Well dear readers,
Thursday night after much begging, (and threatening to go downtown and buy an all pink set FOR $67) Mom finally let me have one of THREE sets of her Pyrex bowls!
We could only find the Yellow and Green ones, but she promises the rest are in storage and we'll dig them out soon. Even with out the other two bowls I feel this a victory! She kept Saying over and over "I just don't want them to get broke" and I came right back with "Mom have I not been hauling Grandma's 1946 mixer for almost nine months now... I have my own Pyrex too!" To my friends and myself these bowls have the same rules as my prized turquoise bangle glasses. 'If you break it don't say sorry, start running for CANADA' Because If I get a hold of you it wont be pretty...Haha.
(They match and didn't even plan it!)
Saturday afternoon friends Emily and Patricia dropped in and stayed for dinner, we had hamburger steak with homemade mashed potato's and green beans. While we were cooking dinner I just so happened to check Facebook and my friend/ reader Brian is a DJ/ talk host for a radio station, he posts that hes on air. So we go to Talk1300.com and Listen to the Saturday night quiz show. We spent a good 45 minuets screaming answers at the lap top and playing along! I write that on Brian's wall and he messages back "Im going to say Hi at the top of the hour" So we all pull out kitchen chairs around the lap top and listen to 15 minuets of Albany NY news, then finally we hear the "Call" Letters and the jingle for the show and-
WE LOSE THE INTERNET CONNECTION!!!!
(Emily screams NOOOOOO! while Patricia yells "WHY GOD?! WHY?!)
WERE SO UPSET WE TORE THE LOUNGE APART!!!! While I frantically tried to get the connection back we all were screaming, yelling, and hoping we hadn't missed it... but alas we had. (we eventually made peace with it and put the living room back together.) If I understood correctly "Darwin" is Brian's radio name so we wanted to give him a proper Casablanca thank you! He also gave us a new post card quote calling the Casablanca a "Mid-century paradise" !
After we'd settled down a little and the game show had gone off the air, we sat down to dinner! As always it was Mmmmm Mmmm Good!
After the dishes were washed, we all settled into the turquoise room for a game of Monopoly and some quality "I Love Lucy" TV time.
Earlier I had mentioned to Patricia that there was an entire suitcase full of board games but we hadn't played any of them in a year or so, but couldn't remember why... After an intense game of Monopoly I now vividly recall why we put the games up haha!
("I'LL BUY IT!)
(Patricia spent the majority of the evening 'Going directly to jail and not passing go'.)
(While both Emily and Myself received 'Get out of Jail Free' cards)
After Patricia had mortgaged everything she , I put all my money into a house and a hotel, so Emily won the game with the most holdings, tensions were high so we put together a puzzle and watched "Chicago" until we were calm enough to speak to one another again haha!
All in all just another normal weekend at the Casablanca.
Well Readers, better settle in this is a several factor story/post.
"I'v overhauled the other rooms in this house... the kitchen's had it comin'..."
Over the Labor Day weekend I drew the last straws on my "keeping the kitchen original" patients. Back during the decorating for the cast party of Pirates of Penzance when Patricia taped streamers to the kitchen ceiling, when we went to take them off they peeled the 67 year old paint with it (not a big deal it had been peeling in other places and I had planned to repaint soon.)
Well since the ceiling is getting painted it ONLY makes sense to freshen up the paint on the walls. HERE entails the problem.
(The new Valspar paint wall color reclaimed tile )
I bought the paint for the kitchen from the local True Value when I was 15 (5 years ago), at that time they SWORE and GUARANTEED my paint codes would be saved in their computer. I purchased a gallon of paint and hastily slopped it on the walls with a hand brush NOT a roller. 4 years later when I get the stove for my kitchen I go to get some touch up paint and they inform me they no longer carry that brand of paint, and they DID NOT keep the codes. LIVID I went to the lake and tore the house apart because by chance I had saved the paint can lid with the code on it. Go back to True Value and they paint guy mixes the paint and ITS A DIFFERENT COLOR GREEN!!! So iv decided sine Valspar paints are like diamonds (forever) this go round I will be buying my paint from them. Well with new wall and ceiling and trim color that brings us to... The Counter Tops...
(Counters as they have been for the last 67 years)
It is my understanding that these were put in in 1943. However none of us are sure what the counter tops are made of exactly, its looks like Samsonite/mason boar yet soaks things up like cork. (Oh and EVERYTHING sticks to them.) they also run the length of one and a half walls.
Im sure Pam over at Retrorenovation.com is sick of getting my emails asking for period suggestions. She has steered me in the direction of vinyl or Formica counter tops but the people at our Lowes have proved useless in helping locate the materials I want/ need. Then again whats more "period" than 4x4 tiles?! Well as I was saying Iv reached the point where I had to say to myself "This is my house, its a home, NOT a museum". Being the stickler for details that I am, Iv decided to bring the same green and white checkerboard pattern that's on the floor up to the counter tops.
(Like this but white tile in place of the brown)
It was so easy during the bar project it will be perfect in kitchen. The only problem with wanting 1940's Mint Green / Emerald Green tile... is that THEY DONT MAKE IT ANYMORE and when they do its like $5 a tile!!! It is at this point my mother is saying "well just get plain white an live with it" HA! This game might be expensive but i'm not beat that easily!
I put a listing on Freecycle for Mint Green colored "Bathroom tile" and not two seconds later i got a message back they had some at our local Habitat for Humanity. So I go and there is an entire shelf full of light Mint green tile. I picked about 70 tiles out of the stack (for starters) then I want entirely sure how many it would take to tile my counter tops (and possible back splash) so I bought all 190 tiles for ... $20.25
(This is about 80 of the tiles)
However since they had been freshly chipped out of someones house they need the ever so lovely and
time consuming prep work. So I filled a tub with soapy water and let them soak over night, then use a putty knife to chip the old glue off the back and grout off the edges.
(YUCK!)
With these 190 tiles now I need to locate...
A) White tile to complete the checkerboard.
B)Or do you think the solid Mint Green looks better?
Oh how I wish I could go back in time and convince Mr. Martin (builder of the house) to buy enough of the linoleum on the floor to do the counter tops too! I will get to use the original chrome banding on the edges because the Samson board is the same thickness as the tile. I think it will look great when its all done!
What do you think?
This weekend friends Jenny, Caitlin and Patricia motored out to the lake Saturday evening for dinner and a show!
Friday night while Patricia and I wandered through the vast land that is Walmart we decided to do 'Dinner Italiano' So we picked out the makings for Spaghetti and meatballs. I drove out to the lake late Friday night and Saturday morning some "Casablanca Magic" happned...
I didn't think I had any red white and green stuff, but I found this checked table cloth in the back of a drawer, then I discovered the green cloth napkins (sent to us by Leah at Storybook Ranch ) next I dug out the Dixie Dogwood dishes and cherry glasses, throw in some sparkling cider and you have the setting for an Italian dinner!
Here we have Miss Caitlin boiling some pasta, (We tricked her into wearing this apron) but she knew how to put together the dinner like a pro! Some salt here, tomato paste there, it just comes naturally.
Of course ANY Italian based dinner needs some dancing!
With the Spaghetti cooked for the main course, and our mozzarella stick appitizers we headed to the back yard to dine.
(Caitlin, Patricia, Jenny!)
We gathered round the table to eat, toast, and watch "Matilda" on the Drive-In screen. BEFORE I get comments about under age drinking, Relax... its Sparkling Cider haha!
"Oh this is the night, what a wonderful night and we call it bella notte..."
Well Guys and Dolls!
As iv'e been telling you, I tried out for Happy Days the Musical here at our local Wichita Theater. I was going for the role of Richie Cunningham, but instead I was cast as class clown of Jefferson High School's graduating class of 1959 Ralph Malph.
I cannot tell you how GREAT this show is going to be! All the characters from the show are in the musical, including references to Lavern and Shirley, Mork and Mindy, even Bill Gates, and the Denny's franchise is mentioned! This show for me is going to be one big sock hop! Here is the Broadway trailer from the shows run a few years back.
The music is cheesy but then again so was the TV show! As Ralph I'm part of a Barber Shop Quartet, (comprise of the 4 best friends Richie, Ralph, Potsie, and Chachi) I also get to ham it up the entire show as class clown and courageous coward. We've even made a Facebook group "Jefferson High School Class of 1959"
(Complete with school crest and colors.)
I REALLY hope we get to wear blue letter sweaters/ jackets! (Haha how corny and I?!)
(I would wear this proudly both in and out of the theater! I'm seriously looking for one right now with ot without the J. Any ideas where to get one?!)
This Is going to be SOOOOOOOO much fun! The Show Opens Oct 29th so if any of you just so happen to be in the Wichita Falls Area send me an email and come see the show. Maybe I could even get you the On Stage V.I.P. seating and you could be apart of our LIVE studio audience!
Found at my FAVORITE Thrift store Value Village! A Little ghost blow mold Halloween decorations (currently missing the pumpkin he holds) this GREAT 1950's regatta planter, and a White 201 Frankoma bowl! (has a tiny chip but for $1.41 who cares!)
(Regatta man)
I'm telling you have I have a 6th sense for Frankoma! I looked over into a shelf of dishes and with out even turning it over said "That's Frankoma" ... Damn I'm good! This is my 2nd white piece (I also have a white glazed ashtray) and it looks quite fetching when paired with my brown pieces!
Got these blow mold candles (they are missing the "flames" on top) for $1.20!!! You'll see them next around Thanksmass time.
We've also started gathering up items for our Halloween Party at the Casablanca I saw this cool sheet music form the 1930's and an antique store a got if for around $3.25
It will look fantastic sitting on the piano for Halloween! (When we get into October I'll do a post on decorations) and to finish the weekend off I found the perfect size pumpkin at Card & party Factory for the blow mold.
(Ta-Da!)
Saturday night Patricia, I, and our friend Caitlin went roller skating to practice for the big roller skating number Happy Days.
This particular skate rink was soooo crowded poor Caitlin is in tears because she had never been skating before! But after a few hours practice she was getting the hang of it.
To top it all off as we left the skate rink the DJ played "Good Night Sweetheart" and for me and Patricia that was just amazing. Its also why its now on the blog play list :)
I was thinking to myself about the bar and what we were going to use for drinking glasses. Now as careful as my friends are I REALLY don't trust glass in the bar outside in the gravel pit, its just asking to get broke and stepped on. I considered getting some cheap plastic cups from Walmart, then I remembered/ fell in love all over again with this aluminum set I already had at the Casablanca!
These were discovered by my Dad a few years ago when he tore down an old shed at my grandmothers house. OF COURSE I grabbed them up, there are five same sized cups made by the "Flamingo Products Company" (how perfect is that!) and one spare cup that isn't quite as tall. The aluminum Ice bucket is something I pulled down from one of my early expeditions in the garage attic, a little shinning and it too is perfect for the bar! I'm hoping to pick up another set of the glasses at thrift shops or garage sales. If all else fails they have a really nice set of 8 cups on Amazon.com for about $20.00 ~Merry Christmas~ hint hint!
Another find for the bar, is this CD player I rediscovered in my storage unit that I bought about five years ago on one of the Kansas trips.
(which is now old hat thanks to Ipods) I was considering saving up for an Ipod and the Ipod dock that looks like a jukebox to set out on the bar and play music.... but this will do for now! believe it or not it used to be mounted to the kitchen wall (where the telephone is now) the punch letters lean forward and there is also an FM/AM radio built in. I'm also considering saving up and buying a aqua colored "malt mixer" from a store I think they run $24- $30 because even though its a bar, doesn't always mean it will serve liquor! (not for another year at least)I have a metal shaker picked out at Target, you turn the mixer a ceritan way and it tells you how to make all manner of drinks! I've also got a vintage Coleman cooler under the bar to keep ice in!
Oh dear readers what a weekend it was, and now a message from our sponsors!
Friday-
Friday evening our friends Jeff and Donneta from Kansas came down to spend the weekend like they have done every Labor Day for the last 12 years! (We go and visit them for two weeks every Christmas.) Friday evening Dad put the boat in the water, my Grandpa's 1956 Lone*star that he restored a few years ago.
Then grilled at my parents cabin, they cut up chicken breast chunks and wrapped them in bacon on skewers. YUM it went fantastically with some Idaho red's potato salad!
( Donneta, Jeff & Dad)
* * *
Saturday-
Bright and early Saturday morning I started preparing the Casablanca for all the company that was coming to spend the weekend! I made some Jello molds in lime green, and blueberry...
These were a hit! Haha so easy to do and like everyone kept telling me "SO 50's!" I also made a Double Cinnamon/Devils food cake for my girlfriend Patricia's 18th Birthday!
Guests to the Casablanca started showing up around noon, seven friends motored out to the lake for the second annual Labor Day fish fry.
(Caitlin, Patricia, Wes, Jenny, Brett, & Lydia)
Where all the fish and hush puppies one could eat were to be had! The fish fry is hosted by the Myers Family (and a lot of other families contribute) on Labor day weekend and as you can see there was a pretty good turn out!
After lunch we all loaded up on the golf cart and headed down to the beach for what is provably the last swim of the season. That water got COLD in the last few weeks! But that didn't stop us for long.
(Caitlin couldn't get in the water, so she sun bathed on the dock!)
(Friends Jenny and Wes take a dive!)
(Brett & Lydia)
After swimming for a few hours we headed back to the house to snack and lounge about until dinner time. Friend Caitlin entertained us with a little decorative piano!
Eventually the snacks just weren't cutting it so we all went out to the gravel pit to light a fire and get dinner started!
(I had just poured gasoline on the tender and Jenny is scolding 'That is NOT how we do it in Campfire kids!'")
I'm not sure if it was the heat of the moment, but they did a little tribal fire dancing!
(Friends JayPat and Kaeli )
Fire lit, we broke out the makings for chili/hot dogs!
(Lydia, Wes, Caitlin)
(Brett, Patricia, Jenny!)
(Jenny made a 'hot dog bun grilled cheese' over the fire)
Im looking forward to some inside on the stove cooking we normally cant do because its so hot outside. Meatloaf's, casseroles, soups, ahhhh love it!
(Just a typical evening here at the Casablanca)
Dinner finished, we broke out the cake for the birthday girl!
After birthday wishes were exchanged we all sat around the fire chatting for a while telling jokes and stories.
(Brett and Wes)
(Jay & Kaeli)
After viewing a movie on the Drive-In and a few more rounds on the piano Saturday night begrudgingly drew to a close. Friends Wes and Patrica however had made plans to stay with me until Monday.
* * *
Sunday-
Sunday morning we slept in, before breakfast Wes, Patricia and I cleaned up from Saturday nights get together. I can also simi-proudly say that our little group of nine people were provably the ONLY ones at Lake Diversion who were sober! We swam some more, then went back to the house to make lunch Patricia made grilled cheese sandwiches.
(Ta-da Grilled Cheese sandwiches, with chips and Dr. Pepper!)
Most of the afternoon was spent in the Turquoise room watching season 1 of 'United States of Tara' and 'Pushing Daisies'. That evening friends Pam, Luzmila, and Brannon dropped in for dinner and a show.
(Patricia, Wes, Brannon, Pam, Luzmila)
(Pam & Luzmila)
We ended up watching 'Anger Management' HILARIOUS movie! After the show was over we all went back to the lounge to hang out, here Patricia and I are giving a recital of our "Up and coming version of Jingle Bells" .
Monday-
Monday morning we got up and tried to make waffles in the new 1954 waffle iron... key words in this sentence is tried! Here's a picture of before, we've just mixed the batter and I'm about to put it in the iron.
Well a little voice in my head said "You should provably put some cooking oil on the iron first...." NAW...
What happened next was like something I saw in a Katherine Hepburn movie (where she accidentally puts yeast in the waffle batter) I had put to much batter in and as it cooked the waffle iron slowly pried its way open.
(YIKES!)
After much scraping and a few choice words, we gave up on the waffle iron. So we reverted pack to the waffles not so distant cousin, the pancake. Out came my best frying pan down went the batter and up came one of the prettiest little pancakes you ever saw!
(Me and Wes showing of the first pancake EVER made at the Casablanca)
After breakfast (more like brunch) we threw our bathing suits on and hit the water!
Went back to the house to make some more lunch, and watch more of "Pushing Daisies"
(Do not question the alligator hat, just laugh!)
We finally had to pack up and head home around 6 PM on Monday, what a wonderful weekend it was and truly the best way to end summer (even though iv posted that like 6 times in the last few weeks). We're all excited for Halloween that the next scheduled get together but I'm sure there will be some impromptu gatherings because as we all know...
_crest.jpg)
