Pretty Spring Flowers

I picked some flowers the other day and took a picture:

I do love it when the lilacs are in bloom!
And the sweet little redhead on this vintage die-cut decoration was just so bright and pretty that I had to share her today, as well:

Isn't she just adorable with her bouquet, her ladybug and her kitty cat?

A Whale Of A "Tail"

I was tickled to add this cutie of a whale bank to my collection of vintage banks recently:

He's awfully sweet with his flowers and his big eyes and his flippy tail, isn't he?
And since I love to throw in a Disney reference whenever possible, if you are familiar with the Disney song, below, you probably got my (intended) pun in my post title?

"Got a whale of a tail to tell 'ya lads, a whale of a tale or two. 'Bout the flappin' fish and the girls I've loved on nights like this with the moon above - a whale of a tale and it's all true; I swear by my tattoo".
 Kirk Douglas sang it in Walt Disney's "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea".
I swear by my tattoo.

Springtime - And Maybe Some Spring Cleaning?

 "Spring is coming"..  nope it's already HERE!

 These are pages from an old school textbook I found at a thrift store.
So sweet!

  The image you see below is from a vintage Hallmark (stationery) note card. The artist's name is Beard.
 I found the cardboard frame/mat and I thought they looked nice together.
Bright and happy red geraniums for the first day of spring:

As it happens, I found that little card tucked inside of this book:

I was going through some things that were packed away in storage, and I found this book among some that had belonged to our mother.
She may have bought every book about organizing, etc. that she could find. She was ALWAYS trying to do it.
Honestly, it was kind of a fluke that I even came across the book  - "How To Conquer Clutter", written by Stephanie Culp, and published in 1989.
I thought "Hmm..  maybe I should take that home and have a look.."
So I did, and when I opened it up about a week later I actually found the geranium card tucked inside.
 I had sent it to Mother in 1990. Tina and I were heading down to see her and I was sending her directions to an antique mall where we were going to meet.
I am now at a point in my life when - quite like our Mother - I need some very serious help.
I have accumulated SO much stuff that I now need all the help I can get, whether it comes in the form of a book or any other form.
Spring cleaning?
Yes, please - and then we will move on to summer cleaning, fall cleaning, winter cleaning - and on and on and on until I make some freaking progress, for crying out loud!

Lemon Poppyseed Quick Bread

I was planning to make some muffins, and I wound up deciding to make a loaf of quick bread instead.
I used this Fleischmann's muffin mix:

I used Yoplait Greek Yogurt, and then in place of the water called for in the directions, I substituted fresh lemon juice:

I think I'll try it with the lemon yogurt next time (which is what I eat nearly every single morning).
I'm a lemon freak - the more lemon, the better.
 I may also add some lemon zest next time, as well.

It was very good!

I'll definitely be making it again.
Seems like a nice sort-of springtime treat.
I might make it again today, in fact!

What's Penny Wearing? #134 'Tis The Wearin' O' The GREEN, Of Course!

Penny is ready for today, with a wonderful dress full of shamrocks:

This is an old-fashioned dress that I wore when I worked at the City Hotel in Columbia State Historic Park. I bought it because it was very inexpensive - and that's because I reckon it was intended to be worn one day a year!

I could get away with wearing it more by mostly covering it up with a pinafore apron and a shawl - if you can't look closely at the fabric, it just looks like a green calico dress. I couldn't find any of my aprons to use for my photo shoot, here.
For Penny's dress-up day today, I had a choice of two different green pins - this vintage green one with flowers is a particular favorite of mine:

I really do like the way this white shawl looks with the dress.

But my newer little shamrock pin looks pretty good, too, against the bright fabric with the sweet shamrock print:

Will YOU be wearin' green today??

From Penny and me:
"Happy St. Pat's Day", everybody!

Kelsey Schoolhouse - 1956-57 and 2012

Good morning, Tina here.

I just found a "new" photo of the Kelsey Schoolhouse which (for those who aren't in-the-know) is located on the Georgetown Divide on Garden Valley Road just west of Highway 193.

This photo was posted on facebook by a lady who was a long-time resident but has since moved away to live her adult years. She is in the first row farthest right.

These students attended the school the years of 1956 and 1957, and were grades one through four.

The bell for the school, which should sit in the bell tower on the roof, was stolen many years ago. The person who stole the bell has died, and the house where the person lived has been bulldozed. At one time the bell was located in Spanish Flat, a very tiny town on the Georgetown Divide. No one is left to tell where the bell is now.

The original roof of the school was Kelsey slate. The Eureka Slate Mine, located in Kelsey, was a large operation, and for a time in the early 1900s the area just south of Kelsey was known as Slatington, and had its own school. That schoolhouse was moved to Coloma and still stands there in the state park.

The slate was also used for the blackboards, shown here on the inside of the school. (The tables are set for the Kelsey Breakfast).

Okay guys, back to work, the schoolhouse needs a roof!

This photo above is the closest I have to the view with the school children. The window on the left is the girls bathroom, and the door leads into a short hallway to the bathrooms and the schoolrooms. I believe the water heater and furnace are in the gray lean to.

We are lucky to still have our schoolhouse, and we support it by holding breakfasts the first Sunday of each month, except in the winter months. Our first breakfast of 2016 will be April 3rd. I'll be up that morning at 5:00 am making the biscuits. Come and join us!

Just Plain Cute

This dear little vintage ceramic angel is perfect for March this year, since Easter is at the end of this month, and not only does she have shamrocks on her dress, but she is also holding a basket.
Isn't she the sweetest thing?

And look who I found out in the garden the other day!

Why, it's my very own little leprechaun who hails all the way from Ireland and his wonderful cottage, nearly hidden away in among the grass and flowers.

Pattern From The Past: McCall's 8678 - A Sleeveless Shift

Today's pattern is from 1967, a sleeveless dress seen below in McCall's magazine; it's number 8678.

And here's the pattern front, with that same style there on the left, in red and white - with a headband rather than a floppy white hat:

You can choose to add the low-slung belt, or not.

The back of the pattern, below.
Six versions - which one would you pick?

Found: Original Paintings Flowers And A Bird

I love discovering original artwork when I am shopping in the thrift stores.
This painting below is my favorite among the items I have found recently:

And this little painted wooden plaque is very sweet:

And last of all, we have this rather unusual bird:

(If anyone out there knows what kind of bird this is, I would love your input!)
So that's it, just some flowers and a bird - and we are all looking to spring - coming soon, to a world near you........

Lounge Chair Road Trip No. 14: Dunsmuir, California

Good morning. Tina here. 

One of the things I have always enjoyed about real road trips is going through Dunsmuir on the way up Interstate 5 on the way to Oregon.

 It is different now, you don't get to see as much of the town as you once did.

It is nice when we aren't in such a rush and can take the side road down into town and enjoy seeing the river.

Unfortunately, going north or coming home we are usually wanting to get there and don't take the time to sight see in Dunsmuir.

So I thought maybe I would do a little sight seeing from my lounge chair. I am not in a hurry today.

I love this little old town by the river and the mountains.

It gets lots of snow (well, compared to Kelsey) in the winter, that would be nice too.

And it is close to Mount Shasta, and much closer to the Shakespeare plays in Ashland than we are now!

Maybe someday I will just pack up and move into a cute little old house there.

You never know...

Just in case I do that and you want to visit, here is a map to help show you the way. I'll leave the light on for you.

Pretty Papers

I picked up a bag of wrapping paper pieces at a thrift store a couple of weeks ago.
Even though they're just scraps, some of them caught my eye (the bag was sealed).
 There are some pretty ones - like flowers:

I really like the orange and pink, and gold combination in this one:

Pretty, with paisley, a silver metallic background, and ivy:

Sweet Raggedy Ann and Andy kids with balloons and ice cream:

A nice one with branches and fronds, reminiscent of a vintage fabric:

And some just have striking graphic designs, like these stripes and diamonds:

....and so, my vintage wrapping paper collection grows......