Friday's Finds

 Yesterday was a good day. I got out and went to a yardsale where I got two Christmas boxes, two Christmas pictures, a reindeer lantern and a gold reindeer candle holder. I am goiong to paint the deer candle holder a different color, but not sure what color yet. But the entire haul was just $3.00. What a bargain.

I had to run into Target for a few things an I was walking by the nail polish and this caught my eye. Firs off, I am such a huge fan of Friends and still watch the reruns all the time. So that caught my eye and I had to check it out. 

I love red nail polish and the name of this one is "He's her Lobster". If you ever watched Friends, that is the famous line Phoebe said about Rachel and Ross. 

So I just had to have the polish and the new top coat as well. Sally Hansen is my favorite brand of nail polish and I was there to pick up some top coat anyway. So I figured I'd try the new Miracle Gel top coat. Going to try to do my nails this weekend to see how this all looks. 

But the most exciting part of my day yesterday was when I got my favorite Thirty-One bag out of the closet. I loaded it down with nine books I had read and headed out to McKay's Used Book Store. McKay's takes your used books that are in good condition and gives you a store credit that you can then use to shop in the store. I didn't have many books to take back so my store credit was only $7.70 this time.

It is very hard to find an entire book series all at once. I had read a series about three families many years back about three families whose lives intertwined, the Kendricks, Coulters and Harrigans. There are twelve in the series but I do not read the one that is a flashback to the historical times of one of the families. So that meant I only have 11 to try to find. I was hoping to find at least 3 or 4 of the first ones so I can read them in chronological order. As I starting going down the list, I found one. Then another and another. And bottom line is I found every single one of them. That never happens. I was super excited. The original prices on the books totaled $83.40 for all of them. So I went up to the register and the McKay's used book cost was $16.00. Then I had that $7.70 for the ones I traded in. Bottom line I got my entire series for $8.31 which is just a tad more than one book goes for nowadays. 

You just gotta love a bargain.

If you think our country doesn't always act like the America it used to be, just take a drive out in the country and look at all the barns with American flags, the porches still displaying the red, white and blue. It's not that America is lost, it is that we have lost track of what makes America. It has always been and will always be "We the People".  We need to remember that. 

 

Facebook Finds

You probably all remember how much I love vintage glassware and baking dishes. I mostly have Pyrex, but I am venturing out and looking for Federal, Fireking, Glasbake and even an occasional Agee. These are some items I have seen on the internet and would like to explore further to see if I can find some. They are an assortment of manufacturers listed above, but I love them all. 

I am especially wanting some of the black and white.

And I am flat out in love with everyone of these. I want them all. I think I need to start a wish list.

I have never seen this pattern before, but it is really unique.

I have seen this before and wish I had bought. Back in the day, there was even a kitchen tablecloth in this pattern. 

This one is unique as well.

I had to quit looking because it is so easy to get down a rabbit hole when you look for vintage. Hmmm, a rabbit hole. Wonder if I can find in vintage Alice in Wonderland dishes or tea pots. Alas, that will have to wait for another day. Stay tuned...

 

First six months

Yes, it's been six months since I posted. Life got busy and it got crazy. I've been on the go and working and staying so busy, I got off schedule and had a hard time working my way back to start blogging again. Would love to hear a comment from you to know you are doing okay.

I'm not going to blog about everything from the past six months because sometimes I was so busy I don't even know what I was doing. I am going to pick up in February with the worst thing I have ever went through in my life. I lost my sweet, precious Mommy to her battle with dimentia. She fought a good fight and kept her faith. In her last few days, she would tell us she just wanted to go home. Not from the nursing home that was giving her wonderful care. But to her home in heaven. She want to see daddy and her mom (Mamaw). After she was able to talk to each of her four children, she quietly slipped away the next day. She was 91 years old. We miss her every moment but we know she is in a much better place.

I have been going with some friends sometime to disc golf. If you have not heard of it, you should google it. You play on a golf course but not with clubs and balls. There are special made discs that look like frisbees on different weights and thicknesses and the aim is just like regular golf only instead of getting them into the hole, they go into a basket made of chains on a pole. I don't golf, but I go with my friends to get in some excercise. This is my favorite course because we have to walk up and down hills for all 18 holes. I've lost a few pounds with the exercise.

One Sunday, we went to a neighboring town to a Renaissance festival.

My beautiful granddaughter Alexis went to her Senior Prom. She decided after 8th grade prom, she wasn't doing that in heels again. So under her beautiful dress she had on black Converse tennis shoes.  Love her style.

My beautfiul granddaughter, Shelby, on the left went to her 8th grade prom. She really surprised us because we figured the hunt for the dress would drive us all crazy because she is very particular about what she wants in clothes. She asked me to run her to a local store "just to look". Knowing this would be first of many, I agreed. Imagine our shock when she found this one in Ross for $40 clearance and it was a size 1. Needless to say she bought it that day. That was a lot easier than her Mom thought it would be.

I was blessed to attend the graduation of two of my grandchildren ... on the same night ... at different cities. I did make it to both of them and got to watch them both walk across the stage. Alexis was first. She granduated from Gatlinburg Pittman in Gatlinburg, TN.

Caleb granduated from Northview Academy in Kodak, TN. He started working for an excavation company after school and on the weekends when he was 16. He couldn't wait to graduation so he could work full time. He absolutely loves his job.

Alexis graduated with honors and shortly before graduation, she received a scholarship to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. I am so proud of Caleb and Alexis because they both knew what they wanted and went after it. 

As spring turned into summer, I purchased some flowers and a Boston fern for my front porch.

Then I found this rocking chair at a yard sale my friend had. It was $10. Woo hoo! So I bought it and then got the lamp and table from At Home store and made my own little oasis on the porch. 

The porch faces the morning sunrise coming up over the hill. It is a different few everyday. This was the beginning of a beautiful morning that was a bright, sunshiny day.

A few days later, this was the beginning a a day that had some light rain and a minor thunderstorm. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning was true that morning.

A few weeks ago, I went to a 30 mile yard sale. Lots of stops and lots of fun, ending at the state line where my state, Tennesee, meets North Carolina. 

There was an antique store on the state line in Tennesee. But the parking lot was in North Carolina. It was pretty cool. I don't think I ever walked across a state line.  

Between the long yard sale and the antique store at the end I got some good bargains. The tiny yellow nesting chicken was $12 at the antique store. Everything else at various yard sales was a total of yes than $15. It was a great day for bargains.

Then this past Sunday, I went to church and my good friend Gail motioned me over when I got there. She handed me a bag and look what she got me!! I was so thrilled.

And I had the perfect place to put it.

Sorry my post was so long but I had to condense six months into one blog. I'm going to get back to blogging daily and hope you come back soon!

Throwback Thursday

Me and my hip hugger bell bottoms around 1973-1975.

My itty bitty babies. I still can't believe a 90 pound 20 year old could give birth to two little humans and breeze through the whole pregnancy and labor thing like it was a walk in the park.

The old house on Hash Ridge. My niece, Cindi Marie, and my son Christopher Shawn.

After Dad died, Mom moved to town and my brother bought the old home place and added a second story, remodeled it and put wood siding on. These are my nieces, L-R is Amy, Cindi, Tara, Christy, Lori, Emili and my daughter Diana is on the far right.

One of my favorite places to eat when I go home is Stewart's hot dogs. Been there since before I was born and I'm 65 now.

Always get 2 hotdogs and a Stewart's rootbeer. It had been so long since I had this on a trip home, that I had to take a bite immediately...even before I got the pic.

The #1 food item to go home for is Gino's Pizza. This is not like other pizzas. I don't know what it is but they have the best sausage pizza in the entire world.

 

Wacky Wednesday

Welcome to Wacky Wednesday. A place to find some humor, maybe a little laugh or a even just a smile. This is a great place to get over the humdrum feeling of it being "blah" because it is the middle of the week. You are already over it because you probably worked 2 days and now you have to make it through today so can countdown the 2 more days till the weekend. So let me bring a little light and laughter to your Wednesday. First I want to acknowledge the fact that according to wacky and bizarre holiday lists, today is National Kiss a Ginger day.

Who needs a big house or even an apartment. You just need a big room that you can put a small kitchenette in and a bath. This bed can double as sleeping, storage and even sitting to watch TV. How many people do they thing is going to pile into bed with them that they need something this deluxe. At my age, I can barely crawl into my normal queen size bed. I'd have to crawl, scoot and twist just to get to the pillow. And at a cost of over $4500 I'd have to be able to use it for more than just a bed. It definitely falls into the wacky, bizarre category today.

Meet Panic Pete. My next weird entry. Apparently, if you get stressed you simply squeeze his body and his eyes, ears and nose bulge out. Now, I gotta say that sometimes people get on my nerves. And since society frowns on us squeezing their neck till their eyes pop out, maybe Panic Pete would be worth investigating.

Next on my list, well, let's just say there's not a lot to say about this. Just sitting here shaking my head and wondering why? Why do we need bandaids that look like undercooked bacon. It makes me never want to eat bacon again. By far one of the weirdest (and grossest) products I have ever seen.

And my #5 weirdest thing I found today is something that blows my mind. You know when you eat cheese puffs, your fingers get the orange crumbs all over them? Well, here is something to help with that. I couldn't actually find the name so I am going to call them Cheese Puff Dust Busters. First off, half the fun of eating Cheetos is licking all the goody off your fingers when you are done. Second, if you don't want the goody dust on your fingers and you use these "guards", isn't the other hand going to get it all over that hand when you use your fingers to pull them off the hand you ate with. What is the reasoning behind this? If you are that freaked out over cheeto dust on your fingers, the answer is simple. DON'T EAT CHEETOS. This one has me baffled for sure.

Let's take a trip to the 1960's

The Sixties. Hippies. Peace. Love. Bubble Gum pop music. Woodstock. But there were some other great things from the 60's. Some I wish I still had. Some I see in antique stores. One of the things I remember are the way products had freebies in them. Like the Quick Mother Oats that had the Bonnie Blue cup and saucer. Daddy drank his coffee out of one just like this. I still see them in antique stores around here. 

And who remembers when Breeze Detergent came with dishtowels? These were some great towels. 

And then they had some that had face cloths or as we called them in the country, wash rags only we pronounced it "warsh" (and yes I still say warsh).

And one of my favorites. The Campbell Kids. We had to save labels to get them. And I am not sure why I got one. My sister didn't that I can remember. But I love my Campbell soup girl. I think I named her Susie. I loved her played with her all the time. At one point she lost her clothes. I still played with her. Then she lost a hand. I think my brother Jack or the dog bit it off. It was always a little murky as to what happened to her hand. 

And oh my goodness how I loved my record player. We listed to everything on that old record player. We bought the records at either McCroy's or H & L Greens. We had everything from Blue Suede Shoes by Carl Perkins to Bo Weevil by Teresa. Then we graduated to Diana Ross and The Surpremes, Donnie and the Osmonds. We got a lot of miles out of that old player.

And I can't talk about my growing up in the 60's without posting a pic of the Barbie I had. This isn't mine, but it is the type of Barbie I had. 

And did anybody else watch for the mailman to come and bring the Christmas catalog every year when the season rolled around. We used to argue over who got to look at it first. Of course, we went straight to the toys.

And don't get me started on Barbie shoes. There wasn't nothing fancy about them. But they were so little, it was hard to keep track of them. I used to love getting a new Barbie outfit just to see what color of shoes she came with.

And how exciting was it when Jacks started coming in COLORS not just the silver. I loved playing jacks. Oh, and FYI, I have jacks still today. And I can still get in the floor in the kitchen an playing them. Sometimes I get all through my tensies without dropping any.....and I am 65 years old. My philosopy is "If you can still get yourself out of the floor, you are not to old for jacks."

And who remember these vintage enamel pots and pans? The 60's home decor sure did love avocado green, harvest gold and orange. 

Thanks for joining me on my trip to the 60's. What a blast!