Friday, July 31, 2009

Garage Sales are the best

I didn't realize how well I liked finding deals until this summer and even more fun is envisioning what it could be with a new coat of paint or give it a new use besides what it's designed for. I thought I'd show you a few finds that made my heart skip a beat.

Here is a yucky gold mirror and two vases that tug on my heartstrings and beg for fresh flowers.

Now here's the mirror that I seen as a fun apple green accent for the living room. Also remember the large round mirror that I used as a coffee table for awhile, it's still in the same finish but moving it to a new area gives it new life. I am considering painting it but so far I like it brown and rugged. Check it out here as a coffee table.




Here it is closer so you can see the detail in the frame, of course I had to rough up the new paint treatment, that's just what I do.


Now here's my finds from today. I took Shan and the kids out of town for a doctor appointment and very close to the clinic were tons of.... yeap you guessed it, garage sale signs. I had a whimper in my voice and told Shan we were going after the appointment. Her suggestion was for me and El to go while her and Garrett were at the clinic for an hour and a half appointment..... super "can you jump out as I roll past the door?" I got a jacket and purse to match my house decor, every girl needs clothes to match her house. Check it out here.

Then I was looking for a box to hold my make up on my make up stand, I wanted something with a cover so it wouldn't get dusty and I also wanted it to be pretty. After a coat of paint, a fun design or words and a little re-do on the inside this twenty-five cent jewelry box will be great. Then El found a bring pink one that will work great at two upcoming weddings we have and it was also a quarter.



Then I found a old tool tray that was full of spiderwebs and had small little compartments that needed to find a new home in my garden or maybe this fall move into the livingroom, after he gets a fresh coat of paint to hold magazines, candles, jars, beads, flowers.... hummm yeap and it was only $1 and it said Earl on the side of it. The little old lady told me "I hope it holds your tools just like it did my husbands".... ahhhh yeah, that's right it will.

A chair for 1 dollar, I see these in magazines all painted with fun colors all the time.... MINE!!

Then the item that made me pee my pants, I was late for picking up Shan and El was begging me not to go to this one but I was right there and it would only take me a second. There it was right at the opening of the tent.... a clay fire chimney. OMG and the price was only $50, do you know how much these are new? I never deal at garage sales, I just pay the price they want but I thought what the heck lets try a deal.

Me - "I'll give you $30 for the fireplace"
Man - "I'll have to ask the boss"
Man - "Hey, wanna take 30 for the fireplace?"

Boss - "Ummmmmm"
Man - "Do you want to get rid of it"
Boss - "Fine"
Me - {peeing my pants} "I'll get the truck"

Here are my last 3 finds, and Shan didn't even care that I was 15 minutes late. I love deals and I'll be sure to update you with the finished projects.



Tuesday, July 28, 2009

House Update


Since I haven't shown you the wide view with the column being stained and the table painted here is a look into our space.



I love the updates and now living in an old house is so homey and the character you get cannot be repeated, if you want to remember what we started with go here or here. Now I have to start saving my loose change for hardwood flooring throughout the entire downstairs. When we moved into this house there were hardwood floor throughout both floors and we have managed to cover them all except in Adam's bedroom (I painted that one). My only dilemma is what to do with the steps, John doesn't like my idea of rebuilding them so I'll have to do some magazine shopping and find the perfect solution.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Summer time with the grandkids

Elly - Age 6
* Elly finished her first season of soccer.
* She liked the games but not practice.
* She is not aggressive enough to get in there and kick like the other kids.
* If another kid fell down or got hurt she would stop and ask them if they were okay.
* She made lots of new friends and one BFF, this weekend she spent the night at her house.



Garrett - 8 months
* Garrett got used to his nightly naps in the stroller during the games.
* We loved spending the time with him twice a week, we're gonna miss him now.
* He's a momma's boy, we had to keep Shan out of his sight and she had to keep quiet or he'd whine for her.
* Grandpa loves his little boy.



Mallory - 7 weeks
* It's time to smile and coo
* Mallory is recognizing voices and faces.
* She's gaining a little weight, she's not so fragile anymore.


Monday, July 20, 2009

Flower Walk

I thought I’d take you on a flower walk since almost all the lilies are blooming.   Of course it just got done raining and I’ll tell you the names of them if I remember.  I don’t remember this one’s name and it’s a huge flower.

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Moonbeam Coreopsis

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Volunteer Petunias that are coming up inside my bricks on the front steps.  I have problems with plants coming back from their seeds of last year. 


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This Lilly is so white until the pollen gets blown around on them.  I guess I can’t remember many of their names, I should have taken notes while I took them or stop being so lazy and walk back out there to look at their tags.

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Salsa

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Dancing Eyes

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Shirley

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America

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Coneflowers are getting close

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Some stray Lupines are still blooming and Pink Poppies in the back…. don’t worry they are in the garden that I don’t care about so they can grow as much as they want.

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Purple Loosestrife

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Gara – This is an annual that I put in my pots…. I love this stuff.

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That’s what I have so far, there are tons more out there so if you’d like to come take a real walk just give me a call, with the cooler July weather I have plenty of plants to share with you yet (besides the Lilies, I don’t share them).

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Big Blue Eyes and El's Hugs

Anyone wanna go for a swim in these eyes? I don't remember El's being this blue, she did have big blue eyes but I think Garrett has hers beat.



Elly with more hugs see here this one I took when the game wasn't going on..... those silly girls, they kinda look alike and the only thing they have alike is their mom and grandma's name is the same.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Misc. Happenings

I have a hard time updating this blog for a number of reasons.  1) I tell you just about everything about this family on my POTD blog.  2) I spend so much time outside and my battery is dead on this laptop so I’m stuck on the couch when I blog.  3) I don’t Photoshop the pictures I put on this blog and I have a hard time with SOOC pictures.  4) Why won’t my camera flip the portrait pictures when it downloads???, no matter what I tried and read the manual 50 times I still can’t get them to flip so I have to do them all by hand when they are downloaded  5)  I’m lazy!!??!!

Here’s a few random photos for this random post.  Shawna, Elly, “M” and “L” at the 4th of July party.  We had corn on the cob and the kids loved it.

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Elly in Ed and Jeannie’s big pool all by herself (don’t worry I was watching her, I’m kinda a freak when it comes to kids swimming), the rest of the kids got tired of swimming but not her.

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John and I with Mallory, she’s getting so big.  She had Elly’s 4th of July outfit on before this one…. I seen this little girl in 4 outfits on this day, she’s all girl…. or her Mommy is

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Garrett crawling… sniff, sniff

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Elly in her little pool which she insisted she wasn’t too big for….. she did play in it for hours.

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Garrett sporting his first haircut

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Garrett and Shannon with his present from Auntie Sharon and Uncle Bruce. 

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Having these two presents on my table for a week has been driving me crazy I wanted to open them and see what Sharon made them but I waited until Elly was here to open Garrett’s for him.  Then after Shan got here and loved it, wanted one for Elly we decided that Elly could open Mallory’s too since Mallory is too young to open presents.  I love them and getting presents from the Wells family is always so much fun, my sister Sharon is a very talented person…. why did I only get half that much talent?  She showed me pictures of her garden pond while she was here and now that is all I can think about…. I am drawing up the plans now and have already started ripping up the back garden.  Sharon I’ll show you the progress on here when it actually looks like I’m getting somewhere.

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Well that’s enough Misc for one post.