Kitten Adventures Part I

One of the adventures I've been having recently has been of the kitten variety. A few weeks back, I witnessed a very small kitten run across our back garden. This was enough to make Sgt decide to set out our "have a heart" trap (or perhaps he did it to stop my whining?) to see if we could catch a kitten. After a few days, we caught a tiny little kitten with a very big purr (who has already been adopted!!!!), but it wasn't the kitten we originally saw, so the trap went back out to the yard. Over the past few weeks we have slowly caught four tiny little 3-4 month old kittens that some "not so nice person" decided to dump off in our backyard in the middle of Winter.  Which brings us to...a very cute adoptable kitten named Mason!

 ~Mason~

Mason is a handsome, little, Seal Point Siamese boy who was caught about seven days ago with his brother Max.  He's about 4 months old.  I'm currently working on his socialization skills as he is suffering from trauma and is very scared.  I am working with Gateway Regional Rescue to help get him adopted to a good kitty loving home.  The adoption will be done through Gateway and the adoption fee, which includes shots and neutering, is $100.  Right now, I think his best placement would be in a quiet home without dogs or children.  I think another cat would be great for him as he is very connected to his brother.  I would love to find a home that would want both him and his brother but that might be difficult to find?  If you are interested or know someone in the local NJ/PA/NY and possibly VA area who might be interested in adopting this sweet but shy little guy, please send me an email at... Marydeluxe53@ gmail dot com.

 
 

 

 


~MaryDeluxe

Happy Holidaze!

 

I am still here and all is well.

Oh the adventures I have been having!

May you all have a safe and Happy Holiday Season!

Happy Birthday Little Vincent

My how you've grown.... 

   

  And what a big mouth you have!!! 

The power has been on for the last week and things are back to normal around here for us.  We of course are very lucky as there are still local people here without power.  In all the hoopla of the hurricane, I forgot to celebrate little Vinnie Bean's first birthday!  I just love this little guy to pieces, he is one awesome little ball of trouble. He is also much adored by or puppies and loves to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon in front of the fire with Chetty.  Life just wouldn't be the same without my little guy in it to keep me laughing, cuddle with me at night, and knock things off my counter!

 

 Have you hugged your cat today?

~MaryDeluxe

Still Here So Screw You Sandy!

People I ain't shitting you, if you live anywhere in the state of New Jersey, NYC and Eastern Pennsylvania near New Jersey....you officially got fucked over by Hurricane Sandy.


I am only writing to you now because our neighbor was kind enough to give us a heads up that the local Tractor Supply store got in 100 precious generators and we decided to break the piggy bank open and rush over to get one. We got lucky and where able to snag one! Once the word spread they went really fast!!! I will just say this, people are nuts when they start to panic and that's what they are starting to do, PANIC! There's lots of people out there who will not be surviving the Zombie Apocalypse when it happens because.....they panic!  We on the other hand will be able to shoot the zombies in the head as we run to pick up firewood to stay warm!  I find it fairly interesting that we won't have power for perhaps 14 more days, but the internet people have their lines all repaired and up and running??  Weird huh JCP&L???   But hey, there's lots of free firewood now to pick up along the side of the road. 

Sgt getting free firewood, take note to the sagging power line!
 

Can't go down this road....see the really BIG tree across the road in front of the blue car.  

I won't even begin to tell you how hard it is to get gas right now....you really can't around here yet (and I live in west New Jersey) as gas stations run on electricity :( If you do chance on a gas station that is running the wait is 1/2 mile long and the gas goes fast. As I stated above, everyone is in the OMG panic mode. 

We are very lucky as nothing was destroyed on our property!  We also have heat and water from our rain barrels.  All I have to say is, bring on the zombies! 

~MaryDeluxe

Waiting it out....

....that's what we're doing here in the western area of New Jersey as our poor coastline is taking a beating from the"Frankenstorm". We prepared the property yesterday for the approaching storm by fixing windows, patching roofs, bringing in wood, covering the wood pile, and cramming as much as possible into the two car garage.

 
Actually, these are normal things we do around here to prepare for Winter, we just had to start a little early this year. We ALWAYS lose power where we live...it could be a perfectly sunny day or perhaps just a passing thunder storm, and if a tree falls down in the right spot somewhere in a 10 mile vicinity, that's pretty much it for the power! We know we will be losing power eventually, we're just not sure when.

So, I've been spending my day making a big pot of veggie chili, making pizza dough for later, and in general prepping for when we lose our power. (the lights have been flickering as I write and I can hear the trees breaking outside my window, it's a creepy, scary sound) I think I'll make some corn muffins next, while I still have use of my oven, and also whip up some mashed potatoes....I love to eat my chili over mashed potatoes! How do you eat your chili?


No serious worries here, as I have a fire to keep me warm, a good book to read, lots of candles, and a big bottle of wine to calm my nerves! Lets all cross our fingers that when we wake up tomorrow, the rest of the Eastern Shoreline will still be here.

Stay safe East Coasters!

~MaryDeluxe

Blog Lovin': Save the Kales

A little over a year ago, I became a new resident of the Lehigh Valley and so I began a search online of blogs that might help me become more familiar with my new home. It's at that time, that I ran across the blog "Save the Kales",written by Jaime K, and have been a devoted reader ever since!

When I first began reading Jaime's blog, I enjoyed trying out her vegan recipes, reading about nifty local restaurants and quirky little shops.  My all time favorite STK recipe has to be her "SteelStacks Salad"!  You just can't go wrong with soba noodles and it's so simple to make!

STEELSTACKS SALAD RECIPE (from Save the Kales)

INGREDIENTS:

• cooked Soba Noodles (2 “bundles” from one package)
• 2-3 heads of broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1-2 cucumbers, peeled and cut into half-circle shapes
• 2-3 carrots, peeled and cut any shape you like!)
• 6-8 raw radishes, cut in circles

DRESSING and GARNISH:

• 1/3 cup soy sauce OR tamari OR Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
• 1/3 cup toasted sesame oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 or 2 cloves fresh grated garlic
• 2 Tbsp agave nectar
• toasted sesame seeds
• 1 bunch green onion, chopped 

Jaime has recently moved on to host her own local television show called, you guessed it, Save the Kales!  The shows are wonderful 30 minute episodes that showcase the community we live in, yummy vegan recipes that are so simple to make, and local people doing cool things!  I've had the pleasure of running into Jaime K,  quite by accident at a local book store, and was happy to discover that she's just as cute, and bubbly in person as she is on her show.  (After we left the store, I had to apologize to Sgt for trapping him in a "girl moment".)  

Where to find Jaime K and "Save the Kales":

Save the Kales

Facebook

Twitter
Pintrest

I look forward to reading more about her life adventures and hope you'll enjoy reading too!

~MaryDeluxe

Dorothy's Diary

 

 (Sis and Dot from Dorothy Diary website)

I've posted about the website Dorothy's Diary before here on DeluxeVille.  It's a wonderful website that documents the life of a teenage girl named Dorothy, from her own daily diary entries, in 1945 and 1946.   I love this site and discovered that Dorothy's son Dave has redone the website and it now includes scrapbooks and interesting facts about the time period and area Dot writes about!  Dot's sister "Sis" also adds comments to Dot's dairy writings.

If you love vintage pictures, the 1940's, and those bygone days, this is a must read website for you to check out.  If you've read Dot's diary in the past, go make a cup of tea and read it again!  Trust me, you won't step away from the computer until you finish it and you won't be sorry about wasting an hour or two doing so!

 

(Dot's friend Sunny....LOVE the hair!)

Also, don't forget to check out the epilogue to see what happened with Dot years later.  You might need a tissue, I know I did. 

Dorothy's Diary Links:

Dorothy's Diary

Dorothy's Diary Blogspot

Dorothy's Diary Facebook

Enjoy!

~MaryDeluxe

Repost: Feburary 10, 1941

Originally posted on DeluxeVille, January 10, 2010 

In 1941 my grandfather George lived on a farm with his brother Edward and 2 sisters Catherine and Dorthy( my sassy aunt Dot ). None of them were farmers so I'm not really sure why they decided to go in that direction. From the letters he writes to Frances, I believe he was trying his hand at chicken farming. Some where along the way this venture must have failed for him. When ever George refers to "the girls" in his letters, he is talking about Aunt Dot and Aunt Catherine.

Aunt Dot, George, Grt Grandmother, Grt Grandfather, Uncle Ed, Aunt Catherine

Sunday Night

Dear Fran:-

Just finished checking on the incubator for the last time and before going to bed, to toss and turn, thought this would be a pretty good time to dash off a few lines to my dear Fran, a swell girl.

This morning after coming home from church, and eating a quick breakfast, I dashed down to the incubator room to check up, as usual, and much to my surprise, there were a few chicks hatched out, so I guess it won't be long now, tomorrow is the 21st day, and I expect to be the proud father of 1500 chicks. I will bring you a cigar Saturday. That was one of the reasons why I left church so quick this morning, and I also knew if I did see you Fran, I would want a date, which I can't have now until Sat. the 15, only six more days, but each one like a week. I sure will enjoy seeing you again, and I'm hoping that works the other way.

When Mother came up from York today, she said that she expected to see Frances here, I think that she is getting anxious to meet you Fran, and I know that both Mother and Dad will like you as much as the rest of the family. Swell people at times.

The girls, also wanted to know when I am going to bring you to dinner. So we can get together and pick a date, for a Sunday if it's okay with you. I have lots to tell you, but I will keep it until Saturday when I'll see you about eight or a little after. I want to go to church first.

Goodnight and lots of
Love
George

The Bullet Planter

Sgt and I went to a really nice two day farm auction last weekend to see if we could snag some things for our shop.  Sgt and I make a good team, we both see things differently in terms of what we might buy for the shop.  I think this helps to give our booth an interesting eclectic mix of farm house country/mid century modern items.  So far, we've had no complaints!   There wasn't much mid-century items at this auction, but I was still happy, as it was full of other really neat things.  I did however spy this generic bullet planter and I made poor Sgt stay till the very end of the auction so I could snag it up for myself!  I've always wanted a bullet planter but have never run across one in my auction travels before and the ones I do see online, I could never afford.  But this one ended up mine for the outrageously high price of 10 bucks.

 

This afternoon, I decided to fill it up with dirt and put it to good use!  Good timing as I decided it was time to bring my plants in from the back porch before we get hit with our first frost.

 

And just in case you're wondering what the gruesome twosome was up to as I was digging in the dirt and moving plants around......they were just hanging out supervising! 

Now to find a safe place in the house to put the planter!

~MaryDeluxe

Pets

Chester sees a deer and learns self control and self discipline!  Or at least I like to think he's learning those important dog lessons!  The deer is that little brown blob in the center of the picture and we ran across her in a field on one of the farms we pass on our evening walk/runs.  He's a hound dog, so of course he wants to chase things!  I put him in a sit and we watched the deer watch us.  We eventually moved on and so did the deer. 

 

I however have no words for this next picture!  Ever have one of those long days at work only to walk in your front door and find your loving pets have been up to no good! The only thing I could do was document the situation for proof to show Sgt when he got home.  Goodbye down comforter!  Bad, bad chicken!

 ~MaryDeluxe

DeluxeVille Vintage

Here's an instagram peek at our shop located inside Harvest Star Antiques

 

   

 

 

   

   

 

I've got pictures from other great booth spaces to show you from Harvest Star, so stay tuned for more eye candy! If you're fairly local, it's definitely worth a road trip to check out all the goodies! 

The Stomach Bug

I'm at home today with a sick puppy who seems to have caught a stomach bug.  A few weekends ago our other puppy also had the same thing... vomiting and diarrhea.  That's not a good thing for a puppy who spends a day in a crate to have, so I volunteered to stay home to make sure we could avoid some unwanted accidents.   As the patient snoozes away on the bed with his faithful side kick, Lab-O-Potamus, I got busy pulling out some vintage dresses that I picked up when I went off to auction with SusieQT. 

 

 I still need to clean and mend the buttons on some of the dresses but otherwise they are in excellent condition.  The woman had a wide range of amazing clothes!  

 
A Cotton halter dress with a batik style print.
 
 

   
 A cotton dress with cutouts and tie back.

 
 
A taffeta house coat dress
   
Halter evening dress.  Any ideas what type of fabric this is?  It has a stiff/crisp feel to it and an iridescent quality.  I'm guessing it to be a fabric made with lurex.
 

As you can see, this lot added to my suitcase of vintage clothing from another auction this Summer, means I'm going to be busy cleaning, mending and ironing for awhile. But that's okay because October is motivation month and this is just another chapter to add to my book.

~MaryDeluxe

October the Month of Motivation

I've elected October as my month of motivation!  I have been a slacker in all things in regards to my life for months now and I think it's time for me to kick my own butt back into action.  Why do we lose our motivation?  Has my life gotten so busy?  Is that the excuse I should use to justify the lack of care I've been giving my life?  Perhaps I've just gotten bored with my life?  Or maybe I have been overwhelmed by all the life changes that have happened to me?  What ever it is that has been demotivating me, I think it's time to banish it and settle back down into my groove.  And by groove, I mean, getting back into finding the joy and inspiration on an everyday basis in my life!  No, I have not been reading tea bags again....I'm just hoping to rediscover myself and perhaps some new things about myself that I didn't know existed!  I think we all go through times in our lives when we lose touch with ourselves, for what ever reasons, for however long, and then we have a moment or perhaps moments when we realize for our own happiness, we must take the time to find ourselves again.  I decided October will be my month to start listening again to my inner me.

So where do I start?  Easy, the first thing I plan on doing is committing again to being a healthy me.  Not that I'm a complete slacker here, I just would be healthy for a month only to suffer some sort of set back and fall of the commitment wagon again.  This time I'm on the wagon and I plan on staying on the wagon come rocky road or smooth road! :)  I'm strapping myself to the wagon this time.  With a recent new gym membership, I have been re-motivated to get my butt back into shape and I'm super excited to take advantage of all the new possibilities of various fitness classes my new gym has.  The old gym had none and they also had really basic boring workout equipment.  When I get bored with my workout routine, I lose my motivation and fall off the fitness wagon!

 

At the new gym, I have rediscovered my old friend The Precor 100i and the original Nautilus StairMaster.   I have always enjoyed torturing myself in various ways on fitness equipment!  The first 15 minutes are hell but the last 5 are amazing!

October is the month where my inner journey begins again.  I am on the path to rediscover myself, explore new ideas, and create joy on a daily basis in my life.  Part of my plan is also to begin blogging more often and finding my creative spark again.  It's been a dim flicker for too long.  Here's to some interesting posts coming your way!

~MaryD

Revisit: January 25, 1941

Hello all!  A few years back I posted the love letters that were written from 1941-1942, between my Grandfather George and my Grandmother Frances.  Since my Aunt Dot and Grandpa George were brother and sister, I thought it would be nice to revisit those original blog posts I did some 2 years ago, in a way to kinda remember a part of Aunt Dot's life.  From what I understand, Aunt Dot and her sister Catherine, decided since they weren't going to find men to marry them (actually Aunt Catherine had a few men who were interested in her but, was not allowed to marry them as they were not Catholic), they would go together and buy a farm.  So, at some time in the mid 1930's "the girls" bought a 65 acre farm with a run down old stone farm house.  At some point, their brothers, Edward and George also jointed them on the farm and together they started a poultry, egg and feed business.  In the letters that George wrote to Fran, you will notice  George wrote often about farm life and raising chickens.  

Enjoy!
~MaryD

Original post from 1/10/2010

In 1941 my Grandfather and Grandmother began dating. During that time, he wrote her numerous love letters. For some reason, I have all the love letters. I had promised my family members that I would copy the letters so that everyone would be able to read them. I started doing that on a blog back in the summer and once I went back to work...well, lets just say I got really busy. I'm going to try again...and not be a big lame O this time. I'm also going to put them on my main blog for all to enjoy! Now on to the cast of characters....

Character#1 My grandfather middle back row!



Character #2 My Grandmother last one on the left.

The first letter in my stack is dated January 25, 1941. I'm assuming George had just recently met Frances. I'm guessing that they probably met at church. George at the time lived on a farm in East Berlin, PA and Frances lived in the town of New Oxford which was about 15 miles away. And so began a DeVine Romance!

Dear Frances,

I believe at one time I told you that I did not like to write letters. Well you can start calling me a liar. Because here I sit, trying to think up some excuse for writing to you. The only thing I can find to blame it on is the snow, (10 inches of it) which will keep me from seeing you for a few days. But I have some wonderful memories, which will hold me for awhile.

Things sure are a mess out here in the sticks, with all the roads and lanes drifted shut. I suppose we will be shoveling the mile and 3/4 into town tomorrow morning at day break, so the farmers can get their milk out, and bring feed in for their stock. Lots of hard work, but you get something out of it that you can't buy for all the money in the world.

How is everything in New Oxford? I was looking for you Sunday, but you kept your word and went to late mass so I was disappointed once more. Such is life. But I am looking forward to the time when I can be in some ones company whom I enjoy very much, meaning F.M.W. What does the "M" stand for?

You sure did make a hit with my sisters, the other night at the church meeting. When they came up here Saturday, they told me all about the wonderful speech you delivered. I wish I had been there, but I can't bake cookies.

If you can make this letter out, and would like another, let me know. Hoping to see you soon, I remain, with love,
George C DeVine

A big thank you to my cousin who sent me a disc of old family pictures and also the research she did of the family history. I will try to not be a big lame o this time.

A Pineapple Zucchini Cake

Here's a great way to use up some of those zucchinis from your garden and make something other than just plain zucchini bread! 

 

Pineapple Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting  

Ingredients:
* 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup flaked coconut
* 2 tsp baking soda
* 1 tsp salt
* 2 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1/4 tsp nutmeg, optional
* 1 pinch ginger, optional
* 3 tbsp canola oil
* 2 whole large eggs
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 2 cups grated zucchini, unpeeled (squeeze excess liquid)
* 20 oz. can crushed pineapple in juice, drained well

Frosting: 
* 8 oz 1/3 fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese
* 1 cup powdered sugar
* 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, coconut, baking soda, salt, and spices; stir well with a whisk.
In a medium bowl, combine oil, eggs, and vanilla; stir well.
Add grated zucchini and pineapple; mix well.
Fold wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, batter will be stiff and dry but keep folding it and it will all come together.
Spoon batter into a cake pan or 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for about 33-40 minutes, depending on pan size or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and cake is pulling away from sides of pan.
Cool cake completely on a wire rack.

To prepare frosting, beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread frosting over top of cake. You can garnish with chopped pecans or walnuts, if desired.

Servings: 16 • Serving Size: 1 slice • Calories: 230 • Fat: 7.6 g • Protein: 3.3 g • Carb: 36.8 g • Fiber: 1.8 g 

Odds and Ends

This past week has been extremely busy and involved lots of travel, interesting activities, and emotional moments.  This week is shaping up to be another busy challenging week.  I'm not one to dwell for long on the bad, so here are a few good things that have happened in my travels.

 

I finally found a decent well priced pedestal sink!  This is a Standard brand sink and is from the 1930s.  I found it in a Habitat for Humanities Restore and it's in really good condition and priced to sell, so I had no choice but to snag it up and store it till I get to the bathroom renovation project.

 

Sgt and I are now without roosters.  Yes, we slaughtered and processed them ourselves. Just some FYI about me that you probably don't know, I have not eaten chicken or red meat in 22 years.  I do however eat seafood.  I will not be eating the chickens, but I did help process the chickens so that Sgt can eat them.

 

Bad Dog!  Hmmm Sgt, could this be karma??  I love this site (it's so funny) and Chester fits right in on there.....Dogshaming 

 

Last but not least,  many of you know, I like mailboxes that make a statement!  This is Aunt Dot's cool ass mailbox.  I love, love this mailbox design.   How old is this mailbox and where the heck did she find it?? It reminds me of the old aluminum screen doors (with the scroll designs and large letter) that people use to have on their front doors.  Perhaps she had it custom made?  Don't ya all wish you had a mailbox as cool as this??!!  I need to find some body to make me one!

Here's to another long week!

~MaryDeluxe

Aunt Dot 1911-2012

I just wanted to let you all know...

Our dear, sweet Aunt Dot passed away this morning.  

She was diagnosed with cancer at the beginning of August. 

It just seemed to happen so fast.

Her suffering was short.

She passed away in her own home while being cared for by my wonderful Aunt.

 

(Celebrating her 101 birthday on August 9th.)

I will miss her

We will all miss her

She was so loved 

Our most prized family possession

Our dear, sweet Aunt Dot

Thank you dear readers for all your wonderful Aunt Dot comments over the years and for allowing me to share her with you.  She was something special.

Aunt Dot's Obituary

Dorothy M. DeVine, 101, died peacefully at her home on August 22, 2012. She was born August 9, 1911, in Dayton Ohio, The daughter of the late Daniel C. and Helen (Hochwalt) DeVine. When she was 3, her family moved to York, where she graduated from St. Rose of Lima grade School. She also graduated from St. Joseph Academy in McSherrystown, and Thompson's school of business. While working as a legal secretary, she and her sister purchased a 65 acre farm. They were later joined by their brothers Edward and George, and started a poultry, egg and feed business during the depression. Upon retiring from farming in the 1960's, she worked as a bookkeeper for Lerew Ford in East Berlin. Dorothy, her sister Catherine, and Edward retired to New Oxford where she pursued her love of gardening, designing and crafting hooked rugs, baking, and walking to daily mass at church. Dorothy will be greatly missed by her family, along with those who were touched by her loving and giving spirit. She is survived by two brothers, John DeVine of State College and James DeVine of Lansdale; five nieces; one nephew; nine great-nieces; three great-nephews; six great-great-nieces; and three great-great-nephews. She was preceded in death by her sister, Catherine DeVine; two brothers, Edward DeVine, George DeVine; and a nephew, James DeVine. A Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, August 27, 2012, at 10 a.m.

~MaryDeluxe