Show and Tell Friday

It's time for Show and Tell Friday. If you would like to participate, drop over to Kelli's at There's No Place Like Home.

This week I'd like to show you a few fairies from my fairy collection.


The one above was given to me by Pea at Pea's Corner when hubby and I met her and Steve in August. I've made her a home in my china cabinet and she seems to be very comfortable there. She is awesome and I love her so much.

Can you guess who the above fairies are? They were in the animated Disney film, Sleeping Beauty. Do you remember what their names were. Flora (pink) Fauna (green) and Merriweather. I can remember these from one of the first movies I ever saw in a theater and of course, since I love fairies and saw these beauties at a bargain price, I snagged them. These are miniature Royal Daltons and stand about 5 inches high.

The fairies above were bought for me by the boys. They were selling them at the apple festival last weekend, so the boys bought them for me for my birthday, which isn't for a while yet, but they just had to give them to me and I wasn't going to refuse. I always like a new fairy to add to my collection.

The beautiful green fairy above is one that hubby bought me. She is a tealight candle holder and I love her. Along with some of my other fairies, she lives in my china cabinet.

I even have twin fairies, but they're not identical twins. Hubby bought these for me about 3 years ago for my birthday. They are so cute.

I hope you enjoyed my Show and Tell Friday. Have a great weekend and be sure to take some time to enjoy the simple things in life. ~Blessings, Mary~

Awards

I received the award below from Sammi, Tina, Storyteller and Hootin' Anni. Anni was the first to pass it along to me and this is the translation:

Translating the gift from Portuguese to English, it means: "This blog invests and believe the proximity' (meaning that blogging makes us 'close' -- being close through proxy) ... a LOVELY sentiment!

Thanks, Ladies. Each of you mean a lot to me, as does your friendship. The award below was passed on to me by Storyteller and Jojo. It is beautiful and I'm touched by your generosity. I'd like to pass this on to everyone who leaves a comment on this post.

The Best Friends Forever Award was given to me by Pea. I would like to pass this on to all of the authors of blogs that I follow. So if you see my avatar in your followers, be sure to snag this one.

This delightful "You Rock" Award is from Tina. She and I met a number of years ago when we both wrote for the same website. We have kept in contact ever since. Thank you, my BFF. Be sure to take a copy of the above award. I value your friendship.

Storyteller created this award and passed it on to all of those who commented on a particular post. You did a great job with this, my friend.
The award below is also from Storyteller and I love it. Thank you, my friend for your generosity. If any of my visitors would like a copy of this award, feel free to take it.
And yet another from Storyteller. Wow! I have a fan and a very generous one at that. LOL Thank you so much. This one is cute. I would like to pass this on to everyone on my blogroll. If your name is there feel free to take a copy. Mike, be sure you take a copy of this one.

Storyteller asked some of her friends to comment on some awards she had made and I did so. She awarded all who commented with the cute award below. It is adorable.

Thanks to everyone who has presented me with an award. I value each of them and will add them to my awards page as soon as possible.

I would like to present all of my friends with this animated friends button. Right click and "save as." Since blogger doesn't like animated graphics, upload it to photobucket and then add the HTML that's provided to place it on your blog.


Have a great Thursday. ~Blessings, Mary~

Reminder: Exactly three months from today is Christmas Day. LOL

A Family Treasure

On Tuesday morning I stopped in to see Mom. Today is her birthday and she will be 81 years old. She is going with her friend to the US for a day of shopping, so I won't see her. I wanted to spend a little time with her and we had some business to do and she wanted my help.

Just before I left Mom's, she was showing me the quilts that she had made for the babies of the family for Christmas and the presents she had bought for her granddaughters. We stepped into her bedroom and I saw something that I hadn't seen in years. I exclaimed how I loved it and she told me to take it home.

Apparently this photo of my great-great grandparents, Jim and Elizabeth, has been in the basement since Mom moved for the farm. Mom found it the other day and decided it needed some TLC. She brought it upstairs, dusted it off and wondered what in the world she'd ever do with it. To me it is a real family treasure. The frame is damaged but I told her that I would touch it up with a bit of paint or dye and hang it over my antique wash stand in the computer room.

When I brought the photograph into the house, hubby asked if that was my grandfather, who passed away at the age of 93 in 1998 - on hubby's birthday no less. I told him no, it was my grandfather's grandparents. He commented on how Grandpa Jim looked so much like my grandfather.

I have heard stories of Great-Great Grandpa Jim all of my life. He was a veterinarian, but doctored as many people as he did animals. He delivered many babies in his life and faced such things as smallpox, scarlet fever, polio, cholera and the black plague, which hit this area in the early 1920s. What a time for him to be a doctor. I'm sure there were times when he was bone-tired from keeping watch over humans as well as animals. He drove his horse and buggy to the homes of his patients through rain, hail, wind, sleet and snow. Well, he drove the horse and sleigh in the winter. What doctor would do that today?

I never knew Dr. Jim. He died before I was born, as did his wife, Elizabeth. The couple had seven children. They were Nettie, Nell, Jennie, Dave, James, Hugh and William. Of all of those children, I only ever knew one and that was Uncle Hugh. He was very old when I was young and died about the time I was 4 years old. I can't remember much about him, but do remember that he stayed at my grandparents for a time.

I am very interested in family history and this old photo has piqued my interest in genealogy even more. What about Grandma Elizabeth? What kind of a life did she live, taking care of the house without any modern conveniences and raising seven children? How did she feel about Dr. Jim being called out to care for sick humans and animals all times of the day and night? What about all of the times that Dr. Jim was away for a few days performing his duties as a physician and veterinarian? How did she cope? If only this antique photograph could talk. What a story it would tell.

Unfortunately, the antique frame, which is the original, is damaged. Here is where I'd like your opinion. I want to touch the frame up with paint or dye, as previously stated. Hubby wants me to leave it as is. He says that it will lose its originality if I do that and he thinks that would devalue it. Of course I never plan to sell it, so I can't see where it would make a difference. Please leave your opinion in the comment area. Should I touch up the frame or leave it in its orignal frame with the damage?

Have a pleasant day and enjoy the sights, sounds and fragrances of the season. ~Blessings, Mary~

A Visit to Princess Point

Sunday morning both hubby and I were up early, so we decided to take a drive to Princess Point in Hamilton, Ontario. We had never been there before and I had heard that swans gather here before migrating south for the winter.

It was a little overcast and we were hoping we didn't get rained out. Here's hubby looking at the map of the area. He doesn't even know that I took this photo.

This is the first thing we saw when we walked toward the trail. What a beautiful view. This area is so scenic and the panoramic view is spectacular.
I love weeping willow trees and there were a few big ones out on the point. You can see some of Niagara Escarpment on the right.

As we crossed a foot bridge and entered the trail, we saw wild roses blooming. Most of them were spent and we saw plenty of wild rose hips. These weren't fragrant but were very pretty. I haven't seen wild roses in years.

Along the trail was a historical plaque that explained that Native Peoples lived in this area. They were Ontario's first farmers. They grew corn, squash and beans that were known as The Three Sisters. They would have also harvested the wild berries and fruit from the area.

White currants, as well as red and black grow along the trail. This area is abundant with all types of currants.
Beautiful wildflowers bloomed on the sides of the trail. These were so pretty and as you can see, a few of the leaves are beginning to turn color.

Another view of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment. We were looking for water fowl, but there wasn't too much here. Maybe we were too early or late in the season. If you look carefully in the right middle of the photo, you can see a white dot. That is a swan. It is the only one we saw. As swans mate for life, I assume this one lost its mate. It was nowhere to be seen.
As we walked along the water, we saw some Mallard ducks. They are very pretty with their green heads.
I have been trying to remember what these birds are called. You can see it almost mid photo. It and a few others like it were diving for food. If anyone knows what it is, please let me know in the comments. I should know this and it's driving me absolutely crazy. LOL

Folklore says that if the pinecones are at the top of the trees, there will be a lot of snow in the winter. This tree was loaded from top to bottom, which indicates we will not get a lot of snow this winter. I hope the pine tree knows the message it is sending. It was very beautiful with all the cones. The contrast between the green and brown was astounding. It was about 40 feet tall and was very old.

I hope you enjoyed coming along with hubby and I to Princess Point. If you are in the Hamilton area, be sure to take time to walk the trail and view this natural area. It's awesome.

Have a great week and remember to do a kind deed or two. Even a smile can brighten up someone's life when things are getting them down. ~Blessings, Mary~

The Apple Festival Part II

Aahhh! Sweet success! Blogger allowed me to upload the rest of the photos from the Apple Festival. If you didn't read part one, you can find it HERE.


This is the booth where I bought Brandon the goat milk soap for his face. He has a lot of dry skin and the lady shown here, selling her wares, explained that goat milk soap is more natural than other soaps. So Brandon is going to give it a try and his face gets itchy and he is beginning to show the first signs of acne. This lady makes all her own soap through cold processing. I would like to know more about making soap and one day I'd like to try it. Grandma used to make her own soap and I know it is hard work, but the rewards are awesome.

Brandon and Mom headed back to the van and Jordan and I went to see if the book was still there that he wanted. It was and he was delighted. He is crazy about dogs and this one was The Dog Who Thought He Was Santa Claus. He thought it would be good reading a little closer to the holidays and I agreed. I don't mind buying the kids books. I encourage them to read and since it was Scholastic chapter book, the price was good.

Jordan liked the car above. I believe it is a Firebird. I did look at the names as we walked along and tried to remember all of them.
He also liked the car above. It was a beauty. The man had it sparkling clean inside and out and not one mark on the upholstery anywhere. It was easy to see he takes good care of it. Jordan was amazed to find out what a running board was and the man let him stand on it.
Ah! Sweet memories of days gone by. A Thunderbird. No suicide doors however. Jordan had never seen one of these before and was enthralled with the spare tire on the back.
He couldn't believe that anyone would put Howdy Dowdy under their car hood. In fact, he laughed when I told him that when I was young that my brother, sister and I used to watch Howedy Dowdy after school while we were doing our chores. This is one of my favorites; both the style and the color suits me well. I would love to own a care like this with the beautiful chrome and the whitewall tires.

When you compare what was under the hood of this baby with what is under the hood of today's cars, the difference is amazing. Oh, to own a car like this one and it came all the way from Florida.

Jordan loved this car and I haven't seen a Cobra in years. The owner was very protective of his baby and I can't blame him. He told Jordan he could have his picture taken beside the car, but not to touch it. Jordan was up for that. He loved the cobra on the side of the fender, just in front of the door.

After seeing the cars, we headed back the the van where Mom and Brandon were enjoying an apple dumpling. Mom had bought some at one of the booths and she said they were delicious. She offered me some but because of my diabetes, I declined.

As we were heading out of the village for the drive back home, we saw other vintage cars heading to the Festival. I guess they were a little late.

It's always nice to get out and about in the fall. I'm writing this Sunday afternoon and hubby and I just got back from a drive. We ended up taking a walk in a nature area. Photos in the next day or two.

Enjoy your day and be sure to take some time to enjoy the season. ~Blessings, Mary~

St. George Apple Festival

The boys stayed overnight at my place on Friday so Mom could have a Girl's Night Out. Dad was working.

Early Saturday morning, we headed out for the St. George Apple Festival. It is an annual event, but we had never been there and neither had Mom, so we stopped and picked her up before we headed out.

The photos aren't in the order I wanted them because Blogger is giving me a hard time. At least I got them uploaded. For a few minutes I didn't think I was going to be able to.

In the morning there was a scarecrow contest. Now if you are a regular reader, you will know that I love scarecrows. There was a variety but I only took photos of a few.
The scarecrow above was right near a kids' book display. Jordan looked at the books and saw a couple he liked. This was near the beginning, so I told him to look around and see what else they had. If we didn't find anything else he wanted then we would get it on the way out. He did get a book when we were leaving. It was titled, The Dog Who Thought He was Santa Claus." That should be fun book for him to read. There was nothing for Brandon's age but he has a lot of reading to do in school this year, so he didn't mind.

This guy was cute and was guarding the telephone booth and the food booth.
When I first saw the Granny Biker Lady scarecrow, I had to take a second look. She looked mighty real sitting there with her back against that pole. If she didn't take first place then the judges weren't seeing the scarecrows through my eyes. She was awesome.

Jordan took the photo above. He is a dog lover and thought that sign was just great. It is a no pooping sign for the lawn. I'm sure if hubby made his mind up to do so, he could make him one.
Both of the boys were enthralled with the wooden toys. An elderly man made these and he also had transport trucks, fire trucks with ladders and airplanes. Brandon is thinking he would like a career in woodworking and he mentioned that to the man at my prompting. The man told him to forge ahead with his dream that cabinet and furniture makers made good money. That made Brandon stop and think.

This booth was the first one we saw when we got to the apple festival. It should have been first, but as I said, Blogger was being difficult.
This booth had lots of handcarved wooden items. The stools were well made and very intriguing.
Above is a beautiful green area with a fountain and lots of lush greenery. In the summer this area would be alive with blooms.

Jordan wanted some candy floss and since we didn't get to the local fair this year, we got him some. Brandon got a candy apple.

Brandon was not in a good mood today. Here he is giving me "the look." Mom is watching to see what I'm going to do. The best thing to do when Brandon is being like this to say, "Brandon, that's enough," and then leave him to sort it out for himself. It makes him worse if you harp at him. He has been having a difficult time with his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder lately. He was well behaved, but was just being ornery. I told him that Grandma could be ornery too if he didn't settle down and so he just kept his looks and thoughts to himself. Sometimes it's difficult to decipher if he is being a teenager, if his Asperger's is making him act the way he does or the Obsessive Compulsive. He has a lot on his plate, for sure. If we don't know what to do, how can he? And remember, kids with Asperger's Syndrome dislike crowds and noise. This wasn't really crowded nor was there a lot of noise, but if Brandon wasn't feeling up to par, it may have been enough to bother him.

This couple had a very pretty booth filled with autumn decor items for the yard and home. They also had a few Halloween things.

The booth above was all about gardening and had some plants in some nice rustic planters. I enjoyed browsing and so did Mom.

Can you believe that the flowers above are made from apples. Apparently Mom had seen these before, but I hadn't. The greenery is artificial but the flowers are made of apples.
This man could play the pan flute and make heavenly music. I would have liked to look at his booth closer, but I knew we were going to lose Brandon if we didn't hurry along. I didn't want him to have a meltdown, as this would have made everyone, including him, feel bad.

I bought some goat's milk soap for Brandon, as he has a lot of dry skin on his face. He told me he would use it and a woman was selling it. She makes it herself and says that many teens use it for skin problems. I did get a photo of her booth, but Blogger won't let me upload it.

Mom and Brandon headed back to the van, while Jordan and I went to see if his book was still there. It was and I told him that it must have his name on it or it would have been gone. He thought that was funny

As we walked back to the van, we saw a few vintage cars. Again, Blogger won't let me upload those, so I will save them for another day.

Enjoy your day and be sure to take some time to stop and smell the roses. ~Blessings, Mary~