My Type Case

It's Show & Tell Friday over at Kelli's House, so I decided to show you the type case I have hanging in my kitchen (right below my clothesline).

My husband is a printer. His dad was a printer, and Lyle grew up in the print shop. Two of his brothers are also printers, so it is somewhat of a family tradition. When we first got married Lyle worked for one of his brothers who owns a print shop. They were cleaning out and selling some of the old equipment, and my brother-in-law gave me this type case drawer. I wanted it for a miniature shelf. Not that I had many miniatures, but I thought it would be fun to collect little odds and ends that would fit in the tiny cubbyholes.

A few years later my mother-in-law gave me the type letters in the biggest font they had, to spell out our names. So why are are they arranged backwards on my shelf? Well, because type was set backwards! When it pressed onto the paper it made a mirror image, so it had to be backwards.

This is the first time I've had my type case up since we moved to Idaho 10 years ago, I think. Therefore, I haven't been adding to my miniature collection much. The little Coca-Cola pieces are actually tiny Christmas tree ornaments that I got for Christmas a couple of years ago. I have other Coke collectibles in my kitchen, so I decided the type case would be neat in there, too.

I still need some really tiny things to go in the smallest cubbyholes in the bottom two rows. Any suggestions?

The Workbasket (Installment #3)

I don't know if anyone else is enjoying these nearly as much as I am... but for your viewing pleasure I present the September 1950 issue of The Workbasket!Such a pretty crocheted tablecloth. It was patterns like this one that initially caught my eye in this stack of magazines.

This pattern, on the other hand, looks just a little scary! I wonder if it was cuter in real life than in the sketch? The write-up assures us that "Any youngster will be proud to wear a pair of these cute knitted mittens with a kitten the back." Well, maybe so.Quick! Cover your eyes, Mabel! It's another girdle ad! This one promises to "reduce 3 inches off your waistline instantly." Yep. Definitely gotta get me one of these. Especially since it also promises I will "feel like sixteen again!" Not that I remember an extreme tightness around my middle at sixteen. But I'm sure I need that "instant slenderizing figure control" by now.
Four and a half pages were devoted to an article by Mrs. Orin Register on "painting new faces on old things." Here's a picture of Mrs. Orin Register herself demonstrating her handicraft.
And here's a picture of Mrs. Orin Register's daughter. "Almost everyone has lots of toys that need painting."Another money-making opportunity is that of selling nylon hosiery. This housewife looks so startled to think that she could make $26 a week simply telling her "friends, neighbors, etc." about nylons. But what I want to know is, why is this woman sitting like that? To show off her nylons? Or what? I don't get it. Also note the "Free Nylon Stocking" selling point there. "Stocking" singular. Whatcha gonna do with one stocking? Use it to demonstrate the quality of your product to to "friends, neighbors, etc." supposedly, but if that's all it's for, how is that a selling point?

Here's a product I would seriously be interested in. Imported Irish linen hemstitched handkerchief for putting edges on. Even if I couldn't get them for 30 cents a piece, I wonder if they are still available anywhere today?
How convenient that the ad is on the same page as a pattern for a crocheted edge, as well as a tatted edge!

I want to try this pattern for sunflower potholders sometime. Wonder if I have thread in the right colors? I don't think I do, but I like the pattern so I may just have to get some!More pretty styles from the fall of 1950:I'm still gasping for breath from my waist being squeezed in 3 inches, but looky here! I can do something about my "problem bosoms which have lost their attractiveness through wearing unscientific brassieres"! Who knew brassieres needed to be scientific? (Be sure to click to read the fine print!)
Mrs. Rena Porter demonstrates yet another idea for making money. (I wonder why she didn't go by her husband's name? Most of the ladies in this era did.) Mrs. Porter paints commemorative plates for special occasions.
Wouldn't you just love to get such a lovely marriage plate for a wedding gift? Notice especially the tacky cupids on each side! ..::snort::..I want this dress! Seriously. I love gingham checks. Always have. I'd take one in each color: brown check with maize trim, black check with dusty pink trim, and green check with maize trim. Hmph! No red check? But red's my favorite! Oh, well. Even with my new girdle and brassiere, I doubt I would look quite as svelte as this model.
Not to worry, though. Lane Bryant offers a catalog free to "stout" women. I wonder if I'd have to prove I was stout to get it free? ..::snicker::.. And look what they consider "stout"! Okay, yeah. Compared to the above model, this one is on the "stout" side, but still. I'm just sayin'.
Thank you for joining me for this somewhat irreverent visit with the 1950 housewife. If you missed earlier posts, I have also shared clippings from July 1950 and October 1950. Stayed tuned for more snippets coming soon!

The Piano Basket

Remember my decorating dilemma a few weeks ago of what to put on the top of the piano? I wanted spring flowers in a basket to reflect the Norman Rockwell picture on the wall behind it, but the square basket I had just wasn't working for me. I wanted something large and shallow, but more rounded. And I found just what I was looking for at a garage sale for a dollar!It's the same general size and shape of what I had before, but it is gently rounded and has a handle, so I like it much better! The handle is just high enough for the hymnals to stand under it. Perfect! I added a folded lace tablecloth to cover the entire top of the piano and a lamp. I'm not sure the figurine goes there, but until something better strikes me it will do.

Just thought you might like to see how it's coming together... and the Basket Carnival at Organizing Junkie seemed a good excuse to show you!

Works for Me Wednesday

Am I the last person in the blogosphere to discover the convenience of reading blogs with a feed reader? I set up Google Reader last week and subscribed to all my favorite blogs, and I love it! I just leave that page open in a separate tab and it automatically updates whenever any of the blogs I read have a new post! No more having to click through to every blog on my sidebar to see if they've posted anything new. It is so much faster... and so much easier to keep up! It's super simple to set-up, too. If you haven't tried it, you should! It works for me!

"I Remember Laura" June Blog-A-Thon

For the month of June I will be participating in a once-a-week blog-a-thon celebrating Laura Ingalls Wilder hosted by Miss Sandy at Quill Cottage. I have enjoyed the Little House books since I was very young. Before I could read my mother read them to us as bedtime stories, one chapter a night. I couldn't stand having to wait until the next night to hear the next chapter. It was a huge goal incentive to me to learn to read. I read the whole series the summer between 1st and 2nd grade. I was 7! And I have read them many times since. There is something about Laura Ingalls Wilder's writing style that still appeals to me. I have visited several of Laura's homes, so perhaps I'll get to share about that as well.

If anyone else is interested in joining in, here is the announcement from Miss Sandy: Over the four weeks of June, every Monday will be "I Remember Laura" day of the Laura Ingalls Wilder blog-a-thon. Each week has a theme in which a passage from one of Laura's books will be featured. You can share and participate by posting on that theme on your blog and linking up to my main post using Mr. Linky.

I am...

I was tagged by e-Mom for this thought-provoking meme. I kept my answers short, but it still took awhile to come up with something for each item.

I am… an old-fashioned kinda girl.
I want… to please God.
I have… far more than I need.
I wish… I was better organized.
I hate… email spam.
I miss… lightning bugs. (We don't have them here.)
I fear… snakes.
I feel… contented.
I hear… my kids laughing.
I smell… lilacs.
I crave… knowledge.
I search… the internet when I want to know something.
I wonder… how my kids will turn out.
I regret… worrying so much.
I love… God, my husband, my children, my extended family, in that order.
I ache… with migraines way too often.
I care… for my family and home.
I always… have something in my hands to do when I sit down.
I am not… a hugger.
I believe… in an Intelligent Creator who wants to have a relationship with us.
I dance… through the house just to make my kids laugh.
I sing… hymns from memory.
I cry… on rare occasions.
I don’t always… get school done every day.
I fight… clutter.
I write… to express myself.
I never… have been overseas.
I listen… to old time radio shows.
I need… to spend time with my husband every day.
I am happy… most of the time.
I tag... Aliene, Farrah, Kelli, Laura, and Martha.

Memorial Day

In special remembrance of
Sergeant Major Bradly D. Conner
1966 - 2007
(Brad was the son of dear friends of ours who was killed in action a year ago this month.)

Our New Gate

Last Saturday I helped build a new gate for our back yard. Yes, I did! Quit looking at me like that. Okay, so I just held the boards. That's helping!

The gate was falling apart when we bought the house, plus we needed it to be wider so we could park our travel-trailer in the back yard. So my husband took that whole end of the fence down soon after we moved in.Here he is in the garage building the framework for the new gate. (Yes, we still have many boxes yet to unpack.)The frame work is up...I'm a good board holder!My true area of expertise: supervising!One side is finished!The finished gate: And that's my Show & Tell for this week!

Thursday Thirteen - Edition #26 "N"

A little late today, but continuing with my alphabet theme, here are 13 things in my life that start with the letter N:

1. Naomi. My sister.
   
2. Nap. Why do little kids hate 'em and adults can't get enough of 'em?
   
3. Natural beauty. I love the mountains and wilderness in our area.
   
4. Near-sighted. I am. Extremely. And oh-so-grateful for contact lenses!
   
5. Neighbors. The best neighbors we ever had were when we lived across the alley from our pastor and his wife, and next door to his mother.
   
6. Nephews. If I counted correctly I have 13 nephews, 5 nephews-in-law, and 5 great-nephews.
   
7. Nieces. Plus 16 nieces, 1 niece-in-law, and 9 great-nieces. (I think.)
   
8. Night Owl. I function best in the evenings.
   
9. Night Sky. I love to watch the sunset and see the stars come out.
   
10. Notebook. I love notebooks. I always have one handy to jot things down in.
    
11. Novels. Need I explain this one?
    
12. November. I was born and got married in November. Those two events were 20 years apart!
    
13. Nurse. Both my sisters are nurses. I'm not. I spent one summer as a nurse's aide many years ago, and quickly determined that nursing was note for me.
    

Tea Pots

The theme for this week's Gracious Hospitality blog-o-thon is to tell about tea pots. Many of the ladies participating have lovely collections of tea pots. I don't. I only have 2... my beautiful china tea pot with violets on it, and my more practical stoneware tea pot in the Pfaltzgraff Yorktowne pattern. I have posted pictures of them previously, so I won't show them to you again... but I thought I would tell you about my new tea kettle!

A couple years ago a lady my husband worked with gave me a big collection of Yorktowne stoneware. Her dad had given her various pieces over the years so she had a sentimental attachment to it, but had gotten tired of it and didn't need it any more. She was glad to be able to give it to someone she knew would enjoy it and appreciate it. And I have. It's a pattern I've always liked.

A few weeks ago I was in our local Pfaltzgraff outlet store and was browsing the Yorktowne aisle. As many pieces as I have, there are tons more I don't have. Not that I need more. I was just interested to see how many things they had come up with for the collection. It occurred to me that I did need a new tea kettle, but that was one thing I didn't see on the Yorktowne aisle. After browsing a bit longer I started to leave the store when the lady asked if I found what I was looking for. On a whim I asked, "I guess there's not a tea kettle in the Yorktowne pattern, huh?" She told me, "Oh, yes, there is! It's over here with the tea kettle display!" Dummy me. I had been looking for it with all the other Yorktowne stuff! So I splurged a little and bought it! Isn't it pretty?

The Workbasket

This week's Workbasket magazine is from October 1950. The cover features a "Hairpin Lace Vanity Set."
Interestingly enough, I have recently learned to make hairpin lace. A friend of mine gave me a hairpin loom and showed me how to do it, after I admired an afghan she had made. I won't be able to make the vanity set, though, because my loom is the size for yarn, not size 30 crochet thread! The article says that "a heavy wire hairpin" will do, but I'm not even sure where to get that these days! (Wait a minute! I know! I had a conversation last summer at a homeschool convention with a head-covering lady about hairpins. She had "heavy wire" ones holding her bun under her veiling and she told me where she got them. But I can't remember now where she said. If I see her again in June, I'm going to ask her!) Anyway, here's a diagram of how hairpin lace is made:On the next page is a pattern for "huck weaving." This is a type of needlework that I am not familiar with (and I've tried many different ones). I don't even know what huck toweling is, but the article tells me it can be purchased by th e yard. "The designs shown are quite suitable for luncheon mats, scarfs, peasant skirts, purses, chair or vanity sets as well as towels."
On this page we also have an ad for hearing aids. "What A Blessing To Hear Again..." Apparently the man pictured is thanking the Lord for his hearing aids.

Oh! And here's an apron! The Apron Queen has got me hooked on vintage aprons, and this issue of the Workbasket doesn't disappoint. "Here is a new use for those gay, loosely, woven dish cloths--an apron and pan holder."Now here's the answer to all our "appearance" problems. A "truly sensational" girdle-- the Figure Adjuster! "Make this test with your own hands! Clasp your hands over your ABDOMEN, press upwards and in gently but FIRMLY. You feel better, don't you!"
"New scientific construction whittles away rolls and bulges... slimming, easy-to-adjust rayon satin tummy panel laces right up to your bra. In powerful elastic." Whew, boy!

Here's another apron craft, this one of waffle pique embroidery which appears to be related to huck weaving. These dainty vintage pictures just make me want to start wearing aprons every day!Now here is a practical project. If you decide to make yourself some "protective mitts" for pulling up your hose, be sure to "pretty these up... with feather stitching at the top or a dainty ribbon bow." Hey, why not go all out and do both!
Don't you just love these vintage patterns? I'd wear styles like this! Especially the apron! Let's see... "twenty-five cents (in coins) for each pattern"... reckon they'd send me the pattern if I mailed a quarter to the address listed?
More coming soon!

High School Science

Did you ever wonder how high school homeschool students got their labs done? If you're a homeschooler, you probably already know! In the kitchen, of course!

We started Biology in January, and invited a couple other families to join us once a week for the experiments. The first chapter in the book called for collecting pond water and cultivating who-knows-what to observe under the microscope. Back in January, we didn't exactly have access to pond water, so we skipped ahead to the dissection part of the book. We have dissected an earthworm, a crayfish (which we all persisted in calling a "crawdad"), a perch (see picture below), and this week we'll finish with the frog. It has been fascinating! The kids were hesitant at first. Just not too sure about cutting into dead animals. But as we've progressed they have found themselves interested in actually seeing what's inside each creature, and have been willing to take turns doing the hands-on parts of the experiments.
We plan to flip back to the beginning of the book and do the pond experiments next, now that the weather is warming up. That might turn out to be grosser than the dissections! At least the dissection specimens were preserved, and pretty rubbery.

Oh, and here's a tip about high school sciences. My daughter is not strong in math, so I was not sure what other high school sciences she could do. Both Chemistry and Physics have a prerequisite of Algebra I. My daughter will be doing good to get through Pre-Algebra and Consumer Math by the time she graduates. I knew she would be okay with Biology, but I wasn't sure where to go from there. I had an opportunity to talk to Dr. Jay Wile about it at a homeschool convention last summer. (The Apologia booth was just across the aisle from my Sonlight booth!) Obviously, colleges will be looking for the Chemistry and/or Physics credits, but if that is not a concern, he recommended Astronomy and Advanced Biology, and then maybe even Marine Biology if we have time. I was surprised about Advanced Biology. I figured Chemistry would be a prerequisite for that, but he said no, the only prerequisite was Biology I. So we did one semester of Astronomy in the fall, and then started Biology. We'll finish Biology this fall, and maybe do another semester of Astronomy in the spring of 2009, and then see where we stand.

Visit Fun Learning for more Homeschool Hi-Lights.

Spring Thaw

Spring has been late in arriving here in north Idaho this year. We've had more cool, overcast days than warm, sunny ones. Then, all of sudden, the weather decided to pretend to be summer... just for 2 days. It got up to 90 degrees yesterday!

Today we drove up the Coeur d'Alene River. Remember all that snow we got back in January? Here's what it looks like now:
To fully appreciate the drama of the picture, you should understand that this river is typically crystal clear in the summer... and about half this wide. It's hard to gauge the extra depth because it's so muddy. But that's a lot of water!

And the snow has not all melted yet! We were actually turned back from going as far "up the river" as we had intended because of the snow on the road. (We were in our little car.)
Meanwhile, "back at the ranch"... I've discovered that we have lilac bushes! Look real close. See those tiny purple buds? They'll be blooming next week, I betcha!
Not only that, but we have the finest crop of dandelions anywhere!

I'm just so proud!!