Living in the Twilight Zone

"I know you are all thinking Christmas right now...BUT...Since I've been living in The Twilight Zone I figured I'd give you a PEEK into my Parlor"...

I've been captive in a world of silence...NO Land of Blog, with my e-mail "Out more than In"... I truely thought that a new computer was going to bring  a pleasent new beginning, NOT lauch me down a deep dark tunnel of "Nothingness"...

"Spooky Huh"???

These are the spirits that haunted my head as I tried to "Click a Comment to each and every one of you(My Dear Dear Friends, on the other side of the Looking Glass, in My Land of Blog)"...

Time for a grog of hard cider... "Actually I'm a coffee gal, and rather consume a large carafe of Java from a favorite vintage stein"!

Oh Yes, My world has been "Upside Down" without you!!!

Since we last chatted, we've been through Mother Natures Storms here too... Hurricane Sandy had lots of anger in her path... This is the second year in a row that "Halloween was Postponed"...WOW!!!

Okay!!! I seem to be sitting UPRIGHT at the moment "AND" I want to share with you all!!!  I've missed you all and "I'm sending you Big Squishy Hugs"!!!

"KAPUT"!!!

My "Komputer is Kaput"!!! "Oh My"!!! Did you all get the deep concentration of "ESP" I've been sending out??? I sat in my library in amazement of the deep feeling of LIMBO I was in "Not being able to visit My Land of Blog"!!! "Oh My", all my friends live there having "End of the Season Tea Parties" that I just could "Not Attend"!!!
"Sweet Sweet Mr Cottage" has bought and installed a new computer for me today... With a monitor SO BIG it's sending out a beam of light that can be seen in outer space! I kid  you not...Climb up on your roof and look in my direction...See that "BEACON to the STARS"??? "It's just me, Smiling and Typing Away"!!! I may just "Stay up ALL NIGHT LONG"!!!
One teensy problem... "I have to learn ALL THIS NEW STUFF"!!! My Old "Puter" was from the LAST Millennium, and NOW "I'm State of the Art"!!!
My biggest problem is "All my Photos are on the old drive"(Bwaaaaa!!!)
I do have a clean slate here to start all over again... Hubby will be rescuing all my pictures soon(he promised), and all I have to do to get on his "good side" is bake an apple pie(or two)... "YUP, that'll do it"!!!
I'll be visiting you all VERY SOON!!!
Miss you all SO MUCH!
"Big Squishy Hugs"!!!

"The Fabulous 50s"

The whole idea of this post, came about from a very special "FABULOUS 50s FIND"... and "NO" it's not the baby girl in the photo "Who just happens to be Moi" WAY BACK in the beginning of My Time 1954... Mom&Dad made me take my baby picture home last month when I was there... I really didn't want to take it, Hmmmm,  "Just WHAT does a person DO with a photo of their mini self"??? I tried showing it to my hubby and my sons and just got a "NOD"!!!  SO ladies, you are stuck with having "Mini Me in the post"...

This photo is of the city I was born, in the same year I was born... See that cop directing traffic??? It "MAY" be my Dad... He was a policeman at that time... I know every detail SO WELL of this photo, there are such fun memories linked to "Downtown"... The movie star "Rosalind Russel" was from my hometown and WAY IN the back of this old photo(if you squint to see), The STATE THEATER had a large bronze plaque dedicating the theater to her...If you're a FAN of Ms Russel you can read about HER & My Hometown Here...

Isn't this the "Cutest Ever" little cow figurine? She just captured my heart one day while tagsailing!!!

Here we are!!! "The Millers" in the Fabulous 50s... See those Fabulous Flamingos??? They seemed to BREED big time in the 50s...At least they did on our street...They came in all sizes and it seems as if a trip to Florida always brought a flock of these beauties home... My Mom's Mom was graced a pair of them and "SHE SAID" she lost the legs and couldn't use them in her garden...Hmmmm??? They weighed about a TON EACH so Poor Gramma had those monster paperweights in her garage till the day she sold her house...Oh, and BY THE WAY, the legs are ONLY "rebar" that you can buy in any hardware store(just in case you have a set of Flamingo paperweights in NEED of legs)...

"Looky Looky" what I have!!! Yes my garden is invaded by this cutie whenever Mom&Dad visit... They bought him on their honeymoon in Florida in "1947"... I actually LOVE how he looks snuggled into a setting of Caladium Leaves... 
All the flamingos that flocked home with us from Florida are NOT the plastic ones...They are all the VERY HEAVY Stone/concrete ones! Unfortunately, I'm guessing, MOST did not survive to this day, DUE to the fact their necks were very fragile...It was a familiar sight to see these birds wearing neck-scarf bandages to hide their BooBoo fractures...

"Okay it's time to reveal my Fabulous 50s Fantastic Find"!!! It's this stacked Pyrex Pink Gooseberry Cinderella casseroles...Made in 1954!!! LOVE,LOVE,LOVE them!!! I did a little "Happy Dance" at Goodwill that day... YUP, I made a fool of myself and I don't even care..."Can you see me smiling with tears in my eyes"!!! Okay I have BEEN IN-LOVE with this set since "Our Sweetie Shelia" introduced me to it in "Note Songs HERE"... I was HOOKED, "Head over Heals in Love" with those pink cuties!!!  Thank you, Thank you Shelia for all the fun I had "in my hunt"...It came out with a happy ending of $9 for the set...

Another Fabulous Find of the Era is Hammered Aluminum... It can be found for pennies and it puzzles me WHY people don't love it more? I certainly DO and grab it whenever I hear one calling my name. As I've mentioned before I "have an obsession for" handled trays, dishes, bowls, etc... I don't know why BUT they always follow me home... LOOK at this "Fabulous" handled hammered aluminum tray with roses..."It's Gorgeous"!!!

These are "gooseberries"! Yes the ones on my Fabulous 50s Find, "Pyrex Cinderella Gooseberries Casseroles"!!! These are "The Real Thing"... I never see them here in Connecticut... They are never at the farm market or in the grocery store or EVEN in the woods..."Hmmmm???" The only time I've ever encountered "AND EATEN" these is when visiting my family in northern Maine...They grow wild there...I am not a fan of gooseberries. They are okay, BUT I would never crave them. I found them kind of "ODD"! To me they have a citrus taste that POPS when you bite them... Have you ever eaten gooseberries??? Did you like them???

This is a "Gooseberry Pie"! Looks kind of good, doesn't it? Well, I googled gooseberries to find a recipe and this is all I found... No Clue who's pie it is(if it's yours PLEASE claim it and share the recipe with us???) It looks like a meringue pie???

See that little coffee perculator? Do you remember the sounds and smells coming from the kitchen in the days of perking??? I just had the coffee jingle POP in my head!!!  This pot is a teeny, tiny, little, cute as a button thingie I picked up for a "Buck"! It's perfect "IF" I wanted to use it, BUT being a coffee hound, I require a massive 12 cup pot...SO I'll sit with my Big Grog of Java and admire this little cutie...

Something I like to seek out in cookware is "FUN Tabletop Treasures"... Serving any meal in these Fabulous 50s, cute little Cinderella Casserole dishes will get lots and lots of compliments(Don't you think?)...Well, especially from the Ladies!!!

"GOOSEBERRIES"!!!

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"Fun,Fun,Fun"!!! I grabbed this novel out of my personal library to read when I went to Florida last month... It was better than I expected... Just a pure Fun read!!!

Just thought I'd put the Flamingos in a more tropical/jungle attire for you...

"Florida Icon... The Pink Flamingo"

Partying this week@
Table Top Tuesday@A Stroll Thru Life
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday@Coastal Charm  
Let's Dish@Cuisine Kathleen 
Home&Garden Thursday@A Delightsome Life 
Vintage Thingie Thursday@Coloradolady
Tablescape Thursday@Between Naps on the Porch 
Vintage Inspiration Friday@Common Ground 
Home Sweet Home Friday@The Charm of Home
Feathered Nest Friday@French Country Cottage  
Thrifty Things Friday@The Thrifty Groove 
Pink Saturday@How Sweet the Sound 
Seasonal Sundays@The Tablescaper 
Masterpiece Monday@Boogieboard Cottage

"I LOVE YOU DADDY"!!!

My Dad is back on his feet... He has never been one to complain, so when he became ill, kept it from everyone. He only said he was a bit run down. By the time Mom got him to go to the doctor he had to be hospitalized with full blown pneumonia... He now has a clean bill of health and "ALTHOUGH he's complaining about being old", he's doing beautifully... "LOVE THAT GUY"!!!  Now to get him to gain 20 pounds...  "THANK YOU SO MUCH" all you wonderful friends who left all those sweet remarks for me, AND I love you all for those special prayers you sent... Please keep them coming, I want my Mom and Dad to be around "forever"(I don't think that's too much to ask)... For now I'm totally drained. When I came home I found my Hubby had fractured his leg and it was so swollen I took him to the emergency room...They checked him for blood clots and "WELL, He'll be fine but it will be a LONG recovery for him"! OH MY!!!  I've missed you all SO MUCH...

 

"NEED PRAYERS"!

"Once more I need the support and prayers of my wonderful friends here in my land of blog"... This time it is for my Dad... He is my Hero and he is in the hospital in Florida...He is very sick, Mom called for me to come... I do not know what the problem is YET..."I am leaving NOW"! I will not have any access to an internet to let you know what is going on...PLEASE, I ask you to continue your prayers... My Dad will be 87 on July 23rd... If I could describe my Dad in one word, that word is "PERFECT"!!!
Thank you my Dear Friends,
Love you all,
Donna

Captivated by Curiosities

Our little Miss Nelly Grey has a few handsome suitors today...

Mr Copperfield has hidden a bouquet of "butterfly blue pin cushion flowers" to impress our lil' Miss Nelly... He certainly has my attention... OH MY you know how I love blue flowers!!!

She has set out a few of my English Demitasse cup & saucer sets...I had found these poor little darlings on a clearance self for 75% off the sale price of $5 "AND" that was for 8 sets!!! Hmmm, that's practically FREE!!! They are creamy white, cobalt blue and trimmed in gold... The light blue transferware is "Burleigh Asiatic Pheasants" and it's the dishes I ALWAYS use when serving a man's favorite...

What a way to impress the guys ladies... Serving "Blueberry Pie"(or Apple), will always make them melt ...

I always keep a plentiful supply of fresh whipped cream in my gardens... Would you like a scoop on your warm pie?

"Is it wise to entertain more than one beau at a time"???

Miss Nelly said "As long as the table is set for three, of course it is wise to keep them both close. We shall see who wins my heart by asking for seconds of my warm blueberry pie"!

Here is my "Find of the Year"... I strolled into Goodwill like any other day and there were PLENTY of junk bins piled high that were not displayed yet. NOW those of you that know GW, "KNOW" that you have to be ever so careful in those bins. They put crystal on the bottom, layered with books, some decanters, various metal objects of UNKNOWN  VALUES, a group of scotch tape dispensers taped together(marked 50cents), but had NO TAPE on them... TOP LAYER is always "HEAVY METAL"(and I don't mean music)!!!  It's a wonder that ANYTHING survives, "BUT IT DOES". This day I spied a lady holding what is pictured here. YES! It was an antique "Minton Toast Tray"...She was examining it WHILE I was dead in my tracks(I do believe my mouth was probably open too). I didn't know if I should "HIDE" and spy on her, or just pretend I didn't see what she was holding... If I looked interested she would SURELY BUY IT! So I walked away and peeked around the corner... "IT WORKED, she put it back"!!! I moved right in and picked it up... It had a chip! Hmmmm! Did I care, NO! I did not know who the maker was, I needed my stronger glasses(not on me)... I put it in my basket and looked in the bin for more, then I moved to the other bins... There it was "AT THE BOTTOM" upside down, "crying my name"...It was a PERFECT MATCH to the one I had, but this one was MINT! Hmmm, what to do? I roamed around a while and decided to just take the perfect one and put the other one back... I didn't hide it, I put it on a shelf for ALL to see how beautiful it was...I paid for my treasure($3) and went home...I searched the internet and found that My "MINTON TOAST TRAY" was "RARE" mid 1800s and was worth approx $300...

Little Nelly said "WHAT!!! you left the other one at GW"??? Are you crazy!!! Yes, another sleepless night brought me back to open the doors of GW ... I made a B-Line to where I had left my "Twin Toast Tray"... There it was "STILL THERE"!!! No one knew what I did... No one knew how wonderful this toast rack was... My quest was complete, I would sleep tonight and have pleasant dreams of "Toast and Jam"... Did I tell you "I LOVE Toast Racks"???

It is such fun to treasure hunt...This cute little gent was so busy "Painting his birdcage red" that he almost didn't notice me enter... The little shopkeepers bell jingled as I entered and I asked WHY he would choose red as the color of his paint... He looked up at me and smiled, hesitated and answered "Why Not"! then he chuckled and said he had a bucket of it left over and wanted to brighten up his shop!  OKAY NOW...I'm giving you a budget of one item, "What will you be taking home with you"???

Lil'Nelly is LOVING being sandwiched(like the cream fluff in the Oreo cookie) in between these "Two Minton Toast Trays in the Willow Pattern"...Look at all the GOLD trim on them! They are "Gorgeous", Can you see me SMILING"!!! They are quite large, MAYBE to accommodate the "M" arch that Minton created...Do you think the "ARCH" is to represent "MINTON"? Well, My maiden name is "Miller" so It's a fine Minton/Miller ARCH for me!

This antique leaf dish(no markings) in Black&Gold with handpainted roses is very pretty indeed! At first the orange rose was going to keep it from todays table BUT look how it matched Mr Twist and Mr Copperfields HAIR!  YES it gets to stay... Did you notice that Mr Twist looks JUST LIKE Prince Charles?

I bought this beautiful rock crystal sugar&creamer years ago "for a song". It was SO DIRTY I couldn't see the intricate detailing, but for practically nothing I rescued it from it's tomb and soaked it in a nice bubble bath...Do you see her smiling pretty now...She was FLAWLESS!

Although for years I thought of it as a set, I discovered today that "It is Not"... I have identified the maker as American,"McKee" , pattern "Rock Crystal", Circa 1920s"... It is a creamer, but the open sugar is NOT the match(it isn't even a sugar??? )... It is a "Footed Jelly"... Both pieces have the company trademark on the bottom "a circle with the words pres cut"...

 It is such a gorgeous stately set that ORIGINALLY I thought I'd serve Hubby "Breakfast in Bed" using the sugar(NOT a sugar), as a compote for fresh berries with sweet cream in the creamer... Hmmm, I guess my original instinct was "RIGHT"! and "Mr Cottage LOVED my idea"!!! NOW I know the unidentified piece is a "Footed Jelly". LOVE THAT!!!

My newest $1 addition is this rare little "Royal Crownford Staffordshire England" Calico dinner bell... Can you see it sitting "So Pretty" on the plate with the blueberries??? When you are ready for your pie, just jingle it!!!

"Here you go"...

Some of my garden blue...Clematis "Blue Angel", is one of my favorite. The texture reminds me of seersucker...

I hope you've been captivating some curiosities of your own... I'll look forward to hearing all about them???

McKee Glass started producing glass around 1834.  Around the 1850 time period a new factory was built in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to produce flint and pressed glass. The company relocated to Jeannette, PA. in 1888 until 1951 when it was bought by Thatcher Glass Manufacturing company.  Types of glass produced: Depression, Pattern, Milk White, Utility Kitchenware.

A HISTORY OF McKee Glass. READ ABOUT IT HERE

I'm LINKING TODAY to
"Blue Monday@Smiling Sally" 
"Tea Time Tuesday@Rose Chintz Cottage" 
"Return to Loveliness@A Delightsome Life" 
"Table Top Tuesday@A Stroll Thru Life" 
"Nifty Thrifty Tuesday@Coastal Charm" 
"Tea Cup Tuesday@Artful Affirmations" 
"Home and Garden Thursday@A Delightsome Life" 
"Share your Cup Thursday @Have a Daily Cup of Mrs Olson" 
"Vintage Thingie Thursday@Coloradolady" 
"Tablescape Thursday@Between Naps on the Porch" 
"Vintage Inspiration@Common Ground" 
"Home Sweet Home Friday@The Charm of Home" 
"Thrifty Things Friday@The Thrifty Groove" 
"Feathered Nest Friday@French Country Cottage" 
"Seasonal Sundays@The Tablescaper" 

She Sells Sea Shells by the Sea Shore

"Today is ALL ABOUT THE BEACH"!!! I am RE-POSTING my INDOOR BEACH scene JUST FOR "Kathleen's Beach Party @ CUISINE KATHLEEN"...

Here in New England the rain just keeps on coming..."SO"... what is one to do when you have a beach day planned and no sun... You pack up your party and move it "In Doors"!!!
The "Backdrop Seaside Village" Scene is a hand painted material from Manhattan that is stretched for hanging...I found it in the early 70s at a little shop called the Women's Exchange" where ladies sold their goodies and it was a SORT OF a yesteryear Thrift Shop... It followed me home for only $2...

My VERY favorite beach snack is fruit...Grapes have always been a staple on my beach blanket...

"Marydon, I LOVE the seams on your bags" ...This has become one of "My Very Favorite Things"!

This Cup & Saucer are SO Special to me... The first trip my Hubby and I took to Maine together in 1973 I had this lovely "Queens English Bone China Set" follow me home... I know it had a little "Nudge from my Sweetie", pointing it in the right direction! He even demonstrated to me the Proper way to hold the Cup... When he saw me putting together this "BeachScape"  today he smiled... I know he remembered it, he picked it up EVER SO Gently and gestured  the "Proper way to hold the Cup"!

Keep peeking in on Conghaile Cottage to see more treasures I've won... AND to just say hello..."I Love you all"!!!

Ebb Tide is one of the most beautiful songs of all times... This is my sheet music for my piano, I have had it since the 60s...Before you go any further "Listen Here for piano version"  ..."Listen Here for Righteous Brothers version"... Both are guaranteed to make you melt... Ok, you can leave the music playing in the background while you move on to a little more "Beach combing"...

It was Such Fun to morph my Living room into the Beach!!!

She was selling sea shells by our sea shore "BUT" children do get sidetracked very easily when it comes to playing in the sand... She's almost finished with her "Sand Bear"!!! I think she's quite talented... The large conch shell behind her belonged to my Grandmother who had it all her life. She was born in 1885 and she told me this shell was her Mothers. I remember sitting with her for hours listening to her stories of walking, on the beach, looking for shells...She would hold the shell to my ear and ask me to listen to it sing... I would hear the Whoosh of the ocean and I "Do Believe" I could smell the salt air as Gramma went on with her tales... The basket sitting behind "Sand Bear" is a thrifty $1 find... Can you resist such temptations when they follow YOU around the shop? I think not!!!

The backdrop is a "Quaint New England Seacoast town"... We spend lots of time at sea, one of my PASSIONS is Fishing! I LOVE IT! Hubby and my youngest son are both Sea Captains... Oh No that makes me the MATE... BUT... they don't make me "Swab the deck"(unless I want to)!!!

This Sweet Face is a "Julie Good Kruger Little One"... She was born in Pennsylvania... Her Sand Bear Creation is a GUND...

Have you noticed the seashell ribbon that is sand-storming my vignette??? Can you see it has real shells inside it??? A very long time ago, I fell head over heals for this ribbon and bought a whole spool of it! I had NO IDEA what I was going to use it for BUT I had to have it(YES, Ribbon often follows me home too)... July came along "AND" my Fathers Birthday!!! I don't remember what I gave him that year BUT I do remember that it was tied up with the prettiest bow this ribbon could make! Dad LOVED his gift and as he loosened the bow he handed it over to me and said "Here you go, Save it for next year"... Now and then the bow gets used and passed back & forth ... How can you make something that is already on your favorite things list even better... "EASY"...Tie your Dad's Love and Heartstrings on the end of that ribbon!!!

"Marydon @ Blushing Rose  GORGEOUS bag that "I Won" over at Coastal Charm... You MUST go explore Marydon's World AND Beautiful creations. "She has a Shop Too"!!!  How Lucky are we to know her!!!  Thank you "So Very Much" for my Nautical Bag"... "I LOVE IT"!!! "Big Squishy Hugs"...

"You Must visit Linda@Coastal Charm", she has the most delightful blog AND she's the owner of Cottage Charm Antiques... It was through Linda, I won Marydon's beach bag...AHHH, "Life is good"!

"Ok... Three times FAST...
She Sells Sea Shells By the Sea Shore...
She Sells Sea Shells By the Sea Shore...
She Sells Sea Shells By the Sea Shore...

Well? how did you do???


"I HOPE you all don't mind that I REPEATED this post"?