Prayer for Patience

 This applies to many things in my life right now.  That is all. 

10 Things That I Collect

 I love to collect things.  Whether it is searching online or going to thrift and antiques stores, I love the thrill of the hunt for something to add to one of my collections.  I realize that I should probably focus on one collection, but alas, I do not.  I have many tabs open in my collection mind LOL For this list, I am not including generic groups like "antiques" because that would take forever.  I am also leaving off china, crystal and silver because those are for another blog sometime. I enjoy them very much and I'll take whatever gives me joy these days.  I hope you have something that you collect.  I would love to know!

1. Pigs

My love of pigs began early on.  It was first grade in fact when our TA, Mrs. Gaye, read us Charlotte's Web and I fell in love with Wilbur. My collection began with a little porcelain pig that Mom gave me for Christmas.  I remember it came from Alice Williams's Flower Shop, for those of you from Monroe will remember.  My collection has grown since then!

2. After Dinner Coffee Cups

This collection started with Grandmother.  She collected "after dinner" coffee cups or demitasse cups.  I was obsessed with them early on, like pre-elementary school.  And she would let me play with them. I know I broke a couple LOL But they were kept in the top of her secretary in the living room, and I loved them.  People would occasionally gift her a new cup. I inherited the collection and have since added to it as well. 

3. Cookbooks

I love a good cookbook.  Specifically, I love a good regional cookbook.  Anything that came from a church or the junior league, etc.  I think they are fascinating.  And they've often got good recipes which is a plus for me.  I have some of Grandmother's and some of Mom's and some of June's.  The oldest cookbook I have is from 1909, the Raleigh Women's Society. I love it because there are no cooking temperatures at all!! Anytime I'm at a used bookstore, I will seek out the cookbooks and often find them for less than $1.  Into my cart they go!  With church cookbooks, I love seeing when a cook's name appears multiple times throughout the book and I imagine what her/his kitchen was like.  I love to sit down and just read a cookbook cover to cover. Now, I just need more shelves to store them!

4. Cream and Sugar Sets

This collection has evolved over the years. The first set of cream and sugar dishes that I bought was at the Monroe flea market.  Mom and I went there one Saturday to look around.  I spotted a set at the back of a shelf in someone's booth.  Homer Laughlin, Cotillion pattern.  I paid $10 for the set, and they were proudly displayed in our living room.  Something fascinates me about the sets and over the years I have picked up about 15 different sets.  I don't use them like I do my other dishes, and I should probably change that! Still, I love them. 

5. Christmas Records

This is my happy music. I listen to it all year long.  Mom had a nice collection of Christmas records, and they are now part of my collection. But hers is where it started for me.  We listened to those albums every year.  It was one of the highlights of Christmas.  When I go to Ed McKay's, I will sit on the floor for hours going through the cheap records, which is where most of the vintage Christmas albums are.  Most are under $1, so I can get some good deals. I now have over 300 Christmas albums in my collection.  And, like Jello, there's always room for more!

6. Strawberry Shortcake

This is my childhood.  And God bless my family for letting this be my childhood. I gave my collection of the miniatures to my nieces when they were young, and I think they loved them. I started collecting Strawberry Shortcake again about 10 years ago.  It makes me happy and takes me back to a place of innocence and joy for me.  That alone is reason enough to collect this!

7. Scented Candles

I love a good, scented candle and have started picking them up here and there when I see one that sounds like I would enjoy its smell. I keep about 15 of them in stock at a time.  I have specific places in the house where I put them and switch them out every month to enjoy all of the different smells.  Just the other day I hit a clearance sale and picked up 5 for $15.  I love a good bargain!

8. Tom Clark Gnomes

This collection began at Christmas 1984.  That year in my "Gifted and Talented" class, we studied gnomes, and I loved it.  Tom Clark gnomes were all the rage back then. And they remained popular for the next decade or so.  Aunt Sara gave me my first one at Christmas.  His name was Jeffrey.  That began years of collecting them for me.  I probably have about 40 of them.  And, luckily for me, now that they aren't highly sought after like they once were, I can often find them at very good prices!

9. Golden Girls Collectibles

Another no brainer here LOL  This is my favorite tv show of all-time, so naturally, I collect anything Golden Girls.  While most of my collection has been gifted to me throughout the years, I have found a few on my own.  Either way, I absolutely love this collection.  I have books, figurines, dvds, etc. Can't wait to find more!

10. Vintage Record Albums

In addition to Christmas records, I also collect vintage records.  This collection is also based in Mom's collection that I inherited.  I have about 500 so far haha!  I will sometimes buy an album simply because of the album cover.  Most times, I am pleasantly surprised by the record itself. These are also pretty cheap at used bookstores.  It was always funny when Michael and I went to Ed McKay's. We could both spend $30 on records.  He would come out with 2 or 3 and I would have to 40 LOL But I love listening to them, which I do, and can't wait to see what "new to me" albums are in my future!

There you have it.  Some of the things that I collect.  I know that most people don't collect because everyone loves being minimalist these days. But I would love to know if you collect something these days or if you did collect something over the years.  In the meantime, Happy Hunting!

Today's Moment of Mindfulness

 

Make mindful choices when it comes to media overload.  We can be bombarded with information from television, radio, the internet and smart phones, so be aware of how this affects you.  Choose to simply switch technology off for blocks of time to allow calm to flourish. 

Quote of the Week

 As I now wait for my capstone presentation to be reviewed to see if I pass, this is something that I must remind myself of.

Grandmother's Cake Plate

 

I love this plate.  I remember seeing it as a child in Grandmother's breakfast room cabinet.  She had wonderful glass cabinets in her breakfast room.  Something I would love to have today.  I love when you can see everything displayed like that.  It makes it so much easier to find things too LOL  But I remember this plate up in the cabinet and being drawn to it.  I think it was the combination of the flower decoration and the green band that I love.  And she used this plate as well.  I don't remember her putting an actual cake on it, but it was used to serve cookies and cheese straws many times. So now it is part of my collection.  It's not fine china, but it's a pretty piece.  Now, I feel like I need to bake a cake or some cookies and put this plate to use!

Believe - Adam Lambert

 I have not been posting much over the past few weeks because of school, so I am going to get back into my routine of blogging.  Starting with a song for today. Scrolling through YouTube, I came across the Cher segment of the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors.  Adam Lambert performed a cover of her hit song "Believe".  I absolutely love his interpretation!!

The rabbit spoon rest

 I never really understood the usefulness of a spoon rest until I really started cooking.  Prior to that, they were always just little decorative items that sat on the stove top.  Grandmother had one on her stove that I remember but I don't recall Mom having one on hers. Maybe she did, but if so, I have forgotten it.  Ah, well. Now that I cook a lot, I definitely need to have my spoon rest handy!  I have three different ones that I use throughout the year. This one, with the rabbit, is the second one I bought.  I was at an antiques mall in Kernersville and saw it.  It was in a booth having a 20% off sale so I paid less than $10 for it.  While it is not an antique, more along the lines of a collectible, I love it.  I don't collect rabbits, per say, but this one is very springish to me.  And it's decorated in green, my favorite color! So why not treat myself?  And I did.  And I use it all the time.  It's the one that is currently on my stove top.  

It's the little things that make me happy.  That is all.