snowflakes on eyelashes

My Baby Things

2009-03-31T08:07:00.000-07:00

After 6 months, my dad and I are finally finished cleaning out my moms rooms, she just had so much stuff, I even found her report cards from 1937-1939, First Communion Certificate from 1936, and lots of other neat papers. Also came across some of my baby things...not in the greatest shape, but considering how OLD they are...lol!! Here are a few of the things.
Poor Baby, looks like the moths have gotten to her clothes, you wind her up and she crawls, I played with her until I was about 6-7, she used to have a hat, but I guess that is long gone.

The little kitty is also not in the best shape, but when you wind her up she still walks. I am going to find a spot in my bedroom to put these.

I LOVE the little hairbrushes, I didnt have any hair, so they didnt get used much as a baby. My aunt made the little shaw, hat and matching booties. She is 83 and still makes baby blankets, baby clothes....."just in case" anyone has a baby.

There were quite a few of these little cotton shirts, but I thought these were the cutest, one on the left has a little rabbit and that pocket on the other one is just too cute. They are stained, as is all of them, I am afraid to wash them though.

I think I like the box the shoes came in better than the shoes. You can tell which ones were my "walker" shoes. My parents believed kids should have shoes on the second they were born...well, I raised my kids the opposite, they never had any shoes until they were walking well on their own. As soon as my first child starting showing signs that she was thinking about walking, my mom said I had to go to Stride-Rite and get those $60 shoes...NOT! I am barefoot most of the time and so are my kids, therefore they wont have any baby shoes to reminisce about.

And last is my rattle engraved with my name and date of birth and the little bracelet they put on you in the hospital....how cute, I guess they would be considered a safety hazard these days thats why we get those generic plastic bands! Hope I didnt bore you too much with my baby blabbing, its just kinda neat to come across things that you thought were long gone.

And the Winner Was...

2009-03-28T16:19:00.000-07:00

No, I didn't forget the drawing on Monday, the winner was Carrie of Cottage Cozy, she should be receiving it soon. I spent most of last week finishing up Easter crafts, I have run out of chenille so I guess I am done with Easter. These items are in my lollishops shop.

I finished cleaning out my mothers closet and we came across a bunch of my baby clothes, and toys....lots of neat things, will post them later. Another rainy weekend...boo hoo!

I'm Back!

2009-03-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

I have an excuse for not keeping up with the blog thing....been busy with Easter Swaps, Easter crafts and it is also that time of the year that the school board gets project crazy. I had a Black History project, Science Fair project and Famous Woman project. 2 of the 3 are done, and I might add that "I" won 2nd place in the science fair. And I do mean "I" since my sons only input into the project was running around the room telling me what to type, then I had to print it all out and arrange it all according to the County Code on the tri-fold backboard. I always save the previous years so I have a sample to work from, so as soon as I finished this years, we went outside and had a bonfire with it, how fun to watch it burn!! I dont know if I will be able to burn this years since it has a pretty red ribbon on it. Anyway, now for the give-away...a little basket purse filled with goodies, a bunny balloon ornament that I made, and a few other surprises not shown. Just leave a comment. I will pick the winner on Monday.

Sorry, but this little duck is MINE!! I have been trying to find the bunny like this for years, except it is made out of a clorox bottle. Last year I bid on a bunny one, but I would only go up to $30 and it went beyond that. Well this year I won the little duck off ebay and a few days ago I won the kits to make a bunny and a duck with the clorox bottles. It looks kinda complicated, but I remember making them as a kid, so hopefully it will come back to me. I just dont like reading instructions!!!!

Catchin Up

2009-02-11T11:41:00.000-08:00

We have had a really nice week here weather wise, in the 60's & 70's, sure makes up for that cold blast we had a few weeks ago. Last weekend I went to Fredericksburg to go shopping at the DC Big Flea, they had about 40 vendors and their prices arent too bad, but I only took $100 with me and vowed not to use the ATM (because they charge too high fees). I guess I did good, I came back with $10 and considering it costs $14 to get in since they charged me for my 13 yr old daughter, plus I spent another $20 on them, buying little trinkets.
It has been almost 5 months since my mom passed away and my dad and I are still sorting through her stuff. We finally finished up last week with the jewelry. My mom LOVED jewelry, and we had to be careful when we were getting rid of things because we found 3 diamond rings stashed in a makeup bag that was on its way to the thrift store....can you imagine!!! I have 4 shoe boxes full of jewelry to sort through. She mostly had real stuff, but I like the costume jewelry. Here are two boxes of what I have sorted through. I love the rhinestone sets and the crystal sets. I dont want to put them in the jewelry box, I would like to display them somehow. I remember playing with alot of this jewelry as a kid, and I always made sure I put it away so I wouldnt mess it up.

During the cold days I did manage to work on a few Easter crafts. One is the bunny balloon. I have a few christmas ornaments like this, so I thought, why not Easter. I am still not sure if they are the way I want them to be, still searching through my easter things for some more embellishments.
Well, hope everyone is having a good week....and hope everyone gets lots of Chocolate on Valentines Day!

Sweet Revenge!

2009-01-15T18:27:00.000-08:00

My 13 year old daughters greatest joy in life is to aggravate me, but in a fun way. If I am working on a craft she will casually walk by and swipe one of my supplies, then stand by and watch as I turn the house upside down looking for it.....all the while she has it behind her back, just holding back laughter. Or I will make a glass of ice water, and I like to sit it on the counter for a few minutes so it gets nice and cold...I come back....its gone or "someone" has drank it. Most recently she knew I was anticipating a package from Julie of Pieceful Bits. She always picks up the mail on her way in from the busstop and recognized the package and quickly hijacked and wouldnt let me have it....we struggled and I can tell you it wasnt pretty, but I won because I'm the momma. Anyway, it is very hard to get back at her because she is really laid back and hardly anything bothers her EXCEPT, my vintage wind-up clocks!!! SO, I gathered them all up, wound them up, and put them on the shelf in the bathroom......DRIVES her nuts in the morning, thats my payback. I, of course, love them, even if the bathroom is right outside my door and I have to listen to that ticking all night :)

Valentine Giveaway

2009-01-13T10:04:00.000-08:00

Geesh, slowly but surely I am figuring out blogger, but I dont know why my pictures didnt appear in the order I downloaded them. Anyways, this post will just be all screwed up and backwards. So, instead of what was supposed to be first, this is second. I am doing a Valentines Tree this year and since I have no ornaments, I have made a few, this in one of the little glitter wreaths I made for it.

Now, this was supposed to be first. I joined a few Valentines swaps, some are whimsy jars, matchboxes, and decorated heart boxes. I have made a few of the heart boxes and had a ball doing it (other than glue gun burns), my partners havent received them yet, so I dont know if I gained their approval. The one you can win is below. Just so you know, I am still learning to get the hang of them, so you may find a few mistakes on it. But, I am going to fill it up with all sorts of pink and red goodies....not gonna show you on here, that will be a surprise. And since I had to eat all the candy, I will replace that too (with better stuff). Just leave a comment and I will pick a winner on Sunday.

Oh Yeah, and these I made to go under my Valentines tree (this picture is actually in the right space). I have a few more sets and will be listing them in my lollishops soon. I have the bodies made, but they are headless right now because we have the slowest mail delivery in this town that ever was!!

Am I really weird?

2008-12-30T18:34:00.000-08:00

I have been tagged by Kathy from Kat Collects, I have to list 6 things about myself, so I opted to list some things that others think are weird of me (and they have told me). Here goes:

1. I cringe everytime I have to open a can of biscuits! Its the anticipation of when they are going to POP that scares me...which means I usually use bisquik and avoid those cans.

2. I WILL have a coat on if the temperature is not at least 75 degrees, I stay cold and it drives me nuts.

3. I live on Little House on the Prairie.....no airconditioning, my house is heated with an outside woodstove (as well as our hot water), I hang my clothes on the fence..yes fence..in the summertime, but I do have running water and an indoor bathroom :)

4. I dont like to park close to other cars, I have a big van and will park waaay out in the parking lot, I get nervous if I have to back out......this drives my kids nuts, but they need the exercise!

5. I have over 100 cookbooks, and loads of other books...I love to read! Current reading "The Last Lecture"

6. Now my family just doesnt get this, but I would rather wear my old costume jewelry than diamonds and pearls......my husband learned this lesson after he bought me some diamond earrings twice...and I took them back Twice and went shopping at the thrift store to buy what I really wanted.
And see that little puppy, isnt she the cutest, and I am really jealous because she is not mine, that is what my girlfriend in Florida got for her christmas present...she doesnt think I am weird.

Why parents hate me & Christmas Giveaway!

2008-12-16T14:47:00.000-08:00

This week is all about school parties. My kids are in 8th, 6th, & 2nd....and they all still like to get goodie bags. So right now, my kitchen table is full of things that parents don't want their kids to get, but that kids LOVE...for example...Play-Doh. The parents who have carpet are not too fond of getting play-doh, I, for one like to play with it myself, even the smell is intoxicating (thank god its not toxic). All kids love Fun-Dip, as soon as they see that in the bag, it becomes total mayhem with them ripping the bags open. My daughter in middle school, made brownie bites and bagged them up with mini-candy canes for one of her classes. Unfortunately my boys will bag up about 5-6 goodie bags and then they loose interest, so it will be up to me to finish....but thats okay, because i get the leftovers!!

And now for a blog giveaway...I will draw a winner on Thursday so that I can get it mailed out by Saturday. There are a few old candles, vintage santa ornament, vintage elf ornament, The Merry Christmas Book dated 1953 (has really great images) and a Think Christmas book from the 70's with recipes, crafts, etc. Just leave a comment to enter.

Its okay to lie and play hooky!!

2008-11-24T14:01:00.000-08:00

I think its okay once in awhile to tell a little white lie and play hooky. I sure hope so because I have done it twice in the past 4 days. Thursdays are usually my thrift store day because they have 25% off the entire store, so my daughter was begging me to pick her up from school so she could go. I said "OH, No, your education is wayyy too important, so be ready by 11:30", so I lied when I signed her out and said she had a doctors appointment. I couldnt possible say that we were going thrifting. I do this a few times a year with the kids and they think it is fun. The funny thing was that I had stopped by my kids teachers house that they had for kindergarten to drop off some goodies and told her I was on my way to pick up Betsy and she laughed and said she used to do the same thing!!
Yesterday I lied again. My boys like to go to antique stores for the first 30 minutes and then they forget the "do not touch, pick up, play with, breathe on, rules". They were having a few open houses at the antique stores yesterday which means cookies, brownies, candies, cider all through the stores and I could just see them on sugar overload and tearing the stores apart. SOOO, I told hubby that I needed to run to Food Lion for some Milk and Bread and wouldnt be gone long. Well, my daughter knew something was up and promptly snuck out with me. My lie paid off because I got some nice goodies, all for under $15, and there are a few things I want to go back for (hope they will still be there)!! Knowing me, I probably wont blog again before Thanksgiving, so I am wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and Lots of leftover turkey for sandwiches and soup!! Here's my loot:

Back To Crafting

2008-11-15T15:33:00.000-08:00

As usual, still trying to figure out the blog thing, I think this time I got my pictures right...we'll see. Well, they say things come in threes and I believe I have had my "3", first with my mom passing away, then a few weeks later, my husband got in a motorcycle accident (deer ran into him), and then I ran over my poor dog. Hubby has a broken hip socket and hobbling around on crutches, but getting pretty agitated with being house-bound.......(which sometimes makes me annoyed..:) My dog had pretty bad road rash on his hocks and had to have a few stitches in his paws. I felt so bad, I wasnt going fast and was pulling into the driveway and he ran out from the side. I thought he wouldnt like me anymore, but in true dog fashion, he had forgotten it was me driving within a few seconds. Although, he did think twice when I hauled him into the vet hospital, and when one of his bandages fell off, I put a Kotex mini pad on his paw since it was all I had. He kinda held his head in shame at this, even my husband said he didnt blame him! But hubby and dog are on the mend and while I am playing nurse I am finally getting some crafting done. I was worried I wouldnt have anything ready for Lollishops when it opened. Here are a few things I have finished lately:

Vintage pink chenille with vintage spun cotton angels, these were pretty fun and quick to make.

I enjoy making these baskets, these are a little bigger than the ones I usually make, and I added a little bear under the tree after this picture was taken.

These were made with vintage Mr. & Mrs. Claus picks, chenille, styrofoam ball, pom poms, and felt. I glittered the bases to make them a little more sparkley.

Well, thats it for now, I hope to start working on some of my beaded ornaments next week as I had pushed them aside after doing quite a bit of them for the CSSTeam Christmas in July promo.

New Goodies

2008-10-28T15:51:00.000-07:00

WHAT??? They are not supposed to be here!

Mini glass ball ornaments and glass icicles from Woolworth.

Vintage glass balls, I have a big collection of these but wont use them, because of my dog, his tail is a major weapon when it comes hitting balls off the tree.

I dont know if these are old or not, little strawberries with velvet green leaves. Plus I am having a hard time telling if they are glass or plastic, you would think that would be easy.

Okay, I dont know why those pictures popped up on the top, but it looks like I need more practice with Blogger, guess it will take time. Although it seems I need more time to get things done anymore. Since my mom passed away my dad has been on a cleaning frenzy, mostly her clothes. My mom was a pack rat with clothes, and just to give you an example she had 141 Bras!!!!! So I have been busy helping my dad clean. Then, just when I thought I was done with the hospitals for awhile, my husband had a motorcycle accident. A deer hit him, and he thinks the deer actually hit HIM, because the bike is not messed up. He wound up with a fractured hip bone and his whole right side is bruised. They didnt want to operate to put a screw in his hip, just want it to heal on his own, therefore, he is on crutches for 6 weeks. Plus he has to give himself shots in the stomach twice a day for 4 weeks. He was joking around wanting me to do it, but aagghhh, NO, I am not a nurse!!

Well, I have been stopping at the Flea Market on Saturdays before I take the boys bowling and have gotten a few christmas things lately. I seemed to have missed Halloween, I got the attic door open but havent had the time to get the decorations out....Bummer...So, those pictures you see at the top of the page are my recent christmas finds!

A New Start

2008-10-01T18:20:00.000-07:00

Well, this is something I have been wanting to do for awhile and now AOL has given me a reason......get a new blog. They are shutting down their blogs at the end of this month. I was always getting emails from people who were not able to make a comment on the blog, apparently AOL made it quite difficult if you werent an AOL member. I believe I will be moving over to blogger since it is FREE!! And since I am computer challenged I am going to have to learn how to use their program, which may take awhile. I'm not sure I will be able to move all my posts from here to the new blog, that would be another computer dilema for me to deal with. All in all, I am looking forward to starting a new one, and will hopefully be easier to use.

On a sad note....I have posted before about my parents health. About 6 weeks ago they told us that my mom didnt have long to live and of course our first reaction was disbelief since she was mentally alert and not complaining much. She was in the end stage of Kidney disease, and the dialysis wasnt working anymore, she had COPD and her lungs were damaged, her heart was bad, her liver was failing and she was retaining fluid. We never told my mom how bad she was. They kept her in the hospital the past month because my mom believed she was getting better and we had told them not to tell her the truth so she would stay in good spirits. I took my kids to see her as often as I could since she would get so excited when they were around. The day that I took the kids to Mt. Vernon we went by the hospital to see her, this would be the last time they would get to see her. My daughter had taken her camera with her and starting taking pictures of my mom blowing bubbles with her gum. This was on Sunday. The rest of the week she was feeling well and eating good, and they were talking about sending her to a rehab for a few days to get her strength back and then home. On Friday as I was on my way to the hospital they doctor called me on my cell phone and told me to pull over, I pretty much knew what this meant, needless to say the rest of the way to the hospital was a blurr......it still doesnt seem real to me and everytime the phone rings I think it is her calling. This week has been about helping my dad, he is the type of person who has to be doing something (even though he is 83), and the other day that "something" was having me clean out my moms bathroom. A job I really didnt want to do, but if it is what he wants then I need to do it. So now I have to keep an eye on him, I dont like that he is living in a big 2 story house by hisself, but he says he wants to stay there for now.

Now, back to trying to get things normal again. My poor kids have only had half of my attention......which is starting to show in their behavior..Yikes!

I am going to start playing around with blogger and see if I can navigate it, hopefully there will be an easy way to add everyone's blog address...feel free to leave me any TIPS!! I will need it.

A "Secret" Obsession

2008-08-19T17:07:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess its not really a secret. If I knew that I wouldnt get shot I would mosey around old and abandoned building and houses around here. And there are a lot of them around here. There are a few in our town that still have furniture and things in them. Which I find really weird since the person passed away and the relatives live on the same farm, but just never bothered to move the stuff out....goodness I hoped they at least cleaned out the refrigerator!! I have even corrupted my kids that now they are always on the lookout for old buildings. When I lived in Florida there was on old Army hospital that was abandoned at a local airport and I would go over there and wander around in it while my parents were working...I thought it was so neat they still had the hospital beds in there, medical supplies and charts were strew everywhere, although, that was 30 years ago and I am pretty sure I wouldnt go in there now. The coolest building I have LEGALLY been is in Philadelphia at a old mental hospital that has been shut down called Byberry (i think). At Halloween they transformed it into a haunted house, such a cool building and obviously some of the "actors" were previous mental patients. We had a lot of fun the few years we went there. Hmm...I will have to check and see if they still do it and maybe my kids would want to make a road trip and do that this halloween.

Here is a couple of pictures of an old general store that we pass on our way to the boat ramp. I just wonder what sort of things they sold and what it was like when they were open.

Somebody obviously cuts the grass....think they'd let me in!! Well, I think I am the worlds worst when it comes to keeping up on my blog, but hopefully in a few days I will get my August giveaway posted. Have a great week!

Am I obsessed?

2008-08-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

Well, my kids and husband think so. I was going to clean up my "Raggedy Room" today but them the voices in my head voted against it....and I listen to them. So I took a few pictures to show you a small smidgen of my collection. I do have a few pieces from my childhood, but most I have gotten off ebay, thrift stores, and received as gifts. It has really gotten out of hand though, just a complete and utter mess, needs to be dusted, re-arranged, and weeded through. I am sure I have lots of doubles that I could get rid of. Here are a few pictures of my "really raggedy right now" raggedy ann collection....Now, I am off to see a play with my kids and neighbors...."Gypsy", about Gypsy Rose Lee, it said "No Nudity", I wonder if there is partial nudity, well, if there is, my boys will sure enjoy that...will let you know:

Have a great Sunday!!

Quik Post

2008-07-28T10:52:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post since I have been neglecting my blog. First I should have posted this last Monday, but I did do the drawing and Miss Suzy of Georgia Peachez won the blog giveaway and she has already received it. Now I need to get something together for August.

Also thanks to everyone for your purchases for the CSSTeam Christmas in July promotion. I am getting everything mailed out today, I got a little behind with some unexpected company over the weekend and then my mom took sick and is in the hospital. She has had a rough 6 years battling colon cancer, emphysema, gout, and now she is on dialysis and every week it seems to be something else wrong.

And last I am trying to figure out how to put blog buttons on my blog. Heidi of Everyday Cookies gave me a few pointers. I did get the lollishops button on there, but I dont think its "clickable" (or whatever).

Hopefully I can catch up this week on my blog!!

Back from Vacation

2008-07-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

Well, we have been back from Florida for a week now and I am still behind, but I might as well realize that it is going to stay that way until the kids go back to school. We had a good trip, left at 4:30 am on a Friday and stopped in Savannah and spent a few hours walking around. I had to stop in Vintage General, which is a shop that Jen from Sweet Eye Candy mentioned on her blog, and let me tell you that have some awesome things, I wasnt going to buy anything, but did come out with a bagful. Florida was great, I managed to visit with most of my friends and ex-coworkers. Basically we just went to the beach every day (and night) and visited. My daughter is afraid of heights, but she did manage to go up in the lighthouse...203 steps and 175 feet high, great views. Of course, my boys charged ahead up the spiraling steps ignoring my yelling to "Wait".....this is the lighthouse at Ponce Inlet in Daytona Beach.

The puppies thrived while we were gone and our neighbor loved taking care of them, but I cant say that much for my black lab. He wouldnt eat, kept running to our back door looking for us. Needless to say, he was a bit skinny when we got home, and he had bald spots. So I gave him a bath and have been feeding him double trying to get him back up to his normal weight. He was so sad!!

I did hit a few thrift stores in Daytona and got some bargains.

I have managed to squeeze in a few hours of crafting, the little glittered wreath is for the CSSTeam Christmas in July Promo on July 25.

And I am still messing around with the Tussie Cones, these are my 3rd and 4th try and will be in my Etsy shop.

Now for the July Giveaway. In keeping with the Spirit of the CSSTeam Christmas in July promo on July 25, I am giving away these 2 ornaments. I will pick the winner on July 21. Just leave a comment..Good Luck!

Summer is Here!!

2008-06-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

Well summer is here at my house since at the moment I have 2 small critter cages on my kitchen table...one with a baby snake in it and one with an injured baby bird in it....Oh, the joy of boys!!! I really dont mind either one since I am an animal person, but on my kitchen table....C'mon boys..take 'em outside!! I just set a tent up in the backyard for them, so hopefully they will take them out there.

We had a great trip to Hershey. I had a pass to get 8 people in for free, so we loaded up my van with 8 people and headed to PA. My daughter had 2 of her friends go and the boys had one of their friends, so I wasnt going to be stuck with 6 kids alone so luckily one of the girls mom went along with me. We went up a day ahead so we could do the factory tour and do a little sightseeing....all in all everyone had a great time!! Here is picture of my youngest with the 5 pound hershey bar that I wouldnt buy because of the $30 price tag (and waaaayyy too many calories)

I have been doing entirely too much shopping lately, but I figure that is what my stimulus check was for right.....here are some of my recent purchases:

I LOVE this piggy bank, it was horribly dirty and I was worried it was stained, but it was only .33 since so I figured I wouldnt be losing much if it didnt clean up, but with those Mr. Clean Miracle Erasers it came out great!!

I have always wanted one of these but never came across one in my travels. I spotted this one on pinkpomegranate.net and just had to have it, and it was a steal...at least in my opinion. I think she still has one more left too. Now, I just need to find one with a christmas theme.

These have the Napco stickers on them and are numbered. I got them both on the same day at two different yardsales....it was fate! I am not good at judging what something is made of, but I believe they are bisque.

Arent they just so cute!! They are almost 4 weeks old and starting to get playful, the kids are having a ball with them, they are going to be sad when they are gone.

Now, I am a little late on posting this (As usual), but the winner of the two books is Whinendine!! Be sure to check back for next months giveaway!! Have a great weekend!

Schools Out!

2008-06-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

Well, school is officially out because Monday is Fun Day, where the school is going to be set up like a carnival. I am hoping they move everything indoors with the exception of the water balloons because we are in the middle of a heat wave with 100 degree days.....and guess what.....we dont have airconditioning!! Which is commom for old houses in the north, we have window units, but I just dont like the noise, so I guess I will be Shopping to stay cool!!! We have had some wild weather here lately, last wednesday we had severe storms and tornados, just as the kids were getting on the buses the tornado came through and they shuffled them back into school until everything had passed. Of course they bigger kids thought that was just "cool". Then Thursday schools were closed due to power outages from the storms.

The heat couldnt keep me away from yardsales though. This Saturday we went to a yardsale at a old barn that is on a catholic retreat and run by nuns and priests. They only have sales a few times a year but they really need to do something with the barn. I was down in one of the stalls where the christmas stuff was and there was a lady upstairs attempting to sweep the floor above me. There are 3 inch cracks between all the boards so as she is sweeping, all the dirt is coming down on me, plus my boys were up there running around hollering through the floor to me of things they had found. When we came out of there they boys were filthy. But I did find some good things:

The little angels are stamped Japan, the hat box isnt old, but I thought it would be pretty to hold some supplies. I had to clean up the little beaded doll,she was rather dusty and the crochet dress needs a good soaking.

Still trying toget my teeny tiny kitchen in order, these are few things I have picked up in the last few weeks here and there. There will be lots of red!!

Last week was a good week for thrifty buys....I LOVE all of this stuff, especially the angel.

I should hang my head in shame over this picture, but I am working on getting it in order. I have ADD I think, I get something in my head, pull out the supplies to work on it, get halfway through it...then think of another project and pull out supplies for that one and get half way through, so I have about 5 projects half way done and supplies for about 50 projects pulled out!!

And last is the June Giveaway......2 really nice books, one is Retro Barbecue and the other is Entertaining with Longaberger Celebrating the Seasons....lots of good recipes, decorating & crafting ideas, etc. just leave a comment to win. I will pick a winner on Monday June 16. We are heading to hershey park this coming weekend, I am hoping to cure my chocolate addiction by taking a tour of the factory, you sometimes you smell the stuff being made and it just turns your stomach, but I have a feeling it will have the opposite affect on me and I will be toting home a 10 pound Hershey Chocolate Bar as a souvenir of my travels!! LOL

No crafting at my house

2008-05-26T15:36:00.000-07:00

Thats right, I have not been able to play with sequins, glue, glitter, styrofoam, etc. for some time now, so sad for me. But, I have ordered quite a bit of supplies so that is gonna change. I have been busy getting things around the house done before the kids get out of school, and as of today, we are down to 9 days. The kids and I usually spend the summer traveling to PA, VA, WV, Eastern Shore of Maryland and then one big family trip, but with the price of gas this year, I think we will be staying close to home once we get back from our big family trip to Florida. Just so you dont think I have been sitting on the couch eating peanut m&m's and tootie rolls (my favorites) and watching "Days of Our Lives", here is what I have been up to:

We opened the pool up and yes the water is quite chilly, but the kids and the dog dont seem to care. I have given up on trying to keep the dog out, he will run through the fields, get hot and run up the hill and jump in the pool. It puts alot of sand in the pool, so we are going to have to vacuum a little more than usual this summer. Plus, once he is done swimming, he likes to come lay in the kitchen, which he then opens the screen door and lets millions of flies in, that is my summer project....to teach him to close the screen door once he is in. You wont catch me in the pool until the water temp. is up to at least 82 degrees, no cold water for me!!

We have had quite a bit of rain and flooding here in Southern Maryland, so once our fields soaked in all that water I was ready to plant. So far we have in about 40 tomatoes plants, 4 rows of sweet corn and 2 rows of sunflowers. The sunflowers are just to look at and cut for flowers in the summer. I still need to get squash and cucumbers planted. With the price of food going up the way it is I really wish I could plant Eggo Waffles, Syrup and Cheerios.....the main foods my kids seem to live off of these days!

And I wish we grew these, but my husband says they are too much trouble. Anyway, its fun to go the berry farm to pick them. I have been picking about 3 flats a week, and nope, I dont make anything with them. We just sit down with a 5 gallon bucket of Cool-Whip and eat until we are gorged. I took my kids this last time and it only took us about 10 minutes with the 4 of us picking (plus they think its fun). Now, for the best picture of all...................

Dont you just LOVE new puppies (excuse my daughters bad manicure). We have 5 new puppies, 3 black and 2 brown. Betsy has already named a girl Belle and the boys are still arguing over names...typical.....BUT, we are not keeping them and they dont want to hear those words. They will have fun playing with them for the next 6 weeks and I am sure I will be out there rolling around with them and smelling puppy breath, the next best thing to smelling a real baby!!

Hopefully things will start settling down and I can catch up on reading blogs and all that fun stuff, I feel out of the loop and dont know whats happening out there. I still have Mays give-away sitting here on my desk, but I promise it will be added to Junes give-away. Hope everyone is enjoying the spring weather.

Just Rambling

2008-05-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

So, its going to be a nice 80 degrees today and I decided to wash some bedspreads and etc, then decided to mop the upstairs floors. Well in the hallway up there is a grate in the floor, it was used when my husbands parents had a wood stove in the basement and that was their only heat....it would rise up through these floor grates. Anyway, it get pretty dirty with the kids and dog trampling over it all the time. And they can never just step over it, they HAVE to walk on it. I lift the grate up and vacuum it off and sit it to the side and told myself "now remember that the grate is out and dont step there" Here is where the alzheimers sets in and not 30 seconds later as I was mopping I backed up and stepped into the hole. Now if you had of been here you would have been laughing at me because I had one leg hanging through the floor & ceiling and it was dangling down in the living room. I now have 2 huge bruises and bumps on my legs. Plus I have to tell my husband that the bottom part of the grate needs to be fixed since I stretched the springs out way beyond repair.

Okay, this was an impulse buy. The lady was going to throw it away and told me to take it for $2. She said she bought it at a school auction a long time ago and it was used in the kindergarten room as a coat rack. It has been well loved and does show signs of being abused by 5 year olds, but I couldnt let her throw him away. I'm just not sure what to do with him. Also, see that field behind him. He is in my front yard, then there is the dirt road and then that field. My neighbors have been plowing their fields for planting thier produce (as we have too), but it creates so much DUST!!! The house, cars, windows, are covered in dust, but I guess its all worth it in the end when we are eating BLT's, Corn-on-the-cob, cucumbers and watermelons!!

I know it is no where near christmas but the ornaments I make are pretty time consuming so I only get about 2 a week made and therefore start working on them in the summer so that I have enough for the craft fairs. But they are so much fun to make and I think these colors could stay out all year long. My kids love the aqua one the best.

Tummy's growling....time to eat lunch!! P.S. Thanks Karla, glad you liked last months giveaway. I am currently getting Mays together now, so check back!

Saturday Yardsale finds

2008-04-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

The boys have started their baseball games and of course they are EVERY Saturday!!! Which can really mess up yardsaling. This weekends game was at 11:30, but we had to be at the bowling alley at 9am to get their awards since bowling season is over. SO, I woke the kids up at 7am and we were out the door at 7:45am. I wanted to hit a few yardsales along the way. We stopped at about 3 on the way and then stopped at the church thrift store on the way to the ballfield. Luckily they love going to yardsales, so its not a big chore to get them up and going. Plus, they got alot of goodies too...youngest son got a gameboy advance for $5 (didnt need one but it was such a bargain, now we have spares), and of course they always clean up on DVD's!! I came home with quite a bit of stuff, but here is the best stuff:

I am not sure of the age of these dolls, but they look old. The little one on the right is marked "TOMY", and you wind her up and she crawls. The one on the left has arms and legs that move up and down and her eyes open and close. They need a little cleaning though.

The little alarm clock on the left is also marked "TOMY" and when you wind him up he rolls sideways, the bell rings and his minute and hour hands roll around. The furry bear I think has glass eyes and has a sticker on him that says "West Germany". I got the dolls and these 2 items from a lady who "had no idea where they came from", she just found them in her stuff when she was cleaning. I am not even sure what I am going to do with any of it, but she left me have all if it for $1.

And more cookbooks for .25. I really dont need anymore of these, but I just cant resist them, especially when they have all the old clippings and handwritten recipes in them. Plus, maybe that Junior Cookbook will get the kids cooking and I can sit and relax while they mess up the kitchen beyond repair...on second thought, I will cook!!

And last I wanted to show these towels I got from Angie of Norththreads. I purchased the two little pot holders a while back and loved them so much that I asked her if she cold make me a set of tea towels to match. I think they turned out PERFECT, and I love the rickrack trim. They look great in my kitchen. She has an etsy account under Norththreads and is also on Flickr....go check out her goodies.

Gonna be a rainy day, so I am heading to BJ's to get my weekly case of waffles, 2 pound jug of syrup, 3 gallons of milk...etc.....cant wait to see the bill..LOL..

Sunday Show N Tell & Giveaway Winner

2008-04-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

Just a quick pop in to join the Show N Tell Sunday Bling and to announce the April Giveaway Winner. We have a big group of us going to see the play "Hotbed Hotel" and then to dinner at a Mexican Restaurant, so I am pressed for time (as I sit here typing with my wet hair). I have just a small collection of old jewelry, but lots of Vintage Raggedy Ann jewelry so I included a few pictures of them. I couldnt get all the pictures of the Raggedy Ann jewelry because some of it is diplayed on a wall and the pictures looked horrible. Here are my pictures:

This is some of my mom and grandmas jewelry that they have given me.

I LOVE the pink beaded pin and earrings, which I picked up at a yardsale for a few dollars and the colored rhinestone earrings I got a few weeks ago at the church for .50. Bargains are so much fun!!!

My favorite Christmas piece, even the little kids in my sons class love to look at it and play with it when I wear it at christmas.

I never wear the Raggedy Ann jewelry but I just love it and have a few pieces from my childhood.

Disney charm bracelets. The Winnie The Pooh and Mary Poppins are mine from when I was a kid, the rest I have found at thrift stores, and the one at the top is the one I bought at Disney and each time I go back I get a few more charms.

Hope you enjoyed my little collection, when I get home tonight I will visit the other blogs to see check out their collections. AND, the winner of the April Giveaway was Karla of SugarBearDesigns. Congratulations!!

April Giveaway

2008-04-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems like forever since I have updated my blog. Once I got my computer fixed (and bought a laptop as well, just in case), my TV blew up, so it was back to the big electronics store to spend my tax refund!! Mostly I have been busy with my parents. My dad had surgery on his knee cap so he is unable to drive for a few weeks and I have had to tote my mom back & forth to dialysis, getting groceries, cleaning their house, cutting their grass, etc....plus trying to keep my own house in order. They are both in their 80's so they need help with things as is. But another week and my dad should be back to driving and running errands. OH...Daughtry just came on the radio....gosh that voice, I could just melt, between him and Steve Perry from Journey, I could just disolve when I hear them sing~~~..okay, back to reality!!

I have a few pictures of things I have purchased recently and also I have just a small giveaway this month, but I love the little box it comes in, so "ON with the pictures. I bought this paper mache bunny from Jenny of Everyday is a Holiday, it came wrapped so pretty and even her business card is to die for. I am still in the middle of cleaning house, so once that is done, I have to find the perfect spot to display it. I envy her talent to paint like she does, just amazing. I can hardly draw a stick figure, its just not there.

And this pretty wrapping paper from Sadie Lou's shop Nickel Candy. One of them has a cloth-like texture to it, really neato!! I think I am going to use it to make my bags with matching tags. She has alot of really cute supplies in her shop, and it goes fast, I have missed out on a few things I have wanted because I was busy with something and figured I could come back later to get it and "POOF", its gone!!

And now, here is the April Giveaway. Inside the cute little pink & white polka dot suitcase is a small mint vanilla candle (smells so good), 2 pink tissue paper carnations, angel made out of a doily, small pink roses, round scalloped tags, felt flower cut-outs, old pink flower sequins, 8 old greeting cards (great images for tags), and 4 sheets of stationary from the 70's, its really GROOVY!!. Just leave a comment and I will enter your name to win. Will pick the winner on Friday. Good Luck. It's going to be 72 today so I am off to wash sheets to hang on the line and get the weeds out of my front flower bed.

I'm BACK!!

2008-04-01T19:40:00.000-07:00

Did you know there are no support groups for people whose computers have died....and I really think I could have used one. It's amazing how much I depend on this thing. I went ahead and bought a laptop, but still hoping that my desktop is fixable so that my kids can use that one and keep their grubby paws off my new one. I am still learning how to use this little pad instead of the mouse...takes some getting used to. Oh, and our TV blew up as well...it must have been done the same time the computer was, but just took a little while longer to die ( we had a storm and I think when the power surged, it messed everything up.) Anyway, I have a few pictures of some goodies I found on my trip to the Eastern Shore of Maryland when I went to visit my sister and cousins. I didnt get to stay as long as I would have liked, I wanted to hit more thrift stores. There was one place we went to called The Barn that was at a nunnery (is that right?) and was run by the nuns....stuff was cheap or FREE. I got cookbooks and the kids got toys...as if they needed anymore of those!! Here are a few of my finds:

Really pretty Lefton Southern Belle Planter in great condition and a vintage bunny rabbit.

I am not sure how to tell if Milk Glass is old or not, but they were only .50 a piece and I thought I could use them in the bathroom for cotton balls, q-tips, etc.

And last is a 1/2 find. Only the angel head is a find, the rest I crafted. I came across 3 vintage angel head pics, 2 brunette and 1 blonde, they still have the "made in Japan" stickerson the wings and have been wanting to do something with them. Well when I went to the Big Flea a few months ago I knew what I had to do. A man was selling vintage christmas items and he had 3 angels with heads almost like mine and their bodies were cone shape and covered in HOT pink feathers, each one was holding an instrument, for the 3 of them he wanted $75..YIKES. So since I have had time on my hands with no computer I dug them out and made one with a cone styrofoam body, pink boas, vintage chenille arms, vintage forget me nots, pink pearl necklace and I glittered her wings up a bit. Her halo has a bit of pink boa on it, but I apparently cut that out of the picture. I left the "made in japan" sticker on her wings since I couldnt bear to take it off, if it has stayed on this long then it deserves to be there. I think the next one I am going to use some pink feathers, but mine dont look as christmasy as the ones did at the antique show. Well, I am gathering things for my giveaway which I will be posting in a few days, but for now I am off to hopefully catch up on some emails, flickr pictures and blogs.

Boo Hoo---I'm Sad

2008-03-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

I have no idea what to do with myself, didnt realize how much I depended on my computer now that I dont have one. Me and the kids went for a little road trip last week for a few days to the Eastern Shore of Maryland to see some relatives and when I came back my computer was sick. My neighbor said it is probably the power supply since the monitor and printer still work, the tower just wont turn on. Apparently we had a storm while I was gone. I pulled out my old computer (almost 11 years old) and played on it for a few days, but it is just toooo tired to do the things I want it to do, and it is pre-digital cameras and doesnt have one of those slots to put your media card. So I cant even upload the pictures of the goodies I got on my trip. Anyway, my neighbor is supposed to come look and my computer and see if it is the power supply. I am secretly hoping its not worth bothering with and then I can go get the laptop I have been wanting!!! I have been using the librarys computers to check emails and such. Well, one thing about not having computer access 24/7 .....I have been getting some cleaning and sorting done. The kids room are LOOKING GOOD!!!....Well, we only have a limited amount of computer time at the library, so I am off to pick up my home interior candles and then do some shopping (alone, with no kids!!!) Be sure to check back, I am getting things together for my April Blog Giveaway....some cute things!

Ticks, Snakes & Goodies

2008-03-11T11:42:00.000-07:00

Kind of a mixed up title huh? Well we have had some nice weather for the past few weeks so now that my foot is healed I have been taking the puppy for walks through the trails in the woods. Yesterday we encountered a raccoon and the puppy immediately thought "PLAYMATE", of course I was thinking "RABIES", but after a few hisses and swats from the raccoon he left well enough alone. Unfortunately when I got home I was just feeling icky, like something was crawling on me, and it was, I found 2 ticks. I hate ticks, too much like having little spiders crawling on you and I would rather deal with snakes than spiders. Now comes my story about the snake. Last June my husband had come home after my daughters 6th grade graduation and when I walked in the back door of the kitchen I see about a 4 foot black snake laying in front of my sink. My husband gets the broom, I dont know what he planned to do...sweep him out the back door. But anyway, the snake decided to go in between a crack between our dishwasher and cabinet. So, I get my flashlight and lay down on the floor and shine it in the crack and theres the snake looking at me. My husband was just like "he found his way in, he can find his way out". I dont mind snakes, I am more scared of spiders, but I didnt want the snake camping out in my kitchen, what if I got up in the middle of the night and wanted a drink and stepped on him. Anyway, I think he eventually did find his way out because sometimes in the morning I would find him sunning himself by the pool, and a few times he was in my flower beds when I was pulling weeds, but I quickly shooed him out because I knew he was after my frogs. I figure he has plenty of mice to eat with all the corn fields around our house. SO, at the end of the summer, I was doing laundry one day and when I picked up a shirt off the floor (laundry room is an old enclosed back porch and is attached to the kitchen) and there lays a baby snake. I didnt think anything of it and put him outside, but the next few days I found a few more on the back porch, which makes me wonder where the mama is and why they are in my laundry room. Never did figure that one out either, but hopefully they will stay outside this summer, but this is a 60 year old farmhouse with lots of nooks and crannies they can get in. Of course you know that my kids thought the snakes were "totally cool" and we should keep them as pets.....NOT!! Now that I have probably gave everyone the heebie jeebies, on to nicer things.

I received a "Sparkle" award from Diane at http://saturdayfinds.blogspot.com/. Thank You so much Diane, I am thrilled!! If you havent visited her blog, go now, because she makes the cutest creations with old cards, lace, crepe paper and vintage trims. Always such cute things to look at. Now I need to pass the award along to:

Suzy at http://georgiapeachez.typepad.com/georgiapeachez/ she has interesting itme on her blog this week...go check it out!!

Beth at http://www.elizabethholcombe.typepad.com/ the cutest pincushions you will ever see!!

Sadie at http://craftilyeverafter.blogspot.com/ her Betsy's are becoming a household name.

Lori at http://faeriewindow.blogspot.com/ she makes the cutest boxes!

Karla at http://sugarbeardesigns.blogspot.com/ lots of pretty creations in her etsy shop.

Linda at http://lindasgoodies.blogspot.com/ adorable felted folksies!

Julie at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5386317 she doesnt have a blog, but she has a etsy shop and makes some of the sweetest houses!!

Well, I have been making chenille bunnies like crazy, even though they are fake, they seem to multiply like crazy. But thats a good thing.....thanks everyone for enjoying and ordering them. My little baskets got put on the back burner, but I did finish a pink one the other day while waiting for the laundry....here is a picture, it is in my etsy shop now...okay I dont know why that little picture is there, but oh well.

This is my recent bargain of the week....found this jewelry at the bottom of a box at a church sale, one of the earrings is missing a stone, but for .50 a pair, too good to pass up.

And last, I have been wanting a pink princess phone for my bedroom for about 5 years, but they always seem to go up pretty high on ebay, plus they are hard wired and would have to be converted. BUT, now Target has an updated version, so when I saw it advertised I went and bought me one. And there are times when we need a "regular" phone since the kids (and me) carry the cordless ones all over the house and leave them wherever we happen to be when the call ends, this results in dead phones all the time, so now I can still call someone when the cordless ones are dead.

Well, only a few more days of freedom, the kids start their spring break Friday and continues for 10 DAYS....I am thinking about a trip to Williamsburg, VA for a visit to the pottery factory, or to Denton on the Eastern Shore of Maryland to visit my sister, she says the have some really nice thrift stores! See you in a few days!!

Easter Goodie Winner

2008-03-06T17:54:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to congratulate Tricia from Genedoll1, she was the winner of the Easter Goodies. I am going to try and do a give-away each month, so be sure to keep checking back. I will be back this weekend to update with some thrift store goodies and a Sparkle award that I received from Diane at Saturday Finds that needs to be passed along. Thank You everyone for your comments and well wishes for my parents.

Easter Goodie Give-Away

2008-03-02T08:05:00.000-08:00

Sorry for this small picture, I was choosing "medium" but the elf that lives in my computer is acting up today and doing the opposite of whatever I want. My kids love the Spiderwick Chronicles and anything to do with fairys, brownies, etc. I would just like to have those little brownies that clean your house and keep things in order for you. Anywhoo, just a quick post for an Easter Goodie Bag Give-Away. There is a cute little cardboard Easter Basket filled with pink Easter grass and a Boyds Bear, new kitchent tea towel, bundles of vintage ribbons, vintage dennison easter seals, chenille chicks, wooden easter eggs, little pink plastic bears, vintage pink flower sequins, and a few other surprise goodies. Just leave a comment on the blog and I will pick a winner on Wednesday. Since Easter is early this year, I would like to get it mailed out in time to enjoy them for a few weeks.

Getting Ready for Easter

2008-02-25T09:19:00.000-08:00

It was a busy week last week and then Friday the kids were out of school for a small ice storm that came through. Luckily my daughter, my neighbor and I were still able to go out to dinner and then to the local playhouse to see the play "West Side Story". I have never seen the movie before so I was surprised that it was a "tragic" love story, I always like the happy endings. Well, another busy week ahead but I just wanted to post a few things I have been working on and bought.

These are the chenille bunnies and basket I made for a customer from Glitter and Grunge. Hopefully I will get a few more done to add to my etsy shop.

Set of 3 chenille bunnies in my etsy shop right now.

These are work-in-process, still not done but hopefully will be done in the next few days. I have run out of ribbon and need to get to the craft store, but A.C. Moores ad comes out on Wednesdays and they have the 40% off coupon that I like to use. Michaels craft store also has the coupons but for some reason they didnt have an ad this week.

And look at this cute little bunny, he is perched up on one of Julies houses who has a shop on etsy called Piecefulbits. The tiny bunny I purchased from Hazel, and her shop on etsy is called Blosson Hill Cottons, she has lots of different animals. She was even nice enough to design a scottie dog for me, which I dont have a picture of because it has already been mailed to my girlfriend in PA. I have since found a cute little easter basket for him to rest in.

Well, thats all for my update, I am off to take my dad to the doctor, his knee cap has torn away from his knee replacement he had 5 months ago and he has to have surgery to get that sewed back on. Then Friday I have to take my mom to the doctor, her kidneys are failing so she has to start dialysis soon and they have to "make a vein" since hers are too small. It is at that point in life where I have to take care of them instead of vice versa, but they are in their 80's so I guess that is to be expected. Hope everyone has a great week!!

Thrift Store finds & Recent Purchases

2008-02-16T16:04:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Valentines Day, I really enjoyed looking at all the swap goodies, lots of great treasures!! We havent really celebrated Valentines Day yet, after the kids parties at school and the school dance, I was too pooped to go out, so maybe this weekend. My foot is feeling better, they gave me a "boot" to wear for a few weeks and orders to not do anything strenous. SO, I figured shopping is relaxing for me and I headed to the thrift store. Here are some of my goodies from Friday that I found:

Pretty Pink doilies for my bedroom dressers

I am going to use these for my Easter decorations, they look as if they are stained, but it must have been the lighting.

I love this earring and pin set, although I am not sure what I am going to do with it yet...wear it, display it, use it in a craft. They still have the little "made in japan" hang tags on them, and for $2, I couldnt leave them sitting there. I also bought the mouse just because it was cute, but I dont particulary care for mice (except the ones in Cinderella). Now that I am looking at these pictures, I see some sort of shadow on the left side of all my pictures...must have been bad lighting.

Also, got these crocheted doll clothes, I have a few old dolls that I am hoping will fit these clothes. Such a pretty spring color.

Well that is it for my thrift store goodies, total for the day was $9 andsome change. Now, I will go for the next few weeks and not find a darn thing, thats how it goes, you just have to hit it at the right moment. I have also made a few purchases, first are these super super cute pastel houses made by Julie, she has an etsy shop called http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5386317 Pieceful Bits. (Okay, I am not sure if I am doing this link thing right, hopefully it works) . I am going to set these little houses up with my Easter decorations. I had bought a few of her houses "after christmas" and was sad to put them away, so I am so happy to be able to enjoy these for awhile.

I have alot of red in my kitchen, I like the retro diner look and when I saw these little coasters I knew they would be perfect, but I am hanging them up, they are not going to risk getting messed up by being used. They are actually a little bigger than coasters, could be used as potholders. I just love the the little tea pot and tea cup. These come from Angela at Norththreads.com or you can visit her at Glitter and Grunge or her http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=17763 etsy shop (there goes that link thing again). She has one more set of these left...very cute and well made!!

And last I want to show you something my aunt made my for my birthday which was in August, but she just found it..LOL. I usually dont like my birthstone, but it looks pretty on this angel, but what I really like are the flowers. She does quilling and all those little flowers are quilled. Whenever we get a chance, she is going to sit down and show me how to do it. I remember doing it quite a few years ago and getting frustrated with it, so now that I am older and have more patience (haha) maybe it will be easier.

Murphys Law & The Bad Dog

2008-02-08T10:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, so you ask what he could have done wrong, he looks guilty doesnt he? He just turned a year old and is a very lovable dog, but as much as we like to think that he is "domesticated", there are times when his hunting gene takes over. We live on about 200 acres, only 5 is ours, the rest is the neighbors, and we are about a mile back on a dirt road so the dogs around here are not tied or caged. My neighbor about a 1/2 mile farther down the road from me processes deer during deer hunting season, which is now, and all the parts he does not use, get thrown into the woods or something. Anyway, my dog being the great hunter that he is will go find these parts and bring them home to me as some sort of gift. The other day he was scratching at the door to come in and there he stood with a big rack of deer ribs in his mouth, tail a wagging as if to say "Hey, look what I found, lets play". I was like "EWW", I slammed the door and run and got a plastic bag to get it away from him, of course he thought I was playing. Anyway, he has since brought a few deer legs and a few unidentifiable parts, luckily no heads. Everytime I let him out I warn him not to go over there, and I watch him, but I think he is taking the back way because I am still finding things......I will be soooo glad when deer season is over!!

Now, onto Murphys Law...On Tuesday it was 70 degrees here, not the norm for Feb. so I decided to wash the kids sheets and hang them outside. On my way out the back door, I feel down the concrete steps with the tub of laundry and sprained my foot. I have broken my left ankle 5 times from the ages of 8-16 so I knew it wasnt broken and I continued about the day hobbling around washing floors, scrubbing toilets, etc. About 6pm it started to really ache, was bruised and had a big goose egg on it, and the pain was getting worse. So, my husband decides I need to go to the emergency room, but that is not the bad part. I wanted to take a shower before I went, but NOOO, we had to go right then. Needless to say I wasnt expecting to go inpublic that day and had my hair up in a ponytail, no makeup, cleaning clothes on and probably smelly, and that is how I had to go to the emergency room....and of course I had to run into a few people I knew, its always the way. It couldnt have happened on a day when I was dressed for the occasion! Anyway, I am off the crutches today and limping a little but its not bad (I even snuck out to the thrift stores while no one was watching). Found some goodies too, a few things for ebay, more old easter grass and bunnies and a pink tote bag for my library books. I am off to put all this stuff away before I am caught.

DC Big Flea & Antique Show

2008-02-03T17:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to Fredericksburg, VA, which is about an hour and a half from my house to the DC Big Flea & Antique Show. My dads sister lives there, so I took him with me and dropped him off so he could visit with her for awhile and then me and the kids headed around the corner to the Expo center where it was being held. Yes, I had to take the kids because my husband is on the night shift and sleeps during the day. But the kids actually like going to the shows and looks at everything. First of all the show was a madhouse...so many people and the booths are small, so if a few people are in a booth shopping you basically had to wait until a few came out so you could go in. I think the guy said there were 400 booths. The good thing was that their prices werent too high. Although I still couldnt find what I went there looking for....DARN!! Here are a few pictures...a big bag of old cards for valentines, christmas, birthday etc. , there were some really cute ones in there.

A set of 6 styrofoam sugared strawberries, when I saw them I thought I would they would look good in my kitchen (since it is red), but now I am just worried they may get messed up in there, so I think I am going to put them in my etsy shop. They have strings for hanging them

A lady had a box full of bags with items in them for $1 so this is a few of the little things I bought. I really love the little tin plates, they are so small as you can tell in comparison to the spools. My kids got a few pieces of jewelry and coins.

After 4 hours of shopping and 3 exhausted kids, my cousins and my dad and aunt and I all went to Cracker Barrel for a little re-fueling. I LOVE that place and Fredericksburg is the closest one to me. Of course after we were done eating it was time for some more shopping and this is what I bought in their store. The little felted bag was only $5.99 and the ornament only $2.99.

I have a few more vintage Easter decorations to show you that I bought, but that will be later. Time to get the kids to bed and watch my movie....tonight its "Saw IV"....YES, I love gorry, scarry movies!! Hope everyone had a good weekend.

Valentine Posey

2008-01-24T19:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I have spent the last few days cleaning up. My kids had a 3 day weekend from school, and needless to say...things got out of place, even though we spent most of the weekend out of the house doing things like bowling, shopping and ice skating. I did not ice skate though, I grew up in Florida where we had rollerskating rinks, plus I have broken my left ankle 5 times and since I have never been on a pair of ice skates, it would just be asking for trouble. So, I stayed on the other side of the window nice and warm eating french fries!!

I have to show you what I received in the mail today. I LOVE Raggedy Ann (vintage Raggedy Ann), and have a little room full of old Raggedy Ann things like, jewelry, cards, banks, ornaments, dolls, books, curtains, blankets.....anyway..its bad, I should really weed some of it out. I will have to post some pictures of all of it. Anyway, I contacted Diane from Saturdayfinds to see if she could make me a Valentine Posey using a few of my old Raggedy Ann Valentine cards and stickers, and here it is:

I LOVE it....is it not the cutest, and she had 2 Raggedy Ann hang tags tucked inside of it. You have to look closely to see all the goodies on it. Plus she also sent me a goodie bag filled with lots of great things. Such a sweetie, Thank You So Much.

Hopefully next week, I will post some pictures of some more Easter crafts. They were kinda put on hold this week, I voluntered a few days at my youngest kids school and I think I am one of those obsessive compulsive people because I cannot do anything unless the house is clean. I dont mean it has to be spotless, but it has to be straight. I live in a tiny house with hubby, 3 kids and a black lab (and only 1 bathroom mind you), so I dont have room for clutter. Therefore once the kids are off to school I cant leave the house until the dishes are done, beds are made, tables cleaned off, etc. because I dont want to have to come home and deal with a mess. And, now that it is 10pm here and they are all in bed, its time to clean up from the nightly routine of homework, bookbags packed, lunch bags put out, clothes picked out....Okay, I am outta here for now....Have a good night!!!!

Kinda Snowed In

2008-01-17T17:33:00.000-08:00

Just as I was getting ready to go to the grocery store today it started snowing....really BIG flakes, so I decided I didnt want to be loading and unloading grocerys in that mess and stayed home. We only got about an inch and then it turned to rain, which will probably freeze tonight and cause the kids to have a school delay tomorrow. Delays are good for getting a little more sleep, but when there is a 2 hour delay the kids get in "play" mode and its harder to get them off to school. I feel sorry for the teachers because they have to get them settled down for the rest of the day.

I made a few more Easter Wreath ornaments for my Etsy shop and piddled around with a few other things. This is a picture of a pair of chenille bunnies that I made when I was in 5th grade in 1976 and they sit in my Easter basket every year. They are holding up pretty good for being over 30 years old, but I think I need to replace their poor little whiskers, they have gotten pretty crumpled.

And here is the one I am trying to do today. I cannot find the chenille anywhere. You can find all the bold classic colors, but its impossible to find a package of all pink or all blue. Plus, it is not the same type of chenille that I used in 5th grade. I did find the pink chenille in one of my craft catalogs, but no blue, so I am experimenting with pink and white and see how it comes out. My bunny is only half done, this is how its coming along, it still needs lots of work. I remember having ALOT of help with my bunnies in the 5th grade!! Does her head look bigger that her body? My husband says she is not proportioned, I used a smaller size styrofoam ball for her head, but to me they came out looking like the same size.

I had a few of those paper boxes left, a few tiny bunnies, and some eggs, so while my wreaths were drying I made these two little ornaments. I need to figure out how to put a loop on it for hanging, or I can put some little beads on the bottom to make "legs" on it. I am trying to decide if I want to keep them or put them in my Etsy shop. I just love the mini pom pom trim ( now I need to remember which store I bought it at, I think it was Jo-Anns)

Well, time to relax, I got a few movies from Netflix today and one of them has Matthew McConaughey in it...whoo hoo!! Have a good night!

New Projects & Purchases

2008-01-14T18:24:00.000-08:00

Last week was really busy, so this week I am staying home and getting some things done. Today I spent ALL day cleaning up all my craft supplies. I bought a bunch of pearl beads and sequins from Michaels and AC Moore that they had on clearance and they needed to find a container instead of sitting in bags on my floor. Of course when they put things on clearance it usually means that they wont be carrying them anymore, which is why I bought almost all they had.

And last week my sons science fair project was due, or should I say MY science fair project. When I was in school they were pretty simple, but now they have all these "requirements", and I am not very handy on the computer when it comes to doing graphs, which is one of the requirements. Luckily I have neighbors who are computer nerds and can whip up a couple of them in no time flat. I just hope MY science fair project was as good as some of the other parents.....some of them are real good at the graphic arts thing and the projects come in looking like a presentation for NASA. Oh well, at least its over...but wait...next year I will have to do 2 of them since my 2nd grader will be required to do one...I better get started now!!

Okay, now on to some new projects and purchases. Here is a ornament I got from Sadie Lou, they are called Betsy ornaments and I had to have one since my daughters name is Betsy, plus the ornaments are just plain adorable. Sadie Lou is super nice and will custom make one for you. She has some really cute Valentine items in her Etsy shop as well. You can find her blog listed over there on the left (still cant figure out how to do the link). And Thank You Sadie for featuring me on your blog!

These little glitter house I bought on Etsy from a shop called Pieceful Bits. I was going to use them for Easter and sit my vintage chickens and bunnies around them, but she said she was thinking about making some pastel ones for Easter, so I may check back and save these for christmas.

This is really bad, but did you ever make something and not really know if you like it or not, well, that is how I feel about this ornament. I usually only make the beaded/sequined ornaments for Christmas and Easter, but thought I would try one for Valentines...its a pink satin ball with crystal and red beads, pink ribbon and pink roses. What do you think....be honest, I dont mind. I think I would like it better if I saw it hanging on a white tree with a bunch of other red and pink ornaments...here it is

I have started on my eggs, this one is decorated with vintage lavender floral trim, lavender sequins and beads. Sometimes people want a grouping of about 6 of them in pastel colors and display them in a basket and sometimes they want hangers on them to hang on a Easter tree. I have a vintage plastic Bunny pulling a cart that I like to put mine in, but I did buy a small metal tree that I might use this year.

And these are in my Etsy shop right now.

Okay, I have obviously been on here too long because my kids are telling me that I need to see what happened in the living room...better go check that out!! Have a good night.

Easter Goodie Giveaway

2008-01-06T11:58:00.000-08:00

Well, my house is back in order now that the holidays are over.....well, at least somewhat, we cant count the kids room since that is a never ending battle. My daughter keeps her room pretty neat, but the boys rooms is a whole other story. It seems like the messier it is the better they like it, and when they cant find something they come and ask ME!! So I tell them to clean their room and they may find it, but that doesnt work, its just makes it worse since they tear it up even more looking for whatever they lost. Oh Well, hopefully they will get out of that stage.

Okay, see that picture of the boxes up there. I am going to do a giveaway for one of them. You get to choose which one you would like. I am new to blogging, but have been reading everyone elses blogs for about a year. I know its a little early for Easter, but I dont really have any Valentine crafts so you will get a jump start on your Easter decorating. Just leave a comment and I will put all the names in box and have one of my kids do the drawing on Friday night. The boxes are something I had not made before but this summer at a yard sale I got a whole box of Easter and Christmas miniatures, paper boxes (from little to REALLY BIG ones), ribbon and a bunch of other goodies in there for $5. So I thought I would try my hand at decorating them. If you would like a closer look at them, go to my flickr link and I have the individual pictures there.

Isnt this the cutest bucket, I got this from a shop on etsy called Saturdayfinds. I love the little wooden shoes tied to the handle. I have her blog listed so you can click on that to get to her shop since I havent quite figured out how to insert links yet. She has some adorable vintage Valentine Pockets listed right now, I cant wait to see what she does for Easter.

Well it is a nice day here and the kids want to take the dog for a walk. We have a year old black lab who can never, and I mean NEVER get enough exercise. The more we wear him out the better. Tomorrow is 25% the whole store at the thrift store tomorrow so if I get some treasures I will post them. Have a good week!!

After Christmas Sales

2007-12-28T16:22:00.000-08:00

Hello, hope everyone had a nice christmas with lots of presents, food, family and friends. I have the smallest house in the family (and I mean small), and for some reason christmas dinner and gift exchange is always at my house. Its always a challenge wondering where people are going to sit. Luckily this year the weather was mild so we shooed all the kids outside to the poolhouse to eat, plus we didnt have to worry about them spilling anything out there. You may think I am a scrooge, but I like to get money for christmas so I can go shopping at the after-christmas sales. I do get a few gifts to open under my tree from my kids and girlfriends, but I LOVE the sales at Yankee Candle, Bath & Body Works and Target after christmas. This year I added a new one to my list....Macy's. They had their ornaments 50-75% off the day after. I didnt make it to the stores the day after, but I did make it the 2nd day after and they still had lots left. Some of the ornaments were only $1.50, so I bought extras for goodie bags and teachers next year. Plus every year I buy myself a new Raggedy Ann ornament, luckily they still had some left at 50% off, so it was only $10.

And here are just a few of my goodies from Yankee Candle and Bath & Body Works (I wont even tell you how much I spent in those 2 stores). I also got some good candies from Hickory Farms but I dont think you want to see pictures of sausages and candies. I LOVE the peppermint cranberry candle from Yankee Candles. Did anyone else go to the sales!!

Thrift Store finds

2007-12-19T04:01:00.000-08:00

I just had to show you this Santa I got at the thrift store the other day for $1.41, is he not the neatest thing!! I have a growing collection of vintage santas and when I saw him I couldnt believe that someone would give him away. I am really not sure what it is though, it is plastic and the hat is plastic as well, it looks like it may be an old mask, because it will fit over your head, although I did not do that since I dont want to mess it up. Anybody have any ideas? So, he is hanging on my hutch, luckily my kids have not wanted to try it on, I guess they realize they shouldnt even ask...LOL.

Here are 2 more christmas crafty things I got at the thrift store. They are dated on the bottom 1976. Someone used a set of glasses and put a vintage snowmen in one and a vintage pincone elf in the other with glitter all around them, the bottom is a piece of styrofoam with rickrack around the glass. It looks like they had candles in the top because there is some green clay and candle wax, but I am going to clean all that out.

Well, time to get the kids up for school, its PARTY Day for them. Yesterday my first graders glass decorated gingerbread houses. I think they ate more of the candy than they actually put on the house, but they had a good time with it. TTFN

I did it!!!

2007-12-18T17:40:00.000-08:00

I did it!! Apparently I have to download my pictures to Flickr first because for some reason AOL is unable to upload the pictures. Anyway, those are some pictures of the type of ornaments that I make and the bags are something I was just trying out. They sold really well at the last craft fair I did so I will definitely work on more for next year. I did a few in Raggedy Ann and they were the first ones to go along with the Angel (Raggedy Ann is not pictured). I am excited to get started on my Easter ornaments next, but right now the kids are having their parties at school so that is keeping me running. Plus, I still have a lot of shopping to do and came down with a head cold this week...how awful is that. Well, early day tomorrow and since I FINALLY figured this out I will hopefully post some pictures of some of my christmas decorations!!

Just a test

2007-12-18T17:32:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is just a test to see if I can get some photos to upload...if they do, then I will add to the blog. I have been trying to get photos to add for about 2 months now on and off and this time I am determined....here goes the test!!!