Collections ~ Part Four (I Think???)

A long (LONG) time ago, I undertook to share some of my collections on a monthly or so basis....Then "it" happened (you know, the part where I fell into the Great Abyss, never to be heard from for months on end???)  Well, since I'm trying to pull myself back up and outta the big, black, hole of nothingness, I thought it would be a good time to revive the tradition.  

Le'see....I think I left off on Part 3....so this makes Part 4, no?

Books....

Old books....

Wanna distract me for hours and hours on end?  Plop me down in a place with old books (or an old cemetery!) and you're good to go...for a good long time.

Anywho.....here are a few of the ones in my collection.  I do have separate collections of old Halloween books and children's Christmas books - but those will have to wait for another day....

 

 

I tend to gravitate toward old bibles, catechisms, and other religious books:

 (Leather teacher's edition bible - undated)

 

 

 (Heidelberg Catechism - undated, but inscribed 1885)

I have a particular fondness for old leather bounds:

  

This is one of my oldest and very favorites:  The Christian's Manual - 1801

  It is bound in leather like a fabric covering and hand-stitched.....

 

Little red leather bible - 1852

 

I also love old school books and readers:

 

Particularly those that retain their old calico and homespun fabric coverings (hearkening to a day when books were treasures to be kept and cherished):

  

 

 

  

Old medical books:

(Gray's Anatomy Descriptive and Surgical - 1870; Maternity: A Book For Every Wife and Mother - 1887)

 

Old cookbooks:

 

 (The Housekeeper Cookbook - 1894)

 

Large books:

(Catholic Truth - 1897 - It measures 12" x 10")

It has some gorgeous illustrations:

Note crow-like bird over his shoulder.  ;o)

 

Small books:

(From the Little Leather Library Collection)

Just plain, old, good reading books:

 

Well.....uhmmm.....yeah....I guess you get the idea.

Books.

Love 'em.....

Wishing you all a wonderfully blessed Mother's Day!!

What's New Pussycat?

Ummmm....Well, to be perfectly honest, absolutely nothing.

I wish I could say I've been off visiting the royal heads of Europe....or hobnobbing with fellow wizards....or even just making strides by leaps n' bounds in what needs needing-done 'round here.... But, alas....it would be fibbing.

I'm not sure what happened....when....or why....but I seem to have fallen into a place called limbo and am having a hard time pulling myself out of it.  With nothing noteworthy to blog about, my imagination and willingness to communicate also fell into the abyss.  And so days became weeks...and now, almost a month.  

But, it's a new month....a new week....and Lady Spring has finally chosen to show her glorious face even here in Nod.  (Hey, we're on Day 3 with no snow....Woo Hoo!!)  So, I am vowing to check back in, and try once again to pull myself up out of the deep, dark, never-neverness.....

As I said, nothing is new.

 The bath "redo," as modest as it is (nothing structural) is still dragging on.  I cannot even begin to count the "have-gone-wrongs" but, trust me, the process hasn't been pleasant.  We do, however, have the walls finished (I think)....and Bath Cat thinks we did them to match him.....

 

 

 

I bought a new treasure:

  (Please excuse the glare....)

This is by the talented Janet Erbe....

Janet is probably best known for her watercolor frakturs - many authentic reproductions of old book plates, birth certificates, etc.  But she also has a mad talent for drawings:

 I don't believe Janet has a blog, but she has a wonderful Facebook page if you would like to visit:

Farm Folk Art.

About the only other news is that I cleaned off the top of my refrigerator.  Nasty job, but someone has to do it.  :o

I had to make room for my other new treasure:

 

 (Don't tell, but Daddy Crow hasn't noticed yet.... ;-) )

So that's it, Pussycats....a whole lot of nothing....but a promise to try to get back to some kind of normal here.  I've missed you all....

 

It's All About The Shoes Cinderella.....

Anyone who knows me even a wee bit, knows I have an unnatural obsession with....well, many things....but, in particular, shoes.

Shoes for me to wear, and shoes for me to simply look at....  The former line and fill my walk-in closet (I'm pretty sure I could give Imelda a run for her money) and the latter are one of my largest "collections."  (If you missed it and care, I shared some of my collection in a post a while ago....)

So it should come as no surprise that when Sweet Misi from 1890 Gable House Musings started creating her wonderful boxes (ummmm, yeah, another of my freakish addictions) with shoes, I was hopelessly smitten.

  

 

 Really, what's not to love here?

Misi even tucked the little box full of precious feathers (Oh, yeah, I love me my feathers)....

And, I couldn't resist Misi's adorable hare-in-a-box either.  (To be truthful, I find it hard to resist anything made by Misi's artful hands....)

But the most amazing gift caught me completely unawares....

Tucked in the box with the above treasures, was this sweet, sweet, package....

  

A birthday gift from Misi to me that couldn't be more perfect.....

A chocolate mold (we all know the "thing" I have for chocolate molds) in the shape of a shoe....with the most life-like bird tucked inside.... 

How can it possibly get any better than this?

Thank you Sweet, Sweet, Misi....You are an amazing gift to those around you and you know my soul like few else do.

*************

(My heart-felt gratitude also to all of you who left comments or emailed me regarding my last post and the loss of our precious Gazoo. It will take a long, long, time for the hurt to even begin to heal, but knowing there are others who understand the pain and care brings a measure of comfort that you cannot know.)  

 

Goodbye My Sweet, Sweet, Gazoo.....

Today, I lost a piece of my heart.

 

 

Please wait for me on the far side bank of Jordan my precious little friend.....

A Wonderfully Random Act of Sweet, Sweet, Kindness....

I can't stinkin' believe it....

Just about when I was ready to surrender whole-heartedly to my curmudgeon-ness, give up on the thought that spring will ever find Nod, and send out invites to the biggest pity party this side of Salem, "things" began to happen....  "Happy" things,  "good" things..... And, if a crow wore boots with strings, I'd swear some higher power was yanking me up by my bootstrings, slapping me alongside the beak, and telling me to fly right...

What things you ask?  

Well, several.....but let's start with this one amazing one:

Theresa from Dulaney Woods Treasures, as many of you know, is a stitchress, seamstress, craftress, and artist extraordinaire....(Besides, she shares my twisted obsession with all things Halloween, so what's not to love?)  Anyways....she had done a Pay It Forward on her blog, but when she didn't have enough sign up, she chose to do some random acts of kindness.... And YIPPEEE!!! She chose me as one of her blessed recipients!!! (I'd like to think it didn't have anything to do with how shamelessly I pouted about Silas not ever picking my name in her wonderful giveaways....) ;o) In any event, a few days ago, this sweet, sweet, stitchery arrived.   (Trust me, I didn't get the colors entirely right - if you can imagine, it's even better in person):   

(Even the back is gorgeous....LOVE Theresa's choice of fabric....)

(It's a Stacy Nash design....Geesh, Theresa...how did you know she's my fave???)

Thank you SOOOO MUCH Theresa!!! You truly do make my heart sing....

Another good thing:  We have broken the freezing mark here in Nod for two days in a row....AND, there have been two days in a row without snow.  The snow is even beginning to MELT, I believe (at least that's what I hope that wet stuff was I stepped in)....  We can SEE the stop sign on our road again!!

 Life is good, I tell ya.....

 

The Oh-So-Very Good, The Bad, and The Downright Ugly....

Hey there Peeps!

Didcha miss me?

Ok....Don't answer that.

Yeah, I know I said if I made it through February, I'd be a better blogger in March.  And, yeah, I know it's March.  And, yeah, it hasn't happened yet.

But, hey...there's still a couple of weeks left for redemption, no?

Anywho...Just a little "catch-up" post here...And it truly can be summed up by the title.  So, let's start with

The Oh-So-Very Good:

A few weeks ago, I won a Spring giveaway from Robyn at Primlish, and that girl spoiled me up good.  A whole box of Primlishious goodies:

 Are these not the coolest prim little eggs you've ever seen?

A little candle, some bird and egg ornies, feathers (LOVE me my feathers you know!), and the sweetest old Arithmetic book (LOOOOOVE!!!)

 Mini Easter cookie cutters

 A giant feedsack carrot that suits my bunny gal well.....

 Not the best photo (sorry), but a little cupboard candle holder and sweet Robin's egg blue candle.....

Little Easter mold ornies (yeah, I have a "thing" for molds....)

 Bunny head ornies.....

And last, but certainly not least, a beeswax bunny (Look Mom...he's got ears!!) ;o)  (Sorry....inside joke....), some wonderful pieces of olde ticking, and a little piece of quilt (the latter which I just realized I neglected to photograph and now my camera battery is dead....)

Thank you SOOOO much Robyn!!  You're one of the rockingest Robins/Robyns around and you don't know how much it tickles me to have a little bit of Primlish in my home!!

*************

Ok, now for

The Bad: 

Little Crow's car was totaled.  I've spent several weeks dealing with the aftermath.  (Grrrrr....I rank car salesmen and insurance agents about on the same level....and, trust me when I tell you that you don't want to know "what" level....)  His knee took a pounding.....

I am continuing to fight the plague.  It's now been two months of pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infection, upper respiratory infections and back issues....I'm on round three of meds....If these don't kick it, they start with the MRI's, CT scans, and other fun stuff....

It continues to snow in Nod....Even when the sun shines, it snows.  It snowed yesterday, and the day before...and the day before.  It is snowing now.  Another major storm is coming in Monday.  I am weary of white.

That's all I'm gonna say about that.

*************

And.....

The Downright Ugly:

   The bath "re-vamping" (which was precipitated by a malfunctioning "midget-sized," irreplaceable loo) has begun. I do believe we have the messiest contractor around.....

Heaven help me.