Doll Houses

Oh my gosh, I must show you these doll houses dear friends! Every day on my way to work I drive by this yard where the homeowners created a small "village" of their own. Doll houses literally "littered" :) their yard. It never ceases to put a big smile on my face, and I'm sure that for everyone who notices these it has the same effect on them. It has a gazebo, Victorian doll house, country store (i think), bridge, etc.


They even have their own church! How about that! :)


... and on holidays like Christmas, these doll houses are decorated with Christmas wreaths and lights. It's just like a fantasy ... they are so impressive to look at.


It is nice to know that the people who live there are young kids at heart. They always keep their yard so neat and trimmed. Once a week I see this elderly lady with curlers on her hair mowing. You seldom see those old fashioned curlers anymore, it's kind of cute in a way ... nowadays we use curling irons.
Ahhh ... life is good!

How Cute Is That?

I saw this sign in an antique store's bathroom. I thought it was cute, since "somebody" I know just hates changing a toilet paper ... gotta have a sense of humor 'bout it! ;)

My daughter is graduating from college this weekend, I will be busy, so to all of you wonderful Mommy's, grandmoms, great grandmamas, and everybody in between, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to y'all!!!

Gardening

Ahhh ... spring weather!... time to work outdoors! A good friend of mine came and helped me plant my Dahlias yesterday but we ended up digging a new garden beds in front of my walkway. Fortunately, it rained the night before so the ground was not too hard but carrying these stones is enough to give anybody a carpal tunnel syndrome! lol I really prefer a shorter plants to go in here but since I have about 4 buckets of dahlia tubers, we planted some ... I plan to surround it with lower growing annuals like Petunias and Geraniums, can't wait to see how they look like when they're blooming.


After all those digging, hauling and planting, we rewarded ourselves with a well known Filipino dessert called Halo-Halo. It is a mixture of shaved ice, evap milk, coconut sport or young coconut meat, yam, plantain (banana), and beans. This is usually eaten in a tall glass with a leche flan on top and/or rice crispies.

BUT, instead of shaving ice and tall glasses, etc. I did a short cut ... a week before, I made an ice candy halo-halo (pictured above.) I mixed all the ingredients, filled an ice candy bags and put them in the freezer ... less work and no dishes. :)
That was a nice ending to a tiring day!

Milk Glass Collection

(please feel free to click all photos to enlarge)

A few years ago I started collecting milk glass. Why milk glass? I love their whiteness. White-on-white appeals to me...it looks so elegant and classical! Pictured above are a few in my collection. You'll notice the head of my "pets" roosters; I am keeping my eyes open for the bottom parts ... what a joy would that be when I find the missing pieces. If you're a collector you'll know what I mean... you'll feel that triumph and a "thud" in your heart! :) One of the things that I did when I started collecting was to buy a book on milk glass. I learned various designs/patterns, what a good find is, and also a bad find, and manufacturers. Above are what an (English) hobnail (top shelf), a lacy edge bowl and a paneled-grape pattern (2nd & 3rd shelves) look like, manufactured by the Westmoreland Company. If you turn them over you'll see a monogram.


Every piece of my collection has a story to tell. I remember very well when I first saw the paneled grape pitcher and tumbler set at an antique store. I thought it was quite pricey at that time, but then when I got home all I could think of was that I wish I could buy it before someone else. So, that weekend me and hubby drove back to that antique store and what a joy I felt when I saw them still there! ... waiting for me, and at a discounted price! It pays to wait (sometimes) lol Oh yes, the two footed bowls on the left side are called beaded grape design, and on the right side, a banana bowl and a Silver Crest basket by Fenton.


I remember those times when my friends and I hooked up on weekends to scour rummage sales, antique stores, and/or auctions. The price of gasoline was a littler cheaper then. :) We called our outings a "mental health day". We considered it therapy for what ever ails us. I was trying to complete my milk glass dinner set then. At one yard sale, my friend saw the dinner plates first but then since she only needed a dinner set for 8, she gave me the other four. That was really nice of her. I am still missing 6 salad plates to complete my 12 serving set. What an experience would that be when I find the rest ... that would make them special!


I am running out of space at home, so this grouping is sitting on top of our microwave. The 2 rounded ones that look like decanters say, "1939 World's Fair". There is a vase with an old quilt pattern by Westmoreland (front middle), wine bottles, etc.


These two compotes are called "Shell Pink" milk glass. They are not white, but a shade of pink, a treasure to have and are hard to find. Behind them is a punch bowl set. Why do we collect? For me, there is nothing like collecting to renew my interest in life ... something beautiful to look at everyday ... it's one of the joys of living!