Where Am I

Hey Guy's,

Seems like forever since I've been in Bloglandia. Where to begin........
Since last we talked Dad has been in and out of the Hospital. Been pretty scary, but turned out okay. Therapy ongoing. My Comp and phone connection is ify. It's been very sporadic in reliability and then finally just tuckered out more than ran,  so I'm looking for a new ISP, e-mail, and phone carrier. This has been an ongoing issue for years. Today you will find us once again in a hospital room..alls well tho. With all the medical issues the past couple of months just not enough hours in the day to keep up. Today I figured I'd bring my Computer here to the hospital and do a quick update. 
I've also wanted to thank those who've been so kind....especially Debbi at Marionberry Cottage for keeping up with the blog parties I host for Embracing Cottage Style blogspot. Those who look for Rednesday, please be patient..it'll be back soon.
If you'd like to contact me or have any questions about my Brown Gingham Creations Shoppe or Apronation please call me at
513-708-8106....if I'm not able to answer just leave a message and I'll get back to you.
Miss you all...hope to be back soon.

Rednesday Postponed

Today is a sad Rednesday for me. We lost one of our beloved cats Monday, quite suddenly.
If you haven't heard me talk of the Kittencaboodle...well....it began 4 years ago, on April 16th, when some one threw 9 kittens into our yard. 3 hairless and eyes not open yet.....3 just with hair and eyes open, quite sickly.....2 about a week old...and 1 almost 2 weeks.
Of course the newborns had no chance of surviving. We quickly scooped up the rest and rushed to our Vet.
Now, you must know, I am no cat person. I have never had cats and the one's I've met had no like for me. I had been bit by declawed cats and clawed by defanged cats...which being declawed and defanged would possibly make them cranky to begin with, but suffice to say cats don't normally warm up to me. I have had wolves...deer....raccoons....skunks....untamed horses...and a various menagerie come to me...cat's.....go the other way. So, when these little guys and girls came to us I was skeptical and I was taking care of them so they could find good homes. As a matter of fact I had a bad allergy attack the week they came home with us and the Doc did and allergy test...He said he had good news and bad...the good news was I wasn't allergic to Shadow..the bad news
for Jim, we had 6 cats now cause I wasn't allergic to them either.

The far left little guy is Happy Cat. He is the smallest and was sickly...his tail goes all the time when held or talked to or eats. The
far back two...left Monkey Cat and right Princess Lea...Monkey loved to climb and find his way into the bedroom with our 60
pound Norwegian Elkhound,hence the plexiglass gate and not a regular fence. Lea laid her ears back all the time like the hairdo from Star Wars and was very regal. The front 3 leaning on the plexiglass is Gizzy Wizzerbang, cause when he ate his bottle his ears wiggled back and forth and his tail would twirl in a circle. We thought he'd take off for a short flight any minute. Center is Sammy, just cause, and right is Leo the Lionhearted. He was the sickest of the bunch. We almost lost him, Happy, and Gizzy, but today..............................................................

Thanks to their Doggy Daddy..Shadow the Elkhound.....who adopted them as his own much to my relief..(I was really worried he was just watching them to  see if they got 'ripe' for a doggie snack, hey, he is a dog and from past experience they just do not get along).....they

learned how to eat and drink from bowls....sleep in their own room..

chew Nylabones and play fetch. All sorts of useful things. No kitty catnip for them. Too stinky and dirty. They get baths...yes...we have to watch cause they get into the shower or sink with running water. Okay what can I say they think they are dogs. They even growl..not purr..not hiss..not kitty yowl.....like Shadow. If they are in other rooms we tell Shadow to find em. He sits in the living room...without a noise....and they all come running to him. The one thing we wish they had taught Shadow was how to use a litter box, but he too one look inside and looked up at us like 'Really?!" and went straight to the door. Oh Well. They do have separation anxiety issues and they want nothing to do with outside, but otherwise they are happy and healthy

Until, Sunday night Monkey began acting strange. So, Monday morning he was screaming...I took him to the Vet to find he had a hereditary Kidney and bladder condition.There was no warning sign he was just down. Surgery wasn't cure, just a postponement, if he made it thru surgery. Eventually and suddenly it would poison him. 

Jim rushed to the Vet with me and Monkey...and to take me home.

It was a bad Monday.

This is Monkey. He was the Alpha Male. The others are so lost right now. Sammy especially..she hasn't slept right since Sunday...she knew something was wrong. Jim was really close to this cat...Shadow looks for him....it seems the others are waiting for him to come back....Me..I just hold em all and say it'll be okay, but I miss Monkey walking up and patting me on the cheek with his paw and giving me Eskimo Kisses. He had the oldest eyes..ya know what I mean. If there was a fight I'd tell him to go break it up. He did!! he'd sit on em..and he was 14 pounds of kitty muscle. If someone had gone under the bed he'd round em up for me. If I were to draw a caricature of him he'd wear a bowler hat and have a stubby cigar in his mouth. He'd sound like a gravelly voiced little old man. 
Man, I miss him. If I had known this is how it would have turned out 4 years ago...I'd do it again...gladly....just so I could have this little peice of God's love in our life. 

Oh Boy!!

A new antique mall has opened over in Lebanon, Ohio on Rt 42 before the Rt. 48 junction............Peddler's Mall........................

Not as large as the Ohio Valley Antique Mall, but look at all the booths.

Look at this booth.......she used fun vintage inspired papers

to create a wonderful effect.

These are a few things I saw that drew me too them.................

A whole case of vintage buttons

1940-50's metal picnic baskets

1940's wooden salad bowl set....it matched the cutting board from my Grandma, but I couldn't bring it home that day.

a whole box of vintage cards

A pretty glass and pitcher set

An adorable little tea towel that has given me a few ideas

My fav...a fire king strawberry mixing bowl......and......

..............this beautiful hand-painted chair. It's cherry wood with the gold accents and ...the best....the scenic panorama of the bucolic country life.

If you're in the south-western part of Ohio, stop by for look see.

It's worth the stop. Let me know if you're comin...I'll try to meet you there 8)

Rednesday Replay and New Post

Happy Rednesday !

Thought I'd replay last weeks links that were so nice to stop by, and, hopefully they will join me again this week.

And, I add a new vintage printable that you can copy to your computer for your own crafting.

It's Rednesday Wednesday here at Brown Gingham Creations

Rednesday is a weekly blog party celebrating everything RED. Sunset reds to garnet reds....tomato reds to strawberry reds...and every shade in between. I especially love this time of year with the patriotic reds....geranium reds....barn red....sunburn red...wait, wait sorry just kidding I am just  soooo excited it's Summer. LOL.Posts can showcase vintage finds. collections, decor, fashion, designs or items you have for sale, seasonal items, recipes,etc. The connecting thread will be the color RED

Here is last  week's sweet treat. Don't forget to get your 'piece' before you go on to the next post link below.

And, I wanted to add this delightful vintage print ad for

MY-T-Fine Pudding, which to my surprise I found at a local grocery store...Jungle Jim's.....in the same box as pic'd. I didn't know they still made this brand.

An InLinkz Link-up

It's Rednesday Wednesday here at Brown Gingham Creations

Rednesday is a weekly blog party celebrating everything RED. Sunset reds to garnet reds....tomato reds to strawberry reds...and every shade in between. I especially love this time of year with the patriotic reds....geranium reds....barn red....sunburn red...wait, wait sorry just kidding I am just  soooo excited it's Summer. LOL.Posts can showcase vintage finds. collections, decor, fashion, designs or items you have for sale, seasonal items, recipes,etc. The connecting thread will be the color RED

As today's party favor you can take this with you

It can be copied and used for all sorts of things. Have fun.

An InLinkz Link-up

Flower Power Porch

Okay, last post it gave a little tease about the things I was redoing on the Kitchen porch..................................

This too is an on going project..it changes constantly. I took some things away and added others.

This 60/70's plastic wall hanging flower cart is a fav of mine, found at a yard sale along Rt 50 in Ohio for $5! in the early 90's  It pops on the wall

but what surprised me was a few years later...this Summer... I found a tablecloth that matched.....

I love these colors for the outside porch. reds, orange, blues, green and it is sooooo retro. And, you are not gonna believe where it's from....Wal-mart....I grab it up for $3.88. It was so large I was able to cover the table pictured above.......................

This cute..old...barrel table............

And, to add a pop of color to the 50's rocker sofa We picked up free from another yard sale a few years back.




Well, I need to close for now. Hope you're having a great Summer Day!

Creativity Under Construction

The past few posts have showcased my porch transformations over the past years. I know I said I'd show my porch for the 4th..........
well, life happens so, this Summer's porch will be a constant work in progress.
You remember the new block quilt, That is still in use, but I've changes the table............

 As you see I have added a new table topper, a ceramic pitcher in the 'Cades Cove' pattern that was purchased as premiums in the early 90's at Meijer grocery stores. The painted colonial lady is really a vintage Aunt Jamima syrup dispenser that a neighbor hand-painted. The crochet-lined basket filled with apples is always on the table. I added some Country coffee table books and the little watering can was a windchime that had lost it's chimes.

The new topper is a section of is vintage table cloth in a native american pattern

Last year...late fall...Jim surprised me with a new table and set of chairs for  the front porch........................................

 It was $40!! 2 extra chairs we $5 each. Its brown with red, blue, and green stripes on the chairs and the table is copper tone with glass top. It fit perfect.

I topped it with my brown gingham table cloth gifted to me by my blogpal Cindy at Whimsical Musings. The coffee pot, creamer, and sugar are in the center. I added vintage ceramic gingham inspired accents...
                              A pie plate and covered bowl.

You may recognize the center red, white, and blue runner..........yes, it is a piece salvaged from this once useful plastic table cloth that finally shredded. And, the best thing is actually matches the quilt....

 
.

See the floral print in the quilt. I can't believe the table cloth matches being purchased a year before the quilt. 8)

 I also have the little aluminum table still covered by a vintage hand-embroidered cloth....there are rust stains on it from when I bought it so I knew it'd be fine for outside.....and topped it with my Pigeon Forge Pottery bears, my wicker and aluminum basket filled with a spider plant We're nursing back to health, a hand-painted bottle, and 2 books on flowers and wreaths.

This shot shows my small raised garden filled with Chameleon plant, ivy, mint, and cedar. The trellis did have my Butterfly Bush growing on, but the winter did it in. You can see I have placed another rusted new oil lamp over this table too.
The other pair is still next to the swing.





Sigh......That's what's new on this porch. I was also able to start fixing my Kitchen porch....................................

This is a little tease for my next post......doesn't it look 60-70's?

Red White & Blue Rednesday

It's Rednesday Wednesday here at Brown Gingham Creations

That means we're gonna have a RED White and Blue

Blog Fest for the 4th of July week!

Rednesday is a weekly blog party celebrating everything RED. Sunset reds to garnet reds....tomato reds to strawberry reds...and every shade in between. I especially love this time of year with the patriotic reds....geranium reds....barn red....sunburn red...wait, wait sorry just kidding I am just  soooo excited it's Summer. LOL.Posts can showcase vintage finds. collections, decor, fashion, designs or items you have for sale, seasonal items, recipes,etc. The connecting thread will be the color RED

Okay, before you take off stop by my party table

grab a seat.  Here's something cold to drink

You'll find the recipe Here or try this it's non-alcoholic

It's recipe is HERE

Don't forget your sandwich

Recipe HERE

And, come back for your piece if cake

Recipe HERE

Alrighty then all comfy? Let's go Blog Hoppin!

An InLinkz Link-up