Friday Foto Friends...A Step Back in Time

 Hello Again Friends! It's Friday already, and I usually post lots of photos on Friday as per our custom for many years...and I already had posted all the current photos that I had, so you know what I had to do?  Yes, I had to come up with something quick! LOL. 

So, this morning it was another cool start to our day with temperatures hovering around 60 degrees. I decided that it was "cool" enough to bake something in the oven. I don't like to bake on really hot days because our gas stove/oven really tends to throw off a lot of heat. But it felt comfortable enough this morning to do something that hubby loves for me to do...I baked some biscuits.  Well, recently I had broken the little glass jelly jar that I always use to cut the biscuits. It was just the perfect size, and it made me so sad when I opened up the cupboard and somehow the little jar had gotten bumped to the edge of the shelf and it tumbled out and onto the floor and broke before I could catch it. And even though I do have some other small jelly jars that would work, I liked that one because it had the perfect edge for cutting the biscuits.  

So anyway, this morning I thought, "Wait a minute! I have one of those vintage aluminum biscuit cutters that also has a little insert to make donut holes in my Hoosier Cupboard! It's about time I started using it for it's intended purpose!"

Here it is, with the little donut hole cutter removed...

Here's how it looks with the donut hole cutter installed...

This is so much fun! I feel like my grandmother using this old biscuit cutter and making homemade biscuits. (Well, they are from the Jiffy Biscuit Mix, but we won't tell!)

And here's how they looked after baking:

In keeping with this farm fresh old fashioned breakfast...I just happened to have some of what I call "Real Chicken Eggs"...they came from 'real chickens" on a little farm here in our community. Actually, a lady in our church has her own chickens and she brings eggs to the church for anyone to take home for free!  Usually everyone else gets to them before I do, but this time hubby made sure that we got a carton of them before they were all gone.  Oh my! They were SO nice and big and perfect!!!

And I probably shouldn't show you this, but here's my breakfast this morning...and this is MUCH better than the breakfast we had yesterday at that cafe' in town.  Oh, and thank you Mari for the Cherry Berry Jam. I'm still using it, and it's SO good. And yes, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!" (Needless to say, I didn't want any lunch today).

And speaking of the breakfast we had yesterday, I mentioned in my post (see that link) that there was a sign on the wall that we couldn't figure out the meaning: 

And one of our very bright and astute blogging friends came up with the answer: Linda from "Just Linda", said it means "you're cray-cray", in other words, "you're crazy".  That does make sense now that I look at it that way! Thank you, Linda, for solving the mystery for us! I wish I had a prize to give you! If you lived a little closer, I'd say come on over for some fresh biscuits! LOL. (She does live within an hour of us, so maybe she WILL come sometime!)

So after breakfast I put the biscuit cutter back where it belongs, the Hoosier Cupboard. And one thing led to another, and soon I was taking pictures of everything in the Hoosier Cupboard.  HERE's the back story on the Hoosier Cupboard, among other posts, that you've probably seen before.

Over the years I have shared a lot of pictures of this cupboard, but I haven't gone into much detail about the things inside of it for a while, so I kind of got carried away taking pictures of things.  You may want to get a cup of tea or coffee or some iced tea and pull up a chair and stay awhile. This could take some time.

The "Hoosier Cupboard" was also called "The Step Saver" , because the way it was designed made it a kitchen cabinet that saved the homemaker a lot of steps in food preparation and storage of baking items.

Notice the Meat Grinder on the right end of the pull out enamel counter top above.

And notice the big flour sifter on the right below, and a  sugar storage bin on the left, with a handy twirling spice caddy in the middle.

The enamel counter top actually pulls out to give you a larger space to roll out pie dough or make those biscuits, or knead the bread...

The cabinet below has shelves that pull out to make it easier to reach items inside.  

There are drawers for silverware and utensils and dish towels, etc.,

(These are some of "Nanny Martin's actual dish towels that she embroidered)

 

and that bottom drawer below used to be a place for bread storage. It used to have a lid that slid over top of the drawer to help keep the bread fresh.  My mother in law said that she remembers that her mother used to keep her self-rising flour in that bin, and she remembers stepping into that drawer one time in her bare feet.  She said her mother told her when she found out about it years later that if her father had known about that not only would she have gotten a whipping, but he would have never eaten those "foot biscuits" and would've made her throw out that whole bin of flour! LOL.  Yes, my mother in law grew up with this cupboard in her home. It's that old. My mother in law would be 103 years old if she was still living.

She also remembers as a child climbing up on top of the cabinet to reach that old flat iron. (This is not the original iron that she remembers, but one that I actually got from my father's house).

She dropped the flat iron on the enamel countertop below, leaving a dent about the size of a 50 cent piece. (see below).  

Below you see my antique scales and also a collection of small creamers and little tea pots.

Inside the upper cabinet there is a spice rack attached to the door...

I use this wonderful old family heirloom (from my hubby's grandmother) to display a lot of vintage kitchen items that have been collected or given to me over the years by people who knew I'd love to have them in this cupboard. And I do...until we have to pack and move again...LOL. It's a job to pack it all up, but I still haven't decided that I'm ready to give it all away just yet. I enjoy it, and there's a lot of sweet memories attached, so until I am forced to move into assisted living or someplace much smaller, it will stay a special part of our home.

There's sifters (one was my mother's, and the other was my hubby's grandmother's).

And there is this "Smoothie Mixer and Measure"...I never noticed it was called that before!

My mother used to use this to mix up the flour and water to make gravy!  I sometimes remember to use it, but mostly use a pyrex measuring cup to stir mine up.  This actually does a much better job.

I thought "smoothies" were are relatively newer idea, but I guess not!! LOL.

From here on I will be showing you what I have stored in those upper cabinets...a collection of old bottles, cups and saucers, spices, tins, tea containers, all kinds of odds and ends from the past...I hope you will enjoy the  step back in time...

Not sure where these tobacco tins came from...I think my father found them and gave them to me for my collection of old tins. Ever hear of "Presbyterian Mixture" tobacco before?  That was funny.

Phosphorated Iron , General System Tonic, "Highly recommended for Rheumatism, Nerves, Stomach, Blood, Liver, Kidneys, Bladder and Bowels." Only $1.00 per box!  I wonder what was in this stuff, and why don't we have this today? It could solve all our medical problems at once!

Oh, but you HAVE to have some of this "Red-Cloverine-Salve", for just 10 cents! It's the "Best Salve on Earth".  It's "Absolutely Pure", and it's used for sores, burns, cuts, bruises, chapped hands, face and lips, sore throat, chafes, galls, catarrh, tetter (?), sunburn, and SPECIALLY RECOMMENDED FOR WORST CASES OF PILES, PIN OR SEAT WORMS, AND ECZEMA!"  It was "discovered by a physician and used by people of refinement everywhere!"   Oh my! I sure wish I had some of this, don't you?????  LOL>

I am happy to have these old cook books that belonged to "Nanny Martin" as well. They are full of great old recipes that you never hardly ever hear of anymore.  Sometime I will have to do a special post on some of the recipes, but I think I've done enough for today!

Oh wait...this cup of tea and cookies has been sitting here waiting for someone to come and drink it and eat the cookies for ages...yes, it's fake, but it has faked out a lot of visitors before! LOL  (Pardon my dust in some of these pictures. I didn't take time to dust before I started in on this project. LOL).

I found this hand towel in the drawer...it actually came from my father's collection of train items....

Also, that larger wooden bowl above was Nanny Martin's bread or biscuit making bowl...a Dough Bowl I guess you'd call it.  

These door latches with the H on them show that this was an authentic "Hoosier Cupboard", built in Indiana probably back in the very early 1920's.  My mother in law was born in 1923, and she remembers it being in their home for her whole life.

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of my antique Hoosier Cupboard.  As I said, it's a family heirloom, filled with many memories and stories of loved ones who lived and laughed and loved and baked and cooked and served their family with this cabinet as a silent witness to it all. If this cabinet could talk, it would have many more stories to tell that I don't know about.  Now it serves our home, more as a decoration than as a working cabinet, but it still serves a purpose as a reminder of those who came before us, and the many sacrifices they made to help give their children a better life, filled with good memories and the true food that nourishes.  

Proverbs 22:6 NKJV

6 Train up a child in the way he should go,

And when he is old he will not depart from it.

This verse may not go along with this story on the surface, but when you think about it...it does...because the central theme of my husband's grandparents' home was sharing the love of Christ with others. Their home became a sanctuary for church services at least once a month, as they belonged to a church group known as the Plymouth Brethren, and there were traveling ministers who would come to their home and teach the Bible and serve Communion.  My husband was a very little boy when these ministers would come to his grandparents' home, but he remembers them very fondly, and credits them with forming his early Christian faith and eventually becoming a minister himself. (Not in that church denomination, but still as a conservative Bible believing Christian minister).  The ministers and other members of the little congregation would stay at their home for Sunday dinner afterwards, and I am quite sure this cupboard saw a lot of activity in preparation of those meals.  I also have the dining room table and buffet and china cabinet from their dining room...but that's another story for another time.  Here is a link to one store about the table, in case you want to read it now that your curiosity is triggered. LOL.

Thank you for hanging in there with me if you made it this far.  I hope you have a blessed and beautiful weekend.  

Memorial Day Weekend and So Much More

 

John 15:13 KJV

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Memorial Day weekend always brings a lot of mixed emotions for me.  Of course we think about those who gave their lives in service to our country...those who sacrificed everything so that we can live in freedom.  We don't ever want to forget them...or their loved ones who also made a huge sacrifice.  I also think of those who may have come back home from war, but they were never the same. So many suffer from PTSD, battle scars and wounds that we may not be able to see on the surface, but they carry them with them deep inside and their lives are forever changed. And then of course those who have physical wounds that have altered their lives significantly as well.  Yes, we honor and remember them, and pray for them and their loved ones who must  also deal with the changes in their beloved that affects their whole lives and relationships.  May we pause to remember them all, and do our part to live in such a way that is worthy of their sacrifices. Living here in our country is a privilege and a blessing that we should never take for granted. Our world is so full of strife and volatility...and if it weren't for those on the front lines making these sacrifices for us, we would not be able to continue to live in such peace and comfort.  

Of course, Memorial Day Weekend also signals the beginning of "summertime" here in America...maybe not literally the Summer Solstice, which isn't until June 21st, but it seems to be the unofficicial kick off for summer vacations and activities.  In many places school is already out or soon will be, and people are ready to head to the beaches, lakes, parks, picnic grounds and all other outdoor activities. We took a ride yesterday morning to go see where our son was set up with his products for a flea market.  The community where he was is also a kind of outdoor activity destination in the Ocala National Forest. There are lakes and springs and a river and campgrounds and woods.  The boats were lined up at the  boat ramps and people were very anxious to get out on the water and enjoy a beautiful sunny day. Cars were lined up at the entrance to the Springs (Salt Springs State Park) for about a mile, waiting for them to open the gates. 

These pictures were taken actually on our way back home, across the big bridge in Eureka, FL., which was built originally to be a part of the Cross Florida Barge Canal, but that project was scrapped in the 1960's.  

Up Up and away!

At the top of the bridge...

Going back down the other side...

Blast from the past, this is me back in 2012, standing under that bridge...

This is what I wrote on Facebook with this picture (below) back in 2012: "You have to come see this very high long bridge out in the middle of nowhere to believe it. Our tax dollars at work (back in the 1960's) before the Barge Canal was scrapped due to environmental concerns."  Click HERE for the history of this project.

Unfortunately not that many people were as interested in going to the flea market as they were in getting to the water.  So it wasn't a great day for sales for our son, but he didn't do too badly.  Here's a few pictures I took there:

He used to do a lot of signs back when we lived there in the forest and he used to be at this flea market all the time.  I think he's decided to wait and go back in the fall when the snow-birds and weekend campers are there, and when it's a lot cooler.

I love these crosses...

There's usually a vegetable stand there, and I decided to buy a watermelon so we could have it today when "the kids" all came over for lunch...it was a seedless watermelon...and VERY SWEET and DELICIOUS!

Here's my piece!  It REALLY was good!!!  Question, do you put salt on your watermelon? I usually do, and I did today, but honestly, it was so sweet I probably didn't need to.

I didn't take any other pictures of the family here with us today...we were too busy enjoying our grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, baked beans, deviled eggs, corn on the cob, fresh sliced tomatoes and lettuce and onions and then the watermelon for dessert. It was all very good and very special, just being together.

I took this picture a little while ago, as I thought about this day and all that it means to us.

You see, for us, this day holds other special memories.  Today, May 25th, 2025, is the 11th anniversary of the passing of our son Matthew from this life into heaven.  So you see why Memorial Day weekend holds a lot of emotion and memories for us.

I know these pictures aren't very clear, but this is on the counter top of the island in our kitchen, and I keep these photos there to remind me of our son in his happier, healthier days, before he was struck with cancer in 2010, and fought it bravely and valiantly for 4 years before Jesus called him home in 2014.

And this photo is on our refrigerator door...this is the last "family portrait" of Matthew and his wife Nicole and their son Noah, taken in the spring of 2014 when they were down here in Florida for a vacation and to celebrate Matthew's 41st birthday with us and all the family. They spent a few days together at the beach before heading back to Maine.  Three months later his battle with cancer was over and he was in heaven, totally healed and never to suffer any more pain.

So yes, Memorial Day weekend has a special significance for us.  

I saw this quote from Martin Luther on the little devotional calendar yesterday, and it spoke to my heart:

Yes, that is so true...the "things" we have held in our hands that are temporal; houses, land, personal "treasures", those are all gone when we leave this world.  But our loved ones, especially our children...they never really belonged to us...they are a gift to us from God...on "loan" from God for us to nurture, love, cherish and teach them to love and believe in God, but if and when God says it is time for them to come "home" to be with Him in Heaven, we have no choice but to let them go.  They belong to Him, not us.  But the good news is, because we have done our part to place our children in God's hands when we dedicate them to the Lord, we know that He will receive them back with love and tenderest care, and someday we will all be reunited in Heaven for eternity.  That is the believer's great hope and prayer. 

That's why this verse in Proverbs 22:6 is so important for every parent to know and believe...

Even if our child should wander away and go his own way for a time, I truly believe that if we have done our part as parents in teaching them about the love of Jesus, when that child is older he will come back to those "roots" that were planted so long ago.  We personally may not live to see it here on earth, but I truly believe the time will come when that "child" will remember the faith that was taught to him/her as a child, and he will come "home" eventually.  That's why we should never stop praying for our children no matter how old they are or how far away they've roamed.  God hears our prayers, and He knows which children are His, and John 10:28-29 tells us that NO ONE shall ever be able to snatch them out of God's hand...

John 10:27-30 NKJV

 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 

28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 

29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 

30 I and My Father are one.”

I hope this brings some comfort to you today.

Thank you for hanging in there with me through this whole long post.  It's been a difficult day, but a beautiful day, and I am so thankful for all that God has given me. I know that none of that which I have placed in His hands will ever be lost.  Praise God!!

I hope that you and yours will have a peaceful and blessed Memorial Day tomorrow. Remember those who have given so much for our freedom, and perhaps also remember those that you love who have gone on before to their great reward and final rest.  We have so much to look forward to someday!!!

Good Night my friends.