Too Big for your Britches Little Curtain

I found these curtains at Target. They're Simply Shabby Chic by Rachel Ashwell, one of my favorite lines. Although, I love to drool over the fabrics and prints on her pillows, shams, bedding, and curtains, they tend to be a bit out of my current budget. So after deciding to take a gander through the curtain aisle, I couldn't resist when I found these hanging on the rack, just sitting there smiling at me with a tiny red tag screaming marked down, marked down!

It's a little hard to tell by the pictures but they're a pale retro pink (the bottom picture is probably the most true-to-color). I really liked the 'patchwork' style and the floral prints. Very feminine. They're going in my kitchen, if I can find two more. I only picked up two, originally intending them to be used in the front entry window and the front bathroom window. But when I got home, I realized they went perfectly with the pale retro green of the kitchen.

curtain detail

Oh, hello little blue bird, you've found a home.

The little curtain that was too big for its britches. Looks like I'll be learning to sew before too long, or one of these years. I'll have to shorten this valance, unless I decide to use vintage hankies for the curtain in this window. Sara's running to Target tomorrow and I'm hoping that there will be at least two more left when she gets there. Crossing my fingers! {But not holding my breath.} Even if she finds 'one', that would work too because I could use the 3 for the dining area and then go the hankie-route for this window.

The window's not painted and there isn't trim yet, but I wanted to make it a little more pretty to look at.

Little Blue Bird

I "accidentally" started another collection. They're all an "accident". I always start out with one thing, stumble across another and another and another...

I've had a tiny red glass bird for a few years, that was mom's for years, and I love it. (I need to find another adjective... Love. Love. Love. I seem to love everything that I like.)

Today, I found this little blue bird perched in the antique shop at the garage sale that I hit up today (see posts below). My red one is just a weensy bit smaller; 'bout the size of this one minus the tail feathers. Heaven only knows which box it's in at the moment, or I'd take a picture of them together. They remind me of my uncle and aunt, Gordon and Marilyn, and the collection of colorful glass bottles along their window ledges.

Metal Bed - Pictures

The bed I wrote about in the post below was just delivered. It definitely needs some sanding before I paint it but I love it! I can't believe it's the style I've been looking for. :)

Headboard

Foot board

Vintage {Double} Metal Bed

I love getting tipped-off to a good sale. (That's "tipped-off", not "ticked-off").

A while back, Jessica (Keith H.) called about a garage sale she thought I might be interested in. {I couldn't find the post about it, to do the link for you...} Anyway, I ended up stocking up on vintage doors and old wooden {handmade} picture frames and a bunch of odds'n'ends. Well, yesterday while we were at Target, Steph (Kevin H.) called and said she was at a sale with a couple of metal beds. {She knew I was looking for them for our kids}. And she had seen some Fisher Price Little People buildings: a market and an A-frame house.

Because I didn't get home until about 7, last night, I cruised over there this morning. The beds, doubles, were sold. At 10 bucks, I'd a feeling they would be. But I asked if she had any more.

Sure enough.

There was another double in the garage. And it was the EXACT style that I've been looking for. I don't know how to explain it, and I couldn't find it on-line to show you. I'll get a picture later. It's being delivered around 5. The antique shop owners, where the garage sale was being held, just so happen to be our neighbors and volunteered to drop it off on their way home. (He was a gym teacher for 37 years at the school. He just retired). I'm so excited to get it! It needs to be painted but from what I could see, it was in good shape otherwise.

So, it's for Nikayda, temporarily. Now I need a mattress {and that fresh coat of paint} and we'll be all set. I'm on the hunt for a vintage metal canopy {single-size} bed for her. {I've wanted one, myself, my whole life}. This double bed will go out in the bunkhouse eventually.

Here are my morning treasures... they're still dirty, as is our van, but I'm still moving junk from Sara's place.

I picked up the Fisher Price Little People A-frame house (with some furniture!!) and the Little Market (with a car). A white crate. (I love white everything, so I was particularly thrilled with this find). A very old drawer, in perfect condition. (See detail below, 3rd picture). I love that crackled paint with a slightly pale green tinge to it. I also got 2 magazines (One a Martha Stewart Living Christmas Issue and the other a Country Living decorating with white and blue issue). And a handful of vintage Little Golden books. Oh and let's not forget Rainbow Bright! A circa 1983 Rainbow Bright doll. I have no idea what I'm going to do with her but I remember her from when I was little. (Although, I never had one). And she was in excellent condition for 10 cents. Maybe I'll clean her up and give her to Nikayda...

I am so drawn to vintage children's books for their beautiful illustrations and whimsical story lines. You just don't see these styles anymore in the newer books. I already have We Like Kindergarten and Baby's Christmas. I may let the kids look at these two or do a project with them (i.e. frame them to hang on the wall). One of my favorite illustrators of all time, of vintage children's books, is Eloise Wilkin. I love the beautiful, cherubic children that she's illustrated for so many books. The 3 that are illustrated by her are Baby's Christmas, We Like Kindergarten and Wonders of Nature. (At least, I'm 99% sure she did the last one, the page with the author and illustrator is missing).

Changes Straight Ahead

I'm going to be making the switch within the next few weeks. {Shayrn, if you see this ~ is that promotion still going on, if I go through your link?} I was going to yesterday but I decided to wait a bit to get settled-in so I can play around with it and get use to it a little. Although, in reality, the settling-in will take years. But I'm ready to start having some fun! I'm just itching to hang something on my walls. But I'm waiting...patiently...I want to go through my stuff first to see what I've got and plan things out a little. {Yes. I really have no idea what I've got in my decorating arsenal. I've been collecting and boxing things up for years. Not having a permanent place hasn't ever stopped me from buying more junk}.

I'm also promising more frequent pictures and some prizes within the coming months. So stay tuned! As I begin to unload some of my junk, I thought it'd be fun to try to pull some of you friendly lurkers out of the woodwork and to thank you all for taking the time to read my blog. :) I've been wanting to do a drawing for awhile now, but I've had no idea where everything is...or even which end is up.

So for now, Thank You!
I love each and every one of your comments.

Junkmarket's Junk Bonanza

I just got an email from the Junkmarket girls. (No, I'm not best friends with them but I am on their email list...) Check out their website, if you haven't already. They have lots of cool junking projects!

Their 2nd annual Junkmarket ~ Junk Bonanza is Sept. 7th and 8th with a special preview day on the 6th. Here is the link. If you're anywhere near the Medina, MN area during that time and get to stop by, I'm so envious! I plan to make the trek next year.

Brad (my brother) and Larissa's wedding is that weekend. Although it's near there, I'm not in-the-market for new junk at the moment because of our recent move.

Waaaahhhh-aaaahhhh-aaaah!

*sniff* Ok. Get it together...

But, I'd love to go!!

New Email Address

I've changed my email address. I will be closing down the one that many of you have w/ my name, in a few days - maybe longer (with this move going on). :)

My new email address is whimsicaljunk[at]yahoo[d0t]com. (I'll work on getting it permanently on my blog later).

The name I've come up with for my little junk business is Whimsical~. Then I'll have {refurbished junk} in small print beneath it. :) And of course, my slogan is:

{Changing the world one piece of junk at a time}.

I'm so excited! Now I can work on some scrolling letters for the design part of it. This fall, I plan to get out the pens and work on the design for a sign, tags and business cards. I once read that the more you talk about your business dream, the more it becomes a reality. I hope that's true! :)

I'm expecting a frantic, crazy week. I'm single-handedly (w/ the help of three small children, one with chicken pox ;) moving all of our stuff to the new house - trip by trip. :) (Mark will bring our trailer by in a few days for the furniture). I'm extremely excited and anxious to be on the-other-end! The big part, to me, is getting out of this rental. But everything about this is so exciting for me, I'm almost giddy. :) I've enjoyed every bit of the work from cleaning up the yard (that will be endless ;) to cleaning out the house to scraping the mud clumps on the floor, and believe me, there were many! Lol! (Mark said, "What do you expect from a rookie?") right down to packing up and moving. It's been the most fun and rewarding exercise I've ever done.

Edited to add: This is Mark's first big tape job. He taped and mudded our remodel-job in Michigan but only one or two of the rooms. So he got a lot of practice with our house! It's nice because he usually has someone else do the taping and mudding on his jobs ~ eventually, he'd like to do them.

My Fairytale

Once again I'm posting a picture that has absolutely nothing to do with the post. It's becoming a habit. But each time I share a picture, I share a little piece of myself. Do you like my sign? For my house? (Sorry - the lighting is very poor in this picture. - I took it awhile ago and planned to retake it...but obviously that hasn't happened so here you go.)

Ok. Truthfully, I'd prefer not to have a bunch of bare bottoms running around my house. (Although, I occasionally do). This sign is actually for our outdoor sauna. (I haven't gone all crazy on you. At least not more than I already am). Heh. Heh.

Now for the fairytale...

Once upon a time, there was a girl who was incredibly inspired and uninspired all at the same moment. This particular moment was during a span of several months; specifically the several months that made up the summer of 2007. So, then perhaps it was not just a moment - but we'll work with it... She longed to be working on projects and maybe trying her hand at sewing but alas, all she could do was pack, clean and prepare to move into a brand new house. This girl was very excited and anxiously awaited the big day. For she had waited her whole life for this moment.

As a child she dreamed of having a home of her own. She would sketch out houses and room layouts. Clip out inspiring pictures and articles from magazines and dream of decorating over and over and changing everything around at her own whim.

Being the couple that swings by the seat of their pants, this particular girl and her husband never set an actual move-in date to be set aside as the big day. So even to them, this day was a complete and total secret.

So, in the meantime, they carried on with preparations and such (meaning, they went about their daily life as if they weren't about to move in a few weeks), and waited for the big day to arrive, for they felt they would know it when it was near. And sensing the moment to be less than a few weeks off, the girl flurried around in a state of near panic as she decided that now would be as good a time as any to BEGIN packing. So, with three small children under foot, she sat down and continued to panic and think about packing.

And then, as she pushed her dreams of junk and all things vintage aside, she set to work, only to find herself interrupted a multitude of times throughout the day, with thoughts of crackled paint and vintage linens dancing through her head. This girl realized at this moment, that she had a small problem. An obsession. And as she dreamed of turning that obsession into a hobby, a sort of part-time job (although she loathed referring to it as a job, being that it was a hobby and all), she was also consumed by her desires to come up with the perfect name for her business. And realizing that she had been consumed by this thought for several weeks, she realized that she would find no rest until she had come up with this perfect name - even though she wouldn't begin to try to sell anything for many months. This girl liked to be prepared.

*Sigh*

And so here she sits, writing about herself in the third person, like some crazy lunatic and listening to a bawling baby (who is nearly two, by the way) and thinking how lovely it would be to be working on projects instead of packing! ;)

To be continued...

...but when?!

{I hope this will have a happy ending.}

Polyester Ruffles

Do you ever go shopping and find something that makes your heart skip a beat? (This could be vintage shopping or mall shopping). Well, this flower pillow did that for me. Every time I look at it, it still does. Man, I love it! (I love it so much that I posted three pictures in one post). I want four more. I want five to put up in my soon-to-be colorful loft. They can all be different colors too. I don't care. I can't tell if it's handmade or not. It appears to be and if it is, it's very good craftsmanship. There isn't a tag to be found. Man, if it's handmade, it's even more of a treasure. But how will I ever know?! And if it is, that would've taken forever to sew every one of those polyester ruffles on!

I was at The Mission House (a little antique shop) the other day. I stopped in ten minutes before they closed and believe me, ten minutes in a place that small but that packed with treasures is not enough time! So, I flew through the door and raced around the back room (my favorite spot), my heart was racing along too, come to think of it, when I stopped short.

There in front of me was one of the most beautiful pillows I've ever seen. And for only $3.50 to boot! It was my lucky day! Now I realize this is a matter of opinion and you may very well think it's the ugliest pillow you've ever seen. (We won't hear from Amanda until she's back from vacation on Monday... ;) But that's ok too because I've been known to buy things a time or two before just because they were ugly. Seriously.

I like different things. Things that are unique. Sometimes they're ugly to me. Sometimes they're ugly to everyone. And sometimes they're ugly to everyone else but me. (But those are the things I tend to like the most because they're all mine! They're the real treasures, far as I'm concerned. ;)

Can you believe the whole thing is made from polyester. Polyester!! Well, I love my new (old) polyester ruffle pillow!

And a little note on my sugar sack pillow (top picture). In it's previous employment with The Great Western Sugar Company of Denver, CO, it held 100 pounds of sugar. Now it holds a regular size bed pillow, a much lighter load, and sits on my wooden rocker in my living room. Although, I'm not so sure that it lives a life of ease. Or that it's current job is all that much more pleasant as it spends many a day on the floor being trampled on and jumped on by several sets of very small feet.

Vintage Scarves

This very moment, I'm longing for a clothesline.

I'm hand washing a bunch of vintage scarves (like vintage hankies, only much larger) and I'd love to hang them on the line! And take a picture!

I collect them. And I wear them on my head all the time - just not as much when it's summer and HOT out. Except when I'm workin' out at our property; they're great for keeping the sweat out of your eyes. :) I love vintage scarves.

And, well, to be honest...I'm kinda lazy about doing my hair. Ok. I'm very lazy about doing my hair. That's where the scarves come in pretty handy. ;) It's mighty convenient when I barely have to comb my hair until Sunday rolls around each week; and it's time for church. ;) Oh shucks. Even days I don't wear a scarf, I rarely bother combing my hair. Who am I kidding? I'm a mom. lol! ;) Who has time for combing their hair when there's so much else going on?! (And just between you and me, I keep one handy, right next to the door, should anyone happen to drop by). ;)

I picked up three more of them, yesterday, at the mission house for 50 cents a piece. And I love every one of them! I will post a picture another time...when they're all washed and dried.

Self Portrait - Vintage Scarf

This and That

Random thoughts...

• I was assuming that we'd try to put in a yard next year. The reality is it will be more like a good four five years before we get all of the trees cleared out...maybe longer...which means mud, mud and more mud! Ah well. The bathroom is right inside the front door. A little dirt don't hurt. ;)
• Carter doesn't talk much. He jibber jabbers and babbles like crazy. (I love that.) But he knows how to say the word property pretty well! (He says,"propirtee").
• I've begun organizing the basement of our new house. If anyone has previously wondered whether or not I was crazy, they would wonder no longer after seeing all of the old junk piled in the corner! (It occurred to me that I don't believe that I have a single new piece of decor for our home. And I'm thrilled about this).
• Our current dwelling is sailing and that is (to be said in the most blunt terms ;) exasperating! A few more weeks...a few more weeks...a few more weeks...a few more...YEARS?! (I need to unpack and settle-in once the move actually takes place. But at least, on that end, the fun will begin. (Decorating. For the first time in my whole life I can decorate like there's no tomorrow)).
• I'm itching like crazy to get my hands on some projects! And I'm incredibly inspired to sew upon viewing various fun and creative craft blogs. But mostly, I can't wait to start refinishing the aforementioned junk in my basement. A few coats of paint and we're good to go!
• Life is a merry-go-round and it never stops. (Can't argue with that, now, can you?)
• In the past week, I recently read every one of the Dottie Angel archives and enjoyed every minute of it! I'm tellin' ya, I want to sew. In bad way! I'll definitely be doing some this fall. (Carter still needs a Christmas stocking).
• The kids are standing by the door, in their flip-flops, patiently waiting to go to the "propirtee". (Ok. That was weird. As I was typing that, Carter resumed saying it over and over. It's his new favorite word).
• Time to head out the door. Stop at the local grocer. Grab some supper. Head to Sara's. Pick up more junk from her barn. Head to the property. Start a fire and cook us some supper. Spend the evening burning more scrap lumber. Organize more of the basement and making sure the kids get nice and grubby and tired before heading back home for the night. ;)

Living Room and Loft

The sheet rock is coming along. This is a view from the living room where you can also see the loft and a peek of the dining area (through the openings to the left). The smaller opening is where I'm planning to put an old window that we found junk picking, this year. (Picture is blurry - low light). Note: Mark has always called it sheet rock and I've easily transitioned to do the same but I grew up calling it drywall.

The toy horse in the bottom left corner is a recent find at a sale a few weeks ago. I couldn't pass up the turquoise color! That and the fact that Carter wouldn't get off of it when it was time to leave...

Now I've to find a place to display it where bigger kids won't be tempted to ride it. Nikayda is too big and Aapo is borderline... (The horse itself is really small.) I've been thinking, maybe the laundry room... We'll have to see. :)

Dottie Angel - Blog

Random picture from vintage children's book.

Is it fair to pick favorites? With craft blogs? Of course, how could you even begin to pick a favorite?! I've found so many favorites!

So I'll just say that my favorite of the week, is by far Dottie Angel. I've been reading her (Tif's) archives during every spare minute that I can find make these past few days. I love it! Her style is so similar to what I want to do. It's so incredibly inspiring. She sews bags/purses, pillows (she calls them cushions :), and slips. The slips are vintage slips that she dies and then embellishes. They're very pretty. (She was even published in the newspaper! I'm only in the May archives - still have June and July to catch up on but I'm really enjoying it)!

When I say that her style is similar, I mean that she uses similar materials (vintage lace, linens, buttons) that I plan to use. Although, I have no plans in the near future to make bags (purses) or embellish slips. I do have many other ideas floating through my head as far as using similar materials.

And her posts are sprinkled with the perfect amount of humor! She's a good read.

You know it's funny, they always say, Don't judge a book by it's cover., but that's exactly what I do with blogs. The pictures have to grab my attention first in order to peak my interest. Her vintage sewing notions are what first caught my eye. (I recently posted about them here). But going back to pictures, I think of that when I take my own pictures (which nowhere near meet my expectations. :) I'm not complaining there or fishing for compliments. They just don't, most of the time. :) But I'm so focused on this whole house thing, this summer, that pictures have been pushed to the wayside. Along with everything else. I'd love to take pictures of different vintage finds more often and post them but there just isn't time for that yet. I plan to change that this winter as I slowly begin to unpack and settle into our home.

Fabulous Fifi

Oh my. Oh my! I just came across the most lovely blog. Now, I don't usually make it a habit to use the word 'lovely'. In fact, I rarely breathe the word. But this blog IS lovely! And I have a blue ladder very similar to the one in her pictures (pictured under: Getting ready for a party). If you enjoy vintage, shabby chic (good) junk like I do, check out Fabulous Fifi! She just started her blog in July. If I could afford an interior decorator, I'd have her come to decorate my house! Only a little more streamlined. :) And not so many things about. But it's very pretty, just the same.

Truthfully, I'm not sure yet if she's an interior decorator for hire. I found her through another blog that mentioned she does design for magazines. I plan to extensively investigate her blog. Soon.

Here is my blue ladder from junk picking this spring, amidst a few of the other treasures that we collected. It's a little difficult to tell what everything else in the picture is. But believe me, I plan to put it all to good use. ;) Some, I already have - like the white bookshelf/plant stand? to the left. I have it in my kitchen right now. It's one of my favorite finds. Ever. It has the best patina! I'll get better pictures of that and the ladder in the next year as our home unfolds.

Junkyard Jen

I'm warning you - I'm kinda tired. It's been a busy day, working on the endless task of packing up all my junk. Little do some people know that I mean that in every literal sense. Heh. Heh. :)

Filled the van today and that was just with the stuff I bought from the junk store in town. What was I suppose to do when they had a big sign out front that said "Moving Sale"?! I just figured they were helping me out. ;)

And let me tell you, it was my lucky day!

"Fill a box for a buck" and the sale had only started an hour before I arrived. The guy was joking that "it was the best idea he ever had in his whole life". (He wouldn't have to move everything). I laughed and said,"It was the best idea for us." (Not sure how lucky of an idea it was for him but as for us handful of junk collectors who had wandered in, we were mighty pleased.)

So...I filled up...oh...about four or five boxes and that also included larger items that could fit. ;)

So.

I filled my van.

For six bucks.

It was my lucky day.

Sara watched my kids today. Such a treat! I moved a bunch of stuff to the house this afternoon. Now I need a day to straighten out the basement so I can move the rest of our stuff out there...soon

*****************

And what's in a name? For anyone wondering why in the world I'd claim a nickname like "Junkyard Jen", I feel compelled to explain that while it's not my first or favorite choice of a name, it is indeed original. I can't think of another soul on this planet who'd be preferring to be called "Junkyard Jen". Can you? So I figured it'd differentiate me between all the "Jens" and "Jennifers" out there in blog land.

Because I'm pretty sure I won't be running into anyone else claiming a name like "Junkyard".

Little did I know, so many years ago, when my brother Matt was mad at me one time and told me that I had too much junk (that was nothing) and called my bedroom a junkyard that I'd be claiming the name on a blog, one day. ;)

The name came about because, at the time when we were kids, the Garbage Pail Kids were a big hit. They were a nasty spinoff of the Cabbage Patch Kids. And I'm warning you, they're absolutely disgusting and gross. (Don't say I didn't warn you...they have their own website). There were baseball card-style cards with Garbage Pail Kids on them. They were pretty sick, to be sure. And they always had disgusting names. Hence the name "Junkyard Jen". :)

And just for the record...it was not a name that stuck, at the time. (Thank goodness!) :) No one has ever called me that other than that one time...or two... And I realize that when you read it it probably brings to mind a gross and disgusting junkyard, greasy parts, garbage, the works! but I'm willing to live with that in order to have a name that differentiates me from others when I'm online. :)

Lead Paint

Junk picking treasures (May)

I have an obsession with (good) junk, as you all know. But I'm getting closer to the time that I need to begin refinishing a lot of the stuff I've picked up. Many of the things that I have I simply would like to put a good clear-coat on so the chipped, crackled paint is left untouched. But my biggest concern is the lead paint.

I know all about wearing the proper respirator mask (you never should use a basic dust mask) and coveralls (preferably disposable) etc...etc...when you sand anything with lead paint. You're also suppose to use a special vacuum sander. There are every kind of warning and detail for proper protection out there on the net. I've been doing my research. And I no longer have a desire to go through the sanding process thanks to all of the warnings out there!

But my thing is, what is the proper way to cover up lead paint? I'd like to put a clear coat on some and others I'd like to paint right over. There is some sort of bond that I can put on before hand, I think... Does anyone reading this know? I'd be willing to bet most of the painted junk I've picked up has lead. And I don't want to go through a million home testing kits. I'm just going to assume it all has lead and do the proper thing.

In one of the magazines, last year, there was a home featured that had crackled, chipped paint on almost all of the furniture. Needless to say, I loved it! The homeowner had simply stated that she had clear-coated everything. So that's where I got that idea. And now I'm thinking it might be safer to just paint over that which I was planning to strip. So long as it has enough coats for protection so that it doesn't wear down and the lead paint is exposed again. Because then you'd be dealing with the same problem again. (Bet you had no idea being a professional junk collector was such a dangerous job). ;)

Dreamin'

I just finished looking through all of the Cottage of the Month cottages. My three favorites are this one because of all of the rose pictures and white cupboards. The living room is just a tad too elegant for me but it's very pretty.

This one because of each piece of furniture featured in the bottom 7 pictures! Make that every picture. Her furniture is just gorgeous! This is the website owner's actual home and it's very pretty inside and out (garden)!

And this one starting with the pictures of the bedroom. The top pictures of the living area and dining room have elements that I like but I really like the other pictures especially all of the rose paintings in the bathroom! The aqua furniture (desk & shelf) and the pink furniture (mirror, bench, chair, and bookshelf) in the bedrooms. I just love the bedrooms and the bathrooms. I have nearly an identical vintage pink medicine cabinet that's in the bathroom (to the right of the picture) - only mine is pale green! I'm planning to put mine in the bathroom on the main floor of our house.

I dream of having a backyard (and front yard) like this! I like many elements of her house but I love the backyard - they're in the pictures down near the bottom.

Vintage Sewing Notions

Thank you all so kindly for not pointing out the fact that the 25th is not indeed next week but the following week. :) Lol! That's if you even noticed that I had said that (in a post below about moving). You all know where my mind is these days! For some reason, out of the blue, yesterday it hit me that the 25th is in two weeks. :)

I had an enjoyable day yesterday, sorting through all of my vintage sewing supplies in preparatioin to move. Rick-rack, bias-tape, buttons, thread, lace (I love vintage crocheted lace like the stuff pictured above on the linen.), material and ribbon. I so wish I had loads more in the material and ribbon dept. but I have a little start. That's what garage sailing is for! I have a bunch of scraps that fill up about half of a plastic bin. I want more florals especially with roses because I only have a couple.

I also have two vintage wooden sock darners (pictured above) that I'm thinking of putting up for auction when I start Ebay. I bought them at the Curdy Rd. sale, this year. I'm not a huge fan of black, I prefer brown in almost everything. I bought them with the intent of auctioning them. (Shrug). But who knows? I might not be doing Ebay until fall sometime. And I might change my mind by then... :)

For now, I'm dreaming of a place to line everything up and look at it. And maybe do a project or two. ;)

Ugly Figurine

I love that caffeine is a legal drug. Really, I do. This has been a half-crazed week already and it's only Tuesday. Nothing a little caffeine can't help!

The government is so concerned with Nicotine when they should be concerned with alcohol. Don't even get me started there. But I sure hope they never discover good ol' caffeine or I'll be committing many a crime in the future!

Keep me caffeinated!

I've got that one song going through my head, "You've got to keep 'em...dadada-rated!" Okay, it's not dadada-rated. But I'm blanking out on the word.

"You've got to keep 'em separated!"

Is that it?! Who sings that song? Is it Vanilla Ice?!! Lol! I don't even know if those are the right words but it's from a loooong time ago. The 90's sometime. Although, technically I don't think the 90's was that long ago. But neither do I think the 80's were either. I was in kindergarten during the school year of '82-'83 and that seems like just yesterday. And I just picked up a figurine (yipes, I just said figurine!) at a garbage sale and it had "1989" etched on the bottom of it and I thought, "This thing isn't very old."

I'm laughing because I'm not a huge fan of figurines. :) They're not my thing, for the most part, but every once in a while I'll come across one that I kind of like. Although, with this one I had my doubts when I picked it up, as I was paying for it, and once I got it home. It just endured to me, mostly because of the little doll hanging off the end of the bench! I love that. And the fact that it's a mother reading to her child. (There was something else on it at one time because there is a little spot where something chipped off on the front.)

Ever do that? I did that a WHOLE lot before I became a professional junk collector. ;) I'd buy things all the time that I wasn't quite sure if I really liked. I guess it's just one of those things where you live and learn. I've learned now to only buy what I love or at the very least have a very strong liking for! But this figurine was sort of charming in an ugly, gaudy sort of way that could only come from the 80's so I couldn't resist it even though I had my doubts. It doesn't even match anything else in my house.

I must've been on caffeine when I bought it.

I got it home and Nikayda said, "Mommy, that's so cute!"

Guess who gets it now?! ;)

A Challenge

Another one?! I know but I just love these.

I am: outgoing, an open-book, moody when I'm pregnant, confident, insecure, stressed out, crabby when I'm stressed out, moving into a new house, looking forward to a whole new beginning to my life, scared to death of heights, deep water, ticks, and bats, willing to try new things.

I want: a couch and chairs for my living room, a vintage card rack, a bed for Mark & me, vintage lights for my house, vintage things for my house, gardens full of flowers, a playhouse for my kids, a pool, our new home to be filled with love.

I have: my faith, many fond and happy memories, many dreams, a whole lot to be thankful for, financial debt, a life filled with love, food on the table, a roof over my head, and a husband and children who love me.

I wish: that I will never have too much money, that I knew how to paint pictures, that I will learn how to be a seamstress, that I could take beautiful pictures, that my children will always believe, that I will have a cabin on a lake, that I was extremely witty & funny, that my husband didn't have to work so much :), I could read Alex Haley's Roots again.

I hate: when my house is a mess, when it's disorganized, when my kids don't obey me, when I procrastinate, having anxiety/depression.

I miss: the days before I got anxiety/depression, being young and carefree without responsibilities (but I'm very thankful for my life right now), lazy summer days as a kid, old friends that I've lost touch with, believing in Santa Claus.

I hear: cars driving by, my kids playing together, giggling, my washing machine end-of-cycle buzzer, silence, music everywhere.

I wonder: when our house will be finished, why the sky is blue, why can't people fly, why I can't relax, what kind of dogs we'll get, when my mom & dad will visit next, why I'm so nervous about starting to sell on Ebay?

I regret: few things in life. You live and learn!

I am not: shy (most of the time), cynical, prompt, able to do more than 10 things at once, a good neighbor (I prefer to keep to myself and hope they do the same), an acrobat (although, my kids think I am), very witty, not always articulate in real life, always outgoing.

I dance: to the beat of my own drum. (Edited to add)

I sing: all of the time, at church, in the car, at home.

I cry: when I'm really angry, when I'm stressed out, when I'm really happy, when I'm touched, when I'm sad, more than I used to.

I am not always: a good mom, a good wife, very patient, a good person, someone who does everything on time, someone who arrives on-time for anything.

I make with my hands: meals for my family, flannel burp cloths for my babies, Christmas stockings for my children, refinished furniture and other decor for my home.

I write: grocery lists, to-do lists, birthday cards, emails, blog entries, comments on others blogs.

I need: to be by myself once in a while, a good stress-reliever, a vacation, peace and quiet sometimes, a day off, and time for myself every evening.

I should: pack up our stuff, clean/organize the basement of our new house, move some of these boxes to our new house, refinish some of my furniture, work on some of my projects, make supper.

I start: projects, packing, the car, the wheels turning in my mind, organizing, going crazy.

I finish: doing laundry, a good book, projects, a pot of coffee, eating, most things that I start.