Baxter Black - From Out There

Unless I have to be at work early, I generally get up when I feel like it. Sometimes, on Saturday mornings I wake up in time to catch Baxter Black at around 5:50 Am on the U.S. Farm Report. He will always bring either a tear to my eye, a smile to my face, or make me laugh out loud.




This wonderful cowboy poet is witty, funny and interesting, and he most assuredly has a way with words that simply can't be beat.
I think he's incredibly entertaining. It's almost enough to make me want to set the alarm every other Saturday!

Then And Now #84 Betty Crocker White Cake Mix

Today's edition of "Then and Now" is yet another choice from Betty Crocker. This time it's White Cake, shown below as it looked in 1959:


And here's how the mix looked in 1967, along with a boxed frosting mix:


And in 1968, we had Betty Crocker White (vanilla-flavored) Frosting in a can:

And this is how the Betty Crocker White Cake mix looks today:

I kind of want to try making some of those cake balls, or cake pops on a stick. Don't white ones dipped in white chocolate and then topped with either crushed candy canes or green or red sprinkles sound good for Christmas?
They do to me!

Models From The 70's - Lucy Angle

Lucy Angle obviously worked a LOT back in the 1960's and 70's - she was everywhere. Which is just fine with me, as hers is another absolutely beautiful face to look at. Here she is in an advertisement for Coty:

And for Sears, in 1969:
Also from '69, for Enkasheer pantyhose:

A Seventeen cover girl:
And another cover, for Modern Bride:
For Speidel, circa 1970:
Another from 1969:

And one more - this time from a 1968 Sears catalog:

Yes, she was certainly one busy young lady!

What's Penny Wearing? #55 Black And White And Thrifted

Today, Penny is black and white and "thrifted" all over. The black tank under the shirt is from Chico's, purchased at a thrift store a while back. The white button-down shirt with black pin stripes was free on the clothes rack outside one of our newer thrift stores; it's from Esprit. Nothing wrong with it, except that it needed to be washed.
I can't get slacks on Penny, so I dressed it up with a simple black skirt instead - also thrifted.

The black and white bead necklace was in the jewelry lot my friend JoAnn gave me back in April.

Simple, classic, and cheap, er - I mean inexpensive!

Vintage Christmas Stocking Patterns, Revisited

I wrote about vintage felt Christmas stockings in a post back in December of 2008. I mentioned then that there were a couple of patterns I wanted. I already had McCalls 1830, which dates from 1953:

And I was so happy to find this one very recently, Simplicity 1803, which is from 1956. I just received it in the mail the other day:

McCalls 2271, dating from 1957, is one that I had already:

And Lori gave me this one for my birthday! McCalls 2177, from 1958:

So, um - I'll keep you posted on whether or not I actually manage to make any of them!
(I wouldn't hold your breath, if I were you.)
But, we'll see.

Margarita(s) For Me, Please

IF I order a cocktail when we go out to eat, usually it's a margarita that I want. Or maybe even two, if I'm really getting carried away.

I found this old box of margarita mix up in the back of a cupboard. No - I didn't use it - I threw it away after I scanned it for this post!
Quite honestly, I seldom drink anything at all besides water, but it's more about not wanting to spend my Weight Watcher Points Plus values on cocktails or wine - I'd rather save them for sweets. That's just how I roll.
And yet - I LOVE margaritas! But tequila and margarita mix last a very long time around here. When I do want to have one (or two), this is what I like:
Yes - the bottles are nearly empty - but you have no idea how long they've been around!
Even better yet, I'll have one of these little babies, below - it's all about portion control, you see:

Cute little Jose Cuervo Margarita Minis. We couldn't find these for a very long time, and I thought they had stopped making them. So when we found them again at the grocery store, we had to get them!
(So that they can sit around waiting for me to decide I am willing to use my Points Plus on one.)
As you can see, I have not enjoyed one, as of yet - and we got them quite awhile ago.
Like I told you - I just really don't drink.
But don't even get me started on the chocolate!
I'm just sayin'........

A Few Christmas Finds

I found this Santa Claus cutie for only a dollar:

Assorted vintage cards and place cards:

This sweet felt and sequin banner for 35 cents:

And a cute little embroidered hobby horse ornament - not quite finished:

Oh - and one more thing: this Martha Stewart scrapbook paper was one of my purchases on opening day of Sonora's new Jo-Ann Fabric And Crafts store (because I had a 50% off coupon!.)

And also because we all "need a little Christmas".

Two More Neat Craft Books

It seems I keep finding great craft books at thrift stores that are just too neat to pass up! Like "Introducing Patchwork" by Alice Timmins, from 1968:
With great patterns and photos inside:


And "The Applique Book" by Charlotte Patera, from 1974:
More great patterns and ideas inside of this one, and a color picture of nearly every one:




Since I am rather challenged (to say the least) in the fabric crafts department, these are probably destined for the shop.

My Favorite Recent Find

"Food should be prepared with butter and love."
That's Paula Deen's motto, isn't it? If it's not, perhaps it should be.
Yes, indeed, it IS true that love and a little (or a lot of) butter can make some pretty tasty dishes.

Everything in moderation, that's what they say, after all.

What's Penny Wearing? #54 Vintage Shirt Of Swirls And Flowers

Penny proudly presents this gorgeous thrift shop find, a swirly floral dream of a shirt in the season's favorite colors of aubergine and chartreuse, with other shades of purple, mossy green and brown thrown in for good measure.



I think it's Penny's new favorite fall blouse.
Aren't the colors and the design of the fabric fabulous?

To Honor Those Who Serve...

The image you see above is the cover of the Standard Oil Bulletin, September 1918.
The cover, with artwork by Stanley McNeill was dedicated to "our boys" in the service. The bulletin listed inside all of the names of all of the Standard Oil Company of California employees who were, at that time, currently "in the military or naval service of the Government". Today we should all honor those men and women who are now serving, or who in the past have served our country as veterans. We celebrate and salute them.
And, speaking of celebrating veterans, can I even TELL you how excited I was for J.R. Martinez last Monday on Dancing With The Stars?! His great moves on the dance floor earned him perfect scores from all three judges for both of his dance numbers with partner Karina Smirnoff.


I was a longtime fan of All My Children, and therefore I was able to watch him from his very first appearance through to the end of the show's run on ABC. I am so enormously impressed with this young man and all he has been through and accomplished! I was so tickled for him when I watched DWTS on Monday night. Well done, J.R., well DONE!

Models From The 70's - Cheryl Tiegs

Our model for today: the gorgeous Cheryl Tiegs. In the first picture below from a Revlon advertisement, circa 1972:

For Bonne Bell, 1969:

Also from 1969, an ad for Rit dye:
On the cover of Glamour magazine:

For Cover Girl makeup :

And our "Cover Girl" again, from 1973:

Always glamourous, always gorgeous.