Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Ticks, Snakes & Goodies

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!!

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Easter Goodie Winner

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. 

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Easter Goodie Give-Away

 

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. 

Monday, February 25, 2008

Getting Ready for Easter

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!!

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Thrift Store finds & Recent Purchases

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. 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, February 8, 2008

Murphys Law & The Bad Dog

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.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

DC Big Flea & Antique Show

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.