Things In My House Thursday

I was having trouble getting inspired with what to share today. Anything I generally show that's in my house has been photographed outside of my house. I love the tall trees surrounding my home, and the shade they offer works wonders at keeping our electric bill down in the summer. The downside to them is that my house is very dark. Many of the things I'd like to show you in TIMHT posts are not easily portable, so I was struggling with what to share.....then I read Marilyn's TIMHT post, and decided to just copy her. Again, thanks, Marilyn! ;-)

The item I'm featuring today is this little burned out child's Singer sewing machine, but notice how sneaky I am, in that I'm using the opportunity to also show off my porch stitchery scarecrows? Later about that, though. This little Singer should really have been relegated as garbage long ago, but I'm helplessly sentimental. It's one of the first Christmas gifts I received as a child that I actually remember. I'd have to ask my mom how old I was, but I think I was 4 or 5. I don't think I'd started to school yet.

Christmas wasn't far away, all the packages were wrapped and stacked under the tree. My mom being the perfectionist she is, I imagine it was a beautiful sight to behold. My mom, dad, and brother were all outside, visiting a neighbor, I think. At least I know they were doing something that I figured they'd not likely walk inside and catch me if I were to take a little peeksie. I could barely contain my delight when I gently removed the wrapping and saw what I was getting. I thought I was so smart as I carefully rewrapped the present and returned it to it's position under the tree. Roooiiiigght. We all know 5 year olds are such excellent gift-wrappers! I did get found out, for sure, but I can't remember getting in trouble. Maybe I did, but if so, it wasn't severe enough for me to remember it.

My folk's home burned to the ground nearly 20 years ago, and my mom had my little Singer machine proudly displayed on an old antique buffet in her large farm style kitchen. It was still in perfect working order. Neither my mom or I could bear to throw it away after the fire, so I keep it on a shelf as a reminder, not so much that it survived the fire, but simply as a childhood memory I've managed to hang onto in a mind that seems to forget too many things these days!

The big old crock to the right belonged to my late mother-in-law. I believe it came with her from Kentucky to Texas, as a young married woman. I know her father used to make moonshine in the Kentucky hills. Whether or not he stored it in this crock, I don't know, but it's certainly possible.

I sewed the stitcheries from a pattern I bought on the internet a few years ago. I'd give the pattern author credit, but it would require me dragging my lazy behind out to my workshop. If anyone's interested, just drop me a line or a comment, though, and I'll muster up the energy to go out there tomorrow. You can't see it under the fabric draped over it, but the chair is an old antique folding wooden chair from a long ago church. I laid claim to them from my mom's garage when she moved. I have such a teeny little covered porch that there's only room for one out there.

It's so much fun seeing what others have in their house on Thursdays. If you aren't participating, but would like to do so, please consider yourself invited. After you make your Thursday post, be sure and go to MSM's and sign the Mr.Linky there, so everyone can come see your Things in Your House on Thursday!

Whoever says he is in the Light and [yet] hates his brother [Christian, born-again child of God his Father] is in darkness even until now.
Whoever loves his brother [believer] abides (lives) in the Light, and in It or in him there is no occasion for stumbling or cause for error or sin.

~1 John 2:9-10 Amplified Bible

Things in My House Thursday

I can't remember if this little bank was left over from my own childhood or my son's. That's pretty pathetic, memory-wise, I know, but such is me these days.

Little Mr. Apple bank has entertained a lot of kids, and a few adults, over the years. The photos are pretty explanatory. You place a coin on the little stem. The eye flap lifts up and a smiling faced worm comes out and slides the coin inside the bank. At some point over the years, the plastic piece which snaps on to hold in the money disappeared. Not that we'd likely have left that money untouched. We won't talk about the number of times I slipped into one of the kid's piggy banks when change was needed. ;-)

In case you looked very closely, you may be wondering if this magical little bank makes change. It does not. I used a quarter in the first photograph, but later realized I forgot to photograph the little worm, and used a penny then.

If you'd like to join "Things in My House Thursday's", post pictures on your own blog of things you'd like to share with us, then go to MOMMY SWEET MOM's and sign the Mr. Linky on her today's post.

Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself.

~Romans 9,10 (Contemporary English Version)

Things In My House Thursday

I'm participating this week in MommySweetMom's meme, Things In My House Thursday. I would post the darling little button if I weren't so computer illiterate that I can't figure out how to get the thing here. You'll just have to trust me that there is a button, and it is cute.

These really are on a shelf in my house, but due to inadequate lighting for picture taking, I sat them outside my house to photograph them. They are of no value, other than sentimental. The object on the left, which I refer to as "object" for the mere fact that I am unsure what it is. A cat? A bunny? A dog? Your guess is as good as mine. I do know it's a bank, as there is a slot on the back for coins. The object on the right is obviously a tiny little picture. It's bisque, I think, and stands about three inches tall.

Both these items belonged to my mother when she was a girl. Twice in her childhood, her family lost their home to a fire. The last one being when she was in the 8th grade. Both these items of her's survived the fire, though the cat/bunny/dog did suffer broken paw tips. Sadly, in 1990, my mom and dad's retirement home also burned to the ground. These items again survived the fire. My mom has suffered many tragedies in her life. I don't display these as a reminder of a tragedy, but rather as a reminder of the triumph of survival.

I was going to post some pics of Nikki that we shot at the airport this week, but since she is no longer "in" my house, I decided to wait. ;-)

I want each of you who read my blog and have commented to know I am genuinely blessed by your comments. Seriously, the highlight of my day is opening my e-mail and seeing Blogspot's notice of the various comments I have received. With each comment, I feel a little closer to you; I get to know you a little better. If a comment comes through from a new person, I normally hurry straight to their blog to read it. Many of the blogs I read, I have discovered by clicking onto the blogs from the commentor forms.

The reason I'm sharing this truth now is that I've not been replying to comments left on my blog in recent weeks. Oh, I've responded to one here and there, but for the most part, I've been negligent. I'm reading them, I assure you, but I haven't been responding to them. I've not been reading all the blogs on my normal reading list, either. My daughter was here for nearly the entire month of August, and my mom and her husband were here much of that time. For someone who leads a normally somewhat sedate life, things have been hopping around here. I want to be sure you know I haven't been ignoring your comments. On the contrary, I've cherished them.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

~Matthew 24:35 NKJV

A Charming Day

One of the first places I discovered when our family went "online" ten years ago was the Homeschooler's Curriculum Swap. Since I was still homeschooling my (now grown) daughter at that time, the site intrigued me. At first I assumed by the title that it was merely a place to exchange used curriculum.

I quickly discovered the Swap was about so much more than curriculum. It has a message board forum made up of a warm and friendly group of homeschoolers with likeminded christian values. If you are looking for such a place, whether it be for moral support in your homeschooling venture, expertise and advice of seasoned homeschoolers in making curriculum decisions, or simply a place to make online christian friends with whom you can share and laugh and be yourself, please do stop by. I am sure you will be made to feel as welcome now as I was ten years ago.

Amy, from A Redeemed Sheep, suggested we experiment with having Swappie theme blogging days, where we all post about a particular theme, then sign the Mr. Linky on her blog. We're starting with a charm bracelet theme, which, as it turns out, not too many Swappies own or have ever owned. We'll probably consider a wider appealing subject next time.

If you own or have owned a charm bracelet, even if you're not a Swappie, please consider yourself invited to post and share about it on your blog; a picture, or simply your memories of it. We are not a closed club!

Despite my verbal approval to Amy of this idea, much to my embarrassment, I forgot it was supposed to be today. Worse, as I began to scrounge through jewelry boxes and drawers, my old charm bracelet seemed to be no more!

The first place I looked was in this lovely old chest my grandmother gave me the day of my (bio) dad's funeral. It had belonged to my grandpa, who I don't remember, as he died when I was two. I've always been told that had he lived, I'd have grown up with the name Candy. He dubbed me that, and everyone else followed suit. The name died with him. I can't say I'm sorry about that.

Let's see....there's my old cat eye glasses I wore in elementary school. Well, I was supposed to wear them, but rarely did. There's the little plastic mirror that was part of a set. It was a birthday present one year and I was terribly proud of it. There used to be a matching brush and comb with it.

The plastic box in the upper left corner of the chest has my last set of Jacks and ball in it. I was a Jack playing machine! I could spend hours playing alone or with a friend.

The dainty hankie with the crocheted edge belonged to my Nanny (Mom's mom). She always carried pretty hankerchiefs.

The tiny pink bow next to my Jacks was the one glued to my daughter's head the day we brought her home from the hospital. The nurses tipped me off that K-Y Jelly works great for gluing bows to baby's heads. I discovered that bow in my late husband's wallet when it was returned to me after his accidental death. Someday, I'll give it to my daughter. Though you can't see it in the picture, a small white new testament is in there that was given to her at her birth. I'll probably put the bow in it and present it to her on her wedding day.

My grandfather's old chest was a bust, so I moved on to the drawers of the old treadle Singer sewing machine which used to belong to my hankie carrying Nanny. My mom learned to sew on that machine, and what a seamstress she was until arthritis robbed her of that joy.

The drawer was full of vintage costume jewelry, but no charm bracelet.

Here's my old band medals. Nothing spectucular to see here, so let's move along, folks.

Aha! We're getting somewhere now. Still no charm bracelet, but I did find some of my old charms. Why they aren't with the bracelet is beyond me. The two tiny pics to the left are of my daughter and my son. The gold aspen leaf was one I picked up on a vacation with my folks to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, as a teenager. The Oklahoma one was a token of the state of my birth. I can't remember where I got those others. Well, I ididn't come up with a charm bracelet, but it was fun digging through old mementos today.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

~Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV