Super Thingmaker

You probably know by now, I love vintage things and reminiscing about the past. As a child, I remembered seeing a box up on a shelf that used to scare the poo outta me but I couldn't specifically remember what it was. In fact, I thought it was a game because it was on a shelf with other games. A few months ago, my sister, Sheena, and I were talking about some of the things we absolutely loved as a child. This is when we thought about the Super Thingmaker and Sheena told me that dad still had his!!! I then looked it up online and as soon as I saw the box, I knew instantly that the crazy fanged, one-eyed man on this box was the exact freaky thing that I remembered from so long ago! So, I asked Sheena to photograph dad's Super Thingmaker for me.... I can't believe dad still has most of the pieces and it's in such good condition!! I can't wait to see it with my own eyes again when we go back to Minnesota this summer! There were still pieces in the box that he had made way back then.... probably 30 years ago! I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I do!

The box.... the exact box I laid my poor little frightened eyes on! See how scary he is??????

A peek inside... Wow, huh?




My dad's name made out of Picadoos

A faux cut and stitches on Sheena's hand! :)

Frederik Meijer Gardens Butterflies

I absolutely love seeing the butterflies at the annual FMG Butterfly Exhibit! It had been years since we've gone for school field trips (although it was Jeff's first time) so we decided to take the kids there last Friday morning. That place was a zoo so we didn't spend nearly as much time there as we wanted and I wasn't really able to photograph like I wanted to. I have a bunch of photos to go through yet, but here are a couple....

Brownie & Cocoa too!

Not sure I really like this picture... I was playing with light settings, so I might take another one. But anyways, here's my Brownie!

And my other find yesterday was a vintage Hershey's cocoa tin. I remember these as a child, having to pry the lid off with spoon.... which was exactly what I did this morning! I knew this tin felt heavy but never did I imagine it being completely full. I'm pretty sure it's expired... :)

What a beauty....

....too bad it was $375! Quite a bit over my budget for a vintage camera! :) It was on a beautiful wood tripod and everything! My heart pitter-pattered.
This vintage scrapbook was pretty sweet too!Grace and I had a great time antiquing today in Shipshewana, Indiana! I found an awesome Brownie camera and Hershey's cocoa tin (pictures to come)!

Book Report: Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Winter Garden…. Wow. I cannot stop thinking about this book. I have had Kristin Hannah books on my to-be-read list for quite some time but never read one. On the recommendation of several people, I finally picked up Winter Garden. My only disappointment is that I didn’t read it earlier. While I kind-of felt the book started off slowly, I soon realized that all the detail and establishing family dynamics and characters was absolutely necessary. After about 100 pages or so, I found myself not able to put the book down and by the end, I was absolutely captivated. Last Saturday night, I laid reading in my bed and knew that I wouldn’t be going to sleep until I finished. At midnight, I laid there with tears streaming down my face, soaking my pillow on both sides of my head, while I finished this unforgettable story. It was probably at least another hour or so before I was able to fall asleep because I could not stop thinking about the story and the characters.

I am hugely fascinated and do a ton of reading on WWII and the holocaust but not once have I read anything from the Russian perspective. I found the history and siege on Leningrad heart-wrenching but absolutely amazing. During this time, men were required to leave their families to fight in the war which left behind the women and children. What these women and children went through was absolutely devastating. They lived on little food, cold winter conditions…. Many didn’t survive. This story is about a lady named Anya who grew up in Leningrad during this awful time. She now lives in America with her husband, Evan, and two daughters, Meredith and Nina. Anya, a very cold and almost rude lady, has been telling her daughters a fairy tale, which essentially is an abbreviated, watered-down version of her true life story. Anya spends a lot of time in her winter garden where it is frigid cold, which doesn’t seem to phase Anya. When Evan falls ill, he makes a dying wish and makes Nina promise to get Anya to tell them the entire fairytale…. all the way to the end. The book goes back and forth between modern day and Anya’s life back in Leningrad…… all the way to the end of the stories.

Although you may have to push through the first part of the book, you won’t be disappointed to read this, especially if you are a fan of WWII and/or historical-focused fiction. Lately, I have been reading some great books….. and it takes a lot for me to rate high enough to be a favorite, but this book is definitely made that list.

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