PORCH UPDATE

I've shown my porch to you before, but this is the first time I've joined in on Rhondi's porch party. Be sure to check Rhondi's blog - Rose Colored Glasses for a list of all of the other participants with their great porches.

Finally, our screened-in porch is ready for the summer. We've had such a late and wet spring in Colorado that it seemed like we would never have a usable porch.

A few minor changes were made this year. The old rug was well past it's prime, and has been replaced with a new rectangular braided rug. It was a great bargain online - the shipping was even free.

We moved some of the furniture around to make it more conversational friendly. I love our old hand-made twig table. It reminds me of the furniture in the mountain cabins of my youth - the kind that you can put your feet up on.

I made some new pillows from Sunbrella fabric - no more fading hopefully!

Now, we just need some time to enjoy the porch.

Thanks for stopping by our porch - hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Sally

A LITTLE BLOGGING BREAK

It's time to take a little break from blogging. I need time to finish up some projects around the Salmagundi household and also to recharge my batteries. First, on the agenda is jury duty - always an interesting experience! Don't forget me as I'll be back the first week of June.

Take care,

Sally

MET MONDAY

It is Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Susan of

Between Naps on the Porch.

This is a fun event where everyone can show their before and after pictures. Be sure to go by Susan's charming blog to check out all of the other participants.

My little cupboard in my dining room is always ready for a metamorphosis. I usually try to dress it up for the different holidays throughout the year. So, today my BEFORE pictures are of my Mother's Day memorabilia.

This little cubby hole contains a picture of Bob with his mother and sisters. The little shoes were Bob's when he was small. Bob's mother was 95 years old on Saturday.

Now a picture of my mother and me shopping. She had just purchased this doll for me, and I couldn't take my eyes off of her - she was a Scarlett O'Hara doll. I'm sure Mother was telling me to watch where I was going.

A picture of mother and me again. I've included four generations of baby silverware and cups.

A cup that says Mama and a Mother's Day card from 1912.

Now, the time has come to morph my cupboard into the patriotic holidays of the summer.

In this cubby hole there are antique postcards, a school picture of me during WWII, and draft cards of my family from WWI, WWII, and the Viet Nam War. Did I mention that my family never throws anything away?

An old flag that I found in my great-grandmother's belongings and a stereopticon card from the late 1800s.

Another old postcard, a campaign pin from the early 1900s, a dog tag from WWII, and a Boy Scout membership card from the 1930s.

And finally, another old postcard, a picture of Betsy Ross, and, of course, George Washington.

Thanks for stopping by,

Sally

FOODIE FRIDAY

Once again it is Foodie Friday hosted by Michael at
Designs by Gollum.
Be sure to stop by her charming blog to check out all of the other food offerings.

One year ago today, this is where we had lunch! Yes, that is Laduree in Paris, France. What a wonderful day that was with an exquisite lunch and a walk down the Avenue des Champs-Elysees.

The theme of Foodie Friday this week is "Trainwrecks". The only trainwreck in the Salmagundi kitchen is me - I have a terrible time thinking of things to cook. When that happens, one of our go-to places is BIG BURGER WORLD, an old-fashioned drive-in right out of the 1950s. Today, one year after Laduree, this was our place of choice for lunch.

You go up to the window to place your order, and when it is ready they call your number over the loud speaker. Everything is made to order on an old grill, and assembled fresh. As the name indicates, they have huge plate-sized burgers.

We always have the small burgers, then split a small order of hand-battered onion rings. They also have delicious made-from-scratch milkshakes & malts; this time of the year made with fresh strawberries. We resist those, however, as the burgers and rings are enough calories for the day!!

From Paris, France to Small Town, USA -- In both places, the food is special.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sally

WHAT'S ON MY WALLS WEDNESDAY

Barb at Grits and Glamour
is hosting What's on Your Wall Wednesday.

In our small house, we are always looking for space to display and/or store our belongings. Several years ago we added these shelves above the windows in our bedroom. Since there are no curtains, they help to soften the lines of our interior- mount wooden shutters.

You can never have too many places to store dishes!

The shelf over the other window displays special pictures, childhood books, and our collection of ruby glass souvenir ware. Our souvenir cups and pitchers are from the early 1900's and are engraved with the names of towns. We have managed to find one from every town of birth of our immediate family members.

This window and shelf serves as the headboard to our bed.

Thanks for stopping by, and now please go by Barb's blog to check out the other participants.

Sally

FOODIE FRIDAY & MOTHER'S DAY

Michael, the creator of great tablescapes, beautiful food, and the blog,
Designs by Gollum
is once again hosting the fun event - Foodie Friday!! Be sure to stop by her blog to see the list of participants for this week. I'm sure you will witness a plethora of beautiful food.

My friend, Sue, at Rue-Mouffetard
is on a mission to instill in me the joy of cooking. I am a decent cook, but even during all of my 50 years of marriage; I have never really enjoyed cooking. Sue is always encouraging me to try different recipes so that I might find some fun in what to me is a chore! Recently, she emailed me a recipe for Easy Danish telling me how easy and good they were. So today it was my turn to fix dessert for our supper club, and I thought I would give it a go.

Even though they are traditionally thought of as a brunch or breakfast pastry; I served them with ice cream for dessert. They were a big hit!

This afternoon as I was in the kitchen working on the Danish, the postman brought me a package. AND, the package was from Sue. How eerie is that?

You can see the Danish cooling in the background as I opened the box!

Look at this wonderful note.

I couldn't believe it that someone I only know through blogging would do something like this for me. I was overwhelmed!

Look at this beautiful little dish.

Thank you, Sue!! I will cherish it forever.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO SUE AND ALL OF YOU OUT THERE IN BLOGLAND! When we adopted our daughter, someone told me that "caring, not bearing, makes you a mother"! I know you all care deeply, so to all of you have a joyous day on Sunday.

Sally

VINTAGE THINGIES THURSDAY

Thanks to Suzanne of Colorado Lady for hosting Vintage Thingies Thursday once again. Be sure to stop by her blog for a list of those participating in this fun event.

I now realize that there is a theme to this week's event; but since I have a hard time following rules I am doing something different. It is Mother's Day week, so I decided to show you instead a bank that belongs to my husband, Bob. When his mother found out she was pregnant with him 71 years ago, she and his Dad started saving money in this bank to pay the doctor bill for when he was born.

The little metal airplane is a replica of the one Charles Lindberg made his solo flight in across the Atlantic ocean in 1927, just 11 years before Bob was born. On the top, it says, "Spirit of Saving" after the name of the plane, "Spirit of St. Louis".

It is in good condition except for the rubber on the wheels, which has hardened and is disintegrating.

Thanks for stopping by; now, please go by Suzanne's to check out all of the great vintage items.

Sally

A PORCH WITH POTENTIAL!!

Thanks to Barb at Grits and Glamour for hosting a porch and patio party. Be sure to check out her blog for a list of the participants and their beautiful outdoor spaces.

I'm afraid my screened-in porch is not so beautiful this year yet. After a moderate and dry (dusty) winter in Colorado, we have had a cool and wet April. I'm not complaining, but there hasn't been a warm and dry enough day yet to carry everything outside to hose it down. So, here it is in all of it's winter, dreary dress - no cushions, no flowers, no glass of lemonade.

Yes, that is good old Colorado dirt and dust!

But the porch does have potential. Here are some pictures from last summer.

Our porch is where we display a lot of the family's ranch and farm relics.

If the weather ever warms up, I do plan a few changes to the porch this summer. Hopefully, there will be new pillows, a new rug, and a new furniture arrangement.

Thanks for stopping by,

Sally

FUN ROAD TRIP

We're home again after our road trip across Kansas. We didn't get out of Colorado our first day out as we stopped and stayed the night with Bob's sister. She is a wonderful cook, so the evening was enjoyably spent with food and conversation. We left early the next morning as we wanted to go to a antique auction in western Kansas. It turned out to be a huge event with all kinds of antiques auctioned off that had been collected over the years. There were lots of people - dealers, collectors, and just interested observers.

As usual at an auction of this type, the prices were all over the place. A five-stack barrister's bookcase sold for $1200 and a cast-iron windmill weight sold for $700. But, there were also bargains to be had. I bought this box of dishes for $3.50. Bob bought a Mission oak rocker for $20 and an old record cabinet for $4.

The next day we headed to Kansas City to visit friends that we have known for years and years. At one point when our kids were all little, we lived across the street from each other. Mary is also a great cook, plus they know of all the great ethnic restaurants in Kansas City. So, once again, we were fed well!

A trip to Kansas City would not be complete without a trip to Mary Carol Garrity's store, Nell Hill's.

I didn't take any pictures inside, as I was too engrossed viewing all of the treasures and the wonderful decorating ideas.

One of the new sets of dishes displayed throughout the store were these brown transferware with peacocks. I bought just one plate, but would have loved the whole set!!!

Another favorite shopping experience in Kansas City is the Mission Street Antique Mall. We spent an entire afternoon there where I bought these three pieces of antique brown transferware for my collection.

Sad to say, eventually we had to return home. The 650-mile trip back in one day can be boring just looking at wheat fields, but the 12 hours went fairly fast. It is always fun to get out into the world, but also feels good to get back to your own bed and shower!!

Thanks for stopping by,
Sally