Junkin Jewels - Goodwill

Last week my friend Tammy and I had a visit and a junkin day.  We managed to spend so much time at Goodwill that we had to jog to fit the others stops in before we ran out of time for the day!  It is all good though since I ended up with some finds and we plan to make time to do this at least every other week :)

 

The visit, lunch and junkin were all great.  This is a picture of my Junkin Jewels for the day.

 

I have been on the hunt for a while for a container like the brass one in the top of the picture.  My front door has the oval cut glass that isn't quite large enough for a wreath so this type of container will work perfectly....and at $1.99 the price was hard to beat.

 

I painted it with the old stand by, Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze and then hand rubbed on some copper to age it.  I love how it turned out, I can't wait to fill it and hang it up, but since it is for fall I gotta wait till at least the Tuesday after Labor Day!

The other finds were the 4 white basket weave ceramic napkin rings for $1.99, 6 navy damask napkins for $1.99 and lastly the too cute fish napkin rings for $1.99.  When I got home of opened the packaging on the fish rings I discovered their Pottery Barn Tags. They were brand spanking new and tagged at $6.50 each. So for just over $8.00 I had a lot of fun and a brought home some jewels :)

 

Today I stopped in the ultra chic Le Dollar Tree in search of some plastic containers.  I really couldn't get in the door for all the boxes of merchandise.  One of the workers apologized for the mess and said she would be finished and out of the way so I that I could get inside in just a minute.  She was chatting, saying she didn't understand why they needed to unpack the boxes she was working on because the stuff would sell so quickly.  When I asked what was in the box she held this up.

Ummm....yes please, I'll take a box!

 

This is big folks....I don't impulse buy.   I am so glad I did, these are going to look great with my Fiesta.  I had to rush home and try them with some fall napkins.

 

If you overlook the wrinkled napkins I think they will look pretty cute! 

 

Now I am counting down to the next time we have a junkin jaunt!  Thanks for stopping in.
I am linking up with Southern Hospitality for
 

Oh the Places You Should Go - Etheridge/Lawrenceburg

Wonder Hubby's job requires him to travel several states and he is forever telling me about one town or another that he thinks we should visit and junk or antique. 

For quite a while he had been telling me that we needed to visit the Etheridge and Lawrenceburg, TN area.  Back in June we were hard at it shopping for Mini a car and Wonder Hubby happened to be traveling through Lawrenceburg and mentioned all the car dealers in the area.  So early on a Friday morning, Wonder Hubby, Mini and I loaded up and set out.  Our plan was to car shop and antique.

You will see lots of Amish in Etheridge. We have some Amish in our area but in the Etheridge area you will see them in their buggies everywhere.  I started to snap this picture and then realized they don't like to be photographed....good thing I had blown the shot (the buggy is almost out of the frame on the left)!

We stopped at a completely set up for tourist area to shop a bit.

Of course, Wonder Hubby zoned in on Fiesta right away.

There was a huge selection of birdhouses......I am always drawn to birdhouses :)

I loved the Tom's Gym house....the Guarantee is too funny!

Mini toyed with the idea of a geniune Etheridge, TN Amish t-shirt but ruled it out.  She has really come to enjoy antiquing with us....she is always looking for Blue Willow.

I had to drag Wonder Hubby out before he bought this cool churn.

Then we did a bit of car looking.....cause Mini was kinda beginning to not believe we were there to car shop....sigh.

After a break to car shop we headed to downtown Lawrenceburg.  Lots of neat shops on a very pretty square.  I love the peeling paint on this building.

We managed to shop in one store......that's right....one store, New Moon Antiques!  We did spend 3 hours there, but still I had hoped to cover more territory than that!  I didn't get a single photo....now remember I had to just glance about since I was under a tight time frame and had to save time to car shop.

 Three hours let me catch the highlights, I could have stayed all day in this store :) We did have Mini onboard so we finished car shopping.  Mini fell in love with this car.

The dealership had just gotten it in and didn't even have all the paperwork on it yet so we couldn't purchase that day.  So we walked away to think about it and drove on to Muscle Shoals and comforted ourselves with Popeyes chicken.  I would love to review our food....but I will just get hungry thinking about it and we don't have one close.

Bless Mini's heart, she is being very good natured for a 15 yr old that just found her dream car and can't buy it.

Guess what happened next?  The dealership called and told us we could purchase Mini's car on Saturday morning.....yeppers....another 2 hour road trip back the next day. Ugg.....after being gone from 7 am to 9 pm on this trip we were all dragging.

So early on Saturday morning we headed out again...and purchased Mini's car.  We purchased from Williams Auto Sales in Lawrenceburg.  They were incredibly accomodating and easy to work with, I would certainly recommend them if you are in the market for a vehicle.

Hard to believe but Wonder Hubby looks happy parting with cold hard cash!



Mini and Bri patiently waiting.....Mini is driving the 2 hours back home....this was a big day!

Now, you didn't think we went all the way back just for the car did you?  After closing the deal we headed back to New Moon and snapped up the goodies I had seen but couldn't committ to on Friday!

We picked up a couple of tablecloths and some napkins.  I have already used some of them in the tablescape here.  They were so cheap!  Wonder Hubby found some Fiesta we needed to complete a set....I cant wait to do a 50's inspired turquoise and pink table.  Lastly, I landed some awesome bedside tables.  I have been looking for just the right ones for years to replace the highly fashionable 3 legged cloth covered tables we had!  I will be posting pics soon.

We were all worn out by this time so we packed up the vehicles and headed toward home, but not before we saw this little place and had to stop in.

This place was just the coolest!  It was an old general store/bus station with lots of vintage goodies to look at.  You could relax at a soda fountain and catch a bit of tv.

I can't tell you what we are watching, it is a bit before my time :)

Bus service ticket office.

The porch areas were filled with antique tools.  We never got to the side porch or the outbuildings.....but we will go back!

I loved the manequin in the truck! 

It was a very rushed but fun trip, I can't wait until we can go back and take our time. There are SO many more places I need to check out.

 If you get the chance, spend a day or two in Lawrenceburg and enjoy not only the scenery but the great shops.  Thanks for riding along. 

Uggggglee Chair Makeover

I have had this chair around the house for a couple of years now.  My brother salvaged it from a remodel at the Belmont Mansion in Nashville along with 3 others.  I have made over the others but this one had managed to escape. 

It was sitting in a corner in our master bedroom patiently waiting to be pretty.  I finally got around to giving it some TLC and trying my hand at making and using homemade chalk paint.

I used a 40% coupon at Michael's and purchased plaster of paris.  I also scored the fabric at Hobby Lobby for 40% off....yeah!

First The Nana and I recovered the seat.  With my new power nailer (love them, Wonder Hubby did good spending all that money for the big ole set of 5 of them!) the job was easy peasy.....10 minutes start to finish and she is purdy.

Then it was time to paint.  I was worried about how this would go, but I am so glad I gave it a try and didn't spend the big money on the commercial stuff :)

I marked off a mason jar with 4 equal marks 1 inch apart.  I filled up to the first line with plaster of paris then mixed water in a bit at a time, stirring until the mix was smooth.  After that I filled up to the 4th line with my paint and stirred it all up.

I found that initially it was very easy to work with.  It flowed on nicely and covered well.  After 15 minutes or so it did seem to "set up" and become more grainy.  I just dipped my paint brush into water then the mix and that seemed to work to even out the grainy texture.  After letting it dry I began the sanding process.  I LOVE this part!  I had to restrain myself from sanding it all off. 

After the sanding was all done I wanted to add a bit of age.  I had read on a blog to use Old English furniture polish/scratch repair but at $5.50 a bottle at the local grocery I was going to skip this part!  After thinking about it for a while and cleaning up a pot of tea that had dripped onto my counter instead of into the pot.....I realized if tea will stain the counter it should work on the chair.  Eureka.....I lightly rubbed a used tea bag over the whole chair and it left just the right amount of "age."

After aging and drying I waxed the old girl with some Johnson's Paste wax...and here she is all prettied up.   She will be a perfect spot for slipping on shoes, if only I can decide where she will live, hmmmm........

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great week.  I am linking up for
    please stop by!

Meet Georgette

Our little corner of the south has been all abuzz for the last week or so.  You see, there is a new lady in our lives.  I can understand why she caught Wonder Hubby's eye.  She is sparkly and looking at her just seems to make him happy.

Wonder Hubby and his dad have gotten a new boat and let me just say that the world economy could have collapsed and we would not have known it here!  I had no idea that there could be so much conversation over a boat!  It has been discussed for hours on in and required much input from all of Wonder Hubby's buddies.  I do believe there is less discussion with an arms treaty.

I wanted you all to meet the new lady in our lives because I have a feeling she could very well factor into some of my blog posts (okay, my attitude in some of the posts).  I hope I don't end up like the chick in Brad Paisley's I'm Gonna Miss Her song.

So, without further ado let me introduce you to Georgette the Guppy Getter.

Wonder Hubby and his Dad after their first day with Georgette

I do hope Georgette is the family type.  I know Wonder Hubby is looking forward to lots of quality fishing time with his dad and he is excited to get Mini on the water fishing as well. 

I hope she is a good influence and that the appeal of spending time with her encourages Wonder Hubby to get about the business of checking items off his honey do list! 

I hope Georgette isn't too self centered and high maintenance, requiring tons of time and money to keep her in shape. I hope she understands that Wonder Hubby can't spend ALL his time with her.

So I had a talk with her, and for that matter with him and I think we all can welcome Georgette with open arms if she can be a well behaved family member and not just a pretty lady!  Thanks for stopping in.

Super mutant Bloggers, I'm Calling You Out!

Nothing is more fun than having a rainy day and a ton of new posts from your favorite blogs to read.  I have days that I get caught up skipping through blogland and don't accomplish much else! Yeah, I probably shouldn't have admitted to that one.

I like to blog even though I have a wee following :)  It is a great outlet, I like making new friends through my blog and it is fun to share things I make, life issues/changes etc.  I can't tell you the amount of useful tips, great crafts ideas, recipes and beautiful homes and diy projects I have scrolled through and implemented variations of in my home.  That's fun right?

Well, MAYBE NOT so much.  Most days it is inspiring and I end up jotting down ideas or pinning to Pinterest (that is a whole other foreign object I will talk about at some point) for later use.  But, SOME DAYS it is just plain intimidating and a bit unbelievable and turns me into a HATER.

Okay people lets be real.  How many of us are as productive as some of these blogging super mutants?  I like to be productive, in fact sitting still doing just one thing, i.e. watching TV is something I just can't do, I need to be busy.  Sometimes seeing the level of activity of some of these mutants makes me crazy.  As crazy as I feel opening a Martha Stewart magazine to see her calendar and feeling like a loser because I didn't drain my washer hoses or sharpen my cuticle scissors in a timely fashion.

I mean I am living a real life here.....complete with a hubby and his crazy schedule, cars that need maintenance, never ending cleaning and upkeep of the house and a dog that requires WAY more attention than my kids ever did.   Most of the time I am a whirling dervish of activity and projects, but despite my best efforts I still walk through a room and see a dust ball, or a cobweb. 

I thought I had a good sized kitchen but when I look around I see "stuff" on the table and counters.  Not piles of stuff, just little stuff, a piece of mail, forms to be signed for Mini, a pie covered on the counter.  Then there is the stuff that I just can't cram into a cabinet....Mini's giant waffle iron, a cake plate etc.  What I am trying to say is this......how in the world do these mutants really cook/live in their kitchens and then have them looking like a magazine spread on their blogs?

I wish I could believe they were just kitchen people but unfortunately they are the same folks that show their living rooms, laundry rooms, bedrooms, perfectly organized garages and beautiful gardens.  Their homes seem to be filled with only the most perfect decor and diy projects.  When the heck do they find time to make these projects or shop for these perfect items?  When do they bathe for goodness sake?

They all seem to travel, care for kids who are darn near perfect, have great hair, cook gourmet meals and still have time to blog.  I am just in awe or disbelief, sometimes both.

Sheesh, I have items on my to do list that are older than some of you mutant bloggers!  People are always coming into my home and commenting on how creative I am and I know I am a thrifter but there are times when I read these blogs that I feel like such an underachiever. 

So, I'm calling you out.  Show us what a real day in your life looks like. 

 Do you people ever have dirt or dust?  Don't you ever have projects that are just epic fails (and I don't mean the ones you make work out in the end)?  How many unfinished tasks are you hiding in those 3 closets that aren't perfectly organized?

  Show me your burned dinners and desserts, your kids F in physics and the dead plants in your garden!  I know you have them.....so come on and show us you too are human!  I will get the ball rolling with an epic fail and a project that has been going on so long that I have to dust it.

I'm sure many of you have made the coffee filters wreaths.  I love them but they don't love me.  This looked simple enough and cheap, two of my faves, but in the end....I got a sagging mess, EPIC FAIL.

This is actually two elderly projects.  Number one is the kid's wall of fame....all their sports pictures, newspaper articles and memorabilia from middle school through college and now with BDJ, beyond college.  I started this (I can't believe I am telling this) a year ago.  I have commitment phobia so if Wonder Hubby isn't here goading me on, the pics just sit and wait.    I think the big problem is the sorting through 100's of digital photos to decide which ones make the wall, cause you can't use them all!  I end up overwhelmed with indecision and do nothing....except dust the ones sitting on the stairs occasionally! Number two is ripping up the carpet and painting the stairs....I just can't seem to take the plunge on this one yet.

Now that I have had my little breakdown.....I am actually headed to Michael's to pick up supplies for a couple of projects I saw on someones blog!  So, share em if you got em (and I know you do).  Hope everyone has a great (and/or productive) week!

Light, quick and Yummy Cajun Pasta

This time of the year is a real cooking challenge for me. It is so darned hot that appetites are all over the board.  One day everyone is starving, the next day one of us is hungry and the other 2 aren't. Do you have this problem? 

The heat/appetite issue is one problem.  The other is I would rather be piddling in the yard!  With the heat I end up starting yard and garden stuff late in the day.  You know, just about the time I need to start dinner.

I could literally exist on homegrown tomatoes alone, but I would have a revolt on my hands if I expected that of the family.  Today, I was having one of those, "what to cook days" and rummaging the freezer, fridge and cabinets for ideas.

 It was while I was assessing what I had on hand that I remember having a dish at The Merchants in Nashville years ago that just happened to use all the stuff I had (that never happens!). 

It has been years since I had this dish but I think that my version turned our pretty well (considering my memory isn't what it used to be).  This dish took 30 minutes from start to finish so I do believe I will be adding this little goodie to the dinner rotation.

Now, let me say that I was just playing around with this dish so I didn't think ahead to make pictures of it as it progressed, so I just have the finished product.  I didn't do any special styling....just tossed it on a plate and we dove in!  That being said, I didn't make sure the veggies were on top for color and didn't even consider which color Fiesta it would look best on so it looks a bit bland, buttrust me it is yummy.

Ingredients

1 Pkg. Uncooked Pasta (I used linquini)
1 Yellow Squash (washed and sliced thinly and then halved)
1 Zuchini (washed and sliced thinly and then halved)
1 Medium White Onion (chopped to bite sized)
1 Red Pepper and 1 Green Pepper (chopped to bite sized)
3 Boneless Pork Chops (I had these onhand, the original dish used grilled pork medallions, you could also use grilled chicken)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1  cup Chicken Broth plus 3 tsps.
1/2 cup White Wine
1/2 Tsp. Cajun Seasoning
1 tsp. corn starch
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced.
2 Tbsp. Olive oil.

Wash and Chop all vegetables.  I pre measured my liquids and spices and set those aside, just my preference.

Grill meat to just shy of done.  You can season your meat with salt and pepper and cajun spice if you desire.  The above 1/2 tsp of cajun seasoning is for the vegetables, so you would use additional to season the meat.  I didn't feel like digging out the charcoal (although "real" grilling would make this awsome) so I used the George Foreman.  Remove meat from grill and let rest 5 minutes then thinly slice.

Cook pasta according to package directions.  When draining reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid. 

While pasta is cooking heat olive oil in large saute pan.  Saute squash, zuchini, onion and peppers until tender.  Add garlic and saute 1 minute.  Add 1/2 cup of wine and reduce by half.  When reduced add chicken broth, salt and pepper and cajun spice.  Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.  While this is simmering mix corn starch with 3 tsp. chicken broth until smooth.  Gently whisk into meat and vegetables and cook 30 seconds till thickened slightly. 

Add 1/2 cup reserved cooking liquid and drained pasta to vegetable/meat mixture and mix well.  All done!

There are literally a million ways to tweak this dish to your own tastes.  I would love to hear your tweaks if you give this a try!  Thanks for stopping by.

Moody Blue Table for One

 Gathering together at the dinner table for meals has been one of the NOT NEGOTIABLE rules in our home.  So many times this is the only uninterrupted time in a day that we have to sit and share our day.   Many times dinner time opens up dialogue on a problem or issue the kids might not have broached without our full attention.  I am so glad we opted to hold onto this tradition.

Having said that, more and more our schedules conflict and the nightly gathering is not as possible as it once was.  With Mini in school and working and Wonder Hubby's ever changing hours there are times when I end up on my own.

If you have times when you dine alone you might as well make it pretty, right? It is a chance to use anything YOU want!  So with that in mind here is my recent Moody Blue Table for One setting .

The idea for the table came directly from more of my PVC napkin ring creations.

I used decorative stones glue to the trusty PVC to create the rings.....I just love the shades of blue.

I love clear glass and crystal candle holders and bowls so I used several of them accented with more decorative stones.

I used my Food Network white square plates and navy Corsica dishes, as well as my grandmothers blue floral glasses and blue Fostoria that were a wedding gift (years ago!).    The blue jars are just perfect for adding a touch more blue.

When all was said and done, it was hard to be blue when having dinner at this Table for One.  Thanks for stopping by.

I am linking up with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday please stop by.