those faces!!!

Cowboys and Indians

I guess little boys don't really dress up like cowboys and Indians any more like they used to, do they? Because it sure was popular back in the day. The dates on these pictures, below of my husband and his brother (clockwise from top left) are 1951, 1948 (with neighbor Marci), 1949, and 1950:
And these two of my brother-in-law are from 1952 and 1951:

You can see this was their favorite mode of costume! Cowboys were popular on TV and in advertisements, too, of course. This Sunshine Hydrox cookie ad is from 1953:
And here's a Tide advertisement from 1955:

Here is my husband at Knott's Berry Farm in 1957, posing with some Indian friends. (Check out his Mickey Mouse Club shirt! They had already been to Disneyland):

More cowboys- with guns this time - from 1959:
And some more rascals from a Simoniz Floor Wax ad, also 1959. Artwork by Whitney Darrow:
This is the last one I found, from 1969:
Just one big happy family, huh?