Auction Treasures

I worked an auction Friday and of course, had fun looking through the leftovers when we were all done. Here's what I brought home.

1. A hand painted bowl from Germany with a handful of seashells in it.
2. A basket full of vintage buttons.
3. A biscuit barrel shaped like a windmill with a wicker handle.
4. A couple of baskets, a blue Ball jar with zinc lid included, and an old Scrabble game, among other goodies. My friend Julie is collecting Scrabble games for a re-purposing project, so I picked it up for her. The original price tag said Montgomery Ward, $2.95. :)

I'm not sure what I'll keep or if I'll incorporate these things into gifts or sell on eBay. I'm still always amazed that these things were paid for but left for the trash! If anyone knows anything about the biscuit barrel, I'd love to hear it. I do have another one with the traditional shape and cherries painted on it. It has a similar handle on it. Maybe I should start a collection. There is some Dutch blood on The Mister's side, after all. :)

♥

A Golden Reddish Day

We woke up this morning to blue skies, golden leaves and frost!

The photos above are taken from my desk in the kitchen.

I sat and drank my coffee as I watched leaves falling and twirling to the ground.

Marmalade found a perch in the sun and sat, dozing in it's warmth.

This evening Taylor and Lauren passed out the Halloween candy to the little

trick-or-treaters. Even her hair is golden reddish. How perfect is that?

♥

Coca-Cola Advertising at the Auction

I worked at the auctions today! We were in a big metal barn at the fairgrounds.

It was a little chilly but I bundled up so it wasn't too bad. I also drank plenty of

hot coffee, so that helped. The highlight of the day was this cute little old man, who

bid for this piece of advertising memorabilia from the 1930's.

He said he has four other signs that are similar but this one was the most unique with the bottle emblem sitting at the top of the piece. Any guesses as to what his winning bid was?

$1, 050.00

He seemed pleased when I asked if I could take his picture after he settled his bill.

♥

Thrill ~ A Theme Thursday Post

Cemetery for one. Rt. 42 Wilberforce, Ohio

Photo taken 10-26-11

Telling ghost stories by candle light,

giggling girls sitting in a circle.

Wide eyed and terrified at shadows across the window,

illumined by the moon.

Hide and Seek at midnight,

holding breath as snapping twigs and crunching leaves

give signs that you may be discovered.

Squeals and shrieks at sheet ghosts hanging in trees,

a mix of goose bump pleasure and a flash of fear.

Click HERE to join in!

♥

What I Did Wednesday #11

please click to enlarge

1. Noticed the morning sun making silhouettes with the lilac bush.
2. Enjoyed the fall colors from the front door.
3. Set out the Halloween candy for the trick-or-treat kids.
4. Put new flannel sheets on our bed. It's been getting down into the 30's at night! Sams Club had sheets, grey with gold accents, just like our room!
5. Used some pumpkin puree from the garden to make pumpkin bread. It's still in the oven as I write this post. Yum.
6. Smiled at two of my cats rolling on our neighbor's warm, sun-soaked driveway.
7. Assembled a new hamper sorter and put it where the upright freezer used to be. Took me an hour. ha. The instructions were weird. Ever have that happen? But it finally came together.
8. Picked up my Invisilines at the orthodontist. I've always had a slight overbite and then over the last 2 years have watched several of my teeth begin to overlap each other. Turns out my teeth grinding at night is moving my teeth! In 16 months, they will be completely straight and better than before. Can you see the braces? No? Well, that's because they're invisible. lol. I'm so impressed, really, at the whole process.
9. Enjoyed the drive to run errands today. Fall is just gorgeous!
10. Picked even more green peppers and tomatoes from the garden. They just don't want to stop! I've canned lots of salsa and soup. Yum.

Just a lovely, ordinary day!

I hope your day is going well!

♥

Auction Treasures

I walked through the leftovers and discarded stuff after working an auction last week. I picked up (1) 2 leaded crystal ice buckets, (2) a milk glass pedestal bowl. (3) an adorable little lamp that fits on my kitchen counter, and (4) a Rowenta Toaster. Also not pictured is a large framed mirror, a bird feeder and 2 baskets. I'm thinking the ice buckets, which are small, would be pretty filled with cookies and given as gifts at Christmas. And I knew Rowenta was a good brand! I did an online search to find it is $80 new, made in France and has a warming basin on it's top to hold a whole loaf of bread. One man's trash, right? Funny thing is, this stuff was paid for in the box lots, but left for the trash. But free for me. Free is fun!

♥

Autumn ~ A Creative Tuesday Drawing

please click on picture to enlarge

Autumn is the theme at Creative Tuesdays this week! My drawing depicts pigeons enjoying a bag of seed while they sit on a park bench under a Ginko tree.

I can almost hear the crunch of the golden leaves! If you'd like to join us, this theme is due Tuesday the 25th. Click HERE to join or see other works of art!

"Autumn, the world's last, loveliest smile."

William Cullen Bryant

♥

When I was out and about this week I drove by my favorite horse farm. I always slow down and check to see if any horses are waiting to say hello. And this handsome fellow was waiting! It was a chilly, damp and windy day. I was glad to see he was wearing his rain coat! And I was really happy he posed so nicely for a portrait!

Have a wonderful weekend!

♥

New ~ A Theme Thursday Post

Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on yesterdays.

Ralph Waldo Emerson American Poet

I'm joining back in with the Theme Thursday group!

Click HERE to check them out!

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!

♥

Random Thoughts

1. Yesterday, before birthday celebrations, I made 15 little gift baskets. I had received an order for small containers of healthy snacks for speakers at a conference at the local university. I had fun putting together granola bars, mixed nuts, natural cherry licorice, dark chocolate and a few other goodies.
2. I worked an auction today. A crazy busy auction. I filled the back seat with goodies from the trash. Maybe I'll show you a few things in a day or two.
3. We rarely eat fast food. But I'm late in the grocery shopping this week and knew I wouldn't feel like making dinner when I got home from that auction even if there was food to fix! Taylor is playing the McDonald's Monopoly game and requested I stop there on my way home. So for 4 of us I bought dinner. (Spencer and Harry won't eat it) I got 32 pieces to the game with that big purchase, including a few he needed. Now, if he'd just win big! ha.
4. It is pouring rain here! Didn't stop all day! Some side streets were flooded when I left the auction and were blocked by police cars. The forecast calls for several more days of rain! We may just float away!
5. One of the boys' birthday gifts was an iPad. They are using them at school this year for the first time and we thought it would be good for them to have one here, too. I think it will be fun to see what apps are out there for the autism community. I'm sure there are several. And they love electronics, so it will be fun. I wonder how they will do at sharing? Because buying three was out of the question. ha. And Taylor wants one for Christmas! LOL.
6. Still very touched at all of the really sweet birthday wishes you all left on my last post. Still laughing that my two wisecracking guy friends turned sweet and sober...at least for a few minutes. :) Thanks very much! Your encouragement is so appreciated by me.

Eighteen

Sometimes on the boys birthday, I'm overcome with sadness. Mother's Day can be like this, too. It's a mourning of sorts, for all of the things that they as kids with autism are unable to do. I remember ages 10, 13 and 16 being like this. Sixteen was especially hard. With Taylor just 2 years older and having experienced his sixteenth birthday with all the normal things like getting his driver's license, dating, high school sports, etc., the contrast of Harry finally being able to speak his name was too stark and hard. As their birthday approached, I felt like it might be another milestone birthday that felt more sad than happy. Eighteen is voting, graduation and as Taylor reminded me...able to buy cigarettes. LOL. No, he doesn't smoke, but we were having fun listing the privileges associated with the age.

But last week something new happened. The boys have never anticipated a birthday before. Sure they know the song, the candle blowing and presents when it's right in front of them. But last week The Mister and I happened to be discussing birthday gift ideas and Spencer walked through the kitchen and heard us. His eyes got big and he turned to us with a knowing look. I said, "Next week is your birthday! Do you want presents?" He nodded. :) Just that simple improvement did my heart a lot of good. Then yesterday as I baked their cake, they hung around the kitchen and became more and more interested as they saw the train taking shape.

I told them this morning that after school we would have cake and presents and they bounded through the front door this afternoon and swarmed the house looking for wrapped gifts. Of course it didn't take long at all for them to find them. LOL. So, I guess all this rambling is to say that their happiness, excitement and anticipation for their big day made me smile.

Afterall, we have survived much in the last 18 years.

They are wonderful, happy and loving boys.

And they belong to me.

I love that.

♥

Never A Dull Moment

Seriously! There isn't! Between 5 men, 4 kittens, 2 birds and a rabbit loose in the house, there is always something going on. Yesterday afternoon I glanced out the back door and saw this. I think the snake had the mouse (first photo) and the kittens disrupted his dinner. I disposed of the mouse, which was dead. Taylor disposed of the snake, which was alive.

And this is what a saw a few minutes ago while sitting here at my desk. Tiger walking on the roof! It's a daily occurrence! Somehow he gets down just fine.

♥

Cinnamon Pear Pecan Pancakes

Sunday Brunch Today

Was getting ready to make our regular buttermilk pancakes and on a whim added some cinnamon, pecans and pears. This one will most certainly be served again and again!

Recipe

2 eggs

2 c buttermilk

1/4 c sugar

1 t vanilla

2 c flour

1/2 t cinnamon

2 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/2 stick melted butter

Whisk together. Batter will be slightly lumpy.

Then after pouring on the griddle, and before flipping,

sprinkle with chopped pecans

and thinly sliced pears. Serve with hot, homemade syrup.

Yum.

♥

Pears

Beautiful color

Artistically shaped

Running sweet juices

Tarts, pies or crepes

Lots of sweets from these will be made.

Eating them fresh, though, is my favorite way.

Thinly sliced with some cheese and wine

Thank you, Autumn, for this fruit so sublime.

♥

Yep, I ate three already today. Yum.

One Man's Trash...

I worked an estate auction this past week. A little old widower's home. He was in his 80's and has passed on. His two daughters were there. Nice people. The neighbors and people who knew him and his wife said they were sweet people with a neat and tidy house. The house had been built in the 50's but it really looked new as far as upkeep and condition. It was the little things that gave it's age away..like the 1950's green porcelain bath tub. :)

When I was leaving at the end of the day, I noticed a box lot left for the trash.

Since I was in a hurry, I didn't dig through it but just took the whole thing home. I figured I could always take the stuff to the thrift store if I didn't end up wanting it. I could tell it was a lot of old kitchen items. Many from the 50's and 60's.

After digging through the bunch of tiny jello molds and cookie cutters I was delighted to find...

1. This old stainless measuring cup with the teaspoon measurements in the lid. The top of the lid says "Compliments of the Marathon Oil Company". I couldn't find it online, but did find the lid by itself selling on ebay for an opening bid of $8.99. I wonder what the price of gas was when these little things were given out with your tank-ful. :) I'm sure the gas was leaded, too!
2. A green glass plant mister. It's now sitting beside my other one that is brass and clear glass.
3. A pair of ladies crocheted gloves, complete with cross stitch and rhinestone accents. The washed up nicely and fit me perfectly.
4. A set of plastic plates with the dividers. My boys love these kind of plates! I'm sure they had glasses included at one time. They were probably in another box! ha.
5. And this cute little 4 cup teapot. It's stamped on the bottom Gibson and Sons, Ltd., Burslem, England. It has a registration number, too, along with an artist's number I'm guessing. A little online search says that particular mark was used between 1912 and the 1920's. How sweet. And I collect teapots, too! I'm happy I saved it from the trash. :)

Isn't free fun?

♥

Tail Tales

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1. Pony tail progress! Locks of Love shouldn't be too far away!
2. Spencer and the window blind tangle. I'd love to hear the tale behind this one!
3. Mouse tail. This cat toy jumped into my cart today at the grocery. That's my tale and I'm sticking to it! :)
4. Marmy is checking out the heated cat home I made. I need to make a permanent one from wood before winter comes. His tail gives him away every time!

♥

What I Did Wednesday #10

1. Enjoyed a pot of caramel vanilla coffee.
2. Ran the vacuum attachment along all the baseboards and ceilings.
3. Did 4 loads of laundry. Now I can just shut the lid on the hamper. Got it down to 'full'. ha.
4. Scrubbed the bath, laundry and kitchen floors with my Hoover Floor Mate.
5. Did some ironing.
6. Wiped Windex on TV screens, mirrors, refrigerator and laptop screen.
7. Gathered a pile of trash from all the rooms. How does this multiply so much? ha.
8. Prayed for a friend at appointment time.
9. Enjoyed a pumpkin spice scented candle.
10. Welcomed three boys off the bus. Thank you, Alex, for lining up the shoes. ha.
11. Watched the rain. Cool and gloomy today. Like a sepia day. :)
12. Dusted 12 six-panel doors.
13. Served up after school snacks.
14. Started a new thrift store bag of unwanted stuff.
15. Nibbled on some grapes.
16. Cleaned the microwave.
17. Ordered more vitamin supplements and prescriptions.
18. Dusted things hanging on the walls like framed prints and mirrors.
19. Watered the indoor plants. Noted new blooms on the African Violet.
20. Cleaned the bathrooms.

Just a beautiful, ordinary day! Hope your day has been a good one, too!

Now it's time to relax with a cup of tea before dinner.

Thankfully, we're having leftovers! ha.

♥

Walrus

Well, it had been a while since I went to unload groceries and saw a face looking back at me! But it was bound to happen again sooner or later! I mean, with grape face, strawberry fish and even George Washington in a banana! And let's not forget that fat lady singing in that cantaloupe! Well, here is my little walrus friend who fell out of the net bag of potatoes this week.

Do you see him?

Here! Maybe this will help!

I know, I know...this stressful life is manifesting itself in strange ways.

But at least it makes you laugh, right? If you want to see past faces in my food, just click on that label title here at the end of this post. :)

♥

Keep Calm and Have A Cupcake ~ A Creative Tuesday Entry

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Cupcake is the theme over at Creative Tuesdays! My drawing combines several of my favorite things...my favorite motto, a bird, and something sweet. Mrs. Bird is drawn with black ink and colored pencils on 8.5 x 11 printer paper. Lettering was done through Picnik.

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And I figured I might as well bake cupcakes, too! :) Chocolate lattice work and German Chocolate flavored marshmallow petals make this plain vanilla cupcake something a little more special. And it looks very autumnal, doesn't it?

Cupcake entries are due Tuesday, October 11th.

Click HERE to see other entries or join in the fun!

♥

You Know You're Addicted To Coffee When...

photo from googleimages.com

1. You lick your coffee pot clean
2. You don't get mad, you get steamed.
3. You get a speeding ticket even when you're parked.
4. You haven't blinked since the last lunar eclipse.
5. You go to AA meetings just for the free coffee.
6. You help your dog chase it's tail.
7. You soak your dentures in coffee overnight.
8. You think being called a drip is a compliment.
9. You've built a city out of mini plastic stirrers.
10. You have a picture of your coffee mug on your coffee mug.
11. You think CPR stands for Coffee Provides Resuscitation.
12. Your T-shirt says Decaffeinated Coffee is the devil's blend.
13. Your first-aid kit contains two pints of coffee and an I.V. hook-up.
14. When someone says, "How are you?" you answer "Good to the last drop!"
15. You're the Employee of the Month at Starbucks and you don't even work there.
16. You drink your first cup of the day before you even get out of bed.

The Old Geezer's blog provided the list. And from personal experience, I added #16. :)

Happy drinking, fellow coffee lovers!

♥

Half Grown

Six months old.

It's like they are teenagers!

♥

Friday's View

I worked an auction today. We were outside and the clerking table was set up under a little shelter. I took these pictures from my chair. What a lovely view! Not a cloud in the sky, 70 degrees with a light breeze. Perfect! There wasn't a port-a-john and for a while we considered turning this little shed into an out house. But someone finally arrived with keys to the house so we could go inside if we needed to. Good thing, because I don't think I would have gone in that big blue barrel! haha. Pat, I added that picture and bit of news just for you. :) (In case you didn't know, he shares my dismay of port-a-johns!)

Other than the threat of yucky bathroom accommodations, it was a gorgeous day. I even got home early!

♥

A Knock At The Door

Earlier this week I answered a knock at the door to see two little boys, about 7 and 8 years old standing on the front porch. The conversation went something like this...

• Me ~ Hi!
• Boy # 1 ~ (think tiny little voice with a cute lisp and pronounce the r's like w's) Hi. Would you like to buy a raffle ticket for $2 to help with the Cedarville football team?
• Me ~ OK! Just a minute. Let me go get my wallet.
• Me ~ (returning) Alright, here you go. (Spencer, giggling and galloping through the house, bounds through the foyer on his way to the living room.
• Boy #2 ~ Hey! (Peering through the screen door) Hey~ I know him! And the others! Um, one of them is named Spencer!
• Me ~ Do you know them? That was Spencer! Do you see them at school?
• Boy #2 ~ Yeah! They ride my bus!
• Me ~ Oh, cool! So you see them get off here every day?
• Boy #2 ~ Yeah. And the others....what's their names?
• Me ~ Harry and Alex.
• Boys #2 ~ But..but...isn't one of them named Wacky?
• Me ~ (almost not containing my laughter) No, none of them are named Wacky! Although...
• Boy #1 (to his brother) ~ No, you're thinking of one of our old dogs that died!
• Boys #2 ~ Oh. (with a perplexed look on his face).

We continue chatting a bit as I fill out the ticket with my name and phone number. Then they say thank you and good bye. LOL! Maybe I should have added that Spencer should be named Quirky! omg...that was TOO funny. I hadn't laughed that hard in a long time.

I even forgot to ask what I would win if I had the lucky ticket!

♥

Fog

I took these photos this morning on my way to an auction.

Yep, it was foggy. Really foggy. The further north I drove, the

worse it got! See the car in front of me in that last photo?

After an hour of that, I arrived. Whew!

The sun finally won out and it was a gorgeous day!

♥

What I Did Tuesday, Oops!

1. Enjoyed gorgeous weather as I was out and about running errands today.
2. Smiled at lower gas prices.
3. Noted the little corner market was decked out for fall.
4. Bought some mums for the front porch.
5. Browsed through T.J. Maxx. This little tea cup with a lid jumped in my cart and said "Take me home with you, Betsy!" How could I refuse? I mean...it does have a bird on it! A few other things jumped in my cart, too, like coconut-key-lime scented room spray, a set of flannel sheets, a bamboo cutting board, and some scented hand soap for the kitchen sink. All on the clearance isle! Love that.
6. Found a spot for a basket of petunias in my desk nook. Wasn't quite ready to let the frost get to them.
7. Brought out the old jack-o-lantern!
8. Cleaned off my desk, dusted it, and put away about 25 things that didn't belong there.
9. Said 'hello' to the cows as I drove by.
10. Lit a scented candle and hung it above my desk.
11. Saw a ballerina cloud.
12. Played with 4 kittens who were knocking on the back door.
13. Found a spot for all of the houseplants that were outside for the summer.
14. Took the wreath of summer daisies off the front door and hung an autumn wreath.
15. Snapped a picture of this pretty barn as I drove past.

I seriously thought it was Wednesday ALL day today! And as I was about to publish this post, I realized that it was only Tuesday! LOL! I do that A LOT. Yes, I have quirks, too. lol. And it's just as well since I will be out of town working an auction tomorrow and wouldn't be doing a What I Did Wednesday post anyway. Hope you are enjoying your day, too!

♥

Quirks

Everybody has quirks, right? But kids with autism really have quirks! Most of them are harmless and ...well, amusing actually. Some are irritating if you have to live under the same roof with them! LOL. Saturday morning I slept in. The boys did not. In fact, while I was sleeping, Spencer set up shop in the kitchen! This is the scene I woke up to later that morning.

He had his stacks of beloved trains pictures on the kitchen island (he finds them on the Internet and prints them off on his printer, then tapes them all together), along with books opened to his favorite train pictures and even his CD player, playing a...you guessed it...a song about trains! Good thing I wasn't planning on rolling out pie crust or baking cookies, because there wouldn't have been room enough for both of us to work there. :) Frankly, this type of quirky behavior doesn't bother me, unless the volume for his music is turned up too high. :)

******

No, the irritated quirks of late have been the need...or compulsion... to turn off all the room fans, close all the doors in the house, turn off all of the lights, and turn off the washer and dryer mid-cycle! For a while I thought there was something wrong with the washer! I'd go to transfer a load to the dryer and find that the spin cycle hadn't finished! I'm guessing the sound is what is bothering him. I can threaten him within an inch of his life and he still can't resist the urge to sneak back there and push the power button. LOL.

One quirk that I actually enjoy is the need to blow the steam when it's coming out of the tea kettle. He knows steam, that's for sure, from all of those steam engines! And he can say 'steam', too. ...although it sounds more like "stee". All three boys have their quirks. No, they are not the same. We get a triple dose as far as the quirks go!

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You know, I'm wondering if he isn't doing the quirks as some kind of payback for taking away his cheese? LOL.

♥

Random Thoughts

back yard geraniums

1. It truly feels like fall here, this beginning of October. We had wind chills of 34 degrees on Saturday and a frost warning last night. I picked a huge basket of veggies from the garden and brought in the houseplants. Now that we've experienced that, I'm sure Indian Summer will kick in here and we'll have a few more warm days!
2. Spencer has lost a total of 10 pounds on his cheese-free diet! For those that don't know, he was stealing it from the refrigerator and eating over a pound a night. He would end up getting sick on it or just letting his body store it as fat. I had to get tough and stop buying it all together. He is looking so good!
3. The Mister and I had a wedding to attend in Cincinnati this afternoon. What a beautiful day for a Sunday drive! The leaves will be at their peak mid October, but there was enough of a start to make for a lovely scenic trip.
4. While out today, we saw an owl eating road kill on the side of the highway. That was a first. ha. Don't they sleep during the day?
5. You know me..soft-hearted, right? Well, I was trying to figure out how to keep the kittens warm without letting them inside the house. I took a big box,taped all the sides closed, cut out a little door and lined the bottom with some old towels and a heating pad. I wrapped the dial in plastic to protect it from the weather and put it on the back porch. Its perfect. And they have been sleeping in it, too!
6. Read an interesting statistic this week. With the national unemployment rate at being nearly 10%, the unemployment rate among those with a college degree is only 4.3%. I told Taylor he will never regret going to college. And he's half way through already! How did that happen so quickly?
7. I picked about a dozen green peppers in the garden. Any ideas for a recipe? Should I stuff them? Do you have a favorite filling?
8. Met a girlfriend for coffee this morning. We chatted over a vanilla latte for me and a diet coke for her. Living with five men, I need an occasional hour of girl talk, you know?

Beet Cake

I got this recipe from Becky's blog a while back. She had the same little video posted that I have below and it was so beautifully done as baking art, that I wanted to try the recipe. Not to mention the fact that I was curious what beets would do to a chocolate cake! The cake is delicious. It's so moist that it's like a pudding cake. The directions in the video are vague, so I've written them out below. Yum. If you like chocolate cake, you need to try this. And since it doesn't have frosting, it isn't so heavy and sugary. Perfect just as it is.

And no, you can't taste the beets at all!

Baking as Art...beautifully done!

pretty color, huh!

Beet Cake

1 c butter, softened

1 1/2 c dark brown sugar

3 eggs

1 t vanilla

4 oz semi sweet chocolate, melted

2 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

2 15oz cans of beets, drained and pureed

2 c flour

In mixer, blend brown sugar and butter. Add eggs. Mix until light and fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Bake in 2 greased 8" round cake pans 375 for 20-30 minutes. Test center with a toothpick. When cool, remove from pans and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

To see more fun recipes, visit Lisa at Sweets for A Saturday. Click HERE.

♥

Under Attack

I was sitting on the back porch watching the kittens play with a piece of yarn. Suddenly, they looked more interested in something my direction! But what could it be? They crouched, wiggled their butts and pounced!

On my toes!

And wrestled with the zipper on my hoodie!

Help!

♥