The Jewelry Box

The Jewelry Box

Today’s blog is dedicated to my dear friend Diamond Dave, who owned a west side store for many years called "The Jewelry Box. "

This is a comparable picture of my very first little trinket box given to me by my mother. On the evening of my wedding, when a dear friend I graduated with was using my room to dress, she noticed the box on my dresser. She asked me, “This is original isn’t it?” Translated: “uhmm, why do you still have a Strawberry Shortcake jewelry box?” Shortly thereafter, I stashed it away, hoping to one day give it to my daughter, so far, only boys in the household. I might need to hold out for a granddaughter.
My sister gave me a white upright jewelry box with a unicorn painted on it. Possibly someone gave it to her, and she did not want it, as she was the unicorn lover among us.
This first jewelry box I purchased myself was for travel, a cute little pink leather number.


In looking to upgrade the organization of my collection, I found:http://www.stacksandstacks.com/search/?term=jewelry instead of jewelry boxes. This is a good solution for your costume jewelry for work, school or play. All other jewelry should be kept in a fire proof safe, or bank until the eve of the night you planning to wear your precious.

Next was a musical ballerina jewelry box given to me by my father when we were in Jackson, Mississippi visiting my grandparents.

Travel list for 2011

While there are still a few places on my list I can check off this year, most of these trips will have to be A.C. (after Christmas).

• Washington, DC
• Boston, Massachusetts
• Salem, Massachusetts
• New York City
• Wyoming- Yellowstone
• Chicago- museums
• Biltmore, North Carolina
• Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
• Bloomington, Indiana- We went to Oliver Winery over fall break and purchased the Creekbed Chardonnel 2009, very mild, and from the local vineyards. Followed up with a trip to Aver's pizza where we gorged ourselves on the Crimson and Cream pizza, made with an alfredo sauce, red potatoes and toppings comparable to potatoe skins. Of course, we went to 'Tis, the campus bookstore, bought Cubbie a graphing pencil with extra erasers and Indiana University t-shirts for the guys a bargain at 2 for $14.99.

• Vincennes, Indiana
• French Lick, Indiana
• Arizona- Grand Canyon State Park
• Maine

Most of these are within the United States, I have done enough international travel for a while. I will save those locations for a future posting.

Fall shopping list

MOMMIE NEEDS:

Prada boots

Burberry trench 3/4 length

Golf umbrella- just say no to skimpys umbrella please. I was spoiled when I lived in Florida and they sold the umbrellas with huge canopies. In Indiana, they call those golf umbrellas, after four hurricanes in Florida, it was just a wardrobe staple.

The gorgeous purple silk Ralph Lauren dress that Alice put on her blog that I have not justified buying as I do not have anywhere to wear it- yet. Where there is a will there is a way.

La Cruset tea kettle- as believe it or not, a tea kettle can be damaged beyond restoration if caught in the inferno of canning spaghetti sauce from your garden.

Planters- it's the wrong time of the year, but I was gone to Iraq for one year. All my exotic plants were skinny mini when I got home. When I fertilized and watered like a Disney world mom, their growth has surpassed their previous home.

Halloween Movies To Watch List

Celebrating the hallowed season with a few favorite favorite movies, lots of buttered and salted popcorn and hot chocolate. Starting with:

1. Johnny Depp in "Sleepy Hollow"
2. Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Todd." When I first watched this murderous musical, I thought it was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, the musical compositions are powerful, captivation yet not songs you want to be heard sing in the shower.
3. Psycho- ultimate classic
4. I Know What You Did Last Summer- on my to watch list
5. The Shining- I have not seen since I was a child
6. The Addam's Family- a little macabre to rest between screaming my head off
7. An American Werewolf in London- I will never be able to go out into the night again.
8. The Howling- on my to watch list, in a world filled with vampires, we need more werewolves
9. Bram Stoker's Dracula- Not scary, I found Gary Oldman romantic. Wynona Ryder is so gorgeous.
10. Frankenstein- on my to watch list
11. Poltergeist- need to revisit for the kid's sake
12. The Birds- classic, on my to watch list
13. Interview with a Vampire- watched it, but cannot remember it.
14. Hocus Pocus- a must watch before you go out trick or treating
15. The Witches- based in Roald Dahl's book and perfomed by Angelica Huston, parfait

Hometown Hospitality at Mama Nunz Italian Restaurant

For the most part, we travel from Clayton to the city {Indianapolis} for dining out, but there are a few of our old tyme favorites just outside our backdoor, one of which is Mama Nunz in Greencastle. Greencastle, Indiana known for Depauw University and when I was growing up Greencastle had the cutest guys in their wranglers and their Lacer boots and ratty John Deere baseball caps with their favorite fishing hook on the bill, utilitarian.

At Mama Nunz, you can purchase an incredible steak dinner special for $10, super cheap eats. Hubbie chose the steak dinner, Cubbie chose the garlic cheese burger and the reformed vegan mommie chose manicotti. Hubbie and Cubbie will lament over the delicious food, but I personally prefer the atmosphere. Mama Nunz is very much like the family owned businesses in Europe, most memorable to me were the “walkplatz” in Germany where Hubbie and I started our lifelong friendship. On the walkplatz, shopkeepers are right there, you talk with them, you get to know them. They take great pride in their work and it is a reflection of them, an artform. It’s not like going downtown, renting booth space to eat the same food the person at the next table is eating and feeling sick afterwards as you wolf down food in order to rush to an overcrowded event. Mama Nunz food is meant to be savored with family and friends and good conversation.

Nunzio Cancilla, the second generation owner, selects every item on his menu. He knows his customers. He is right there to talk to you, to ask you to try a sample of his thin crust pepperoni and sausage pizza, the best pizza in our area, if you ask me. See you at Mama Nunz!

The Town of Clayton

Clayton is a small town of about 700 people according to the 2000 census, although I am anxiously awaiting the 2010 census as I am sure it has increased. Many of the homes in the town were built in late 1800's. What was life like for the originally founders? Being an import, I do not know. The town has not changed much judging by the number of original buildings still in existence.
Clayton is home to several businesses. There is a PNC bank in town, the "Clayton Foo Store," the letter D is missing from the sign, so the children call it the "Foo Store," a solid and busy red brick post office, Chippy's Ice Cream Parlor, the Clayton Cafe, the Mill Creek Outreach, Body Mechanix, a fire station, the excavator's, a car wash, the Korner liquor store which has an archery upstairs, around the corner is the tractor and feed store, an automotive repair shop, Davis Floral, the funeral home, the First Baptist Church, the Clayton Christian Church, a Presbyterian church and one set of apartments and most popular is Cox's Plant farm.
Surrounding the town of Clayton are family farms and orchards. If you were to take a drive out US40 to the small town of Clayton, you could purchase flowers at Cox's, drop by the Clayton Cafe for their evening specials of BBQ, or fried catfish, or stop at Chippy's Ice Cream for a waffle cone filled with your favorite flavor, sit out front on a picnic table and enjoy the day. Some visitors ride their bicycles from Plainfield, almost 9 miles away to visit the countryside. The locals ride bicycle to their friends houses, Lambert Park, the Clayton Public Library, or play to basketball at the school. Bike riding is a popular activity. Clayton has good roads for bicycling, or running as they are long country roads with not much in your path and beautiful scenery on all sides.
We still "drive to town" to pick up supplies, then return to our humble agricultural abodes and enjoy our families and gardens. It's the kind of location where you stock your freezer with meat, and have a pantry. Going to the church of your choice on Sunday morning is still the beginning of the week.
Many people in Clayton ride western style horses, own mixed breed dogs, they raise chickens for eggs, or are pet lovers of some sort. Ducks are another popular pet to keep. It is more common to have a stocked pond of fish, also appreciated by the ducks, than a swimming pool. We have an ordinance against pigs in our area. Having outdoor cats is actually a necessary form of pest control, unless you want field mice, especially after the monstrous combines eat up all the corn in the fields in October and the wild life scatters.
Each evening when my son and I walk down the barely blacktopped open country roads, we hear roosters in the distance, two little black Scottie dogs we call the Toto dogs chase us down, the wind whips across flat, open fields of corn, soybeans or empty fields. Anyone from Indiana will recognize the daylily, even if they do not know the official name, it's the orange flowers on the side of the road, we walk pass a huge clump of orange daylilies separating two neighboring houses. People sometimes drive down the middle of the country road, speeding and tossing out plastic cups, so it's not always safe to go for a walk.
When we walk in town, most homes are the A-frame, small white house surrounded with flowers. My favorite is a two story in the northeast corner, with the large yard and open front porch. Several of the houses on the north and south way out of town are two story square homes, but I particularly like the two story white house with pillars out front, the wide green expanse of grass, the porch swing with floral pillows and hanging baskets overflowing with trumpets of petunias.

New Picture

New Picture from Chippy's. Let the ice cream art begin.