Angels in our Midst - WOYW Wednesday

She looks like she's floating through the green of the trees, doesn't she? Actually, this is a stained glass angel my daughter made for me and she's hanging on a glass wall of our new sunporch. I love how the light shines through her - the colors are so vivid and she does look good floating on the new green of Spring.

Check out Barb's fellow bloggers at Grits and Glamour to see what is on their walls.

Cactus Monday

I am a cactus/succulent fan. They seem to be easy to grow and require little care (sometimes I think they thrive on neglect). The above plant is a "paddle plant" or Kalanchoe thyrsiflora. I love the shapes and the coloring on each "paddle". I haven't had this one very long but it already has grown a couple of new paddles.

This one is Huernia schneideriana (Red Dragon Flower). It roots very easily - I've had pieces fall off and take root in the pot below it even - so I've got several of these growing. They grow longer and then will develop shoots off of each "tentacle".

Join other cactus fans over at Teri's Painted Daisies for Cactus Monday.

Ol' Rocking Chair for 2nd Time Around

This ol' rocking chair is probably going around for the 3rd or 4th time. This is the first piece of furniture that my husband and I bought. We bought it for $.50 from my dad who paid that same amount at an estate sale. We sanded it; stained it; rebuilt the seat; and uphostered it. Now, in the 40 years that we've had it we've reupholstered it at least 3 times. We've never refinished it though, so we must have done a good job the first time.

This chair rocked my two babies and it's the perfect baby-rockin' chair. The arms allow you to rest your arm in the right place for laying a baby back to give a bottle. It's solid so it never has squeeked - silent, for a baby to go to sleep. It tilts the adult back in just the right position so that a baby can be on your shoulder and not have their head bashed into the back of the chair. Owning a good rocker with a baby is a must. Will I ever get rid of it - heck, no! It holds too many memories and it still doesn't squeek!!

Check Diane out at A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words for those other items living at least their second life in a loving home in 2nd Time Around Tuesday.

Vintage Trunk for Thursday

This is an old trunk that was in my parents' basement for years. It was covered in army green canvas like material. My husband and I stripped all that off exposing the wood underneath. We then painted it and stained it.

We lined it with muslin and it now holds pictures from years and years - you know how they collect! When a person talks about their house burning down or a tornado coming and what would be the first thing you'd grab - here are all those pictures! I think I'd need a pack mule to "haul" it. The trunk serves well as a lamp table.

Be sure to visit Colorado Lady for the other vintage thingies people have stored and/or displayed in their homes. You'll see some precious treasures.

The Walls on Wednesday

Be sure to check Barb's other participants on What's On Your Wall Wednesday at Grits and Glamour.

I've had other blog entries that have been about things that my paternal grandmother "gifted" to me through the years. These things today I received after she passed away. Her "estate" was a hodge-podge of things she had saved from her heritage all packed away in cardboard boxes - nothing very big. This sign is a framed tin piece and I remember it hanging in my grandparents' apartment back in the 50's. It now hangs in my living room and it is in excellent shape.

These plates are from her as well and hang in a guest bedroom. The top plate is marked "Prussia - Royal Rudolstadt". My grandmother was also a "labeler" and it has a piece of tape on the back telling me it belonged to my great-great grandmother. The bottom plate with the poppies on it is marked "Limoges France" - no piece of tape this time.

I am more convinced all the time that we should mark things or label them in some way so we know where pieces come from and why they are important to us. It's our history!

A Thousand Acres - Ladies With Books

Janice's choice for our book club this month was A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley. This story has been made into a made-for-TV-movie starring Jason Robards as the father. Our club thought it might be worth viewing together. The book is a modern take-off on King Lear. It's a family farm story so if you come from a rural family or are currently in one, you will have some identification with this lifestyle. This family is definitely a dysfunctional one and there's not much "fun" in the "dysfunction". I enjoyed this book. I thought it portrayed the "family farm" story pretty accurately. It was slow starting so it was Chapter 6 or 7 before I was really interested. Read it - I think you'll also enjoy it.

Janice baked a wonderful apple pie for us to eat for our refreshments....could there be a better food representative for the rural American life?

Easter Activities

What's Easter without all the egg dying? Yesterday was the day for the grandkids to plan and create their beautiful Easter eggs.

Mom had a couple of dozen ready for them - some hard-boiled and some blown.

This guy doesn't look real happy but he was a dyin' fool - he had lots of ideas for his eggs. He made some pretty wild colors by mixing them.

It was fun to help referee as well as make some suggestions. Even Great-Grandma was on hand to watch and appreciate the fun. Those eggs will be our deviled eggs next Sunday.

Fenton Glass for Vintage Thursday

My aunt passed away probably 6 years ago and her daughters had an auction of her household after her death. My mom and I went and I bid on several boxes of items. One of the boxes that I got was a box of this Fenton lime sherbet glassware.

I have a friend who has an extensive collection of this particular color of glassware and has it under black light - it glows and is great eye-candy when it is featured that way. I do not have it under black light - but, have considered doing that.

I bought it ,not so much for the color, but because it was from a family member. I know some of the pieces are from the 40's and 50's but other than that, I'm not clear on the age of it all.

Vintage family collectibles are precious to me. Be sure to check Colorado Lady for the vintage collectibles that others have on this Vintage Thingies Thursday!