Musical Monday

Happy Monday, everyone.  I am looking forward to a smooth and lovely week.  Did you read that, powers of the universe?!  I've been listening to a lot of songs on repeat lately, especially the first two on this playlist.  I have a real love for good dance music and Robyn just fits that bill.  As for Fast Car, it's just such a solid classic and Tracy Chapman's voice is unlike any other's.  Some of the other songs on this list are more recent additions to my heavy rotation, but there are a few that have been there for years.  I hope you enjoy!

Kewpee Hamburgers

This post could also be called "The Time We Drove The Whole Way Across Ohio For A Fast Food Joint", but the above title is shorter.  Really, though, we drove the whole way across Ohio to visit a fast food restaurant.  I don't know where or how I first found out about Kewpee Hamburgers, but I knew I had to visit.  So this place originated in Flint, Michigan in 1918 and there are still three locations, all located in Lima, Ohio.  I was warned by at least one friend that Lima wasn't really an exciting place and probably wasn't worth driving out of our way, but since when do I listen to anyone?!  After scouting the locations online, I knew which one we had to visit.  It was built in 1939 and, from the photos, it didn't look like it had really changed much over time.  I was definitely not disappointed! 

How perfect is this tiny building with the giant naked Kewpee on top?!

 Adorable Kewpees everywhere!  I wish I had taken a photo of the cute old man who was eating in the rear booth.  Right next to him, above a doorway, was one of their slogans, "Your grandpappy ate here."  It seemed so fitting!

I'm sort of regretting that none of us actually ordered a hamburger, especially since the cup says they make your heart go flippity flop.  The pecan pie, fries, and frosted malt were all pretty tasty, though.  I saved one of the cups and the sweet cashier was kind enough to give me a few of the unused fry containers when I was purchasing some mugs for souvenirs.  I still don't know if Lima has much to offer, but the Kewpee Hamburgers is so worth the drive!

Musical Monday Returns

I thought about making a playlist of what I've been listening to lately, but really, it's the same stuff I was listening to when I last updated this blog and probably when I started this blog and possibly for the last ten or fifteen years.  I'm a creature of habit.  Instead I'm having a sad return to Musical Monday.  I'll try to make up for it with something lighter tomorrow.

I can't recall the last time I felt really emotional over the death of a musician.  It was probably Kurt Cobain and I think I cried when Jerry Garcia died, but that was more about never being able to experience another live Grateful Dead show.  I was also an overly-emotional teenager for both of those.  But the death of Scott Hutchison, the singer of Frightened Rabbit, earlier this year, hit me really hard.  I've been absolutely enthralled with Scott and his band since seeing them open for Death Cab For Cutie back in 2011.  We had no idea who they were at the time, but it was instant love and I came home from that show and downloaded all of their music and it's been on heavy rotation ever since.  There are a handful of bands who have gotten me through the dark/rough times, bands whose words I relate to and singers who feel like they're speaking right to me.  This is one of those bands.  He was one of those singers.  After his death, it became evident that he was one of those singers for so many of us.  This Pitchfork article probably explains it much more eloquently than I ever could.  So I'll leave you with that and a few of my favorite songs.

Let's Catch Up!

Hello!  I've made several attempts at posts, but nothing has stuck.  I'm still busy, just like everybody else, and still wishing I had more hours in the day.  Again, just like everybody else.  As my boys get older, though, it feels like life gets busier and time somehow speeds up.  That's part of the reason I should get back to posting regularly, to sort of freeze time and be able to revisit adventures and experiences.  I can't imagine there are many of you still out there, after so long without a post!  The longer I neglect this little blog, the more difficult it is to come back to.  I miss typing posts and sharing photos.  So I'll give it a try again and hopefully there will still be some people visiting my page.  At the very least, I can still count on my grandma to check out my posts!

In the nearly nine months since my last post, we've had tons of family adventures.  The photo above is from my birthday adventure to Pittsburgh, taken at Randyland.  I seriously need to do a post on that, because the place is magical (both Pittsburgh and Randyland!) and that visit is sort of responsible for reigniting my creativity and helping me get back to regularly working in my little happy space on doll faces and other art.  The boys have also continuously grown, but I think that's what they're supposed to do.  They keep me busy, along with the sometimes hectic day job, my handmade business, and my new role as bear den leader to the most awesome group of kiddos.  So there's a quick update, now I just need to stick with it and get back into the blogging groove!  Thanks for reading, especially you, Grams!

Lunchtime Walks - Zion Reformed Church of Christ

We recently had one of those rare warm January days, so I forced myself out of my office and out on a walk.  I love the old buildings in the town where I work, especially some of the beautiful old churches.  I've seen the cemetery behind this particular church many times, but I've never ventured in.  The founder of Hagerstown, Jonathan Hager, is buried there and there are so many lovely old headstones.  Although the church is situated on the corner of two fairly busy streets, the cemetery felt peaceful and I think I got lost in trying to read the old markers and make out the well worn symbols adorning many of them.

Rewind to Fall

When the bitter cold of winter came, it hit extra hard.  Fall had been so lovely and mild.  October is always so unpredictable, but this last one was kind and allowed us to enjoy some hikes in nearby woods.  We are currently back to temperatures that seem pretty close to those of fall, but I have a feeling the cold isn't quite finished.  I won't be upset if it is, though, because these boys of mine have lots more exploring to do!

Handmade Arcade 2017

I suppose a lot of the time I spent away from blogging was filled with making tons of new stuff for Handmade Arcade in Pittsburgh.  I believe this was my fourth year doing this show and I will just keep applying and crossing my fingers every year that they will have me back, because it really is and great show and the organizers are a seriously amazing bunch.  I also have a ton of love for Pittsburgh and take any chance I have to spend time there. 

I made these little tea cup scenes the very first year I did Handmade Arcade and hadn't made them since, so it felt like they needed a comeback!

Shadowboxes are the most fun to decorate and this one will forever be one of my favorites.  The most adorable Instagram friend bought her and that made me extra happy!

 I spent hours the week before the show figuring out my display.  I had the most stock ever this year and had to ask my grandpa to make me some extra shelves at the last minute.

Donnie came along with me this year to help.  He was a great helper, but I don't think he quite appreciates the amount of thrift and antique stores I like to stop at on my way to and from the show.  This photo was taken right after he helped me set up.

Can you spot my helper in this photo I sent to my grandma later in the day?  Some of what's in this photo is gone now, but I really need to get to work on updating my online shop and listing the leftovers.  Not pictured in this photo is what would have been a very tired and happy Molly!

Don't Call it a Comeback, Except That This Really is a Comeback

Here I am again, back after months of pretty much forgetting I even had a blog or an online shop.  That's actually been closed since December, waiting to be updated and reopened.  I would like to say I've been really busy traveling the world with my family or saving baby animals or something extra exciting and cool.  The truth is, though, I fell out of the habit of blogging and just never could seem to get back into it and life just keeps moving on.  I don't know what has finally sparked an urge to update this old thing, but maybe I'll get back in the swing of it and start sharing again.  I miss writing and really enjoy it so much, even about trivial things like why I haven't updated my blog.  Since Mondays are when I always shared music, I'll share some of the songs I've been listening to lately and then I'll try to post about what I've been busy doing during all this time away throughout the rest of the week.  I'm sure my grandma, possibly my only reader left, is on the edge of her seat.  Oh gosh, I hope my grandma is still reading my blog!

Musical Monday

My little guys go back to school today, so in their honor, I made a playlist of their most requested songs.  They have pretty decent tastes for six and seven year olds.  Now if you'll excuse me, I will be in a corner crying over how quickly the summer went by and how my babies are growing up too fast!

Cooling Off

We have had some scorching hot days this summer and feel so lucky to have a shady little park nearby with a refreshingly cool stream running right through the middle.  There's nothing better than splashing in the creek to make me feel like a kid again and my own kids couldn't love it more!

Hope you're all staying cool this summer, too!

Carlisle, PA

The birthday adventure I mentioned yesterday also included a stop at some spots in Carlisle on our way back home.  Despite it being pretty close to home, I've never really explored Carlisle.  We found some great antique places, a good place to get coffee and macarons, a neat little European food market, and the cutest candy store around.  You can check out some links and more photos from the entire day at Heidi's post, here.

 I am a sucker for vintage metal toys and this drink stand was no exception, but it was sadly out of my price range.  This find is from Serendipity Antique Gallery which also had a great selection of old military items and some really cool old Skee-Ball machines.

 This set of dolls at Northgate Antique Mall is one of many on my dolly wishlist.  I really liked this antique mall and found a couple super reasonably priced treasures.  The European market I mentioned earlier is right next door.

 We went to Helenas Chocolate Cafe & Creperie specifically for macarons and they didn't disappoint!

The macarons were delicious, but the cake at Helena's was to die for!  I had black forest cake, my very favorite, and I think Heidi's was a combination of lemon, blueberry, and lavender.  The downtown area, where Helena's is located, is so charming.  I think it definitely merits some more exploring!

Harrisburg Doll Museum

No one really makes a fuss of your birthday once you become an adult, but I think birthday adventures are a must, no matter your age.  This year, Heidi and I headed to Harrisburg to visit what I'm thinking is my future, a museum full of dolls!  The Harrisburg Doll Museum was something I just stumbled upon online while searching for fun things to do and I am so glad I did.  The museum is run by the sweetest lady.  There's a small shop in the front and then the museum itself is split into rooms of a house, each housing different styles of dolls.  There's also an ice cream parlor that can be rented for parties.  If you are ever in the area, this place is so worth a visit!

 This is the first "room" of the museum and houses the oldest dolls in the collection.  You can see two seriously adorable dolls in the mirror.  Hehe!  These dolls aren't typically my style, but I can certainly appreciate their beauty. 

 The collection of mascot dolls was just amazing!  I am so on the hunt for a Seltzer's Bologna doll for Heidi, after seeing it in this display.

 A lot of the fun for me was spotting dolls that I own and making mental notes of dolls to add to my collection.  See the Nancy and Sluggo dolls towards the center?  My grandma has the Nancy and I'm always on the lookout for the matching Sluggo.

 This is the ice cream parlor and it was filled with my very first doll love, Barbie.  This room is filled with so many dolls I remember from my childhood.

 The bathroom was full of so many cuties!

 These are currently my holy grail of dolls, wooden Girl Scouts!  I managed to find one old eBay listing online, but no luck finding any actually for sale yet.

As if this place was meant for us, there was a whole display of Scouting dolls, you know I love all things vintage Girl Scouts, right next to a display of nun dolls, something Heidi collects and loves!

The Prettiest Little Church

Don and I celebrated our anniversary, way back in June, with a little day trip to the beach.  I've always loved the drive there, lots of farms and little fruit stands and so many different ways to actually reach the destination.  The GPS took us a new way this time and, when we passed the most lovely little brick church, I made Donnie turn around and go back.  

 Isn't it beautiful?  This is the Bridgetown Methodist Church.  You can read about some of its history  on this form from the Maryland Historical Trust and see a few older photos of the building.

 Many of the graves were too worn to be read.  There were even some headstones in plant growing in  the background.

 How's this for a final resting place?!  It was so peaceful on the day we stopped and there was a  wonderful slight breeze.  

 The two headstones above belong to a married couple.  From what I've found online, the weeping willow symbolizes mourning and grief.  I'm always fascinated by the meanings of symbols used on headstones.  This site has a pretty extensive list of symbols and their meanings.

This sign in front of the church shows just how old this lovely spot really is!

Let's Try This Again, Part II

I'm spending this evening looking through old photos and listening to the playlist below, in hopes I can get myself into blogging.  I really do miss it, but sometimes laziness wins.  Fine, laziness almost always wins.  I should probably cut myself a little slack, though.  I work full time and I have two kiddos I like to hang out with and I have friends with whom I occasionally make plans.  I do have time for other things I love, like blogging and creating, but most evenings naps and silly games on my phone win over those other things.  So I just need to try a little harder and get a little better at distributing my time and, actually, this playlist is kind of doing its job.  Spotify made this one for me and they did a good job of mixing new to me stuff with bands I already love, so have a listen and get some work done yourself!

Musical Monday

Sometimes I get so hooked on a band that I don't listen to anything but their music, until I know all the words and hand claps and breakdowns.  Then I listen some more and you can bet I sing along loudly and full of emotion, taking in every feeling the singer and instruments convey.  The Front Bottoms is one of those bands.  I can't get enough.  Even after months and months of listening to almost nothing else, I'm not tired of their songs.  Music gets me through things and I feel like their music is perfect for that.

Mother's Day Adventure

For Mother's Day, we took a trip to Baltimore to visit the American Visionary Art Museum.  This was our first time and I think everyone had so much fun taking it all in.  There is so much there to look at and even the spaces outside the building are covered in art.  If you're local or ever passing through the area, this needs to be a definite stop!  My favorite was an exhibit all about food, entitled Yummm! There's an entire room of art that's made from bread, a hall full of lunch boxes and food-related Post Secrets, and the neatest moving mandala constructed from items such as paper plates.  You can see that colorful piece in the photos below, along with an example of one of the pieces from the room full of bread.  

Let's Try This Again

Just as I was trying to get back into the habit of blogging, life happened and either I got sick or a kid got sick, possibly both.  Then there was a vacation and some holidays and probably a lot of downtime where I could have been productive, but I chose to nap or read a comic book.  Anyway, the blog fell by the wayside yet again.  I was talking with my friend, Heidi, about how difficult it is for both of us get back into the habit of posting regularly.  We both have things to post and I always feel like there's something to ramble about or share.  So here I am making another attempt.  Maybe this one will stick!  If anyone has any tips to share in regards to being a more consistent blogger, feel free to shoot them my way!

Don't Get Pinched!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!  Click the links below to get yourself prepared for next year with some cute green goodies!

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Snow Day

It's been a really odd winter, with temperatures in the 70s one day and below freezing the next, and we haven't really had any decent snow.  There have been some flurries and a few dustings, until this week when my two little snow bunnies' winter wishes finally came true.  They had such a blast playing in the snow and stayed outside until their cheeks were bright pink and their noses were as cold as icicles.  I'm glad they got their one good snow, but now I'm ready for spring!