Design Notes:Vintage Milton Bradley World Map Puzzle

I am a huge fan of good design.

I look for it everywhere, and I love all the different places I find it.

In an old car.

In an old sign.

In pots and pans.

In painted cuckoo clocks.

In books with great end papers.

In paint by numbers.

In Christmas ornaments.

An in far more things than I can continue to list here.

I pay attention to fonts.

I have favorite illustrators.  (her!)

I notice the lines of a piece of furniture or the shape of a roof line.

And when I see good design at a garage sale, thrift store or estate sale, I snap it up.

Like I did this old puzzle.

I have to admit, part of the reason I love this puzzle is for nostalgic reasons.
I remember doing this puzzle in the back of Mr. Walker's classroom in elementary school.
I loved it then.
I love it now.
The puzzle has 2 sides and I always liked the world map side much better than the United States side.
I liked the art better on the world map side.
Still do.


Just look at that sun.
Isn't it some great design?

I like the stylized water.
And I remember how much I loved those cute little Arctic animals.

This dragon is so cool.
Or is it a sea serpent?
And I like the font used for the names of the oceans.
I actually remember that font distinctly.  
I must have done this puzzle a number of times.
A large number.

I like the color choices for the map.
I really like the way this pink looks against the water and all that green of Canada.
Also, notice that big muscle car, front and center for America.
Really?  That's what we're about?
Oh yeah, this puzzle is from 1975.
Muscle cars were big then--especially in Detroit.
That little hula girl in the corner is pretty cute too.

I had forgotten all about this puzzle until I saw the box at a garage sale.
I gasped and scooped it up.
I clutched it to my breast and was flooded with good memories.
The bean bags at the back or Mr. Walker's classroom and all the hours I spent curled up there with books.
My classmates--I still remember many of them.
First names and last.
And how, even then I dreamed of exploring the world.
Things haven't changed.

I bought the puzzle for a quarter.

The boys and I put it together and discovered it was missing some pieces.

(can you tell what state that is that's missing over there on the right, by the Pacific Ocean?)

We kept it, and the kids still love to put it together.

They like the art just as much as I do.

But I would like to find a complete puzzle.

It would be fun to glue it together and hang it up.

I have a mild obsession with maps and globes.

Apparently I have since childhood.

I think these puzzles were pretty popular, but I only found 1 on Etsy.

What I'm thinking is that one of you must have one of these lying around in a closet somewhere.

You want to send it to me.

I'll pay for the shipping.

I'm just putting it out there to the blog universe.

It might work out for me.

Good design--it's everywhere.

Just don't forget to look for it.

Love from,

Greta

Working

Hey there!

So I am trying to do some "remodeling" here on the blog.

I have absolutely no idea what I am doing, and therefore, the previous post was written and posted.

I wanted an "about" page and that was the only way I could figure out how to get one.

All of you computer savvy types are probably laughing at me right now.

How about instead of laughing at me, you just get your booty over here and help me make my blog work the way I want it to?

Or I can just keep struggling along here and look dorky.

Whatever, I'm cool with that.

Just stay with me for the next few days.

There won't be much new content, just some kind of new look to this space.

Feel free to leave me helpful comments if you have any.

And keep in mind that if you write all techy I'll have no idea what you are saying and I'll cure up in a ball and feel like I am in algebra again and hating every minute of it.

Love from,

Greta

About Me

Hi, I'm Greta.
I love morning light and the smell of arugula.
I drink strong coffee with lots of cream and sugar.
Cream.  Never the fake stuff.
Vintage book sales give me a rush.
I think bird watching is really fun.
Mid century modern design is where it's at.
I'd like to become an expert at pie crust and cake baking.

I'm married to an artist.

We have 4 little kids.

I stay home with them, and teach them at home, too.

You can read about that part of my life on my other blog, Lilly and The Brothers.

This blog is for the other part of my life.

The part that loves a great vintage find.

The part that loves mid-century design.

The part that loves made from scratch banana bread and homemade tomato soup.

The part that likes to plan parties.

And stops to take pictures of old signs.

The part that is restoring our little 1952 home back to its mid century glory.

The part that buys glass, French, lemonade bottles so she can reuse them for her own lemonade.

The part that takes her camera everywhere she goes and can take 200 pictures in an afternoon.

The part that stays up far too late every night to write about thrift store scores or vintage children's books. 

These are the things that make me smile.

I don't have a lot of spare time, (OK practically none) so instead of watching tv at night I blog.

And while I never get to devote the kind of time to my photography or writing that I' d like to, I am still pleased as can be that my blog has been featured on these other blogs: Apartment Therapy's Ohdeedoh, Shelterrific, Babble, Bake It Pretty and all of you other wonderful bloggers who have linked to me over the years.  

Keep it up.  It makes my day.

I'm glad to share the little things in life that bring me joy.

Thanks for being here.

Love from,

Greta

*View my profile here*

The Clock is Ticking

55 days.

I am trying not to feel panicky.

It still seems like ages before this baby will arrive, but then I'll open up our front closet and look at this and I feel the heart palpitations begin.

Not really.

OK, maybe a little bit.

I just organized this closet 3 months ago.  

A basket for my shoes, Aaron's shoes and one for the kids.

But "people" began to ignore which basket was for which shoe, and then James' baseball stuff got tossed in there and the dust bunnies moved back in and soon it looked like this again.
And I know if I don't do something about it now, June 20th will roll around and I'll have no more time to think of organizing closets.
EVER AGAIN.
Not really.
OK, maybe a little bit.


And so, as I listen to the clock tick and feel each kick of this sweet little baby who is quickly running out of room, I am stemming the rising tide of panic and I am conquering one project at a time.
Yesterday I tackled the closet.


I got a little help from a couple of builders I know.
They even shared their tools.

Honestly, I despise reading, and trying to figure out directions for something even so simple as a shoe shelf from The Container Store.  (all organizing products were on sale last week.  FYI, a pregnant lady should not go into The Container Store when organizing products are on sale.)
I find these little building projects annoying and rather a waste of my time.  
Like jigsaw puzzles.  BORING.
Really there are just things I like doing better, like baking, and I know I can just hand the job over to Aaron.
But James made me persevere.
"Come on Mommy, we can figure it out together.  We just have to keep trying."
Why do they always have to throw your words back in your face like that?
Rude.

So we did.
And they hammered in tiny nails and screwed in screws and truly were a help to me.

When we finished, we were all pretty proud of the shelf we built.
Although, James was disappointed that he did not get to use either his saw or drill.
But still.  Success!

Lilly helped me organize all the shoes, baseball stuff went in the red basket, the dust bunnies were kicked out and I felt my heart rate slowing down.

From this:

To this:

Yeah, I know it isn't all cuted out.  I'd love to paint the inside of the closet a bright color, to hang some art, and make all very blog worthy.
But at this point I'll settle for organized.
I only have 55 days after all, and at least that many more projects.  
Or something like that.


So, for those of you who've walked in these shoes, what are your secrets for preparing your home and life for baby?  I know I've done it 3 times before, but I'm never against learning something new.


Before I go, let me tell you to be sure to swing by tomorrow for a great post.  
I am entering previously uncharted territory and it is sure to make you laugh. 
I laughed at myself quite a bit while prepping for it.
Until then.
Love from,
Greta


PS. James wanted me to take a picture of him at least pretending to saw.
So I did.
And William, well, that boy is just pure entertainment.

Where I've Been and Some Beautiful Figs

I know I've been gone a lot.

There has been a lot of life happening lately.

Some of it very good and some of it decidedly not.

There have been adjustments to new routines and schedules, and some how I find myself with a lot less time for me.  The hour or so I spent blogging every night has just disappeared.

We are rolling on a new wave and it has taken a while to adjust to the changes.

That is why it was so nice to take a break from it all last week and spend time in one of my favorite places, the Central Coast.  

It is restorative to me in every way.

I have oodles of pictures and discoveries to share with you, but for now, I'll leave you with these.

Aren't they beautiful?

We bought them at the famous SLO Farmers Market the night before we left.

The produce on the Central Coast blows my mind.

I could move there tomorrow just for the farmers markets.

It was nice to have a taste of vacation the day after, when I was suffering from vacation sickness.  These figs were perfect with my sandwich made on fresh olive bread from the French Bakery in Cambria, (we brought a loaf home) with an heirloom tomato from a small farm near Paso Robles and a ripe avocado from another farm.
I wonder if my kids will grow up thinking every mom takes pictures of lunch or it's just their mom that is the weirdo?

Looking forward to sharing some autumnal goodies with you as well as a lot of Central Coast love.
Hoping I can get back into the swing of things.
Love from,
Greta
PS.  I thought these were honey figs, but actually I think they are a kind called Conadria.  I really want to plant a fig tree.  These ones are in the running.

Hope is the Thing With Feathers

This has been a difficult week for me.

And I think about today, a day when so many lives were changed forever, and it does not feel any easier.

We all face tragedies in our life--some are great and some are small.

Some affect many and some we walk through alone.

This life we walk on earth is rich with joy, but there is also sorrow.


We started our back to school routine this week.  That means we met our home school nature study group for a hike, poetry and art at one of our favorite nature centers.

While we were walking the trail, my William spotted this bird up ahead.  We stopped to watch him for a few moments until he flew away.
A bit later, I saw this poem posted on a sign along the trail and I was reminded of how much I love it.
It felt like a gift.

Hope is the Thing With Feathers

Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words,

And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little bird

That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,

And on the strangest sea;

Yet never in extremity,

It asked a crumb of me.

I am looking ahead with hope.

May you also, as you walk this earth.

Love from,

Greta

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."  2Corinthians 4:18

Simple Ways To Keep You Cool

It's been freakishly hot here.  And humid.  We don't do humid here.

It is hard to get anything done.  

It is hard to not be cranky.

It is hard to be anywhere but the beach.

Did I mention that I don't have an air conditioner?

There are only a few days of the year that I really want one.  This is day 5 that I want one.

Until one appears, here are some of the ways we're coping with the heat.

Tip # 1:

Inspired by this, we've been making Sun Tea.

The kids are totally into it.  They like to watch it get darker.  They're so easily pleased.

Plus, it tastes good.  Cause sometimes you just get sick of drinking water.  And my kids rarely drink juice.  Tea is better for them.  It's much cheaper than juice.  And it cools us down.

I use a fruity kind of tea so I don't have to use much sugar and I use decaf.  Duh.

Try raspberry, peach, or even orange.  Mint is also really refreshing.  

You'll be pretty glad you did.

Tip # 2:

Get out the Blow-up Pool.

If you are lucky enough to have a real pool, just skip this one.  If not, go buy a big blow up pool right now.  My kids spend HOURS in this.  It is the best $30 I spend of the summer.  And when it is hot enough, I go in too.  They love that.

Sometimes we even fill up other things with water too.  Cause it's just that hot.

Tip # 3:

Make your own Iced Coffee.

Every morning I make a little pot of espresso in my Bialetti.  I can't drink the whole thing (Aaron can--crazy man!) and so I mix up the rest with some milk and a bit of sugar, and pop it in the fridge or freezer.  By late afternoon, when the decaf tea is no longer doing it for me, I pull out the iced coffee and instantly feel better.  Also, I didn't spend $3 at Starbucks.

What, you don't know what a Bialett is?  I can hardly bear to drink regular coffee anymore.  We love ours so much, Aaron painted a picture of one for our kitchen.  You can find one here.

Tip # 4:

Stock your freezer full of Homemade Popsicles.

These are the best thing I've done for myself in a while.  Every afternoon, my kids are clamoring for a cool treat.  They've been in the pool for hours.  They've worked up an appetite.  

The ice ream man rolls by and they beg for a Bomb Pop, or a Spider Man ice cream.  

Gag.

Not only do those things taste gross, they cost a small fortune and they are terrible for them.

(Have you noticed I am kind of a cheapo when it comes to food for these kids?  And a bit of an ingredient freak?)

I mean, the ice cream man is fine for a special treat, like once a summer, but every day?  No way.

So I make these pops for them.  they get one very day.  

They don;t even ask for the ice cream man any more.

BAM!

And they are super cinchy to make.

Here are the details.

The particular batch we are on right now is made up of:

1 bag of frozen, organic raspberries.  (the seeds are so good for digestion and the frozen are so much cheaper.  Of course you can use whatever kind of fruit you like.  It is fun to try combinations as well.)

1 cup or so of vanilla yogurt

Enough milk to make it blendable

2 tablespoons of Flax seed meal (or more if your kids won't mind)

Sugar to taste, or honey, or agave nectar

This will require 2 batches in your blender.

So blend half and pour into mini Dixie cups.  I used the size that are often used in the bathroom.  They seem to be just right.

Blend second half and pour into cups.

Put all the cups on a tray and put into freezer.  

Check back in 15-20 minutes.  The pops should now be thick enough for you to put in a Popsicle stick and it will stay up.  If it falls to the side wait another 5 minutes or so.

As soon as they are frozen through, throw them all in some freezer bags and you have treats enough to last you a couple of weeks.  At least.

(Here's a recipe for blueberry sour cream popsicles.  They are fabulous)

And they won't even know how good those treats are for them.  They just know they taste good.

How are you keeping cool now that we are in the dog days of summer? 
Hope your weekend is cool--in more ways than one.
Love from,
Greta


Another way to keep cool?  Hitting the beach over at Lilly and the Brothers.

Urban Foraging and Blackberry Crumble

We went blackberry picking last week.

Not out in the country, or on a u-pick farm, but right in the middle of the city. Orange County, suburban sprawl, next to 405 and John Wayne Airport.

It was great.
If you don't live in southern California, you might be thinking, "so what? I can walk out to my mailbox and pick berries any time I want to."

I know all about you, you Pacific Northwesters. You and your roadsides brimming with berries. Aaron and his family drove to Alaska when he was a little boy and one of his favorite memories is how they would stop in the morning to pick fresh berries from the side of the road and his mom would put them in their pancakes.

It sounds pretty nice. OK, it sounds stinking amazing!

But we don't have that here.

Or at least I didn't think we did. Turns out we do. You just have to look for it.

This is where we found these berries. It is a lovely place to pick, even with its close proximity to the city.

There are other places too. In fact, there is a whole movement of people who are interested in finding fruit that is otherwise not being eaten and taking full advantage of it.

It's called Urban Foraging, and you can read an article about it here.

I have always wondered about trees laden down with oranges that no one is picking. Apricots falling to the ground. Loquat trees full of fruit that no one seems to want.

What becomes of all that fruit?

I'll take it.

When we were kids we always did. Anywhere there was fruit that wasn't in someone's yard was fair game. There was a street in Fallbrook, the town I grew up in, lined with pomegranate trees. It was called Pomegranate Lane and people went there and picked them by the bagful. There was a giant loquat tree just up the hill from our house. Oh how my brother and I loved those ripe loquats. They're the ones with the big shiny seed in the middle. No one else seemed to eat them.

That is the idea behind urban foraging.

Rather than let the fruit go to waste (or to the birds and squirrels) pick it and make something like this:

There is a distinct pleasure in filling your bucket with berries you've picked yourself, adding a bit of sugar, oats and butter,

slipping it into the oven and enjoying it with a bit of ice cream.

Urban foraging? I'm all for it!

If you don't live near our blackberry spot, take a look at this site to see if there are any good fruit picking spots near you. You can even take a walk through your neighborhood and if you see fruit laying on the ground, offer to pick it in exchange for keeping some yourself. Urban foraging requires you to be a bit bold.

Or, if you can bear to share any place you know and love, do tell. I'll even keep it a secret if you want me to.

Happy picking!

Love from,

Greta

__________________________________________

The Crumble

To my understanding, the difference between a crisp and a crumble is all in the use of flour or oats. A crumble uses oats. I think. If I am wrong, please correct me.

Our crumble could not have been easier. It took James and I about 3 minutes to make. Now that is my kind of dessert.

Directions:

Spread berries in the bottom of a buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with a bit of sugar.

Choose size according to amount of berries you have. We didn't have a lot, so we used a small dish and had a single layer of berries.

In a bowl, combine 1 and a 1/2 cups of oats, half a stick of butter cut into small pieces, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, a teaspoon of cinnamon. (If you have more berries, make more oat topping)

I used my hands to blend the butter into the oats.

Crumble oat topping over berries.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until the berries are bubbling and the oatmeal topping is crisp and golden, but not getting too brown.

Top with ice cream and enjoy the fruit of your labor!

History

I got these bowls this weekend. They belonged to the lovely lady who once lived in the house that will, in one week, be mine. She seemed like my kind of girl. She had blackberry bushes and made jam. I can't wait to make jam! She had an apple tree and made apple pies. She canned tomatoes and made fresh squeezed orange juice for breakfast. 
I like her.

Her son gave me these bowls, along with a desk, a high fi, a box of sewing pins and a book of embroidery stitches. Oh, and a very cool, mod looking night table. It felt a little weird to be taking these bowls from his parent's house, but he assured me he wanted me to have them. I told him that I love to cook and every time I used them I'd think of his mom. His eyes welled up, not for the first time that day, and he said he'd love that.

When we found out the sellers wanted to meet us, we thought it was a bit strange. Why? To make sure they really wanted us in their childhood home? To ask what we were going to change and then give us the veto? But it turned out to be a lovely, sweet and moving experience. 2 of the 3 brothers were there, and they told us about growing up in that house, the windows they broke and the neighbors they still know. They shared their family history with us-- the family who is going to make some new history in that house. I think it was a way for them to remember their parents and their past. Sharing it with us it helped them to keep the memories alive.

By the end of our meeting, I felt readier than ever to move in. I want to pick up where their mom left off, caring for my 3 little ones in that house and mixing up some pancakes in those bowls. In our own little way, we are making history.
Love from,
Greta