There's No Place Like Home...

(Fine food and a festive table!)

Well friends, Friday night a few of us gathered at the Casablanca for one last get together- a reuinion and homecoming of sorts!

(Dear friends Brett & Lydia)

If you recall, Lydia and Brett were married in our living room last summer. Soon after Brett was stationed at Little Rock Arkansas and this is the first trip they've made back, so OF COURSE we had to have dinner at the Casablanca!

(Lydia, Brett, Patricia, Margaret, Caitlin, Kelcie, & Disa)

For dinner we had a cavalcade of delights! I made chicken and dumplings, along with our nearly famous hash-brown casserole. Lydia made a baked potato dish, and everyone else had prepared a bevy of desserts.

(The neat cocktail napkins are a gift from Jamie over at MidCentury Madness )

Whats dessert with out coffee?! We gave the "I love Lucy" coffee Percolator a try, and what a cup of coffee it made- before the evening was over we'd brewed six pots!

(Served in the "I Love Lucy" Franciscan dishes that Missouri Michael gave me for Thanksmass)

(Brett & Lydia, they're kind of a big deal...)

After dessert we settled into the Den for a game of 'Apples to Apples' and we also presented our guests of honor with their Christmas presents!

 For Lydia, we got her a set of the Primary Nesting bowls, (a great starting piece for their vintage pyrex collection.) But we couldn't just give Lydia Pyrex and not Brett! He received his very own Pyrex coffee mug with a gold leaf eagle and stars pattern.


Well Continuing our "Pyrex Christmas" as it were, Patricia and I exchanged gifts-

I gave to Patricia, a 1.5 quart Pink Daisy casserole she is just crazy about pink Pyrex.

(Friends Zack, Myself, Kelcie & Caitlin)

Patricia's gift to me was a 1957 Cast album of "The Pajama Game", the Turquoise Hostess Chip and Dip set. (I need to find a bracket that holds them together!)  and a round chip and dip bracket that turns almost any 404/401, 444/441 into a chip and dip!

(Seen here, holding my Sandalwood 444/441 )

After presents we gathered round the television set for a viewing of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"  and chatted the night away. 

Pretty soon it was midnight, so everyone started saying their good buys, Merry Christmases, and Happy New Years. 

Casablanca put up her crown for the last time in 2011, and we all headed home. 

I hope all of you had a Wonderful Christmas and have the Happiest of New years! Here's to 2012/ 1958!

-Mick-

All Set!

We finished a Set!  I love the more bright and "pastel" colored Pyrex, its cheery and goes well with all summer occasions and this is what we consider a "set" Yellow, Turquoise, Chartreuse, & Flamingo Pink. It's my hope to collect  most of the baking basics in these four colors.

We still need quite a few pieces...

A Pink and a Green loaf pan, and Turquoise and a Yellow long pan. A Turquoise and a yellow 9" Pie plate. a Turquoise and a green 8" round cake pan. All of these pieces are NOT must have right this moment... but this is the stuff we frequently look for and use the most.

Oh Well, until then the Hunt continues...

-Mick-

In Search of Pyrex

Saturday morning Patricia and I headed up to Oklahoma to enjoy a day in the Wichita Mountains and do a little Pyrex hunting in Lawton.

As soon as we got to Medicine Park, we drove up Mount Scott. We hiked for a bit and I took some pictures...

(Patricia)

(It's hard to see, but there were bushels of purple flowers all over!)

(Provably my favorite picture of the day)

After we'd had out fill of 'Climbing over rocky mountian' we headed down to Meers Oklahoma for lunch!

(In all its 3 building glory)

Don't let the size fool you, this is one of the most famous restaurants in Southern Oklahoma.

 They have these GIANT "Meers" Burgers, and all kinds of home cooked goodies..

I had a "Seismic Burger" (literally the size of a pie plate), Patricia had a grilled cheese and we shared an order or french fries & fried green tomatoes, my favorite.

 (Served with ranch, and good to the very last bite!)

At first Patricia was skeptical about trying a friend green tomato and tried to write the topic off with "I don't like tomatoes"  and after a bit of convincing and saying over and over "These aren't your regular red tomatoes, they are green and different!"  She took a bite and was hooked, the prices are good and you wont leave hungry!
After lunch we headed back into Lawton to hit the thrift and antique stores and I must say our first few stops were highly disappointing.  We used the Google map on my phone to find antique stores, the first two we went to were out of business, the third stop had real antiques and rooms and rooms of ceiling to floor Fenton Glass (Vintage Christine would have been in Heaven!) After striking out thrice, I Googled thrift stores and away we went and it was equally disappointing. THEN I had an epiphany, I called the four other antique stores asking "Hello, do Ya'll (yes I let my Texan slip) have Pyrex?" and after the first three said "why no I don't believe we do"  the Last store owner said "Why yes, we have quite a few pieces scattered around the store." THAT'S WHAT I LIKE TO HEAR!  We hopped in the car and drove over, and ture to the mans word there was more Pyrex in this one store than in all the other places we went to... and the hunt began.

Patricia found our kill, a 1.5 #3 divided Friendship Casserole with its matching lid for $8.00.

Not a scratch on the bottom part! At the Casablanca we collect Pyrex in the lime green, yellow, turquoise, and pinkish red. (We just finished the round casserole portion of our collection, I need to post that soon.) So this may end up being a Christmas Present for someone and the fire-engine red is, much darker than our other stuff.


It was a fun day trip! Posting might be limited this week. Saturday is thew opening of my show "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and im scrambling to make the stage look like 1850's Oregon!

Happy Halloween!

-Mick-

Bowie Fleamarket SCORE!

 Last Saturday,  Girlfriend Patricia kidnapped me and whisked me away to the Bowie flea market and then to Denton.  The Pyrex Gods smiled on us and I picked up three (444- 442) of the "Sandalwood" patterned Cinderella bowls for $25.

At the same booth I picked up this 1958 "Rooster Black" promotional piece with its gold plate carrier for $16 and although I spent $41 when you think about it each piece was $10.25 and I consider that a deal. At the first booth we went to was way at the back and we cleaned up!  I got the set of ceramic drama face masks for $1.

This cool turquoise and gold Carafe for $0.50, I do believe we'll keep lemonade in it!

We picked up this set of skillets, I bought them for the little interchangeable metal handle (to go on my set) and Patricia wanted the pretty skillets and fro $5 for the set we both go what we wanted! After bowie we headed down to Denton to see what it had to offer, and ended up finding the matching 441 Sandalwood Cinderella bowl for $8 normally I would have waited and tried to find the bowl cheaper, but I mean it was right there in front of me...  So I purchased it an finished the set!

I also spotted a special piece at an antique store that I'm going to try and send money with Patricia next week to snag... and the location and piece is Top Secret until then!

Happy Wednesday!

-Mick-

Pyrex (1) Hipsters (0)

On our Denton trip I picked up a few pieces of Pyrex. I was so disappointed at some of the antique stores we went in, they were those places that have all kinds of everything, and nothing at the same time. Patricia had scouted out the "Desert Dawn" 8 inch round a few weeks ago.

At first I passed on it as it had a $15 price tag, but after all our shopping I decided to give it another try. I went in and as I was checking out the lady said "OH I love this stuff!"  and I said "Really? Whats your favorite piece?" and she said "I just love my two-quart casseroles"  and I said "I love my 404's and cake pans!" and she paused a minuet and said - "Tell ya what, your a good kid, I can tell- you can have it for $10." SOLD!

*  *  *

During our walk around the square, we stopped into a "Hipster" run antique store, (and you know my encounters/ feelings for hipsters) After searching and searching, it looked like the oldest thing in the shop was from 1989. Then in the back of the store about 10 feet from where I was standing, My Pyrex senses started tingling.

I saw the very top of this Butterprint Cinderella its a (number)  I dug it out from where it was and saw it had no price tag. CRAP I thought, these hipsters (whom I loathe the idea of) are going to take me to the bank on this... So I go up to the counter and the girl behind the register puts down her mandolin and cat and says "Can I help you?" I said "yes, could you tell me how much this bowl is?" *she looks it over* "Wow this old, like REALLY old I don't think I've ever seen one like this before... *Aw Crap, I think* she then says "Well its really grungy, and I don't think thats coming off... how about $10?"  SOLD!

Well when I got home that night, I let it soak in hot bubbly water and used one of those magic cleaning eraser sponges and it cleaned right up and looks brand new!

We couldn't help but smile, we got a $35 bowl for $10 because of that girls unwillingness to give it a good scrub! 

I think we're going to keep Oranges in it... take THAT Hipsters!

-Mick-