Thurdsday's good thoughts and musings

Good thought for today, I forget to say that I got a set list from the concert handed to me by one of the tour managers. Wahoo! See dancing with Jon and David leads to great things so now when can I do it again?


Mark and I are leaving June 8th for a couple of weeks of working vacation for him but sheer enjoyment for me. Sometimes, I love his job because this time we're headed to Germany and then Paris. I'm so excited and bought a couple of cool books about all the flea markets in Paris that I want to shop at. There's no way I can even see half of them but hey, a girl can dream can't she? I love when his business trips work out so we get a fabulous vacation but do hate that he'll be working for some of the time. I plan on just wandering around when he's in meetings and exploring everything but I won't be driving. No speedy driving for this little chickie. I can barely drive here in the states much less somewhere I don't understand the language or signs.


Took Hubert to the vet for his yearly exam this afternoon and I'm afraid to say he's been labeled a Bad Kitty at this one too. He bit the vet which shocked the crap out of me. I've never seen him be that aggressive.....ever! he laying in the hallway now just growling at Clarice and glaring at me. He's so not a happy camper right now and all she did was give him 3 shots and send us packing. I was trying to schedule an appointment for him to get his lion cut for the summer but she told me to call back later. They just wanted him out the door. Guess I may have to go back to the original vet we used when we first moved here even if I don't like him or his staff.   Any vet that says put that kitten down because she has ringworm and it's just going to be an unhealthy cat it's whole life, should be whipped!   If I'd listened to him then I've have missed out on Clarice and what a shame that would have been.  She's mommy's little girl and never had any real health issues once we cured the ringworm.  On second thought maybe I'll just keep trying other vets to find someone that Hubert likes because I'm not taking any of my precious babies back to that quack.

Well better head back to work because my "lunch hour" is over and I should try to earn a little of my pay today.  LOL

Happy Thursday to everyone!
Donna

Positive Tuesday Musings

Hot summer days and strawberry milkshakes just go hand in hand. Ok so maybe not the best choice for dinner but oh so sinfully good! I know everyone is surprised to learn that the chocoholic chose strawberry but that's the healthy helping of fruit that makes it ok to only have a milkshake for dinner. LOL! Clarice is trying to cram her head into the cup to get the last little bit of goodness and you know how much I love her because I'm letting her do it. She's gotten to be such a big girl but still here's a couple pictures from her little tiny kitten days....Clarice's nightly spa treatments.  She weighed less than 1/2 a pound when she came to live with us and my how she has grown since then.

I mentioned yesterday about my first swap and I think it might just become addicting to want to be a part of swaps now.  I entered Jennifer over at Feathers In The Nest giveaway for a wonderful Blackbird Designs pattern that shockly I don't already own.  It's an Americana design and she's doing a giveaway in honor of all the soldiers that have given so much to all of us.  

 I also entered Tammy's Pay It Forward swap and here's the details. Guess I should mention Tammy's blog is  http://aprimitiveplace.blogspot.com/

Here's how it works......
The first 5 people who comment on this blog post...will receive a handmade gift from me.

In return, you must write a blog post explaining Pay It Forward and send out handmade gifts to the first 5 visitors who leave a comment on your post.

Don't be stressed...there is no need to send out the gifts all today or tomorrow.

Any time in the next few months is fine.

No pressure. This is meant to be fun.

So if you would like to take the Pay It Forward challenge please comment on this post.

Happy Days-Very Picture Heavy

You know each day has something to be grateful for and I'm determined to find it everyday!  I'm so tired of being a negative nellie about work stress, minor health issues, job challanges for Mark, ect.....I have to be positive because that's just who I am!!!!!  So getting back to being "me" starts tonight!

First of all, I grieve for all the lost and shattered lives in Joplin right now which is a hop, skip and a jump from "home".  Looking at the pictures of such utter devastation is just heart wrenching and knowing the area makes it even harder to grasp.  All those families shattered and yet the story of the survivors are amazing rejoicing events.  Life changes in an instantance!

I did manage to hit 2 amazing estate sales 2 weekends ago and was able to snag some amazing deals.  I know, I know that I'm suppose to be saving all my cash for vacation in France next month but I just couldn't resist these sales and boy, oh boy am I happy that I didn't.  I got Mark a banker's wooden desk chair for his office and he had just told 2 weeks ago that he'd like to have one.  Score and for only $30

Now I just need to clean it up and get some casters that are more wood floor friendly before we move it into the house.

Also at that same sale, I got 2 glass battery jars, a couple of old yardsticks that I have a special project planned for, a rusty candle mold, a couple of bisquit cutters a great old strainer that I'm gonna make into a shoo fly screen and some misc smalls.

Next it was off to the races to make it some 30 minutes away before the next prizes were sold. I told myself all the way there that I was too late to get what I wanted so don't be too disappointed. I mean it was afternoon and what I wanted is a sought after collectible so chances of them still being there were slim to none. Guess what? Slim to none worked in my favor. I started my coverlet collection with these 3 beauties and I was thrilled!  One of  the ladies running the sale had set them aside because she was interested in buying them but the minute I asked about them, she handed them over to me and even discounted the price because I wanted all 3 of them.  I love her!

Isn't this plate just adorable for summer?   I just couldn't resist it especailly at the price of $1

I also got these great little linens made locally in Georgia, small basket, wonderful trencher, fall felted pillow, jars and broom all at this sale. 

Ok so you're thinking well her weekend can't get much better right?  WRONG!  I still had the Bon Jovi concert to attend the next evening and did I mention, I was 4th row!  I was close enough to see the sweat dripping off Jon's very toned arms but alas he doesn't do much for me.....now Maria's a different story where that boy is concerned.  We were on the aisle right in front of jon and david....oh so close!  And we talked to the security guard before the show and made friends so he let me dance all nite long right in that very same aisle.  I was jumping, screaming and dancing with David and Jon all night long.  It's something I'll never forget and I was thrilled to be sharing that special nite with Maria.  I know I must have grinned like an idiot all thru the show but hey everyone knew I was having a great time!  Just wish that Caroline and Carla could have been up there with us but maybe next tour.  This is how close we were

Finally I took place in my very first swap in Primitive Blogland and what a delightful experience it was.  I have always felt it would be too hard to do because everyone always lists all these rules about posting links, mentioning on your blog, getting so many followers and I don't know how to do any of that so I just didn't enter any.  Imagine my surprise when Tricia from Hillcrest Home Prims asked me if I'd like to take part in one she was putting together.  I answered a resounding "Yep, count me in" so she sent me my swap partner's info and what a fun time I had making her package up.  I mailed it off in record time which is not my norm since I tend to well, put things off is a polite way of saying it but she got hers lickty split and I'm hoping she liked everything.  My partner was Judy at Prim2Pink and what all sent me was just too cute.  You can tell that she put a lot of special thought into her perfect summertime swap gifts. I love everything and still ohing and awing over everything.  Take a peek at what she sent me.  I think she may have even hand drawn the rose card.  So pretty! I just love it all and can't wait to do another swap now.

Isn't this make do jar lid pin cushion just too adorable?  And she filled it with strawberries, floss buttons, ect.   That butterfly has a body made from a rusty safety pin and all those felted flowers are just so cute.  This little guy is headed upstairs to the sewing machine display in the hallway.

And take a look at this little pin tuck of the ant on the watermelon.  He's perfect on the table in the living room

Recovering Slower rather than surer!

Man, getting older isn't all it's cracked up to be 'cause getting over being sick is the pits!  I've been struggling with this crud for 2 weeks now and it's not getting a lot better.  Allergies have kicked my butt the last couple of years and this year's no different.  I tried working in the flowers bed a little yesterday and yes, I kept my eyes open watching for those nasty fireants but the sneezing and coughing was just too bad to stay outside long.  I finally retired to the deck with a cold martini, Clarice on a leash and Mark fanning me....ok, that's not all true....yes cat on a leash and Mark on the deck drinking beer but no fanning or cold martinis were in sight.  Dang it!  I slept until almost noon today then got up and cooked a huge lunch of roast, rice, gravy, ect....true southern comfort food then Mark and I took a drive up a new road towards Gainesville that we had never explored.  Wonderful day until my sinuses got the better of us so we came back home.  I've been piddling around working on primming up some of my newest thrift store finds so all and all it's been a great day.
Before:

AFTER:

Downstairs Guest Bath

Last Ones-Befores

Afters-Upstairs Guest Bedroom

Small mirror leaning on larger one was the one I replaced in the downstairs guest bath with that wonderful $10 estate sale white framed one....much better!  I could just keep posting pics all night because I'm been tweaking a lot lately but save something for the next post.

Happy Mother's Day to all and hope you have a wonderful week ahead!

No great treasures to report

I'm down with bronchitis which seems to hit me a couple of times a year most usually in the spring in fall and this year is no different.  I started coughing on Tuesday and was down in the dr's office by Thursday.  I spent 4 long days in the bed and just got up today in time for work.  I managed to put in a full day but I'm feeling it now.  The really good news is my new A Primitive Place mag came today in the mail so I'll have something to do tonight.  I was so sick that even trying to read or stitch was too much of an effort but I'm a royal wedding watcher expert!  I hated that it was on every station all freakin day long Friday because as my niece said "Look they are 2 people in love getting married so what's the big deal"?  Rachel is just very practical in some ways.....love that child!

Poor Mark is suffering from food poisoning which it seems I gave him last week.  I made spaghetti sauce for him on Wednesday but since I was feeling bad, I didn't eat any of it.  Thank goodness 'cause he's still struggling with it.  He asked me if the meat was ok and I said I thought it was but how would I know since I can't freakin smell anything.  To which he now thinks I poisoned him on purpose....yea right....think I want a whiny man hanging around telling me how sick he is while I'm really sick.  I don't think so but I do think it was the sauce that made him sick and I do feel bad about that.  I wasn't trying to poison him yet....I was saving that for the day I run off with the band on tour.  LOL!

Speaking of band, have I mentioned that it's only 12 days until I'm front of my man again?  Wahoo!  4th Freakin Row and I can't stand it!!!!!!!  All I gotta say is I'd better be over this crap by then.

Well off to read my new mag and maybe try to talk Mark into eating a little something tonight for dinner. 

What's a girl to do when hubby is out of the states?

Well estate shop is what I say!  I hit 3 estate sales today and only bought at one of them so Mark should be really happy.  I lucked upon this one where the woman collects David T Smith furniture and I know some of you are going....who's David T Smith and why is that important?  He's a genius at designing kitchens, cabinets, furniture, ect to fit in with a historical look.  Just google him and prepare to be amazed at his skills but don't look at the prices.  Anyhoo, I got this gorgeous salt box for $20 and the small crock on it for $1 at this woman's sale

She also collects baskets and a lot of high quality antiques.  This home is a $2M home even in this estate mess that Atlanta's in.  I was talking to Mark when I pulled up and I told him that I didn't think I was gonna go inside because things would be way out of my price range.  So happy now that I changed my mind.  She's got this Windsor bench that is huge and also a David T Smith.  The guy hit me with a $395 price tag then dropped it to $295 before I left.  I'm going back tomorrow to see if it's still there because I'm gonna see if I can get him to come down just a little more.  It would be wonderful in the upstairs hallway beneath my samplers.  What do you think?

Warning Very Picture Heavy Post

He's been such a great sport lately hauling me around to all these estate sales and sometimes they work out and others not so much.  Oh well, you can read about some of those in earlier posts.  Last weekend, I drug him over to one not too far from home and it was this great home owned by a 95 year old woman.  Her gardens were amazing and she had these little outdoor "rooms" that I could have just wandered in her yard for days and not even looked at her sale stuff.  I'm so not a yard person but she inspired me especially when I ask her what she's miss most about leaving her home and she said her gardens.  She wished she was 40 years younger so she'd have more time to putter in them....I just got choked up.  I bought a great rag rug in blues and reds that she said was hand loomed somewhere in North Carolina and she was thrilled that I loved it ($4.00) then I saw a little red wagon with removable red slat sides which I bought for the front porch ($15.00).  Mark exhaled thinking that he got off pretty cheaply but then he antique baskets caught my eye.  She didn't even have them marked other than "make me an offer".  I was just too afraid to do that because I might insult her so we left.  I just kept thinking about those baskets and talking I guess non stop about them 'cause we went back on Sunday so I could make sure they had been sold to someone.  But there they were in all their glory, just waiting on me to come back.  I got the lady off to the side because her family was packing up and I asked her about the baskets.  We talked for maybe 5 or 10 minutes before I worked up the nerve to make her an offer.  It turns out the baskets were made in Kentucky and when I told her that we had lived in Bowling Green, she got all excited.  She went to college in BG and had gotten her teaching degree so then we started talking a little more and made the offer....she turned me down flat because she said they were worth so much more.  I reached deep into my jeans and pulled out all the cash that I had $128 and offered again.....she again told me no.  So I'm standing there rather awkwardly and I remind her that I bought the rug yesterday and she starts smiling.  So I'm thinking ok maybe there's a chance now and she tells me that I can have the largest basket for that price and I begged her to throw something else in since my hubby would kill me for spending all my cash on 1 little old basket so she threw in 2 blue mason jars.  I was so excited then Sunday nite I started kicking myself....all that money on 1 basket when I could have done so much more with that same amount at the thrift store.  But I'm over that now and still looking for just the right place to put this basket in so it'll be perfect!  For the record, Mark did almost strangle me and he's charging me 100% interest per day until I give him his $100 back that he loaned me that day.

But I oh so redeemed myself this weekend with my major prim estate sale!  OMG!  The sale was in Social Circle, GA which is about 1 1/2 hours from home so quite a trek but so worth it.  Just the preview pics of this home had me drooling!  This lady's estate was entirely primitive everything!  I wished to high heaven and back that I had dropped my camera in my purse before I went.  I was just in awe walking thru all her cherished belongings and to see everything that I had only seen in magazines in such abundance.  Now keep in mind that I was there day 3 which was to have been the final day and there was so much stuff still there and I was loving it all.  I missed buying any furniture since I was there the last afternoon but some of the pieces were still in place so I could pet them at least.  I started gathering things up and figured I had somewhere in the $200 range when one of the ladies running the sale told me everything was 50 to 75% off since it was the final day.  OMG!  I started going thru that house again and again picking up loot.  The house was jammed full still of really great prims. 

Now I know someone's wondering what she's gonna do with half of a wood bowl so I'll tell ya....make a shelf out of it with some old boards to put in the kitchen to hold dish towels

3 crocks just made my day until I saw the firkin and I was head over heels in love

Now I know some of you...ehmmm....Mom (not to mention any names) are thinking she paid good money for all that junk but trust me when I say It's GREAT Junk!  I was just so totally thrilled that I rushed home to tell Mark what a wonderful day that I had.  I must have looked like a kid at Christmas because I was jumping up and down, rambling more than normal and just so excited and he could certainly tell.  He said later that he hadn't seen me this excited about anything in so long that it was good to hear my ramblings.  Did I mention that he's really a good guy?  One of the ladies casually told me that someone would be at the house Sunday morning for a few hours trying to wrap things up and I guess I told Mark that when I got home.  Sunday morning I was puttering about and he told me to throw my clothes on because we were going back to that sale.  It's 1 1/2 hours from home but I sure scooted around and was ready to leave in record time.  I was tellinghim  about that house all the way there and what goodies I hoped were still available.....then we pulled up to the house and there was only 1 truck there with a large trailer so my heart sank.  I had driven all the way back over and the sale was done.  They had sold everything left to this guy but he agreed to let me walk around to see if I wanted anything.  I made about 10 trips back and forth....Mark came in to look around....and I started my pile in the corner.  I gathered up about $150 worth of stuff and I asked him if he'd take $50 for it all.  He studied what all I had laid out and commented that some of the things that I picked up were really of good value so my heart sunk.  Then he and Mark started talking about "guy stuff" and the next thing I know he said yep $50 is good with him.  I wanted to hug him but instead just beamed while they packed my treasures in a box for me.  Here's day 2:

Lovin this bunny for spring!

I love gingerbread and I got them for 10 cents each so I bought all 15 that she had made

I have always wanted one of these cats and I got him for 50 cents

Now I'm off to play with all my new treasures and will post pics later this week once I have a special home for all of them.  Yea!