Antique of the week

This is my chocolate set.  i love it.

It is one of the few antiques that i have bought for myself in the past 10 years.  With all of the family pieces i have, i haven't had a lot of reasons to buy any more.  But this, i couldn't resist.  i have a pretty short list, a mental list, of antiques that i want and a chocolate set was one of them.  It all started when we dismantled my Aunt Sara's estate.  In her will, she left her chocolate set to my cousin Edith.  It had previously belonged to Sara's sister, Mary Lee.  The chocolate set was packed up for Edith before i really got a chance to look at it and, as a young lover of antiques, that bothered me LOL  So, i was determined from then on that one day i would have my own chocolate set.

Every time we went antiquing, i always had my eyes on the look out for the perfect one for me.  i never found it.  And, if i did find one i liked, it usually was too expensive...especially to a young teenage boy :)  When Aunt Billie died, Grandmother got hers and that eventually went to my Aunt Jan.  But, i was not heart broken because hers wasn't the style i wanted.  Anyway, about 5 years ago i was doing my usual online browsing of antiques and collectibles on Ebay and ran across this set.  i immediately fell in love with it.  It was exactly what i had been looking for.  Decorated in gold and green, it had a pot and six cups and saucers.  Nippon.  Now, i don't usually bid for things like this on ebay because you never know how authentic some of their antiques are but i decided i would bid anyway.  i walked away from Ebay until after the auction.  i had set my bid and that was that.  Fate would just play its course.  After a week, i found out that i had won the chocolate set.  The next week it arrived through the mail!  i was thrilled and it was exactly as promised.

i have placed it several places around the living room.  First on the buffet, then on top of the book case.  But, i think it's found its home on top of my china cabinet.  And who knows, maybe one day i will actually make some homemade hot chocolate and use my set.  Join me?

Cheers

recipe of the week - Grandmother's Broccoli Casserole

This is another broccoli casserole that we enjoy.  i have posted Mom's recipe before, but with today being Grandmother's birthday, i thought i would post this one.  She did not make it all the time but it was always tasty whenever she did make it.  i love the fact that i have this recipe written down on a small sheet of paper in her handwriting.  Makes it that much more special.

Broccoli Casserole
1 can of potato soup
1 small carton of sour cream
Grated Parmesan cheese
2 pkgs of frozen chopped broccoli
1 small jar of chopped pimento

Cook broccoli, drain and cool.  Mix soup, sour cream, broccoli, cheese and pimento.  Pour into a casserole dish.  Bake for 1 hour at 300 degrees.  After baking, sprinkle more Parmesan on top.

Enjoy!

Thought for the day - 2 special women

Today is a special day.  It is the birthday of two very important women in my life, my grandmothers Dorothy Laney (Grandmother) and Lillian Fornes (Grandma Fornes).  Growing up it was easy to remember their birthdays since they fell on the same day.  Grandmother was born in 1909 and Grandma Fornes in 1911.  From the outside, their lives looked different, but they truly were alike in many, many ways.

Both of them had a decent sized group of siblings that remained close throughout their entire lives.  They both gave birth to amazing children....not just my parents but my aunt and all of my uncles.  They were both strong matriarchs.  Both were wonderful cooks.  Both of them valued their christianity.  Both married and stayed married to men they loved despite these men having dependency issues that lasted til their deaths.  Both lost one child before dying herself....talk about true steel magnolias.

i think a lot about both of these women these days.  They led very rich lives, not financially, but in all of the things that give quality from within.  They survived good times and bad times and kept moving forward.  They were wonderful role models for their children and grandchildren.  They were wonderful role models for anyone they came in contact with.  Still, there are so many things i wish i had asked before i lost each of them.  i will, one day, when we are reunited.  Until then, i cherish their memories and their examples.

Cheers

Faith and reflection - Shall We Gather At the River

One of the traditions on Sundays when i was growing up was playing the piano after church.  Typically, we'd get home from church and while Mom was fixing lunch, i would sit in the living room and play the piano for Grandmother.  This was one of her favorite hymns and she would often request it.  i played a much simpler version than this, but i do really enjoy Howlett's arrangement of the peace.  Sometimes, we'd play the piano after lunch as well.  Often Mom would join and there would be some singing involved.  What i wouldn't give to have that just once more.

Cheers

Thought for the day - Camelot

Last Wednesday, i spent the afternoon doing some cleaning and thinking of theatre.....a strange, but not so strange combo LOL  i have a very random way of choosing records to play and this afternoon the rotation ended up on the original cast album of Camelot...one of my favorite scores ever.  i have 3 different copies of this score on vinyl.  i'm not sure where today's particular copy came from.  The 1st one i ever heard belonged to Mom and it had this cover on it:

i love this cover!  These 3 leads were simply amazing!  The 2nd copy i have from this score i bought at a yard sale at Mrs. Goodson's, across the street from us when i was growing up.  This was the cover of that album:

The 3rd copy i have has this cover:

i got this one at one of the used record stores we like to frequent.  i didn't really need it but think i bought it because one, i didn't have this cover, and two, i don't know why any music theatre lover would let go of this score  and i felt like i needed to save this record from just sitting in the store LOL

Anyway, Camelot is one of my favorite scores ever.  The show has some definite book problems, but its score is full of beautiful melodies and clever lyrics.  It is one of those shows that, if i could go back in time and see the original cast perform, this would be in my top 5 choices...but i'll save that for another blog.  i was listening to this score and it made me miss theatre.  

King Arthur was a dream role of mine.  It's a lead role in a musical and you don't have to have a great voice to do it.  How perfect would that be!  i have always wanted to do it and it saddens me that now i have aged out of the role....thank you, 40's.  i remember really wanting to do this show in high school.  Looking back now, it would have been costly to design the show, but we did have resources we could have used.  We could have cast the show easily, but Mr. Robinson wasn't interested in it.  They ended up doing Fiddler On The Roof instead and i couldn't be in it because of a prior church obligation.  Oh well.  

It's interesting to me to think back on how theatre fueled me for so long and to realize that now it does not.  It was a wonderful thing at the time and it was what i needed and where i needed to be.  i do not regret studying theatre at UNCG.  It was what i needed to do and i made so many life long friends that became my family.  i would not trade that for the world.  But, there are times that i regret that it's no longer a priority in my life.  i need to seek it out again, either as an audience member or a performer.  And maybe add to my collection of cast albums lol  It's an enriching part of my life that i have let fall by the wayside and i need to revive it in some way.  

This is part of the whole process of rediscovering what i love and what gets my juices flowing.  They've been inactive for a long time due to the monotonous routine of working a job that i did not love anymore.  But, now that i am back in school and starting to enjoy other things again, i definitely see some kind of theatre in my future.  Now, if only i could turn back the clock about 10 years and find a production of Camelot to do, that'd be great!

Don't let it be forgot

That once there was a spot

For one brief shining moment

That was known as Camelot

Cheers

Quote

"I want to be around people that do things.  I don't want to be around people anymore that judge or talk about what people do.  I want to be around people that dream and support and do things."

                                                                                          Amy Poehler

Showtune of the week - This Nearly Was Mine

The 2008 revival of South Pacific featured an amazing cast led by Paulo Szot and Kelli O'Hara.  This was the first Broadway revival of the show since it's original run.  The score is filled with amazing songs, several controversially ahead of their time.  If anyone was lucky to catch this show live or on the PBS broadcast, you can attest to it's power.  This particular ballad is sung by Emile de Becque in the show's 2nd act.  Szot won a well deserved Tony Award for his portrayal.