Recycle. Refurbish, Repurpose. Reuse.
When I was 10 years old, my mom put my 4 year-old sister and me into the car and drove us to the machine shop where my Dad worked. It was lunchtime on Christmas Eve. The employees, about a half dozen in all, had stopped work for the day and were gathered around the lunchroom… Continue reading Collecting Christmas
Built in 1798, the Unionville Tavern in Ohio's Western Reserve, became a rest stop where weary 19th century passengers traveling by wagon or stagecoach could find a hot meal and a warm bed. The Unionville Tavern Two hundred plus years later, the Old Tavern holds special memories for me. It was the place my… Continue reading A 200 Year-Old Secret Recipe: Unionville Old Tavern’s Corn Fritters
2020. The year we stayed home. I don't have to tell you how difficult it's been. The year has been filled with challenges for everyone. My sister and I have spent much of our "stuck at home time" these past few months sitting in our living rooms watching TV and listening to audio books as… Continue reading Going Green With The Homeless Barbie
My only daughter was a tomboy who never had any interest in dolls. Both of my grandchildren are boys. So when my sister and I began the Barbie holiday donation project (which you can read about in an earlier post) I had not picked up a Barbie in 50 years. Barbie House by Mattel uxe… Continue reading Barbie, You’ve Come a Long Way Baby!
I tore this recipe out of magazine many years ago and it has since become one of my "go to" recipes for Thanksgiving desserts. This year, I opted to make it a few weeks early instead. My husband usually likes to eat his pie warm from the oven. But this one, in my opinion, is… Continue reading Aunt Bert’s Raisin Cream Pie (You only think you don’t like Raisin Pie!)
My sister has done the most of the sewing for our Barbie Christmas donation project. Julie has made over 120 pretty little Barbie outfits including gowns, sundresses, pants, shorts, coats and more. All sewn by hand! A fascinator for Barbie's special occasions! I have busied myself with other creations. I made my own pattern and… Continue reading Barbie Loves a Good Hat!
My sister and I are lucky that the Barbies we are refurbishing for donations to Christmas toy drives are in good condition. Most just needed a comb run through their hair. But what if you want to change Barbie’s hair style or you have a doll whose hair resembles a rat’s nest? Lucky for the… Continue reading Refurbishing Barbie: Messy Hair Gets a Re-Do!
Creating a storage box for Barbie and her accessories. I ran out of house photos for the box lid but a piece of original art will serve this one well. As my sister and I contemplated how we would package the refurbished Barbies, clothes and accessories we were putting together for holiday toy drives, we… Continue reading Building Barbie’s House From a Shoe Box
Home at the WhackyShack 