Pyrex, Federal and a Mystery Bowl??

This post isn't about flowers - but it's my blog and it's about everything so I'm putting my snapdragons on!!!  Snapdragons are so pretty!

I bought a green bowl and I don't have a clue as to what brand it could be.     On the inside of the bowl it reads cups, 3 1/4 and ounces, 28.  There are markings on the bottom - even with the magnifying glass, I can't make them out - does anyone know what it could be?  I placed it beside a Pyrex 401 to compare the size.

I've been wanting a batter bowl for a while - now I can get rid of some plastic ones that we use for pancakes - this was  put into use already - the plastic pancake bowl is definitely on the way out!!  It would have been nice to have a patterned one but for $2.50 - what a great price for a nice piece of Federal.  The old red handled utensils only cost 50 cents each.

It turned out to be a Pyrex kind of day too - I couldn't believe it when I saw this Royal Wheat divided dish at the Salvation Army - $2.50 for a promotional, a great deal - I think the divided dishes are so neat!!!  Another red fridgie, is that all there is out there?  It was  $1.99 at Value Village.  My daughter collects the 403 bowls, which can be very hard to find - this Shenadoah is going her way - found it in a church basement sale for $2.00. 

I'm linking up to Thrift Share Monday and Flea Market Finds - there's lots of great thrifting goodies over there....

My Dad - Edison Horton, Oct. 31, 1935 - Aug. 25, 2007

Today, four years ago my Dad passed away - I miss him every day!  It has not been easy without him - my mother was not able to cope  - she spent one winter in the house with home care, then I had to move her to a community care facility, now she sits in the hospital waiting for a nursing home bed - dementia has taken over my Mom's life - she is only 74 - it is very sad.

We used to talk often on the phone and then started using instant messenger on the computer - of course, his main topic would always be Carla and Darcy.  Every summer we went home to Prince Edward Island - those are the best memories.

Dad was always puttering around in the basement - he took up wood working - and did such beautiful work - besides wood turning of bowls, plates and the like he started doing other things, like these car models

Then he got into building model boats, he did three of these - this one is the tug Glenlivet that he used to work on - the case measures over three feet -it's such an impressive piece of work!

Dad also got really interested in genealogy - researching the Horton's back to when they arrived from Scotland, he also did work on other family groups - Sharam's and Nicholson's - he also had some of my mother's history on the go as well. 

Dad was a closet musician - he had great talent but he hardly ever showed his skill. He could play the piano and accordian by ear, he took up the guitar in later years too. When he retired he started fiddle lessons - I found this great picture - it might be the only one of him taken ever playing an instrument.

Dad loved the old time gospel hymns  - he picked this one for his funeral - it's not the greatest version but the best I could find   http://youtu.be/m2iQRKjHGqc

Some Dishes, a Thermos, a Clock, a Tin and Some Cookie Cutters

I went to quite a few yard sales on Saturday - junk, junk and more junk, except for the very first one - they had some neat things - for dirt cheap.  Look at these three items  I got for $2.50 total...

I grabbed the retro alarm clock as soon as I saw it - never expected it to work, it does - and does it ever tick loudly!

The thermos is missing the inside stopper, I didn't care as I was just getting it for a decoration.  It's a neat old thermos - made in Germany.

I just thought the Pepsodent Tooth Powder tin was something different - something else that will look good on a shelf!

I got some neat things at Value Village last week - I didn't buy it for the cookie cutters, it was the decorative box that caught my eye - there are five cookie cutters to make Santa and his sleigh cookies.  Copyright on the box is 1981.  I paid $2.99

I'm really liking this size of casserole, the 475-B - I've used it twice already for mixing vegetables for the BBQ - there was no lid on this piece of Woodland - price was $3.99

I found this at Sainte Vincent de Paul - I knew I would have no trouble trading it and I did right away - I aleady have one which I paid more than what this one cost - $3.  I'm anxious to get my traded item - a Constellation Divided Dish! This was the best kind of trade as no postage was involved - it travelled down Hwy 69 by car!

This is a Federal utility dish - we're going to use it as a candy tray for the game room.  Price - $2.00

There were quite a few pieces of Spring Blossom at VV - someone must have been cleaning out all they owned - I bought the 2 qt serving bowl, gravy boat with tray - I didn't even really realize at the time that the cream and sugar weren't Pyrex, they're Gemco - a company that made similar versions of Pyrex patterns - this is a big set - they measure about 12 inches around. 

So, that's it for my thrift purchases last week - not too shabby!!!

I'm linking up to Thrift Share Monday and Flea Market Finds

Colonial Mist at Christmas

This is my Mom's set of Colonial Mist but now I own it.  Yesterday I was going through a box of family pictures and I found this great old picture - probably 1985 or '86 - it was Christmas dinner - the two blue bowls are on the table and the white one is on the counter.  You can click the pic for a closer view. It's not often that you find a picture like this!!  And, yes, that's me - wtih the great big glasses and permed hair!!

Lobster Dishes and Dessert Dishes

I never have much luck at Value Village on the weekend -  not much new merchandise seems to be brought out, not when I'm ever there anyway!  I ran in quickly yesterday and actually came out with three items - according to the tags, all three have been sitting on the shelves for a few days.  I don't really know why anybody would have passed by these dessert or sherbet dishes(whatever you want to call them)  - they're in perfect shape - made by Federal glass -what a great deal -  the price was $2.99 for 4 - I just saw an avocado set of 4 online  for $29. 

The seafood theme took over on my other two purchases - got this great old tin tray with not a scratch - also for $2.99 - it's made in Hong Kong - which means it's not new at all!  This other cute little dish is just the right size for odds and ends - it comes from my homeland - Canada's East Coast - made in England - paid $1.99. 

Join everyone at Her Library Adventures for more tales of thrifting.

My Own Blueberry Pie

Last week I bought a blueberry pie from a Mennonite market - it was about the worst blueberry pie I've ever had!   I expected a fresh tasting blueberry pie made out of local blueberries, not the case, it was a gooey mess of pie filling and hardly a blueberry to be seen!  It ended up in the garbage

I picked blueberries this week - even though I used a frozen pie shell, this pie looks WAY better than the one I bought - it looks and smells like a blueberry pie should.  There is no top crust - it'll be good with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.  I used my Mom's old Pyrex Flavor Saver pie plate.

This is the fourth pie I've made out of Taste of Home Pies Recipe Cards mini digest - these little magazines have great recipes - each one I've made has turned out perfectly.  If you're interested,here's the recipe .

                                                                       My Pie

Sea Glass

Beaches change every day with the tides - every day is a new day for a sea glass hunter.  I caught the sea glass bug when I was in Prince Edward Island on my last visit - but I didn't start collecting until the last week so you can be sure I'll be out every day next time I'm there.  When I was a little girl, we used to gather it on the shore  - probably just for something to do and because it was pretty - I remember using itas a game piece to play hopscotch.    People that love the ocean can relate to a shiny piece of sea glass  - it makes you wonder how long has that piece been tumbling around in the ocean, where it came from and what item it came from...

 This is the sea glass that I found in Prince Edward Island and a few pieces that I found on Lake Huron, not too bad of a selection for just starting.  White, green and brown are the easiest to find - orange, red, turquoise, yellow, darkest green known as "black glass", teal and gray are the most rare.  Blue is hard to find too - but I did manage to find a few pieces - remember the old Noxzema jars, Vicks and Milk of Magnesia - that's where all that blue sea glass comes from...

I displayed some more in these vintage Pyrex salt and pepper shakers.

I found this piece of red sea glass on Lake Huron the other weekend - it's a beautiful piece - not really sure what it came from....

I also bought some sea glass items when I was in Prince Edward Island -

Necklaces from Red Sand Cottage

Earrings from Wild Fire Jewellery & Gifts in Souris

Earrings by Edna in Murray Harbour

I had a little ocean themed shelf in the downstairs bathroom - but my new picture made out of sea glass really adds to it.  I found this, by chance, in Beach Point - Brenda makes these wonderful pictures - it is just so cute - I love it!!   I ended up walking out of her little shop with three pictures -  which I gave to my son and daughter.

I will be back to the ocean again soon - people all over the world are collecting sea glass - I can count myself one of them....

Strawberry Jam, Raspberry Jam, Blueberry Jam

It's berry season and that means jam making time!!  Making jam is so easy and it tastes so much better than that store bought kind.  Matter of fact, it's so easy - this year my husband made two batches of strawberry jam - I was away for 6 weeks  - he didn't want to miss out on strawberry jam - so he just decided to do it himself - our son's girlfriend picked him a basket of berries, then he was ready to start jam making - it turned out just perfect!!  I think that is pretty impressive - he did a great job!!

Last week I went picking raspberries - this is only the second year I've made raspberry and I think it might be our new favorite!!  It's just so fresh and good!!

I've been out picking blueberries this week - in preparation for the blueberry jam 

Crushing the berries

Cooked berries

The finished product!

I would really like to try peach jam but it seems like you would have to buy a lot of peaches for a batch, the peaches I've had so far are so small...

I like to have a good stock of  jam on hand to share and give out at Christmas - who doesn't like to get something homemade that tastes just so delicious?