Just some stuff running through my mind

It's a gloomy cold day in our town. We are under a winter weather advisory through 10:00 this morning, but it is supposed to stay breezy and cold with a chance for a wintry mix tonight. How do they expect me to get in a spring decorating mood with all the ups and downs in our weather.



Since it is cold and dreary, I thought I would do some Pinterest prowling. This is an awesome idea for any gathering with children. Who am I kidding, I know some adults who would love to do this as well. Balloon Rockets. Run some string across the room through a straw. Tape the straw to a blown up balloon, untied. Release the balloon and watch it rocket across the room.

Rainy, cold day inside? Cut up some poster board and make "rain puddles". Make a game of jumping from puddle to puddle. This looks like fun. I wonder if I could talk hubby into going through the kitchen that way?

This would be so much fun for summertime out in the yard. Cut a pool noodle down the middle long ways. Hold them up and slide marbles down them into a box. You could make a race out of this really easy. For shorter kids, you could cut them off so they aren't too tall for them to put the marbles in. 

Our Sunday School Pre-K class loves when we make anything that includes pipe cleaners. Of course they get so involved playing with the pipe cleaners that the teachers usually make all their crafts. But it is still fun.

I received my new wristlet yesterday. I am absolutely loving the red polka dots. Red has always been my favorite color.  

I actually had ordered four total for some others. Here are all four of them together. These are just too adorable for words.  

I also received 3 new mini-zipper pouches. I can't decide which one I like the best, but these things come in so handy. 

Here is the mini zipper with the zipper pouch. What a cute set. Makes me think of spring. 

Speaking of spring, tomorrow is March 1st and I want to decorate for Easter....even if it is snowing outside. I gathered a few of my things. Check out the wrought iron piece on the bottom. I bought this for $1 at a yard sale last year and it has been in the closet ever since. I just fell in love with it but didn't have a clue what to do with it. Inspiration hit yesterday. Come back tomorrow for a look at how I am going to use it in the kitchen. 

Now that I have a game plan, I'm ready to get started. 

For you....

Thoughts of spring are running through my head. Here are some lovely flowers for my readers today.

Ten Favorite Things on Tuesday

As you know, I love to hop around the internet to find various things that catch my interest. Here are the top 10 things I found this week from various sites.

My favorite Pinterest find: This office layout. I could do this so easily in my office at home. I love the way it all wraps around so I could have a craft area that flows right into the office area. Really loving this. 

My favorite Facebook find:  A vintage dream kitchen that was posted. I love this.

My favorite Etsy find:  This necklace charm for Thirty-One. I absolutely love this and she has a ton of patters to choose from. 

My favorite Pyrex find: I am loving the Golden Scroll Pyrex pieces. I didn't know there was a chip and dip set in it. 

My favorite Ebay find: A cute little vintage Easter bunny pulling an egg. This is just adorable. 

My favorite Craig's List find: A vintage chest of drawers. I love this piece. If I had it I would keep material and craft items in the drawers. 

My favorite Amazon find: I have read the first 8 books in the Lakeshore Chronicles series by Susan Wigg. I was thrilled to find that #9 has been released. I am ordering it. This was such a wonderful series. She writes so good that you feel like you know the characters and like they are real. 

My favorite Walmart find: You may not think of finding wedding rings at Walmart but as I was looking at their necklaces the other day, my eye caught on this gorgeous wedding ring set. 

My favorite Oragami Owl find: I adore this. 

My favorite Estate Sale find: I didn't go to this estate sale, but someone did and found these gorgeous bowls. 

Weekend wrap up

I actually started out my weekend on Thursday since Hubby and I decided to take a four day weekend and get some things done around the house. We made a run to the Dollar Tree and Walmart where I picked up some cute little door prize gifts.

We also bought some clothespins and adding machine tape to make scrolls for our Sunday School lesson about the lost scrolls showing the Laws of God.  I hid them Sunday and the class had to go find the lost scrolls. The we went back to the classroom and unrolled them and read God's Law. Then after the story, we let the kids "get lost" in the room and we had to find them. Basic hide and seek, but they loved it.

We drove up through Gatlinburg just to see the town. It had been awhile since we had been over there. We like to go over there and just get out and walk up and down the sidewalks. There are some neat little stores.

One of my Thirty-One sisters was selling some of her items and I got a good deal on the new cosmetic bag set. I can't wait to go somewhere to use it. This is one of the new spring patterns, Black Floral Brushstrokes.

And I also bought the new Keep It Caddy in the Pink Floral Brushstrokes. This is one of my favorite new bags.

I love the little pocket on the front for notepad and pencils. It also has fishnet pockets on both ends. I am putting in an order this week and I'm going to get me one or two more of these. They are this month's special where you can spend $31 and get one of these in the pattern of your choice for just $5. I love when they have these kind of specials. It's a bargain I just can't pass up. I am just trying to decide what to get for the $31 because there is so much I want. And then I have the dilemma of deciding what other pattern I want for the $5 bag. I love them all. I think this time I'll get the Island Damask.

Saturday was shopping day and I bought some gorgeous material to make some runners for various areas in the kitchen and one for a gift. 

I found some new flip flops at Kohl's that I may go back and get closer to spring. One was coral and one was a turquoise. I didn't buy them yet, but I found some nail polish to match each pair so I did buy the nail polish. Typical me. Buy nail polish THEN buy something to match the nail polish. A little backwards, but that's how I roll.

Last Saturday, you will recall that I went to my Thirty-One meeting? Well, I couldn't show what my free gift was for attending until all the meetings had been held. The last meetings were Saturday. So I can show my brand new Easy Breezy Tote! I love this bag and had planned to buy it in this very pattern. Imagine how thrilled I was to get it for FREE! Can't wait to take it to the beach or the pool.

What went on in your world this weekend?

Self-Worth

In life, we have so many doubts, so many fears. We have times where we feel so unworthy, used, washed up. We feel like we don't matter or that no one cares. We worry about every little thing and feel like we face the world alone. 

BUT WE DON'T! 

We have One who is always there for us; One who can lift us up and carry us over the troubled waters. 

I worked for a gentlemen who had kept every good thing every written about it. Letters of recommendation from employers. Thank you notes from people who appreciated things he did for them. Notes and comments of his life and the good things that were said about him. When he would get down or depressed or feel bad about himself, he would get out the little folder and read all the good things people had said about him. 

I used to think that was pretty neat until one day I realized that I already had a "folder" that I could go to that would make me feel better about myself when I was feeling down. It's called the BIBLE. 

Psalm 139:14 says "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well."

I don't know about you, but as much as I appreciate kinds words and remarks that make me feel good, as much as I thank each and everyone of you who leave such sweet comments for me to read, I still love the fact that by picking up my bible and reading God's beautiful words, I can have HOPE. I can have FAITH. I can receive MERCY. I can be shown GRACE and I can have LOVE. 

For my dear friends who are suffering, who are feeling down, who are going through trials, who are having health issues, I leave you with this video. May God bless you today and may He raise you up to more than you can be. 

I get so mad at myself.....

Why oh why can't I spoil myself once in awhile. We went antique hunting yesterday and I saw a Pyrex bowl I have been longing for. I love the brown Town and Country pattern and rarely see it around here. It was at the first place we stopped and it was only $7.00. But I couldn't decide because I didn't know what I might see in the other stores and I never make snap decisions on Pyrex unless it is a killer deal. So I thought about it. Then I convinced myself that I should just wait, even though I really, really want something in that pattern. So for a lousy seven bucks I walked away and left this beauty setting on a shelf. 

Then to make matters worse, in the same store, I saw these mugs in the original packaging for just $12.00. That isn't really a bad price but I just didn't want to spend that not knowing if I could resell them. Because if I bought them, there is no way I would keep them in the box. I wanted to use them. So I walked away from them as well. Even though this is one of my favorite patterns that I have wanted to own something in and I'm trying to collect an assortment of Pyrex mugs. What is wrong with me?

I was so saddened about passing them up. Here are some other things I saw that caught my eye, but the price was way too high so I didn't feel bad about leaving them on the shelf.  I liked this blue dotted bowl but I couldn't find any markers so I don't now what it was, but don't think it was Pyrex. 

This booth had a lot of great bowls with lids but at great prices so I just admired them from afar.  

At another store, I found this display but the only things I liked in it were on the high side. But I thought it was neat that they had the orange and brown Town and Country bowl. Two T and C's in one day. Very rare for me. 

And these two divided dishes were pretty but pricey as well. This particular store always has some beautiful stuff to window shop with but the prices are way out of my league. This was the first Barbed Wire pattern (white with black) that I have ever seen in person.  

I love this Hazel Atlas egg nog set and it would be awesome to own....but not at $68.00!

I am not sure what brand this was but it was adorable. It resembles the Hazel Atlas except Hazel's has faces on her oranges and some orange blossoms on it. But it does look Federal may have been the maker of the pitcher. 

This is my favorite shelf in this particular booth. She always displays her best pieces on it and the prices always make me say OUCH! No way. The items are ever changing so somebody must be willing to pay the high prices. After seeing the high prices everywhere else, $7 for my little Town and Country Cinderella bowl didn't seem so bad. 

Once we got home and I was regretting not getting anything, hubby surprised me by saying we were going to go back and get the bowl. So we did. And he bought me my first piece of Town and Country and it is in excellent condition. 

As we were leaving, he said "You might as well get these too because you know you want them." And he picked up my cups that I fell in love with. 

Isn't he awesome! I got both things I wanted and because he bought them, I still have my shopping money for more bargains tomorrow. What a guy! I think I'll keep him. 

Thank goodness for Friday

I have had accomplished a lot in my job this week, both my regular business and my Thirty-One business. So I am definitely taking a day off today. Hubby and I have considered going to a few antique stores for two or three weeks but something always happens and we don't make it. But today we have a clear schedule and plan on doing some shopping. I am going to keep my eyes open for a good Pyrex bargain. If I could just find one thing that I want today at a reasonable price, it would be the chip and dip set in any pattern.



There are quite a few estate sales this weekend. Some are a little farther than I care to drive. But are fairly close. Here are a few things that caught my eye. I see some butterfly gold Pyrex and some of the blue flowered Corelle.

My Aunt Louise had these metal glasses with the matching pitcher. Many a glasses of ice tea and grape Kool-Aid were drank from these glasses. It is very unusual to see that many together in a person's estate. You don't normally see that many in an entire antique store.

I am obsessed with small cabinets. This one just really caught my fancy. I bet it would clean up nicely.  

Any crafter knows of the multitude of uses for buttons. Wouldn't you just love to grab up a few jars of these. Buttons and material are on my wish list for yard sales this year.

I spy with my little eye a little Pyrex fridgie in red. I also adore the utility cart. Mom had one of these. I would like to find one but don't know where I would put it if I did find one. 

And unless my eyes deceive me, I spot a horizon blue Pyrex oval casserole with lid in this picture. I also see a couple of the ladies head vases and a rack of glasses that might be vintage.

There are some items this year that I want to keep my eye out for in case I can get a good deal at a yard sale. One is some type of small table similar to this that I can refinish and put on the front porch to keep a planter on. 

I would also like to find a vintage store that would have a beautiful shawl made from gossamer fine threads. 

I'm going to be keeping my eyes open for a vintage pitcher and set of matching glasses this year. I know just the spot where I want to display them if I can find a set. 

I love this Hazel Atlas glasses. They came with sour cream in them. 

I would love to find a little cuckoo clock for my office. It doesn't even have to cuckoo. I just want it for looks. 

I would love to find some of these Hazel Atlas bowls. I have been blessed to find some of the coffee cups now if I can just venture into finding bowls. 

I would love to find a matching set of these dresser lamps. If not these, then at least something vintage looking. I have broken one of my existing lamps and can't find one to match it so I'm just going to get a whole new set. 

Call me crazy, but I would love to find an old typewriter to use as a decor display in my office. Even if I can't find replacement ribbon for it. 

Well, that is my wish list for now. What are you going to be thrifting for this year?