Black Eyed Susan's Kitchen

WHAT YEAR IS THIS???

           This was the view down Monmouth Street in Red Bank, NJ last night. The car show was just part of the fun. The front of this Pontiac is all about style....and check out the hood ornament. Have I told you how much I love the Count Basie Theater? I know, I have said so too many times, but who wouldn't love a car show and a free movie. Last night we saw American Graffiti and it was the first time I have ever seen it. It is going down as one of my all time favorites...seeing Ron Howard, Harrison Ford and Richard Dreyfus when they were "babies", not to mention Mckenzie Phillips. It was a fantastic date night and it was free. Check out the station wagon (we had a similar one when I was a kid but it was red) and Miss Poodle Skirt. She was really in the spirit for the movie. Here is my husband enjoying a Super Bee. He loves cars, especially old muscle cars. You know how I knew what this car was? Hah, and you thought, "Wow, that girl really knows her cars." Thanks to the help of my husband, I finally got a decent picture of the ceiling inside the theater. Stunning! The lobby and seating area of the theater have been restored and they will eventually be working on the rest rooms and other areas. The last movie in their "free" series will be Pretty in Pink (embarassing, I haven't seen that one yet either) on May 6th at 7:30. I am really looking forward to it.
♥, Susan          

LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE VOLUNTEERS

                  Three days of over eighty degree weather, and the garden state is indeed, living up to its name. Everyone is weeding, seeding, mowing and planting. As I was walking the perimeter of the house and garage, I noticed a few unsolicited suspects like the lovely dogwood (which was a tiny volunteer a few years ago, and look how it is now a tree!), and behind it, this Japanese Maple tree. I am actually noticing several, which would be great if we lived in the forest, but we don't. Trying to maintain a balance of relaxed woodsy gardening and planned, specific garden beds, I always feel guilty pulling out volunteers like this one. We replanted one near the driveway and walkway last year, but now I am seeing several of these. We have two very mature Japanese Maple trees on our property and now the third replanted one, so maybe it is time to do away with a few of these volunteers. Last year we also found this pussywillow volunteer that we have moved from the backyard to the front. Speaking of the front yard, my first purchase from the nursery this season, some geraniums. We always had geraniums growing by our front door when I was a young girl, and of course, their scent brings me back home to my Mom, so I love to have them there whether I am coming or going. I hear that the weather will be turning tomorrow and getting back into the fifties, so I will practice restraint in the garden for a little bit longer.
♥, Susan          

BLUE MONDAY WINNER, YARD SALE RECAP, & LILAC LOVE

                  Happy Monday to everyone. It has been one heck of a busy weekend, and if you are living in the vicinity of the New York, Metropolitan shore line, than you are enjoying some stunning weather. The sky is a lovely shade of blue and it just makes you want to be outside today.
                   Let me start with a little lilac love. The blue of the sky, the green of the trees and the lilacs....such beauty could only be heaven sent.  These pink lilacs smell Divine.  Just stunning!
            Moving on to the yard sale round up, I have to first say it was a huge success. We had everything out and ready to go by 7:30, and people straggled in slowly for a few minutes, and then from 8:00 on, it was bedlam. A big thank you to Red Bank Green for the post on Friday. Many people showed up at the sale because they read about it first. Jenny wanted to know how I felt about the sale. It did make me miss the store a little bit, and I really enjoyed chatting with all of the people who came by. All of the fabric sold quickly, but my favorite was the woman who bought the bolt of leopard faux fur. I had to ask what she planned to do with it...she has a doggie boutique and is planning to make little coats out of it. I just loved that! People walked away with handfulls of books and tablecloths, all of the furniture sold, and we were very pleased with the results. A big thank you also goes out to our helpers, Jenna, Ian and Brian. We couldn't have done it without them. The biggest surprise came Friday night when daughter in the middle showed up completely unexpected. She grabbed a ride home from school with a friend (everyone knew, but me) because she wanted to surprise me....it was pure happiness.
              Now for the Blue Monday post...Last week, I posted a give away for this lovely blue kitchen witch....drum roll please.... Isn't this a pretty tablecloth (lol)...I know, you are dying with anticipation and I should get on with it... and the winner is Ruby! Please send your address in an email. When you have a moment stop by Smiling Sallies blog and visit all of the other Blue Monday posts...they always make me smile :) and you will too.
♥, Susan      

UNEARTHED FOR THE YARD SALE

                   Going through all of the containers and boxes in the basement, I am finding things from when I had an antiques store many, many years ago, as well as items from the Black Eyed Susan's Kitchen store that I had only a few years ago. Little time capsules that are not really that easy to deal with. One of the boxes that I opened had a collection of white pitchers. Some vintage porcelain and some modern. I also found the wedding bell and white rose wreath. There was also a box of vintage/antique Libretto's. Making their way to Saturday's yard sale,  will be everything that you see here including some Royal Doulton Antique things like this pitcher, a basket full of vintage playbills and other ephemera. The 40's, 50's and 60's when smoking looked glamorous and Gwen Verdon was the star on Broadway. Sigh.... These came from a time and place when people could afford to go see a Broadway show, and these people must have really enjoyed it. Once upon a time....I hope someone will want to buy these. Sigh...again.
♥, Susan

Oh, and don't forget to stop here and leave a comment for the witchy give away!     

ARE YOU A GOOD WITCH OR A KITCHEN WITCH?

          Whilst cleaning out the closets this morning, I came upon this cute little kitchen witch who just happens to be the perfect shade of blue. She was the last of a large group of witches painted by my mother in law to sell in my store. There is a Scandinavian legend that says that if you have a kitchen witch hanging in your kitchen, she will keep your pots from boiling over and your pans from burning. I already have mine in my kitchen...she is wearing red and has brown hair and eyes (looks quite a bit like the cook ;~)...me).  She's just too darn cute to sell at the yard sale, so, I would like to offer this witch in a GIVE AWAY! In honor of Blue Monday and the fun link at Smiling Sallies blog, She is my Blue Monday post, and if you leave a comment on this post, she may be yours. I will randomly pick one commenter next Monday. She looks as good from the back as she does from the front. I hope everyone had a good weekend and is enjoying their Monday.
♥, Susan     

A YARD SALE WEEKEND

               To take a break from preparing for next Saturday's sale, I went to a few yard sales in the neighborhood. Funny, I know...it's not like I need to go to see how it's done. I could probably be a professional at it, but it is more like a sport to me.  Wake up early, gear up, (coffee, some money, local listings of sales...check,check and check) and enjoy the lovely weather. That I could talk my husband into enjoying this with me, well, that's just a bonus. I only found a few items that I had to have, these over the top fun cookie jars, which I bought for my pal Beth because I knew they would go with her collection, and from the same sale, this totally signed up Lladro bride and groom figurine (because for some reason I need to collect these things? ). The grooms boutonniere is missing 2 petals, but for the very inexpensive yard sale price, I grabbed it anyway. At one other sale, I found this crystal bowl? I am sure it has a proper Victorian name, but it was dusty and dirty and I thought it was pressed glass. Very heavy, and 18" tall... for the 5.00 I figured, if it wasn't that nice, I could always resell it. I gave it a soap and water bath, and as I was drying it I noticed that it was lead crystal, and had the most delightful ring to it when pinged. Definitely a keeper.
           At one yard sale, I notice the next door neighbor putting up a new fence. He had taken down the old white picket fence. I asked what he was planning to do with it, and he said that I could have it as he was planning to toss it anyway. HAPPINESS!!! The veggie garden in the back yard will have a new picket fence around it, with a new gate and then we will plant flowers around the outside of the fence. Shabby new fence going up...check.
           Just so you don't think that it was all fun and games this weekend, here are a few more items making it to the yardsale   for next Saturday, and now our neighbors will be joining in as well. Is there anything better than going to a yard sale and finding several others on the same street? There are a few boxes of signs, left over from my store, and there is furniture galore, that will be coming out of the garage and the basement, and all kinds of baskets and boxes and what nots. Old corner hutch to keep them in,and there are more linens, and other items. There will be more must have fabrics like this bolt of faux fur leopard print and for those who love to cook, at last count, I have come up with more than 50 cookbooks. Hopefully the weather will hold out and it will be a fun and joyful...and probably exhausting event.
♥, Susan            

THINKING IN PINK

               Spending the week going through boxes and containers in the basement and closets was starting to get to me today, so I decided to take a little break and think in pink. Pink is one of those colors, a state of mind really, that always makes me smile. I finally remembered to contact Beverly of How Sweet The Sound and ask to be included in her Pink Saturday link up. Please check her blog and all of the other Pink Saturday posts..they will make you smile. Pink was as far away from the cobwebs in the basement as I could get today...everything outside has turned pink. The cherry blossoms, the magnolias, and the tulips that the deer made a mighty fine lunch out of.Here we have some vintage tablecloths that were pulled out of one of those cobweb enclosed containers. I just love having the table on the screened porch covered with one of these during the summer. More pink flowers to make me smile and hopefully to make you smile too. These are the keepers for me....now back to the dungeon (oops, I mean basement) for me. This is going to be one whopper of a yard sale.
♥, Susan 

TAMING THE MAGPIE THAT IS ME

                  There is little doubt that I was a magpie in a previous life. Every so often, the need to horde shiny objects will resurface. This becomes a problem when you have crazy amounts of storage space and too many good opportunities. We are planning a gigantic, blowout, clean out the house yard sale. I have spent hours and hours now, looking through boxes to decide what will be included. When we moved into our house, 12 years ago, we had boxes from previous moves that were stored in the garage. An unfinished basement that our children originally roller skated in, has now been filled, and the many, amazingly large closets in  this house are also full. Hmmm...isn't that why we bought the house in the first place? Tons of space?
                    We want our space back...or at least some of it, so here is a partial list of what we will be offering at said yard sale which we hope will take place on April 25th. There will be dishware, new, as in this 2's company pitcher, and vintage, as in this cute little Lefton set. We are talking mountains of dishware  and there will be vintage linens and fabric on bolts, both vintage and newer, with enough yardage to cover furniture. The list is endless, from toile tea cozies, to hand painted signs and furniture, and speaking of furniture, we have a corner china cabinet, a vintage secretary, an oak desk, a pair of wingback chairs, and several other interesting bits of furniture, including this old foot locker. There will be boxes and boxes of books, pottery, art pottery, framed artwork,vintage ephemera, a tantalus, boxes of hammered aluminum a hockey helmet,  and of course there will be lego's and a vintage English picnic hamper with enamelware containers and plates. This really is the tip of the iceberg...there is sooo much more. Bakeware and cookware and items from my now defunct store that have been packed away in containers. Now it is back to the basement to see what other goodies I can find. If you should find yourself wanting to attend this yardsale, just shoot me an email and I will give you the specifics.
♥, Susan                 

THE PASSOVER VISITOR

            No, it wasn't the prophet Elijah who showed up while I was setting the table for our Seder tonight, It was a deer! We never see deer during the afternoon around here, and the likely hood that I would have a camera in my hands....well, what are the chances? So, this lovely animal that has eaten our tulips and pea shoots, is getting pretty brazen.Glad my husband wasn't home to see this...he would not see it the way I did.
            The reason that I was standing close to the window, was to take a picture of the table set up for our 2nd night of Passover Seder. The place setting consists of vintage dishware that I have been collecting. Pink fiesta plates found at a yard sale last summer, English porcelain in pale pink with a gold rim, a Christmas gift from my husband many years ago, blue hobnail fenton glasses found at an estate sale a long time ago, and pink leather placemats found at Marshall's Home Goods two years ago. The Seder plate, we have had since my children were little. You will note, that we did not have a shank bone and so I replaced it with a wishbone. I'm just not cooking red meat these days. Each item on the plate has meaning and goes back to when the Jews escaped persecution in Egypt. I thought that the lemons in the blue banana bowl were a pretty touch to the table.I'm a little late for this, but I thought that I would link up to Susan's TableScapes Thursday post. Her blog, Between Naps on the Porch is just wonderful! You can see many other beautiful tablescapes from some very talented bloggers, and since this is a holiday week, these tables are really gorgeous, not that they aren't always, just more holiday-festive.
♥. Susan         

THE DEEP BLUE SEA

                     The ocean, the waves, the rolling back and forth of the tide, coming in and eating up the beach sand and then rolling back out, leaving treasure for us to find. Who can resist picking up these little pieces of seaglass as they walk the beach. Once a collection has begun, what is to be done with these pretty gems? A beautiful lamp base is what they have become, pleasing the eyes of the beholder every morning.
             Just a little extra something for everyone in the North East today, or where ever you might find yourselves on this stormy, dark, very blue Monday, this album came out of our "archives" yesterday. A favorite when I was in high school in the 60's and 70's and still a favorite today. Lost when I moved to the city, oh so many years ago, and found by my most romantic husband in the Village in New York many years later. If you look between the slats of the shutters, you can see how gray it is outside.
           Happy blue Monday ...when you have a chance, please hop on over to Smiling Sallies blog and see all of the other Blue Monday posts. There is also another blog, Between Naps on the Porch which happens to belong to another lovely Susan, who is sponsoring a a Metamorphosis Monday link-up. Great postings and fun to read.

♥, Susan