Carole’s Country Store Blog

Good morning everyone. It’s a dark and rainy morning here in Wilmington, cialis DE.  I can hear the ships blowing their fog horns as they sail down the Delaware river. It’s raining hard, but it’s mild today, and the snow that we got a couple of days ago, is almost gone. It’s the perfect day to stay inside and snuggle up with a good book or better yet, the magazine, A Simple Life.

I am thrilled to be offering this wonderful magazine on my website. The Spring issue is now available. This is the first time I have seen this magazine in person. I have been wanting to get a copy for myself and offer it to my customers for a long time. I finally got around to it! I can’t say enough about this magazine. I love it and I don’t think I’ll be renewing my subscription for another magazine that I have been getting for many years. “The Simple Life” magazine  has everything that I have been looking for in a magazine. If you love primitives and country homes like I do, you will love it. It’s jam packed with beautiful pictures of country homes, interesting articles, ideas and recipes too. You don’t want to miss it. I promise you will treasure each and every cope of this magazine. I have 11 copies available right now. I will have them available on my website later this morning. I also want to mention that there is another favorite magazine that is out right now, called Early Homes. This one also comes out 4 times a year, so there is no subscription available, but it’s worth tracking down. I am pleased that they chose another of my photos for their Advertiser Index page. It’s another good, another of my favorites. There’s a nice article about a couple that collect painted primitives. Love that!

Happy day

Carole

Hi everyone. I went out antiquing for primitives on Sunday and found some nice items. I just wanted to let everyone know. I just put them in my website store. It was a beautiful day, thumb and I was on the hunt! I love it when I find more then one item. I have to go now and put in the mortar and pestle, shop forgot that one, have to put that one in right away. It’s a nice one with a red wash and some red paint.

I also have a wonderful early 19th century, possibly late 18th century, storage box with original bittersweet paint and square nails. A beautiful, large sugar bucket with original pumpkin paint. A wonderful basket with it’s own lid,  two bunches of early stone grapes and an early brown and cream fabric covered book with an inscription inside. Have to go now.

Oh, how could I forget, an early spice chest with original oyster paint.

Happy day

Carole

Yesterday being Valentine’s Day, decease I thought about  the people I love most. My husband, my children, and my mother. I know how much so many of you like knowing how she is, so many of you have written to me, telling me how much you relate to what she and I are going through. I realize it’s been a long time since I have talked about her. Sometimes I think it’s maybe too personal to be putting out there on the internet. It’s funny, I sometimes feel like I am betraying her in a way, but I know that’s just a feeling, and sharing my story helps others feel they are not so alone if they have too have a loved one with the same decease.

This photo was taken 4 years ago, when we drove to Rehoboth Beach for the day. I remember the whole way down, she never initiated a conversation. I remember thinking how sad that was.

Today if I take her out for a drive, she talks more. She enjoys looking at everything. I honestly feel that she is better then she was a couple of years ago. I know that’s hard to believe, but I think she is doing better since I had her taken off medicine for Alzheimers. I swear she is so much more alert. Even her eyes look brighter.

My mother was never diagnosed with having Alzheimer’s desease. She has Dementia. I never really understood the difference, but I do now. I guess you could say that my mother is more high functioning then the rest of the people in her unit. It’s tough because she knows it, and I hate that she does.My mother still remembers so much. She know who I am. She knows she is my mother and she knows that the photo of the man on the table next to her bed, is my father. Recently, when I visited, she said, “Can I come to your house with you, just for a couple of days. I won’t be any trouble. I ‘d like to see Bill. Maybe I can help you cook. You can put my hair up in curlers”, she said. I think she is remembering when she did live with me, she did help me cook, and I did put her hair up in curlers. “All the people walking around here are like zombies”, she says. What can I say? I know she would do better if she lived with me. There are many reasons why that is not possible. I wish that there was another unit, where should could get the care she needs and be with people she could talk to. My mother is in the nicest facility you could wish for, but unfortunately everyone with Alzheimers and Dementia are put together in one section, and it doesn’t matter what level they are. That’s the worst part. Darn.

Carole

Carole

I have had this little book, medicine Hearts by Mary Emmerling, search since the 1970′s. I put it out every Valentine’s day and I love to look through it. Tucked between the pages are special little cards and notes given to me by my family over the years.They mean more and more to me as each year passes. Each one has a special memory.

I have always loved Valentine’s day. I remember when I was a little girl, my mother and I would sit at the kitchen table and make our own Valentines together out of paper doilies and red construction paper. Maybe add some tin foil for shine, and of course glitter. I also enjoyed going to the 5 & 10 cent store to buy  a package of ready made Valentines. It was so much fun. Everyone brought Valentines to school to give out to special friends, teachers and classmates.

What is it that draws us to the heart motif, that simple appealing shape of the heart? This 19th century slaw cutter caught my eye because of the handcut heart, so sought after by collectors. I have it for sale on my website,  Carole’s Country Store. If you’re a heart collector, it’s makes a great addition to your collection.

They not only reflect romantic love, but also the love between family and friends.

That’s the great thing about hearts, everyone loves them and we all love to receive them.

I took this photo of an early heart stool a few years ago at an antique shop. I wish I bought it. I love it.

So to all of my customers and blog readers, today I send love, and American country hearts to you, from my heart to yours.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY EVERYONE

Love,

Carole

I had mentioned that I would be going antiquing this past Sunday, cialis weather permitting. I had to pick up more handmade textile hangers from my Amish man. It didn’t snow. Hooray! I’m going! I didn’t want to leave on an empty stomach, sildenafil so I made myself a health drink. I have been making these for years, seek but now I add a new ingredient, frozen broccoli. Now don’t say yuk until you try it. Here’s what you do-

1  part soy milk

2 parts juice

1/2 cup low fat yogurt, vanilla or plain

1 banana

strawberries, blueberries, mangos, any kind of frozen or fresh fruit

a few pieces of frozen broccoli, chopped is best

sprinkle of wheat germ and ground flax seed. Be sure to store these in the refrigerator

Blend until smooth.

I promise that you will NOT taste the broccoli, but you’ll get all the benefits of a healthy green veggie. Try this with your children, but don’t let them know the broccoli is in there.

Okay, back to antiquing. I had a pretty good day and found a few new items for my website. Everything will be in there today, so be sure to take a look. This is a small preview. A very early 19th century slaw cutter, maybe earlier,  with a heart cutout, with original dry surface.

A wonderful early mirror in it’s original condition. Nice early ones are very hard to find. Early brown ladies lace up shoes.

These were just too irresistible. They just look perfect when hung on a peg rack with the shaker style hangers.

Be sure to stop by and take a look, you never know what could be waiting for you. Now go make that health drink, it’s breakfast in a glass.

Happy day everyone! Think Spring.

Carole

I’m getting ready to go out the door, ed heading up to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. All of the Shaker style hangers that I have for sale on my website are sold, so I needed to get more from the Amish man that makes them for me. Of course since I am in that area I’ll be antiquing for you, and I am hoping to find lots of new items.

I had an email from Anne Hermes the other day. She is an artisan in the American Artisan Store. She makes wonderful miniature quilts out of early fabrics. This is one of my favorites. I have always loved the log cabin design.

She sent a photo showing me how she is using my Shaker style hangers to display her wonderful quilts and her her own home. I loved her idea and wanted to share with you.

She simply attached velcro to the hanger and the quilt. Easy! It would work equally as well with either hanger. The photo below shows the back of the hanger.

If you love early textiles, this is a great way to display them on a peg rack or wall. Did I mention that they are made of early wood from old salvaged shelves from a dilapidated early cupboards, and they are copied from early Shaker hangers. I love that!

Happy day!

Carole

I can’t believe it’s February already! It’s been a wet and snowy winter so far, there but still not as bad as it was this time last year. Days like these really get me in the mood for cooking and baking. I want to get out to the store before it gets too icy. I’m going to make some soup for dinner, ampoule a salad and good crusty bread to go with it. I think I’ll make halibut chowder with spinach. It’s such a hardy soup, try yummy too. I also want to make a pound cake. The recipe I have have makes a great big cake. It’s delicious, one of my favorite recipes. Cooking and baking feels good in this weather, but so does playing around the house. It’s also nice to buy yourself a little friend to play with. A customer emailed me the other day. She said she wanted to buy herself a treat, she wanted to play. What better way to boost your spirits then buying a new doll. I have to admit, I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow my love for dolls. What is it about them that still makes us feel so good?

Happy day

Carole- who is finally off to the store!