Tuesday, August 10, 2010

White Wednesday: My White Sunbeam MixMaster and story from the past

Love this picture!

We've probably all seen it, but actually it is the Sunbeam MixMaster that I am focusing on.
I'm pretty sure that this mixer is white and not the yellow that it appears to be.
This picture reminds me of an episode from my childhood.
We were living in Midland, Texas in 1954.
I was outside playing and my mother called me to come inside. She wanted to tell me something.
She was standing at the kitchen counter, much like the woman in the picture, but she was using her white Sunbeam MixMaster and preparing
the batter for a chocolate cake.
She asked me, "Would I like to have a baby brother or another baby sister?"
Wow! I told her that I wanted a baby brother.
On February 27, 1954 I got my wish!

Clay
I was so excited. What a good brother he has been.


Not long ago I saw a white Sunbeam MixMaster - Legacy Edition, at Kohl's. The memory of that
time with my mother returned. I had to have that
mixer. Today I used it to make banana nut bread.
If you are curious about Clay, check out his blog at



Visit Faded Charm at
http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com/
For White Wednesday


A little addition: Clay is familiar with this story and when I was visiting him one time he took me into his kitchen to see what he had
bought at an antique store... a white Sunbeam MixMaster... only his was identical to our mother's!!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Three or More: I love the number 3!!

Three favorite plates!

I found these plates in a popular store not far from where I live. I'm not sure what drew me to them, but I love the colors.
I bought them to put in my family room,
however, I just did not get around to hanging them.
They stayed stacked on a bookshelf.
One day I returned home to find that my housekeeper (she's awesome and I look forward to any day I can get her!) must have gotten
exasperated with me, waiting to see where I was going to hang them. She put them in this plate hanger in my kitchen.
Perfect!!
I wouldn't dream of moving them.

 
I'm new to
The Gypsy's Corner for
Three or More Tuesday.
http://www.thegypsyscorner.com/
It's so perfect for me since I love groupings of
three or more!
Please take time to visit this wonderful blog!


Oops! Forgot to mention...
I only paid $10 for each plate.
They were on sale. Yes!!


Friday, August 6, 2010

A Few of My Favorite Things -- My cornucopia

Cornucopia or "horn o' plenty"

We moved a lot when I was growing up. Maybe some of the things I inherited from my parents, particularly my mother, meant so much to me was because when the seasons changed, Mother would set out the same things to decorate with.
They were always used differently from year to year. I can't ever remember any of her decorations staying exactly the same. Just seeing the familiar dishes, bowls, granite fruit,
dried flowers, etc... brought a little security to my world. That thought has not occurred to me until now. (One of the benefits of blogging!)
This cornucopia, or "horn o' plenty" as it is sometimes called, would always appear in
mid-September. Either there would be fresh fruit
in it, dried flowers, nuts, whatever my mother
chose for her fall decor.
I loved this cornucopia. Not only did it
signify bountiful food, but it also signified that
Halloween and Thanksgiving were near.
I loved this time of the year. The aroma of
autumn leaves and such.
Perhaps I am getting a little ahead of myself
with the seasons ... but that's okay.

When our oldest son and his family were
visiting us recently the topic of the annual
Halloween party that I had been hosting
for our granddaughter the past four years in
Mexico came up. I had already been thinking
about the theme, what to cook and
even had a great "spooky" story in mind.
My son said, "Why don't we do something a
little different this year?" Hmmm... was I ever curious. "I would like for Carmen and David
to learn more about American holidays and
customs. Let's do Thanksgiving together in
Mexico."
A-ha!" ... The words I have been
waiting to hear. Our son, also our business partner has been living in Mexico for thirteen years with only periodic visits back to the U.S.
He married a woman from Mexico (educated for a year in England though) and I have been concerned that their children would miss out
on our U.S. holidays and customs.
It appears now that this is a priority to
our son. My husband and I were thrilled
to hear our son's suggestion.
Our cornucopia is over-flowing!

My mother




I am linking to Laurie for
Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie.
It's "A Few of My Favorite Things Saturday"
Check her out! 
http://bargainhuntingwithlaurie.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday: Daddy B's Typewriter


Daddy B's typewriter

My sister and I would stay with each set of our grandparents for a couple of weeks each summer.
Visiting our paternal grandparents meant many different experiences:
- riding in my grandfather's red MG with the top down
- picking peaches from the peach trees at their "stock farm"... a term we don't seem to hear anymore
- riding on the Brackinridge Eagle in San Antonio (my grandfather owned it)

What I think my sister and I really enjoyed was being in our grandfather's home office, sitting at his desk and pecking away on his typewriter.
This was around 1955, or so.

Daddy "B"

The typewriter, a Hernes 3000 was extra special and unlike my father's typewriter.
This machine was green AND it typed
in script!
I thought that was so unusual.
On top of that, my grandfather had a brown ink
ribbon in the typewriter. Leave it to Daddy "B" to be unique. He typed all of his letters in spite of the beautiful handwriting he had.
Perhaps it was having access to Daddy "B's" office that led me to a life-long passion for
office supplies and to enjoy typing.
You will see Daddy B's typewriter on my blog
always. I inherited it!
It doesn't really type anymore and I am sure
to find someone to clean and repair it would
be a monumental task, but I love to
look at it, remembering the hours of
pleasure I got from it.


I am linking to Show and Tell Friday
at
My Romantic Home

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Happy Birthday, Ryan!


Happy Birthday, Ryan

Our youngest son is 30 years old today.
As older parents say, "How did the years pass so quickly?"
Ryan came into the world during Hurricane Allen in deep south Texas on August 6, 1980. The barometric pressure from the hurricane played havoc with my pregnancy
and Ryan entered the world three weeks early... but weighing 9 pounds!
Everyone seems to know Ryan.
From the time he was born he has never known
a stranger. Before we had a chance to use
the raquetball courts at the club where we were
members, Ryan at the ripe age of four knew
most all of the members.
His ability to make friends and be a good
friend has served him well as a successful
realtor. We couldn't be more proud of our
son as he celebrates the "big 3-0"
Ryan

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

It's White Wednesday at White Sands, New Mexico



White Sands, New Mexico
ca. 1961
My brother, sister and me

When I was growing up, we lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
One of the weekend excursions my parents took us on
was a drive to White Sands, New Mexico.
As you can see the sands truly were white.
We loved playing on the hills of sand.
Sometimes we had large pieces of cardboard
that we used to go "sledding" down the sand.
These were great days for our family!

I'm linking to
Faded Charm

for White Wednesday