There was a surprise in the cans of china

All the dishes are for sale

All the dishes are for sale

All the dishes are for sale

All the dishes are for sale

All the dishes are for sale

All the dishes are for sale

 

     As promised, here are the pictures of the other set of china and a surprise.  When I sorted through china in the lard cans, I found several pieces to a third set!  See the top two pictures.  It’s made by Ostrow China and is called Princess Anne Golden Dusk.  It’s lovely.  The last picture is of the Homer Laughlin Colonial Kitchen.  (All of the china pictured above is for sale.  Contact me here in a comment or by e-mail)

     Today was G’s anniversary so she didn’t go over to the MIL’s house with me.  AJ arrived around three, she was a big help and good company—I do hate to be there by myself.  She helped me load the lard cans full of china into my van.

I managed to clear off and clean the kitchen counters before AJ arrived.  It was quite a chore since the MIL had them completely covered with junk and I don’t think she’d cleaned it in years.  By four o’clock AJ and I were ready to leave.  We carried out three bags of garbage, a completely filled paper recycling bin, and an over filled can and bottle bin.

***Notice to all this was posted in 2011. Dishes are long gone.****

 

One shuffle down and more to go

 

     Friday afternoon I ordered a mattress and box spring from Sleepys.  This was for the bed frame that belonged to DH’s Grandfather that I brought home from the MIL’s house on Wednesday.  The mattress and box spring arrived Saturday at a little after noon.  Wow, that was quick! 

     We hadn’t removed the futon or set the bed frame up yet when they came knocking on our door.  Consequently, before one o’clock I’d notified the neighbor who wanted the futon for his daughter that he’d better come and get it NOW.  We grabbed another neighbor to help him take the futon mattress and frame.

     In the meantime, the new mattress and box frame were standing in the hallway upstairs waiting for the bed frame.  ACK!  DH couldn’t help.  I lugged the bed frame from one room to the other and with a minor struggle—read this as many cusswords went flying when the frame wasn’t cooperating—I finally had it together. 

     The other neighbor (see the second paragraph) returned and put the box spring and mattress in place.  Geez, I do love having brawny guys around that I can beg to help me with heavy things.  Then I remembered I needed to wash sheets for the bed since all the full sized sheets are stored in a bag in the basement.  We now have a lovely old bed with a new mattress and box spring that towers almost thirty inches above the floor. 

Do the furniture shuffle

 

     I swear I need to add a few rooms onto my house.  I don’t know where to go with everything!  We’ve added a bedroom set and we are getting rid of a futon.  I now need to shuffle a bookcase, a dresser with a mirror, and few other small items.  Where I’ll shuffle them to—your guess is as good as mine. 

     The new mattress and box spring arrive today.  I wish we had everything ready so the delivery guys can plop them in place but that ain’t gonna happen.  They’ll go in the hallway to await our slow progress towards making room for the bed.

     Then I need to find some big fellows (I wish my cousins were down here for a visit right about now) to haul the old sofa bed out of the house so I can bring the MIL’s newer sofa home.  It’s not exactly the style I would choose but beggars can’t be choosers.  We can’t afford to buy a new sofa right now.  I hope the big fellows will carry the MIL’s sofa for me.

A mixed bag of vintage and antiques

 

     Today I called many antique shops and auctions in our area and not one of them is taking china.  Just my luck.

     The vintage scarves, dress gloves, and that adorable hat are now sitting in a consignment shop.  The owner thinks they will sell quickly and she’s very interested in the beaded purses.  I need to make up my mind as to which one I want to keep.

     Sunday I’ll bring home a piece or two from the Mojen china and post a picture on Monday’s post.

     Since we’re having a very windy and rainy day today, I am cleaning and putting together the antique desk for my room.  Of course, this means having to move some furniture and rearrange a few things.  That’s fine with me I’d rather keep busy than mope over not being able to get out of the house.

     Y’all have a good one.

Homer Laughlin Colonial Kitchen china

 

     Yesterday was another Wednesday of digging through the clutter of the MIL’s house.  At least this time, by the end of the day, it looked as though we’d made a little headway.  We removed the legs from the desk, taped the folding top down, removed the drawers, and loaded it into the van.

     Once we got the desk out of the room, we turned the huge and very heavy radio/record player and placed it where the desk was.  The bedroom looked roomy. 

     We hauled out several bags of garbage.  Again.  Then we loaded some smaller boxes and crates into the back seats.  We were out of there by five for a change.  However, we were still exhausted on the drive home.

     I did remember to bring one of the plates from the other set of antique dishes home.  I looked up the set online.  It is Homer Laughlin/ Virginia Rose/ Colonial Kitchen.  This set takes up two large lard cans.   All the antique dishes are for sale.  

Her little face lit up…

 

     I placed an item from the MIL’s house into its new home last evening.  On Sunday, we’d found a gently used Christmas decoration that I’d never use and don’t have room to store.  It’s a Christmas winter-wonderland skating rink complete with Ferris wheel, carrousel, skaters, lights, and more.  I immediately thought of the little angel across the street. 

     Her little face lit up so bright when I brought it in their door I knew I’d made the right choice.  I’m delighted to give them a new family tradition.  I’m betting after I left they tried it out because the little one was so excited about it.  There’s no way her mother could’ve stuck it away for a year without a test run.

     Mom was already eyeing up their coffee table as a place to set it up for next year’s holiday.  I hope they get many years of enjoyment out of it.

Sometimes they are quiet…

 

Clutter, chaos, treasures, and weight loss

 

     Here I am exhausted after another day of digging through the clutter and chaos that is my MIL’s house.  We found three huge lard cans filled with old china.  I was able to identify the one set as Mojen MJN4.  The twenty-two karat gold rim on each item is exquisite.  I have no room to store it.  Therefore, with the china and few other pieces I am building quite a vanload of items to take to the nearest antique shop.

     I’ll have to examine the other set closer to find the identifiers.  It was sheer luck that I remembered the first one’s manufacturer and was able to look it up when I got home.

     G is finding that our work over at the house has provided another advantage.  She lost a pound from all the work we did on Wednesday and is hoping that today’s work has the same results.

Has your writing become a cliché?

 

     At times, I enjoy reading cozies but I no longer am fond of the ‘cooking’ type of cozy.  I find that when they end a chapter with a recipe that it jars one out of the story.  I noticed that more and more ‘cooking mystery’ authors are doing too much of that of late.  It destroys the flow for me.  I see nothing wrong with putting all the recipes at the end of the book.

     The fact is the entire premise has become a tired cliché.  This makes me wonder how many other cozy styles have wandered down the same path. 

     How did Dame Agatha manage to keep her wonderful Miss Marple fresh and believable in all those books?  Why is it that I can reread those books many times and still enjoy them and yet some of the more modern writers’ books are a once and done?

     I hope that once my books are out there my readers will have the courage to tell me if they grow tired of my characters.

Yes, I talk to myself when I shop

 

     They say you should never go grocery shopping when you’re hungry.  I’m always hungry when I go shopping. 

     I take my handy dandy little shopping list and try to stick to it.  Of course, there’s always those one or two or three items I remember I am out of and they do go into my cart. 

     “Hmm, chocolate pudding, don’t have any must need some.”  Into the cart it goes.  “How about eggs do we need eggs?  I forgot to put those on the list but I’m fairly certain we are almost out of them.”  Eggs go into the cart.

     “What the heck is this now?  I can’t read his handwriting.  Is that White Out?  I’m not at an office supply store for heaven’s sake—oh yeah it’s that stuff MT. Dew makes.  Okay got it.”  I load a carton onto the bottom of the cart.

     “Peanut butter.”  I snag a jar from the shelf and toss it into the cart.  “Crap, do we need bread?  I don’t have it on my list.  There might be some in the spare fridge.”  My cart is quite full by then.  “Oh, well if we do need some I can always do a quick trip later.”

Yippee the snow is melting!

 

     You can now see patches of mud and grass in the yard.  We still have snow left but at least it is going away.  Today we’re supposed to have record warm temperatures so that should melt a lot more off.  I’d be VERY happy to see it all gone.

     Since we hit 66 degrees yesterday afternoon, I was outside with the dogs without having to wear a jacket.  Those of you in the south probably think I’m nuts.  However, I have actual blood running through my veins and am quite comfortable.  (Okay, I slapped myself for that comment, are you happy?)

     The pups loved all the sunshine that streamed in through the kitchen window and they both wrangled with each other to get the prime sunny spot in which to doze.

     Y’all have a good day!

Will we ever get finished?

 

   We were finally able to get back into the MIL’s house to work on clearing things out again yesterday.  The snow has melted enough over there that we can park in front of the house.  After five hours, my car held another huge load for Goodwill and some treasures for G and me.

     We piled five more loaded garbage bags out by the curb.  The house looks as though we’ve done nothing.  I am beginning to wonder if we’ll ever get all the stuff out of the house before the nursing home takes it.

     G and I were so tired when we left we were dragging.  I have to go back on Sunday to put out the recycling cans that we completely filled.  Then I’ll load my van again.  We left stuff in the living room all separated into keep, give to Goodwill, and ask-anyone-if-they-want-this piles.  And we only worked on ONE bedroom!

     My next magical trick will be to find some strong backs and weak minds to move furniture.  I’m bringing a bedroom set, a desk, and a sofa home.  (Which means I need to get rid of one sofa bed and a futon.)  I don’t love her sofa but it is in better shape than my sofa bed.