Another Favorite: Globes

It was over 10 years ago that I brought home my first vintage metal globe bank. Dub Ingram had the cutest little junk store in an old house on Main Street in Holdenville, and that's where I spotted three globes in a grouping. They were marked $12 each. I took one home that day, then eventually collected the whole trio.

What I love about these metal banks is that they were so common. Most of mine are advertisement pieces, so they were probably given free to customers back in the day (1960s-70s?).

Another thing I love about globes...I'm a peacemaker. I love our earth and all the people on it. Seeing them just reminds me we're all in this thing together.

These days, I collect globes of all sizes, not just banks, but mostly the smaller globes appeal to me. (In other words, I'm running out of room.)

I ordered one from eBay and was especially pleased to find that it was WAY smaller than my smallest globe. I figure it's pretty rare. See him, right there in the middle on the bottom shelf?

Prices on these shabby little globes have steadily gone up since I started collecting them. My rule is $20 or less, and now that I have quite a few,  I have to be sure I don't have the exact globe.

One year I grouped all of them above our mantel in order to make room for the Christmas decor. Vaughn was aggravated when I split them all up again in the spring because he loved the way they looked up there. They DID look awesome as a "club".

Not long ago, I was in Joplin, MO, visiting with friends. Here we are in some funny hats at a super cool antique mall we all loved.

All this to say...this happened to be right after I did Marie Kondo's "tidying up" in my house. I told my friends I would love to go junking with them that day, but wouldn't be bringing anything home because I had just done all this organizing and clearing out of the excess at my house. Well, who was first to claim something for purchase that day? It was me! When a globe is available at a decent price, I just can't resist.

I even use two globe banks in my fourth grade classroom as my bathroom passes. No, they don't take my precious globes to the bathroom with them. If there's a globe on the shelf, students know they can put one on their desk as a sign to me that they're currently away from their desks for personal reasons. Works like a charm.

I got this awesome globe from Kirk at Gatsby's in Wewoka. Not a bank at all, but certainly worthy of my collection. Wonder how many people have a shabby globe with John Glenn's orbit around the earth on it? Very neat!

Confession: I Take Photos of my Food a Lot

Vaughn and I have eaten a Keto style diet way of eating for two years tomorrow. We started Jan. 3, 2018, me weighing more than 50 pounds more than now, and he about 30.

Rita was the one with the idea. We are now closer friends than ever, although she lives in Washington these days.

Most of the pictures I take are so Rita will know I found something yummy for her to try. And she does the same. It's very motivating and keeps our meals and treats new.

Here are just some of the foods Vaughn and I made and consumed during the month of December.

Waffles with butter and homemade syrup Vaughn makes.

I request these often.

On New Year's Day, we had collard greens with bacon and onions,

pork tenderloin slices and cranberry sauce made with our sweetener.

We eat pizza made with fathead pizza dough quite regularly. 

The crust is made with mostly mozzarella cheese and cream cheese.

Vaughn and I went to a Brazilian Steakhouse in OKC.

The staff just kept coming with more MEATS to enjoy.

(It was like Heaven for Keto lovers...so many things to say YES to!)

This was from the salad bar at the Brazilian Steakhouse.

I assure you, several full sized pieces of bacon were devoured.

I take my lunch every day to school. Vaughn makes it most days.

(I know, he's amazing.)

And on this particular day, he got some extra points.

We took this tray of cheese and pepperoni to a church breakfast.

On New Year's Eve, we had these little snackies,

plus a pig in a blanket made with a hot link and Fathead pizza dough,

but it wasn't that pretty. Thus, no photo.

Pumpkin bars, that way we didn't miss out on all the pumpkin yumminess at the holidays.

Big Mac Salad is like eating a Big Mac, except no bun.

It's a favorite, and so easy!

We make the Thousand Island dressing homemade

with sugar free ketchup, mustard, pickles and our sweetener.

Creamed eggs: Simmer heavy cream in a small skillet,

then add onions, meat, etc...like an omelet...

then drop one or two eggs in it.

The eggs fry on top. Oh my.

A delicious cheesy soup we had a week or so ago.

Reminds me of Santa Fe soup.

Our Keto way of eating has been a wonderful way for us to get healthy. We feel GREAT!

We basically shop the outside aisles at the grocery store. Produce, meats, cheeses, dairy. Real food. Nothing processed. But as you can see, that doesn't mean we aren't eating really well.

Collecting Toy Trucks Together

A few years ago, Vaughn and I decided we wanted to start a collection of something. We wanted to collect something we would gather together, which is quite different than it had been before. (He had not been all that interested in my tiny oil cans, plastic reindeer and globes.) Well, that year we opted to collect old toy trucks together, realizing sometimes they're pretty pricey, and sometimes our junking expeditions would be about the thrill of the hunt, and not the number of toy trucks we'd gather.

Off to the junk store I went that Christmas to get Vaughn a truck for under the tree. I was especially hunting a red one. Well, I don't know about you, but when I'm looking for something that's antique, I'm not always able to find it right off. And that's what happened. Instead, right in the place Vaughn's red truck should have been, there sat a PINK pickup truck with a camper. It was Christmas, it was time to get Vaughn his first truck from me, and there I was, WANTING that pink camper, BAD. So, I did what any junker wife would surely do...I bought that pink camper and wrapped it up and hid it under the tree, with a tag that read, "To Tracey, From Vaughn." (I later got on eBay and found a red truck for Vaughn for that Christmas.) But boy, was he surprised when he saw me opening a pink camper from him. 

This pink Tonka with a camper is still a favorite of mine.

We love Buddy L's too.

Wyandotte trucks have such a neat look.

This one is amazing, color-wise. 

This little dump truck was Vaughn's when he was little. 

We've chosen the office to display most of our trucks. So far we have Jeeps, Tonkas, 

Wyandottes, Buddy L's and a few other brands. 

Not sure how many more we'll collect, because we're running out of space. 

Most don't have a purpose, but once in awhile, I put one of these cuties to work, carrying a Christmas tree or ornaments or our remote controls. 

These toy trucks tickle me. They remind me of a time gone-by, when life was simpler.