Highways and biways...

Saturday morning, my little gray car was all gassed up to head northwest, then east then west again! First stop, Flora, Illinois to visit with my grandpa and great-aunt, both of whom have had their share of health struggles lately. Both are on the mend, thankfully!

Driving along highway 45 always brings back such fun and good memories. There's the little white Methodist church that we stopped at when dad got pulled over for speeding. It was in the dead of summer, we were in a black car (possibly with no air conditioning - my memory fails me) but I remember the windows being rolled down. My dad, ever the considerate one, pulled the car forward enough before stopping so the police officer could park in the shade of the tree rather than us. We teased him about that ticket for years!

And then, perhaps 6-8 years later, my cousin and I were traversing that same highway when I too peaked the interest of an Illinois police officer. He gave me a warning as he saw I was from out of town, and I remember him remarking, "It's easy to speed when you're not from around here." Rookie. Sadly, I totally knew I was in the wrong. We giggled as I drove away - a great start to a summer stay with the family in Illinois!

And so it was Highway 45 (and later Hwys 50 and 41) that led me to another great adventure. I picked up my two Aunts and the three of us hit the road again - destination: Indiana. Purpose: the Noel Christmas train.


I was a gal on a mission. I had called ahead, and the shop owner graciously pulled my little train from amongst the goods for sale and wrote my name on it. I was on my way to claim an item from my childhood : )


And claim it I did! A mere $7.44 has brought back a fun little piece of Amber history. This little piece of Christmas decor, made in Taiwan and in mint condition will become a family heirloom if I have anything to say about it : ) After all, I drove a total of 8 hours in one day to get it! Totally worth it though.

My Aunt Kayla found some items for herself too. And my Aunt Gina added to her Peyton Manning/Colts memorabilia with a P. Manning bobblehead.


I haven't been able to spend time with my aunts in years. The older I get, the more hectic and busy life seems to be. Saturday was a wonderful time of slowing down. Enjoying the company, laughing, good conversations, good food and leaving responsibilities and the day-to-day life behind, just for a few hours. Once we were back at Aunt Kayla's we took some time to pick blueberries.


There is something so nice, relaxing and simple about gathering berries. The "bob-whites" were out and singing in the fields. My great-uncle Joe taught me about "Bob-whites" during one of my week-long stays one summer. They are a kind of bird that when they chirp and sing it sounds like they're saying "Bob white." I hadn't heard one in years. While I was picking the blueberries all the memories of playing basketball and snapping beans and playing in the rain came flooding back to my mind. For a few years, each summer I would go and spend a week at my Great-aunt and uncle's house. Aunt Treva taught me about making her famous blackberry cobbler and doughnuts from canned biscuit dough. We would play skip-bo well into the night and she would graciously let us make up our own rules. Her house was one where our imaginations could run wild, and she was right there with us, imagining right along.

As I was driving home on the gravel road, the moon was full and bright and a deer casually walked along the side of the road before disappearing in the tall corn. It was in that moment I realized how much I miss those times in Illinois. But I realized too what a blessing it is to hold such sweet memories. The Lord is so kind to have blessed me with wonderful family and a rich childhood.

And speaking of childhood....here it is! The NOEL Christmas train. Christmas in June at the homestead!

A friend dared to call it tacky after seeing the picture in my previous post. Haha! Tacky or not, it will forever be a fixture in my household at Christmas time!

For now, it is perched on the shelf in my livingroom. Right alongside "Joy" and "Peace" I now have "Noel." My "tacky" and out-of-season reminder of sweet times from long ago.

And for 'ole times sake....


And for a little bit of cuteness, we found this little guy nestled by the garage at my aunt's house.

I really wanted to catch him and love him and call him my own...but the adult voice in my head said "No." Which oddly enough, that adult voice sounded like my parents all those times I would bring home birds, turtles and geese and stray cats.

"LEON," Antiques and Regret

"LEON"

Which spelled backwards is "Noel." Sit tight with me whilst I take you back to the early Amber years and get a little sentimental...

Picture it, Sicily 1942...

Heehee, just kidding. But go with me, Christmas, early to mid-eighties. You know, leg warmers, huge earrings and stir-up pants.

I was a kid. An excited kid...I LOVE Christmas time. The whole decor of the house changes. The air is filled with warm smells like cinnamon sticks and evergreen. And the fun Christmas decorations are brought down from the attic and sprinkled through the livingroom. And every year a little white train was placed on the wall unit. The cars, white with green holly painted on them, spelled out "NOEL" once they're linked together. I loved that little train. I remember that my brother and I would rearrange the cars to spell different things. Which really the only thing that made sense was LEON.

This picture (thanks to a google image search) shows you the exact train. Ahhh...sweet memories.

Now fast forward to Sat. June 19th. My mom and I went to visit my brother and sister-in-law, and on our way home we stopped at an antique store along Hwy 41.

Shining like a bright beacon from the shores in a storm, I saw it. Laying on a counter, still tucked in it's box, mint condition, the NOEL train. The little kid in me came squealing to the surface as I made my way to it, scooped it up in my hands and drew in air loudly in what I'm sure was not an indoor voice. But there it was!! Like Ralphie staring down his Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle! It was the Noel train!

And at this point kids is where the story should end happily with me making my purchase, gingerly carrying the precious little token from my past to my car and then setting it up in the livingroom upon my arrival despite it only being June. But no. I had to go and get all adult and responsible and practical on myself. I exercised self-control. I placed it back on the counter, and continued looking throughout the store, all the while weighing the purchase against my mental budget. "You need to be a good steward," I told myself. "You've already made two purchases this trip, that should be enough," I continued.

In the end, I passed the threshold of the door emptyhanded.

As soon as my four tires pulled onto the highway I was racked with regret. And yet, I continued on, southbound.

It is now day 2, post train discovery and I can't take it anymore. I must get the little train! In my desperation I managed to find one on Ebay mixed in with a cache of vintage ornaments, but it is tattered and a wheel is broken. Not like the one in Indiana. What is a girl to do?? What was the name of that store? Was it north or south of Vincennes? Why can I not be more observant?

Cue google. My little train is sitting on the counter of Colonial Antiques in Farmersburg, IN. The number is saved in my phone and I have already made my plans. I will call that sweet lady that works the register, have her hold it for me..no wait..not just hold it for me but write my name on it in big red letters! I'm working in Illinois on a photo shoot this week and as soon as I'm done, my little gray car will be headed northeast to Farmersburg! And yes, I realize how pathetic my life must seem to all of humanity right now, but I'm so close to having the exact train I did as a kid.

----------------------------------------- (intermission...go ahead, grab yourself a glass of lemonade..)
------------------------------------------------

Antiques parte dos.

Okay, so for pictures, since I didn't have any childhood pictures of our little train and all I had was a poor quality, teeney tiny little image of the train, I decided to share the items I did bring home with me from the antique stores in Indy.

First up: Every girl needs a steel trap, right?!? Hahhahaa! I'll explain.


In my adoration of all things outdoors/mountains/cabins/nature related, I decided to go with a "feminine log cabin" theme for my
bedroom. Don't laugh, as others have done, it can be accomplished! : )

I saw this little steel trap for four bucks and knew it had a place in my room. My mom joked that perhaps I'm sending a message that I'm not to be messed with. So we'll go with that. Yeah, don't mess with me, I have a steel trap on my nightstand! Ha.


Anywho, the trap, coupled with the rabbit fur I brought back from Alaska and the old wooden canoe paddle I found in Nashville, my room is slowly coming together. And one of these days, as soon as I decide on what kind of window treatments I'm going to do, I will post pics of my finished bedroom. It takes me a while to finish a decorating/remodeling project but that is the subject of another post that is in the pipes.

But finally, I found a book that presents fodder for blog posts to come. It is titled, The Housekeeper's Handy Book: Domestic Science Cyclopedia of Valuable Information. Copyright MDCCCCXV (1915 for us modern day readers.)





The inside cover details a list titled "Average time required for cooking and digestion of food." You read that right, digestion of food. Did you know it takes 10-15 minutes to boil or fry a quail and 2 1/2 hours to digest it? Fascinating!

Other "Household Departments" treated in this book include:

Successful Marketing, Good Housekeeping, Economic Home Cooking and Baking, Carving and Serving, First Aid Relief in Accidents, Injuries, Poisons and Sickness, Preserving, Canning and Pickling, Home Made and French Candies (Ooh la la!), Bills of fare for every day (Huh?), Housecleaning, paperhanging (NOT in this house!) and Calcimining (again, Huh?), Laundrying and Dyeing, Invalid Cookery (For those who have taken to the sick bed...keep healthy mom!) and finally....Health Hints and Toilet Preparations!

Oh! I can't wait to dive into this one!!!

So I will pass along any interesting tidbits of cookery or calcimining wisdom in future posts...yay rah! right!? : )

Domestic Delight

In feeling the continued need to be domestically productive, My mom and I set aside the day to make some jellies, and in our ever-adventurous fashion, we tried a new recipe! Mango ketchup. Yep, that's right! Sounds interesting huh!?

So here's how ya do it...and trust me...it is BEYOND simple!

Microwave Mango Ketchup

2 mangoes thinly diced (the smaller the better)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground allspice and cloves

1. Combine diced mangoes, sugar, wine, vinegar, ginger, salt, allspice and cloves in a medium microwaveable dish.

2. Cook in microwave for 5 minutes. Stir.

3. Cook in microwave for 3-5 minutes more or until it thickens up. Spoon into canning jars and process in boiling water for 10 minutes.

We enjoyed our mango ketchup on brats tonight for dinner and it was an amazing blend of sweet and spicy goodness! I think however, I will really enjoy it on grilled tilapia soon!!

For My Feathered Friends...

Welcome to what I have deemed my "bird sanctuary."

Essentially, the overgrown fence line at the back of the property has become too big of a beast to be tamed by one gal. So as the saying goes...if you can't beat 'em, join 'em...and I'm big enough to admit defeat. Instead of cursing the jungle in my backyard, I have chosen to embrace it. To cultivate it lovingly, trim it as I can and enjoy it for the wildlife that it brings my way.

As I have laid in my hammock evening upon evening, I have enjoyed watching the numerous kinds of birds flit back and forth. Some are "twitter-pated," others are chasing worms and still others are just content to nest upon the branches and serenade me as I swing back and forth.

I've been wanting to add several bird feeders in the back so I can attract more birds, watch them eat and play and of course keep them fat and happy! My budget is an issue, seeing as I'm back in school and can't justify the expense of several new feeders. Therefore, I turned to google. The results yielded the ever-popular 2-liter soda bottle feeder. Which is nice, except I don't drink soda. So this meant nothing more than a scavenger hunt for me! I raided my office and lo and behold the lightbulb went off when I saw my collection of CD spindles.

Okay, so on to the real reason you're reading this! The "how to's" of the CD Spindle Birdfeeder.

What you will need:
1 pair of needlenose pliers
1 Box cutter knife
1 CD Spindle
Some rope (I used raffia)
2 sticks (you could use chop sticks, popscicle sticks...)


First, using the pliers, I poked three holes in the base of the spindle to allow any moisture to drain out. Then, using the pliers, I poked two holes in the side at the top of the spindle cover. I gathered several strands of raffia together, twisted one end and ran it through the holes and then tied it together at the top creating a loop to hang the feeder on.


Then I made the holes for the sticks that would give the birds a spot to perch. I attached the cover to the base to give the sides some support. Once the pliers break through, you can twist them to make the hole large enough for your stick. Do the same thing on the other side. You can place as many of these as you want. I went with two since I was using a smaller spindle.


Once the holes for the perches were finished, I then took the box cutter, and VERY carefully made a horizontal cut about half an inch above the perch, then two vertical cuts, going up from each end of the horizontal cut. This creates a flap. I then had to score the plastic from the inside to get the flap to stay open. This is done by making a light cut at the top of the flap. The flap will then push in and stay open and keep bird seed from just pouring out of the feeder.


Here is a detail shot of the flap going in:


Here is the completed construction and the tools used.


I went with a very earthy, natural look to compliment the plastic : ) Here is the finished product hanging in the backyard. The birds have already discovered it and are feasting away!

And then for your viewing pleasure, here are a few more pictures from around the bird sanctuary. I missed getting pictures of all the honeysuckle while it was in bloom but in the spring the back is just filled with it! I love the smell!




And of course, Daisy Lou has her running trails beneath the mass of vines and branches, there is a ground hog that calls the bird sanctuary home and I think she likes hunting it.