MEMORIES OF AN OLD FRIEND

From second grade to the sixth grade, she was everything I wanted to be.  She wasn't just smart, she was adult-like smart.  And the teachers love that in a kid.  She grew up watching Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.  She wasn't allowed to eat candy, except on Sundays. That was a special treat in her family, on that one day, to get to choose several candy treats. She never bothered to beg for treats during the week, because she knew Sunday would come.  I, on the other hand, would always sneak candy bars in my Raggedy Ann sleeping bag, over to her house whenever I spent the night.  And her mother always seemed to know!!  No matter how quietly we would unwrap those darn things, Mrs. Robinson would call down to us: "Alright Miss Laura, put that candy away this minute!"  Caught once again.
Her name was Kristin Robinson, (I called her Krissy) and she lived just up the street.  We played together all the time. I was in awe of her collection of Kiddles, and her tea parties. Best of all, she shared my love of playing house.  We would spend hours being the mothers of our cherished Baby Tender Love dolls. One day, while we were playing mothers, Krissy looked up proudly, and announced "I'm going to be a pediatrician when I grow up." We were about eight at the time.  I believe my reply was "Whats a pediatrician?" For some reason, I thought it had something to do with being the president. Which by the way, she certainly could have been that too!!  She already knew what a Democrat and a Republican was!  I thought they were spiders.
Krissy was a leader in every way and in every situation that came up.  Any time I was stuck on a homework problem, I just had to call her up.  She would never give me the answer. Not ever.  Instead, she would patiently explain to me how to understand the problem, and find the answer.  That same patience was there when she spent something like three weeks trying to teach me how to do a simple backbend. Or maybe it was a cartwheel.  Probably both. 
I was a real klutz.
Sadly, along came junior high, and I became an obnoxious brat. Krissy went on to make new friends, and plan a successful future. By the 8th grade, I felt lost without her, but was too embarrassed to try to be her friend again, after the way I had acted in 7th grade.  So I did what all obnoxious brats do: I pretended that I didn't care about her, and I networked with other obnoxious brats.
In  high school, I continued my struggle to figure out  who and what I was going to be, while  Krissy had grown into a beautiful, happy, strait A student who knew exactly where she was going, and nothing would get in her way.  We always smiled and said hi to  
each other in the halls, but I'm sure she must've been shaking her head, and thinking "What happened to you Laura? You better get it together before it's too late"
I miss her. All kids need a best friend when they are eight.  And its sad when one of them screws things up later on.
Krissy did grow up to be a pediatrician by the way.  And I still think she would have been a great president as well.

A Restless Night Remedy

I tossed, I turned, I got up, I laid back down.  I worried, I shed a few tears, I thought angry, ugly thoughts.  And still, I couldn't fall asleep.  Ugg!! 
After a night like that, who in their right mind would even want to get out of bed and start the day?  Some people I know would say "Just jump up, put a smile on your face, and think happy thoughts!" And no, the people who say these things to me are not on drugs.  Come to think of it, maybe they should be!
Anyway, after I forced myself to get up, I made "The Husband's"  lunch, threw a load of laundry in, made a list of what I needed to do before I have to go to my mothers for the day, and ate an ice-cream sandwich.  Still feeling the need to snap out of it, I turned to my favorite "go to" remedy:  VINTAGE STUFF!  And this is how it works: 
Step 1...Pour a diet coke. With ice.
Step 2...Turn on pellet stove.
Step 3...Open laptop. 
Step 4...Go to Etsy, or Pinterest, or one of the many Vintage Blogs that I love so much.
Step 5...Enjoy finding about a million things from my favorite times that make me smile.  

And thats the remedy.  And it really does work.  I have posted some pictures of some stuff that I saw.  See if any of them make YOU smile: 

Remember Jack Lalanne and Happy?  My mother used to exercise to his show while we kids watched.

I love these cute little toys! 

  

How about this?
 Rain lamps were huge in the 70's  Remember sticking your finger into the oil that runs down those wires, just to see if anything happened? 

This was one of my favorite dolls!
SWINGY  1969

This was Kerry's doll
DANCERINA  1969

  

My Easy Bake Oven!!!!  1968 

This was the kind of desk we sat at in grade school, instead of the stupid tables that they crowd the kids into now!!  No wonder the kids are sick all the time.  They are in each others face all day coughing all over each other.  When we had our own desks, hardly anyone was sick!  Not like today.

My sister Debby had this game!  The object was to win a date with one of the cute boys and not the rough looking punk.  Debby hated to win what she called "The goody goody boys"  She wanted to win the rough looking punk! 

I still have these Raggedy Ann Color Forms. 

I also have these books from the 60's.  They sure are a lot better than the kids books they make now!!  

Well there you have it.  This is my remedy for a restless night and or a crappy morning.

GOOD MORNING!

I'm sitting in my living room, in front of the fire, drinking a diet coke, and watching the old Mod Squad series.  And it's only 6:00 am!   Now in case anyone is horrified by the fact that I'm drinking diet coke at this hour of the morning, (I know my daughter will be.) I should explain that I consider this act to be no different than people who have a coffee every morning.  So there!

As for my kicking back and watching The Mod Squad at this hour, I like to think of this as my reward for getting up at 5:30 every morning to make The Husband's lunch. He takes his lunch to work everyday, so I like to make it for him, with good stuff inside.  Yea I know, just call me June Cleaver, or Mrs Walton, or Carol Brady,  (wait a sec, Alice made the lunches didn't she?) 

Anyway, thats my explanation for my early morning ritual.  And lets be honest, what could be better than starting the day watching Michael Cole (Pete) jump off buildings, rescue Link and Julie, dive out of speeding cars, and just plain be gorgeous! Solid!  And if you don't know what the expression "solid" means, then you are not a Mod Squad fan. Enough said. 

Moving on; I spent a few hours with my sister Debby yesterday, going through boxes of fabulous vintage stuff!  Old children's tea dishes in their original boxes, a scrapbook of vintage "Boots Cutouts" dated 1946,  and "Mopsy Modes Cutouts" also dated the 1940's.  A darling vintage metal child's play stove with a "Pretty Maid" metal label on it.  Some old books, all kinds of goodies!!  I can't wait to dig in and start listing, so keep your eye on my website, and spread the word!  www.vintagebounty.com 

I promise not to flake out this time on getting things listed!!

                           Stay Tuned!  

I think I'm a closet groupie.

Oh Yha!

We Interrupt This Program....

Oh my.  The last blog entry was in December?  How did that happen?  There should've been at least 4 or 5 posts between then and now.  What happened?
Remember how the TV would suddenly stop in the middle of your show with that announcement of "We interrupt this program for....." 
Well, thats kind of what happened here, in the middle of my show. Some struggles in my personal life got away from me, and interrupted my show.  It actually started around Christmas.  Which really sucked, because my holiday, my most favorite, cherished holiday, got interrupted, and I had to change stations right in the middle, and settle for a program that I really didn't want to watch, much less be a part of!
The good news is I've refocused the picture, adjusted the color, and tuned back into our regularly scheduled program.
Soooo, this all means that I will need to do some double time to bring back the magic of my vintage spirit.  This includes listing lots of new items on my website, working on my blog, and really diving into my vintage craft projects!
I've decided to start with listing some new items on my site today:
A few vintage pictures, some vintage movie magazines, some adorable vintage wall hangings. Who knows what else?  By the end of this evening, I will make this happen.

 So please stick with me, and know that I'm not throwing in the towel, while I catch up with the past!

I love this picture from Romper Room.  If I remember correctly, it was supposed to encourage all of us to get move'in and do something!   Good Advise.

NEXT CHRISTMAS WILL BE BETTER

Every year, for the last five years, I find myself saying that line:  "Next Christmas will be better" And each year, it gets a little easier, but not better.  Whether people you love are taken from you, or some other kind of tragedy comes along, nothing will ever be as it was. And because I have no other choice but to accept this fact, I will share with you what I have learned:  
#1  Don't try to convince yourself that next year will be better. You will be disappointed every time.  Just know that it will be different.
#2  Remember that other family members still need to have a happy Christmas, regardless of how you feel.  At my house, The Husband hates Christmas, so I have to work very hard to not turn into the Grinch that married Ebenezer. After all, I can't have the rest of my family feeling crappy just because I feel like crap, and He hates christmas.
#3  You will always have the memories of those really great Christmases.  Don't mourn them. Try to find them.  Here is how I do that:

Only watch those old Christmas specials that you loved so much.  For me, that means "The Walton's Homecoming" My favorite.        

This was such a moving Christmas show.

 

The mom, trying not to look at the doll that she wishes she could buy for her youngest.    

The children crossing their fingers that the lights will work.  "As John-boy says "If one bulbs gone bad, then none of 'ems gonna work!"

  The dad, home at last, telling the kids how he saw Santa Clause in the yard and thought he was a robber, so he wrestled him to the ground, and took a sack of presents! 

 And how about some Christmas music?  I adore the vintage albums that I've listened to since childhood:  This one below is a major favorite, because it brings me memories of Kerry and I sitting on the tv/stereo console, imitating the girl singing "ToyLand" to make my sister Debby laugh. Trust me, you had to be there.  

 This was also a favorite!!!    

Lots of the old greats on this one  

I think I know this whole album by heart!!  It was always playing while we decorated the house and tree. 

There's nothing quite like the Chipmunks  at Christmas.

     So to sum it all up, do what you have to do to get back some of the good stuff.  I think the good memories will carry you through.
For now, it's time for some Christmas cookies, and then I'll sit down to watch "It's A Wonderful Life"  for the third time this season!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

                        

 

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT ADJUSTMENT

The other day, as I was sitting in Les Schwab's tire center, I started to feel really irritated.  For one thing, the man sitting next to me kept sniffing, loudly, every five seconds.  And when he wasn't doing that, he was wiping his nose across the back of his hand, like a little kid would do!!  When he finally noticed that I was staring at him, he stared back.  I gave him one of my "famous looks,"  as The Husband likes to call them, and moved across the room to another seat.  Yes, I was cranky.  I had stayed up way too late the night before, enjoying vintage stuff on the internet.  Hours can go by without me even knowing about it when I'm on such sites as Pinterest, or maybe reading other vintage blogs.  So yah, I guess I was lacking in Christmas spirit that day.  But then, who wants to sit by some guy sniffing and snorting, and being disgusting?  Not me. I  really don't care what his problem was, and he couldn't have cared less that he was bothering people, but sheesh dude, use your head!! Or better yet, use a kleenex!!
Frankly, my Christmas spirit has been a bit slow to come this year.  Way too much mean stuff on the news, and crappy people everywhere stepping on my buzz.  
I think it's time for me to get up and get going on my holiday joy before the season reaches its end, and I'll be left with that awful feeling of "Hey, I missed out! Christmas is over!!!"   No, I don't need that.  As the saying goes "been there, done that." 
Remembering Christmas from my childhood is always a sure fire way to make me happy!!!!   

So, join me now for a little peek at some vintage memories from Christmas past.  This first photo is my sister Kerry and I in front of the fireplace, on Christmas Eve 1968.   I'm the dorky one in the pink glasses!                                                                                                                                                     

 This next one is from 1966.  Thats Kerry and I with new Christmas dolls.  Again, I'm the dorky one with pink glasses. 

 This one is before my time.  I'm not sure of the date, but it was Christmas in the 50's for my three oldest siblings.  That green monster type toy was for my brother, called The Great Garloo!  

And last but not least, for today that is, we have a photo of my father on Christmas morning, sometime around '82 or '83.  He loved Christmas, and it gave him a lot of pleasure to go slightly overboard on the gift giving!   From the time I was little until I was grown, I watched him create magic at Christmas.  It didn't matter what else was going on in the world, good or bad, he refused to be distracted.  Christmas music, decorations, food, and a ton of presents for his family, is what made it a perfect day in his eyes!! 

Ok, I'm feeling it!!!  I think I'll go put on some Christmas music,  get a batch of my Grandmothers Chex mix into the oven, make a new "gifts to buy" list  and hopefully, list some new items on my web-site!!  
Don't forget to stop by!!
www.vintagebounty.com

IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

And it IS the most wonderful time of the year! At least it is for me. 
Most people know how much I love the Christmas season.  From the day after Thanksgiving, I begin my euphoric frenzy into cards, baking, decorations, holiday specials on t.v., Christmas music, and   more.  I love it all.  I look forward to it all.  I have been told by others that I have "Obsessive Christmas Disorder" And actually, I'm quite proud of that!!!
Since the time of my last post, I have been dealing with constant illness between my husband and myself.  And when I'm sick, or my family is sick, I tend to get depressed. Which is why I didn't write, or do much of anything else.  However, now that we are well again, I am turning my focus to Christmas!  And yes, I know it isn't even Thanksgiving yet, so I guess I'm cheating.  Oh well, I've never been too good at following my own rules.  And actually, it's kind of a dumb rule anyway.  I mean, why should I have to wait for Thanksgiving to be over before I jump all over Christmas?  No reason at all!!  So..... in honor of my favorite time of the year, all future posts will be dedicated to my vintage Christmas memories, and all things related.  I plan to share many fun stories and images, that are truly "Vintage"  I have included in todays post, some darling vintage pictures to get you started on your own memories, and to stir up the excitement of whats coming!!!!  ENJOY: