Happy Halloween!

What are your memories of Halloween? My parents were school teachers and every kid in the school district showed up to trick or treat us........luckily no one ever tricked us! I never had a fancy costume and my favorite thing was to go see my neighbours. My next door neighbour was like a Grandmother to me, and she always made us popcorn balls. I wish I had a picture of my brother and I. Instead here is a picture of my Great Aunt and Uncle.

The picture was taken in 1911 on the family farm NW of Ashmore. I think they did pretty good on their pumpkins!

We will be attending our neighborhood Halloween party, food, friends and a warm fire.

Have a Happy Halloween!!

Halloween Eve

Are you getting ready for Halloween?

My cousin and I were out for a drive in the county a couple weeks ago and came upon this...just needed a full moon and some darkness. The vultures scared me as it was!

One came at us as we were out in the road taking these shots....ooooohhh

We just thought it was so strange how they were all lined up on the roof. Even one is atop the TV antenna!Enjoy the day!

Vintage Thingie Thursday

Dad's Grocery Store Jacket

My Paternal Grandmother's youngest brother Max, owned a grocery store, near my Dad's boyhood home which I own. The grocery store was closed when Uncle Max went off to WWII. But during my Dad's high school years he worked there. And my Aunt met her future husband my Uncle Don when he too worked for Uncle Max and delivered groceries to 1515.

When I bought 1515, I thought I could display things I would not normally display in my home because somethings are hard to live with day to day. I remember that my Dad had still had his Galbreath Grocery jacket in my mothers cedar chest. So I found it in a box in my basement and thought it needed to be back in his bedroom hanging up on the closet door........about 60 yrs after it first hung there!

The jacket is still in great shape with the name and even 3 digit phone number visible!



My Cousin Mary found a receipt from the grocery store in Grandmother's bible. So I thought it needed to be framed and hung next to the jacket.

January 12, 1939 is the date on the receipt. Is that the delivery that Uncle Don made to my Aunt Catherine? Note the prices, and why were my Grandparents always eating oysters? 

Joining Vintage Thingie Thursday

Enjoy!!

Vanity tabletop

When I bought my Grandparent's house, the entire interior needed to be painted. Luckily I found someone to paint for me and she had some great ideas to. We were very much in sync with each other. When she saw what I had planned for the bedroom, she showed up at the front door with a white vanity that she thought needed to have a new home with me. I refer to her as "the Martha Stewart of Coles County" because she is so talented.

                                                             My free vanity!!

Using it to display some of my Grandmother's postcards and snap shots.

Wish I had the hat my Grandmother has on in the picture. The envelope marked "Kenneth" has my Dad's baby hair in it! The Mother card and home made cards were made around the turn of the century.

The Poppy card on the left is a trivia game about the different garden flowers and their names. How about using some of my Grandmother's curlers!

The dress and jumper on the stool were mine. I realized that when I looked at the Christmas pictures from when I was little......I still had the outfits. My mother had them in the cedar chest.

Joining Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday

My Bedroom at 1515

I love my bedroom at 1515....it's pink! I am not done decorating it yet, I need something large and dramatic over the bed. I keep looking for just the right thing.

My one splurge, my Wesley Allen bed I order. Love my Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic comforter.

The chair is on loan from my cousins basement!

The vanity was a gift from "penny the painter" who painted for me.

Love the woodwork, and both doors go to big closets! Hard to find in a house built in 1896.

Love my pink bench. Think it came from Rebecca at Elle Mae's Barn Gathering.

Pocket doors leading to living room.

As you can see I need something large to go above the bed. I know I will find just the right thing at some point!

Joining Show of Your Cottage Monday!

Halloween Post Card Pillow

Happy Seasonal Sunday

I love old postcards and the beautiful graphics on them. I was thinking one day...how could I get more enjoyment out of them? Why not make some pillows with the postcard design on them? So last spring my cousin and I made some from every holiday! We had a great fabric store (since closed ) in my hometown that sold gorgeous designs so we had fun matching the postcard to the material.

I scanned the postcard then used transfer paper to scan the postcard to the paper, then I ironed it on some muslin. We had so much fun sewing that weekend. Here is our Halloween pillow. Someday you will see the Easter, Valentine Day, and Christmas ones we did!

Here is the final product!

Vintage Embroidery

If you follow my blog you know when I mention 1515, it is my Grandparents house that I purchased last year. When ever we have out monthly cousin get together, someone is always bringing a treasurer and saying " it needs to be back at 1515".

Recently my cousin brought a beautiful large framed embroidery done by my Great Great Grandmother Mary. It always hung in my Aunts dining room, a place of honor. The piece was done prior to 1860, hard to believe before the Civil War. I am sure it has always been a very treasured piece. My Great Great Grandmother died at an early age, leaving my 7 yr old Great Grandmother Catherine. I am sure every time she looked at this piece she thought of her dearly departed mother. She passed the piece on to her daughter, (my grandmother) Mary. Then it went to my Aunt Catherine and then to her daughter Mary..........do you see a Mary Catherine Mary pattern here!

Here is Catherine my Great Grandmother on her wedding day December 25, 1883

Newlyweds James and Catherine Wilson Galbreath

The piece hanging on the Dining Room wall at 1515

Note written by my Great Grandmother regarding piece done by her Mother

To me it is hard to believe this piece in 150 years old and is hanging at 1515 for all to treasure. Thanks to my cousin Mary, and my family before her for preserving a piece of our family history.

Joining Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/2010/10/vintage-thingie-thursday-more-vintage.html

Table Top Tuesday Bedroom Dresser

I just got home from a week long trip to 1515. How I miss the place already! I took plenty of pictures of the Fall decorations we have there. But I am anxious to show off my bedroom there. I will start with the dresser I bought for $100 and drug back from Indiana. It was a special purchase, because I got it when 4 of us cousins were taking the "cousinhood express" on a mini vacation in May.

So glad I found a dresser with some detail and nice hardware.

The hat looks like one that my Grandmother had on in many picture of her as a young girl.



Isn't this a great picture? This is my Grandmother that the bedroom belonged to. She was gone before I was born, but my cousins tell me that when she thought something was funny she would throw her head back and laugh so hard. I think it is very special that a moment like that was captured.

Found a dresser tray with pink roses. The tiara is mine, a gift from my cousins last year for my

 "big birthday". 

Found these bobby pins at an antique store. It reminded me of something Grandmother would of got at the old local 5 & 10 up on the square.

My Grandmothers child scripture question book. Love the best find in a long time, my desk calendar.

I read in my Great Annie's diaries that my Grandmother bought a brown velvet trim hat...then I saw this one at an antique store and thought.."that's it!".



And sitting next to the dresser, my Grandparents love letters they wrote from 1914-1919, during WWI and the last letter is two days before they got married,

So please join Marty at A Stroll Thru Life http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

for Table Top Tuesday.

Hope you enjoyed my treasures!

Seasonal Sunday at 1515

This my last weekend before the end of my vacation. The Fall weather here has been fantastic! I spent the week at my weekend house that belonged to my Grandparents and we had a big family dinner last night. It was served by my beautiful cousin who is a chef. It was my birthday, but we kind of think of it as our Fall Harvest dinner. 

Hope the rest of your Fall is as great as mine has been on this Seasonal Sunday.http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/2010/10/seasonal-sundays-20-good-ground.html

Ready for Fall at 1515

The Pumpkin that I got at The Pumpkin Patch has a great stem.

Flowers my husband sent for my birthday table.

Ready for dinner in the home our where our parents were born and raised. My Grandfather lived here from 1926-1978. We are so proud to own the place again. Creating new memories but remembering the old ones too.

Dining room shelf the belonged to my Great Great Uncle and Aunt.

A little Halloween in the Living Room

Hopefully many more Birthdays and Fall Harvest meals to come for our family. Hope you are enjoying your family this Sunday.

My 50 cent makeover!

If you read my blog, you saw on Tuesday I went to a local auction and spent a whopping $4. For .50 cents in one box I got a handkerchief, crochet pillowcase and a beautiful Pink PomPom Wilendure tablecloth never used with the tag still on it.
Here is the before................

This is where it is going

My bedside table at 1515 before

The after! I am very pleased..my birthday present to myself. Not often would I be up at 8 am ironing a talbecloth on my birthday!

I'm going to love this, love the Pink flowers!

Hope you do something that makes you smile today!

It's My Birthday!!

I think everyone loves there birthdays? My was always made so special by my family. I think I only ever had 2 parties with friends growing up so most were spent with my parents and grandparents. I love having being an October baby because of the memories it has evoked. The town I was born in is a college town and homecoming was always the weekend around my birthday. My grandfather owned a gas station one block off the courthouse square and we would park at the station and head to the square for the homecoming parade. Wasn't the parade in my honor? Before I left home to come to 1515, I made my favorite birthday meal my Grandmother always made me, swiss steak. I think I have it fairly well perfected.

The town has beautiful old trees and right now they are brilliant with oranges, reds and yellows. Tomorrow all my girl cousins will be arriving from out of town for our annual girls get together. So tomorrow night we will be having a fall harvest meal. Looking forward to my morning walk...love the leaves up to my ankles as I walk.

Have a great day with someone you love.

Me, with my Mom and brother, coming home from the hospital

Auction Fun

I have not been to an auction for several years. My mom would go with me, but since she is gone there was no one willing to make the trek with me. So when I got to 1515 yesterday and some friends called and said "do you want to go to the auction with us?" I jumped at the chance!

Most of the stuff was junk.......or similar to what I just dropped off at Goodwill! But here is what I found. I spent a whopping $4! Now I have never gotten away that cheap at an auction.

3 piece silver serving trays, never out of the box! Biggest purchase...$3. The box with china was .50 cents! Yep, 8 berry bowls, cup and 4 saucers, dinner plate and even a pretty handkerchief!

                           Pretty little tea cup....may be someones Christmas present?

8 berry bowls all in good shape, will use at 1515 no doubt

Johnson Brother Rose Chintz plate in great shape! On the wall in the bedroom? hhhmm?

This was my favorite find a pink Wilendure Tablecloth with the tag on never used. The best price .50 cents! It has some stains but we will see what happens when I wash it. It is going in the pink bedroom at 1515 for the bedside table.

It was a fun day. $4 bought alot of fun and friendship!

Table Top Tuesday

Here is my Hoosier cabinet in my kitchen, ready for Fall. Joining sweet Marty at A Stroll Thru Life

My Hoosier  cabinet that my Mom and Grandfather got for me years ago on my birthday. I always wanted one in my kitchen. This even still had flour in the bin we they bought it!

The brown crock replaces the blue one that is normally out.

                        Pull out my vintage seed packs that look like fall, love this pumpkin one!



The platter says it all, I am very Thankful! My little wheelbarrow is carrying a pumpkin.

I am headed of to my Grandparents house for a week. I will be taking some pictures there, so check back this week. My dear cousins are coming from out of town for a Fall Harvest meal!!