Choosing Voluntary Simplicity » Antiques & Simple Treasures

The Mister & the Missus

Shirley — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:06:25 +0000

The Mister and the Missus stand on top of my refrigerator, and they have been a part of my kitchen for many years. I think having a few non-functional treasures like these around adds warmth and character to any room, and I especially like these figures because to me they look like a cruder version of the people in the Grant Wood painting "American Gothic" (minus the pitchfork, of course!).

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My White Ironstone China Pitcher — J.&G. Meakin

Shirley — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:38:43 +0000

This pitcher and I have a history. The first time I saw it was after an elderly aunt asked me to feed the cats and dog, gather the eggs, and take care of the chickens while she was recuperating from a broken hip. Every morning and every afternoon for over three months I walked up the hill toward the old homestead to "do the chores," and I would see this pitcher way up in the loft window of the barn, perched rather precariously on a huge pile of what appeared to be just junk. Even from that distance I could tell that the pitcher was old, and I often thought what a shame it was that it was part of my family history and it had just been thrown away.

Antique Stoneware Rolling Pin, Blue Wildflower Design

Shirley — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:15:56 +0000

With Thanksgiving almost upon us, and a big pie-making day looming in the very near future, it seems an appropriate time to write about my favorite rolling pin. This rolling pin is old and is made of stoneware, with a blue wildflower design. This particular rolling pin was made around 1880 by the Fulper Brothers Pottery Company in Flemington, New Jersey. Another company, called the Brush Pottery Company, also made stoneware rolling pins with the same wildflower pattern, but these seem to have been made a few years later and there is an obvious difference in quality of the wildflower design, with the designs on the Brush rolling pins being a darker blue with thicker lines that are often smeared.

My 1902 Antique Baby Nurser

Shirley — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:39:31 +0000

This antique baby nurser dates back to at least 1902, because I know it was used by a certain relative in my father's family who would now be 106 years old. There were fourteen children in that family... three older children born to the father and his first wife who died when those children were very young... and eleven more children born to the father and his second wife. I am sure this nurser was used by more than one of those babies throughout the years.

The Pig in Our Garden

Shirley — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:33:43 +0000

A few years ago we met up at the local post office with a distant neighbor who commented on how huge our pig was getting. She went on to tell us that she always looked for the pig each time she drove past our house and that she was almost always able to see him moving around somewhere in our fenced-in gardens or yard. She said she had always thought that pigs were destructive diggers, and that ours must be a most unusual pig to be allowed to roam freely throughout our gardens without damaging our flowers and plants.

Pure Food Sanitary Cooking Ware

Shirley — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:02:05 +0000

This bowl came from my father's family. I'm not sure exactly how old it is, but I know it was still being used in the early 1900's as a favorite casserole dish by one of my relatives. Although I never knew her personally, I am lucky to know quite a bit about this woman and her husband. She gave birth to twelve children and raised eleven, plus three others from her husband's first marriage. She was often called to nurse the sick and deliver babies. She took in boarders, including the local schoolteacher, and made butter and cheese to sell. In photographs she is never smiling, but people who knew her remember her kind nature and the way she always whistled hymns as she worked.