PLAYING WITH DOLLS AND DISHES AS AN OLDER LADY

Between rainy days and Mondays, I have been in a shopping mood.  Must be in the air.  Recalling the vintage and thrift shops I've visited.  Methodist Thrift Shop in Wamego.  Mill Creek in Alma.  Vintage Tulip in Wamego.  Vintage Round Up and Eclectic Charm in Manhattan.   

On Thursday, we stopped off at a spot in Manhattan that has a large selection of vintage goods. Every single time I see the inside of this little house with the darling Kitchen, I say I could live in a house like this.  

The 2 Bedrooms are little, but it has a nice floor plan where basement stairs are behind a door in the Kitchen. The main countertop is curved with cabinets to match.  With having a small Kitchen with little storage, I could imagine what I'd fill the cabinets with.  I miss my cabinets we had in the 1883 house we had before moving into the Folk Victorian COTTAGE.  I'm still adjusting. 

VINTAGE ROUND UP.  https://www.facebook.com/VintageRoundUpManhattan

I found a round, metal cookie cutter with a red knob.  Darling.  I thought I could also cut biscuits with this.  It has a ruffled edge and wouldn't that make cute sugar cookies and biscuits?  I think so.  

They sell quite a few baking miniatures and I do believe I could add to my collection.  Darling teenies take up less room in a small environment. 

Right off the bat, I picked up a small, metal tea kettle with stainless steel insert basket to hold loose tea.  Looks brand new.  I've not seen one like this before and I knew I needed it as I have loose tea leaves at HOME stored in amber colored glass jars that I usually use a spoon to hold the cup of tea amount.  This small tea kettle will be easier to clean after a use.  The spoon isn't the handiest.  

Behind this place is the Eclectic Charm filled with booths with various odds and ins the sell.  It's probably been a half of a year since shopping here and I was craving some time indoors looking at the neat items.  Only open on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturday and Sundays so we hit it on the nail.

ECLECTIC CHARM.   https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057352425490

I walked the store aisles and saw a 1930ish composition baby doll that was marked down to $12.50.  This was a huge bargain when dealing with these old dolls.  I took her HOME and she's now sitting on a Victorian Parlour chair that needed a doll on her.

Somebody has a green thumb there as the plants were priced at a very reasonable price.  I don't have an Aloe Vera plant.  I can't say that now.  I brought one HOME.  She'll sit on a table in the Utility room.  Very becoming.  

WE HAD TO RETURN TO THE WAMEGO PHARMACY ON FRIDAY as we needed to pick up some meds and greeting cards at the dollar store.  Returned a movie to the Library and ssssh, we picked up a donut that we ate at the City Park.  While sitting there, I visited on the phone with my baby brother to see how things are going in his neck of the woods.

https://www.facebook.com/vintagetulips.ks

From there, we went to get a couple of greeting cards and on our way HOME, we drove past the VINTAGE TULIP.  I have purchased some Tea Leaf Ironstone there before and wanted to just look around.  Welp, they had more pieces that I decided to add to my collection.  Hubby told me, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  My birthday is in July, but hey I won't stop him from treating me early.  If we eat a meal out, the expense of the food cost plenty and there isn't much to look at once we eat the food.  With dishes, they hang around for a while if we're lucky.

We stopped at another vintage store and more Tea Leaf was bought.  I shuffled the little Library Cabinet I have to fit the new OLD pieces in.  I played with dishes TODAY!!!

I knew this was going to happen, but I wasn't ready for it.  On Wednesday, ground was broke across the street on the empty lot.  When we bought the cottage in 2013, a very nice trailer was on the property.  The owners had a gorgeous yard.  The wife died and the husband stayed for a few years, then sold the property.  

The next owners allowed the trailer to get in poor repair and died.  The city condemned the property and hauled the trailer away. Someone else bought the lots.  Now they will be building a house.  The quiet of the mornings will vanish as they build.  I figure 4 months and then a house will be complete.  Neighbors will move in.

While they build the house, we will continue working on ours.

Hubby got the Hostas planted in the ground along the shady side of the house. 

Tonight, I am a little girl all over again 

playing with dolls and dishes,

~d 

RAMBLING AROUND THE COTTAGE

JUST FINISHED EATING BRUNCH as the clock ticks on.  Scrambled eggs, crunchy toast with real butter and Manuka honey plus half an apple to eat.  Sipping on Bigelow Green Tea with Pomegranate.  Thinking about what else we should eat during the day.  Early supper and light evening snack?  I need to use up the lettuce in the fridge for salad and have some pears for dessert.

SUPPER MEAL.  Lettuce.  Plenty of bell peppers, chick peas, black beans, seeds and nuts.  🫒🫒🫒Olives, 🥕🥕🥕carrots and celery added.  If I whip up a healthy dressing, it should be eatable.  Croutons as well.  

Took some time this morning to look over the news and do some paperwork.  Hubby is snoozing in his chair as I blog.  He managed to get the pictures and receipts of the carriage house doors for the garage sent to the Insurance company JUST IN TIME to beat the deadline.  I relaxed as he emailed info to the Insurance Co.  He had one day remaining before the clock struck twelve.  

Cutting it too close for being comfortable for me.  I don't know if the adrenaline required to get a project done is what feeds him.  Flying by the seat of his pants, I get way too uptight when he runs right up to the wire.  This makes me extremely nervous and uncomfortable.  The blood pressure climbs with my nerves shattering my peace.  He flies by the seat of his pants.  Perhaps this should be an epitaph for him.

I saw a young girl at the coffee shop wearing blue jeans with wings printed on her backside and Hubby said she is flying by the seat of her pants.  I laughed as I knew what he meant. 

With my hip hurting, I won't be walking today around the track getting exercise or sunshine.  It bothers me that I am not getting my exercise.  I will start counting calories again with recording what I pop into my mouth and try really hard to stay in the 1000 calories a day category.  Back to it.  

I will make an appointment to see my doc next week about this hip pain and visit with him about Vitamin D shots as well.  Better get an adjustment by a Chiropractor also.  I've put this off long enough.  At the moment, I have frozen peas in a baggy in my right pocket as I wear my pink housecoat to help with the discomfort, but while I was putting some things away, I noticed some J.R. WATKINS COOLING pain relief roll-on staring at me from inside a clear sided storage box. hmmmm.  What a great find today as I limp about.  Better give this a try.

  

During the month of March, I had such great hopes of working in the garage and in the flower beds pulling old weeds and overgrown grass.  I might be able to work slow.  Really, really slow. With Spring being early, I'm not sure I'll get this accomplished before the Irises shoot upwards and bloom.  Disappointed as I had hoped that the flowerbeds and garage would be tidy, but then March isn't over yet.  After the beds finally get cleaned up, I need to stay on top of keeping the beds cleaned out of overgrowth.  I will aim for this.

Driving about town, the Daffodils are in bloom gracing us with splashes of cheery, spring yellow flowers, green leaves and stems.  The wavy, green leaves of Tulips are shooting up.  Pretty white Mock Pear blossoms from some trees shout tis Spring.  Really pretty.  Forsythia bushes are out in full bloom.  Tis SPRING with the calendar still saying it's WINTER.  By March, I am beyond ready for milder weather.  

I have some Tulip bulbs that didn't get planted last Fall so I may go ahead and place them in paper egg carton as a tray and plant in a prepared hole in the ground anyways knowing they will not bloom this Spring, but hopefully next year.    

At the base of the front yard trees is where they will go so next Spring they will be the first flowers to show Spring has arrived. Daffodils with Irises not far behind.

The small, Baby Gem Boxwood Bushes in front of the porch have freezer burn on them.  The last two years, the weather has dealt harshly with them in this part of the world.  I think I purchased the wrong kind of Box Wood from the venders.

Our Spring/Summer weather will disappear on Sunday with a wintery mix of snow again.  From threatening thunder storms one day to freezing snow the next, I'll rejoice when the blue skies and lush, green grasses make an appearance.  I am a pansy and dislike threatening weather.  The excitement is gone.

SNAP SHOTS ABOUT THE COTTAGE.  Bunnies by the window.  Bed is made up with thrift bedspread and throw pillows, baby plants are potted sitting on the window ledge in the kitchen and Roscoe P. Bumpercrop the Bunny is sitting in the Living room.  Doll Collection.

Thrift purchases to perk up the pink bedroom.

Paisley print.

Paisley refers to a distinctive teardrop-shaped pattern originating in Persia and India, popularized in the West by textiles made in Paisley, Scotland, and also used as a popular gender-neutral first name meaning "church" (from Scotish/Latin roots).  The pattern, known as boteh in Persian, symbolizes fertility, life, or a cypress tree, while the name Paisley itself comes from a Scottish town meaning "church" or "basilica".

Adding some green to the kitchen window ledge.

Roscoe P. Bumpercrop is waiting for SPRING.
Hello Roscoe.

I continue to TRY to make some sense of this messy COTTAGE dealing with things out of place.

Slowly, I will get finished.

Blessings,
~d

   

HODGE PODGE IN MOTION

FALL BACK.  

TIME CHANGE and I forgot about it until a friend reminded me.  OOPS.   Wished the time would be left alone.  Truly, I DO.  No such luck,  it'll be darker sooner with earlier evenings.  pause.  

HALLOWEEN HAS COME AND GONE.  Ours was a very quiet one.  About 5, we went to watch the lil goblins on Main Street.  After we saw our loved ones, we went for a short drive then went HOME for some television.  

When we got HOME we watched a thriller.  ICE ROAD: VENGEANCE with Liam Neeson.  It made me a tad bit nervous.  Got my blood to pumping.
Mike McCann travels to Nepal to scatter his late brother's ashes.  While on a mountain tour bus, he encounters a group of mercenaries who hijack the vehicle.  He must then fight alongside a local guide to save the passengers from the ruthless enemies. 

Double feature.  A chick flick.  THE WRONG PARIS.   

She signed up for Paris, France. She got Paris, Texas. In this feel-good Netflix romantic comedy, Miranda Cosgrove plays an aspiring artist who joins a dating show hoping for a free trip to Paris, France, but ends up just a few miles from her hometown in Paris, Texas.

Fell asleep during this one.  Guess I was just plum tuckered out.  When I woke up, it was time for bed and I couldn't fall back asleep.  I tried with no avail until 2 or so which means I probably will oversleep in the morning and I did.  Hubby and I both did. 

SATURDAY, I STAYED STEADY working on the book cases making room for framed pictures of family members and another case for my doll collection.  Nice and slow.  Very slow.  

We are further along in getting settled than yesterday!  That's promising.

My energy level is very low.  Figuring on going for a walk at 3 PM.  The temps are in the low 50s and it's not raining so I should be alright walking at the track where I can look at nature in the far off distance and pray as I go.  Therapy of sorts.  

October was my worst month for walking due to the rainy weather and being out of town.  I walked about and definitely stayed in motion, but not at the track.  My exercise was in carrying and lifting heavy boxes, bending, stretching, dodging boxes on the floor, and shuffling large pieces of furniture from one room to another.  I was busier than I remember.  A good thing to be in motion.

I pray that this month I do so much better on walking. With it being the beginning of the month I will strive to walk every day.  Shall see.  

Struggling to place my doll collection on some shelves.  I'll not be able to display them all as I will not have enough shelves for that.  Some will remain boxed until the floor to ceiling bookshelves are constructed and that may be a year or two off from now.  AND this is alright by me.  It has to be. 

I wish I were more ambitious and productive in the flesh than only mentally.  When it comes to actually moving about I am not as active as I'd like to be.

What does one do when the energy just isn't there?  Pray.  Sit and research on the computer. Look at magazines.  Read.  Stretch from the sitting position.  Watch movies.  Stand and wash dishes.  Stand and do laundry.  Stand and prepare meals.  Push shopping carts.  Drive a car.  Talk on the phone.  Write letters.  Take naps.  Wipe down the dash board in the car.  Draw.  Sew. Organize the fridge.  Close my eyes and dream.  Go for a short walk at a slow pace.  Take a bath.  

For now, unpack large boxes and think about what to do with the contents.  

Hubby is at a place on the porch project preparing for the porch columns to go in place.  It's too cold to paint a second coat on the porch boards, but tomorrow is looking like better temps for that.  

He has worked so hard on this porch project.  It takes us a bit of time to get things done, but we are determined around here.  Keep going strong even when we are challenged with old age and ailments.

🖼 I have been thinking where to go with our STUFF.  Extra pictures will go in the top of the small closet that this bedroom has available.
🛏 The extra bedsheets that have been stored in a cardboard box for two years! will be neatly folded and placed in the chest of drawers in the pink bedroom.  Right now it is loaded with sweaters which will be relocated to the walk-in closet we have.  That means rearranging the shelves in there.  Oh heavens another task to complete.
🪆📚 Not sure where I will store my books and dolls that cannot be displayed at present.  Maybe in the SHE SHED.

Lord, I pray that you will guide and direct me with where I am to go with our earthly positions.  I need help.  IJNIP

This will be a memory one day on how we were rushed into moving into a very small fixer-upper cottage with way too much stuff.  May it be a happy memory that gets better.  As I squeeze things into place with a ton of boxes about, we still appear to look like HOARDERS.  Tired of this.  May this adventure come together quickly.  

UPDATE:  I did go walking, but it was later in the day than 3.  I finally made it to the track close to 5PM and walked 5 laps.  That's one and a quarter miles.  When I got finished, my legs were wobbly.  It felt awesome to walk alone at the track.  Nobody there, but me and GOD.  Beautiful outside.  Lovely environment.  Now to walk again tomorrow.

After walking, I stopped by the Dollar Store and picked up some Peach Vibe for my Huny, some birthday cards, Christmas bags for small gifts, sugar-free candy, black beans.  I need to go grocery shopping this week-end and stock up on canned beans as we sure like them.  A trip to ALDI is needed.  Drove to the Post Office where there was a card from our Alaskan friend, Maxine.  Putted HOME to cut some herbs from our garden.  It's suppose to FREEZE tonight and I wanted to cut some of our harvest.  I might try to plant some of the herbs in small pots to winter this year.  I'll try to salvage some Coleus.

🌡With it freezing overnight, the urn plants will be done and so will the small container garden.  Our pumpkins did super this year as my Husband's count was about 100 pumpkins.  Fantastic.  He pulled up the large leaves and vines from the two plants we have.  Now the yard can be mowed and returned to a lawn and prepped for chilly weather.  

I'm not much of a gardener.  Wish I had been taught, but I was a city gal.  So this is something I can learn as an old woman.

HERBS are a must.  The more the merrier.  I love Geraniums, Coleus and Irises for our flower gardens.  I have been looking over pictures of beautiful gardens to give me some ideas for future gardening.  

When I came indoors, I flopped in my chair.  I'm done.  Hubby suggested PIZZA for supper. How could I say no?  Salad tomorrow for sure. 

I've been following along with THE IRON VICTORIAN.  These two young people are an inspiration to me as they have transformed an old mansion.   

 Good to know...

There was a strong emphasis about 20 years ago or so to bad mouth eggs.  They were suppose to be soooo bad for ya.  Now they are encouraged to eat for high protein.  The golden treasure.  I choose to eat them! 🪺🐔   

  Welp, the week-end continues and so must I.  
I want to continue.

~d

ONE DAY CLOSER TO SPRING

AS I DROVE HOME AROUND 6 IN THE EVENING, I noticed that the sun was still up.  I needed to get HOME before dark as one of the car's headlights is snarky and doesn't always work.  Sometimes she does...sometimes she doesn't.  Unpredictable.  In these parts of the country, you can get ticketed if the headlights aren't on at dark.  Didn't want to go there.  

I'm so glad that I know how to drive a car and have one to drive!  My Grandma H.  didn't ever learn to drive and my other Grannie drove until she was in her 90s.  On both sides of the scale there.  My Mom who is 90 still drives her well maintained car in town and sometimes out of town.

Hubby thinks the car has a loose wire or something because the headlight sometimes comes on. Until he can find the time to work on the car, I have to baby it and not drive at dark.  Any how, I was on the HAPPY side to be able to drive HOME around 6 with the sun still up.  This encourages me and reminds me that it will not be WINTER forever.  SPRING is on the horizon. Praise God from whom ALL BLESSINGS flow. 

   

~JUST A FEW OF MY SMALL DOLLS~

We hauled my DOLL COLLECTION in moving boxes over to the COTTAGE then to the front porch.  I took it from there and moved the dolls to the inside of the COTTAGE.  Spending some time placing the dolls into the newly cleaned curio cabinet, I didn't finish and will return to see if I can get more into the cabinet later today.  The really tall dolls will have to be placed elsewhere like on a shelf of the floor to ceiling book case that will be built later on after we get settled.  Still playing around with this trying to figure it out.

MOVING right along.  I'll return to see what I can figure out with the one curio cabinet.  After this, the next phase of things to go over to the COTTAGE will be either the rest of the CHRISTMAS TUBS from the basement or I'll go ahead and start loading the car with BLUE WILLOW boxes that will stay in the Dining room boxed up.  Much to do there and here at the main house.

Using paper or styrofoam plates as spacers between dishes sure speeds up the wrapping of dishes for a move.

This morning I cleared off part of the Kitchen concrete counter top in our main house and scrubbed it.  It looks so much better cleared off than covered with this and that.  While we are still living here, I can enjoy the clean appearance of a decluttered Kitchen counter tops until we say our good-byes.  

THE PAPER WHITES have journeyed to the basement for the time being.  I'll be clipping their stems and waiting for SPRING when I will plant the bulbs outside probably by the cellar door. They do put off an odd fragrance like Bakelite when it gets too hot.  I enjoyed having them in the garden window for the time they were there to cheer me on as WINTER tried to push me down with cold temps.  If they survive the KANSAS weather, it will be something else.  If I lose them, I can get more hopefully next FALL if I want to force bloom them.  Shall see.

  

LIKE USUAL, I'll be doing a few loads of laundry today.  Now that's exciting.  grins.  I've got to get around and make it over to the COTTAGE.  My dollies are crying out for me or maybe I'm the one crying.  Off I go.  I need to get as far along as I can.  The days are flying right on by.  Hubby is at the point where he will be laying plywood down for the COTTAGE bathroom floor making ready for the backer board to go down then the grey porcelain tile we bought and paid for months ago.  I reminded him to take lots of pictures.  I think I'll put together a remodeling book. I'm his side kick and can do what ever he needs done to assist him.  

Though I was in hopes we'd be done with the COTTAGE bathroom come the end of February, we are not even close so I have to be FLEXIBLE.  

The start of a new week is here and we truly are one day closer to SPRING.

~d