Since you guys had me talking about old time
Candy and Penny Candy for the Valentines Day Gift
guide I could not stop talking and thinking about
all those old school Yummy delights! It is still too
cold to walk up to Z's around here to get some more
of my Yummy favorites for Michigan is funny like that.
In another couple of weeks we will have a few days
of 60 degree weather then BAM back to 20 for a
week. I think Spring likes to play hide and seek with
us here and I just can't wait that long to get up to
the Store. Spring also is when the young un's come
out here in force and in the complex I live in they
seem to not only multiply like rabbits they also tend
to wander around aimlessly. I am not here today to
get all worked up on some of my neighbors lousy
parenting policy's but instead tell you how a lot of
them have adopted our house over the years.
When we moved in there were not that many
children and the ones that were here were already
on the older side. Andrew was seven and 4 doors
down was another seven year old who was soon to
be his best friend and over in the apartments there
was one more boy who was a year behind them.
Andrews best friend did have a younger brother but
when we first got here he was still in a stroller
though that didn't last for long. There was also a
little girl around 3 and she would soon be joined
by her little sister. Everyone knew each other in the
Condos and we would all take walks to the Candy
Store together and it was all around a friendly
place. Then, as if someone opened the flood gates, a
hoard of little kids moved in and it was all you could
do to keep track of them. Two years ago Andrews
best friend moved, not far, but no longer a couple of
doors down and Andrew was the only older child
around. The little kids didn't forget him though for
most of them were born here and Andrew and his
best friend were the only big kids they knew. Now
Andrew was alone and the little ones were old
enough to play outside and they elected Andrew
their leader. Not for his Political porousness, I
assure you, but more for the fact they knew that
even though Andrew was old enough to go places
himself now, he and I still made our weekly trips
to the candy store. Those guys would line up a
dozen deep when we got back for Andrew would
sit on the porch and pass out Penny candy. They
adored him and he was bored. Last Summer was
the first year he didn't do it and John had take
the torch. Now Z's is nice and they do have some
of the old time selection but not a whole lot. Like
I have told you guys before out of the 150 or so
bins they have a lot are the same candy, just
a different flavor. Take the Tootsie Roll knock offs
they have. Not only do they have the original flavor
they have grape and Orange and pretty much every
fruit you can think off and more. That's a good ten
bins right there and just about every candy that can
come in a flavor is divided the same way. What Z's
is really good for is memories and giving you a
craving for more of that old time Candy. I just can't
get enough of it and after reading your comments
the last time I spoke of it, neither can you!
Now I aim to please and after some hunting
around, found a fix to our mutual sweet tooth and
our desire to walk down nostalgia lane. I found a place
that caters to both of those interests. In fact,
this place is huge it isn't a walk down the lane
it is walks down lane after lane after lane of nostalgia!
Crossroads market is a store with several stores inside
of it. Basically an On-line Shopping Mall. I will tell
you a little bit about some of the other shops in the
mall in a second but right now we are going to
speak of the Grand Gift Emporium. Say your sweetie
has a even sweeter, sweet tooth? First off, say that 10
times fast and second well, you have found the right
place then. Need to give the sweet tooth a bit of a
rest but are still dig-gen the walk down nostalgia lane
man? Guess what? They are still your place. Groovy
Baby! The Grand Gift Emporium has a little bit of pop
culture from pretty much every generation that is walking
around today. For review we got to try some of their
candy since that was what I had so much fun with
before and hey, Easter is right around the block and
candy is the name of the game there. My son is nuts
for the things I grew up with and loves the stuff my
Mom and his other Grandmother grew up with too. He
must have been the only ten year old out there who
knows the words to a host of Tom Jones songs as
well at Janis Joplin and Heart and even some good old
fashioned Johnny Cash. I remember when he was around
6 he was playing outside and my neighbor knocked on
the door and I opened it. There he stood there with a
dumbfounded look on his face. The man was like 40
and looked lost. I asked him what I could do from him
and he explained that he was sitting outside with the kids
and Andrew was singing a Chicago song he loved and he
was really surprised by that and even more so when I
asked where he learned it and he told the guy from a CD
he has. He explained how they were his favorite and he
had not heard that song in years and he said I could
borrow his CD to make a copy. He then told me he
did feel like a fool right now but Andrew told him to
knock on the door and tell me Andy said he could and
would I grab it for him. I laughed and grabbed it and
as I handed it to him he said he would appreciate if I didn't
share with everyone the fact he was borrowing Cd's from
a 6 year old. It was too funny and I felt for the man.
The Candy collections that they have are a super fun
way for us to tell him all sorts of other stuff that we
remember from growing up. What I really liked about the
decade boxes was they come complete with a little letter
that explains everything that happened that year and even
goes so far as to tell you tidbits of info such as how
much a gallon of milk was in 1970 and a loaf of bread.
It is so hard to relate to a teenager and this box opened
the flood gates on a ton of conversations about what went
on in this year or that. The decade boxes are packed
with favorites from when I was a child. I had a blast
explaining what the Nick L Lips were or one of my
favorites the Bottle Caps. Remember those? I loved the
Root-beer and would get pack after pack just to pick
those out. Whatever happened to O'Henry and they even
have the Double Bubble, the gum we chomped on long
before it came in a designer box like it does now. 5
pounds of Candy and in those five pounds is one of
my all time yummy best, a Rope Licorice. I don't think
I ever finished one, just to carry one around was a
status symbol and we all tried to keep ours as long
as we could. That list had us talking for a whole
afternoon and we never really get to do that anymore
and Andy could not believe people only made $9,350
dollars a year or a brand new car costs $3,900. Do
you remember when a gallon of gas cost 38 cents?
How about laying on your Water-bed and Watching
the Dukes of Hazard. The TV show I would wait for
every week was BJ and the Bear and Andrew was
clueless for he does watch a lot of the retro TV shows
and that one has yet to make the cut. The Decades
Candy box was a tasty, entertaining and informative way
to spend the afternoon as a family and would be a great
item to yank out on family game night. They have the
1940's all the way to the 90's so nobody is left in the
past! I had the idea of breaking out the Candy box on
game night and playing a round of the Pop Culture
Trivia Pursuit. Who knows, John and I might have a
chance of winning that one. Everyone around the table
chomping on Gumballs and filling up their pie with pieces
and maybe a dare or two on the Pop rocks and Coke!
What a blast! Truth? That is a great way for the adults
to spend the evening too. Maybe on adult only night you
can change he Coke to some Boone's Farm or Riuniti and
Ice would be nice!
Speaking of Games the Game section at the Gift
Emporium at Crossroads Market has the coolest collection.
They have all your classics like checkers and chess and
Domino's and more but instead of in boxes that fall apart
and you end up losing pieces and can never find a place
to put them, they all come in a Mock Book with a slide
out drawer that you can put on book shelf. Neat, orderly and
they look super cool. "Hey Larry, go grab a game, Volume
Backgammon!"
I thought that was the neatest way ever to keep your
games all tidy and in easy reach. They also have a ton
of Toys from when we were kids and batteries were not
the name of the game. Hey, instead of Beep beep, buzz,
beep, insert credit card to buy more batteries, buy your
child something you grew up with. How about a Wooden
Pin Ball game or Color-forms? Woolly Willy or a Water
Rocket? Still to modern for you? Need something a little
bit older? They have Tiddledy Winks! Really! I could
not believe it? Here I went to the store looking
for some old time Candy and I found a plethora of
past goodies to entertain the whole family. These guys
have a little bit of everything for every taste and its
all fun and that is only one store in the mall. Didn't
I tell you this is an on-line mall? Oh, yeah, there is
more, much, much more! They also have:
The Hard to find Grocer
Hometown Favorites
The Old Fashioned Soda Shoppe
Giuliano's
No matter what you are looking for they have there. Have
not been able to find a Jolt or a Nehi Grape, the Old
Fashion Soda shoppe has it. Have a hankering for a
Moon pie? Old Time Favorites. Want to make Ice cream
at home? The Hard to Find Grocer has the Junket
Mixes to make it a snap. You can even get some
Curry Sauce right from Tia land at Giulianos World
Market. Here I came looking for Candy and I ended
up with a World of items and a place I will come
back to over and over again.
You guys have just got to check out the mall.
To comfort you on your journey for I know you are going
to be there a while and just might need something to
much on so they are giving one reader a Through the
Years, Four Decades of Candy Box. Nearly 50 Pieces of
Candy from the past to keep you Revin! To enter just
head over to the Mall and tell me what your favorite
item is? You don't even have to stick to the Gift Emporium,
you can hit any of the Stores in the Mall! The contest
will Start tonight and run to Midnight on April 27th.
USA and 18 and older can enter daily and the winner
will be contacted by email and have 72 hours to
contact me with their mailing information. As always
you can earn a bonus entry by entering the contest of
the day every day and then posting that you did here
and other ways to enter are posted below.
Grand Gift Emporium
Crossroads Market
Extra entries.
Extra entries only count after the initial entry
is completed.
1. Become a follower of my blog or Twitter
and post that you are. 3 entries,
please post 3 times.
2. Tweet about my blog and post the link
here. 5 entries, please post five times.
3. Grab my button. 5 entries. Please post
5 times.
4. Blog about this contest somewhere else
and post the link here. 5 Entries Please
post five times.
Don't forget to check out Crossroads Market
on the Easter Gift Guide!
Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my Mommy Tool Box and Port a Pong Contests!
Posted in
candy,
contest,
enter,
family game night,
kids,
nolvelty item,
nostogia,
prize,
sweepstakes,
win
by Michelle AKA blabla3269
|
I used to sit at the edge of the bed and just
wait. Most likely the only time during the whole
day I was quiet. Just wait for my Grandpa to come in
and read me a bed time story. Sometimes he would get
caught up and it would take a while and sometimes I
felt like I was waiting forever but he always came.
We never talked about it, this was more of an unspoken
thing. A story before bed every night. I had my favorites
too. I am sure there were ones when I was really young
but the books I remember and will never ever forget and
have made sure to pass on to my own children were The Giving
Tree, Rikki Tikki Tavi and Where the Wild Things Are. I
could hear any of the three over and over again and though
I knew every single word by heart and could read it cover
to cover myself, I would wait for my Grandfather. Those are
things you remember from your childhood that make the world
worth living in. When Andrew was getting ready for Pre-school
I wanted to get him those stories as well. I can't get over how
hard it was to locate them for I had always considered them
classics. I found an old copy of "Where the Wild Things are"
and had to go as far as to order the Giving Tree and Rikki Tikki
Tavi ( if you have not read any of the three do it!) and for
Rikki Tikki I know I paid a small fortune. Well Thank goodness
they are back, Boy and How are they back. Eric Carle has
been every where with his Hungry and I did love that one too
but Where the Wild Things are has also made a come back and
I can't wait to see what else is on the Horizon. Mudpuppy
has recognized that need for good old fashioned wholesome fun
and had brought us some delightful items to commemorate those
classics in the form of Puzzles and Sticker Books and they
don't stop there either, Mudpuppy has items to keep any child
up to their very busy elbows entertained. Mudpuppy, Galison
is a shop that celebrates children and their creativity and
imaginations. Puzzles, Stickers, building sets, games, magnets
and so much more that are meant to keep little fingers entertained
in the most simple of ways with products that allow them
to explore their own sense of adventure. No batteries required
and children never run out of imagination.
We were sent a "Where the Wild things are" Puzzle set that
has clunky pieces for little hands and though Rowan is too young
to expect a certain book she loves the puzzle and I love that she
is playing with an item I can get excited about and stand behind.
It is fun to bring the picture into shape and for me to be able to
tell her all about what we are creating and she feeds off my excitement
for the puzzle as well. It is pretty easy to see I am nuts about it!
The Where the Wild Things Are puzzle we received is just one of
many items on the site that keep your kids busy and their energy's
focused. They have more award winners then you can shake a stick
at so it is pretty easy to see they are skilled in their field and
know what is takes to keep a child captivated and a parent happy.
Not only do your favorites come alive like in the puzzle we received
or the Goodnight Moon Floor Puzzle or the many others they also
have items with an educational touch that will have your kids sneaking
in a little bit of learning while they just think they are having
fun. The Solar System or Our World Floor puzzles are some great
examples or for those ruff and tumble types who love the Roaarrrrrr
of adventure check out the all about Dinosaurs learning wheel. I know
my son would have adored that and it might have saved me some printer
ink for the only thing he had was the Dinosaur page in my computers
encyclopedia that he printed about 500 times.
They still have old school favorites that I enjoyed such as
sticker books because when I was young my Lisa Frank Collection
was a huge part of my childhood and Dairy's and journals and
Stationary Galore. I had to go to the book store and order those
Favorites of mine for Andrew and Mudpuppy has them right on
the site. You really have to love the computer age for bringing
your kids the best from all worlds. I can't wait to Rowan is a
little older so we can play with the magnetic figures for they so
remind me of the paper dolls I had as a child but these are a
little tuffer and a lot more durable. I don't think it matters what
section of the site you look through Galison-Mudpuppy has more
then a little to make your kids get all excited and fuzzy. There
are so many things that would make the perfect Easter Basket
fillings I would not even know where to begin.
One thing I do know is a child will forget the candy bar when it
is gone but always remember the time you sat down on the floor with
them and helped with a puzzle. The Eggs will make their way into
the trash or a salad but your daughter will always treasure her
first diary. The Jelly beans, hey, send those to me, at least the
white and red ones, the rest are for you but the point is someone
will enjoy them but only for a moment but the memories you can
find at Mudpuppy will last a lifetime! Rowans puzzle is also
her first set of blocks and as we sit here and play with it and
piece it together time and time again ( Hey, she likes to knock
down as much as build) she is learning how to enjoy herself and
play and I am remembering how much fun it was when I took the time!
Truthfully I couldn't even tell you who's toy this is, I guess we
will have to share! My Final Review for Mudpuppy is they are just
a fantastic company with products that brings back memories, fuels
new adventures, allows you to construct some fun and keeps you thinking
no matter what way you go!
Mudpuppy has also thought of my readers and has offered a discount
code for you guys to save you some hard earned cash on their
products. When checking out just enter ZZZ2 to receive a 15%
discount on your purchase. Have fun and I hope you score some
great stuff for Easter!
Mudpuppy!
Look for them to be on the Easter Gift Guide Posted soon!
Posted in
board games,
books,
gifts,
no battery required,
nostogia,
paper products,
review,
stickers,
toys
by Michelle AKA blabla3269
|
I spent my Summers at our House up in Northern
Michigan. My Grandmother was a school teacher at
a local Catholic School so not only were school years
shortened to begin with, she also had the summers off.
My Grandfather was a Paper Pusher at Fords and had
no such luck. Every year on the day after the last
day of school my Grandmother and I would pack up the
car and leave for the Lake House. Grandpa would come
up on the weekends and take his Vacation through July
since he had worked his way up to about 6 weeks a year.
Now my Grandfather was an outdoor guy but my Grandma was
more into arts and crafts and cooking and canning then
the Lake, woods, beach or fishing or boating. During the
week when he was not there, her and I would be alone and
we would pass a lot of time with Arts but I was a Tom
Boy and wanted to get out. Lucky for me we were not only
in the country but it was a different world still in
the 70's and I could pretty much go where I wanted since
I knew the area like the back of the hand. It was not
rare for me to ride my bike or walk many miles every day.
I also would swim for hours and my best friends were
just down the hill from me and and though they did not
live on the Lake their Grandparents did and were across the field
and a short walk through the woods from my back door and
owned a resort so they had everything there and it was
a virtual playground for us kids to spend our summers in.
We used to help clean the guest homes during the week
and be rewarded with a couple of bucks that we would use
to ride up to the local store. Now when I speak of a local
store here and now I am speaking of a CVS about a block
away but there we were lucky to have one so close, about
a mile down a dirt road. Shaw's! When you first walk in
they have two isles of bins that all had penny candy in them.
The State Park was right across the road and they made
a killing catering to them and had anything a kid
could ever want inside. We would buy a huge bag then split
up the loot once we got back to our home. I gotta say
that was the best time in my whole life. The thrill of
getting a little brown bag and reaching into bin after
bin of Penny Candy was enough to make a little kids
excitement level fly through the roof and even then
places like that were a rare find.
Andrew spent most of his life experiencing candy
the way a large percentage of kids today do. At the
Supermarket or Drug Store, maybe Target but every place
has the same routine. A row or selection near the checkout
with full sized candy bars and gum where people are prone
to make an impulse buy. 7-11 and Gas stations are not
much different though they have an isle with the same
candy. The point is no longer do children get the thrill
of walking into a store that has been set aside just for
Candy and filled with not a few rows on a rack or one
isle out of 20 but rather isle after isle of bins and
shelves and buckets that hold every confection the world
has to offer. Now you can find some chocolatier's around today,
a candy bar for 9 bucks if they carry a bar at all for most
offer items like Truffles or Bon Bons, ask Andy what a truffle is
and he would say something along the lines of pigs and woods for
it just isn't something a child is into. They want Chocolate
Bars and Penny Candy and Sour whats its! Not gourmet Chocolate
with an inflated price tag and a filling they have never heard of.
We lucked out when we moved here for there is a Penny Candy
Store on the other side of the Park from us called "Z's" Penny
Candy. Now they are pretty darn cool but even the fact they are
dedicated to Penny candy is lost on me for their whole store
does not even come close to the Candy Section at Shaw's and
it is pretty much the same 10 Candy's over and over again.
More or less a bin of Orange Tootsie Rolls, then a regular one,
then Grape and so on and so forth. Nothing special from my
view but the kids still looked forward to it and even listened
to my tales on the way there about the Penny Candy shops
when I was a kid. I would give each of the children a couple
of bucks then buy 20 dollars worth of mixed candy for the
house and what really got me was if I were to spend 20
dollars when I was a kid I would have needed a forklift
to bring it home with, now a days Penny candy is a quarter
and it just isn't the same. Lack of choices and a huge
price tag does not bring back the memories I was so fond
of. When I was searching for Candy for the Valentines day
gift guide I stumbled on a store that was in a different
league now. Old time Candy has the Tootsie Rolls but
also all the other Candy I remember as a child, an my Mom
remembers and so on. They have it all!
Old time Candy has candy from 1920 on up to what is
hot today! Everything I remember from being a child, to
when Andrew was little and so on. I was squealing like
I was back at Shaw's with a couple of bucks in my hands
as I was flipping through the pages. Andrew came running
in the room thinking his Mom has finally lost it and you
have to remember he is two floors away on the opposite
side of the house but that was how loud I was. They sent
a sample box for review and it was like some sort of
political sum-met meeting in my living room when it came.
All of us gathered around the box peering inside trying
to decide a way that was fair and even to dole out the
contents. Everyone got five picks of their all time
favorites then we went around in a circle to divide the
rest. I grabbed my Pay Day, Marshmallow Ice Cream Cones
for you have no idea how much I love those things, Sugar
Daddy, Swedish Fish and Bit O Honey. I wish I could tell
you what the boys grabbed but I can't for I really didn't
care, I was too busy keeping an eye on the loads of other
items I wanted and hoping their hands went over them when
they were making their five picks. The rest were dolled out
one at a time for there were too many items we all liked
to do another large draw but I was tickled to see one of
the handle suckers from when i was little. You guys know
what I am talking about, the stem is shaped in a loop so
it is easy to hold and we rewarded Rowan with that little
gem for she was so behaved as the adults acted like 5 year
old over the box of Candy. I also do not know how Andrew
always ends up with all the Gum, no matter where I get
Candy from that boy always gets the Gum. John sat hording
his bag and munching in the corner the rest of the day and
I swear he growled whenever someone encroached his area as
if they might make a move for his stash. Talk about Junkies!
I am so Happy my Grandmother was not here for they have all
her favorites and for a kind woman that would share anything
with you if you can anywhere near her Jelly candies, LOOK OUT!
It could be my Birthday and she could say what would you like
and if I told her the only thing I really wanted was one of
her Jelly Candies she would have looked me square in the
eye and Growled, Pick again! Old Time Candy
can even cover her and her addictions! I really wish she was
here too see this for we are not sure where my Grandfather
used to find some of her candy and after he passed it
fell on my mother and I's shoulders to find it and
we had a heck of a time. We had no choice but to find
things that were sorta like, or similar too but never
the real deal. Old Time Candy has the "Real Deal"
They also have any real deals you can remember from
your youth too and to order is a snap. You can go a
little or a lot and Mix and Match and the possibilities
are endless. Not sure what you really loved for those
memories are a little fuzzy? Just get a sample and pick
the decade and they are sure to have just the thing
you are looking for even if you can't remember the name.
Gifts are covered too for they have some awesome ready
made theme packs that take out the guess work and are sure
to bring a smile to any ones face. I just love this store
and yes, I have done reviews for some pretty fancy, smancy
gourmet shops but nothing, and I repeat nothing, beats my
Marshmallow Ice Cream Cones and Old Time Candy flew straight
to the top of my list with just the simple fact I could order
those as often as I like! Remember how I told you part of
the fun was getting a bag and filling it with as many
different candy's as you could in all different flavors? The
bins calling your name and a little of this and a little of
that was half the fun of getting the candy? You guys can relive
that too with Old Time Candy's Pack A Bag. Pick what ever you
like and toss it in a bag and that's how it is going to come to
you, just like when you were a kid. Share your memories with your
children and pack a bag with them. The shipping was super fast
and there is nothing like the trill of opening that box!
Gift, Holiday, restock the house hold stash or just for you,
Old Time Candy is there to help you out! I have a order in
my cart all ready to go for as soon as I am down to my last couple
of pieces all I have to do is hit send for I need me some candy!
Perfect for Valentines Day and Easter, they have what it
takes for any age from any decade! They even have gift baskets!
Enjoy!
Old time Candy was also sweet as candy and offered
to give one of my readers a 4 pound sample pack too!
To enter just head over to the site and take a look
around and come back here and post what your favorite
candy was as a child. The contest will start tonight
and Run to April 8th at Midnight. Right in the Middle
of Valentines and Easter to give you time to look for
both! USA and 18 and older can enter daily and the winner
will be contacted by email and have 72 hours to
contact me with their mailing information. As always
you can earn a bonus entry by entering the contest of
the day and other ways to enter are posted below.
Old Time Candy!
Extra entries.
Extra entries only count after the initial entry
is completed.
1. Become a follower of my blog or
post that you are. 3 entries,
please post 3 times.
2. Enter any of my other contest. I entry
per contest, separate post for each entry.
3. Grab my button. 5 entries. Please post
5 times.
4. Blog about this contest somewhere else
and post the link here. 5 Entries Please
post five times.
Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my Port a Pong and Sleepy Wrap Contests!
Don't forget to look for Old Time Candy on my
Valentines Day Gift Guide!
Posted in
candy,
contests,
delisious,
eat,
enter,
food,
for everyone,
Just for kids,
nostogia,
prize,
sweepstakes,
Valentines day gift guide,
win,
YUM
by Michelle AKA blabla3269
|
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