A familiar face....

If you have ever been around the railroad world in southeastern West Virginia, you will recognize this little kitten. This is Chessie, the darling of the C and O Railroad. Her name is a derivative of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. She's been around since 1933 and is a much loved icon of the railway industry.

As the years went by, the C and O became the Chessie System and Chessie image was incorporated in the new logo which was referred to as the Ches-C. 

Coal mining country throughout West Virginia grew very familiar with their beloved little kitten. It was a familiar site as you traveled through the small towns and villages. Many times you would get stopped by a train coming through town and you would watch as the familiar logo rolled by. 

Over time, it became CSX when the Chessie System merged with Seaboard. Chessie's image was removed and the new logo was formed. 

But Chessie lovers still adore their little cat. I wish she was still on the trains. It was an end of an era when they removed her and made it CSX.

My dilemma

Hubby and I have been married for 32 years this month. In all those years, he has gotten me an Easter basket every Easter. He fills the basket with goodies like the speckled eggs and Junior Mints and Milky Ways. He has always found unique items as my basket. Items ranging from laundry hampers to picnic baskets.

I saw a picture the other day where Practice in Time used Pyrex to decorate for Easter. I showed it to hubby and said isn't this cute? He replied "Okay, I get the hint." I asked him what he meant and he said he knows I showed it to him to let him know my Easter basket this year better be a Pyrex bowl. That was not my intention, but hey, I'll take it. 

So he decided since he knows next to nothing about Pyrex and what my wish list is or where to go to find the right piece, he would let me find it and he would buy it and put it up until Easter. So I've been looking at some local antique stores. Here is where the dilemma comes in. There are some pieces I love that are on my wish list that I found locally at a good price. So now I have to decide. Do I want to get the largest Cinderella bowl in the Sunflower pattern? I have been looking for something in this pattern, but I really don't want any more Cinderella's.

Then there was the deep baking pan in the yellow. But if he's going to buy me something, I would rather it have a pattern. 

So I have narrowed it down to these two that I saw at a store for a good price. 

My dilemma is to pick which one. I really love the black but do I really want snowflakes for an Easter basket.

And since the pink daisy has been on my wish list for awhile, I think that is what I choose. It did not have a lid, but I have a spare lid I got for .25 at a yard sale in the hopes of finding the bowl to go with it and I think this may be it. Now just to keep my fingers crossed that they still have it. 

Once I finally decided which one I wanted, he decided he wants to go to Jonesborough, TN on our anniversary which is during the week before Easter. They have tons of antique stores. But it has been awhile since we have been there and I'm not sure if I want to wait and see if I find something there I like better or not. 

So I've been tossing around the dilemma of whether or not to get the pink daisy I know I can get and know I want really bad or to wait and see what they have in Jonesborough. I'll have to think about it.

Getting Organized the $ Tree Way

My daughter shared a link with me on Friday. It was about organizing your whole house using items you could find at the Dollar Tree. I sat down and visited the site and clicked on every link to all the satellite sites. I was armed with pencil and paper to make a list for a trip to the Dollar Tree.

I didn't get everything in one trip because I had to decide what area I was going to focus on first. But I did pick up a few things for my office. I had several other things I thought about getting but wasn't sure if I would use them. But when I was getting organized this weekend, I actually found two or three areas that I wish I had bought the other items for. But here were the few things I picked up to try.

This little basket is going to hold the yarn for whatever my current plastic canvas projects are. This way, I have all the yarn in one place and work on any of the various projects just by grabbing the basket. As I finish one project, that yarn can go back in my stash and be replaced with the yarn for the next project. 

This is going to hold material that I buy to make runners with. Then when I am ready to work on them, I can just grab the basket. I'm going to put a pair of scissors and my hem tape in there as well. That way, I will have everything for the projects in one place. 

I sat them in the floor under the craft table for easy access and because the colors go good with the theme in my craft/office room. 

I bought three of these little baskets that are the perfect file for sorting and holding paperwork that I am working on until it is completed and ready to file. I had some Martha Stewart tags and a marker in a matching color so I made a label for each basket. 

I stacked them on the spare table so they are readily accessible.

I picked up the two blue metal buckets and put notepads in one and pencils in the other one. I didn't realize it till I got home, but they match my stapler perfectly. 

I already had this tray for folders for important things that I need to keep at my fingertips so I put it on my desk. 

This little blue box was perfect for my dry erase markers for the board on the left. Plus I am using the sorter tray to hold my notebooks I use for my Thirty-One business.

One of the ideas for organizing was using shoe holders for doors. My daughter had two she was not using so she gave them to me. I used one in my craft room. I put it inside the closet door. It holds the craft items for children's church. Now, when I get ready for a craft project for the class, I can go to my holder and pull out what I need. 

I used to keep my cleaning supplies in a couple of containers under the sink and was always fussing about how much room it took up. Some were under one sink in this yellow container and some are under another sink. 

The other shoe organizer became my cleaning supply area. I love it. Everything fits perfectly in the little slots and I can see what I have at a glance and not have to dig through the dark sink. 

And it has two big pockets on the bottom that I can keep my cleaning rags in. 

While we were out Saturday, my daughter picked up some material for some no-sew runners. 

I got the Easter one done this weekend. 

 All that cleaning, organizing and crafting has made me ready for a relaxing evening this evening.

A day with a plan

Two of my favorite stores are Dollar Tree and Hobby Lobby. I am heading off to both of them today. I am armed with a wish list a mile long and my 40% off Hobby Lobby coupon. 

(Visit Hobby Lobby to get your coupon every week)

I normally take a little tiny notebook with me with notes and ideas for what I need to pick up when I'm shopping. But today, I have the BIG BOOK of notes, lists, ideas and STUFF. 

As many of you know, my daughter and I shop together almost every weekend. I tag along for the fun of getting out of the house for the day. I patiently wait while she looks for the perfect outfit. I give my opinions when she shops for shoes. She is a girly-girl so we look at a lot of neat things. But yesterday, she made me so proud. She tells me she wants to go to Hobby Lobby, which is not unusual because she make jewelry. But then she added...I want to look at fabric and yarn. Be still my heart!

I immediately got to work on my "list". One thing I'm going to look for is some yarn in coral peach and turqoise. I want to make a plastic canvas basket for my desk to hold post it notes. I just realized yesterday that I made a little box several years back that has a somewhat Chevron pattern to it. I want to make my basket with a similar pattern, but with more colors.

I also want to look for a chain for a necklace. I saw this great idea on a blog or Facebook or somewhere. Anyway, you take a flat washer (usually can be found in your hubby's tool box). Clean it up real good and polish it with your favorite nail polish. Put a sealer on it and loop a chain through it and you have a necklace. Before I bought anything to do it, I took it for a test spin yesterday. I did it in a hurry. I also discovered I needed a fine thin paint brush to get any missed spot. The nail polish brush was too wide to use for touch up spots. I also don't like this chain. I want some more like the chains on military dog tags. I need to buy some sealant to spray on to protect it. But at least you get the idea even if I did do this one in a hurry.

After I finished the necklace. I went to the mailbox and there was a package from Mommy. She had made me a new runner for my coffee table. I love it. I don't know any other woman in her 80's that can craft like she can. She always has several projects going. I want to be just like her when I get that age. 

In the package was also a DVD that two of my cousins put together of old family pictures and set it to nostalgic music. I knew it was going to have a lot of pictures of my Mamaw and Papaw Eden so I grabbed a box of tissues and settled down to watch. It was so awesome and I cried even more than I thought I would. Pictures of our past, memories oh sweet memories, of all the loved ones who have passed on. Pictures of cousins I don't get to see much any more, but still mean the world to me. But as it neared the end and I thought there was no way I could cry any more, this picture popped up. This is my dear, sweet, beloved Daddy who has been gone for 14 years. I had never seen this picture before. This had to have been in the late 50's early 60's I would say. I just can't quit looking at it. I'm going to ask my cousin to send me a copy of it. It just made my day getting to see it.

Well, time to get a move on if I'm going to head out to Hobby Lobby this morning. Have a great Saturday.

Friday's Finds

I love searching Craigs List (in case you haven't heard me say it a hundred times before). Today, I was visiting Kansas City in the Kansas and Missouri area. Let me just say I wish I could plan a road trip to that area. There is a lady selling all this beautiful Pyrex for $5 - $10 per piece. Buy 4 and get the 5th of equal value for free! She has several pieces that catch my fancy.

I jumped around so much on Craig's List, Pinterest, Ebay and Etsy that I don't remember what I found where. But I do know I would love to find this coffee cup. I was a Bazooka Joe fan from way back when. Still my favorite gum to chew. 

Goodwill had this entire set of Melmac dishes on their website, but once you added shipping the price was way out of my comfort zone. 

So, I'm 56 years old and had glasses since I was in the 4th grade. Do you think it is too late to go for contacts? I would love to own some fun sunglasses this year.

  I'm a huge fan of Snoopy so this coffee cup would be perfect for my collection. 

 For somebody who doesn't drink coffee, I'm awfully obsessed with mugs. I like this one as well. 

Again, loving me some Snoopy.

Another set of Melmac at an Estate sale. Maybe this summer I will find me a set.

Vintage Sunoco mug.

Couple of Jadeite mugs. I really like these.

These are very vintage, but I remember them very well. Wouldn't mind to find some like this. 

In keeping with my latest tulip obsession. I am definitely keeping my eyes open at yard sales for anything with tulips on it. 

Aren't these adorable? They are Glasbake and listed for sale on-line for $75 for the set. Not only NO, but NO WAY! For coffee cups? That I will never use. I think not. But they are so pretty. Image an nice spring table set for breakfast with these cups.

I am absolutely falling in love with anything pink this year. I am thinking that pink will be my signature color for 2013. 

Well, what have you found interesting in your world this week?

A good question....

I saw a question on Hobby Lobby's Facebook page the other day. It was a great question and I thought of all my blogging buddies who craft and just knew you would love this question. So I thought I would ask it on my blog today and have you leave me a comment with your answer. The question is:

If you were locked inside Hobby Lobby for the night, in which department would you spend the night?

My answer was:

I would spend the night flitting back and forth between Fabric and Yarn. Luckily for me they are just a few aisles apart. 

So, where would you spend the night in Hobby Lobby?