Childhood | Cindy Rice Designs

Yesterday we walked through the Volo Antique Mall. I love looking at vintage Christmas decorations (and non Christmas things too). I’m at the age where things from my childhood are considered vintage (ha, I guess I’m vintage too), so I will often see something that sparks a childhood memory.

This antique mall that has been around since 1991, but has grown since then. There is also an auto museum and military museum on this site. One of the structures that house antiques and collectibles was built in the 1800s and was used as a dairy barn. It has multiple levels with the milk house room being on an upper level, but has a door leading to the outdoors. I think it is due to the grading of the land or the hills around the barn. The highest level feels like you’re in a hayloft and is so narrow that it only has room for one dealer.

Ghost Lab did a little video which is on You Tube. You can see more of the old barn here on You Tube. No, we didn’t see any ghosts while we were there yesterday.

Here are some photos I took of Christmas items that caught my eye. I also took pictures of non Christmas items, but will have to put those into another post as there are too many for one post.

Do any of these things spark a memory with you?

My dad’s father had a Borden’s milk truck business in the 1960s. I used to peek inside his truck when we would visit him in Chicago. He would often have those small packages of Brach’s butterscotch candies sitting on the dashboard and I would help myself to one. I hope he didn’t mind.

This is the same nativity set that I have which is from my mom’s parents although my set isn’t in such good shape. My set has been well loved (and probably played with by grandchildren). This reminds me that we still have our nativity to set up.

I need help with these three elves (or whatever they are). My mom had one who was wearing a green velvet jacket and playing one of those instruments. I seem to remember that she got it at one of those parties (like a Tupperware party), but I was very young and don’t remember anything else. Does anyone remember anything about them?

This is a teeny tiny room box. I took the photo with my finger in the the frame for scale.

I don’t need a punch bowl, but this one made out of green carnival glass was beautiful.

Perhaps the most baffling Christmas item was this styrofoam Santa head for $5.00!!!???Did you find anything that you recognize from years gone by?

We bought nothing, which is unusual, instead, I wanted to bring things here to sell. I still have cartons of boxed Barbie dolls. If I wait 10 more years they will be vintage too.

Bye for now! Hope you’re have a very nice “Christmas Eve Eve”. I made that up, sorry.

Happy Fall to everyone! Yes, it’s here even though it still feels like summer here in northern Illinois. I wonder does it look like fall anywhere? Here it is still very lush and green due to all of the rain we’ve gotten recently. With the exception of a few leaves here and there, I cannot find any golden, reddish, or orange hued trees yet.

My Grandma was one of the most special people in my life. It would have been her 103rd birthday today. She’s been gone 8 years and I still miss her as much as ever. She was only 48 years old when I was born and we always lived close by, so we spent lots and lots of time with her and my grandpa; I have tons of wonderful memories of her.

I looked for photos of her and I together and sadly there are very few. I think it was because she was always preparing meals and taking care of everyone; she hardly ever sat down. Here’s one of her helping me eat soup. She was always making soup and to this day I love soup and make it more than anything else.

She had a little garden in the back of their two flat in a Chicago suburb where they lived in the 1960s. When I got older she would send me out to her lettuce patch to pick leaf lettuce for dinner. I still use her vinegar and oil dressing recipe for my salads. This is her recipe from so long ago. I keep it in the refrigerator and use as needed. The olive oil gets solidified in the frig, but 30 seconds in the microwave makes it pourable again.

Vinegar and Oil Salad Dressing

2 oz. apple cider vinegar

2 oz. olive oil

4 oz. water

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. salt

a sweetener, my Grandma used Sweet and Low, but I use 15 drops of Stevia.

Shake up everything in a salad dressing shaker or jar and pour on salad as desired.

Oh, I just thought of this story she told me a few years before she passed. She NEVER ever had a doll! Do you believe it? Well, I couldn’t believe it, so for her next birthday I hand painted a round wooden box to look like a cake and placed some Kelly dolls inside dressed in the types of outfits I was making at the time. She was so happy and displayed the little dolls on a shelf in her apartment. She always supported my creative passions.

Happy Birthday Grandma and I miss you SO MUCH!

Love you, Grandma! ❤ ❤ ❤

Thanks so much for reading along and sharing a few of my memories of my Grandma. Who do you have from your childhood who was extra special in your life?