Ya' know I've got that Feedjit widget over in the side bar.... well I've noticed that a few of my repeat visitors arrive on the same page every time, a page other than the home page. And then they don't stay long. So I'm thinking some of you may have bookmarked my blog while you were viewing a category or a post. If that's the case, then when you show up it may look like I haven't posted anything new 'cause it's the same thing you were looking at the last time you were here. So if this is happening to you, [I'm posting this in as many catagories as I can so maybe you will see it] just click on the "Home" link in the menu at the top of the page to check for new posts.

I'd also like to invite y'all to look around the sidebar. I've added a link to a page where I will be adding videos and audios about Christianity, Health Issues, How-to, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I don't have much there yet, but I wanted you to be aware of it.

There's also a new gadget from Blogger called Followers. I didn't know what it was all about, but the description basically said it is for people who like like my blog, to let me know they are following it. It also lets folks who read my blog, find the blogs of other folks who read my blog.I figured that was cool so I added it.

Anyway, I want to encourage y'all to look around and take a little more time checking out the blog.

WR

Today's favorite is a raggedy looking old teddy bear rocking chair. It's mine, from my childhood, so it's probably over 35 years old. My sister and I each had one and we've kept them for our children. I've never seen another one like them.


The poor thing is pretty worn out --well, he has been through quite a lot. His fur is matted, and he's stained, and generally looks dirty even when he's been cleaned. Threads are hanging, the glue is brittle, and his screws need to be tightened.


But he still has both his googly eyes and the red ribbon around his neck. I think he is still quite charming... And so does Pickle.


This is "his" chair for now. He will pull, push, and drag it around so he can sit and rock wherever he wants in the living room. In this picture he's "reading" a book in his room.

I've been thinking that one day I'll have to replace the rocking springs and try to fix him up a little so he will still be around for my grandkids. I don't know if they will love him as much as I do, but I hope so.

WR

We buy Celtic Sea Salt from The Grain & Salt Society and our latest order arrived yesterday. So I decided that, not only would I show you one of my antique store finds, I'd show you how I "prep" my salt.

First, today's favorite... This is an old general store "5 pounds" jar that I got for $5 at a really great junky little antique store (which I rarely get to shop at, let alone buy at). I love this jar!









We buy the salt in five pound bags, so this jar has been perfect for storing it.

When the salt arrives, it is still damp. When you put damp salt in a salt grinder it will clump. Not only that, but when you try to grind it will stick to the outside of the grinding mechanism and if you don't get it off it will clump up and dry hard.

So this is what I do... I cut open the bag and spread the salt out on the largest, rimmed, cookie sheet I have. Then I put it a warm oven for a few hours and stir it occasionally. When I think it's sufficiently dry, I take it out and let it come to room temperature.



Then I add powdered kelp.



I stir again, scoop it into the jar, and refill the salt grinder.



This time, I also put some in a jar for my Mom and Dad.



And here's that wonderful jar of salt.



WR

This is a painting done by my mother! She is a self-taught artist. She can work in pencil, charcoal, ink, pastels, oil paint, and acrylic paints. I love this painting. She lets me hang it in my home and she gave another beautiful work to my sister. The one my sister has, is of a red fox in the snow. I wish I could show you all her work, she has them all over her home. I grew up around this kind of beautiful art and wanted to be an artist just like my mom. Unfortunately, I can't paint a landscape to save my own hide. So I most just work in portraiture (when I can concentrate enough and have enough time to myself to do it -- which ain't often these days).

WR

P.S, I reserve the right to edit the snot out of this post tomorrow (since it is very late now and I am typing in a hurry) and still call it a Friday's Favorites. :-p

This Friday's Favorite is a set of antique bowls Granny Trudy gave to me when she gave me the blue pitcher.

One is a deep, rich brown and the other is a beautiful soft green. There were supposed to be three bowls in the set but Granny could only find two, the smallest one was missing. I believe the small bowl was probably an earthy yellow. She said the other one was around the house somewhere and when she found it, she would let me have it too. As far as I know, she never found it. She started getting forgetful and I never asked her about it.

But I love the two I have. And when I had a place to display them I kept them out all the time but now I try to find a place for them at Christmas.

Oh, and the chair in the pictures used to sit on my grandparents front porch.

I collect a few patterns of dinnerware. None of them are fancy or very valuable. They are just patterns I really like. They give me a homey feeling when I look at the them. I like to use them whenever we have people over for a special occasion and they fit right in with our nothing fancy house where we eat in the kitchen 'cause we don't have a dining room (and I like it that way). I also use the serving pieces when I take food to a family dinner at Christmas or Thanksgiving.

This is one of the patterns I collect.

It was made by Metlox in the 1940's or 50's. It was never really given a name as far as I can figure, and was just offered as a premium to customers of A&P grocery stores in California. Because of that, the pattern is often called the Premium Rooster by those that know some of the history. (I've also seen it called the Skinny Rooster.) But since it was not widely distributed or sold, and because it doesn't really have a name, it is really hard to find any info on this pattern.

This also makes it very hard to find the pieces when you want to buy them, because people don't know how to describe it when selling it. I mean, what do you look for when searching for it on Ebay? LOL! There's no standard name for this pattern and it often doesn't even have the Metlox mark on it anywhere. So what you see, is everything I have of this pattern.

Usually, the rarer the pattern, the more expensive it is. But despite the fact that this one is hard to find, it's not really worth that much money --which is fine with me, 'cause I could not afford to collect it if it was. And since I only collect it because I like it, I don't care if the value of my "collection" is low.

Oh, and I almost forgot about this guy.

Believe it or not, he's a part of this pattern. Looks nothing like the painted rooster but this is the relish tray that went with this dinnerware. The olives, gherkins, cheese cubes, or whatever, were piled in each side of the tray and the picks to skewer them with were placed in the holes in the sides of the chicken.

Doesn't he make you smile?!

WR

Sorry this post is so late but it's been a busy day. Well anyway, here's this Friday's Favorite...

It's a new favorite thing. My sister and BIL brought it back for me from their weekend in the mountains. It is an egg separator made to look like a silly chicken. Too Cute! I haven't had an opportunity to use it yet but I know the kids will all be gathered around to see the egg "snot" come out of the chickens mouth. LOL!

WR

Just thought I'd take an occasional Friday to show y'all a few of my favorite things. And though I will be talking about things, many of these things are dear to me because of their connection to some of my favorite people and places.

For instance, this really old, lowly little blue pitcher...

This was Granny Trudy's pitcher. She gave it to me a few years before she got sick. It was just stowed away on a back shelf in her pantry. At some point, someone broke the handle off and glued it back on so they could keep right on using it.

I love that rustic quality it has, with all it's little bumps and divots. I love the color of it --it reminds me of denim and cornflowers. And I love the fact that it was handmade by some long ago artist, who probably never thought of himself as an artist at all. He was just making a household necessity... but it's beautiful.

And of course it's one of my favorite things because it was my Granny's, and she wanted me to have it.

WR