Junk shed explosion....

Junk...as far as my eyes could see!

Inside...during reorganization...whoops! Buried the washer...again!

Cool junk...I forgot I had that little red table! Oh, and that adorable child size folding chair...still needs a seat!

New piles...at least now I can see what's there!

My little work area...I can actually find a phillip's head screwdriver!! I'll show you all the goodies in that old muffin tin in my next post...junk heaven!!

Well, it didn't really explode, but my hubby said that was what the back yard looked like when I got this out-of-the-blue burst of energy on Memorial Day. Actually on Sunday, I had to get a suitcase and a potty chair out of the shed, and risked life & limb to do so! The suitcase was W-A-Y in the back and I thought I could just dig down to it...yeah, right! The piles started to shift and slide, so I grabbed the case and slammed the door...until Monday morning when hubby asks "Are you doing laundry today?". Long story short, I headed out to the shed with said laundry in basket, and opened the door , only to be reminded that I could not get to the washer! Damn!!! So...it was either reorganize the shed, or toss in one short stick of dynamite! Within 15 minutes it looked like my shed had exploded, spewing furniture and junk all over the yard! Spent 3 hours emptying, tossing and restacking, while along the way getting reaquainted with some pretty neat things that I had totally forgotten about...one of the bad parts of being a packrat AND getting older, you forget what you've dragged home! Took a whole load of stuff to Goodwill on Tuesday , and put out a pretty good pile by the side of the road for trash day on Wednesday. My hubby was impressed, although he still thinks there's way too much stuff in the shed....but hey, it's my shed and now I even have a place to work on some little projects...I'm impressed!! I found all kinds of neat little things that were tucked here and there, and I can hardly wait for my next day off so I maybe can actually create something instead of just messes! Hope you had a great weekend...bye for now. *elaine*

Blog Awards...finally....drumroll, please!!

• I know I said I'd be back last week with my list of 10 bloggers to pass these 2 awards on to. The week kind of got away from me, so here I am, finally with my list. Not easy to pick 10...I have so many favorites! To these 10 bloggers...thank you for making me smile...or laugh...or even cry with your posts. You inspire and amaze me with all your talent! Now you need to pass this on to 10 of your favorites, and tell us 10 things about yourself that we may not know. 1. Sharon @ Sweet Repose 2. Sue @Vintagesue 3. Shara @ Monkeybox 4. Sher @ Old Time Me Artist aka Grinnin Grandma 5. Ki @ Junk Camp 6. Cherry @ Bits & Pieces 7. Lulu & Laurie @ 2 Chippy's 8. Margo @ Margo's Junkin' Journal 9. Sue @ Vintage Rescue Squad and last, but not least, Debbie @ Talking Trash (back at ya, girl) Gonna end this right here, as blogger is giving me fits this morning, and I don't want to drive myself totally nuts!! I'll be back later with the shots of my shed explosion...er, reorganization.... Have a great Sunday morning!! PS I don't quite understand the "linky thing" , but you can check out any of these great blogs from my sidebar. They're all there!! *elaine*

Memorial Day Thanks & Prayers

I just want to take a moment, on this Memorial Day, to say thank you to all the men & women who are putting their lives on the line for this country and our way of life. I realize this has been, and continues to be, a difficult time for many citizens...but these times will get better for us. For those in other countries, their hopes of things ever getting better are so small. So my prayers and my thanks go out to all the folks still fighting for freedom and those who lost their lives while fighting for the same goal. We salute you, and pray for your safe return to the arms of your loved ones. Happy Memorial Day! *elaine*

Ten Things About Me...

1. In 6 months, I will be...OMG...55!! Isn't that just a number on the speed limit sign?? I know they say you're only as old as you feel...and age is just a number... and all that other stuff...but some mornings I look in the mirror (note to self...don't look before coffee!!) and I see the wrinkles and the not-so-brown hair and think "What the heck happened!!"
   2. My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. I was born on Thanksgiving eve...weighing in at a svelte 10 pounds and change...sorry Mom!! So, Mom always called me, fondly I like to think, her Thanksgiving turkey. What I really like about it is that every 6 or 7 years my birthday falls on the same day. This whole turkey thing has given way to a batch of new junk...i LOVE turkey plates, and old chalk ware turkeys, and have a nice assortment of vintage turkey planters...guess when that number went over 12 it became an official collection!! Gobble, Gobble!!
   3. I live in jeans...maybe a holdover from my "old hippie days"or just because I really like denim. I like it new, or old and faded and patched, straight leg, boot cut, shorts or skirts...I just like jeans. Fortunately my job allows me to wear whatever I like, except shorts, so it's jeans and T's or funky Hawaiian print shirts. I'll never be a "fashion diva"...give me comfort any day!
   4. I love to curb shop. In a previous post I blamed my Mother for this quirk...but I think I have to take responsibility for this all on my own! I cannot drive down a street on trash day without scoping out the piles! On Monday, I make sure the back of the Blazer is clear of junk...just in case I find a big treasure! I know I embarrassed my sons when they were younger by pulling up to a promising pile a block from school...and my sweet hubby definitely does not understand. With all the "Going Green" going on in the world now, I think I'm actually being a responsible re-user!!
   5. My favorite food for the midnight munchies has got to be "Moosetracks" ice cream. Love it!! Have to buy it in small cartons, cause I don't even bother with a bowl. Don't want to be accused of eating a whole half gallon while watching reruns of Law and Order at 12 AM !!!
   6. I adore the beach, but I don't like to swim in the ocean. I'll walk for miles at the edge of the water... sit for hours soaking up the sunshine and watching the waves crash on the shore...but swimming? Nope...not happening! This has actually developed as I've gotten older...no good explanation that I can think of...fear of sharks or jelly fish? Maybe it's fear of the dreaded bathing suit! HAHHH!
   7. I've never been out of the US...unless you count 2 very brief visits to Canada. I would love to go to Italy (hubby's Italian) and eat my way through every region. Love Italian cooking!!
   8. I am married to a carpenter, but like the shoemakers children who go barefoot, I live in a mobile home. I'm not a big fan of manufactured housing, but buying our property during a recession dictated our decision. We still dream about building a cute little house on the lake, but now we're in another recession...depression??!!? On the back burner once again.
   9. I'm secretly (not any more!) in love with Keith Urban. I know... he's young enough to be my son, but hey, a girl can dream can't she? If I was 20 years younger I would give Nicole Kidman a run for her...Oh who am I kidding? I just love his music, his guitar playing, his energy on stage...the wrist tatoo...oh get over it Elaine!!
   10. My ultimate dream...the big one on the bucket list...is to win the lottery..quit my job...buy a camper and just take off across the country. My hubby and I did a cross country trip, in a VW bus, in the 70's and it was one of the best times in my life. Meeting new people and waking up in a different place every day...just the freedom and experiences we had along the way makes me want to do it again!
   So, that's my 10 things about me...got to be the longest post I've ever written! My 2 typing fingers are tired and my eyes are crossing...so my list of 10 favorite blogs will have to wait till tomorrow. I'm off to rummage around the freezer. I know there's a pint of Moosetracks in there somewhere!! *elaine*

Two..count 'em..2 awards in one day!!

After a couple of hours of PC frustration, I was finally able to access most of my morning coffee blogs. Imagine my delight when I got to one of my all time favorites...Talkin' Trash...and found that Deb had given me two very cool awards. And not only that, but my name was one out of 10 that Deb picked for 1 raffle ticket in the Bella Bucks Raffle!! If you haven't heard of this, you need to check it out on Junk Sistas blog. The only thing I have to do is pass the awards on to 10 other deserving gals...and post 10 things about myself...and this could be harder than I thought! I'm having a crazy day off, so I think I'll tackle this project in 3 parts...show the awards first, and after picking up my 2 cats from the Cat Protection Society where they were neutered and spayed on Wednesday, I'll post my list of 10 things about me. Part 3 will be choosing 10 bloggers to pass this on to. I have so many favorites, picking 10 ain't gonna be easy!! Off to pick up the felines, and I'll be back soon. *elaine*

junk bonanza!!

Ohh...the yard sales were good to me this week, and I wasn't even trying. Didn't look any ads up in the local Pennysaver...and left the house on Friday morning with very little cash. I hit the jackpot at my first sale...1st sign said "yard sale", but the sign out front said "Estate Sale"..hhmmm. Little old house with lots of junk...er...cool stuff in the carport, so I hit that, the laundry room and the back shed before I even went into the house. All the good stuff was in the shed!! Found the red & white enameled basin, the galvanized milk box, and the turpentine pot...$1 each!! Score! Now, in case you're wondering "what in heck is a turpentine pot?"...it's the tall clay pot that looks like a flower pot, but it's not. It has no hole in the bottom, but does have a hole in one side where it hung from a nail on a pine tree and collected sap, which was then made into turpentine. They were made of very poor quality local clay, so very few have survived intact. This one is in beautiful condition! I saw my first pots like this at a small museum of Lake County history at our local court house. That was about 18 years ago when we were buying our property, and I decided that I had to find at least one of these pots. In 18 years, I've only come up with 6...so they're not easy to find. Most were left behind in the woods, and many of them ended up in bits & pieces. So... there's a little Central Florida history for you! The other goodies in the photos were found at my favorite thrift shop...the checkers and the cool dice...$1.00...and at one yard sale that I went back to a second time this morning, cause he said he'd have more out today. Don't usually do a second trip to the same sale, but was glad I did...found the cute Noddy Elve books, the metal milk crate, and the old rusty iron this morning. Spent a whole $4.50 at this guys sale...oh, also the little cardboard boxes with vintage dividers, and neat letters. Two sizes, 2 colors with punctuation and stars, They were originally marked $3.50 a box and I got both for $1...fed my letter obsession and saved some cash! Takes so little to make me happy! Oh...see that rounded rusty thing on top of the green and brown pot?? Anyone know what that might be? It has holes in it, so I was guessing a strainer of some sort, but it doesn't have much of a handle to hold onto. Whatever it is, it's wonderfully rusty and a steal at a dime! So that's the junkin' for today! My son's coming over for chicken on the barbie with homemade coleslaw, and some wonderful candy corn that's been popping up at our local market...Yum! If we don't get the grill going, we're gonna be eating just the coleslaw for dinner!! Time to fire it up! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend...Enjoy! After dinner I'm going to play with my new letters...I'm seeing maybe a sign for the 4th of July...with the red and blue letters and the stars? Now I'll have to go raid the chippy, peeling wood pile in the shed. I'll let you know what I come up with!! *elaine*

Happy Mother's Day!!

Just a quick post to wish all you Moms a very special Mother's Day! I've met so many awesome Moms on my trips through blog-land. As far as I'm concerned, you are all amazing, incredible & talented women...and I hope all your kids know just how lucky they are to have you for their Mothers!! Okay...enough gold stars! Check out this poem "To My Mother". I found it years ago at a flea market, and was going to give it to my Mom...never had that chance, so I'm sharing it with you. Have a great day, ladies! *elaine*