Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Sugar shacking with Henry!

Last friday we went for our annual sugar shack meal. We always go to the same place, small, discreet,clean, all the meat comes from their own farm and the rest is local. As we all know elves love sugar so it was high time Henry experience this timeless tradition!

Érabliere St-Henri is really by the side of the road....I just realized that this was meant to be (Henry has the same name as the sugar shack...)


Henry is checking things out. On the table you have cretons and slaw with a maple syrup dressing. We are waiting for the french canadian pea soup.


Ham in maple syrup or cocktail sausages in maple syrup, that is THE question! Why not I sample both? thinks Henry. 


Here Henry is trying to run away with a piece of fried lard called oreilles de christ (christ's ears). No I didn't invent that. It's true and it's a bona fide part of the sugar shack experience! It's  like a thicker crunchier slice of bacon. By the way the food is really good there. And the desserts!

We had little crepes, sugar pie and maple sugar pie. We ate the crepes with butter,maple butter,maple sugar and maple syrup! I was too busy (and everyone else too) to snap some pictures of this....rats!

 

Henry! Don't drink too much of the maple water! I've told you what it does! For those who don't know...it gives you the runs....Yeah big time!
   

Next post: Henry goes thrifting to our new favorite haunt!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Retro Tuesday: 1941 Better Homes and Gardens

This is for my Dad because he likes my posts about old magazine ads. I would've tried to shake things up (like last week) but I didn't have the success I was counting on. But you need to remember folks: Tuesday IS Soylent Green day! So get yours soon before they run out!

At 5:15 this morning I was rummaging through my vintage mags and I spotted one I didn't remember leafing through! Better Homes and Gardens February 1941. I was surprised to see so much ads to make you spend,spend,spend during the war and a lot of recipes too and not the kind telling you to save,ration and disguise the hash your family had 3 times in a row.

What really struck me were weird ads. Here's what I mean...

This is for a rug company.Personal...for a girl with brown hair. Ok weird! I'd never heard of that decorating concept; to pick a carpet with your hair in mind!!! And what about your husband's hair and your kids??? What if they clash with the carpet? What would a girl do? And I feel she's too od to be called a girl....But that's just little old middle aged me!

How about this one?

   
This is an ad for Coca-Cola disguised in an ad for a flower arranging book...Talk about weird! Near the soda 6 pack one can read: In this book, you will find also ways to arrange Coca-Cola for serving, as illustrated on the left. Like flowers themselves,Coca-Cola is one of the pleasant things that brighten a home. It adds the life and sparkle that make for more gracious living.
This is a skill I need! I need to learn to arrange Coke bottles, otherwise I will be the personna non grata in my circle of friends! I will be shunned from the super market, barred from church and my social life (what is left of it) will be non-existant!!!

Oh and by the way 'the arrangement'  in the angel vase doesn't do anything for me. I mean everybody can stick flowers in any old things and presto changeo an arrangement!

And no there was NO Pyrex ads in this magazine!
Until next time...Keep on thrifting!

Oh and don't forget to visit my pal Tracy @ Crazy Suburban Mom  for more Retro Tuesday fun!!!  
 

Friday, March 26, 2010

Friday Tidbits

TGIF! My cold is almost gone, YAY!

 I love friday,it's like the weekend is already here! And tonite I will be watching triple D (Diners,Drive-ins and Dives) as usual. I can never get enough of these charming places! I wish I could take a GINORMOUS road trip and visit them all (no time restreint and no money concerns) and not gain weight! Wow that is a big fantasy! Right along the one where I find Pyrex in the trash....
Well guess what? It happenned to this lady and I read about it in the Pyrex Love pool on Flickr....Read about it HERE !

I want to give a HUGE thank you and tons of hugs to Tracy @ Crazy Suburban Mom for the bracelet. It is lovely and made me feel like a princess! I wore it last night while country line dancing and it matches a blouse I have. Thank you,thank you,THANK YOU!

On the unpleasant side of things....While visiting all the lovely VTT folks, I stumbled upon a link that intriged me....Boy was I in for a shock! It was a post of pure hatred about Obama! And how George Bush was so much better, and how Obama was ruining the U.S, how they wanted the U.S like it was before, and christian values of the fore fathers etc...etc.... You get the picture.It was really bad. I'm always suprised to see that lack of tolerance from children of God! We all are children of God! And we need to be generous and tolerant and loving. I'm a very happy go lucky person and I strive to be positive as much as possible because I'm a firm believer in you reap what you sow. And that applies to all religions,gender,race or sex orientation .

Ok now that I've said my peace.....

FUN,FUN,FUN!

With none other than..... 

 
HENRY!!!! The bringer of joy!!!

And since he's not grounded anymore...I'm bringing him to the sugar shack! Yay baby!
(I won't forget him, I swear...he's already in my handbag!)
We are gonna gorge ourselves in various pork products and sweet,sweet maple syrup!!! NO DIET TODAY!!! HEEHAW!

And after we are all going to visit a new thrift shop! What fun! Be happy readers and have a nice weekend! 

Thursday, March 25, 2010

VTT: Gran mimi's recipe box


I have to admit that I took my inspiration for VTT from Suzanne @ Colorado Lady .Even if my house is overflowing with vintage and antique goodies, I find racking my brain trying to find things for VTT. When I saw her post on the recipe box she found, I thought of my grandmother's.

When my grandmother was getting on in years and eventually placed in a long term care facility, there was a big thing in the family about her recipes: They were no where to be found, someone had lost them, no they were found, oops they disapeared again. It was like paintings stolen by the Nazi!
 So one time last year I was over at my Dad's and spelunking in the apt downstairs for some Pyrex....And I find this



My Dad says that it belonged to Granmimi and maybe I would like to take it home? Of course I would! It's cute,vintage and full of memories of my grandma!

 
Sorry about the fuzziness of the pic! Can you see the safety pin holding 2 pieces of a recipe together?
Most of the recipe cards are unused and most of the recipes are newspaper clippings from The Montreal Gazette. She loved to read that newspaper....and guess what? I do too! And I clip a lot of recipes from it also. I don't think she made those recipes there isn't any sign of spillage on any of them...
And just what is Veal with fufu??? That cracked me up!

And guess what I found????


Yes that is a pic of a Pyrex Flameware double boiler! If you want my opinion it is a must if you like to cook!
 Going through my grandma's recipe box this morning was like visiting with her (even if those are not the fabled missing recipes!!!) Have a great VTT everybody! 

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Retro Tuesday: Tuesday is....

Soylent Green day! Of course! How could we forget that?

First of all I want to thank every one who sent me some Get Well Soon comments! As a matter of fact I slept much better (6 hours is way better than 2) and today my head is clearer.

So for Retro Tuesday today my post will be food related...

And movie related....

Ok so yesterday I watched Soylent Green. Made in 1973 directed by Richard Fleisher and starring Charlston Heston. This movie was a big deal in the 70’s.
Here’s a bit of the story…The earth is over populated, man has used up a lot of ressources (sounds familiar???), real food is scarce and the government is feeding most of the population with Soylent (red,orange,green). Turns out that the green kind is not made with planckton as advertised….Soylent Green is people!!!


Talk about the ultimate recycling! Here's a taste!



I remember being all impressed with that movie when I first saw it the late 70’s,but yesterday I laughed quite a lot…A woman had a kitchen full of Corelle cornflower blue dishes, contraband no doubt.

Some sets are really great examples of 70’s design. You get to see some popular actors from that period also. But what got me is that the guy who wrote the book was a visionary…And the planet is dying and we’re too late to do something….woa! that is WAY too depressing for a Tuesday! One thing is for sure: I don’t want to eat Soylent Green!

Happy Retro Tuesday everyone! And don't forget to visit my pal Tracy at the Original Retro Tuesday party right HERE !!!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Easy Cracker

This will be a quickie because I have a cold and stayed up most of the night...Here I am in the living room watching a rerun of Seinfeld....When I see this....



And I think: I never have eggshell all over when I crack an egg! Who are these people that leave eggshells all over the place? And drop egg yolks on their kitchen counters??? Granted it might help people...But I believe we'll be seeing this one in garage sales and thrift stores pretty soon! Just like the bacon wave....It's starting to pop up on the second hand market....I saw a couple at the Salvation Army.

I hope this will have more success than the light you put in your toilet bowl so you can see what's going on in the middle of the night....

Friday, March 19, 2010

Thrifty Finds....Yellow

It seems that with the mild weather,people have started to clean their attics,basements,garages....And that is GOOD for us thrifters!
So yesterday I took the train to downtown Montreal and went to my fave thrifty haunt: The Salvation Army. First thing I noticed was that the shelves were full, full of interesting stuff...And not so interesting. I saw a medium size cardboard box (15x9x8 inches) full of those little soaps you get in hotels....unwrapped and dusty. Who donates that? If I worked at the SA I would've thrown that out big time! Would would buy that??? All wrapped up maybe... And then I saw it, I saw it in a big cart they put the stuff in before placing it in the shelves....

A pristine Pyrex yellow 503 fridgie! Oh my! Oh my! I squealed and knelt on the floor to grab it.OMGOMGOMGOMG! IT'S MINE,MINE,ALL MINE! DON'T EVEN LOOK AT ME OR AT THE DISH,DON'T COME NEAR MY CART YOU INGRATE!!! Ok that was a bit much, but it's basicaly what the Pyrex crazy woman in my head screamed. It was in better condition than the one I already had...so of course I had to take it home...
Also some mini yellow Syracuse China cups....Could they be for expresso??? They are so tiny! They would look great with a tiny plant inside.... and that strange star shaped glass mold with tiny legs and the word Queen Anne under and phoenix...could be used as a jello mold....It might be Glasbake but quite early 
. It made me think of my Dad...he might have a fun story about that mold!

And last but not least....

3 little birdies to hang in the tree. They have aluminium clamps. One was missing a tail but I bet I can fix it....I'm guessing they are quite old, before 1950.And the best part is they were FREE!
FREE!FREE! My favorite word...GRATIS (french).
FREE stuff, FREE food,FREE booze....It's like music to my ears!LOL

Have a great weekend everyone! Don't stay in the sun too much!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

VTT: Assorted Barware

First of all, I want to thank everyone who visit my blog and if you leave a comment it's an added bonus! I really appreciate your input,your humour, your opinions.

I had a not so nice morning and I need to re-focus and think nice thoughts....Kittens with bows....Bacon....Sunshine....Pyrex....Aaaahhh the Pyrex did the trick! LOL

So after your visit please stop by Suzanne's blog HERE  for your thrusday dose of vintage!

Today I offer you pieces from Dan's barware collection. Dan doesn't drink so it feels funny that if I look around I see shot glasses and cocktail shakers...Oh well! You don't choose your addictions....Did I mention that Dan is afflicted with Lampitis? (The love of vintage lamps).or is it Lampalia? I forget....

The cocktail shaker was Dan's Valentines gift. I had never seen one like that. My guess is mid-century but I can't find who designed it. It has a Georges Briard feel to it. I love the turquoise....HUM turquoise!
The glass was in Dan's Xmas stocking. I had no idea who Fred Press was...Now I dream of finding Fred Press glassware in every flea I visit....Both were Etsy finds.


The Numerology cocktail shaker was made in the 60's by Hazel Hatlas (Hazelware). It came with the original box. Another Etsy find. The seltzer bottle comes from France and was brought back by my Dad in the 60's. It is much older than that. My guess is early 1900's. I had been in love with the color since I was a wee girl.

Thanks for visiting! See you soon! :)

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Top o' the morning to you!

Happy St-Patrick's Day everyone! Today I will share some Pyrex pieces that I really love...


This was originally a chip and dip set. It was a promotionnal item issued in 1964 and the pattern is Ivy. My Dad gave me the big bowl (444) last year. Since that day I've been on the lookout for it's companion...I found it 3 weeks ago in Etsy....
 I was enchanted by the loveliness of the pattern. It is so light and airy. Personally the pattern would've been called Shamrock instead of Ivy....but that's just me.
Of course I'm missing the rack to hold the dip bowl over the chip bowl. Those are IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND! A ton must've ended up in the trash....
 If ever you have a rack or holder that you don't want....please write! Have a delicious day!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Retro Tuesday: Vacation Memories New England 1976

Finding something to write about for Retro Tuesdays is sometimes a challenge...I had no idea what to post.Then it hit me! I had a vintage postcard from Pier II restaurant in Portsmouth NH so it just took off from there....1976 was the first year I went to Ogunquit with my family for a vacation. We stayed 6 weeks. Ogunquit was a little sleepy village back then with most of the visitors over 60. Not the gay fun mecca (loud!traffic!noise!) it is now. We would take day trips and visit Portsmouth, Kennebunk Port or if we stayed for a couple of days Boston....

Pier II restaurant in Portsmouth NH was (for me a 10 year old) the epitome of chic. It had dark blue carpet in the foyer and an antique diving suit and a Barbie like hostess with long blond hair and a floor lenght white dress. I might be imagining this but that is what I remember....I would always eat the same thing ...Fried Maine shrimp and a piece of Boston cream pie...Boy was it good! we went quite often over the years and it felt magical everytime! Except the last time....It was in 1993...I was there with my mother in law,my step daughter and Dan. The carpet was frayed and dirty, the hostess was flabby and had roots and the decor was tacky/dated. There was the poorest wedding party I'd ever seen...rented ill fitting dress, horrible makeup with sparkles (in the afternoon) and each guest paid their own way. It was sad. The restaurant closed a couple of years after and a developper bought the land and last I read there was a big fight because nobody wanted condos on the water front....
 
The Old Grist Mill Kennebunk Port, Me. Yes the same Kennebunk  Port the Bush have a compound. In 1976 for a 10 year old they didn't exist. I love Kennebunk Port it was so quaint, full of little shops and a candy house! This restaurant was in an old mill. The original floors had planks so wide....And the food was delicious. I mostly remember the sweet rolls, the chocalate mints and the house dressing. All were made on the premises and you could buy them in the gift shop. My Mom would open her purse and shove the rolls and the mints in there. They would mingle with old bits of tobaco and paper tissues (EEEWWWW).
This restaurant burned down in the 80's and was never rebuilt. It made me very sad....


Café Marliave Boston Mass.
This was a gem! It was my Dad's favorites. He would eat raw cherry stone clams. I remember having rolled up veal with bacon or something. I remember that I found it very mysterious because it was in an alley, and most of the cabbies could'nt find it.It was a Boston institution.It opened in 1875. The atmosphere was old world italian. It was great. Some yahoo decide not to pay the taxes and the restaurant was seized! How crazy is that?

I hope you enjoyed this trip back in time. Head over to my friend Tracy's blog Crazy Suburban Mom for some AWESOME Retro Tuesday fun!

  

Friday, March 12, 2010

Mister Postman

I love hearing the postal truck backing up in my driveway...The mailman might bring me goodies! And he did yesterday....
I finally received the seed packets I had ordered from the organic farm-Needless to say they are more laidback than me! I was starting to wonder if the packets were on their way to the moon!


  I also received the bracelet I won from Lemondrop Vintage . Thank you Marie it is beautiful! I will be wearing it tonight in Chinatown (how fitting!). The bracelet was made to celebrate the chinese new year.

I can't wait to start my veggie garden, especially with these varieties....

Montreal Tasty tomatoes and Kahnawake Mohawk pole beans! Imagine that! Heirloom seeds from around where I live! Exciting I tell you!

I will be visiting the Salvation Army later today and I'm hoping for some fabulous finds!

TTFN! May your day be filled with sunshine and joy!
   

Thursday, March 11, 2010

VTT: Small Treasures

Happy VTT everybody! be sure to stop by Suzanne's super fun blog Colorado Lady for a full helping of Thursday social!
Whenever I participate in VTT I feel I've visited 30 or more friends and I feel blessed to visit with you all and see your finds and treasures!

First I'd like to welcome my new followers: Mimi and Douce France. Thank you for following. I love your blogs by the way!

For today's VTT I'm showing small pieces I found in the last 2 weeks and non is over 3 1/2 inches!

I had no idea what those were when I bought them only that my maternal Grandma had a hutch full of that lovely Xmas pottery! I found out that these are Lefton salt & pepper shakers from the 60's. They made me feel all warm and fuzzy....

This little creamer screams mid-century and I could not leave it at the Salvation Army! It's from Laurentian Art Pottery in St-Jerome Quebec, it's less than an hour from where I am. Talk about local! It was made in the late 50's. Not a lot is know about th pattern or the company...

Last but not least,these 2 beauties are thrifty finds for sure! I found them last Monday in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield (a stone's thrown from where I live) in a thrift store that sells mostly furniture. I paid .25 cents for each. The cocktail glass is unmarked but it looks like a Fred Press design (probably a repro) from the 50's and the small green vase is really a planter made after 1930 but before 1950 (my guess in more near 1930) in Green Slag Glass by the Akro Agate Glass Company from Akron Ohio. These made all the glass marbles, but in 1930 their revenues started to dip because of competition so they started to manufacture small glass objects. How coo is that? The pattern is called Ribs and Flutes!

Thank you for dropping by!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Elf Gone WILD!!!

Like I mentionned HERE last Saturday we went on a roadtrip to Gananoque, Ontario. I had promised Henry he could come, but one thing led to another and he was left HOME ALONE!

Pinotte (peanut) my toxedo cat and always in charge when we are away was totally apalled by his behavior so she took pictures....

It seems it started innocently enough...with one beer. Need I add Henry is a small elf? One beer (and a light one at that) was all it took....

Next thing they knew Henry was hitting the hard stuff and suffering the consequences....

 
Passing out in a shaker...Oh my!

You can guess what was next....

Yep! You guessed it! Calling the moose in the big white porcelain phone!
Needless to say Henry was fast asleep when we came home...And he is soooo grounded (at least for a couple of weeks). We had to hide and lock the booze!

Until next time....

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Retro Tuesday: Merry Pyrex Xmas!!!

I have been sitting on this one for a couple of weeks now, and I wanted to save it for Xmas....But I can't help myself! Every Tuesday I think about it and today I couldn't stop myself!!!

When I got my vintage mags, my first thought was Pyrex ads! I felt cheated, none of the mags had some....Until the last one a good old canadian Chatelaine December 1958!

I just couldn't believe that the only mag with a Pyrex ad came from my own backyard!

Here it is! All a girl wants for Xmas....


Actually I feel the prices are pretty steep for 1958. Let's compare: I got get a bottle of french perfume for 5.00$ and the blue bowl at the bottom is 7.50$. A year subscription to Chatelaine was 1.50$....And the cheapest dish on thie page is the Barbed wire one right bottom...Makes you go...uh?
 I just wished my scanner could scan the whole thing.....No I don't have all of them! I have the blue bowl minus lid and rack and the barbed wire one all dressed. I wouldn't mind the pink one if you know what I mean.....

Hungry for more? Head out to Crazy Suburban Mom's blog right HERE  for some more Retro Tuesday FUN!!!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Good news and Bad news....

Ok the bad news first. We forgot Henry at home! Can you believe that??? We left him HOME ALOME with the cats...As per Pinotte (peanut) the tuxedo cat, he was really a handfull, like Elfs Gone Wild. She took a lot of pics, it's ugly people...But that's for another post....
 
Pinotte (Peanut) as she spills the beans....about Henry's behavior.

The good news is we had an amazing time and we did score some nice stuff. No burning villages, no pillaging I promise...In total we spent 9.50$ check it out!

A 70's FireKing mug (as a rule i'm not a FK person but I loooove this mug!), a Corelle sugar dish to go with the creamer I already have (Spring blossom green Pyrex pattern) and for Dan's glass and barware collection a 1975 Kentucky Derby glass.
This is a 043 1 1/2 qt Pyrex casserole in a pattern I had never seen! WOW! Not being a huge fan of brown, I just took some pics. You are reading right! I took some pics and left it there, I did not suck all the Pyrex from Ontario!!!

Last but not least, this is the piece of resistance! A bit of background story before...it is 15h45 saturday afternoon, we're taking the long way home, the scenic route along the St-Lawrence Seaway. It is GORGEOUS!!! And in Prescott we see a little place with signs in the window: Let's make a Deal! Antiques and collectables. Ok now everything closes at 4 pm in Ontario on saturdays. So Dan says: You wanna stop?  I say: Why not??? And then we see it....The skies part and a ray of thrifting God sunlight shines on it and I hear angels singing.....


OMGOMGOMGOMG!!! Look at that! A pink hamper! It would be perfect for SD's(Step Daughter) new appartment (coming in July or August). I ask the guy for a price, fully expecting 50 or 60$$$. And he says....

He says....

4 dollars!!! ok I nearly fainted amongst all the Blue Mountain Pottery! SOLD I scream!!! And we put it in the car laughing!

ok that was my Saturday....Did I mention that the hamper is in super nice condition????

Have a sunny and bright week! 

Friday, March 5, 2010

What happened to Henry?

So it's official Henry decided to stay here with us instead of returning to the North Pole with Father Xmas. He wanted to go ice fishing really bad but I'm such a scaredy cat about being on the ice and now it's too late, the ice is melting and the river is starting to show!!!

Henry loves to hang out with Bob...

They've become fast friends!

Sometimes they play rough....But you know how boys are....

All that fun tired him out! Henry's always up for a nap!

I'm really excited about tomorrow! We're going on a thrifting roadtrip, heading west to Ontario! in my quest for Pyrex world domination I will proceed to SUCK all the Pyrex from Ontario!!! Lock up your glassware, your dishes, your barware,bakeware,Pyrex, nothing is safe with the Quebec Crazy Thrifters lurking!!!! Mouahahaha! (That is supposed to be a maniacal laugh). We carry boxes, bubble wrap, old newspapers,gloves,flashlights and wet ones. We will leave NO boxes uncheked,flea markets unvisited and no thrift store unravaged!!! Watch out for the QCT!!!

Have a nice weekend! :)  

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Let's all go to the Casablanca!

Last week I was a runner up in a blog giveaway hosted by Mick's from the Oh So FAB blog Eveyone Goes to Mick's. I won a Casablanca Hotel & Resort postcard . I received it yesterday along with a really sweet note.


Thank you Mick you're the sweetest! Here's the beauty!



It makes me want to lounge in that yard sipping a Tiki cocktail!

I invite you to take a tour of that wonderful place via a video I found on YouTube....





You must visit that blog and follow Mick in his thrifting adventures and the ongoing reno of that fabulous weekend retreat! Go and you won't be disappointed! Casablanca H&R here I come!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Retro Tuesday: Brought to you by Melmac

Aaaahhhh! Melmac! I love Melmac. I love
finding it and handling it and finding good homes for it. In the last year I found some amber,white,pink,turquoise and green all of them near mint condition, but I found some really unusual pieces last week turquoise and white! How cool is that?
They were hiding in a thrift shop I had written off because it was snobbish,stuffy and expensive! On a whim last friday I decided to go and drag SD (step daughter) there. It was great fun! Here's the Melmac some good ol' Canadian Melmac made in Toronto!

And this

I'd never seen cups with 2 different colors before!

So of course I was reminded of this ad in Chatelaine dec. 1958

 

For those who don't know Chatelaine is the oldest Canadian women's magazine still in circulation. It was dubbed The Canadian Home Journal. It's really nice to see ads for canadian products. Who would've thought Melmac would still be popular today?

You'll be able to visit those dynamite pieces and more right HERE

And don't forget for all you vintage lovers to drop by Crazy Suburban Mom's blog HERE for more Retro Tuesday!