New Vintage Store!

There is a new Vintage Store in our area!

 Judy has been having a monthly sale in her home of vintage items she

has found at Estate Sales in Seattle and throughout Washington State 

for the past 12 years. Her back yard shares a fence with the home I grew up in!

She has now moved to a small shop and is having to restock her store every few days!

 I love the things she finds. I adore this cream hand towel. The cut work 

embroidery is just amazing and perfect...It hangs on my bathroom hand towel bar

along with my white embroidered towels I posted about here.

I have been looking for some crystals to add to a chandelier I found and I was so happy

she had these for sale. I love the old pan, and plan to make some muffins or tiny individual cakes in it. 

Right now it sits with the vintage pans I have from LuluLiz in her Etsy Shop  in a cute metal basket.

They all look so nice together and I just want to bake in them!

I love the pearls, can't have too many of those!

This is a gorgeous valance that is made from hand woven fabric. The edges have just 

enough of a wave to them that you know it is not done by machine.

I love the drawn thread hemming on it...so beautiful.

The hand crocheted edging is very pretty, too. There are some places where

it has come unravelled and needs to be repaired, but the price was excellent and I can

make the repairs myself! I am not sure where this will stay in my home,

but when it gets there, I will show you...possibly the laundry room!

The vintage saddle ornament will be used for Daughter*4's friend for a graduation gift

next June. I hope it turns out as well as I'd like for it to!

PATINA is the name of her new store and every time I go in, I take a LONG time 

looking around the tiny shop, it is so full! I just received a loyal customer coupon

from her and I am excited to USE IT! The package of french vocabulary cards, the knight chess piece, the drawer pull and a silver ring I cannot get off of Daughter*4's finger came in a gift package 

from PATINA during their opening sale days. Anyone who came in, whether they purchased or not, was able to choose a gift from Judy. She had such nice and fun things in the gift bags.

She still has some of the gift items in baskets throughout the shop.

If anyone in Washington State needs a getaway day, let me know and we can plan 

lunch and a tour of the vintage shops in my Area!

That gorgeous doily underneath everything here I also purchased from Judy some months ago.

 And that is also the base for my header picture above!

I have other items from her and I will eventually post about them as well!

Happy Vintage and Antique Shopping this summer! Keep cool 

and enjoy lots of Lemonade!

Hearts to you!

Betsy

"So, what did YOU do last evening....?

You know, I am much happier when I get to

choose to defrost my freezer than when circumstances force me to do so...

Aren't YOU??????

This WAS one of the HAPPIER times I have cleaned my freezer, thank heaven!

Thanks to my partner in grime, dear friend Marcella, it only took me three hours to do it. I don't think I have EVER DONE IT that quickly, but I have not had help ever before either!

This is how it looks now, clean and organized and sorted, I only had to throw away a few things that had been in there too long. Now I have room for "guest food" when all my family is here in a few weeks. I am so excited! 

I have a long list of "To Do's", but at least One Freezer Cleaning is marked off the list!!! Yay!!!!

I had one of those milk chocolate Ice Cream bars as my reward!!!! 

You'll be seeing more of my "work" and organization.... I have to tell you I am getting organized!!! It IS a BIG deal for me to be organized! And raspberries are ripening as I type. 

I think I will make raspberry jam in bottles this year. I don't know if I will have time to clean out the chest freezer before they are ripe.

I am so proud of me!!!! What are you proud of yourself for?

Whatever it is.......YOU ROCK!!!!!

Hugs, 

Betsy

"The Theatre, The Theatre, What Happened to "the Theatre?" Cafe Murder ~ Part 2

I am finally back with Part Two of,
Cafe Murder. . . dun, dun dun...

The Dinner and the Theatre!!!

This is our high school cafeteria and it was full on the night of the show!

We were happy about that! 

Friends enjoying their meal! at a RED table!

16 tables, and we added one more for a family that we just could not say no to! 

(The office staff accidentally oversold the tickets by one table, but we had just enough food!)

The boy's Table! A checked table!

When I saw this table, I got just a bit nervous......one, two, three, four, five boys....no adults...

glass cider bottles...glass vase...only six can fit at a table... I wouldn't want to sit with them either...

I guess we will see how it goes! They were great and very well behaved!

The Junior High School Principal's family and friends

These people come to every function and have a blast! We have known them for YEARS!

At Our Table

My Mominlaw and my dear friend, Marcella.

These gals are so supportive of me in most everything I do and they help me too!
Hubby was off pouring Sheffield Cider for the audience and visiting.

Daughter*2 and her Hubby

She wasn't happy about the picture....is it obvious? LOL

They also are my partners in crime, grime, strawberries, paint, dirt,

you name it, they are helping me!

Maitr d' (Daughter*4) is asking the cafe guests about pre-meal drinks

The play begins in a French Cafe called Cafe Murder.....

(I should have had a birdcage with a black crow or two around somewhere, because a flock of crows is called a "Murder"and that was the emblem of the cafe...which no ONE told me until it was too late!

I should have read the play BEFORE I decorated! Can't depend on a teenager to give enough info!!!

Talk about MURDER!!!! ohhh... wait....Please excuse the RANT!)

Maitr d' introduces the chef to the cafe patrons

"Rosemary" and her four sisters,  Marjorie, Melanie, Valerie and Volleny, have come to 

Cafe Murder to celebrate Rosemary's birthday, but Rosemary is the

ONLY one who really wants to be there....she demanded they come!

The Maitr d' and the chef, as well as the sisters, just wish they would hurry, and
 Rosemary would be GONE! 

She is a pill of a customer, she says she is allergic to water...but the French Chef, Franc,

 misunderstands that she is allergic to "Rosemary"and water, ... he is confused.

Waitress has waited on Rosemary at another establishment

Rosemary MUST go to the Bathroom and the light is out so she makes everyone come
with her. The Chef shows the way.

They all hear a scream, but are in the dark and no one seems to know what happened.

The Maitr d' flirts with the detective!

When they all return, Rosemary is not with them, but a newly graduate-by-mail 

detective, Detective Harris, comes to the cafe!

He finds a top and a water puddle in the bathroom and everyone becomes a suspect

...Dun, Dun, Dun...!

The Audience gets to ask the suspects questions and guess who the "Murderer" is,
the Maitr d' (Daughter*4) explains this process to the audience.

The High School Principal asks questions of three cast members.

It ends up that the Waitress did it...but all she did was throw water on Rosemary, and it looked like she melted...She really just went to get a towel, and there was NO murder after all.
It was a somewhat short "Theater" production, but a great meal and a very fun event
for all who attended.

Thanks, LuluLiz, for the red and white checked cheese papers! I over did it on
the advertising, we donated the sparkling cider for the meal!
And since I eat gluten free, it didn't occur to me until too late to have baguettes in the basket. Next time ...

I don't think this cafeteria really looks anything like a French Cafe....

but what can you do? ... Use what you've got!!!

Happy Cafes this summer!

Hugs,

Betsy

"What are you doing today?"

 Are you ever asked that question????

Lately, this has been my answer....

In my head I hear Princess Aurora, in that sweet Princess voice,

"But I picked berries yesterday!" 

I am grateful for family and friends who love strawberries enough to pick 

strawberries from my patch when I couldn't stand to pick anymore!

"Drowning in berries, Berries for Jam!" ~ Jamberry!!

Berry Love,

BETSY

Cafe ...dun, dun, dun.....MURDER!

Our Dinner Theater ~ Part 1

As the guests were arriving, my friend Marcella began taking pictures for me, I was changing from my decorating casual clothes into something a bit dressier! This is what greeted people as they walked into the Student Center, aka. cafeteria, and whatever else they need it for. We do have an auditorium, but this was the perfect place for this production. When the school was built, this was the cafeteria, the gym, the stage, where they held the dances, you name it, it's seen it! I designed the sign on Picmonkey, (I LOVE that place!) and sent it to Office Depot to have it printed and sent to us. It got there just a few days before the play. You probably don't remember, but we were on our way home from our Daughter*3's College Graduation, and we had to stop at the craft store to pic up the red mat board...it was kinda crazy. It had to be put together the next day before the play. All the other signs I was able to print off and put on a heavy black paper for the signs.

The tables and their centerpieces. We attempted to mimic a version of a french cafe in the US, which is where the play is supposed to have taken place. So, all the guests were "sitting"in the cafe with the cast. I had the red table cloths and I was glad to hear from Liz in Lalaland that red and white were the colors in a French Cafe. We borrowed white table cloths and placed red and white checked paper over the top of those to add more color to the room, and to make it less formal than it would have looked with just the  solid colored cloths. The doilies, I had for years and the flowers and vases were less than $1! I made the menus, writing most of it in French, with the help of Lululiz. She had great patience with me and we had a hilarious time skyping and figuring out exactly how to say what I wanted to say! Each table had a number. We ended up with 16 tables with six people at each table. 

This is the head table where all the cast were seated in the cafe. We put up a backdrop that somewhat matched the look of the tables so that the regular stage, which was not being used, would be somewhat covered....you can only do so much in a high school cafeteria! We wanted lights, but these were a little heavy, but I was 20 miles from home when I realized I did not have the right lights...bummer!

The left part of the backdrop was a painted bridge that the students painted as a part of the scene. Didn't they do a great job???? I was impressed!

This podium was where the Cast Cafe guests arrived to be seated and from which, the Maitre'd addressed the audience. The sign, which is hard to read says that Chef Franc was the chef at...dun...dun.....dun..... CAFE MURDER!!!!!

And every time "Cafe Murder" was said by a member of the cast, there was a wicked evil laugh...it was funny!

This is my baker's rack, as well as everything on it, that we also hauled in my car.  (I have a Mary Poppins Carpet Bag Car!) This was an effort to give the feel of a restaurant. The sign reads,"La Bathroom". Yes, the bathroom was part of the play. I did not write it in french because I didn't know if people would know that "la salle de bain" was French for "The Bathroom". Even the fake ficus trees were in the car! of course we did make two trips with the car, and hubby had to also bring a pickup load. He shakes his head, wondering how in the world decorating for a play fits into any one's definition of fun. But, our daughter*4 played the part of the Maitre'd so he knew he would be helping with MY fun! (Right now he is camping and fishing for a few days with his brother and his nephews. They ride their cycles up to where they fish, and come down in the evening to cook, eat and "pick-up Camp". Yeah, another definition of fun!)

More Pictures to come of the actual dinner and play. It was such a wonderful meal and fun play!
See you soon!
Hearts,
Betsy

Some Additional Memorial Day thoughts for Your Heart's Consideration. . .

Grandma's War Poster

 I love this vintage war poster, “Duty Calls” produced in 1917 during World War I.  It belonged to my Husband’s Grandmother, and I keep it above our kitchen cabinetry with other vintage family items to remind us of soldiers who left their sweethearts, their families, even their lives to fight, and die for Freedom. I was raised by parents who were very grateful to be Americans and taught me to love my American Heritage, to value the freedoms that living in this country offered me, to show gratitude to the memory of those who died for our country. I remember my Father saying, “We are gong to the Cemetery to take flowers for Decoration Day” and I was confused. . .I didn’t know that was the previous name for “Memorial Day”, the day we honor and show appreciation for those who gave their lives for our freedoms. We generally take flowers to the cemetery in remembrance of those we love, as well, but this National Holiday was specifically started to honor and remember fallen soldiers.

 Papa’s scriptures, Granddad’s watch, a hymnbook from 1892 Hymn 194 ~ "God of our Fathers
Whose Almighty Hand" and scarlet ribbon given to me by Liz from Lalaland

My Mother’s Father, Papa, was a veteran of World War I. Isn’t he a handsome Papa? I love this kind hearted man who rarely raised his voice at me and called me “little lover”. He called all of us that. The Book of Mormon on the left of the picture was given to him in Belgium, on October 29, 1918, during World War I, as you can read in the picture below, if you look closely. It is hard to see, but the book has a curve to it, as if it had been kept in his pocket, where he could read it at any time.

How can I tell about that? Our son kept his pocket scriptures in his front pocket all through high school, so he could read them whenever he liked, and it has the same curve to it as this book has. Our son also looks much the same as Papa looked, when he was our son’s age. Papa’s book now belongs to our son. This book of scripture helped Papa, and continues to help our family, through difficult life “Battles”, where the opportunity to choose between “captivity and bonadage” or Freedom and liberty” continue to be a part of our lives. In our Congregation on Sunday, we had a speaker, 

 who shared some of his thoughts about Memorial day with us and I just really wanted to share some of them with you! He reminded us that those who have given their lives, did not give them for their “country”, but gave them for the people of their country, as well as people of other countries, to be able to continue to live, or begin to live, in freedom. He also reminded us that Jesus Christ lived and died to offer us the choice between captivity or freedom, through His Atoning Sacrifice. Other’s have given SO much for us they chose to give their lives and die for OUR freedoms, but what will we do with the “time” we have here on earth?
What do we CHOOSE to live for?

Husband's Father in the Navy during the Korean War, my Father's War Rations Book,
Papa's Funeral Program, Granddad's Watch

 Jesus taught in John 14:15 ~ "If ye love me, keep my commandments", and said in John 15:10 ~"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.   11~These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full.   12~This is my commandment, that ye love one anther as I have loved you.   13~Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.  14~Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” 

He asks us to do the will of the Father, as He has done. He lived his life by the Father’s will and gave His life so that we could be free.  In the patriotic Hymn, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”, there is a line that says, “As he died to make men holy let us die to make men free, “ but Jesus also lived to teach us HOW to be free. A man by the name of David O. Mackay, who was the President of our church , and we believe a Prophet of the Lord, suggested that in our church hymn book we change the words of this line, and this is how we now sing this line: “As He died to make men holy, let us LIVE to make men free,” those of us still here can only now make a difference by how we choose to LIVE to make and keep men, women and children of every race, creed and color free, and honoring the memory of those who gave ALL they live for for us to have liberty. After listening to Brother Peterson, and feeling

Memorial Day Entry Table

the spirit in my heart, I left that meeting with a renewed desire to chose freedom for myself, for my husband, for my children, for their children, for our neighbors and for all those I love, whatever country they were born or live in. I desire to LIVE for freedom. To fight for the cause of Freedom, for the cause of God, for the cause of Religion, for the cause of Peace, for the cause of Jesus Christ. And to do that, I must fight to make and keep my heart a holy place so that I might live in love, honesty, integrity, service, compassion and peace and offer that to those I come in contact with. Even those who do not share my religious beliefs. These are noble pursuits, and I know it will take discipline on my part. It will take faith, an open heart and a contrite spirit, to offer my heart to God and to do His will so that I can "abide in HIS love". I want to let HIS " joy...remain in ME that MY joy might be full". . .and let Him change my heart . . .My mind asks "Can I really DO this completely with a sincere heart, having real intent and faith in Jesus Christ? And then I remember there are some things I do that can be a help already….I come from a singing family and it is easy for me to break into song at the sight of the American Flag. When I see military personnel in uniform in an airport, I spontaneously express gratitude to them for their hard work and sacrifices. I realize that I can sing to God and praise Him and ask Him to help me in this battle for my heart, to listen, hear and obey the will of the Lord, above the roar of the world, in quiet solitude, Love and Gratitude. My heart prays and sings:

“Oh be swift , my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant, My Feet! Our God is marching on!”

"Battle Hymn of the Republic"

For your hearts consideration:

What will we do with the sacrifices of men and women’s lives on the battlefield, in the cause of peace?
What will I do with the freedom offered me by the 
sacrifice of the Savior? Will I allow Him in my heart?

Hearts of love and freedom, to all my friends and loved ones, and to those who do not even like me,

Betsy