1st Estate Sale of the Year!

Look at what I got today!

I can not tell you how bad I have been needing to go to a sale. Watching American Pickers each week, reading all the bloggers who live in warm climates who have sales year around. It has been killing me.

Well all I can say is I hit the jack pot today.

I can't wait to make something from all these finds.

What do you think of the dresser? The details are very art decoish.

The color is almost perfect as is but I think it needs sprucing up. I was thinking of a color instead of the white look but since I will probably sell it I don't know what color to go with.

If I keep it it will need to be a bit more white than yellow.

What color would you go with?

Robins egg blue

Aqua

Rusty pink

Green?

Look at these handles.

LOVE THEM!

The beautiful patina.

Drool

They alone are worth what I paid for the chest.

I won't tell you how much I paid because you will have a heart attack.

Go ahead and guess if you would like and tell me what you would pay for it cleaned up.

I got more bottles to alter. I just added some to my Etsy shop.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/70940439/romantic-carnival-glass-vintage-steam

More books to use. I love books so much I hate tearing them up. But I'm getting over it when I see what I make with them.

Awesome sheet music that is already distressed to unbelievable coolness!

Do you see the edges?

I almost died right there in their driveway.

See those 2 knobs. They were marked $3.00. Nope, not paying that.

Asked what she could do.

She put all this, the bird print, tintype frame and both knobs together for

$1.00

yup a

$1.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

These will be added to something soon.

I thought this silver bracelet was very interesting.

I really likes these small beads with the silver spacers. I don't like the larger sized beads at the base of the necklace so I think I'm going to remake it into a bracelet for myself.

I didn't take close ups of the cutter quilt or the dust ruffle but they are really nice. Already washed them and am ready to start sewing something with them.

So, I think I did real good for the first sale of the year. I got my fix and now I'm ready to get busy making stuff.

Do you want to know how much I spent total?

It's going to help you with your guesses on the dresser but lets just say I had enough left from $30.00 to get a mocha!

Spring is here! I saw a robin.

Spring is officially here but the temperatures aren't cooperating with us this next week, but I did see a robin and it was singing it's head off!

I have been very neglectful of my blog as of late because I have been unpacking, organizing and just being lazy.

The stress of the past months has caught up with me and I just couldn't sit down and come up with anything worth writing about. This isn't either but I thought my new image would be nice to look at. I can't wait until the trees are bursting with blooms again this year. Can you?

So

Since I don't have anything interesting right now

I'll pass on this give-away

but you really won't like it

and really don't need to stop over.

really you don't.

but if you must go here for a (boring) give-away

http://talesfromanoccottage.blogspot.com/2011/03/little-vintage-french-white-farm-house.html

Happy Spring!

Book Review

Misplaced thoughts about age.

As I enjoy a much needed quick trip to the beach in S.C. to visit my In-Laws. I am sitting on the balcony watching a young family walk along the sand. The small little girl is picking up shells and playing in the sand. The Mom is taking photos of her, capturing this childish play. They begin to walk again and I see an older gentleman, stooped and walking with a cane. He moves slowly along the beach. As their paths cross it makes me see how precious life is.

Each stage holds it's treasure.

When we are young it seems to hold newness,adventure and wonder. At life's end if we are lucky and observant, it will also hold newness, adventure and wonder.

At first I felt sorry for the older man, his halting steps and slow movement. Then I realized that maybe I am judging wrongly.

I began to see how wonderful it was that he was able to take a walk on the beach. His slow walk helped him have time to observe and wonder at what he was seeing. For him, this was his adventure on this beautiful morning.

I need to take note of this and remember not to always be in a hurry.

Walk slow and really see what is all about me with, anticipation of wonder and adventure!

Journal Give Away, chance to win.

We are visiting my In-Laws in Myrtle Beach this weekend so I am just perusing blog land and ran across this give away. I just started playing with art journals to get through the difficult time we have been experiencing. I am hoping I win one of Virginia's journals!
You can enter to win too.
http://virginiawashere.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-new-journal-and-giveaway.html

Sharing our LOVE Story link party

I know many people who say a high school romance can not survive the test of time

but our relationship has only grown stronger throughout the many trials and triumphs of our 29 year marriage.
Our story starts out with a friendship our senior year. I was holding out for another guy and really wasn't thinking much about Vallas during that year. I seemed to hit him a lot (because he was always picking on me). He made a bet with me that I could not go a day without hitting him. If I lost I had to go on a date with him. I really did not want to date him so I tried really hard not to hit him but I lost. I told him it was going to be a boring date. I wanted him to get the hint that I wasn't romantically interested. Well, after our dinner and a visit with some friends he proceeded to pull into a deserted parking lot.

I was not happy.

He asked me what I was doing sitting so far over to the door. (I was hanging on for dear life and dread, LOL)

Real quick in my mind I thought,

It is only a kiss, I like him as a person a lot, so just get it over with.

That one kiss was all it took.

I was hooked and our friendship turned into a romance.

We dated for 2 years, but he decided he wasn't ready for marriage and needed to date a few other people to make sure. He became engaged to one of the girls about 1 1/2 years later, but found out it was going to be a mistake. He called me, as his friend for advice. He decided to call off the engagement and we cautiously began to date again. After several months we decided we were meant to be together and were married 5 months later.

Our first 3 years were a lot of fun and we bought our 1st house and began remodeling and decorating. All the nesting made me want to start our family. God had other ideas. We waited 5 more long years and started fertility treatments before we were able to conceive our 1st daughter. 2 years later I was ready to try again. Having been told we would have the same problem we got our fertility meds but decided to wait to start them until the baby could be born after the 1st of the year. I thought it was so unfair to have a baby born at Christmas. A few months later we found out we were expecting all on our own! With a due date of Dec. 15th. God has such a sense of humor. Daughter #2 came late on Dec. 27th.
Life for us proceeded as most do, Satisfying jobs, new house, pets and lots of fun and love. We had our ups and downs but all the while kept a steady course even in times when we were less than thrilled with each other. The last 5 years have been extremely challenging but the worst came with my husbands open heart surgery 1 1/2 years ago and then the foreclosure of our home and loss of both of our businesses.
God has always been a guiding force in our lives but this last year He has proven His love for us exceedingly by providing for our every need.

We are truly blessed and our relationship is stronger than ever. I posted about our relationship after my husband surgery here!

http://theeccentriclady.blogspot.com/2010/09/thankful-and-blessed.html
It sums up my ideas on commitment and marriage.

My advice to couples this Valentines day is
to be patient with each other,
respect your differences and
wait out the tough times, they will pass.
Your marriage is worth it

Challenges

Sorry no photos today. I am at my new job without my photos but I wanted to update you on what is happening.

We were suppose to have everything out of our house by Feb. 7th.

I had a sale scheduled for the 3-5th, but we had an ice storm.

That was very interesting and would make for a very long post but I will tell you we got stuck at our old house and had to sleep on the floor with no power.

I want to say I am strong enough to suffer for Christ in an circumstance like lots of martyrs but I'm sad to say I am way too weak.

I need soap, Kleenex's, Chapstick, and a shower!

Don't ask.

Just know we have our creature comforts we all can't live without and I am seeing I would really be unhappy as a homeless person.

I'm really trying to be humble and mold able but I have found I do have limits ;}

Still sorting out old keepsakes and photos and thinks of my girls.

Deciding what to keep and what to throw away.

It has been harder and more time consuming than I expected but It really feels good to unload so much of the unnecessary stuff in your life.

I hope to have high speed Internet in our new place next week and the work to all be done and I can be here more regularly.

Have a great weekend everyone!