ARE YOU A BOOKCASE PEEPER?

I admit it - I'm nosy! I love learning about what people read; what makes them tick; what their interests are. I never sit down with a shelter magazine without my magnifying glass, so that I can check out the books displayed in homes. Then, I'm terrible when going to some one's home straining to see what's on their book shelves.

Well, turn about is fair play. Here are some of our bookshelves and a chance to learn a little about us.

I'm a proud third-generation native Coloradan. We have an extensive library on Colorado history.

Once an engineer, always an engineer. Bob retired after a 44-year career as a Civil Engineer.

Ah, yes, the cookbooks! You would think I liked to cook. WRONG. Even though I have the cookbook, "The JOY of Cooking"; I never found much joy in it. The large collection of cookbooks is only because I'm not very creative when cooking, but have certainly cooked thousands of meals in 51 years of marriage.

My favorites on the bookshelves are my decorating books. I read them over and over.

I spent 20 years as a professional quilter making quilts and doing designs for publication; so there are quite a few quilt books.

Then, there is the antiquing and collecting habit. Bob and I share this hobby.

We love to travel, but got a late-in-life start at that. We do have a couple of great trips planned for 2011. Bob is the one interested in foreign languages - I just limp along in that department.

Oh, yes, we have even written a couple of books around here.

I'm a magazine junkie. Someone (that would be me) really needs to purge. But how can you throw out every issue of Mary Engelbreit's magazine or copies of Romantic Home from 1992.

And, of course, there is the most important book of all.

What are on your bookshelves? Do they tell your story?

A LITTLE VINTAGE EASTER

Below is my small collection of Victorian milk glass Easter eggs. Two of them were my great grandmother's; the other two were just accumulated.

These eggs are hand blown, and have a pontil mark. They are flat on one side so that they will sit and not roll away. I understand that they are usually cold-painted, so the paint has a tendency to flake off. Therefore, they are difficult to find in perfect condition, as you can tell from my eggs.

These examples range in size from 7" to 4" point to point.

I'm especially enjoying them this year displayed in the huge brown transferware wash bowl that I recently acquired from my great grandparent's homestead.

I'm joining with Suzanne at Colorado Lady
for Vintage Thingie Thursday
and
Cindy at My Romantic Home
for Show and Tell Friday.

20th CENTURY BROWN TRANSFERWARE

I'm usually on the lookout for 19th century brown transferware, but I'll occasionally buy 20th century pieces if they are inexpensive. Awhile ago, I bought a box for $10 at auction that contained all of the following pieces.

The flower pot and the little creamer are both from England, Royal Crownford, in the Charlotte pattern from the 1940s. The Charlotte pattern is often different on various pieces, but they are all Victorian basket designs.

These two barrel-shaped shakers are by Clarice Cliff in the Tonquin pattern from England, also from the 1940s. They currently list for about $60 EACH, making the $10 box a real bargain!

The two covered butter dishes are both Mason's English transferware. The one on the left is the Bow Bells pattern and the one on the right is the Stratford pattern.

I just love a good deal, especially if it is transferware!

Please check out the following parties to find more wonderful vintage, thrifty things:

Suzanne at Colorado Lady
for Vintage Thingies Thursday

Cindy at My Romantic Home
for Show and Tell Friday

Rhoda at Southern Hospitality
for Monday's Thrifty Treasures

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MIKE

St. Patrick was smiling the day you were born 42 years ago. It was certainly our good fortune!

You have always supplied us with plenty of joy and adventure. And, now, you are off to spend the summer in Japan working in an orchard. What will be next?

Happy Birthday, Dr. S----, our son - the teacher, the traveler, and so much more!!!

Love from Mom and Dad

SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES

March and April can be our snowiest months in Colorado.

I love it!

Not ready for Spring, yet.

TABLE TOP TUESDAY

I'm not a decorator. I'm an accumulator; a collector! I enjoy having things around that have meaning to us.

In my previous post, I mentioned that I was able to buy at auction my great-aunt's rolling pin. Below is my small collection of family rolling pins - my two grandmothers', my mother's; and now, my great-aunt's. Ah, the memories of those great pies made with those four rolling pins!!!!

They fit right in with my collection of green bowls and pitchers - a reminder of my grandmothers' kitchens.

The Hoosier cabinet belonged to a friend of Bob's family, but we have had it for many years moving it from house to house. I finally have a kitchen big enough to showcase it.

And, that is how table tops are decorated around the Salmagundi household, they are accumulated!
I am linking to Marty's (at A Stroll Thru Life) fun Tuesday party where everyone shows off their table tops. Check it out.

FARM AUCTION EXTRAORDINAIRE

This past weekend we attended a farm auction at my great-grandparent's homestead. The farm has been in my mother's family for 115 years, and has been designated as a Colorado Centennial Farm. It has been farmed all of these years; first, by my great grandfather, then by my grandmother's brothers and their descendants. The last cousin to farm it passed away a year ago, so it was time to sell the equipment and the household belongings. Ownership of the farm will be retained by the family, but the farm will be rented out.

Below is a picture of my Great Grandparents taken in 1941. Yes, she was really that much taller than Granddad and she ruled the roost!! The other picture is of a bunch of us cousins at the state fair when the farm received it's centennial designation.

So, the auction was a big deal and very sentimental to all of us. The day was cold and windy, but it didn't deter the crowds. There were pickups parked down the country road for as far as you could see.

The first day of the auction was mostly the sale of the farm equipment, tractors, pickups, stuff out of the sheds, etc. - you know - guy stuff!
The local chapter of the Future Farmers of America had the food concession. Bob and I each had one of the best hamburgers cooked on this huge homemade grill on both days.

The second day of the auction featured the household goods. All of the furniture was carried out to the lawn to be auctioned off; and trailers with boxes and boxes of stuff were pulled into the yard. My great-aunt was the last woman to live in the house moving to the nursing home 11 years ago. I don't think she had ever thrown anything away in the 72 years she lived on the farm. I was very patient as they sold things, because I had something in mind that I really wanted. I did buy Aunt Selma's rolling pin for $1 from a trailer to add to my collection of family rolling pins.

And what did I have my eye on? Well, in the shed they had placed all of the dishes and more stuff, stuff, stuff. Inside the show cases, they had placed what the auctioneers thought were the old dishes (1930s depression glass and 1940s Roseville pottery). Oh, the cousins were bidding fast and furious against each other for the show case dishes. But I was patient and waited until the very end of the second day when they finally got to this 1880s brown transferware wash bowl and pitcher that was just sitting among the old comic books and junk.

If you regularly read my blog, you know I love my brown transferware. I was so excited I could hardly stand it when I won the bid for $35. Earlier they were selling 1960s salt and pepper shakers for twice that amount.

Here is the pitcher and bowl all cleaned up and in my house. I was fortunate to inherit so many of my great grandmother's beautiful things when my grandmother died in 1988. This is just icing on the cake, as it dates from the time of the homestead.

The pitcher is 13 inches tall and the bowl is 14 1/2 inches in diameter.

I'm thrilled!!

I'm joining in on Susan's (A Southern Daydreamer) Outdoor Wednesday party. Be sure to check out her blog for a list of the participants.