toy story....

Meccano is not a toy of the twenty-first century.

But since hubby still has his original sets...

they came out of hiding last week...

just for fun!

I'm thinking Lego is a little more user friendly...

...but Ryder and Grandpa built a fine car with their bits and pieces.

And then they took it to the basement for a little test drive.

It got a thumbs up!

I don't think you will be finding any Meccano at your local toy shoppe this Christmas.

But check the attic!

Have a great weekend...

five star lodging for the birds...

Though most gifts are safely under wraps...and under the tree...there are a few that I have already been enjoying!

My brother-in-law showed up at the door on Sunday with a 'hostess gift' for me...one he had made.  Little did he know that my birdhouses were about ready for demolition.  The birds will not believe their good fortune this spring...when they arrive to find five-star lodging!  The new barn birdhouse comes complete with milkmaid, cattle and even a farmhand.  How special is that?  The 'bentwood' wheelbarrow that the birdhouse is perched on...was made for me by the same BIL many years ago.  Thank-you, Ron!

These cookies were delivered by a neighbour last week...and though they were wrapped it never took us long to break into the tray.  And cookies on the counter don't stay there for long!

I know it is more blessed to give than to receive...but the receiving has been good.  What can I say...but thank-you! 

 

Enjoy the day...

still bringing smiles...

Raggedy Ann and Andy were a big hit back in the day...

and my mom-in-law made a set for all the granddaughters in the mid-seventies.

She was always about 'being fair'...

and though we had no daughter at that time...

she thought our household should have a set as well.

And so my boys had a Raggedy Ann and Andy.

They were more room decor those first years...

and then our daughter arrived and she adopted Ann and Andy.

When she left home...they stayed on...

and so they still make their home with me!

Maelyn snuggled with them on the couch the other day.

There have been tea parties...

...and dramas.

All the grands have enjoyed them over the years.

After thirty-five years...

Ann and Andy are still going strong.

I still have the original pattern...

looking a little worse for the wear...

but all the pieces are there.

I'm not really planning on using the pattern though...

since I'm thinking Ann and Andy have matured gracefully...

and will still be smiling thirty-five years from now!

My mom-in-law has no idea how many smiles she has brought to her great-grandchildren...

six of whom she has never met.

All these years later...

her memory lives on in the many treasures she left behind.

Enjoy your day....and smile!

mystery woman cover-up...

I rather like things from the past...and so have quite a few old things in our home.  I found a very old picture frame at an antique store during our travels a few years back...which now frames a photo of two little girls from five decades ago and hangs in our great room.  I mentioned to a friend that it would be nice to have a matching frame on the other side of the large window.  It was a simple statement...not a hint!  The next time she came for a visit...she brought me a matching frame from her collection of antiques.  She wasn't using it...and thought I should.  How nice is that? 

The frame came complete with a portrait...of a serious and contemplative young woman.  Though I am sure someone would like to have this portrait...especially if she happens to be a great grandmother or great-aunt...to me she had no significance...and so I set about to find another old-fashioned picture to put in the frame. 

It was only as I was placing the new photo in the frame...that I saw the signed label of the photographer/artist on the back.  So I did my research...of course.  Who was Gus A Maves?  I discovered that he was a famous Victoria photographer whose works are now featured in the B.C. archives at the Royal BC Museum.  He was born in Toronto in 1882...and was most active in Victoria during the 1920's and 30's. 

He specialized in scenic landscapes for postcards, and photography of homes, gardens and agricultural activities. His wife Margaret did the coloring of his photographs and also “transformations” to turn a photograph into a piece of art.

So here is what I know...this portrait was taken around the turn of the last century in Toronto.  That's it!  I contacted someone who was looking for any artwork of Mr. Maves...and he was quite willing to take the 'mystery woman' off my hands...if I would package her up and send her his way.  But I decided that I would just keep her...safe. 

She is now covered up...and hangs on my great room wall...beneath an 'old west' photograph that we had taken on our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.  Even that is almost an antique by now! 

But if you think the mystery woman belongs in your family tree...let me know.  She can always be uncovered!

Enjoy the day...

lighting the present...

I rather like old things...and so I have many of them in my home. Many years ago...I saw an old glass bee-hive shaped insulator used as a candle holder in a metal stand...and quite liked it.


I borrowed the candle stand as a 'pattern'...commissioned hubby to make me a few...and went in search of the old glass insulators. We struck a 'gold mine' along an abandoned telegraph line...and came home with a box of insulators.

From the 1850's until about 1960, insulators were manufactured by several companies...exclusively for telegraph lines. They protected the wires from the extremes of the weather...and held the lines in place on the poles. They vary in size, shape and colour...

...some with an antique bubbled rim. I rather like the green glass ones...and won't be parting with those anytime soon.

With time we changed 'the pattern'...and the next batch of candle holders looked more like this. The insulators are the perfect size to hold a tea light...or a votive. Over the years we have given away dozens as gifts. If you are a friend or relative...you likely have one sitting on a shelf! My box of insulators is almost empty...it's time to go hunting again. I have also given away most of my candle stands in stock...it's time to commission the welder once more.

At this time of the year...I pull out all my candle stands and enjoy a touch from the past...while lighting the present.

Friday's knit picks...

It's 'show & tell' here today...and all about knitting! Way back when...I was the lucky winner of Knitting Mania's 100th post give-away...hand knit wristlets.

If you go back to her post...you will notice that she had them displayed on a beautiful antique glass hand. (And check out all her felted purses while you are visiting...amazing work!) My intention was to find exactly that hand...and have them as part of the bedroom decor. After checking antique stores...and every other place I could think of...I gave up on my vintage hand. It my not be antique...but my daughter found a hand that works just fine...at Eddie's Hang-ups...a place that specializes in display fixtures for stores. So...after many months...my one-of-a-kind hand-knit by Christina vintage wristlets have found the perfect resting place. I think they are actually meant to be worn...and would match my cream coloured jacket quite nicely...but I quite like them where they are. Thanks so much, Knitting Mania!

And, in my favorite knit-pic of the week...

...Maelyn is wearing her mommy's dress, and it fits her just fine. It was hand-knit by Grandma Baerg for Heidi about thirty years ago. After all these years in the cedar chest...it's finding a new life. How special is that?

The grands have been here this week...and Emme spent some time working on her knitting...

...on a knifty-knitter, which is rather like a giant spool knitting loom. We pulled her first little project off the loom last night...

...a hat, which is perfect for a very small head...or a teddy bear. What fun!

Have a wonderful weekend...

cookbooks and jewels...

Not one for knick-knacks...my vacation souvenirs are usually something useful! And what could be more useful...than a cookbook? Not to mention the hours of perusing pleasure it provides? On the final day of our Caribbean cruise...it was mentioned that there were cookbooks available for purchase...which included many of the menu items we had been enjoying all week. Well, of course I wanted one...especially if it meant I could be eating that keylime pie at home!

The waiter brought me the cookbook...and asked if I would like to have the executive chef autograph my copy? Why of course! So he took the book back to be autographed...along with the receipt.

I was a little disappointed when I saw the autograph... ...but since Elmer paid for the book...it is addressed to him. He...who has never cooked a thing that would require a recipe...now has a cookbook in his name. Oh well, I'll get over it!

There are many yummy dishes that I plan to try...but I skipped right over to the dessert section and whipped up the key lime pie.

It's really very simple to prepare...and if you want to check out the recipe, I posted it right here today. I also tried out my new lemon zester that I picked up in Texas...and was quite pleased with my vacation treasures.

Jewels may not be exactly practical...but they are a wonderful keepsake. A blue topaz sailboat...a mystic topaz necklace...and a pendant containing several kinds of amber stones are my souvenirs of our time in the Caribbean.

But just to set the record straight...the very best souvenirs are the memories that were made...time spent with family in a tropical paradise. One of these days I may just post a picture of the souvenir we brought back for dad...who was unable to join us on our family vacation due to illness. He is still in hospital...and our hopes of a speedy recovery are just not materializing.

That's it for today...have a good one!

Pillow Talk

I love to travel...and visit new places...and it's always fun to have a little something as a reminder of the places I have visited. And since I'm not much of a knick-knick girl...I usually bring home something useful...or a piece of jewelry. I have a ulu knife from Alaska...a Mayan hieroglyphic necklace...a hand blown glass vase from Finland...an authentic cow bell from Switzerland...you get the picture. When we were in Iowa a few years back...and I brought home some wonderful Amish feather pillows as my keepsake.

Last summer we camped in the Lily Capital of Canada...a wonderful little prairie town called Neepawa...in Manitoba. One would think that I would bring back lily bulbs as a souvenir (and I should have). Instead...I came home from vacation with a supply of pillow slips.


I checked out the local thrift shop...and found a huge bag of pillows...each covered in Battenburg lace...some edged with hand crocheted edging. I left the actual pillows behind...and brought home a lovely pile of antique linens for a few dollars. After a good laundering...a little spray starch...and some new stuffing...they have a new life!

There is a 'parade of pillows' happening over at Kari and Kijsa's blog today....so I thought I'd join in the fun. And next time you are looking for a treasure to bring home with you...think soft...think pillows!

Of friends and treasures...

There's nothing quite like meeting a new friend to warm up a cold March day. We first met some time ago...a virtual meeting over in France. We were there visiting in Elizabeth's garden...and starting chatting...and discovered we lived somewhat in the same part of the world. And as it turned out...she travels to my part of the country on business on occasion. She happened to be in town yesterday...and so we met for lunch. Although it was the first face-to-face meeting...we weren't really strangers...and had no shortage of things to talk about.

After lunch we visited a few of my favorite shoppes in the old part of town. It's really hard to walk past Creekside...


...without taking a peek!

And just down the street...we visited the best little used bookstore around...The Bookman. What fun we had...and we left with a bag of treasures. She found several books that she had been searching for...and I left with one by her favorite Canadian author. What fun!

And before leaving town...she stopped by for a quick little visit at my place. Soon it was time for farewells...

...but the welcome mat is out and I'm hoping Pondside will be back one day. Friends are the best kind of treasures...and blogging has brought me some great new ones.

Have a great day!

who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

No...this post has nothing to do with gangs or criminal activity. And the cookies that disappeared from this cookie jar in short order...were not stolen...just shared!


This post is more about the vintage cookie jar than anything else. I baked a batch of Ranger cookies yesterday...and looked around for a suitable container to store a few cookies, while the rest went into safe keeping (the freezer, that is). I pulled the old cookie jar into service...for the first time ever, I think. It was the cookie jar my hubby grew up with...and one he stole cookies from on a regular basis as a child. I'm thinking cookie jars became a thing of the past when tupperware arrived on the scene...or maybe when cookies arrived in sealed packages from the store...rather than from pans in the oven.

The cookie jar is nearly empty...it will soon be pulled out of service once again. But it was fun to have a little reminder of 'grandma's kitchen' from a very long time ago.

I'm just noticing that the cookie jar appears to be a house...with snow on the roof. The kids are still smiling...they don't ever seem to mind snow...even if it is March. All that to say...there is snow in our forecast for the weekend....and I'm not smiling about that. I'm quite happy to be turning the clock ahead one hour though!

Have a wonderful weekend...

FYI...If you are looking for any my recipes that have been featured either on My Front Porch or on the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog...they are now filed properly on my sidebar (click on the 'From My Table to Yours' button).

antique extravaganza...

Granny and Grumpa have a bonanza of antiques housed on their farm...and until now it seems to have been a well kept secret.

Yesterday a group of us went for an outing......on a beautiful sunny October Sunday (we've had a lot of those days this fall). We were blown away by the huge collection of vintage items that the Schweigerts have amassed in their retirement. Every barn and out building now houses antiques...and visitors are welcome most anytime...any day! And if they know you are coming...they are quite willing to put on the coffee pot...even bake a pie for you. You will receive a true old-fashioned welcome...and a guided tour.

For the past twenty years they have been collecting 'junk' (their words)...and having a ball doing it. What could be more fun than travelling to prairie auctions and estate sales? They are known to have the biggest collection of antiques in the valley...and probably in the province.

From china, lanterns, and dolls from every decade...

...to radio flyer wagons and pedal cars, cameras, vintage tins, buttons, suitcases....and the list never ends.

An old D8 Cat...the largest piece of equipment used in the construction of the Alaska Highway...was parked outside. They had vintage cars, tractors and equipment...if there is anything old you are looking for, they are sure to have it.

And here's the thing...it's all for sale if you really want it! There are no prices marked on any items, but Grumpa is willing to part with most things at a very reasonable price. We found all kinds of wonderful treasures...

...from a tiny book purchased by one friend...an antique sewing machine by another...

...to some wonderful treasures that will grace my walls as soon as I find the perfect spot! They are about 17-inch brass plaques...part of the Trafford Series featuring Old Masters paintings.

Blueboy has a bit of a flaw...
...but this little girl is quite perfect! She is entitled 'Simplicity'...painted by Reynolds 1723-1792. One always needs to bring home a souvenir from such outings...don't you think?

What a fun place to take a trip down memory lane! I'm so glad I met Granny & Grumpa...I'll be back to visit again sometime, with more friends in tow.