Fawning Over The Awning!

My Dad is just about the GREATEST there is dear Readers!
For my Birthday I asked him to build an awning to go over the french doors, to keep the "rain" (if we ever have any again...) from gathering on the threshold and steps.  Well not only did he grant my request but he welded, painted, tin'ed, and installed it at lightning speed! Seriously, he whipped it out in almost a day!

(French doors pre-awning.)

Sunday morning the winds died down enough to safely put the awning up. Please excuse my patchy grass, in this horrible drought I'm just thrilled to have at lease those few patches!

(Awning supports.)

My Dad is so great! He even heated and formed the metal supports on the new awning, to match them to the supports on the original 1943 awning on the front door. I love it when he does little details like that, thanks Dad!

(Ta-da! Finished awning.)

Thanks to Dads know how, it was very easy to install and went up in about 10 minuets. It is so nice, I don't even have to keep the curtains drawn over the french doors. Its the perfect length to keep the sun off the steps and keep the inside cool. I love it, definitely  one of the best birthday presents, and it will last forever! 

Dad liked the way it looked over the french doors too, and semi-jokingly said "Now you need over the big window!"

(I'm thinking he might be right... Christmas present?! Hint, hint!)

Thanks again Dad, for everything you do! You are the BEST! Believe it or not, me and Sis love you!

-Mick-

Happy Estate Sale Days!

(I CANNOT BELIEVE I actually came away with this lunch box!!!)

We have had the most amazing gem of an estate sale going on by our FAVORITE estate sale company. (This was week 2, with many more to come.) This property is small, but the collections are MASSIVE, they company still has 11 more out buildings to go through.
Any who, I saw this Happy Days Lunch box in the sales preview pictures and decided that I had to have it. (I played "Ralph Malph" in my very first show at Wichita Theatre!) So Patricia and I got to the sale an hour early, we were 3rd in line, and when they finally took down the tape it was a mad dash to the display case that this was in. One of the ladies running the sale told me "Now, you need to know these are the more pricy lunch pails..." I had anticipated this, and was prepared to pay high dollar. The only other Happy Days Lunch box I've seen in real life was a the Bowie Flea Market for $100.00. So after victoriously snatching the box, I look at the price tag and had to cope with the steep, back breaking price of $20.00!!! It was wonderful!

After I had safely locked the lunch box in the trunk of my car, I went back to the sale and everything else was just icing on the already wonderful cake! I picked up the "Alaska" napkin holder for a friend, and was pretty excited to discover that drink carrier because...

(It is perfect for my Libbey Carousel glasses!)

Rummaging around the dirty old laundry room, I found this clock for $2.00! It is a key wound clock that has no key and I am not sure it works but I think its going to be perfect for the Living room at the Casablanca once I get it cleaned up. It has just the right roundness and "space age-y" feel I'm looking for.

 Lastly there was this box of Blain hand painted dishes for $15.00. I need another mixed set of dishes like I need a hole in the head, but I'm sure I'll use them somewhere!  Most of the "good" pieces were there...

(6 dinner plates)

(4 salad plates, and 4 cups)

(The matching tea pot)

(A small bread bowl, and the salt and pepper!)

(I love they way they sit together.)

This set cleaned up rather nicely, and I'm glad I picked it up a the sale, vs buying it at a double price from a dealer. As I said I'll use it someday, I could have a thousand different kitchens! haha 

Recently, (as in part 1 of this estate sale 2 weeks again) I have become enamored with "wall pocket" pottery. Ya know little planters that thank on the wall!  I saw this one the first week and was to stingy to shell out $3.00, but with it still being there this week I gladly brought it home. No i just have to find a place for it... haha im reaching maximum capacity! 

(The lunch box in it's new habitat. 

Chilling with the Batman and Bonanza Lunch boxes.)

It has been a great dirty sale, and there is still lots of treasure to be found and I cant wait to go digging again soon!

Hope all of you had some happy hunting!

-Mick-

Mail Call!

Today's postcard is sent to us by one of my oldest childhood friends, Colleen!  She hails from Ohio, but is currently studying abroad in Ireland and was nice enough to send a few cards our way.

The Titanic has always been a fascination of mine, this card is perfect. All the way from Belfast Ireland, that is a new record! Colleen's other postcard from Cork Ireland was pretty great too, and special picked for the Casablanca...

(Here's looking at you kid!)

Thank you so much for taking the time to write us Colleen, hope you are having a blast over on the Emerald Isle!

Here's looking at you kid!

-Mick-

My 24th Birthday Weekend!

Boy do I feel lived Readers! It was a wonderful jam-packed weekend of friends, finds, and celebrating!

The festivities kicked off Thursday night, when Patricia along with the help of our friends Cindy, Margaret and Kathleen threw my a surprise party at the Duncan Home. I was truly surprised (which is no easy task) scores of our friends came to the party and waited patiently to surprise me! (I was an hour late to my own surprise party...) It was so much fun. Our friends sang and danced for me, showered me with gifts and kind words, and to top it all off we twisted the night away!

Friend Margaret even made ma red velvet cake (my favorite!) in the shape of a record player, it was AMAZING!

Saturday morning I treated myself to an estate sale, it was a doozy with bottom dollar prices! I got all of the things in the above picture for a lump sum of $19.00. I COULDN'T BELIEVE that I snagged that Davey Crockett mug for only $3.00!!! And the Turquoise planter is also a wall pocket.
Saturday Afternoon Missouri Michael drove down to catch the last performance of "Shrek" the Musical and see Patricia and myself on stage. He came down to stay the weekend with us at the Casablanca!

Friends- Spencer, (Gracie Dog), Chris, Sarah, Jordan, Terrace, Jacob, Emily, Deanna, Russ, Matt, Seigen, Michael, Margaret,Cindy, Patrica, (Cora Dog), Lara, Baby Emma, & Jennifer!

Sunday the 22nd, my actual day of birth we had a small gathering of friends at the Casablanca. Patricia had prepared a brisket dinner and all of our friends brought sides to go along. Friend Cindy brought my favorite buffalo chicken dip, Yum!

(Mom sent another red velvet cake!)

It was good company for sure! We ate and chatted the night away, I truly had a blast AND didnt even have to do the dishes!

(The "tribute" table!)

I have some of the nicest friends, not only did they come out to the Casablanca to help me celebrate my birthday, but they came bearing gifts! Missouri Michael gave me the McCoy Planter and matching fiberglass lamp shades, Friend Joe sent me the 6 Libbey sorbet glasses AND went to the estate sale and bought me the pink leaf wall pockets, Friend Seigen gifted me a bag of 50's candies, Patricia found the last turquoise Pyrex fridgie that I needed to complete my set!

Friends Kate and Teresa bestowed this wonderfully retro "Happy Birthday" table cloth, it also has six matching napkins. I love it, and will use it for many birthdays to come!

Another Missouri Michael find! Now we have a lasting version of the "SS. Casablanca"! Remember?! It was the "ship" we sailed away on during last Spring Breaks formal dance.

Speaking of water, one of the BEST birthday presents was that the Water District filled our lake up again! So now we can actually swim and boat!

 (Friend Lynn's Birthday postcard!)

I would like to say Thank You to all of my friends, I received so many cards, pictures, Blog comments, special made posters, phone calls, ( two voice mails of "Marilyn Monroe" singing Happy Birthday to me), and a slew of well wishes on Facebook. It means the world to me, and made my day of birth so special. I appreciate and love every one of you! It really is all of you that makes the Casablanca Club thrive! 

"No man is a failure who has friends."

I'd have to say that I am in some pretty excellent company!



-Mick-

Oh My Gosh, They Got Me....SUPRISE!!!!

Girlfriend Patricia in conjunction with friends Margaret, Cindy, and Kathleen threw me a surprise party! (Which is no easy feat) Goodness, they got me! Haha my 24th Birthday weekend has offcially kicked off, and we'll be back next week to tell you all about it!

(Margaret made me a Red Velvet cake that looked like a turquoise record player!!!)

See you all next week!

-Mick-

What's Their Story?

I found this old framed photo at Value Village, sucker that I am I just could not leave it behind. I wonder what the occasion was, I wonder where these people are now.I did discover (by looking closely at the ashtrays in the picture) that this photo was snapped in the famous " Blue Room"  of the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans.

I love so many things about this picture, the cherry lifted out of the ladys glass, the gentleman's tie, (the fact that neither of them is looking the right way for the photo). The brim of the ladys hat the was caught in the flash who was seated behind them. The waiters in their sharp white uniforms (who have been caught off guard for just a second). 

To think all of that caught by a flash bulb in a matter of seconds.

Truly a time gone by.

-Mick-

We Love Kelcie!

(Miss Kelcie with one famous find!)

Our dearest Kelcie is out in Kilgore TX, working and acting in the Texas Shakespeare Festival. A few weeks ago she took a some pictures of this piano she stumbled across at the and sent them to me. THIS Piano dear Readers is THE piano that the music and lyrics to the "I Love Lucy" theme song WERE COMPOSED ON!!!

Kelcie reports that- Lots of people donate things to the TSF every year and this came to them through the estate of Harold Adamson, and has been in Kilgore ever since!

Kelcie further reports that- Adamson was a heavy smoker, as the keys are covered in cigarette tar, and littered with water rings.

Can you even BEGIN to imagine the history on these keys!


Readers let me tell you, I have a SERIOUS case of the "Wants" haha! I would do just about anything to drag that piano back to the Casablanca, but Kelcie doesn't seem to think the folks at TSF would want to part with it! Trade you a piano for a piano! Oh what I wouldn't do to be able to lovingly "store" it for them in the living room... maybe if we told them that were friends Billy Mendieta and Sirena Irwin!

Keep working on them Kelcie! 

Just the other day we received a postcard from Kelcie, she is the BEST at sending us cards from her summer travels. This one is a vintage postcard from Kilgore staring the "Texan" movie theater!

Look at all the vintage cars, and the iconic oil derricks of East Texas.

The Casablanca crew will be road tripping to Kilgore to see Kelcie in "My Fair Lady" later this summer, and we can't wait!

BREAK A LEG Kelcie, and keep us posted on that piano! ;)

-Mick-