A Vintage Cottage Home's Blogoversary Giveaway!

To celebrate my one-year Blogoversary, I am hosting a Giveaway! The winner of this Giveaway will receive a copy of my first book The Wishing Years shown above! To enter, just leave a comment on this post with a link to your blog so I can reach you if you are the winner.

It would be really sweet of you to announce this Giveaway by copying the "book badge" on my side bar and pasting it on your sidebar or in a post on your blog...but not necessary to enter. All are welcome! The winner will be chosen through a random drawing on October 14!

Thank you all, my wonderful blogging friends and followers, for your love and support during this past year. It's been fabulous and I look forward to sharing with you for many years to come!

Blessings to each and every one of you!

Coralie



(You can find more information on my books at: Wildwood Press.)

From Old Glory Cottage!

My dear friend Carol over at OLD GLORY COTTAGE has honored me with an Attitude of Gratitude award! Thank you so much, Carol, for thinking of me!

Bunnies & Cherubs on a Magical Monday!

How did "they" ever come up with some of these most magical and fantastic advertisements of long ago? Hall's Vegetable Sicilian Hair Renewer Prevents Gray Hairs and Baldness! Don't know what that's got to do with bunnies and cherubs but I love it! How about you?

Blessings to You on a Silent Sunday Morning!

Wishing all my wonderful friends a Blessed Sunday! Have a lovely day!

Precious Pink Greetings!

A quick hello today with wishes for a lovely pink day and weekend. My son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter are here for a weekend visit. We are spending precious moments together and enjoying every single one of them!

After graduation from the University of Michigan, my beautiful granddaughter went on to serve a two-year stint in the Peace Corp in Jordan where she lived in a small mountain village and worked at the women's center. She did an amazing job but we are happy to have her back in the states. Now a graduate student at Johns Hopkins, she is enjoying student life once more! Happy days are here again!

Frozen Cheese Salad From A 1957 Cookbook!

Here's a fancy 1957 Frozen Cheese Salad from a church women's cookbook. Definitely not a Weight-Watcher item but looks delicious! I just love looking at all the older cookbooks and reading the recipes I've been collecting over the years. They really are a sign of those times. I'll be adding more recipes as time goes on. Hope you enjoy this one!

Homework! It's Not Just For Kids!

I actually meant to post this earlier in September when school first started but, guess what, I got too busy with my classes to remember I had prepared this post ahead of time. Still, it's such a fun post, I thought I'd go ahead and share it with you now. Hope you enjoy the vintage postcard and poem!

Whimsical Wednesday! Who Knew?

Who knew? Madmar Jigsaw Puzzles had been around for a long long time! According to Jigsaw Puzzles, An Illustrated History and Price Guide, by Anne Williams, the Madmar Quality Company was started in 1914 and produced puzzles until the 1950's when it was purchased by the Foster Paper Company which continued making puzzles until 1967.

These puzzles were made mainly of plywood and composition board. Madmar also made puzzles for Blue Ribbon, Interlox, and Mayfair jigsaw puzzles companies.

Did you ever have a Madmar puzzle? Or one of the other brands mentioned? Or had you heard of them before? These are new to me but I've had a recently revived interest in puzzles since I bought one at a yard sale and began building them again. What fun! Who knew?

How Did This Happen? Kitten Tales!

Telling Tales on a Magical Monday!

You tell me little tales

Of fairy and of elf

But I would rather hear

you talk

About your little self.

The Fairy Queen goes by, you say,

Drawn in a lily car.

Believe me you are twice as fair

And sweeter too by far.

(Anonymous)

A Traditional Sunday Morning At Our House!

In the photo are Dad, "big" sister Corinne, brother John and little Coralie, with Mom taking the picture. We never missed a Sunday service! I found some of the language confusing from time to time as kids do and paid the price, getting teased mercilessly by my brother.

One day I was telling my mother what I liked best about the church. Being a huge animal lover even at a very early age, I told my mom, "I just love church! And the best things are the stories! I especially love the stories about the leopards!"

Before Mom could say a word, my brother plowed right into the conversation! "Lepers, not leopards...gee, what a dope!"

My big brother may have taken many an opportunity to tease his little sister but he also turned out to be my greatest friend growing up and I feel so blessed to have our great and wonderful memories! Sundays seem to bring back all those special times and memories of the past. I cherish them all!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Happy Saturday! Think Pink!

Cyclamen

Diffidence: quietness, silence, peace tranquillity

"Flowers are lovely.

Love is flower-like.

Friendship is

A sheltering tree."

Well, unfortunately, once again the telephone company has been tampering with our phone & internet service, disconnecting us for over two days. This is the third time in a just a few weeks that this has happened and we are very frustrated...to put it mildly!

But, anyway, dear friends, I wanted you to know that I haven't forgotten you! Just couldn't get around to visit the past couple of days. So...a little late...but happy Saturday! Think friendship! Think pink!

School Days, School Days!

School Days, School Days, Good Old Golden Rule Days...reading and writing and 'rithmetic...Taught to the tune of a hickory stick. You were my young and bashful beau; I was your queen in calico. You wrote on my slate, "I Love You, Joe." When we were a couple of kids...

Remember this old song? It just came to mind this morning as I was thinking of all of students and teachers returning to classes this week and last. And all the mothers and fathers getting back to their usual fall schedules without the children at home. Autumn brings with it the promise of new adventures for all. Enjoy your day!

What adventure are you planning for this autumn?

First Week of Classes!

It's back to school, week one, for me. My posts have been a little "light" and will continue to be for a bit as I work back into the fall schedule after being off from teaching spring and summer. This is a great time of year for me as I welcome both traditional and mature students back into the virtual classroom and conduct discussions online.

For many years, I taught on campus at a local university but for the past three years, after attending classes myself to learn many of the "in's" and "out's" of online education, I teach mainly online.

In our cross-cultural class we examine many of the issues of concern to all of us in our current society. Class participation reveals that many of the students are returning after raising their families or after just a few years break from their degree-focused journey. Often students who work online have disabilities that make it difficult for them to participate in on-campus classes so their views, too, are refreshing and most helpful to others. The life experiences which students bring to class are invaluable for them, their classmates, and me.

(Can you tell...I love this time of year, my students, and the classes we share!)

Blissfully Blue Monday!

Forget-me-nots—a beautiful tribute to friendship! Have a blissfully blue Monday everyone!

Unconditional Love: What I've Learned From My Dogs!

It happens every day! When I try to get from one room to another, my Shetland sheepdogs, Carrie and Bonnie Lass, sit up, perk their ears and decide to herd me along the way. Sometimes, I forget these TV couch potatoes were actually bred for working. But, when they decide I’m the only thing around here that even remotely resembles a sheep, they remind me by going directly to work.

So here’s the thing. While they’re busy herding, I have to keep my gait at a pace that does not overtake them. You see, by walking too fast I am liable to step on one of the eight paws underfoot. I hate to tell you, but that has happened a time or two and I think I hurt worse than the wounded paw does.

These wagging tailed pooches are the light of my days. Now that the children are all grown and off doing their own things, having their own particular adventures, I am still feeling like the mom who needs to continue taking care of her kids. So, the pet-pals become my kids and I get to fulfill the mom aspect of my life.

Still, you’ve got to ask yourself what you are doing, when on a trip to the dining room from the living room, you hear yourself say, “Pardon me, but I have to get around that table.” And you suddenly realize you are talking to a dog!

Yes, that happened to me yesterday. I actually asked the dogs for permission to move around my own home. But, when you think of it, it’s the right thing to do. That good old lesson learned in Kindergarten—that politeness and kindness spring from the same seed—wasn’t a lesson meant just for kids.

Kindness isn’t just for human beings! It’s for all beings! Treating our furry friends—who make life joyful, carefree and humorous—with kindness and politeness is the least we can do for them. We will never be able to match their enthusiasm for life, their unconditional love and loyalty or their sweet and nurturing spirits with which they so eagerly greet us each morning, noon and night. We can only watch and learn…learn the true meaning of goodness, caring and friendship.

Kindness? Politeness? A small offering in return for the countless ways in which my beautiful, boisterous, barking shelties tell me every minute of every day, “You are the most important person in the world!”

(Find unconditional love at Petfinder.com! View the new videos there to find the perfect pet for you! So many pets these days have been left behind by people who can no longer care for them...please help! They will love you forever!)

The Enchanting Perfection of Pink!

Happy Pink Saturday everyone! I hope your weekend is filled with adventure, charm, and wonder! Enjoy!

Keep Safe Our Land!

Remembering those lost on 9/11.

Love of Books!

My love of books began with my mother's own love of the written word. Bedtime stories and poems were read aloud almost every single evening. And these shared hours were some of the most joyous of times through my early years. We traveled to Oz where we experienced amazing adventures filled with wondrous creatures, magical potions, and scary witches. Lassie, in her hard fought journey through the countryside, brought us relief as she finally found her way back home. With The Bobbsey Twins, we learned that two sets of twins are better than one, leading to all sorts of fascinating activities. And these were just a few of the favorites.

The wonder of books is that you can do anything, go anywhere you'd like and never leave home. It's the perfect journey for a child...or a grown-up. I look forward to reading a good book every chance I get. How about you? Childhood favorites?

Feeding the Birds!

Problem solved! Am now able to upload photos again! (Thanks for your emails and concerns...It really helped to know I wasn't the only one unable to upload!) So it must have been a Blogger problem.

Hope you like this vintage graphic of a lovely little old-fashioned girl feeding the birds. It's another favorite from one of my Memories of a Lifetime volumes. So sweet!

The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore and More!

Here are some of the fabulous finds I was able to bring back home with me after our wedding anniversary outing to one of our favorite antique malls. I'd been looking long and hard for a copy of The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore and finally found one complete with dust jacket! The Motor Girls on Cedar Lake seemed to fit perfectly into my seaside book collection, again complete with dust cover! And, then there were two feedsacks I just could not resist. Can you find them in the basket?
A darling little cloth doll and her scotties were the next treasures discovered! Really just too darn cute!
Add to those fantastic finds, two vintage greeting card boxes and you have one happy camper!
A 1946 Whitman Publishing Company puzzle was next! Don't you just love this!

I always look for vintage gift wrap but hardly ever find but a piece here and there but on this day I found a whole lot of gorgeously decorated gift wrap complete in the original box!
Here are a few of the designs...kittens, cottage doors, red roses...
...and here are a few more, baby, wedding, birthday along with tiny gift cards. Woo-hoo! What a find!!!
We've talked about Louisa May Alcott's Little Women recently but on this day I also found a volume of Little Men with it's 1950's colorful cover and stories yet to be read!
Another copy of The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore (I know, I know, I'd already found one, but I just couldn't pass this up.) I don't know if two are better than one, but I love them both!
A vintage Tampa, Florida resort beach postcard was the final item in this group of fun finds. Love those vintage colors!
We had a great time on our anniversary outing. The shelties loved coming with us and picnicking along the way. Treats for everyone! A truly wonderful time!

Labor Day Picnics in Days Gone By!

That's Mom in her newest apron serving a picnic lunch to all the children and grandchildren at our family cottage on Hagerman lake in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. You can see my dad in the background and me (the blonde, believe it or not) helping serve the kiddies their food. All of these little kiddies are now grown and have families of their own but I know each and every one of them remembers Labor Day picnics at The Lake! I know I do!
The elderly aunts were visiting from Finland on this day. Finland's terrain is much the same as Upper Michigan's—probably one reason so many of the Finnish migrated to the area, along with the call of the iron mines promising work for the men!
After the picnic lunch (remember, we were told to wait an hour to go swimming so our food could digest properly) the kids got out the raft and pretended to be Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer!

Labor Day picnics...memories to live long in our hearts!

Pink Sails in the Sunshine!

I think nowhere else but in vintage greeting cards can one find such beautiful graphics of times past. I love the romance and passion employed by the designers of the day. That period, the 1930's, 40's, and even the 50's, holds such vibrant colors, fragrant verses, and sweet floral thoughts that the greetings overflow with fond friendship, memories, and love!

This vintage cottage card of pink sails in the sunshine is just one of many from my greeting card collection! I hope you enjoy the collage of colors and have yourselves a wonderful pink Saturday and happy weekend!

Might As Well Have Been Shipwrecked!

Without phone and email service, online access, scanning and printing abilities, I have been on a virtual island since Tuesday when we returned from our wedding anniversary outing. I finally understand now why Jim insisted we needed cell phones a while ago. I'll never question the wisdom of this again! I was so glad to be able to call my daughter and let her know we were all right; and happy that we could contact the phone company to straighten out the problem they had caused.

Seems, while working on a nearby communication "box" the technicians pinched our wires to someone else's wires and we were rendered silent! It was almost as bad as the four-day power outage we experienced two summers ago. But at least this time we didn't lose all of our frozen food. Still we might as well have been shipwrecked!

But you're wondering how the anniversary outing went with picnicking and antique hunting with the shelties. Well, we had a fabulous time! Found some fun finds (thrifty and some not so) and the dogs had a super time. (Photos to be posted soon, so please stay tuned.)

And thank you all for your best wishes! It was wonderful to finally be able to log on this morning and find such sweet comments and happy congratulations! I'll be around soon to visit you too! Again...many many thanks!

Celebrating Our Wedding Anniversary!

Today is our 20th wedding anniversary so we are off on an adventure to celebrate the day! On September 1, 1989, Jim and I were joined in matrimony in Jackson, Michigan. Our family and friends came from near and far to be with us for this exciting event. We are so grateful to have had both my mother and Jim's parents still with us at that time.

So how will we celebrate the day? We've decided that our two sweet elderly shelties Carrie and Bonnie would be too lonely staying home alone for the day, so I've packed them a lunch and they are going with us to go antiquing and picnicking! But, at the end of the day when we've returned home, they will remain here while we go out for a lovely celebratory dinner at our favorite restaurant nearby. I'm sure, by then, they'll be ready for a good long nap.

More tomorrow...have a great day everyone!