Gettysburg

I only have one sister, Cissy, and she is truly the nicest person that I know. She is like a mother to my daughters. Since our mother passed away almost six years ago, Cissy and I make a point to spend a day together at least once a month. On Monday we took two of my granddaughters, Brooke and Mallory, to Gettysburg. My sister's husband is a Civil War buff and they visit frequently. My husband and I usually spend at least one Sunday each summer with some of the grandchildren in Gettysburg. I learn something new each time that we visit. We took a brief tour of the battlefield. Brooke and Mallory are a little young to be interested in the history of the Battle of Gettysburg.

We visited the wax museum. I have been there at least a dozen times and enjoy it more each time. The wax figures are so realistic and there is movement in some of them. The grand finale is a reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg.

We toured the Jenny (Mary Virginia) Wade Museum. She was the only civilian killed in Gettysburg during the war. She was making bread for the troops when a shot went through two doors and killed her. The house has actually been documented as being haunted.
This is the basement of the Jenny Wade Museum.
We took Brooke and Mallory to several shops. I couldn't resist temptation and bought a beautiful blue and white plate. I will post it later with some of my other treasures. The girls decided upon hoodies. We ate at a wonderful restaurant that had a Civil War period atmosphere. Of course, we made a few stops for snacks along the way. We all had a great day!

We saw license plates from all over the United States and people from all over the world. I have traveled so far to see things of interest and there is so much right in my own back yard.

Collections

I have several sets of dishes and I love them all. Since complete sets are difficult to display, I recently have been buying one of a kind cups, saucers, and plates. My hutch is a work in process. I've put most of the Blue Willow away and am displaying one of a kinds. I'll post it when it's complete. My granddaughter and I spent a Friday morning at a flea market and stopped at a little antique/vintage shop.

I love all of these cups and saucers.

I spent more than I usually do on this teapot but I really like it. There was another teapot with a sugar bowl and creamer that I liked. It was less expensive. I hope that it isn't sold because I'd like to buy it.

I'm hoping to have time this weekend to take some photos of some of my favorite dishes.

Tagged

Kathy of Mimi's Garden has tagged me to list five songs I'm embarrassed that I like. I guess that I was "country when country wasn't cool") !!!

1. Every Which Way but Loose (makes me think of the arangatang or monkey that was in the movie)

2. He Stopped Loving Her Today

3. Help Me Make it through the Night

4. It's Hard to be Humble (when you're perfect is so many ways). I tell my husband this is his song as he sees himself.

5. Always On My Mind

I am tagging Donna of Donna's Story, Nancy of Knitting Paths of Life, Sue of Life At Home, Mary of Little Red House, and Briget of My Silly Blog.

Bloomin' Tuesday

There is nothing like garden fresh tomatoes.

Beautiful Daisies
After the sunflowers dry, I hang them from a string on the clothesline and watch the birds.
This isn't the best photo, but I couldn't catch up with the butterfly. Do you see it?
This is an end of summer shot of one of my five enormous ferns.
The picture does not give this beauty justice.

My flag of the week.
Have a Happy Bloomin' Tuesday. To really celebrate, visit Jean at http://msgreenthumbjean.blogspot.com/!

The Day's Finale

Tyler went to his friend's house. Several boys usually get together and skateboard in the alley behind the house. Tyler was gone about an hour when his friend called and told me that Tyler jumped a post and fell and hit his head. I went to pick him up and his friend's dad had put an ice pack on Tyler's head. He said that he thought Tyler needed stitches. As Tyler's friend's dad is a coach, I knew that he was familiar with mishaps. I called Stephanie and told her what had happened. She told me to take him to the hospital and she would leave the house and meet me there. Tyler was in agony during the trip to the hospital. Emergency rooms aren't the fastest places. The triage nurse examined Tyler and cleaned the wound. The doctor examined his head, his knee, and his fingers. He said that Tyler would need staples but first he wanted an x-ray to check for a concussion. The x-ray showed no concussion. Stephanie felt faint while the doctor used the staple gun. I was worried about her passing out. I knew that the pain from putting in the staples must have been excruciating from Tyler's reaction. We left with prescriptions for an antibiotic and pain medication. Tyler stayed with us since we didn't want him to be by himself at home the next day. I got up several times during the night to wake him up as is protocol for head injuries. After the drama, I learned that Tyler was not skateboarding. He just tried to jump a post.

The Post Tyler Jumped

The Staples

Our Little Trip - Benezette and Wellsboro

We left very early on Monday morning and drove 88 miles to Benezette. We have visited Benezette several times and have always seen elks. Elks actually lay in people's yards in the small town. Unfortunately, this was the first time that we did not see any elks at all. The waitress in the restaurant told us that there were no sitings all day. We'd like to go back in the fall.

I'm pretending that we saw this elk.

This small church is Decker's Chapel. It is located in Saint Mary's, a small town next to Benezette. It is unofficially known as the smallest church in the United States.

We left Saint Marys and drove 95 miles to Wellsboro. Wellsboro in a wonderful little town. There are gas street lights and a quaint down town area. We stayed at the Canyon Motel. It was nice as there was an inside pool, a hot tub, and sauna. The rooms also have microwaves and refrigerators. We always take munchies with us when we travel. We found a nice restaurant. After we ate, I read while the boys swam. There were only a few people at the pool and it was very relaxing.

The next morning we left for the Grand Canyon. There are several hiking trails. We really saw some beautiful scenery. It was much greener than in our area and also there were more visible signs of fall.

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon

We saw an eagle.

At 12:30 we went for a covered wagon ride. It lasted over two hours and was great. Later in the afternoon we visited the zoo. To my irritation, I left my camera in the car.

Austin, Tyler, and Seth in the Sauna at the Motel
We got up on Wednesday morning and went for a dip in the pool. We ate breakfast and did some more sight seeing and headed home. We stopped at a great looking restaurant and thought that we would have a nice meal. It turned out to be a sandwich and fry restaurant. We ate and then drove to Duncansville. We dropped Seth off at his house, visited with Jennifer, Rich, Michael, and Seth for a while and headed home. Austin was ready to go home to his house. Tyler decided to stay all night. It was still daylight. I threw some clothes in the washer. My husband took a nap. Tyler was full of energy and went to his friend's house. It ended up that I didn't get to bed until after 2:00 a.m.

To be continued................

The Smile Award

Donna gave me this award and I am suppose to share it with 5 other people that make my day!
Brown Eyes at http://blinksnwinksfrombrown-eyes.blogspot.com/. I met Brown Eyes by chance. She is a lovely, talented individual. Brown Eyes and I share a life experience.
Mama Bear at http://bearsinexile.blogspot.com/. I love her stories about her family. She knows what is important in life.
Jean at http://msgreenthumbjean.blogspot.com/. She shares a love of flowers. My Mother always told me that if you saw flowers blooming at a person's house, you could tell the person that lives there cares.
http://thevintagehousewife.blogspot.com/. This is a fun blog. I can imagine the Vintage Housewife living today in the style of bygone days. She really puts a smile on my face.
Sue at http://howtokeephouse.blogspot.com/. Sue is a wonderful homemaker. She has wonderful ideas and I enjoy trying her homemaking tips and her decorating ideas.
Visit http://oldflowers4me.blogspot.com/. Her blog is like a fairy tale. It's whimsical, fun, and makes me smile.
THE SMILE AWARD here are the rules:
1. The recipient must link back to the awards creator (click on the award to go to the originator's website!)
2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.
3. You must choose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself.
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award (see below.)
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.

Characteristics for the Smile Award:
1. Must display a cheerful attitude. (not necessarily at all times--we are all human).
2. Must love one another.
3. Must make mistakes.
4. Must learn from other.
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world.
6. Must love life.
7. Must love kids.

I met Donna on Donna's Story and we learned that we share a very sad experience. Donna is a warm person who loves her family and is also very talented and a wonderful friend. Please visit Donna at http://deembee.blogspot.com/.

Bloomin' Tuesday

Happy Bloomin' Tuesday

Banana Trees

This is my daughter's (Sheila's) banana tree(s). This is the third year that she's had it and there are actually tiny bunches of bananas on it. Sheila lives right across from me and the banana trees are real conversation pieces in our neighborhood and in our small town.

Marigolds

My marigolds are getting prettier each day.

Pampas GrassThis is my neighbor's pampas grass. I planted four plants and they died. I don't know where my mind was but I sprayed grass and weeder killer near the area where the pampas grass was planted - I guess that I forgot that it was grass. I'll try again next year.

Impatience AgainI post impatience often because I have so many pots of them. I think that impatience are not only beautiful but also low maintenance plants.

The Flag

I've been so busy packing and preparing for our brief trip that I didn't change flags this week. This is my neighbor, Jean's, flag. I think that it speaks of summer.

Have a wonderful Bloomin' Tuesday!

Please be sure to visit Jean at http://msgreenthumbjean.blogspot.com/!

Some More Things that I Like

Four years ago we put an addition on our house - a living room. Our former living room is now the dining room. At that time I loved everything Americana and decorated the kitchen, living room, and dining room in an Americana motif. About six months ago, I changed direction. I decided I would keep some Americana but I would decorate with things that I liked - no matter what the style - and I have. I gave most of my Americana to my daughters, keeping just a few things.

I kept this Americana quilt.

I really like this crate.

This jelly cupboard is a favorite of mine. I've had it for years.

And away we go! Austin, Seth, and Tyler are going to the Little Grand Canyon with us. Then we are going to drive to Benezette to see the elk. I'm looking forward to getting away for a few days. I am going to attempt to schedule a post for Bloomin' Tuesday.

The Historical Society's Auction

Yesterday morning I helped sort through boxes for the Historical Society's auction which was held yesterday afternoon. We grouped like things together and put the collectibles and donated items from merchants on the porch of the Price House. In the afternoon I had three of my grandchildren (Austin, Dawson, and Payton) until Amber got off work. Our daughter, Stephanie, is what I would call an "Auction Pro." She gets off work at 3:00 and the auction started at 4:00. She stopped at my house and got two lawn chairs and saved me a seat at the auction. I got to the auction at 5:00. Stephanie already had two huge box lots of things. I immediately saw why she bought them. One had an old bottle in it and the other had a lantern. I asked Stephanie if she would bid for me. I told her the only thing that I wanted was a three picture set with piano keys on it. I have no idea the reason why I liked the pictures so much. I guess that you could say they are retro. During the past three months, I have changed from strictly country to things that I like "just because," There was a beautiful service for eight set of China that I would have bought if I had a place to put it. It went for only $33. Stephanie really got lucky. She bought a very old quilt with intricate stitching for $1 and some gorgeous old lace doilies for $1.

The center picture really has a glare on it in the photo. I'm not sure where I'll put these or how I'll arrange them. I know they are not every one's style but I think they are wonderful - and the cost - $2.

I bought this old sheet music for $1. Some was from the 1800's. I'm going to play the easier pieces.

Bloomin' Tuesday!!

More Impatience

I planted impatience in front of the house, on the side of the house, and on the patio where they get little sun.

Marigolds and Vica
Marigolds and vica are so hardy. I have pots surrounding the pool. Last year at the end of the summer, I took the vica and a big "clump" of soil out of the pot and set them next to the pool. They came up this year and quickly started to grow. I'm hoping that by next year the vica were surround the pool.

Rose of Sharon

I love the Rose of Sharon bush. However, it is planted next to the hot tub and the flowers are falling on the cover. I have to scrub the marks they leave off the cover (unless I maintain a vigilance) and sometimes it's difficult to scrub the marks off the cover. "Hubby" said that he's cutting down the bush.

Addie's Plant

When my mother, "Addie" passed away five and a half years ago, My daughter, Stephanie, received a plant from a friend. It grew quickly and Stephanie divided it and planted it in several pots. Now our daughters and some close friends have "Addie" plants. I keep this plant outside in the summer.

This Week's Flag Every year when my daughter, Jennifer, her two sons, and husband, visit Rehoboth Beach, she brings me back a flag that she purchases at a specialty flag shop. The colors are beautiful.

For a wonderful Bloomin' Tuesday, visit http://msgreenthumbjean.blogspot.com/!

Some More Things that I Like

I bought this pie safe several years ago. It is an inexpensive piece but I really like it.

The hutch is a gift from my husband. He had it custom made to fit a wall. It is made from sassafras wood which I think is unusual. My favorite pattern of dishes is Blue Willow. I have been collecting them for 20 years and have new place settings, old place settings, cheap ones, and dishes that are more expensive. I currently have the Blue Willow on my hutch but it just doesn't do it. I decided that I am going to put odd patterns of China on my hutch for a change. This afternoon I started to take the Blue Willow pattern dishes off the hutch and wash them before I put them away. I just started this chore and we got company. It was friends that we hadn't seen for awhile. They left and we went to the super market for groceries (we drive 23 miles one way). After we got home, I put away the groceries and then I cooked supper. By the time supper was over and the dishes were in the dishwasher, I decided that I would finish changing my display sometime this week. I work at the office tomorrow, am sorting through things for the Historical Society's auction on Tuesday and auction day is Wednesday. Maybe I can buy some more odd pieces of China for my hutch at the auction. I figure that by Thursday, I should be able to finish the job.

I decided that I would take a picture of the hutch even though some of the dishes aren't on it. Maybe some one has some ideas to give it some pizazz.

The Belleville Sale

Every Wednesday during decent weather there is a sale in Belleville which is Amish country. The Amish sell farm animals (cattle, etc.) and produce. Vendors also have numerous flea markets which are a lot of fun. There is a restaurant above the animal sale barn but I just can’t eat with that smell. It’s a wonderful opportunity to watch the Amish in action. The young men can get a little ornery when they are out of the sight of their parents. I could not believe the first time that I saw a group of probably 14 and 15 year olds smoking cigarettes. The girls are more quiet and demure.

The sale is set up early on Tuesday evening and there are usually a lot of vendors and buyers there on Tuesday. My daughter, Stephanie, asked me to go to the sale on Tuesday evening. It was a beautiful drive to Belleville. Before we got to the sale, we could see that there had been a heavy downpour. When we arrived at the sale, there were a few Amish selling produce and a few vendors open. Other vendors had their wares covered with tarps. Stephanie and I bought some wonderful produce. I bought fresh corn at 12 years for $2, a juicy cantaloupe, blueberries, plums, and tiny red potatoes. There are always yard sales on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the area so Stephanie and I decided to look for yard sales on the way home. We stopped at two that did not have anything we wanted. Then we saw a cardboard sign that said, “Bargain Store.” The sign was at the bottom of a lane. We drove up the long lane and I saw the Bargain Store but it looked like it was closed. There was a sign on the door that said “Open. Come on in.” I went to the door and it opened so I told Stephanie to come in the store. At the time there was no one watching the store. Shortly, a young Amish woman with two little boys and one little girl entered the store. The boys had blonde hair in a “bowl” cut and the little girl’s hair was braided. They were all beautiful and dressed in typical Amish attire. The children were in their bare feet for the summer. The mother was obviously expecting a baby. The store was filled with a menagerie of things. There were dishes, glasses, crystal, toys, furniture, and all kinds of collectibles and just about anything you could imagine. The woman asked me if I thought the store was closed. I told her that I did since I did not see any lights. Stephanie and I perused the store and bought a variety of things. I spent a total of $11.36. As we were checking out, the woman engaged in conversation with us which is unusual since the Amish usually only talk to the “English” when necessary. I told her that it was nice that her children were so close together in age. She said it was good because they will help when they are older they could help. She also said that her children did not understand English because they were not yet in school. The woman added the cost my selections and when she gave me the total amount, I said, “On, my.” She asked, “Do you think that is too much?” I told her that I was surprised that it was so inexpensive. She told me that the store was only open for a few months and she is starting to get a lot of business. We said our good-byes and noted that we would be back.

When we got in the car Stephanie looked at me and said, “Mom, why did you say that you didn't see any lights on in the store. You know the Amish don’t have electricity.” So I put my foot in my mouth again. When we were in the store you could see as it was still light outside and the store had sky lights. On the way home we rode through Allensville where there are hanging baskets of gorgeous flowers on the utility poles and double antique washtubs filled with flowers in front of most of the houses. We passed fields where the Amish were working. We had a wonderful time. When we got home I unpacked my treasures and cleaned the produce.

These are a few of my purchases. I now have some of my Blue Willow collection displayed in my hutch. I think that I'm going to change it to mismatched China pieces. I'm not concerned about value. I just want pieces that I like.

This bowl, small platter and the cups were 50 cents each.

The minature bowl and pitcher was my most expensive buy - $1.00.

I don't know what I'll do with this sun catcher but I liked it and it was only 50 cents.

This is the November 1954 edition of the Better Homes magazine.

Three of my grandchildren, Brooke, Wade, and Tyler are here today. I have meatballs in the crockpot so we'll have spaghetti and meatballs for lunch. Then Brooke, Wade, and I are going to the Historical Society to tag sale items. The annual auction is next Wednesday.