Saturday, January 3, 2015

Love Old Alarm Clocks

image source
I love the looks of old alarm clocks. I have one in my bedroom that doesn't keep very accurate time but I wind it up every night before I go to sleep. I rely on my iPhone to wake me up every morning.

Here is my clock on top of a great dog book, a thoughtful Christmas gift from a friend. The loud ticking of this clock when I first turn off my light at night helps put me to sleep. It also drowns out the "house noises" that usually keep me awake. I have very acute hearing and I can hear a pin drop in the next county. This old clock is a great noise canceling device and I'm so glad it turned out to be a sleeping aid. Enjoy the evening. xo

Downton Abbey Recap Must Read before Tomorrow Night

The Wall Street Journal has a great article to catch you up with each character exactly where you left off 10 months ago with the end of Season Four. Downton Abbey is starting up again Sunday night on PBS. Can't wait.

Friday, January 2, 2015

Pincushion Love

Globe Pincushions
Oh.My.Goodness! What a great idea. I still use my red tomato pincushion with the dangling strawberry to sharpen needles and another one that fits on my wrist. I've had them since high school or even before that. I'm loving these globes. via

A Good New Year's Resolution

If you make only one resolution, this could be it! via

Follow Me said the Little Lamb

Pasarela by Eliseo Miciu
This photo takes my breath away! via

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Two Films about Stephen Hawking for You to Watch Online

Click here if you can't see the video below.
I watched it several days ago and loved it. At first I thought it would be too painful to watch and I clicked it off the first time. Then I decided to try again and I'm so glad I did. 
This is his own personal story told in his own words. The thing I liked best was the personal photos and movies from the time he was born. It covered his life at Cambridge and his marriage and family life with Jane Wilde and their children.

Watch it full screen on your computer or mobile device. This movie is 1 hour 28 minutes long. Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with ALS when he was 20 years old and he's been living with the threat of an imminent death for the past 52 years. His will to live is unbelievable as you will soon see if you decide to watch. This is real life. No actors. This is his story and this movie is very current, filmed in 2013 when he was 71 years old. He still goes to work every day as a Professor at Cambridge in a position once held by Isaac Newton.

The movie that is either out now or about to be released The Theory of Everything starring Eddie Redmayne is based on a book that was written by Stephen Hawking's first wife. It was published in 2008 and is out of print. This is a hardcover book to look for at garage sales, book sales, and estate sales. Hardcover first editions are selling for around $1,000.00 -- see listing on Amazon. It's also available as an e-book.


The BBC made a movie about Stephen in 2004 starring Benedict Cumberbatch. I watched it too AFTER watching the one above. I suggest you watch them in that order too. The BBC film fills in all the gaps about his education at Cambridge preceding his marriage to Jane. It's fabulous as you can well imagine. Benedict Cumberbatch never disappoints!


This film is offered on YouTube in 6 parts. As each episode ends, you will be prompted to start the next one. It was very seamless. I know you can do it.

Let me know if you watch either or both movies. You know I wouldn't recommend anything I didn't enjoy myself.

H A P P Y   N E W   Y E A R !
xo

Vintage Beatrix Potter TOM KITTEN Plush Toy Cat Circa 1973 For Sale on Ebay

I am selling this adorable Tom Kitten doll with no reserve on ebay. It isn't getting much interest so I thought it might be a good idea to blog about it again. Click here to see my no reserve auction. It ends on Sunday afternoon in case you want to bid. There are 12 photos posted for you to view so you can see him from all angles.

This is an old picture from an 2009 blog post about him.

He is sitting in one of my favorite antique side chairs.

I used to have him on the high chair shown in the first picture along with two antique teddy bears until Webster grabbed him one day and started giving him puppy love bites. He managed to rip one side of the little jacket before I could get Tom away from him. I mended it on the reverse side with light blue iron-on tape that I luckily had in my sewing basket. 

I just took this photo of him leaning on a pillow on my living room sofa. I forgot to position his tail so you could see it.

He's all dressed up and ready to go to a loving home. Thanks for helping me say goodbye to this adorable character doll. The Tale of Tom Kitten is a children's book, written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter. It was released by Frederick Warne & Co. in September 1907. The tale is about manners and how children react to them. Tabitha Twitchit, a cat, invites friends for tea. She washes and dresses her three kittens for the party, but within moments the kittens have soiled and lost their clothes while scampering about the garden. Tabitha is "affronted". She sends the kittens to bed, and tells her friends the kittens have the measles. Once the tea party is underway however, its "dignity and repose" are disturbed by the kittens romping overhead and leaving a bedroom in disorder.

Potter's career as a children's author and illustrator was launched in 1902 with the release of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. She continued to publish, and, in 1905, bought Hill Top, a farm in Lancashire, with the sales profits from her books and a small legacy from an aunt. Her tales were also inspired by the farm, its woodland surroundings, and nearby villages. Work began on Tom Kitten in 1906 and its setting became the Hill Top farmhouse. Illustrations depict the interior of the house and the gardens, paths, and gate at the front of the house.

Twenty thousand copies of the book were released in September 1907 and another 12,500 the following December. Potter composed a few miniature letters for child friends as if from the characters in the tale, and, in 1917, she released a painting book under Tom Kitten's name. In 1935, two books of piano pieces and piano duets for children were published with one piece inspired by Tom Kitten and another by the Puddle-Ducks. Tom and other characters in the book have become the subjects of a variety of merchandise over the years including porcelain figurines and plush toys. The tale is still in print, and has been translated and published in several languages.

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Happy New Year's Eve

This is my favorite animated gif ever and I shall post it every year. The link above is to my last year's post. I went to the movies today to see The Imitation Game with Benedict Cumberbatch and it was wonderful. I'm so glad I watched both seasons of The Bletchley Circle on PBS and was already familiar with Bletchley Park. Put it on your list of "must see" movies for 2015. See you next year. xo