Bunny Molds

 Hello friends!

Today I wanted to share my collection

of chocolate bunny molds.

Bob brought this one home for me.

This one I purchased from a friend

who no longer wanted it.

She also let me purchase this one.

The next three I found antiquing through

the years.

           While most folks desire chocolate molds

from Germany, it was France who first came up with 

the idea of pouring liquid chocolate into molds.

It was exclusively for the elite of the day.

They were made from copper or pewter in the 

17th century.

By the 18th century, molds began appearing

in tin and iron and more intricate designs came

into fruition. 

These molds were hand crafted by skilled artisans.

The Industrial Revolution made for

mass production of molds in various shapes,

designs and sizes.

With this is was more affordable for common

folks to enjoy the luxury of chocolate.

By the 19th century, molds were now being made

with rubber and plastic.

Most of my collection is iron,

while a few pieces are made from tin.

Of course the iron ones are really heavy

so you can tell the difference.

The last two in my pics are the tin ones.

The rest are iron.

Some made in Germany...

some not marked so I do not know

the origin of these.

In other news,

my retirement party was nice.

It was at a local pizzeria Buddy's which is known

for the BEST pizza.

We had chicken fingers, breaded cauliflower,

warm bread sticks with pizza sauce,

Two salads- one regular and one antipasto.

Of course lots and lots of pizza.

fresh mozzarella cheese, veggie, meat, everything,

and one with just fresh tomato and mozzarella.

Desserts were chocolate chip cookies,

raisin oatmeal cookies, chocolate and vanilla cupcakes.

I received lots of gifts.

Oh my.

Two margarita glasses, margarita salt for the rims,

Large bottles of strawberry and regular margaritas.

Tortilla chips, salsa and cheese sauce to go with

the margaritas.

Many gifts cards to Hobby Lobby

plus one of our favorite Italian restaurants.

Travel stuff to keep in my car; ie

tools, car phone charger, car blanket, first aid kit.

A basket full of bath items.

Then there was the chocolate and the balloons.

I was spoiled.

Everyone wrote a memorable memory

of me and them.

These memories were gathered into a 

small presentation.

I enjoyed reading each and every one.

Now that I am retired, I will tell you

who I was employed with.

Some of you already knew who know me,

but I never shared it on my blog

because I felt it was not right to discuss it.

Any hoot I was an Assistant Vice President

 in the Commercial Loan area

with

Bank of America.

I handled customers with sales size between

$10 million to $20 million.

I already miss my customers.

Working 30 years,

my clients also became my extended family.

I knew them personally, their families,

along with their business.

Wednesday was a sad day,

as it was the last time I saw my co-workers

who were all at my retirement party.

Thursday I worked from home.

Friday morning I just turned in my badges,

work cell phone and work computer...

I was NEVER allowed to use my personal computer

for anything work related.

I will also miss my co-workers.

They were the BEST.

I will keep in touch with most of them though.

Bob came with me to see where I worked

all these years and then we drove home

and ate breakfast at our local diner.

Now begins the next chapter of my life.

WOOHOO!

Retirement Here I Come Blessings To All!

Janice

Another Recent Acquisition

Another recent purchase.

This one purchased from a friend. 

This sampler.

I do not know how old it is,

but do know it is a Spanish one.

(Sorry for the glare in these pics)

For the cross stitcher sleuths out there;

if you can tell me about this piece it would

be appreciated.

The best close up view I could get without a big glare.

Am not sure if it is an antique or someone just

stitched this from a recent pattern. 

My Spring display underneath. 

No daffodils outside, but I can enjoy

these faux ones inside. 

In other news,

one day of work...4 days left.

I am working from home today...

and doing nothing but checking what

little emails I may get...yesterday I had none.

Wednesday will work in the office as my

retirement party starts at noon that day.

Working from home then again on Thursday.

Friday have to go into the office

one last time to turn in my computer and cell.

Then its off to the sunset...WOOHOO!

Driving home yesterday through the marsh,

I saw many mallards and one heron...

my first of the year.

Spring must surely be here now.

It even reached 70 degrees yesterday. 

Well off to turn on my computer and stitch. LOL

There wont be any emails...as I have no customers

now since my portfolio was moved out of name already.

The Countdown Begins Blessings To All!

Janice

Friday Finish

This Friday I have 2 finishes to show off.

Bedelia Bunny by the

Artsy Housewife I finished stitching

last year.

I just decided to sew into a pillow.

I chose this floral fabric for the back.

 As usual stuffed with fabric...

but this time added a bit of

Tundra's fur.

He is shedding bigtime...and it is so soft.

Maybe Spring is finally coming.

This was stitched on 32 ct Cookie Dough.

This is the pattern photo.

I did not stitch any of the motifs.

For the flowers, my purples were more muted.

So were my yellows.

My Spring display with my new bunny pillow.

When last I showed you Sarah Casey Unwin,

I had this little corner left to stitch.

Here it is in its full glory already on the wall.

The shine on the right side of the house is the sun

coming in from the window.

(no ghosts) LOL

I chose a reddish brown frame because

I knew it was going to be hung above

our pumpkin pine cabinet.

I do have another pattern that I will

start soon...then when finished will

hang to the left of this one.

Hopefully they will still have the same

frame color because this new pattern

will probably take me another year to stitch.

I changed up the cabinet for a more Spring look.

My red curtains are really two blankets.

I hung one blanket on each side using clips.

Hung prim sheers for the middle

that are also stationary. 

For those who do not know 

what pumpkin pine is...

it is pine wood which was cut 

from the heart of a pine tree.

The oxidation from these old trees

made for the orange color, which they 

call pumpkin.

Hence pumpkin pine.

The older the pine tree, the more 

orange it would be.

Unfortunately you will not find

pumpkin pine sold now...

unless you find an antique one.

In other news,

I took mom to her monthly social

on Wednesday.

This month it was strawberry shortcake.

I brought both a strawberry rhubarb pie,

 and a strawberry cheesecake roll.

All was a hit.

My mom had a piece of pie and shortcake.

When we got back to her room, she

told me the pie was good. I told her that

I thought the shortcake was good and she says

"I did not have any of that"

I had to remind her she had both.

When I first got to her room,

her phone was not next to her.

I asked her where it was.

She said it was on the kitchen table charging.

I looked there and no phone.

I called her phone and could hear nothing.

Then I had to go on a hunt for it.

I looked everywhere for that dang phone.

Finally I looked in her purse which she

keeps in the closet.

Yep it was there.

She must have put it in there when took her

last Thursday for her outing.

She never took it out and it died.

Just sad she is getting so forgetful.

Well I have the weekend left,

then back to work for a week....

then RETIREMENT.

WOOHOO!!!

Friday Before Retirement Blessings To All!

Janice

Monday Market Mania

 

Hello my friends.

Each March the stitching world

goes ga-ga for the new releases

that designers bring out to market

which is in Nashville Tennessee.

Each year I look forward to seeing

what peeks my interest.

I purchased 6 patterns.

They are as follows.

Anyone who knows me...knows I love bunnies.

This Spring Rain bunny from

Theresa Kogut had to be on the list.

Ain't he adorable.

This small sampler from

Cross Stitch Antiques caught my fancy.

Then another sampler with a few bunnies.

Isabella Hardy from Needlework Press.

Then this charming snowman caught my eye.

This book from Teresa Kogut has

nine Winter patterns.

Am not usually a fan of white houses...

however this pattern from Annie Beez

had to come home to me.

When I do start this one,

will probably stop at the grass...

and omit everything underneath.

Finally I had to have  A Worthy Patriot

by Plum Street Samplers.

I dont plan on stitching any of these 

in the near future,

but am happy to have them in my stash.

I know most stitchers are already

stitching on a large Patriotic piece

to celebrate our 250 year anniversary.

I chose to work on smaller ones that will

be sewn into pillows.

Do any of these tickle your fancy?

If you are a stitcher, did you purchase any

market patterns?

In other news,

brother and I are headed back this morning

to clean more in my mom's house.

Last week mom was fine going to her house.

She understands what and why we are 

cleaning her house.

She also told us to take whatever we wanted

from the house before we sell anything.

 Wednesday I am taking a strawberry pie

to share for her monthly social.

This month is strawberries. 

I only have one week left of sabbatical...

then one week left of work...

then retirement here I come.

WOOHOO!

Well my brother just pulled into my driveway.

Gotta run.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Monday Mania Blessings To All!
Janice

Treenware

 Decided our kitchen needed a refresh.

So I shopped around our house

to add just some treenware items in here.

Started with the table.

Potato mashers inside a piggin pail.

Cheese ladder and butter molds around.

More wood inside the pine cabinet.

Pantry boxes, butter molds,

bowls, potato mashers and spoons.

Firkin and grain measure on top.

Along with dough box, trencher,

 candy mold and latest butter stamp.

View of our table and chairs looking into 

our living room/ hall.

The table is a settle bench.

The chairs are even antique.

For their age, these are still sturdy.

Our bench seats two so we can have

6 folks sit here.

So what is treenware?

It is was any household utensil which was

created entirely out of wood.

Woman in their day had to use wood

items for everything.

No plastic back then.

In other news,

my brother and I went to my mom's

to do more purging on Monday.

We spent 2 hours cleaning off just her love seat.

Not only on it, but behind it, underneath it,

plus around it on the floor.

Then we spent another 2 1/2 hours cleaning

out her closet.

We still need to go through all of the clothes 

hanging in it....because we have found

money in so many different places....we need

to go through everything.

We got into the car for our drive home...

and felt like we accomplished nothing.

It is sad the things my mom had saved.

We found a full bag of powdered sugar

un-opened dated 2005.

Magazines underneath the seat cushions.

Little boxes with one item in each....

like one Lego brick, a few coins in another,

one matchbook in one and one puzzle piece

in another one just to name some.

We have to look inside everything.

We have been finding money everywhere.

The love seat area we found about $50,

while her closet we found $10.

No rhyme or reason why she put money 

where she did.... and when we asked her,

she did not even remember doing it.

She had 3 banks, and a safe deposit box,

 so not sure why she was

hiding money in her house.

All the money we find will go for her 

personal things she needs monthly for her

incontinence issue, vitamins,

Boost, Gatorade, soda and anything else

she may want.

It is still her money...not ours.

It is just a sad situation that my brother and I 

are dealing with.

We are taking my mom to her doctor

this morning for her monthly bloodwork.

After that brother and I will take her to

her house...my sister decided after her

episode with the aide not to take my mom

to her house...and we are glad of that.

Afterwards we plan on taking mom

to Olive Garden for lunch.

It use to be one of her favorite restaurants.

Well have to get ready for my brother to arrive.

Hope everyone enjoys their day.

It was cold again with flurries yesterday.

So sick of Winter.

Treen Blessings To All!

Janice

Sunday Starts

 With Spring just around the corner...

hopefully...

I decided to start a bigger project.

This one is called Floral Motif Sampler

by The Scarlett House

I started with the border in black.

Stitched across the top and down

the left side halfway.

Then started on the first flower.

Almost finished with the first flower.

Some flowers will be smaller than others,

so may be able to tackle more than one

when I pick it up again.

Stitching this on 36ct Edinburg linen

with all of the called for floss.

My latest Patriotic stitch

is Parade Sammy

by Calico Confectionery.

Stitching this on 32 ct Flax.

Using all the called for DMC floss,

except 311.

Using DMC 336 instead for the navy blue.

Sammy's eyes were suppose to be the

lighter blue.

I opted to do mine in the darker blue.

His mouth was suppose be red...I chose black.

Am really enjoying stitching on this.

In other news,

well my sister did it again.

Her snarky attitude with the caregiver,

caused their manager to call my brother.

The manager told him she did not want

my sister berating or talking to her

employees anymore.

This is the second time my sister 

has ran her mouth.
My mom has only been in her studio

for 6 weeks.

My sister did apologize...but too late.

She is not liked by them any longer.

The first time she went off...

and apologized she bought them gift cards.

Now my brother is going to buy them 

gift cards and will tell them

my sister is not to speak to them anymore.

We hope she stops.

It was so terribly windy Friday night that 

I became restless and got out of bed.

Ended up sleeping on the couch.

The winds were 25mph with gusts higher.

Saturday morning we noticed that

our heavy metal old wheelbarrow was

moved at least 30 feet from where we had it

in our flower bed.

Even our antique copper boiler full of dirt

was tossed in our driveway.

Thankfully it did not hit our vehicles.

Well I am down to 2 more weeks of sabbatical

before going back to work one final week

to retirement.

It is going by really fast.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.

Calm Sunday Blessings To All!

Janice