Life In Smirleyworld

Cyber Monday Sale at Grandmother's Attic on Etsy

2011-11-27T22:37:00.003-05:00

I'm having another Cyber Monday sale at my etsy shop! Just use this coupon code: CYBERMONDAY2011 and save 10% off your entire order Monday, 11/28/11 only!!! Happy Shopping!

The Kitchen Appliance Rebellion

2011-11-13T22:53:00.002-05:00

THIS is why I love my husband so much!!!! He makes me laugh so hard! All I did was ask him this morning if he could PLEASE push the blender back for the rest of his life (it's ALWAYS pulled out when he makes a Slim Fast milkshake on the weekends and I ALWAYS push it back) and then I left for 4 hrs. When I returned home this is what I found in the kitchen. An appliance rebellion...

You Just Never Know Where You'll Find Scrabble Tiles

2011-11-07T21:30:00.003-05:00

During our hunt for "the best NY style pizza in Vegas", my husband and I stumbled upon this fabulous retro coffee table filled with old scrabble tiles! Found on the third floor of the Cosmopolitan shopping complex, this coffee table sat in front of a retro sofa and many other retro furnishings! Just to the right was the entrance to the "Pizzeria" with no sign, no name, nothing just the best NY style pizza ever! Even at $5 a slice....Anyway, it was fun to find this great use of scrabble tiles to share with you!

Back From Vegas!!

2011-09-29T22:43:00.004-04:00

Tim and I spent our 10th anniversary in Vegas this year! Friends met us out there midway during out trip, making it all the more fun! We renewed our vows at the Drive Thru Window of A Little White Wedding Chapel complete with a 1950s pink Cadillac convertible and Elvis on our anniversary at the very time we originally got married! Vegas highlights: Ben and Jerry's ice cream, shaking/grabbing Donny Osmond's hand, Peepshow and meeting Holly Madison (I know, I know), taking a stone cold shower one morning and therefore, getting reimbursed that night's room rate, finally seeing a Cirque Du Soleil show, riding in the 1950s pink Cadillac, Hoover Dam, Neon Boneyard again, great food, best NY style pizza ever, Maggiano's, spending time with friends, aluminum foil, getting sucked into souvenir photographs everywhere, free bus rides, cabbies from all over the world, 90 miles an hour on the interstate, a/c not working half the time in our rental car, taking a lukewarm shower the last morning at 5am and getting reimbursed part of that night's room rate, my 30 new friends, Tim going on the Frenchman's Flats tour, Atomic Testing Museum, not having to stand in line at the Bellagio buffet, pirate shows, trading cards, pawn shop, lions and cubs, matches, Jersey Boys, winning $40....the rest stays in Vegas, ha ha! Hope to get some pictures up soon! Slide.com my go to for uploads is no longer what it used to be!

Recent Finds!

2011-09-27T19:44:00.002-04:00

Lots of fun goodies for my etsy shop!

State Fair Time Again

2011-08-24T21:53:00.005-04:00

It's August and that means the KY State Fair! Once again, mom and I entered items in antiques section and I entered layouts in the scrapbooking division. It's always a gamble as to whether or not the judges will like our entries. BUT, they obviously did again this year! We won the most ribbons ever!!! If you don't want to hear horn tooting, stop reading now! Otherwise, here is the breakdown! I won two first place ribbons (birthday and vacation) and one second place ribbon (Christmas) in scrapbooking! AND, to my complete surprise, my birthday layout also won a big purple ribbon for Best in Show! WOW! What an honor!

In the antiques division, I won 7 ribbons and mom won 6!!! I got two first place ribbons for a bank and a child's toy, a third place for a KY document, third for boy scout literature and third for a clothing accessory. I also received honorable mention ribbons for black history memorabilia and a holiday item! Mom received three second place ribbons for black history memorabilia, photo of an event and a toy! She also received honorable mention ribbons for a group photo, an item made of wood and a miniature photo!!!

Another successful State Fair!

Hwy 127 Yard Sale

2011-08-21T09:59:00.011-04:00

It was that time again a couple of weeks ago! Tim and I headed to Frankfort, KY to pick up 127 and hit the road of yard sales! It was hot and humid this year but it could have been 100 and it wasn't so we were grateful! We felt like overall the number of vendors at the multi vendor set ups were down this year and some of our favorites were nowhere in sight. However, we still found lots of goodies and had a trunk full by the end of the trip! We hit the Mexican restaurant in Danville that we like to eat at and ended the evening with a little dip in the hotel pool! We went to several indoor malls and thrift stores Fri because it was even hotter than Thurs although we did do the big outdoor set up at Junction City and the Boyle Co. fairgrounds first thing. We had a little bit of excitement that evening on the way home when we discovered one of our tires triggered the low tire pressure indicator to come on! So we backtracked to Wal Mart and fortunately their tire department was able to fix the leaking air valve!

State Fair Time Again

2011-08-14T23:30:00.001-04:00

It's hard to believe it's August already and mid August at that! This super hot summer has just flown by! Mom and I headed over to the fairgrounds in Louisville today to drop off our entries for the upcoming fair that starts Thursday!

Recent Finds!

2011-08-03T19:38:00.003-04:00

Recent finds for my etsy shop! Oh if I just had the time to list them all sooner than later!

National Donut Day

2011-07-28T21:48:00.004-04:00

Way behind on posts....this was free donut day at Krispy Kreme. Yum!

Grandmother's Attic Has a Facebook Page!!!

2011-07-24T20:23:00.007-04:00

https://www.facebook.com/grandmothersattic

Check it out! I plan to post sneak peeks for new shop listings, treasures I find and shop sales available exclusively through FB!!!! Thank you for stopping by!

Treasures Found Recently!

2011-07-17T10:13:00.000-04:00

Wonderful vintage finds! I simply love the old greeting cards! They just don't make ones this cute today!

Recent Finds!

2011-06-04T21:24:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, gosh maybe three by now, mom and I went on the Hwy 50 Yard Sale again. It's not too far away as we pick it up in Seymour, IN about an hour north of here. The weather was perfect and we had a great time! Mom did a lot of sitting and waiting in the car but she was good company and found a few things for her collections too! I found some great stuff for my etsy shopas well as a few keepers here and there.

In addition, the monthly flea market at the Louisville fairgrounds was Memorial Day weekend and while it's not all that great, I do like to go to buy from one dealer in particular! One booth had a TON of brand new scrapbooking stickers from companies such as K & Co and other well known ones so I spent a lot of time digging through those boxes with all of the other obsessed scrapbookers! So, a lot of this loot is from my recent jaunts and hunting with more pictures to come soon! Sorry the one picture is out of focus!

Hit and Run

2011-06-02T21:27:00.002-04:00

Yet another car accident right out in front of our house tonight. Again. This time not only did the bad guy run a stop sign and plow into this poor lady's car, he also kept right on going! She seemed okay, said her arm was a little sore, but her car had to be towed away. And she's leaving for vacation tomorrow. Two or three police cars were perusing the streets looking for the car that got away. Hope they find him!

Taste of Jeffersonville

2011-05-31T19:31:00.003-04:00

This is where we could be found a couple of weeks ago! A fun evening with good friends and good food!

Today's Look

2011-05-24T21:57:00.001-04:00

When Will This Stop?

2011-05-23T22:17:00.007-04:00

We had another round of spring thunderstorms tonight. I had just called my mom to let her know that we were under a thunderstorm warning. About 15 min later, she called me and was crying. Said that something horrible had come through there, a tornado or something like it. She had water leaking in her kitchen and a tree was down in the backyard. A tree in the front yard lost a limb. It was pouring down rain and lightning still but as soon as it let up I hightailed it over there. Meanwhile, she had been trying to reach the roofer she'd used in the past as well as any and all in the phone book.

As I turned into her neighborhood, I could see tree damage and lots of damaged roofs. One house behind hers and to the right had so much roof gone in the front it looked as if the house was just being built and framed in that section! I could see the back of my mom's roof as I was driving and there were two areas where the shingles and paper were missing and the wood was completely exposed. Once I got to her house and looked around I could tell many shingles had come off all over the roof. Most were still in her yard, the driveway, the street and her neighbors' yards!

There was a bad leak in the living room where the water was coming through the ceiling light fixture. Streaking was occurring in there at the tape lines. Water was also streaking a good part of the kitchen ceiling.

Fortunately, the roofer finally arrived and they did an emergency tarping.

Her neighbor next door had a tree down against the house. See the last picture I uploaded.

It it wasn't a tornado it was certainly close to it.

Mom's okay but quite shaken up, as was I. If we don't catch a break soon, I'm moving to another planet!

To Quote a Friend, I Got Flamingoed!

2011-05-13T21:33:00.003-04:00

Well, obviously the secret is out on our end of town! I looked out the window Wednesday morning and there was a flock of 40 pink flamingos courtesy of the best husband ever! It was too fun and made me smile! I had a wonderful birthday and turning 40 wasn't so bad after all!

Well 40 is Knocking on My Door

2011-05-10T21:26:00.016-04:00

Yup, the BIG 4-0 hits tomorrow at 5:25 am. Extremely hard to believe that I've been around since the 1970s. Even harder to believe that I now sell stuff in my own etsy shop from the 1970s that is deemed vintage and desirable to collectors! Hmmmm.....

So, here's a little photo collection of this gal through the years. At least I don't have to color my hair yet.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

2011-05-08T23:18:00.001-04:00

Mother's Day/Birthday Brunch

2011-05-08T19:36:00.007-04:00

After several months of trying to find out if the Brown Hotel in downtown Louisville was going to have to a Mother's Day brunch, I finally realized two weeks ago that we still didn't know and we still didn't have a reservation! I called and the verdict was no Mother's Day brunch since it was going to be the day after Derby this year. So, they recommended some other sites and the Galt House was one of them.

I made reservations for The Fountain Room at the Galt House and we went there today. It was so lovely! The room was just beautiful and the food incredible! They went all out for Mother's Day with an omelet station, Belgian Waffle station, salads, bacon and sausage, sides, a carving station, dessert table and a chocolate fountain with heavenly chocolate and giant strawberries! Everything was great! Best omelet ever! We stayed 2 hours, enjoying the food, ambiance and company!

Then back to our house for Mother's Day and birthday presents and a cake no one had any room for! Overall a lovely day and lots of wonderful gifts and time spent together!

Oops!

2011-05-05T22:37:00.001-04:00

I just played "pick up lots of old pricing numbers" when I brought these up for a customer tonight! :[

Overdue Recent Finds!

2011-04-25T21:46:00.003-04:00

Bad blogger checking in! I've been sick all weekend with probably a really bad sinus infection. Called my doctor's office first thing this morning to see if I could come in and do you know what they told me? They said they didn't have anything until Friday! Hello!!!!!! I'm sick today! And I've been sick since LAST Friday! They finally agreed to call in some medicine sight unseen which was finally ready after 5pm.

So back to the recent finds. I can barely talk but I can sit so here are some pictures of not so recent anymore finds! All for my etsy shop except the last one! Those are my keepers!

Stormy Weather

2011-04-20T21:29:00.007-04:00

We had a bad storm last night! It came from Missouri/Illinois and headed our way in the very late evening. I figured there wasn't much point in going to bed as it was expected to hit our area right about the time I'd be hitting the sack.

Sure enough, they posted a tornado warning around 11 or 11:30 and at midnight I woke Tim up and he and I and the cats in their carriers headed to the basement. We stayed until the warning expired at 1 am. It never got that bad or so we thought. It rained, the winds howled and there was lots of lightning. The power went out right off the bat with the first winds. It stayed off until about 5am.

Tim went back to bed for awhile and I never could get to sleep. The rain was so loud and the lightning continued for hours. I watched reports of damage in New Albany on our little tv until the battery was almost gone. New Albany was one of the worst areas hit! Jeffersonville also sustained damage at a trailer park and a church.

I finally got to sleep around 4:15 am only to wake up about a half an hour later because the bedroom had gotten so cold! I sure was missing my heating pad! The power came on and I got on the laptop for awhile and then finally tried to sleep again when the rain moved out around 6:15 am! I slept for about 3 1/2 hours and then woke up.

Just blocks away there was a lot of damage from the storm! The car wash I go to had severe damage as well as the Honey Creme donut sign and a convenience store on Vincennes. There were several uprooted trees, many downed power lines, a gas leak in the wee hours over on Elm St. and lots of branches and limbs down. New Albany was pretty dark for several hours and some stop lights were still not working at 4:30 this afternoon!

Fortunately, all was well at our house other than a very tired lady of the house and a little stream of water in the basement that I also discovered around 5 am!

The Inspector Returns

2011-04-19T21:20:00.001-04:00

Junior inspects the final santa sale to one of my customers! He gave his approval and the picture was taken!

I am Alive!

2011-04-07T22:09:00.003-04:00

Just a quickie post! I'm alive. I'm just so busy something had to get a bit neglected and sadly it's my blog!

I've been to VA and back, to the Indy Antique Advertising show the very next day, the annual trek to Bardstown for the little antique show the very following weekend, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus last weekend, work, the post office, a great estate sale, a not so great estate sale, the grocery, mom's house, two dentists, an endodontist, the tax preparer's and more!

It's a busy, busy time of year!

I'm also a little worried. I've about maxed out my blog! Not sure what to do about this! I suppose I might have to start deleting some of the older photos. Anyone have ideas other than actually paying for the blog?!

Bear with me, I have lots of pictures to post one of these days!

Grandmother's Attic Reaches 5000 Sales!!

2011-02-25T22:56:00.002-05:00

Today was a milestone! My etsy shop reached 5000 sales today! A couple of weeks ago, my husband said he would take me to The Melting Pot if I reached 5000 sales by my 3rd Etsy anniversary which will be March 8th! The race was on! It started getting closer and closer and as of this morning I was 15 sales away! By tonight, the goal was met!

A great big, huge thank you to my wonderful customers and even to a fellow dealer/friend/facebooker who bought a book for her granddaughter today when she read how close I was!

It's not always about the sales though...through Etsy I've made new friends and shared stories, laughter and pictures with people all around the world! I love the community of Etsy and it's truly been a blessing these last three years!

A huge thank you to my wonderful husband for his support, lugging abilities and not freaking out too much over the back stock in the basement! I also thank you for cutting some of the very first ephemera that debuted almost three years ago! I think I thank you for always telling me to "buy more stuff"!

Another big thank you to my mom who offers free bookkeeping services and saves me hours of work! She also likes to cut paper and accompany me on shopping trips!

Looks like we'll be making reservations for The Melting Pot soon!

Here's to another 5000 sales, new friends and happy customers!

Recent Finds!

2011-02-20T23:18:00.002-05:00

Yep, been doing a little treasure hunting lately! All for my etsy shop which by the way is approaching its THIRD ANNIVERSARY!!! WOW! Time sure flies! I have been SO blessed with incredible customers! Don't you just love the nursery lamp with the owl?

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T20:00:00.005-05:00

Another Valentine's Day is upon us! Tim has been sick for over a week now but finally on the upswing. He was a trooper and our celebration included a little perusing at The Crazy Daisy Antique Mall, a stop in at Half Price Books and a lovely relaxing dinner at The Melting Pot! And then the annual photo shoot, we tried to include Junior and Garden Kitty this year, and present opening! Love my vintage children's Valentine book! Pristine and uncut! Perfume and my favorite flowers...what more could a girl ask for? Tim received his annual Bad Kitty calendar and hopefully one or both of our kitties will make the cut for next year's calender! (I finally entered them even if it was down to the wire!) He also got a Rosie the Robot ornament, a DVD, a Toy Story 3 figure set and long underwear (now, isn't that romantic?)!!! Best husband ever!!! Love you!

Late Breaking Finds!

2011-02-10T21:25:00.002-05:00

More goodies galore! Once again, so delayed in getting pictures up for you to see! Most of these things will one day suddenly appear in my etsy shop!

Not So Recent Finds!

2011-01-31T21:45:00.002-05:00

Most of these date back to our favorite New Year's Weekend Flea Market/Antique Show but better late than never, right?

Christmas Day

2011-01-11T19:39:00.007-05:00

Latest Christmas Day post ever! So busy...but better late than never right? Here are some random pictures from Christmas Day at our house! Mom doesn't look too sickly for a gal with pneumonia but it was a hard day for her! She sat on the sofa and opened her presents but the next day she had to sleep for the entire day! The cats weren't too interested in their gifts but we tried to get them to pose anyway! Once again, we were blessed!

The Supervisor

2011-01-07T20:32:00.002-05:00

My furry supervisor was back helping me while I took pictures of Valentines to list in my etsy shop!

A Very Special Christmas Gift

2011-01-04T21:34:00.006-05:00

A dear, sweet customer of mine sent me the most wonderful Christmas gift! What a surprise! A vintage 1940s book of uncut Christmas cards similar to the old fashioned books of valentines for children! I've never seen one of these before and I can't wait to add it to my vintage Christmas collection! Thank you Jane, you sure do know what I like!!!!

We Aren't The Only Ones

2011-01-02T19:47:00.005-05:00

During the Christmas holidays, we were invited over to friends of ours. They collect vintage Christmas, trains and other wonderful items and had been to our open house last year and this year! Diana fixed a delightful homemade spaghetti dinner and then we were treated to a tour of their house and their collections! After several hours there, we went down the street to their friend and neighbor Paul's house (we were invited to see his holiday and toy collections a year ago and never had made it over, then we found out they knew him too!) What a small world and a great evening!

2010-12-24T22:58:00.002-05:00

My friend clued me in on this wonderful recipe from The Pioneer Woman, it was incredibly tasty! I did, however, peel the potatoes, I used skim milk as that was all we had on hand and I only used about a teaspoon of minced garlic! I think that was plenty of garlic! I'm sure I used more cheese and it was from a bag! Gotta keep life easy! Enjoy!

Perfect Potatoes au Gratin

Prep Time: 10 Minutes | Cook Time: 1 Hour | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 8

Ingredients

* 4 whole Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed Clean
* 2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
* 1-½ cup Heavy Cream
* ½ cups Whole Milk
* 2 Tablespoons Flour
* 4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
* 1 teaspoon Salt
* Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
* 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Freshly Grated

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Smear softened butter all over the bottom of a baking dish.

Slice potatoes, then cut slices into fourths.

In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, minced garlic, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes.

Repeat this two more times, ending with the cream mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and really bubbling. Add grated cheese to the top of the potatoes and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Allow to stand for a few minutes before serving by the spoonful. Delicious!

Recent Finds!

2010-12-21T08:56:00.001-05:00

Just a few little goodies I found recently! Not too much time for treasure hunting with the busy holidays but I had to get my fix!

Our Christmas Open House

2010-12-18T10:25:00.004-05:00

Lots of good friends and foods again this year! Even with the snow that came by mid afternoon we still had a wonderful turnout!

Peeks Around Our Guest Room

2010-12-13T20:18:00.006-05:00

Filling a special request here to show more of the cabinets in the guest room! I went ahead and took pictures around the entire room!

More Christmas- Upstairs

2010-12-11T20:34:00.004-05:00

Here are a few peeks at Christmas upstairs!

A Very Vintage Christmas

2010-12-05T17:52:00.009-05:00

Here are a few of the theme trees and vintage Christmas decorations around our house!

Hmmm, I Wonder What's Under

2010-12-04T21:50:00.001-05:00

Junior had to immediately check out the greenery when it came out of the closet. And then he thought the garland would make a pretty good bed.

Childhood Christmas List For My Grandparents

2010-12-01T20:54:00.007-05:00

You can click on the images to zoom in!

This totally cracks me up! My mom found this among my grandparents belongings after they had both passed away. She came across it in her things again last year and gave it to me. I laughed and laughed and laughed as I read it! Did I seriously think that my grandparents were going to get me all of these things? Or even half of them?

From the items listed, I figure this was written when I was about 8 or 9. I packed away the Barbies by the time I was 12! I was also big into preppy stuff around that time (makes you wonder why I wanted the I Hate Preppies Handbook doesn't it?). I did a little research and the Beauty Secrets Barbie came out in 1979 but appears in a 1980 catalog. By 1981 I had secured the Atari for my 10th birthday (helped keep me from scratching my chicken pox I got late in my childhood, thanks Greg Zittrain!). So, again, I think I was either 8 or 9!

I can't remember what they actually gave me that year and if anything came from this rather detailed and obnoxious list but suffice to say I never did get a ski vest jacket, a jewel box, a big china tea set, a Barbie camper, a Barbie Star Vette, Linda Rodstants Greatest Hits Record (notice the incorrect spelling of her name!, toe shoes, the Barbie Dream House (although I did acquire the Barbie Townhouse and I still have it to this day!), a parakeet (can you imagine???!!!), The I Hate Preppies Handbook, dark colored fingernail polish (I had lots of glitter nail polish though), a Tri-LabPack chemistEry set (again, note misspelling), Potterycraft, Merlin, Simon or the Barbie Dream Pool (I had a rather nifty Barbie bathtub/jacuzzi though and a toilet that really flushed).

Anyway, I forgot to post it last year so I tucked it away next to my computer and figured it was time to pull it out again, scan and share with you! If you were a child of the 70s/80s then you'll remember many of these things I'm sure!

Happy Holidays!

Look! I Shopped!

2010-11-30T20:30:00.003-05:00

An unplanned day out of town took me to a great antique mall I hadn't been to in a long time! I found lots of new vintage goodies for my etsy shop! A few little things came from another place or two but overall I hit the jackpot at the antique mall! I do plan to keep one set of the Go Go Girl shoes and earrings!

CYBER MONDAY SALE IN MY ETSY SHOP

2010-11-28T20:40:00.002-05:00

Please use this coupon code to receive 15% off your entire purchase in my Etsy shop Grandmother's Attic on Monday, November 29th!! One day only!

CYBERMONDAY2010

grandmothersattic.etsy.com

Thank you to all of my wonderful customers who have made me a top vintage seller on Etsy!!!

Happy Turkey Day!

2010-11-26T21:09:00.003-05:00

I gave Tim a little whipped cream mustache before he ate his pumpkin pie yesterday!

Wanna See Some More Around the House?

2010-11-23T23:19:00.004-05:00

Well, I worked another shelf in! See that little yellow and black one advertising playing cards? That little cutie was collecting dust in my basement and I knew it had to be out somewhere by Christmas! I moved a shelf and put this one in it's place! I love it! Much more colorful!

Two old Santas are back in their places along with a new one! My little miniature store display Santa advertising Dr. Pepper! He was so cute, he had to come home with me when I found him in Ohio!

Tim hung another little mantle shelf for me so I could display that adorable Young Magicians Box of Tricks along with an old Christmas candy box! And I finally gave in and hung a shelf at to the top of my den window. We hung one over the other den window earlier this year. I forgot to take a picture of that one!

And, another cute shelf plucked from the basement...this one was originally for Roylies Doylies but now it's for my Valentine books! They never were displayed that well and I just love how this turned out!

I finally found something to put next to the jewelry kit besides Junior! And I did the little display of Land of the Lost on the bottom shelf! I loved that corny show as a kid!

A little grouping of birthday things among my mom's old dolls! I love the wire photo holder with the cake decorations/candles!

A crochet and knitting book holder now holds four of my vintage children's stationary books!

And last but not least, a vintage wallpaper book hangs on my wall in one of the last empty spots still left in the den!

Whew!

More Revamping

2010-11-21T13:04:00.004-05:00

While dusting this shelf, I realized I could probably work a few more things in believe it or not! I added the two small boxes of ornament hooks, the plastic Santa and sleigh, a vintage book and at least three boxes of icicles! I'll confess, I did take down a small record or two that I decided weren't as important as icicles to make some room but just by moving things over a bit on one shelf was enough to squeeze in one whole box!

The Glitter Gods Were Smiling Down on Me!

2010-11-19T09:41:00.003-05:00

I rarely find really cool packs or bottles of old glitter. I have just a handful. I was more than thrilled to find this really cool pack of glitter recently at a thrift store! It was a great bargain and now proudly displayed on a shelf in my den with a pack of vintage children's valentines!

Recent Finds!

2010-11-19T09:38:00.004-05:00

Mostly for my etsy shop! Keeping the old paint sample book in the bottom right corner and the package of green glitter too!

Check out Bakerella!

2010-11-13T08:50:00.001-05:00

My friend recently told me about this wonderful blog! Apparently, Bakerella is all the rage right now! For you cupcake and sweet lovers, check it out!

Recent Finds!

2010-11-10T21:50:00.000-05:00

Just a few recent finds...haven't had a whole lot of time for treasure hunting!

What To Put On This Shelf

2010-11-09T19:52:00.002-05:00

More "revamping" in the den included changing out a bookcase in front of our side door for a slightly larger one with better visibility. The bottom shelf came together rather quickly and I finally go to put all of my Land of the Lost items together. The top shelf was harder. I put the Pom Pom Jewelry Kit in there and then I had nothing that would fit right next to it! Everything I tried was either too small, too short, horizontal instead of vertical...you get the idea.

And then Junior solved the problem! He's the perfect fit and cute to boot!

Ahhh...Heat

2010-11-04T21:21:00.001-04:00

It got cold. We turned the heat on. Junior is happy again. He found the heat vent.

Birthday Candle Collection

2010-11-03T20:24:00.003-04:00

Hi! It's me! I am still alive! I am SO super busy with my etsy shop, it's that time of year- lots of holiday items to list and I've been blessed with tons and tons of sales lately! And at the mention of holiday...I must confess, I've already started decorating trees around here! We do so much for Christmas I have to start early! And then there's the dusting....

Anyway, part of the dusting and decorating includes "revamping" collections or displays that need a little spiffing up! I've ALWAYS wanted to display all of my vintage birthday candles together and I had this great little shelf stored away that I knew would be just perfect! Do you have any idea what it took to find a place for this shelf though? I finally found a spot in the kitchen but that led to moving other things to make room! But alas, I worked it in, displayed every one of my candles and loved the end result!

Of course, the next day I found a candle box that was overlooked...

Harvest Homecoming

2010-10-19T22:02:00.005-04:00

Our town festival, Harvest Homecoming, was a couple of weekends ago. Booth days started Thursday October 7th and ended that Sunday. The weather was beautiful all four days this year! It was near 90 degrees a couple of days, almost TOO hot for a fall festival!

I had a yummy chicken and dumpling Thursday afternoon since they set up literally out the door of my workplace! Then Tim met me down there that night and we had supper and walked around. Lunch Friday, back for supper Friday night and visiting with friends, lunch Saturday and back Saturday night before I worked at the Admiral Bicknell! We had our pictures taken with a 9 week old baby tiger Friday who was so adorable! He and his sister had their very own stuffed tigers to play with!

Tim went down one last time Sunday but I opted out. We had our favorite fresh Angus burgers a couple of times, and I hate to admit it but I also favored the Papa John's pizza slices while Tim ate his usual cardboard pizza from the carnival area! We discovered homemade vanilla ice cream made by the Amish this year and it was great! I ate way too many buckeyes from my favorite baked goods booth, as well as sour cream pound cake slices! One last chicken and dumpling came home with Tim that Sunday night and then it was all over for another year.

Now, can we say D-I-E-T?

Still Playing Catch Up!

2010-10-17T22:49:00.007-04:00

Here are A LOT more goodies that I found back when Tim and I went to Ohio for his class reunion! I lived in Akron, OH back in the mid nineties and it was great to be back in my old stompin' ground! (I've been back several times since, especially since Tim is from the area but it had literally been five years since my last visit!)

Anyway, we crammed a lot in the few days we were gone starting with 2 great antique malls in the Cincinnati area! We also visited the big Medina Antique Mall and Brothers Antique Mall and their Annex building in Medina, OH. Hit the Copley Antique Mall in Copley, the marvelous Stagecoach Antiques in Akron and a few thrift stores here and there! On the return trip, we stopped in Cincy again and went to Duck Creek Antique Mall!

With our New Mexico trip on the tails of the Ohio trip, I just piled up boxes in the front parlor and dealt with the fact that it would be awhile before I could sort through everything and get it put away! Most everything pictured is for my etsy shop! I FORGOT to take any pictures of the FEW keepers!

NOTE: Cat is not for sale. He wouldn't get off my stuff!

Stuff That Got Forgotten

2010-10-16T20:19:00.004-04:00

I've had this pile of loot for quite awhile. I guess I took pix and never posted it to my rather neglected blog! Imagine that! Anyway, thought I'd still share! All items are for my etsy shop!

Keepers!

2010-10-05T19:01:00.003-04:00

This is from awhile back, but these are keepers from the big Stewart's Labor Day show!

New Mexico Trip September 2010

2010-10-02T23:27:00.006-04:00

This year Tim and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary! We decided to go back to the Southwest and see New Mexico. We flew into Albuquerque, stayed a couple of days, headed to Roswell (via a 2 hour detour to The Very Large Array), back up to Tucumcari and across part of Rt. 66 ending up back in Albuquerque!

It was actually a pretty slow paced trip. The scenery wasn't as pretty as Arizona- we missed the big cacti they had out there! It was nice to see some of the countryside as we drove to each destination. In Albuquerque, we were treated to an upgrade at the first hotel where they gave us a very nice suite. We were also treated to a fresh batch of cookies made just for us and only us Saturday night after we discovered they don't normally make them on the weekends! Nice, huh?

We did some Rt. 66 in ABQ, eating at the Frontier Restaurant and pulling off quite frequently so I could take pictures of old motels and restaurants! Tim wanted to go to the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History which used to be called the Atomic Museum. I was done in 30 minutes just like the brochure said. Tim, however, meandered through for 3 hours! The mock fallout shelter was neat to see. We were disappointed in Old Town after it was touted to be so quaint. Can we say touristy? Of course, I had my trusty list of local thrift and antique stores and we hit quite a few as well as a local scrapbook store! Yummy Mexican food too! Then it was on to Roswell, with Tim taking us 2 hrs in the wrong direction so he could see The Very Large Array. Since it was his trip too, I was okay with that and worked on altering pictures for my Etsy shop on the laptop while he drove! The only neat thing about The Very Large Array was that some of the movie Contact with Jodie Foster was filmed there.

Back on the road, we stopped in a tiny little town called Magdalena and had a nice lunch at a local restaurant. Reading some travel literature, I discovered that we would actually be going right through Capitan, NM which is the home of Smokey the Bear! JANE! Did you know? We toured the museum and saw the gravesite where the "real" Smokey is buried! Went to a nice gift shop next door where they also had some memorabilia on display! Too fun!

We finally arrived in Roswell where everything was tinged slightly "alien green". It was definitely a fun little town with a quaint old Main St. We really enjoyed Roswell and getting away from the Albuquerque traffic! We stumbled upon the greatest place called The Alien Zone where they had an exhibit and photo op area that you could take pictures in for just a $3 per person admission. Too fun! We spent 1 1/2 hours there posing with aliens. Then on to the UFO Museum which I have to say was a bit of a let down after The Alien Zone! Apparently, years later it really has come to surface that aliens never did land outside of Roswell in July 1947 so it just wasn't too exciting. We had a delicious lunch around the corner and hit a local scrapbook store, the Roswell Antique Mall as well as a thrift store and another antique mall on the way to take some more pictures of old motel signs!

Oh and by the way, something they don't tell you until you arrive in town is that Roswell is like the Dairy Capital of NM or something and it smells, well, like fresh manure 24/7! PU!

After two nights in Roswell, we set off again toward Tucumcari, a little town on the old Rt. 66. Along the way, we stopped in Santa Rosa at the Rt. 66 car museum. TONS of old motel signs, old restaurants and closed up businesses greeted us both in Santa Rosa and Tucumcari! The best was the Tee Pee Curios! What a great stretch of the Mother Road! We got to our hotel just before the rain started and boy did it rain hard!

The next morning, we headed back on Rt. 66 towards Albuquerque stopping down the road in Cuervo at what is literally now a true ghost town! We drove back through Santa Rosa, stopping at two thrift stores and a nice antique mall. We arrived in ABQ pretty early so we did a little more antiquing and decided to stop at a Flea Market we missed the first time there. That is when Tim found The Simpsons store display featuring Mt. Dew, Halloween and his favorite alien characters. At the bargain price of $15, he purchased it and we asked directions to the nearest UPS store. And so begins the story he will never live down. Suddenly the $2 chocolate chip cookie at the Williamsburg Outlets seemed like the best bargain ever! I guessed $20 to ship the display back to Indiana!

Boy was I wrong!!!!! Egads! We are now the proud owners of the world's most expensive "art box"! Of course with the superb packing job the UPS store did, the display made it here with no problem. I won't even tell you what that cost to ship. Oh well, live and learn.

We did more of Rt. 66, found a great local place for pizza and retired early. The next day we really didn't have anything planned. I suppose we could have made a day trip to Santa Fe but we had already driven so much that we decided to stay in town and hit the Antique Mile again as we didn't get to do much of it earlier in the week. It was totally worth it and I'm glad that's what we chose to do. I was a little disappointed that there weren't more local/scenic things to do but there just weren't. So we antiqued which we enjoy doing! We had to return our rental car that Friday night so we ate dinner and then took the car back to the airport. We were staying nearby so we were able to catch the shuttle back to our hotel which worked out really well!

And then it was time to pack up and leave a week ago today! Our flights went well, coming and going- love Southwest and their FREE baggage policy! Our kitties were so happy to see us and we missed them terribly the entire 8 days that we were gone! It was nice to be back home but with lots of good memories and pictures to remember our anniversary trip by!

Coming Soon!

2010-09-30T13:17:00.002-04:00

Hi! I'm back! We went to Ohio for Tim's class reunion on September 11th and then we passed through for less than a week before leaving to go to New Mexico for our anniversary trip (9 years on Sept. 22nd)! Before, during and after our Ohio trip, I was sick and it took 3 tries of different antibiotics to get that under control before we left for NM! I felt majorly miserable and kept trying to drag myself around, go on trips, pack, unpack, do laundry, go to work and pack up zillions of etsy sales! Finally, I realized it was more than just allergies and went to the doctor and got started on the antibiotics!

Anyway, am working on a slide show with pictures from our trip to NM and hope to post that soon! So stay tuned!

Book Sale and the Loot!

2010-09-04T08:15:00.004-04:00

Last week was one of my favorite book sales in the area! Mom and I trotted over early and there was still already a line when we got there at 9:20! I hit the mother load of children's Wonder books! A few other goodies, including lots of books on birds and some great Christmas books and Christmas carol books!

It's Garden Kitty's Turn

2010-08-28T15:35:00.001-04:00

KY State Fair

2010-08-22T21:19:00.005-04:00

Yes folks, it's that time again! This year I once again entered layouts for the Scrapbooking section and won a First Place for Junior's Christmas layout and a Second Place for my Birthday layout! I also received an Honorable Mention for the Travel layout and the Misc layout. The only one that didn't get a ribbon was the Family layout. I never did have time to make a special layout for the entry so I entered a layout I had done awhile back of my 60s dad! Fun but nothing super fancy!

Mom and I both entered quite a few things in the Antiques section again this year. Mom took home a First Place for her antique coverlet with the hand painted silk as well as an Honorable Mention for her group photo!

My children's mittens, still in the original box, received a Third Place ribbon and I was given an Honorable Mention for the Wash Up Kit in the Misc category and the Dennison Doll set in the Toy category!!

So, this is the "toot your own horn" post and I'll try to get some other State Fair pictures up soon!

It's Mr. Cute Again

2010-08-18T17:55:00.000-04:00

Loot From the 127

2010-08-15T07:25:00.011-04:00

Lots of Children's Playing Cards and Flash Cards

Vintage Cupcake Picks

Fun Old Signs

Vintage Valentines

Lots of Vintage Shoes

Cat not purchased on 127 sale but decided he needed to take a quick nap when I was laying out the loot!

Lots of Vintage Game Pieces

Tons of Books as Usual

My small little pile of keepers!!

Huge Santa! The vendor practically paid us to take it away!

Everything here is for my etsy shop except the one little picture of goodies as designated!!!!

The 127 Yard Sale 2010

2010-08-10T23:26:00.006-04:00

Note: If you hover the mouse under each picture (after you x out of that super poke advertisement) you can see my witty captions!

Last Thursday Tim and I embarked on Year 3 of the 127 Yard Corridor Sale aka The 600 Mile Yard Sale (see here for last year's blog post). We got up early and managed to get out of the house by 7:45 am. A quick stop at Hardees for breakfast and then back on the road. We headed to Frankfort, KY and picked up 127 there. We stopped almost immediately at a little set up but found nothing. However, at the second stop I scored a Hangman game and an over sized pair of green plastic Hollywood sunglasses...everyone's wearing them, it said so on the box! At least in 1964 they were wearing them!

We soon found one of our favorite fields o' vendors and managed to see most everything before the dark clouds rolled in. We got to the car just as the rain hit. Heading down the road we stopped at another familiar stop and waited it out for a few minutes before just grabbing the umbrellas and starting to wander. The rain passed quickly, fortunately, and the rest of the day was clear. The weather was tolerable, there was even a slight breeze which was very much appreciated considering the high temps we've had here lately.

We had a pretty yummy lunch for a change...fresh grilled burgers, hand pattied not frozen. That blew the diet but I was expecting it. As the day progressed we found lots of our favorite set ups and some treasures among the junk! By evening, we were pretty tired, hot and sweaty and I was, of course, starving! We hit a Mexican restaurant outside of Danville that we ate at last year and enjoyed and then headed to the hotel. Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies were waiting for us at check in and the bed was super comfortable. We basically slept like logs.

Have to give out big kudos to the Hampton Inn for serving up a delicious complimentary breakfast the next morning! Yummo! We headed back to the fairgrounds outside of Danville since I was too tired to go the night before. I immediately found a great lot of vintage shoes, just what I was looking for! We forgot to bring along the extra car key but Tim was a trooper and met me there or met up with me and lugged my stuff to the car whenever I called him. I got a little overheated after spending at least a half an hour bent over a box of vintage cake decorations with the blazing sun beating down on my neck. Proof positive though that SPF 90 really works! Hurray! Anyway, we both were hot and tired and decided to hit the Peddler's Mall and Goodwill in Danville. I forgot to take pix of both! Bad me! It was nice to be in the "air condition" as it's now called and cool off!

We made a quick stop at Giovanni's for lunch and then braved the confusing directions to the Salvation Army Thrift store. Glad we did! They were having a back to school sale and we got some great games at great prices! I wish I had taken our shopping cart full of the boxes before we dumped out the pieces into little ziplocs and threw the rest away!

Next we headed down to Junction City which would be the farthest South we would venture this year. The set up there was much better than last year. I did buy "The World's Filthiest Scrabble Game" and I have the best mother for cleaning it up for me over the past weekend!

Somehow the day got away from us and we didn't get to stop too many more places on the trip North. We did hit The Flea Mall (more air condition) and a Goodwill in Harrodsburg. One last stop at a big set up and it was homeward bound for us. We hit bad traffic outside of Simpsonville where they are doing construction on the interstate which delayed us in getting home. We finally rolled in about 10:00 pm. Tim was in super husband mode and unloaded the entire car before calling it a night. We crashed hard and waited until morning to go through our treasures!

Loot pictures coming soon!

Coming Soon!

2010-08-07T22:44:00.002-04:00

As soon as I have a moment to catch up on my blog, I'll provide details and stunning photos from the 127 Yard Sale! Tim and I went Thursday and Friday, taking two days to go just over 50 miles! HA!

Late Breaking CA Pictures

2010-08-04T20:36:00.002-04:00

My friend Chrys just sent me these! She and her hubby have been working on them! Okay, so I'm not quite as glamorous as Marilyn Monroe....at least this one was a female, right Tim?!!!

Tim's Birthday!

2010-07-28T22:47:00.004-04:00

Tim had a birthday! Back in February when we went to the Melting Pot for Valentine's Day, Tim said he would like to go here for his birthday in July because he was enjoying it some much! We hadn't been in awhile and it was superb! So, July 16th came along and we had our evening planned. Garden Kitty was a bit confused because the presents were piled up on the front parlor table and she thought we were going to have a party that night. She didn't seem to understand that we were going to wait until Saturday!

The Melting Pot was fabulous and they had balloons and a card on the table for Tim! We thoroughly enjoyed our relaxing two hour meal there! Then on to Half Price books for perusing and dessert at Cold Stone Creamery although we were awfully full already!

Saturday, I brought home fresh grilled Angus burgers from the local Farmer's Market which has become a Saturday tradition this summer! Mom came over and had lunch with us and then Tim opened his presents and managed to blow out all of the candles on his cake again this year!

Recent Finds!

2010-07-25T21:44:00.001-04:00

My helper showed up right when I got ready to take the picture! A few recent finds for my etsy shop from an estate sale and other hot spots!

Lawrenceburg Flea Market

2010-07-18T10:25:00.002-04:00

For the first time in 25 years, the Lawrenceburg Flea Market had a special Saturday show in honor of their anniversary and the Fourth of July weekend! So, mom and I decided to go and combine it with a visit to my aunt and uncle's house the night before. Tim was back in his hometown for the week so it was just us girls!

We got up early Saturday morning and drove up from Hanover, IN which helped shorten the long drive. We arrived about 9am only to discover that the parking lot was quite empty! We soon found out that the show didn't start until NOON! The flyer that had hung on my refrigerator for months said 7-3 with early birds at 6. This is always the time frame for their Sunday shows. Well, apparently there was a little tiny asterisk next to the July 3rd date that said to see website for details. Um, if the times and dates are already on the flyer and I know how to get there, why would I go to the website?

And we weren't the only ones. Car after car after car arrived expecting the show to already be in full swing! Mom parked the car in the first spot in the first row and said she wasn't leaving! So began the 3 hour wait! We chatted with others who were waiting it out and read books and magazines. All in all, it went pretty fast and they ended up letting us in by 11:15. That was when we found out it was $10 per person instead of the normal $3 per person! This was to benefit Habitat for Humanity, which is a fine organization, but again we had no idea to expect such a high entry fee!

We were already there and had waited so long so we paid it and went on in. It was still a great show even though not everyone was set up entirely or even there! We just about closed it down and then headed back home via a quick stop at my aunt and uncle's again for baked ham sandwiches!

Lawrenceburg Flea Market- The Loot!

2010-07-18T10:16:00.003-04:00

Most everything is for my etsy shop, however, the great old watercolor set is a definite keeper!

Mr. Cute is Back!

2010-07-14T19:38:00.001-04:00

Trip Loot, Finally!

2010-07-14T09:12:00.002-04:00

Mom's Birthday!

2010-07-10T20:08:00.004-04:00

Once again, I'm behind on the blogging!

Mom's birthday was June 26th and we kept things fairly simple this year. I went over to her house in the afternoon and she opened her presents and got her little tub o' birthday cake. Since we were going out for dinner and I knew she was going to order creme brulee I figured she didn't need a whole cake! I think she definitely liked all of her presents!

We spent a little time decorating around her house and then got all gussied up for our dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

Apparently, the management got wind of my previous blog post about our first time experience at Ruth's Chris and called me offering a $100 gift card so they could try again. I had tucked it away in a drawer and since mom mostly liked her dinner there on my birthday, I offered to take her there for her's with the gift card. Tim opted not to go since he was buried under video work at home.

So, like I said we got all gussied up and went back to give it another try. I stayed clear of the steaks this go 'round which was probably a very wise decision. Once again, the salad was divine especially the homemade ranch dressing! The bread, again, delightful! The service fabulous! We requested David again and I'm sure he was thrilled to see us! He was great though! They were super busy since it was a Saturday night but the staff was still attentive.

Mom ordered lobster tail and thoroughly enjoyed it. I ordered the stuffed chicken breast unstuffed. I was going to try the herbed cheese but then found out it had two herbs I don't care for so I asked for just melted cheese on top. And, we ordered scalloped potatoes. Mom also got the stewed tomatoes again.

I really enjoyed the chicken this time once I got over the initial shock of the legs sticking up in the air! We finally determined that they were actually wings but regardless they looked like legs to me and I prefer my meat and poultry not to look too much like the poor original creature! The staff took care of it immediately and removed the unsightly "wings/legs". Then all was good and it was very tasty!

I have to confess I didn't care for the scalloped potatoes either. I guess I just need to stay away from potatoes there! Mom liked them however. She ordered her creme brulee for dessert and by the time it was all said and done we were both stuffed!

Never Know Who You'll Run Into 3 States Away

2010-07-05T11:12:00.003-04:00

Actually, we did know ahead of time that our neighbors would be passing through the Biltmore Estate on the same day that we would arrive there! So we arranged to meet up and get a group photo! Steve, the photographer, did a fabulous job setting up the pose! It turned out great!

Somewhat Recent Finds!

2010-07-04T17:26:00.004-04:00

Cat not included.....

Slide Show From Our Trip!

2010-06-22T21:40:00.010-04:00

We needed a vacation! So we up and took one! Off to Biltmore we went, via Gatlinburg, TN and Cherokee, NC. I was pretty worried about the scenic byway from Gatlinburg to Cherokee but didn't want to miss Santa's Land so I sucked it up and went anyway! The roads turned out to be better than I had imagined and I never even had to use the motion sickness medicine I went armed with! On the way down we stopped in Corbin, KY, home of the original Kentucky Fried Chicken. The building is now a museum/restaurant combo and I'm quite glad we didn't miss it! Especially the chocolate chip cookies!

We changed our accommodations in Gatlinburg prior to our trip after friends recommended the Gatlinburg Inn, one of the original hotels built in the 1940s. Last remodel was late 1960s early 1970s. All in all, it wasn't bad, except for the horrible mattress. It was a rock and coming off a water bed I have issues anyway! I woke up all night long and finally attempted to pad myself with pillows. The ambiance was retro with a capital R and we got a huge kick out of having a real key to open our room door! I confess, I snatched the Do Not Disturb/Maid Service sign from the door because it too was retro and I really needed it!

We had a little time the next morning to catch a glimpse of Gatlinburg and all its tackiness. It and Pigeon Forge are just quirky enough to warrant an extended stay some other time! We didn't take the time to eat at the legendary Pancake Pantry but we snapped a picture.

On to Cherokee via the Great Smoky Mtns. National Park. Windy roads and scenery pretty much describes it! It was much cooler up there in the mts and I kept changing my pants; over the course of the day I wore shorts, capris and jeans at one time or another! We drove into Cherokee and it was Gatlinburg on a much smaller scale but with more of an Indian theme! The Hampton Inn there was definitely a step up from the Gatlinburg Inn, especially the bed! We took pictures of old signs as we made our way to Santa's Land, the real reason we were even there in the first place! It was all we expected and more! Circa 1966. The buildings and concrete characters get a fresh coat of paint every spring but other than that it was pretty much as it was back in the day!

We acted like little kids and jumped into Santa's sleigh, sat on the REAL Santa's lap, rode the little train, took a helicopter ride, looked at wild animals, did the paddle boats and got our money's worth! Tim road the Rudicoaster but I wimped out at the last minute! The highlight of the day, other than the baby bear cub bottle feeding session, had to be the souvenirs we found in the gift shop on close out! Most were from the 1960s and 1970s! The sweet manager even went back to the warehouse and dug out more for us! We left with a boxful.

Dinner that night was at Paul's where we had "the best cheeseburgers" and were enjoying the nice breeze while we ate on the front porch until our alarm company called. House alarm had gone off and I had to call our house/cat sitter. There I was smack dab in the middle of the Smoky Mts. barely getting cell phone service and having to deal with all that drama. At that point, I realized that one just simply cannot get away and have a relaxing vacation! Our sweet neighbor ran back down to our house and couldn't find a thing out of whack. I called ADT back and they went through the list of what could have set it off from a moving curtain to a bug. (Upon our return, I immediately discovered bird poop and realized we'd had a BIRD in the house! Tim found the ex-bird the next morning in his editing room, ick!)

Sunday morning we checked out after a nice breakfast and headed to Asheville. More windy roads! We found a small scrapbook store in Maggie Valley and the most crowded book store in the whole entire world! It was a hoarder's heaven! Unfortunately, the prices were high and it smelled musty. I still found a bagful and the experience was priceless!

We finally arrived in Asheville about noon and checked into the Inn on Biltmore Estate. Just sounds fancy doesn't it? It was! Then we hightailed it over to the Estate where we met up with our neighbors who just happened to be there at the very same time! We got a group shot but I don't have it yet so I will post later! Too fun though! Tim and I went ahead and toured the GIANT MANSION and then took a specialty tour called Behind the Scenes. That place is really something! And hot! Let me tell ya, NOWHERE in any literature or website or anything did anyone mention that there was no A/C!!!!! Hello! It was rather toasty outside and I was dressed for the usual Siberia I find inside buildings in the summer! That was rough but they did at least have fans and open windows.

We dined at Texas Roadhouse for supper after going 'round and 'round with the concierge trying to find a place to eat! She just didn't seem to understand that the on site restaurants weren't for me and I wasn't too interested in paying $12 for a cheeseburger. Dinner was fab as always! And we found out that Andie McDowell lives in town.

We went back to the Inn and sat outside on the back terrace for a bit. Can we say view? Wowzer.

The next morning we treated ourselves to the breakfast buffet in the dining room. Yummo. Best $46 breakfast ever! Then on to the Estate again via our included shuttle service. Tim went through the house once more and I read a book in the old converted stables after hitting the gift shop. We toured the gardens and I snapped a really nice picture of a bee on a flower. I'm really excited about that! I'm really glad I didn't get stung! We took another tour called Family and Friends and were able to see more rooms that weren't open for the regular tour as well as period clothing and such.

And guess what we did for supper that night? We met my mom and aunt at Vinnie's for the best NY style pizza we've had since Mama's in Tucson! Yeah, they just happened to be in town passing through from Georgia! Too fun! We also got to see the beautiful B&B they were staying at!

Tuesday was shop Asheville day. I imagine we were the only guests in The Inn's history who had the concierge mapquest every thrift store in town...her fleeting expression was priceless I must say! I told her that's what we like to do. So, armed with our mapquest directions we ventured out beyond the gates to thrift and go antiquing after filling our bellies once again with yet another delicious breakfast! In the end, we hit far more antique malls and shops than thrift stores and didn't get to half of the ones on the list! Found some goodies though and had a blast! Had a yummy dinner at a local Mexican restaurant and then I beat Tim at a mean game of Travel Battleship (He's still never won a game of Battleship in the 11 years we've known each other! I rule the Battleship waters!)

The next day it was time already to pack up and leave NC! We actually pulled away at 8:30 am and arrived home in New Albany exactly 12 1/2 hours later. (It's only a 6 hour drive) We were doing pretty well, stopping only to get a picture of the Thacker Christmas Inn sign until we hit Clinton, TN. There we managed to kill four hours at the antique shops. And most were closed because it was Wednesday which I was very whiny about! We had also planned to stop at the Parkette Drive In in Lexington, KY on the way home but the woman at AAA gave us directions to a residential neighborhood instead of the correct directions. They are going to get an earful about that in the very near future!

We finally arrived home to our kitties, emptied the entire car and collapsed! Still going through the stuff that came back with us but will post some pictures soon! And, we forgot to take our feathers so there are no Wigwamers Do Cherokee or Wigwamers Do Biltmore pictures which is very, very sad.

Book Sale- HOT HOT HOT

2010-06-10T21:47:00.005-04:00

I wasn't going to go. I said I would never go again. A few years ago I went to the Louisville Public Library sale and it was so awful I swore it off.

And then I went again last Sunday.

I was prepared for the unsorted mess that would greet me because that's how it was advertised.

What I wasn't prepared for was the quantity still remaining and the HEAT. Many of the books were still in boxes! It was at least 100 degrees in the high school gym that was the site for this year's book sale. I was drenched in sweat, my hair was wet, I could hardly breath! There were at least "200" other people in there along with me according to the woman I complained to!

I'm not sure that my $10 box of books and two hours worth of time was worth it but, well, maybe it was.

I crammed and crammed and packed and repacked to get all 56 books in that cardboard box! I was pretty determined not to use two boxes! I was doing great until I discovered the encyclopedias from 1906 and we are all aware of my encyclopedia weakness.

And then as I write this post and upload pictures I am once again stumped at which picture of the box of books to use. Do you see the problem? They are both good pictures! So, I decided to use both, one close up and one not so close up.

I learned my expert packing skills from my dad and in the book dept, from fellow book buyers!

And Then It Was Free Donut Day!

2010-06-10T21:42:00.002-04:00

I love free!

So when I discovered that last Friday was National Donut Day and that Krispy Kreme was giving away one free donut per person I put it on the calendar!

Mom and I stopped by after hitting an estate sale presale right nearby and munched away on our just cooked still warm glazed donuts! Doesn't get much yummier than that!

We Saw Wicked!

2010-06-10T21:30:00.003-04:00

I really had no interest in seeing this play when it came to Louisville last time. But when our friend Jamie mentioned free tickets, I suddenly became interested! I researched the story a bit on the internet and it actually sounded enjoyable.

So, when the official "invite" to usher at the KY Center and watch the show for free came our way, we jumped on it! It was actually pretty fun and even though we didn't end up with actual seats this go 'round, standing and sitting on the floor was well worth it! The performance was incredible, the costumes were fabulous and the music and acting top notch! I just loved every minute of it! Tim enjoyed it too!

Thanks Jamie and Janice!!

Mr. and Ms. Cute

2010-06-10T21:29:00.000-04:00

I thought we needed a cute cat picture right about now! So, ta da! Here's one!

Taste of Jeffersonville

2010-06-10T21:04:00.006-04:00

Way back in MAY, we attended the annual Taste of Jeffersonville at Kye's. Once again, our good friends Jamie and Janice accompanied mom and I as Tim shot video and squeezed in some food tasting.

There didn't seem to be quite as many food vendors there as in past years but it was still fun and there was some "to die for" chicken from The Lighthouse in Jeff!

Diann's Book Release Day!

2010-06-08T21:27:00.006-04:00

Once upon a time there were two young girls who lived in the very same neighborhood but never got to know each other until they met in 9th grade at Ferguson High School in Newport News, VA. They became fast friends and spent many an hour together. One of their favorite after school activities was to watch a "new" soap opera called Santa Barbara. The girls would watch the dramas of the Capwell and Lockridge families unfold daily and then get busy and do their homework.

Time flew by as they shared the ups and downs of adolescence together....boyfriends, dances, first cars, car accidents, trips to Nags Head, Mr. Hespenhide's 50 prepositions and finally graduation. Soon it was time to go off to college and start a new chapter in their lives.

Each girl went their separate way and they didn't talk as often or see each other as much but they always remained in touch and could pick up the phone and chat almost as if no time had even passed.

They would be in each others weddings, share sad times and happy times and move forward down the paths life took them.

And then one day one of them wrote a book. She called it The Outer Banks House. The author is Diann (Schnell) Ducharme and tonight after work I raced to Borders in downtown Louisville and proudly bought my very own copy! Always the sentimental one and scrapbooker, I toted along my camera and asked a couple of people if they would mind taking my picture with the book that my best friend from high school wrote. They happily obliged.

I am proud of Diann. She always excelled in English and creative writing. From the glimpses I caught of the novel, she's written a fine piece. She's headed down a new road and I hope it's one that brings her deserved success and joy. I had tears in my eyes as I read her dedication and acknowledgments. I guess I'm just a sap. But honestly, if anyone in the world deserves to have this moment in time it's my best friend from high school...Diann Ducharme.

Please visit her website at http://diannducharme.com/.

Howard Steamboat Museum Chautauqua 2010

2010-06-06T21:14:00.006-04:00

May 15th brought another Chautauqua festival to the Howard Steamboat Museum in Jeffersonville, IN. Exactly 11 years ago on the very same date, also a Saturday, I met Tim! Little did either one of us know that fateful day that a couple of months later we would meet for supper and ultimately spend the rest of our lives together!

Saturday was a beautiful day and it was nice once again to sit under the same tree where we met and enjoy the festival, food and customers. I found a few goodies in the carriage house (antiques section) and fell in love with Anastatia's Button Jewelry! This artist makes the most beautiful bracelets out of gorgeous antique buttons and cuff links! I couldn't get enough of them and it was hard to pick out my favorites! I won't see them again until Christmas but they will definitely be worth the wait!

Tim got to try out the retro patio chair tray I found at the Goodwill last year! It was pretty cool although you had to be careful not to tip over the chair!

Sadly, it rained Sunday so we didn't go back except at the end of the day to retrieve the gazebo!

My Photograph Got Published!

2010-05-27T22:03:00.003-04:00

Awhile back, I wrote an article for Vintage Indie about the Elliston Place Soda Shop in Nashville, TN. I was contacted last year by a book publisher who wanted to use the picture in a coffee table style book about the famous city. Of course I gave them permission and was amazed that they liked my photo that much!

After a long wait, I received my two courtesy copies of this beautiful book in today's mail! The book retails for $24.95 and can be purchased at Amazon.com as well as bookstores! What an honor to be included in such a gorgeous, well done publication!

And, Of Course, the LOOT!

2010-05-25T22:26:00.005-04:00

Well, not quite all of this is from the Hwy 50 yard sale but most of it is with a few other recent acquisitions included!

Yet Another Highway Yard Sale

2010-05-25T21:54:00.003-04:00

Rain was in the forecast for last Friday so we canceled our plans to drive some of the Hwy 50 yard sale. Saturday the sun was shining so mom and I decided to hit the road after all. Tim was left behind as he needed to work on his upcoming Kiwanis presentation!

We drove up I-65 to Seymour, attempted to get some breakfast at McDonald's (too crowded) and then picked up Hwy 50! Saw sales immediately although crossing the highway was always a bit scary! We made our way down the road ending up a few miles outside of North Vernon later in the day. As expected, most of the set ups were in people's front yards and not a lot of antiques or collectibles. I found some goodies anyway, and sniffed out an antique store and resale shop in N. Vernon that had some great finds for my etsy shop! Mom was thrilled with the mound of cookbooks she discovered at one set up. The guy gave her a super great deal so she came away with two box loads!

We hit a couple of Goodwills on the way back finding a few more goodies to add to the mix! All in all, a good day, not too much driving and a nice break from the norm!

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

2010-05-21T09:29:00.005-04:00

On my actual birthday, we went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. We had never been but had heard great things about it. Well, the ambiance was fabulous. The service superb. The bread hot, crusty and delectable. The salad and homemade ranch dressing delicious! The steak....sucked. It had gobs of fat around the edges and I didn't care for the flavor. It was served on a very hot plate and the steak was sitting in gobs of greasy butter. The shoestring fries were not hot and overcooked although I think the cooking style was probably intentional. Oh and they were way too peppery. So we sent the first order back and tried again without the spices. They were still on the lukewarm side and just as overcooked. Mom enjoyed the stewed tomatoes. Everyone else seemed to like their steaks though.

But quite honestly just give me the 6oz sirloin complete with unlimited hot yeast rolls, salad and baked potato at Texas Roadhouse for $9.99 and I'm a happy camper!

Tim enjoyed my free piece of cake and fruit cup. He discovered "blue raspberries" which we had a good laugh about! (It was actually a blackberry!) I didn't care for the cake either, it was stone cold and heavy on spice.

I went to W.W. Cousins after we left and ordered my favorite chocolate chip cookies!

Win some, lose some!

Birthday Party

2010-05-19T08:55:00.003-04:00

Sunday, May 9th brought us the annual Mother's Day/Birthday celebration. Dad made his world famous London Broil and Rice Pilaf which everyone enjoyed immensely! My aunt and uncle came down and Mom and Mary Lynn both received Mother's Day gifts for being the two special ladies in my life! Tim gave me another gold charm for my charm bracelet, this one shaped like the state of California to remember our fun trip out there last September! He also FINALLY found a Christmas ornament that had been on my list for over two years thanks to Ebay! YAY! Gift cards to two of my favorite places to eat, practical gifts and non practical gifts were opened and on my actual birthday mom showed up with a new computer for me!!

Birthday Flowers

2010-05-14T21:49:00.003-04:00

I came home last Thursday from work to find a beautiful bouquet of my favorite flowers from Tim! He gave them to me PRE-birthday because he said I'd had such a stressful week. What a sweetheart! He was so proud of himself when he told me that he'd even ordered them ahead this time!

Yard Sale

2010-05-14T21:22:00.002-04:00

Mom's annual neighborhood yard sale was last Saturday. It's always the Saturday of Mother's Day weekend which is a little inconvenient. We decided to participate anyway and in the end it was well worth it. I finally got away around noon from our sale and hit the other ones in the neighborhood and the next neighborhood over too!

Japanese Restaurant

2010-05-14T21:16:00.003-04:00

We tried Kansai in Clarksville last week while dad was visiting and it was excellent! The chef put on a great show for us and everyone had a great time!

2010-05-11T14:14:00.003-04:00

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

2010-05-09T21:03:00.006-04:00

A few pictures from the olden days of my wonderful mom!

Be Prepared for Some Extreme Cuteness

2010-05-05T08:00:00.002-04:00

Ah, another cute shot of Mr. Cute himself! He could just barely stay awake as he hung slightly over the edge of the staircase banister last night. Fortunately, Tim had a camera in hand and was able to snap a few pictures!

Notice the black plastic hung over the railing now so that Mr. Cute can't practice his balancing act....it's a long way down.