One Man's Trash - Shawnee Pitchers

I feel that I must preface this entry by saying I'm not sure how anyone could regard these Shawnee pitchers as "trash", but fortunately for me, someone saw fit to let them go, and I am happy to report that they now reside with me. 

If you aren't familiar with Shawnee, let me give you a little background.  The Shawnee Pottery Company was  a US manufacturer that actively produced pottery from 1937 to 1961.  Shawnee Pottery's products are "much in demand" and are thought to be "extremely desirable" by pottery collectors.  Perhaps the most well-known pieces of Shawnee are the Corn King pottery, produced between 1937 and 1942.  In fact, I think there may be a few of these pieces still lurking in Daddy's cabinets.  :)

But back to my sweet little pitchers...  As I have mentioned before, we seem to spend a fair amount of time in antique shops, and over the years, I have seen the occasional Shawnee piece here and there- usually with a hefty price tag attached.  But nonetheless, I know the pieces pretty well.  So when I saw the Shawnee "Smiley" Pig pitcher for sale a few months ago in a little thrift shop, I knew exactly what it was.  You must keep in mind that many of the Shawnee pieces are not marked as such.  They usually are marked with the name of the piece (in this case "Smiley") and "USA".  Sure enough, that's just how this was marked.  Even the shop owner didn't know it was a Shawnee piece, and we walked out with a good deal and my precious piggy pitcher.  

And if that weren't enough, we made our way back to the same shop a month or so later, and wouldn't you know- there sat the Shawnee Dumbo pitcher.  Again, it was only marked "Dumbo" and "USA", but I knew exactly what he was.  That said, Dumbo came home with us for a mere $10.  

It is helpful to have your smart phone handy when you are antiquing because you can pretty quickly search for your pieces online to see if you are indeed getting a good deal (or if you need to negotiate a lower price), and confirm that your piece is in fact what you think it is.  

Of course, if you love, love, love whatever you are looking at, it may not matter how much your item is worth.  To me, it wouldn't have mattered if these pitchers were worth a fortune or worth nothing.  I love them, and it's not as though I plan to resell them for a profit, so even though we got lucky with a really good deal on these, they are priceless to me.  

Summertime, Summertime, Sum Sum Summertime!

What's not to love about this time of year?  Here is a little rundown of some of my top reasons for loving the summer season...

1.  Waking up easily to chirping birds and the first early rays of sunlight making their way through my bedroom window- no blaring alarms here, nature is doing the job quite nicely

2.  Long days that melt away into warm evenings, complete with lightning bugs roaming through the yard and my sweet pup happily chasing them around

3.  The smell of sunscreen-  there will never be another smell like that of buttery coconuty suntan lotion that so instantly and decidedly takes me to a summery place

4.  A fresh spray of freckles across my nose and my knees- yes, summer has a special way of restoring what the other seasons fade

5.  Gardens full of fresh vegetables and fresh flowers, and plenty of plump bumble bees doing their jobs to help make sure the plants reach their full glory

6.  Trips to the pool and slow lazy afternoons to enjoy catching up on a good book while my husband relives his childhood in the water

7.  Buzzing whirls of a ceiling fan moving the air just enough to stir up the perfect little breeze 

8.  Eating dinner outside on the deck each night, soaking up the end of day sun and enjoying the new shade of our growing birch trees

9.  Discovering myself- I never knew how much I loved laying in the grass, tending to my flowers, and making fresh lemonade- but I do. 

10.  Weekend road trips- “Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.” -Dalai Lama

50 Classic Kids Movies

Well, it has rained all day here, and if you're hip to our 100 Things to Do This Summer list, then you know that #5 (rent and watch classic movies) is the perfect activity for a day like today.

And even if it's not raining, while your kids are patiently biding time between the new Superman movie and the new Wolverine movie, you can teach them that heroes come in other forms too, such as Marty McFly and Indiana Jones. Of course, we Walkushes taught the boys that last year.

So, in honor of that suggestion, I give you a list of 50 classic movies that your kids should watch.

I've listed the year and rating for each movie. And to keep things simple, they are listed in alphabetical order (lest we launch into lengthy conversations about rankings). Please use your best judgment as to what movies are appropriate for your family.

1. An American Tail – 1986 – Rated G
2. Angels in the Outfield – 1994 – Rated PG
3. Annie – 1982 – Rated PG
4. Babe – 1995 – Rated G
5. Back to the Future: I, II, and yes, even III – 1985, 1989, 1990 – Rated PG
6. Bad News Bears – 1976 – Rated PG
7. Beethoven – 1992 – Rated PG
8. Beetlejuice – 1988 – Rated PG
9. Benji Movies (Benji, For the Love of Benji, Benji’s Very Own Christmas Story, Benji Off the Leash) – 1974, 1977, 1978, 1987 – Rated G
10. Big – 1988 – Rated PG
11. The Black Stallion – 1979 – Rated G
12. Charlotte’s Web – 1973 – Rated G
13. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – 1968 – Rated G
14. The Dark Crystal – 1982 – Rated PG
15. Edward Scissorhands – 1990- Rated PG-13
16. ET the Extra-Terrestrial – 1982 – Rated PG
17. Explorers – 1985 – Rated PG
18. FernGully: The Last Rainforest – 1992 – Rated PG
19. Free Willy – 1993 – Rated PG
20. The Goonies – 1985 – Rated PG
21. The Great Muppet Caper – 1981 – Rated G
22. Gremlins – 1984 – Rated PG
23. Harry and the Hendersons – 1987 – Rated PG
24. The Herbie Movies (The Love Bug, Herbie Rides Again, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, Herbie Goes Bananas) – 1969, 1974, 1977, 1980 – Rated G
25. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids – 1989 – Rated PG
26. Hook – 1991 – Rated PG
27. The Indiana Jones Movies: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and Last Crusade (Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, if you must) – 1981, 1984, 1989, 2008 – Rated PG/PG-13
28. Jumanji – 1995 – Rated PG
29. The Karate Kid – 1984 – Rated PG
30. Labyrinth – 1986 – Rated PG
31. The Land Before Time – 1988 – Rated G
32. The Last Starfighter – 1984 – Rated PG
33. A League of Their Own – 1992 – Rated PG
34. The Mighty Ducks – 1992 – Rated PG
35. Mrs. Doubtfire – 1993 – Rated PG-13
36. The Muppet Movie – 1979 – Rated G
37. The Muppets Take Manhattan – 1984 – Rated G
38. The Neverending Story – 1984 – Rated PG
39. Newsies – 1992 – Rated PG
40. The Parent Trap – 1961 – Rated PG
41. The Princess Bride – 1987 – Rated PG
42. Radio Flyer – 1992 – Rated PG-13
43. Rudy – 1993 – Rated PG
44. The Sandlot – 1993 – Rated PG
45. Sister Act – 1992 – Rated PG
46. The Star Wars Movies (Episodes VI, V, and VI, none of this namby pamby I, II, and III stuff) – 1977, 1980, 1983 – Rated PG
47. Teen Wolf I & II -  1985, 1987 – Rated PG
48. Tron – 1982 - PG
49. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – 1971 – Rated G
50. The Wizard of Oz – 1939 – Rated G

For holiday-themed, kid-friendly movie suggestions, check out our 25 Kid-Friendly Halloween Movies and 40 Kid-Friendly Christmas Movies.

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