Hooked on Heirlooms

It's an Heirloom Party!

Many of us have beautiful treasures passed down by family and friends...

Our house is full of wonderful items given to us by my family

and Hubby's family...

I think as I continue this wonderful blog journey,

you will be introduced to many of the heirlooms around my house...

...so, instead of showing those today,

I thought I would show you a few that are still at my parents house.

None of them hold any real monetary value,

but they hold priceless memories...

These are two bowls that my Mom uses every Sunday evening for Family Dinner.

They belonged to her Mom... who used them in the same way...

...some day I will use them when I take over Sunday Night Family Dinner.

This is a pie plate that belonged to my Great Grandmother.

It is in my Mom's kitchen, carefully guarded!

It's so strange, on my Mom's side, several of the women collect floral dishes...

not a specific type, or a particular dish...

...just pretty plates with a rose, or a darling bowl with pansies...

This next item is the one that holds the most childhood memories for me...

...it is a big book of nursery rhymes, and fairytales that belongs to my Dad.

He has had it since he was a boy...

when I was growing up, he spent many hours reading

to me from this book.

As I learned to read, I then spent many hours reading from it...

...you can tell that it has been read over and over again...

My Dad now reads to my son from this wonderful book...

...some things never go out of fashion!

The last item to show you is a small vase that belonged to my Grandma.

It was given to her by my Dad...

...when he was a small boy, he found this at....

are you ready---- a garage sale!

I KNOW!

(it's in my blood!)

I love the top of this...

...it has its own flower frog!

I hope you enjoyed my heirlooms...
...if you noticed, I didn't even take them inside my house to photograph.
...my Mom threatened (with love) that if anything happened to them...
...so I unpacked them, photographed them, wrapped them back up...
and Hubby placed back in the car, ready to be returned to the MOM
tomorrow morning!

To see more heirlooms go visit Marie at
Emma Calls Me Mama

http://emmacallsmemama.com/2009/07/heirloom-party-2/

and to see what else people are 'hooked on' - visit

http://hookedonhouses.net/

~Amy

Thrifty Treasures...Seeing RED

A few thrifty treasures... Head over to Kimm's at http://reinventedkb.com/ to veiw other great posts for Thrifty Treasures!

And forgive me for not having any 'after' photos... its raining... laundry is piling up...

but, next week.... I promise... I will have some made over trash...

I had a great garage sale day on Friday... the weather was perfect, there were several sales... so Monkey and I got our change and headed out.

This first picture is of a cute RED headboard we got for $1.00

...this won't be its final resting place... but I stuck it here for now.

Then we came across this RED beauty... again for $1.00

...Monkey test drove it, deemed it to be a winner... and here it sits... stop looking at the weeds in the flower bed.... you know I've been on vacation... it just can't be helped.

Found this little pair of metal wall candle holders for .25

Super cute!

And I LOVE this little pot... complete with faux moss... 25 cents!

We came across another sale that had jeans for $1/pair... found 3 pairs of Levis for Hubby to wear to work. That man will get a rip or hole in his work jeans within the first 2 hours of wearing them..... ugh! I would show you a picture of the jeans, but they are hanging on the line... in the rain. Yes, in the rain.... oh, I didn't tell you that the dryer.... my beloved Harvest Gold Maytag dryer from '73, stopped working? I loved that dryer... and now I'm sure his partner (the washer) will be sad and decide to leave me too... I tell ya, all my friends have new fancy washers and dryers... and laundry centers....

not me..... I NEVER talked bad about my Harvest Gold babies... I never cheated on them and daydreamed of the new fancier versions. R.I.P to my Harvest Gold baby... yes, you are going to be replaced w/ a fancy... shiny... new... updated... computerized model.... but you won't be forgotton. And remember- you went on your terms. I stayed loyal to you.

Have you ever had one of these?

I finally tackled a few little projects that needed to get done! And I'm thrilled to be participating in my very first Monday Metamorphosis!

My first little project is for my darling niece, Jenna. She is having her very important 10th birthday next weekend....

I picked this little message center up at a garage sale.... ever had one of these?

Yep, very 80's posh! I transformed it for Miss Jenna... complete with chalkboard paint.... as if!

Of course... you aren't seeing the whole gift.... this will be adorned with lots of new jewelry for her big birthday! (and maybe a gift card pinned to it too!) Hope she likes it!!

My 2nd quickie project was this little bread pan I plucked out of a 'free box' from a garage sale.

Little rusty... I'm not baking any banana bread in it anytime soon...

instead, I thought it needed a little paint...

Do you like? Just a fair warning now--- I have a 'black and white thing'.... it goes WAAAY back to when I was a little girl. I heart all things black and white! Remember the perfume, Exclamation! In the glorious black and white bottle ??? Well... I sprayed and sprayed that stuff... just so I could get a new bottle.... 6th grade was a very big year for me... 3 bottles alone... (and a cute little boyfriend!)

This bread pan is now going to hold...... well, I'm not sure, but something.... I'm working on a new 'wall' display at the bottom of my stairs... you can bet this will be worked into the new display!

My third quick project for the day is this lovely lady... I found her at a garage sale for $1.00... and while she is a beauty... I really brought her home for the frame...

BECAUSE.... while in Portland last week, Hubby and I were walking in the Nob Hill District when this glorious Black and White VELVET paper jumped out and PULLED us into the store..... I used restraint and only bought one sheet... and here it is in its new frame....

(I warned you about my love of b&w)

NOW you see the inspiration for the new b&w wall..... I could look at it allllllll day!

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

~Amy

Watering the garden with a football

I WILL get something accomplished today…
The weather is so beautiful here. Not at all like the regular July hot and humid weather we normally have in Iowa. Because it is a mild 73 degrees today, I have NO excuse to not weed the garden! The Hubby and Monkey are outside watering everything…. which somehow includes tossing a football around… hmmm???
I better get out there!

Floral Arrangement from the Kitchen

I got this trio of cheese graters at a garage sale. (25 cents) They are super cute holding flowers. The flowers are actually in baby food jars! (I use baby food jars all of the time for different things!)
At night, I put battery operated tea lights in the base and the light shows through the little holes!

Flowers from my Dad's garden!
I just love JUNK!

I've linked this up to Becky at Beyond The Picket Fence for her first party!

The Joy Of A Clean Fridge

Sooooo….. Been back from the trip since early Saturday morning… and the suitcases are still sitting in the middle of the dining room- unpacked. Taunting me every time I walk by… they are really ticking me off! The suitcases must not be harassing anyone else, because the Hubby and little Monkey seem to have NO problem walking past them over and over… Augh!!! What is it about traveling that gives you such a hangover? I cannot seem to get motivated. I loaded the dishwasher, but just couldn’t bring myself to unpack those darn things. When packing one of the big suitcases, Hubby discovered my shiny silver flats that I had been looking for FOREVER! They were still in there from a weekend trip we took in November. After the discovery, I had to change of a few of the outfits I was taking so that I could wear my beloved shoes…Hubby made a few remarks about if I loved the shoes so much, why had I left them in the suitcase to begin with… Of course, I am now realizing that I have a suitcase unpacking disorder. There is no other explanation for it. Wouldn’t you agree? Surely, I am not alone in this???
On a positive note- Monkey’s suitcase came home w/ all clean clothes, thanks to my parents! That was such wonderful news when we went to pick Monkey up from G & G’s…. “by the way- we did a load of laundry last night, and all of his clothes are clean”………… Thanks Mom and Dad!
And------- our dog sitter cleaned out our fridge. I don’t mean, she threw expired stuff away- I mean CLEANED it out…. Took everything out, scrubbed it… wiped everything down. Amazing. When we got home very early Saturday morning, she told us, and I’m telling you---- there might have been tears in my eyes! I was so tired from traveling, and possibly delirious…. and when I looked in that fridge, I was beside myself! That is a job that I despise…. and one that I had been putting off! Thanks so much to Aunt Penny for not only taking such good care of our fur babies, but for scrubbing down the fridge, I couldn’t have asked for anything better!

Menu Planning Monday!

7-13-2009

I'm participating in my first MPM!!!

Breakfasts will consist of: cereals, fruits, and most likely a donut here and there for Monkey!

Lunches will be- soups, mac & cheese, BLTs and grilled hotdogs.

I'm also going to try to throw in: a batch of homemade veggie dip, and a Peach Cobbler! (We'll see!)

Monday- Breakfast for dinner! Biscuits & Sausage Gravy

Tuesday- Homemade Pizza (Monkey loves to make his own mini-pizza now)

Wednesday- Cheeseburger Potato Soup and homemade bread

Thursday- Leftovers!

Friday- Grilled Chicken Breasts (marinated in Italian Dressing) and Potatoes on the grill w/ Sweetcorn!

Saturday- Mexican Food! Tacos, nachos & burritos.

Sunday- Dinner w/ parents

Hopefully, we will stick with the menu this week!

Wishing you all a wonderful, stress-free week in the kitchen!

~Amy

Panicking all the way to Portland!

Happy 4th of July!

Old rusted motel chair that I spruced up a few years ago!

And our faithful lab that greats us at our gate when we come home!

Well, the sun is down, and our skies are lighting up! And we are once again missing all the fun, as we are traveling this holiday- for the 2nd year in a row! UGH! Not only do I have serious travel anxiety, but we are missing the great holiday of the summer! Monkey is already at G&G's for the week... and hubby is now walking around the house, lost w/o him! The dogs are going nuts because of the fireworks... and I'm hiding in here... typing away!

I'm trying to calm down and relax before heading to the airport. Flying is not the problem... the problem is being away from my home, my son... my comfort! I don't mind a few days... but anymore than 3 days away, I start to get a little panicky! It's not the pillow, or my bed... but the sounds, the feeling... the familiar faces that I miss when I'm away. Don't get me wrong- I love to go and do and see and explore.... just not for more than 3 days! LOL

Okay- hubby found me.... he is now giving me that look.... the look that means, we still have a few things to do... why are you blogging! ha ha.... I need to go find a few 'jobs' to keep him occupied for awhile!

Enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend... I'll be panicking all the way to Portland!

~Amy

Christmas Jackpot and wounded pride!

Friday …. at last!
It’s been a day of mishaps, that is for sure! In order to get my main girl, G, to go junking with me, I had to promise to bring our fave junking food, PUFFS. The bakery at our local grocery store makes them… and we are ADDICTED! My darling hubby went to the store bright and early for me…. And NO PUFFS! AUGH!
In spite of that, we rallied and headed out. There weren’t a lot of choices today due to the holiday… I found some brand new clear ornaments (that will be painted or filled with treasures), a very rusted muffin pan and a cute little corkboard that will be darling with some new paint… spent $1.50. Hit another sale, nothing… and then- we stumbled upon a sale at one of our old elementary schools. The whole gym was full! They were wanting to unload it all… $3 per/bag! JACKPOT! I hauled 4 bags out of there. One bag was full of nothing but books… 57 books + 2 Wiggles DVD’s to be exact. That made each book/movie 5 cents a piece! I got books for my little monkey, my niece and a couple of vintage books to use for projects! Get this, 17 of the books were… American Girl! Score!!! I also hauled out a ton of Christmas items… many of them, brand new!
Soon after getting home, the hubby got called out for work. (poor guy got called out at midnight last night too). There go the plans to ‘get stuff done’ before vacation! I decided to forge on without him and went out to gather up all the pots of flowers. I thought I should put them in one location to make watering easier for our house/dog sitter…. All was going smooth, then- BAM! In my classic ‘ballerina fashion‘, I tripped over my own shoe and down I went. Picture- dirt flying.. my poor flowers wilting before my eyes… my dogs running over to me, trying to ‘help‘ me by licking my face….. sigh! I’m now sitting here feeling sorry for myself… no hubby to baby me… can’t even call my mom and whine to her because she’s out of town. Sniffle… I know- put on my big girl panties, and deal with it!
It has just started to rain. I’m not even going to lie- I’m secretly okay with it. The rain will force me to stay inside tonight and ‘get stuff done’! The hubby, informed me this morning that he has packed all of his stuff. Riiight! I got out my LIST and of course, he had missed several crucial items. (I’m now threatening to put the LIST on the bathroom door again!) I won’t give him too much grief though, because while I was out junking with G, he did laundry! I hope this vacation goes better than the preparation for it has gone! I’m told the shopping and food in Portland is wonderful… I’m sure hoping! I’ll be on my own all day while the hubby is in meetings!
I’m going to go and nurse my wounds from the fall… which really just consist of a scraped knee and some wounded pride!

I LOVE Shiny Brite ornaments!

And PINK... my signature color!

With all the goodies I crammed into my bags, I calculated each item

cost approx. 7 whole cents! 7 cents for a box of Shiny Brite... I'm in heaven!

Zippers, ribbon and an unopened bag of pink string beads...

I feel many projects coming on!

More treasures... hatboxes, snow picks, glittery snow...
what a bargain!


A brand new pillow to hang over a doorknob...
and a super cute dogbone basket!
Each item ... 7 cents!

Butterfly nets and my friend Georgia

I've had a day of 'nets'. Nets to catch frogs... and a stroll down memory lane- thinking about 5th grade when my class made butterfly nets and did a chapter on butterflies.

Man, was I into it! I even ordered a book about them from the local bookstore.

As much as I loved the chapter on butterflies... it didn't compare to the love my friend, Georgia, had for them.

And to this day....many years later- she still loves them, and has passed her love for them on to her daughter.

Georgia and the kids came over for an afternoon swim today and it was only fitting that these two little butterflies joined us!

Pretty!

Butterflies LOVE coneflowers.
I have them planted right outside of the office window...
I can sit and watch them all day!

Blog Blog .... Blog? Here we go...

Okay friends-
Here we go, the first official post on the new blog...yikes!

So here I sit... wasting time at the computer!
Along with the usual BORING daily 'chores'... I need to get my butt in gear and PACK already. Okay, I don't need to actually put the clothes in the suitcase... but I should at least be putting them in piles, and checking them off of the list. (YES- I am a self-admitted LIST MAKER)
And who knows how many of the items 'on the list' are actually sitting in laundry baskets... clean? Doubtful- guess I really need to do some serious laundry.

I am blogging at the suggestion of friends and family... I have been 'journaling' for the past couple of years... the following is taken from a journal before our trip last year. Written by me on July 3, 2008-- hope you enjoy!

Dear Friends and Family-
Oh, the family vacation! Jackson is driving cross country to California with my parents this week. (because they are crazy!) And Jase and I are flying out at the end of the week. We have known about this trip for about three years, and yet it still snuck up on me. I have made lists, piles, more lists and still don't feel ready! I think the real kicker on this one, is that my STUFF, along with Jase's stuff is also leaving with my parents. We are flying out with ONLY ourselves...and, oh yeah, a bag full of goodies from Jaarsma's Bakery. While it will be nice having no luggage in an airport, it proved to be somewhat of a challenge for me. When I got down to the business of the actual packing, I did what any good mom would do...I cleared off the dining room table and taped the lists to the bathroom door. I thought the bathroom door idea was pretty clever...ya know, a spot that my husband was sure to see the lists. I taped it right at his eye level....can't open the bathroom without seeing THE LISTS! (or so I thought) I'm sure you know where this is heading. At some point into the packing (a few days later, that is) my dear husband finally noticed the list. It occurred to him that, by golly, we were going on a trip, and he needed to round some stuff up! I need to interject at this point that, normally, my husband is very helpful around the house. His mom raised him right! However, he started questioning the list..........can you imagine? Why do we need to take this? Why do we need to take that?....oh the nerve... sweet boy. Had I let him make the lists, we would have ended up several states away from home with just a pair of skivvies, some gatorade, and maybe a tent. And no, we would have NO use for a tent, as we are staying at hotels. Anyway- I charged ahead with the packing. I got Jack packed. His big bag of clothes, plus his 'hotel bag' that he will use while on the road....I packed his beach toys, his nebulizer, toy bin, books, crayons.....lawn chair. You name it, I packed it! I even had his pair of jammies ready to go that he is wearing tonight and the first several hours of his road trip tomorrow morning! Then I moved on to packing myself....here is where I reach the dilemma...I have to pack all my things and not see them again for 4 whole days. I'm sure you women understand this...what if I need my turquoise shirt with the scoop neck...or my white linen pants in these 4 days???....of course, we all know I won't need them...but what if I do??? Sigh. Oh well, I'll just wear a tee shirt around the house, my wedding ring, layer on the deodorant and call it good for 3 days, then on day 4, I'll put on my 'plane outfit' and be off. I know, I know....I have more clothes and a backup deodorant, but it's like a weird personal standoff with my 'stuff'....like I'm a victim...nothing to wear, all my 'stuff' is on a road trip across the country.
Can I also just tell you that I am doing a two week trip with only 4 pairs of shoes?!?!?!? Thank you! I know!!!!! It was very strategic outfit coordinating on my part........now, the 4 purses, well, that just couldn't be helped! I will not sacrifice the right handbag in the name of travel!
Here is what is weird when packing for a vacation.......I started 'needing' things that I don't normally need. For instance, I packed a white headband...just in case. Just in case what? I don't wear headbands...sort of like, I packed all sorts of crazy make up that I won't use. Like all of a sudden I might need mint green shimmer eyeshadow...perhaps when I go to the beach??? Anyway, I packed myself, it's over.
On to my husband's crap. It's like this- shorts, skivvies, undershirts, polo shirts, flip flops, grooming junk- and we're good..........but no. We are going on this trip because we are going to the Elks National Convention...so now I have to factor in, everything 'dress' for him. Shirts, ties, jackets, pants...etc. Okay fine. So I got him packed. And guess what happens...........my dear sweet husband notices the lists.........now suddenly, he is coming up with all sorts of stuff that he might need while away from home. Things like, a book. ??? Um, what? And then comes the golf socks. Hmmm...I'm pondering this. Why does one need their golf socks while going to a bunch of meetings and perhaps the beach? OH.............this idiot thinks he's gonna 'sneak' his golf clubs into the car. >>>>this is where you laugh<<<<>
Here, is when we reach another 'crossroads' of the packing process. See, it is our car that is making this voyage. Therefore, my husband will be packing our stuff.............but then....the car goes to my parents house, where now my dad will be adding their stuff. Yep, a manoff....a male standoff..........My dad versus my husband. Holy........okay, it didn't get too bad, why? Because my husband respects my dad and realized he was the one actually driving the car, so therefore, let him do it his way. Whew.
But then....we get to the actual 'staging' of all things Jackson inside the car. I have it figured in my head. I want him to sit here, his toys are there, the cooler is here, my mom is there..........not so. My mom has her own ideas. So, here we go again! Of course, I'm not as cooperative as my husband, so my mom and I have a well...uh, do I dare say, a disagreement. :) Of course, I know she will change it all around, as she should! After all, she is the one making the three day journey on the road with my child. She'll just let me think its being done my way. She's the best!
Well, I guess we're all packed. My baby and parents are leaving very early in the morning. What will I do for 4 days? Of course I'll worry a lot, miss them a lot. I do have a plan...it includes cleaning, sleeping in, a pedicure....doing things that are hard to do with a two year old running around....will that happen? Who knows. I'm just glad that damn packing process is over! I'm not going to think about it again....well, until it is time to come home!
I say all of this with love, I am thrilled to be going on this trip. I am excited to attend the convention with my husband. I am giddy to go to Disneyland and Sea World and view all things great through the eyes of my child....I thank all of you parents that hauled us around when we were kids! I'm on the other end, and now realize what it takes to go on that 'great family vacation'. I wish you all a fun and safe 4th of July holiday. I will be sure to tell Mickey and Shamu 'hi'.........
Until next time,
Amy
PS- do you really think I won't have a carry on bag for the plane? I bet I end up realizing that I might need to take more shoes, a different perfume, and those stupid golf socks after all!

So- blogging... why? It's not like I'm going to share any 'Breaking News'... I'm not an 'expert' on anything... why am I blogging? Beats me! Do I need to 'share' helpful hints or something???
Kind of like a reward for reading my blog? Ha Ha... hmmm.....
Thanks for reading my first post!!!
~Amy