Weighing In....

Apparently, scales are a big hit out there in "blog land"....  I have a set from my grandparents that are of the "produce" or "grain" type.  Meaning that they are hung from the ceiling with a pull down metal bin on a chain. I have them down at the seafood shop for display purposes and I get comments on them all the time.

  

I found this one at an antique mall a few weeks ago.... not quite sure what I'll do with it (other than use it as a prop for cool photos) but it was a steal of a deal and I couldn't pass it up. 

I like the text on the side best of all...

So... weigh in.  Are you "into" scales or no?

 

Spicin' Things Up....

Sometimes my kids crack me up.  My two youngest are 14 & 15 (soon to be 15 & 16).  Up until the last year or so, my youngest has always had to be told to take a shower every day.... not sure why, but apparently hygiene was low on his list of priorities!

Thankfully that's changed (I think it has something to do with discovering girls...but I digress).  He loves him some Axe body products, but that stuff is not cheap!  A couple of years ago, my Uncle Merrill took both of the boys for a week over the summer holiday.  He hooked them each up with a "ditty bag" of their own.

*As an aside.... not sure why we call it a "ditty bag", but I always have.  It's the term my father uses and apparently my uncle as well.  Maybe it's a military thing... maybe we're just weird.

Anywho....my uncle hooked them up with a "toiletries bag" complete with electric razor, toothpaste, brushes & floss, and a bottle of his personal favorite.... Old Spice.  Carson now loves him some Old Spice! (my thanks to my uncle.... much easier on the wallet!).

When we were in Mass. over the holidays, my man brought this home for the boys.

It was his father's and he has many a fond memory of his dad using it when he was little.

And my sons?  They love it 'cause it was "Pep's".

Putting Your "Guard Up"...

In addition to my obsession with vintage glassware (read here) and my thing for china (read here), I have recently started my search for this...

This is Guardian Service Cookware.  The first time I had ever seen it was at my man's parent's house.  At the time, I didn't get the opportunity to cook with it (his father was the "head chef") but I did notice that they were the only pots & pans his Dad used.

I did a little research on my own, and found out quite a bit...

"Century Metalcraft Corporation of Los Angeles, California manufactured Guardian Service cookware from the mid 1930s until 1956, when the plant burned down.  Independent salesman sold GS cookware similar to the way that Tupperware was sold during the 1960s.  A hostess would host a party at their house, and invite several of their friends over.  At these dinner parties, the GS salesman would prepare a delicious meal for the guests, all in hopes of selling them some of the GS cookware.

GS cookware was considered to be an expensive set of cookware during the 1940s and 50s.  It would cost about a month's pay to buy the full set.  In today's dollars, that would be about $2,500!  In many cases, the dinner party guests would only buy one or two pieces."

You can read the complete run-down here. 

I found my first piece (pictured above) by chance at a local consignment shop recently.  I'd been stalking Ebay for a while, but just couldn't justify the prices (combined with shipping) that were out there.

I paid $15.95 for the pot & lid and both are in mint condition.  I've found several of the same, in worse condition, for sale for $35 to $45, so this was the deal goin' on!

But the best part is definitely in using it!  We've gotten used to that oh-so-wonderful-Teflon (that is anything but!) and the over-priced celebrity chefs hawking their wares, that we often look past what was used in the past!

This stuff cooks like a dream (and food doesn't stick!).  It's heavy, retains heat, and cooks more evenly (quicker) while being safe to use on the stove and in the oven.

The piece I have is one of a set of three, that when put together form a circle.  The shop I found it in had 2 more pots (sans lids) for $9.95 each.  I might have to go back and get them.... maybe Ebay has cheaper lids!

So what pages do YOU take out of someone's past?

Shoppin' the 'Rents House....

My parents are the original "collectors" in our family.  I can remember going to garage sales with my Mom on hot summer mornings.... rolling through the "good" neighborhoods in our Delta 88 looking for treasures.  It's something that has stuck with me to this day, and one of my fondest memories of spending time with my Mom.  That, and stopping for a snack at the lunch counter of our nearby Roses.... good times!

To say their house is jammed packed would be a slight overstatement.... but not by much!  Recently they have started "uncluttering" and this is what was slated to go to the Goodwill after Thanksgiving.

Score one for me!  Now I just have to find a place for everything....

I told them when they started "uncluttering" the carnival glass collection, let me know... but I won't be holding my breath!

Linking to....