I love Disney!

 I love Disney World! I especially love Vintage Disney World. Above I have a picture of one of my favorite Disney Books. It is all about Walt Disney's vision for the park and different attractions.  I especially love the photos with people dressed in their Sunday best to go enjoy themselves on the amusement rides.

 Here we see an adorable girl is an adorable frock meeting Snow White. What a magical moment! You can see her brother holding the Mickey balloon is a little apprehensive.

 Here we have tin container of one of my favorite sweets, salt water taffy. This Mickey figurine just put a smile on my face.

 Here are several Disney character cups.  My personal cup is the Pluto, I feel like he is a classic unsung hero in the Disney franchise and they should really do more with his character. It seem everyone loves dogs these days.

 Here is a picture of a Mickey hand oven mitt, a coaster and some more little plastic figurines. I got these by going to a few seminars they were having at the park. You could earn these little toys when you asked or answered a question. You can also see a Victorian box of soap from the hotel Grand Floridian. That is one of my favorite spots at the park. I stayed there during my Honeymoon. It was very pricey but the high tae was to die for.

 Above and below we can see a variety of really fun Japanese candies and some adorable mini Hello Kitty stickers. They have a really fun part of the Disney park where you can visit small attractions from around the world in an international country showcase. I really liked the German Beer Garden's "all you can eat" buffet and Japan. The people that work in these different sections of the park are from the actual country and there is usually some customary performances going on.

 I love the candy sushi! One got a little melted. I also collect charms from the park. Here are just a few. I love the blue wizard hat. Below we can some assorted Japanese tea and bubble tea Tapioca pearls. I love bubble tea and it is hard to come by in Boston but it isn't hard to make assorted flavors yourself at home if you have the tapioca pearls.

 Here are a few of my boys meeting Mickey, what a thrill! I would strongly advise any one to take a trip to Disney it has something for everyone and it doesn't have to be outrageously expensive.For example, staying at a cabin in camp wilderness is a great way to cut down on food costs with their own eat in kitchens and barbecue grills. They also have camp grounds for tents and trailers. You are guaranteed to have memories that will last a lifetime.

A trip up North

This is the beautiful Von Trapp resort in Vermont.  It is a bit of a hike from Boston but well worth it is you love nature and beautiful scenic views.  It was home to the famous Von Trapp family of Sound of Music fame. I have been to Switzerland and the scenery here is very similar. I could see why a European family would want to make it their home. They had nice little gift shops and film about the history of the resort and the family. The restaurants were a little pricey but the condo had a full, beautiful kitchen so we didn't eat out much.

Signs for moose, deer and turtle crossing was not unusual. We were fortunate to see some of the local wild life from a distance. Moose are much bigger than I ever knew. There were plenty of bike trails and hiking trails not to mention the resort had a pool and tennis court.

This is a view from the balcony in the bedroom. Really quite breath taking and so serene to be sitting there with a big cup of tea and listening to the birds.

My children enjoyed it as well. Here are a few of my boys sun bathing. They were covering their faces because they didn't want freckles. Who ever said boys weren't as vain as girls haven't met my guys. We even managed to finish a puzzle we found in the cabinet of the condo. The puzzle picture was little winter-y but still quite rewarding, and good family fun.

The last two photos are just the boys hiking and getting ready to swim in this creek. It was freezing cold by the way. It was a great getaway.  Vermont has everything and it is an environmentalists dream. The people of Vermont really seem to embrace a good, natural, healthy quality of life. They are the home of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, yum,and some really great chocolate and cheese shops.Their bumper sticker says, " I Lovermont".........I have to agree.

Flag Day and Fairs

 Summertime is here. A time for cook outs, carnivals, flea markets, parades and the beach. Such a wonderful time of the year.  I couldn't resist taking a snapshot of this fun, brightly colored novelty display. You really can't go wrong with an inflatable pink unicorn.  I didn't realize how much I needed or wanted half of these items until I saw them.

 This mini Ferris wheel was just my speed.  I wish I had one of these in my own backyard.

 Here a couple of the boys trying to figure out how to make the plane rise up...they got the hang of it eventually.

 It has many names but I will always think of this amusement ride as the classic Tilt a Whirl....It never did tilt, just spun around as well as using hand propelled motion like the tea cups in Disney World. Classic nausea and fun.

Look, who could this be? It is Elmo and Cookie Monster of course and upon further inspection it was nice to see both were sporting lovey manicures in nice summer nail polish colors. I don't think my little guys noticed.

 Here are a few picks from Dedham's Flag Day Parade. It is the biggest Flag Day Parade in America. There were classic cars, Boston style patriot as well as many fraternal order and high school marching bands. There were many veterans as well as fire trucks, and police marching in full uniform or on horseback.

 Politicians, organizations and businesses were there as well. They all threw assorted candies, mardi gras beads and handed out American flags and red, white and blue memorabilia. The kids love it.

 There were a couple of old timey jazz ensembles and barber shop quartets, as well as clowns costumes and vendors selling their wares. Hot pretzels, snow cones and party poppers are always a hit. Of course the highlight of the parade was the display of small town American pride and waving of the flag. Politics aside it is always great to see people come together for love of country, especially in such an ethnically diverse town like Dedham. A great time was had by all.

Some of my Closest Friends

 Maybe I do have a little problem. I am addicted to dolls. All kinds. I have literally hundreds. I have some over a hundred years old and some I just bought this year. Here are just a few different kinds of dolls I like. Starting with Barbie. Yes I love her...but it more about the fashion. I mean so many fashion designers collect Barbie.  I have several from Bob Mackie. I even heard Andy Warhol collected her. I am friends with many Barbie collectors around the world through Facebook. It is reassuring to know I am in such good, crazy company.

 Here are some of my Dawn Dolls. They are from 1970. She was like a mini Barbie doll and had just as many cute fashions and accessories. The great thing about Dawn is she could fit in the average size doll house. I remember giving her out at my seventh birthday as party favors. My friend recently gave me the two she and her sister got at my party. Imagine, their Mom saved them.  There are lots of advantages to being a hoarder.

 Next we have some antique German dolls. I have at least ten. They have beautiful glass eyes. They really freak out my husband and sons.

 Here was Mattel's Dawn-like knock off. The Rock Flowers. They were also sold in the U.K. but were nowhere as popular as Dawn.

 Heres a cute celluloid, mini walker from the forties. They were very sweet stringed dolls that could swing their legs and move their head from side to side by pushing them across the floor.

 I love when worlds collide. My father gave me this beautiful classic Ponytail Barbie giving gifts to snow babies. It was a very pricey gift and I really love it.

 Here is another Barbie knock off. At first I thought she might be from Japan but I think know she is from America. She is a tiny bit taller than the Barbies of that time.

 This is a Tressy Doll. Her hair used to grow and you could wash and style it. She came with a lot of cute outfits as well.

 This is a boudoir doll or a dresser doll by the Bradley doll company. I think every girl in the seventies had one. Some were even made into lamps.

 Here is an imitation Skipper doll. This is her original outfit.

 And of course I needed to add Liddle Kiddles. I have many of them. They have so many different kinds and themes, they are a pricey thing to collect. These are a few perfume Kiddles. Anyway, I thought I would share just a small part of my crazy obsession.  Have a great week!!!

Valentines Day almost here!

 It was very cold here in Boston this morning but the sun was out and the birds were chirping. There is a belief that many of the winter birds pick their mates mid February around St. Valentines Day. The birds are making such a commotion out there I would not be surprised. I have a really optimistic feeling that spring will be here in no time. However, the foot of freshly fallen snow tells another story.

 With the season comes sentiments of love. Boxes of chocolates, cookies, cupcakes and of course conversation hearts....which are manufactured right here in Massachusetts. They are made at the Necco factory. The company name might have changed. Necco wafers, Smarties and Marshmallow Peeps all made their debut here in beantown. However, to me , they are the "hot dogs" of the candy world. I appreciate them for nostalgic novelty reasons and not necessarily for taste. They have come to be a Valentines Day staple. Little cinnamon hearts were once a staple as well but I haven't seen them sold in little kid sized boxes for Valentines Day for years. I think peoples tastes just change. I know horehound or clove candies and Good and Plenty licorice bits could be put in the "old fashioned favorites that noone really likes" category.

 These beautiful roses are from Chick!!! We had a business meeting and she came bearing gifts. Thanks Chick, these preppy pink and green roses really classed up the joint. You may also see the very large heart shaped candy box. I drag it out every year. My husband game it to me when we were dating. It had five pounds of Fanny Farmer Chocolates. It was amazing. I asked him why he doesn't shower me with gifts anymore..he said, "I already got you, so why waste the money." Those are the words of a real Romeo, really warmed my heart.

 Here is a very cute little mechanical doll from the 1940's. She is actually a roller skating doll but she doesn't work anymore. I just love her cute expression!

 A view from my window. It is really a lovely winter wonderland out there. I'm not up for shovelling though. I am suppose to have guests over tonight so that requires digging out a parking spot as well. I will wait and see if the sun melts it a little. I don't want to over exert myself unnecessarily.

 There are beautiful but deadly, heavy icicles hanging off windows and roofs in the neighborhood...another reason to not shovel.

 No one does Valentines like the eighties. Here is one of my vintage paper cut outs. There are a lot of bears with lace collars and patchwork pillows. Disgustingly sweet stuff.

 Wrapping up this rant with a picture of some comfort food for my sons and their friends. Nothing satisfies a bunch of teenagers like superbowl fare. Last night we had a after sports event, full house.  Chili and sausage subs with red sauce and provolone cheese was just the thing on a cold night, everyone left  full and satisfied. I always forget that I love this time of year. Keeping away the cold winter blues.

Dribs and Drabs

Here is a darling vintage planter I found in a drawer at my mothers summer cottage. She bought the cottage with all things included. There are quite a few little vintage gems kicking around.

Here is a little set up in the kitchen.I love the 50's decorated plates. The little figurines are calender girls holding a flower for each month. Very sweet. And of course a Virgin Mary statue.

I really would love to take one of these barbeque platters, but I think it would be noticeable if one went missing. I suppose I could just use them when visiting.

Here is a love latticework apple pie from Boston's Humble Pie company. It was so good and I threw in a totally gluttonous picture of our Chinese food lunch. Talk about MSG headache.