What is a monkeybox?

When I was a little girl, we had a pet monkey named Amanda. My Dad worked in the produce business, so each night he brought home that days culls in a big box - spotty cucumbers, pithy apples, limp celery, moldy oranges and the like. We called it a monkeybox. It was really just trash, but my Mom would take each piece of fruit and trim it, pare it and cut it up to make a beautiful fruit platter for Amanda. Even though it was deemed trash by one, it still had life left in it and was good for the purpose we needed it. That's how I live my life - thrifting, yard saling, looking for another's trash to be my treasure.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Oh, Little Town

I know Christmas is technically over, but we keep it going through New Year's over here.   I love the house this time of year with the twinkling lights, the fun things, the tasty treats (scored at bargain prices on Dec. 26th), the holiday movies and the relaxed atmosphere.  So, HO HO HO it's still Christmas!

I wanted to blog about my Village since I did it a little different this year and I like to be able to look back next year and see if I want to to do it the same or mix it up again.  I liked it, so I will probably do it again.

I used to collect only Grocery Stores since The Breadman and I met working in a grocery store.  But, then I got out of the grocery business and he did too - sort of - to work for Wonder Bread/Hostess Cakes.  So, I started picking up bakeries if I found them. So, there are no houses in my village - only businesses.  

I keep that big old chalkboard on top of the cabinet all year long and I didn't want to have to move it, so I incorporated it into the scene with the letter cards.  I was going to make them spell out "Merry Christmas" but then, "Oh, Little town" popped into my head.  That was perfect!  Next year I will make a better banner - I did it on a whim and in a hurry and I had to stand on a ladder IN FRONT of the TV which the men of the household frowned upon.  I will also add some stars or snowflakes on the chalkboard.
The top shelf is all my glittery churches along with a Chick-fil-A (closed on Sundays!) and a Krispy Kreme.   We LOVE us some Chick-fil-A at this house and the few times we have had the pleasure of a Krispy Kreme it was delicious - plus it IS a Bakery.  I found the tractor at Dollar Tree and set it up there by the woodpile.  Those big Mercury Glass trees were an after Christmas find at Wal-Mart a few years ago.  I love them.  

This is the Walton Five and Dime which is located in Bentonville.  It was the original Wal-Mart.  The Little Debbie plant is not far from here and it is a Bakery, so it fits in.  The little General Store in the front is one of my original stores.
The used Car dealership isn't a store or a bakery, but I LIKE IT so it stays.  Love the old cars.  The red pick up truck is for Sam Walton and his old red pick up truck.  And, yes, I put a tree in it - I don't care if everyone else is doing it too - trees + trucks = awesome.
Another General Store, (or three), a S&C AG Service truck full of wreaths (S&C = Shara, Curtis/Christopher).  The giant chicken is my homage to the giant chicken statue located in the next won over.
Another Walmart (I do live in Wal-Mart country, you know), a red car with a tree (red car + tree= awesomesauce) plus a miniature tinsel tree I made.  I plan on making more of those to sell next year.

The UBC truck is from the old Wonderbread Company, more churches and lots of bottle brush trees.

Hey!  Santa's even up there!  On a church!  Oh well!

That's it for the Christmas posts this year.  

I hope you all had a nice Christmas!


13 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:57 PM

    I loved seeing this display! The trees on the truck/car are adorable. You have a good eye. I also like the idea of putting stars or snowflakes on the chalkboard next year.
    My Dad also worked at Walmart's HQ for years, my mom had the same Walton 5 & Dime building in her snow village. :)

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  2. Oh Little Town of Sharalehem............

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  3. Anonymous1:37 PM

    Like you, I keep my holiday decor up throught the new year. In fact, by family tradition, I keep mine up through Epithany (Twelfth Night) which is a tradition with many Italians as that is when La Befana who is a 'witch' who arrives on her broomstick during the night of January 5 and fills the stockings with toys and sweets for the good children and lumps of coal for the bad ones.

    I never take down my holiday decor until the first weekend AFTER Jan 6th (though I only keep the lights on through the end of Jan 6th and then I stop turning on the lights, etc). Tree and everything stays up until Jan 6th and on my nativity scene, I move the wise men closer and closer to the creche until they are right beside it on the 6th!

    GADawn57

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  4. Anonymous1:43 PM

    By the way... I love your village 'business' theme. My village is huge as well and it a sort of 'old english/old new england mix'. I have victorian type figures in the town square, even a Bob Crachit and Tiny Tim and Scrooge but on the outskirts I have a lighthouse new england feel with a crab shack and lobstermen on the shore! But I love it all the same!

    GADawn57

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  5. Cute, very cute! Love the mixture of old and new to make it special for you!

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  6. I agree about doing a post so you remember year to year. I just can't remember sometimes otherwise. Love that the town has a connection to life for you guys.
    I am off to take down more decorations..the ho, ho, ho..is going bye, bye, bye!

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  7. This is adorable and I love your stories to go along with each piece.

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  8. I never thought to look at my blog posts to remember where I put everything! Very clever! Your blog is so much fun...I just loved your "little town!"

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  9. I never get tired of looking at Christmas decorations, and I leave ours up till about a week or so after the New Year. I love looking at the soft glow of the lights, and miss them when they have been taken down. Your village is beautiful, and I love the history that goes along with the pieces.

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  10. Your village looks so great! I love the Walton's 5 &10 Walmart. I also totally agree, I like posting pictures of the decorations on the blog so I can look back next year an be like "Oh yeah, THATS where I put that!" The Putz houses and bottle brush trees are a nice touch!

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  11. I have enjoyed reading your posts this past year. I look forward to every new one. The little town is so cute! Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and keep up the good work!

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  12. I love your village and all the neat stores you have!! Oh and that Krispy Kreme is fabulous. I'm going to blog soon about my first visit to a Krispy Kreme store. YUM!! Wishing you a wonderful and very Happy New Year!

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  13. Love your village! But then, I love everything you do. So creative.

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