It's OK Thursday

That I’m in a funk- cant explain it- just wake up every day like I want to cry but I have no reason to feel that way.  It passes by the end of day (when I go to bed)

I miss my mom. With her living in Montana , I only see her ONCE a year folks.  We talk several times a week but it’s not the same. It’s getting to me.

That I had my first Starbucks this week because I’m trying to watch my budget and it was the most wonderful tasting treat this morning.

I’m so excited to go to the Texas State Fair. I know it’s super expensive just to buy a corndog  and funnel cake plus 16$ admission and parking but  hey it’s only once a year. Not sure what day we’ll end up going but I’m making it a priority.

I have dozens of unfinished crafts/projects/etc to get finished (some to get started) but when I get home I’m a slug and don’t move from the couch.

I’m so excited to work from home tomorrow so that I can sleep in by 30 minutes.

That I really don’t like anything pumpkin- not even the pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks. No pie for me please. Yuck!!

That I just lied to you on the above line because I just remembered I DO like pumpkin seeds toasted and flavored like cinnamon.

That I bitch and moan about my weight but yet continue to have either Cherry Garcia or Butter Pecan ice cream EVERY night.

I’m finally having my cousin Lauren look at my blog for me and see if she can help figure out why my email subscription to my blog isn’t working.

Oh  people, by the way, if you subscribed to receive my blog by email – um, it’s still not working. I’m on it though I promise.

I love my job so much but yet I am ready for the weekend.

That I am relieved not to travel again for the rest of the year due to budget cutbacks but I feel guilty because i wanted to get one more trip in. The flying has become part of me and I’m wondering if that’s what is putting me in a funk.

To my followers who are reading this, Thank you!! It means so much to me , you have no idea.

I am linking up to a new bloghop today. It’s called Welcome Wednesday and I found it on Happy Hour Projects who is one of the hosts. The hop is hosted by Take It From Me and Happy Hour Projects!  Welcome Wednesday is a great way to meet new people and learn new things as well as increase your blog followers! You have to follow both hosting blogs and also the featured blog of the week Stubbornly Crafty. Click on one of the host's names and add your blog to the list. I love finding new blogs to follow and also hopefully gain some new followers.

Have fun!!

Gone Junkin 2 wks in a row! Yeehaw

Last weekend my cuz Lauren and I went to Antique Alley out in Grandview. We got an early start and got out there around 8:30 in the morning. I had an exact address from Ann who also has a blog and Facebook page called Duct Tape and Denim. She lives in California but has a sister who lives in Texas. Ann makes the cutest jewelry and crafts and I was so excited to meet her in person. I actually had an order for some rings and a bracelet that she brought to me instead of having to ship it.  They had a booth set up in field called Faith Meadows and once i put the exact address in GPS, it was smooth sailing getting there.
Lauren and I both had so much fun and you should have seen my truck. Insert music to the theme of Sanford and Son and that's what you would be humming when you saw it. I bought a couple of really big picture frames that i want to use down the road for some pictures at my Dad's ranch. They were only 10$ a piece which i thought was good. I grabbed a nice, heavy window frame with all the glass intact. I cant wait to clean it up. I think i'm going to put pictures behind the panes and hang it in the hallway. I got lots of little odds and ends like some lids to mason jars that you can put a straw in, some paper straws ( to go with my lids), i bought some painted wood pieces for a 1$each, an oversize wine glass for my centerpiece, a vintage metal chair, some jewelry, an iron pig soapstand (dont judge), a few laptop covers that i love, but my one PRIZE that was my icing to the junk cake was the most enormous birdcage i've ever seen. Y'ALL, i think i need counseling for my birdcage addiction. I cant stop buying them. I am so excited for my new one but it needs some cleaning and painting before i bring it inside. It's currently sitting on my back patio. I must admit that i was a little nervous when i had to break the news to my honey that Yes i am bringing home another birdcage. LOL. He took it very gently but i have to slow down on them.
Lauren got some AMAZING deals like a vintage bed frame for : 20$. Yep, you read that correct. Crazy cheap and the lady was super nice that sold it. She said it was her grandmother's old bed. I love meeting the people and hearing the stories. Click on Lauren's name above to read her post on Antique Alley. She posted about it much sooner than i did (obviously). We found this litlle hole in the wall trailer that was turned into a burger shack. Oh my, y'all it was so delish! The burgers were mouth watering and they were hand rolled. It was nice to sit down and eat with some homemade sweet tea and get break from the heat. It got to be near 100 degrees and i was a sweaty mess. A funny part of day was that i found a big and gaudy wood Texas necklace that i bought for Lauren for .50cents. I told her she had to wear it all day and she did. Such a great sport!
Fast forward a week to yesterday and now that means it's First Monday in Canton weekend. Lauren has never been there before since she's new from Georgia but I grew up just a few towns away in high school and college. Heck, my dorm room was decorated by trips to Canton. LOL.  The temps were nothing like last weekend because we're currently having rain storms nonstop. Lauren called to ask if we were still going and i said "oh yes we are"! There are several covered pavilions to walk through out there so i wasnt too worried. The only kicker of the day was that Lauren had plans for later and had to leave Canton by 1pm. That meant we had 4 hours to conquer what we could. Now we still had to go in the rain to go from one covered area to the next. We ended up being drowned rats yesterday but it didnt slow us down. I jumped in every puddle and my feet were pruned by the time i got home. This time we didnt go home with a full truck load but we got a few fun things.  I grabbed the cutest bib for my friends son in Boston. I got some license plate signs for 5$ a piece, a Halloween banner for 7$, some fancy 10$ sunglasses, some old ribbon, and a great carry bag from one of my favorite vendors that also has a cute blog at Girls Gone Junkin.  I LOVE their stuff and have so much fun there. Lauren bought one of their decorated windows from them. I bought my big cross window from them last year and i get tons of compliments. They had a junk clearance cart and i got some fake plastic greenery with a birdnest and bird in it. Hmmm, what birdcage will get that?  There's still so much ground to cover next time we get out to Canton so hopefully it wont be pouring down rain like this weekend. I'll see if i can post some more pics from my garage sale at the Doc's but dont start your timer....
Have a blessed week my friends. Talk to ya soon.

Ann from duct tape and denim, lauren, me (wearing my skull ring)

Cute booths at AA

My awesome birdcage as tall as me

vintage Coca Cola chair i got for 10$

The sweetest pitbull baby for sale but i couldnt buy her

Lauren wearing her Texas necklace that she had to wear ALL day

My truck loaded down and not even the final result

Anyone want to buy a carriage?

My Canton goodies



awesome shirt i wanted to buy but no big enough sizes



Another funny shirt that i saw at same place but small sizes

Still moving on from loss of dear friends

Ok, so you know all about the great loss that happened a month ago when my mom’s best friend and his wife died in a house fire. I don’t know how to link up to my past posts or I would. Well, last Friday 2 of his kids (Amy and Kurt) had a garage sale with all the items that weren’t damaged in the fire. I thought that it would be nice if I could grab a few things that would be sentimental to send to mom.  I drove over there during my lunch hour to look around. You guys, I really had no idea how emotional I was going to get.  It took me by surprise when I was looking through some of the stuff, I burst into tears. I kinda thought it would be sad but nothing like how it was. Our families were so entwined over the years and I just cant imagine the grief that these kids are going through.  I don’t have any pictures of the things I bought but I can post some later. I have already sent a few things this week to Montana because Mom’s birthday is this Sunday and I included them in her gift package. I had called Mom on my way home and told her about the house, the sale, how everyone asked about her, and the items I was able to get for her. We both had a good cry on my way home. Kurt gave me something very special that he wanted Mom to have. The Doc collected all things with wolves and someone had made him a little pillow with a wolf print on it. Kurt said that his dad sat with it every night in his chair behind his back. I also found a wolf collector’s plate, a baseball cap, and a winter cap from UT Austin that I know Mom will like to have. Doc graduated from there was a HUGE Longhorn fan. Mom and the Doc used to also go every year to the Indian Art Show’s when they came to Dallas. Indian stuff was also an interest of Doc so I managed to find a picture of an Indian that seems to be a needle point and framed. That’s too big to send to mom but I told her about it. I’ll get it to her somehow (hopefully in person).

I was very surprised when Kurt handed me a flashlight and unlocked the door to let me have a walk inside the house. I think this where I had my biggest breakdown. I couldn’t help but cry while looking at the devastation and thinking of the utter terror of trying to escape the house. I took a few pics with my phone but it was very dark inside. This house is in a great neighborhood in Dallas and they lived there more than 30 years. I felt honored that Kurt let me in. It's been locked and closed off to everyone (mostly to prevent looters).

I know this isn’t the happiest post but it’s what’s on my heart.  Even though it was tough to see the house and strangers going through my friends belongings, I am appreciative of the things I bought and was able to donate more money to Kurt and Amy.

One angle of the kitchen where fire started

Fire damage

One side of kitchen





Hallway smoked out

The fridge in center had melted metal

Glasses in the cupboard-burned

A link party on Wednesdays and my solution to hot day on the Harley

I found a new link party that takes on Wednesday’s so I thought I would play along. It’s called Follow me Wednesday.

It’s hosted by 3 ladies at  All my love for all my days, Let them Eat cake, and The Domisticated Princess.  You have to follow all the hostesses mentioned to link up.

I’ve already stumbled upon a few  more new blogs that I like.

I cant believe I haven’t told you about all the great finds I came across this past weekend. I’ve been so busy to post about it but I have SO much to tell you.I need to take pictures of some of my goodies.  On Sunday, my honey and I joined some friends of ours and spent all day on the Harley. We rode out to Stephenville to eat at Hard Eight BBQ and it was so yummy. They’re one of my fave places for BBQ and we have one much closer but it’s fun to ride far to eat. Although it’s Fall, we hit high hot temps over the weekend. I wore my favorite Johnny Cash t-shirt and the sleeves felt so heavy and hot on  the ride. We stopped to cool down at another place a few hours later from lunch and I was going to buy one of their tank tops. Unfortunately , they only had mediums and they were “small” mediums. I knew I had a few more hours to go before we made it home and I was having hot flashes off and on too. I asked the waitress if they had any scissors I could borrow and they did. I cut the sleeves off and then used the scraps to tie the end of sleeve through the neck hole to make it more of a tank. I hated cutting up my Johnny shirt but I seriously felt so much better in the blazing heat. I’ll figure out some way to repair when I have some time.

Yum-o BBQ

I'm cooler with no sleeves

A fun swap with sweet gal- Pen Pal Exchange

Yep-Another swap. Up until a few weeks ago I had never participated in a blogger swap. I now have been involved in 2 of them back to back. I signed up for a Pen Pal exchange swap that I found out about from a friend blogger. My swap partner was Janel from Nellie Bellie out of Wisconsin and she is just too cute! Janel is a friendly bubbly gal and I enjoy her blog so much. I love finding new blogs to follow and to also hopefully gain a new follower too.

When we were joining the swap, there was a question we had to answer regarding what 80’s style do we hope never comes back. I replied the banana clip and Janel said scrunchies in the hair. There were plenty more that I could have added like stirrup pants and shoulder pants. Remember those? yikes!

I got a black and red trivet made from checkers with an "H" painted on it and an apron that were homemade. SO CUTE and It doesn’t get better than that. Receiving packages is so fun and especially from a sweet new friend!  I sent some cute notecards, a magnet notepad for the fridge, a wine cork keychain( I made it), and a package of red decorated Kleenex.

I love my gifts. Cute and functional!

Stay tuned, i have to fill you in on my fun weekend but I'll save for a post tomorrow.

Farewell Summer, Hello Fall Linkup

Today is a record for me I think. This is the most i've posted in one week since i started my blog a year ago. I wouldnt have posted today accept that it's my day for all those who participated in the swap, we're supposed to post what we got.

I got paired with Casey who blogs over at Project Girl Get Fit from Chicago.  The swap was to send something you're going to miss about the summer but look forward to the fall. I sent Casey a scarve in her favorite color, a starbucks card for a latte, some nail polish, some Halloween socks, and a pencil box that had owls on it because she loves owls. There might have been a few other small things but i didnt take a picture of all that i sent.

I received from her a pie crust, and can of pumpkin filling, a jar of apple butter, some grill seasoning, a small football, a Halloween bag, some note cards, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, green nail polish, a bag of cotton candy, some apple cider packets and a candle.  Casey is great regarding her blog logo. She sent a keychain and her notecard had her logo on it and i really like that idea. Also, her mailing label was her blog logo too.  I should look into that!

If you live in Texas, have you heard of Antique Alley? My cousin Lauren and our honey's are going there tomorrow and I am so excited. It's 25 miles of crafts, antiques, garage sales, food vendors, etc in 2 different counties (Johnson and Ellis). It's about an hour away from me but we're going to get an early start. Yay! I'll try to take some pics and tell you all about it after the weekend.

What I received from fall swap.