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!

Pioneer Cemeteries

My stepdaughter from Oregon came and visited us for her father's birthday. One of the favorite things we like to do is to look around old/pioneer cemeteries located around our small town. The above photo is a sign describing where the founder, Gamaliel Wilder, was buried along with other veterans of the civil war.



Pictured above is the newer gravestone of the town's founder that the Historical Society put up because the original gravestone is now hardly visible.



We noticed that most of them died young, like 40's, 5o's, 60's, and a lot of children died after only a few days or months. That was why when we saw the gravestone pictured above, we were amazed that this guy lived to be 96 years old!!! We did the math, and that meant he was born in 1720! Click to enlarge and read the inscription, it is somewhat funny in a way. :) Try to notice the engraving too, crisp and sharp, it takes a lot of skills to do this by hand.

It is fascinating to realize how old this cemetery is... 1801! There are a lot of gravestones lying around that had fallen to the ground and are not even legible anymore. It is nice to know that the Historical Society is trying to save this cemetery. They cleared the bushes/trees that were crowding the place and put up a sign that says, "Founder's Cemetery" by the highway. There was one cemetery that we visited where it has overgrown trees and bushes and if one is not looking, nobody would even know that there is a cemetery somewhere in there... sad.

Debris Shelter

Pictured above is the interior of my daughter's school project on Outdoor Living Skills subject. She's supposed to build a shelter made of branches, and leaves. She built it on our property close to our house for safety. There has been a bear sighting in our area and I was worried that she might have an unwelcome "visitor" during the night.


This is the back view of her shelter. As you can see it was not really that big ... it looks like a pile of leaves ready to be burned. lol She told me that some of her classmates picked fly fishing as a project and they have to learn how to tie a hook and go catch a fish. Others chose how to build a fire from sticks with no matches. Whatever project each student picked, they have to do the research on how to accomplish them.


The front side, she also built a fire and roasted hot dogs with her brother. Lucky me, I didn't have to make dinner that night! :)


And here she is sleeping soundly. She's supposed to sleep in it for three nights and she has to document her project with pictures. Her brother went out around 11pm and took several of them. Nite, nite, missy ... don't let the bed bug bite!

What Happened to Spring?!?

Last night mother nature dumped about 8 inches of snow upon us! And I thought spring had sprung! lol ... turned out only on the calendar.

It is a beautiful sight nevertheless.... grounds and trees were covered with snow... it looked so bright outside. This also reminded me of our homemade Christmas tree back home. I remember using soap suds to cover a nicely shaped branch of a tree and trimming it with homemade Christmas tree decor ... nice happy memories. I think we used Perla soap back then, are they still available? I haven't been home since 1986!

What's New?

My son (with red bandana) and some of his teammates.

Last Friday hubby and I drove 55 miles amid a snowstorm to watch our son and his teammates compete at the annual Finger Lakes Regional FIRST Robotics competition.

We were surprised at how crowded the place was! Students and fans alike were cheering for their robot and music was blaring through the stadium! My son explained to me that the object of the game was for the robot to accumulate points by moving the giant balls across an overpass. The robots were maneuvered with controls by their operators standing at the sidelines.

The photo below is my son with the robot their team built. It took them about six weeks to complete this robot. His robotics team won a silver medal which earned them a spot to participate in the national challenge in Atlanta, GA that will be held next month. Way to go team!

What A Treat!

March 4, 1991 was the last time we had an ice storm. I remember it very well... how beautiful the surrounding was. Every single blade of grass was covered with ice like a cocoon, each and every branch of the trees and shrubs were covered with ice, and they shone like crystals against the sunlight ... it was magical! That was why when the weather report predicted an ice storm last night, I brought my camera with me to work and took pictures here and there ... like the one pictured above.



However, on my way home, I did not expect a treat. Beside the road was a red fox! Foxes around our area are very elusive, they run as soon as a human being is nearby. That was why I was amazed when this handsome little guy waited and posed for me to take a picture.
I think this is a one in a million chance ... to see a fox surrounded by ice and silhouetted against the blue sky! What a treat indeed!

Prayer Group

Last weekend a group of friends and I got together to say a prayer for a friend whose cancer came back. The prayer was followed by a fellowship dinner. Each brought a dish to pass, and by the time all the foods were put on the dinner table, it was a feast! ... so many delicious dishes and all kinds of desserts. I am seated in front, the one with brownish turtle neck sweater. Ate Ev (host) is the 3rd lady from left, back row. And, oh yes, this was also an advanced b-day party for Anita, 2nd lady, from left, back row. Her actual b-day celebration is tomorrow (3/2) at a Chinese restaurant.

Afterwards, we played Jengga, and that was a riot! We had fun trying to distract the one who's "it". Thank you Kuya Tab and Ate Ev for hosting; you are such nice and gracious hosts, and God bless you and your family. Also, please pray for Ate Madeline as she is touched again by this serious illness ... for the second time, may she overcome all these difficulties and win the battle again!