A Glamping We Will Go

SOURCE

'A Glamping we will go,

A Glamping we will go,

Heigh Ho, the Merry-O

A Glamping we will go!'

 

You do know what Glamping is, don't you?

Glamour Camping in a Vintage Travel Trailer!
 

SOURCE

 

Yep, I have a new Playhouse.

A 1973 Argosy 24 Airstream.
 

SOURCE

I lived in an early 50s Airstream when I was in college.

Daddy bought it years earlier for our Summer

lake vacations. . . .When I went off to college, he moved it

so I could have a little of bit of 'home' with me.

 

He was such a sweetie. . . .
 



SOURCE

I loved living in that Airstream and have wanted one of my own ever since.

 

SOURCE

 

I spotted the one we bought three years ago,

at J R's Cars in Malden, Missouri.

He was asking more for it than our pocketbook could do,

but when we left, I looked at the Argosy 24 and told John,

'That's MY trailer.'

SOURCE

 

Every time we drove by--and it was still there--

I'd say again. . . .

'There's MY trailer!'
 

SOURCE

 

On a whim last week, I asked John to call J R

and ask if the price was still the same.

We want to take our looms on the road

and would like to have some of the comforts of home

to take with us.
 

SOURCE

Low and behold!!!!

We offered him what our pocketbook could pay

and he took it!
 

The previous photos are not my new playhouse. . . .

only daydreaming. . . .

It will be a while before I'll be able to show our renovation.

For now, though, we can use it--everything works--

and the glamping work can come later.

 

This one is ours:

 

She's a little pitiful looking right now,

but eventually she'll be a 'Glamper'.

I'm so grateful for a wish come true.

 

What the power of positive thinking can do!

(A Special Note Below)

. . .from my farmhouse (glamper) to yours. . .

 

 I want to thank all of you for your sweet comments

on our loss of Mr. Smokey. You have truly touched my heart

and John's. It's still a tender spot, but we are all adjusting. Thank you

for your good wishes and kindness.

 

There's a link to Heide's February

Apron of the Month at:

Our Old Country Store

 

 

and

 

 

a link for a

Make-Do Apron from a Man's Shirt

 

Hearts and Good-byes

 

I had a beautiful post planned last week for Valentine's Day. . . .then. . . .Life Happened.
Seems as if life is happening a lot more frequently to us these last couple of years, now that I think about it. . . .The one thing we can all depend on is that Life WILL change, at times in a matter of hours.

I know many of you are animal lovers, just as we are. . . .It's always difficult when we lose one of them. . . .One of John's feline shop pals, Mr. Smokey, became suddenly ill last week. . . .For two days, it looked as if it was a minor problem. . . .Then early Friday, he took a turn for the worse. . . .within a few hours he was gone in spite of anything we or the vet could do. . . .As it turned out, it was a genetic disorder that often goes undetected. . . .with no known cure. . . .John's always maintained that Mr. Smokey and Little Bit were 'just shop cats'. . . .He wouldn't get attached. . . .Famous last words. . . .He was a wreck.

 

At the same time, my Boo (Mr. Velcro--he sticks to me) was also in the hospital fighting off another Addison's crisis. . . .Little Bit (Smokey's sis) was alive and well, yet she seemed to know Mr. Smokey was gone the minute it happened. . . .For three days she hid from us. . . .wouldn't eat. . . .grieving. . . .As if this wasn't enough, we had an out-of-town emergency. . . .Our world was topsy-turvey for a while. . . .

Good news, though. . . .Little Bit is eating again. . . .still sad, but she'll be fine. . . .

The emergency crisis is over. . . .

and Boo is back in my lap.

So the post I intended to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day

has become an opportunity to remind you to give your special companion

an extra hug and maybe a few more treats today. . . .

How quickly they steal your heart. . . .and how quickly that heart can suffer a loss.

 



Mr. Smokey



 

 Life is getting back to normal for us. . . .I say that with a smile. . . .

Life is rarely normal around here. . . .Each morning brings the possibility

of a new adventure. . . .and new blessings. . . .

yet, sometimes difficult, too. . .

 

Saying Good-bye has reminded both of us to

look for the Blessings in Life. . . .because. . . .My Friends. . . .

Life can be very Fragile.

 

. . .from our farmhouse to yours. . .

 



The Laundry

 

I knew the minute I opened my eyes that morning I was in for an adventure. . . .It was one of those things that you just know and spend the day in anticipation until the surprise is revealed.

 

It was a sunny but cold Christmas afternoon as we strolled the streets of Colonial Williamsburg. . .with no special destination. . . .until we neared the Peyton Randolph home. . . .A little voice inside my head said, "This is it. . . .There's something special here for you to see."

We visited the home--upstairs and down. . . .the garden house. . . .the stable. . . .the grounds.
The guided tour was almost over. . . .Did I hear wrong? . . .Did I miss it?
 
Then. . . .there it was. . . .the laundry behind the Randolph home. . . .I knew this was it. . . .I knew this was what I had been waiting for. . . .

Serene. . . .sunlight flooding through the window. . . .the room drew me in.
 
Lagging behind the others, I found myself alone in the calm and quiet of the long abandoned laundry. . . .in another time and place. . . .where tubs and buckets are scrubbed and waiting to be filled once more. . . .

 
Where Light and Shadow literally danced around the room. . . .From the corner of my eye, I thought I saw someone move. . . .Ghosts of the past played with my senses. . . .

What was that? . . .Did someone whisper something behind me? . . .I turned to answer. . . .No one in the room but myself. . . .although I could swear I heard someone laugh as I shook my head in disbelief. . . .
 
And there! . . .Was it another shadow. . . .or did something move by the fireplace? . . .I nervously giggled. . . .And who did I feel just now so close to me? . . .I stood very still for a time. . . .smiling from ear to ear. . . .feeling alone. . . .yet, not so alone. . . .
 
The minutes ticked off. . . .the only sound I heard now was the click of the camera as I tried to capture these special moments. . . .alone in the past. . . .with only my imaginings. . . .or were they?

Way too soon, it was time to leave. . . .my active imagination had run rampant long enough. . . .Afterall, it had to have been my mind playing tricks on me, didn't it? . . .Others waited for me to rejoin them in the 21st century. . . .I stepped outside and started down the narrow path.
 
Then. . . .on a whim. . . .I quickly glanced back through the door. . . .and stared--again--in disbelief. . . .

 

 

. . .from my farmhouse to yours. . . .

 



My Newest Vintage Sewing Machine. . .The Slant-O-Matic 500

Hi Everyone! . . .How's the weather in your neck of the woods? . . .Here in the 'Sunny South' (hmmm) it's dreary and cold and------well, let's put it this way, I'd planned to change the header and do away with winter but it's way too appropriate for our weather today (the header has now been changed). . . .Our home looks exactly like the header, if you add in a half inch of ice covering everything. . . .We've faired well. . . .only lost power off and on. . . .The longest time off was six hours. . . .I can't say the same about our internet connection, though. . . .It's been more off than on. . . .(sigh)

The four walls were beginning to close in on me yesterday. . . .felt 'cabin fever' all the way down to my toes. . . .The sure-fire medicine to cure me was a day spent in the sewing room. . . .My very soul needed it. . . .an opportunity to try out the newest sewing machine.

I have a love affair with vintage sewing machines. . . .Honest I do. . . .Try as I might, I can't resist a good machine when the price is right. . . .The price was sure right on this one. . . .$20. . . .including the machine, sewing cabinet, attachments, cams, instruction book, and drawers full of pincushions and sewing goodies. . . .

I purchased the Singer Slant-O-Matic at an estate sale last fall. . . .The lady had taken excellent care of it, so John only did a little cleaning and oiling. . . .I didn't know a lot about it, except I remember my Grandmother bought one just like it--new--in the early 1960s. . . .She was so proud of it. . . .I was amazed how the cams moved. . . .loved watching them.

By varying the two controls on the top-center of the machine, a wide variety of stitch patterns could be made. . . .It was considered the best on the market at the time.

I was curious to find more about it. . . .On Ebay, they are selling for as little as $200 and as high as $400. . . .hmmmmm. . . .I looked a little further. . . The Singer 500 Slant-O-Matic is sometimes referred to as the "Rocketeer" due to its space-age styling. . . . After the Singer Featherweight, this machine seems to have a tremendous following. . . .Guess I did good, huh? . . .It's all metal parts and runs with gears. . . .no belts. . . .something vintage collectors look for.

Well, it really doesn't matter to me. . . .I'm glad others appreciate it, but when you get right down to it, the thing that matters is whether I like it. . . .after all, I don't just buy machines. . . .I USE them!

Source



This one sews like a dream. . . .powerful. . . .beautiful stitches. . . .easy to use. . . .Yep, I'll keep it. . . . I stitched away most of the day in log cabin bliss. . . .Working on a quilt I began what? two years ago?

It's a log cabin quilt pattern. . . .I thought it appropriate since I had 'cabin fever'. . . .(grin)

I've played with the log cabin design for years. . . .incorporating it into several Delta inspired quilts. . . .One day I'll have to show you some of the quilt tops I've designed with wool, denim, kakki, and old work shirts. . . .I use no pattern. . . .let blocks and strips fall where they may. . . .Takes the stress out of perfect quilt piecing. . . .One of my favorite ways to relax.

As it ended up, I actually wasn't all that upset that the weather was bad and it was too cold and icy to get out. . . .It gave me an excuse to spend time in the sewing room. . . .with my buddy. . . .

catching up on some much needed 'me time'. . . A 'Keep Out' sign on the door and that Slant-O-Matic hummed all afternoon long. . . .when the electricity was on. . . .(grin)

 

Later that evening John asked me what I thought about the newest sewing machine? . . . I think sometimes he hopes I'll sell a few of the growing collection. . . .No such luck. . . .My reply?

 

'Sorry. . . .It's a keeper'. . . .to which I heard. . . .

a long sigh.

 

Keep Safe! Keep Warm!

Winter will be over soon. . . I hope. . . .

 

Heide's Apron of the Month

Isn't this an adorable apron?

It only takes one yard of fabric!

 

 

Have you discovered Apron History?

 

 

"I am just a creative, vintage crazy girl! I like to do things like they did in the "good old days"; sewing aprons, knitting sweaters, using vintage egg beaters, cooking from my 1930s cookbook.
Here you will find my newest find at the antique store, what I have been sewing, excerpts from my vintage cookbook collection and of course, APRONS!"    Heide

 

For those of you interested in aprons and patterns,

Heide has started a new monthly feature. . . .

"As I have mentioned before, my dream is to start offering apron patterns. So to dip my toes in so to speak, I have decided to put together one free apron pattern a month, either a pattern from around the web or a pdf pattern I have made!"

January was her first month to start this new adventure. . . .I'm a little behind presenting it to you, but I didn't want you to miss a free pattern! . . .And I wanted to let you know that each month, I'll provide a link and photo of her newest free pattern and sometimes tutorial at Our Old Country Store. . . .I've had a project like this in mind for many months, but Heide does it so well, I asked if I could link up with her. . . .
But, you'll want to follow her blog, too, if you love aprons and anything vintage. . ..She's recently renovated a 1930s home and is doing a wonderful job of decorating it with her many collections.
 

 

Apron History Free January Apron Pattern

 

See you there!
 

Watch for her February Free Apron link at

Our Old Country Store

or follow Heide at
Apron History
 

 

. . .from my farmhouse to yours. . .