Touched by Blogging Angels

I just wanted to take a moment to say Thank You! to all of my newfound blogging friends who took time from their busy lives and left such heartfelt & inspirational comments on my last post. I was feeling so shattered the day I wrote that, but your almost instant responses lifted my spirits more than you can imagine! Prayers, hugs and reassuring words that made me feel so much better! Our crisis is still brewing, but I know I can find the strength that I need to deal with it as it comes my way. It's funny...when I tell people I blog, they look at me a little strangely...and sometimes ask why I would spend my time on the computer talking to folks I've never met, & may never meet, about junk...and life...and more junk, or whatever. I don't really know how to explain it...but I do know one thing for certain. Since I have been blogging, I have "met" some of the most genuine, caring, talented women I have ever had the good fortune of "meeting"! Thank You, Ladies...I'm not naming names...ya'll know who you are.... *elaine*

Lemonade?

I was not sure if I would be able to post anything this week...my family has had a terrible week, and I am still under a black cloud of mammoth proportions. I won't go into all the gory details, but suffice to say due to poor decisions made by our youngest son, a hole has been torn in our family that may never be able to be mended. I've been walking around in a fog all week....crying and wailing and wondering where we went wrong in his upbringing. Now that I am literally cried out, I know it's not what we did, or didn't do. Once our children reach adulthood, they make their own choices & decisions, and we have to hope that we have given them a strong foundation, and the wisdom to make the right choices. In many cases, despite our guidance and stability, they still make the wrong decisions. The ones made by our son will affect us for many years to come. In the meantime, I cannot, will not allow his mistakes to put me under. I know I am strong and I have to continue to figure out how to be stronger. We have all gone through difficult times, and we have asked others for their prayers & support...so I'm asking for that now for my family. We need all the strength and help that we can receive to get us through this terrible situation. On a somewhat lighter note, I found this lemonade sign at a yard sale on Friday. The family having the sale had lost their wonderful country home to foreclosure. So I bought several things, and probably paid too much, but my heart was breaking for this lovely family. It reminded me of all the blessings in my life that I am so grateful for, and also was a stark reminder that just when you think life can't be any worse, you find some one who is suffering even more. So, this morning I hung my lemonade sign on my porch, and painted the "Lemons?" sign to add to it. This will be my mantra for now & in the future...as I try to pull my family back together, with a smile on my face...not tears... during this crisis. *elaine*

Minimum Junk...Maximum Wildflowers!

Front fence gone wild!

Gloriosa lily & Honeysuckle

Pretty isn't it?

Love the colors!

Check out the adorable birthday baby in the old photo! I'm seeing a cute vintage birthday card in the making with this one!

Happy Friday everybody. Once again, I have an unusual day off...am never home on Friday, but my part-time lady can't work tomorrow...this time of year, I'll take what I can get!! Had hoped there would be some good sounding sales in the Pennysaver, but the best sounding one is on Saturday! So, I'm spending the day at home. Did get to one interesting sale on Thursday, but I think I missed most of the good stuff...too late. Managed to find the cute little piece of metal garden fencing...old? Don't know, but I like the patina on it. Also got the 1946 book "Drawing Dogs"...falling apart, but nice little pencil illustrations. As I walked down the driveway, spied the little brown transfer ware plate under some trash...spent a whole 1.60 at this sale. Still had $ to spend :o} so went to my favorite thrift shop. Found this cute red tablecloth for 1.00...too bad I missed the 4th of July with this one...It's so red and picnic-y looking...Oh well, there's always next year! The rest of my pics, as well as my new header, are pictures of my front fence gone wild. We live out in the boonies...my hubby built this fence years ago, and this year the wild honeysuckle & the gloriosa lilies have taken over! I'm really enjoying the flowers...no watering, no fertilizing and color every day. My kind of plants!! So, enjoy the colors...check out the macro shot of that lilly...I think I finally figured out that setting on the Canon...I'm amazed at the detail! Have a great weekend! *elaine*

Almost Forgot This!

I had one other item I was going to include in my 4th of July post...unfortunately, I couldn't find it when I was taking pictures. This morning, while vaccuuming our bedroom, I remembered that it was under the bed...don't laugh...and please don't tell me you have nothing under your bed!! :o} I found this amazing piece...under my mother's bed (like mother, like daughter?)...and planned to have it framed. So far, it is carefully sandwiched in 2 layers of acid free mat board. Just haven't found the perfect vintage frame for it. New won't do, it has to be old. Anyway, this piece was presented to my great grandparents after their son, my great Uncle Ambrose, was killed in WW1. We had many relatives who served our country, but Ambrose was the only one who didn't come home. Notice how it says "the World War"...in that innocent age I imagine they never thought that there would be another World War. The art work on this is awesome, and look at the handwriting where they wrote in Ambrose's name & rank. Do you suppose that is Woodrow Wilson's real signature...or did someone else sign for him, as they do today. So, in honor of all the men and women who have fought for our freedom, and to all of those who are still fighting, I say Thank You & may God Bless you and keep you safe from harm. You are all heros!! *elaine*

Three Cheers...

for the Red,White and Blue!! And a Happy Independence Day to all my blogging friends. Today is also the 2nd birthday of my blog!! I cannot believe I have been doing this sometimes rather odd thing of blogging for 2 years!! I have to say, though, that it's FUN, plain & simple. I have "met" more of the neatest, most creative people that I have ever run across in one place! Bloggers who are funny...and make the most amazing things out of what other people consider junk. Bloggers who are serious...and find the most amazing treasures that other people consider junk,and reuse & repurpose these things in amazing ways. There are so many awesome people out there, I may have to change my Morning Coffee Blog list to..."2 Cups of Coffe and Can I Eat My Breakfast While Reading Blogs?" list!! To all the folks that are already on my list...thank you for always making me smile, or laugh, or wonder, "How the heck did she do that?". And also for making me want to go out & find more junk!! You're all amazing!!! Okay...enough gold stars & accolades. Have a great Independence Day and I'll see you all again Sunday morning...with my coffee...and maybe a bagel & cream cheese?? *elaine*

"JunkFunk"??

Saw this term on a couple of blogs this week...and I think that's what I'm having! It's been sooo hot, the few sales I've been to have been dismal, and I'm in a funk of massive proportions! Did not get my 4th of July stuff up, my creativity is at an all time low, and I still have a day of work to go before my 2 day weekend. Am I whining TOO much?? Sorry! :o} There are actually 3 sales listed in the Pennysaver for today...so I'll check them out and hope they have something exciting. Maybe that will cheer me up? It's not supposed to be as hot today...only 94 and good chance of rain. I have a post planned for Saturday...hopefully I'll be able to get that together before Sunday...LOL. In the meantime, since I don't have any new goodies to share, I thought I'd show some pics of my rather large collection of red white & blue funky stuff. Never set out to really collect it...just kind of found me! Can you guess which room of my house this collection lives in?? Have a great Friday *elaine*

FREE!!! Curb shopped windows!

Cool chippy, rusty catches...

Cool chippy, rusty...times 7...

Cool chippy, rusty...still in the truck...

TOOO cool chippy, rusty, still in the truck, times 7...am I repeating myself??...

Don't usually post on Tuesday morning...normally at work by now. I just had to share what I found on my way to work yesterday. Now keep in mind that we had another heat advisory for Monday, so by 9 AM it was already 94 degrees with humidity at about 1000%...So I'm driving down the street and out of the corner of my eye, on a side road that I'm passing, I see chippy white something. Hit the right blinker...hit the brakes, go around the block...and pull up to a pile of chippy old windows sitting by the trash cans!! They have all their glass...only one has a cracked pane...and they are mine, all mine! Spent 20 sweating minutes getting them in the Blazer...I love that truck! I left one frame behind, had no glass and some major rotting. A man pulled up behind me as I was loading the last one, and said, "So, you gonna take all of those?" A true master of the obvious since they're already in the truck...so I said "Yeah, all but the broken one" He looked a bit sad as he got back in his car...windowless. I got into my truck feeling sweaty, a bit grubby, but really happy...insert happy dance here. My sweet hubby, who usually rolls his eyes when he sees my latest junk aquisition, was thrilled when he saw these! We've been talking about building a greenhouse/garden shed for years. I can just see these windows in that structure...now all I have to do is find railroad ties...utility poles...and lots of other "miscelainous" lumber...oh, and a really cool door...and an old kitchen sink...gotta go...tomorrow's trash day !!!! *elaine*

Rock, Paper, Scissors? Nope! Metal, Fabric, Glass!

Pyrex: .25 for the small, .50 for the large and they even match! Tins .50 each and the rusty green plant hook was free!

Nice, lightweight upholstry fabrics and I love the colors...$2.00 for all!

My $10.00 splurge...brand new...well worth it...and it looks awesome on the front of the barn, especially with the 4th of July right around the corner.

Almost forgot these 2 little guys...ok, they're not glass, but they are breakable and they were wrapped in a little piece of newspaper and stuck in the drink holder in the truck so they wouldn't break. .25 each and just too cute to pass up!

Finally got to go yard sale-ing on Friday & Saturday before going to work. Friday...slim pickins'...Saturday...many goodies! I seemed to be on a roll with all things metal,or fabric, or glass. No wood or baskets, no kids clothes or toys, no shoes, no plants...interesting morning. In all, I spent $14.50, with $10.00 of that going for the brand new flag I found at my 1st sale. Still in the sealed package. Looked at one at Lowe's last weekend, and they wanted $40.00 for the same flag. I needed a new one for the barn, but decided I needed the $40 in my pocket even more! So...all the rest of the junk only set me back $4.50...not a bad shopping trip. Went to work happy...it takes so little to make me happy! :} I love the pile of fabrics...great reds & blues & mustard-yellows. They're all lightweight upholstry fabrics, and I'm thinking some fresh new pillows for the couch, but kind of junkin' style...no one solid pieces of fabric allowed! The Pyrex pieces were soooo cheap, I couldn't pass them up, even though we no longer have our re-sale space. We sold a ton of Pyrex at the shop last year! Doesn't take up that much space, so I'll just save for the fall, when we will hopefully find a new spot to sell our jun...errr...treasures! So, that's all for this weekend. Got to get out & get the grill going...hubby has requested a BBQ for Father's Day...AND a homemade cherry pie. I make lots of pies, but cherry is one I've never tackled. Made it this morning, and it's looking pretty darn good! I'll let you know how it tastes another time! I cannot believe I'm baking on one of the hottest days of the year...heat advisory and all...Lord, I must love that man! Have a great Sunday...see you all next week. *elaine*

Back from Georgia!!

Cut pink pig sculpture in Marietta...couldn't quite figure out how to get him in my suitcase...not even sure if he was for sale!!

Town Square, Marietta GA...all decked out for Flag Day. The fountain was one of the few we saw with water in it...still a bit of an H2O shortage there. This one uses reclaimed rainwater.

Skyline of downtown, just visible to the right of the construction crane. We had tremendous thunder & lightning storms Friday & Saturday night...but I can never click fast enough to catch the lightening.

Just some paper stuff that always seems to come home in my suitcase on every trip...making my own ephemera...I love that word! :}

The hotel where we stayed. Very, very nice place to stay, especially on the business expense account!! My budget runs more to Holiday Inn or even...Motel 6!!!

Hello! Actually got back home last Sunday, and have been in a blogging funk of massive proportions! I've been reading and lurking and commenting, but could not seem to get it together enough to do a new post. I'd blame it on jet lag...heehee...but it only took 63 minutes to go from Hartsfield to DAB! We think the pilot had the pedal to the metal, as there was a screaming 2 year old on the plane...2 rows behind me...arggghh!!! Anywho...I'm home. We had a great trip...quite a bit of work, but with a bit of fun mixed in whenever possible. Stayed at the fab Renaissance Waverly...very lux , with beds to die for!!! I'd like to check in another time and spend the whole weekend in one of their beds! The show didn't start til Friday night, so we had some time to play tourist. Went to Marietta on Friday, spent the whole day wandering this sweet little town...took the trolly tour(!)...went to the Gone with the Wind museum...did you know Margaret Mitchell was killed by a drunk off-duty cab driver while crossing the street?? All kinds of memorabilia, and little tidbits that you may or may not want to know about GWTW...but a neat little place. We shopped...there are antique stores galore, but I couldn't find one single junk shop...and ate...and made it back to the convention center just in time for the opening of the show. Worked HARD all day Saturday, and most of Sunday morning, and then it was back to the airport, and back to the real world once more. That's not such a bad place to be, though....glad to be home. 4 days go by so fast when you're somewhere else. I am happy to say that we're already planning next year's trip. Virginia Beach in 2010...with a hotel right on the beach...WooHoo...can hardly wait!! Didn't take a lot of pictures, but I'm sharing them with you all anyways...Have a great Sunday...and I'll be back soon with some of the neat junk I found Friday & Saturday. You know, I didn't see one yard sale sign the whole time we were in Georgia...what's up with that?? *elaine*

Back to Georgia....

Happy Thursday morning! No real posts today, no junkin' this weekend. Heading off to Atlanta for a business trip. Should be fun, but I really wish I could stop by and see LuLu @ Scott's Antique Market this Saturday!! Sadly, my boss doesn't really understand my obsession with all things chippy & funky!! So, I'll be back Sunday night, and I'm sure I'll have lots of good stuff to read when I get home! Have a great junkin' weekend all!! *elaine*

Favorite Finds For Less Than $5.00

Very cool plumbers galvanized tool box...$2...now home to my metal flower frog collection.

My all time favorite chippy red metal stool...$5...bargained down from $8. Saw one in a Junk book years ago and was thrilled when I found this one!

Fabulous green glazed yellowware bowl...$3...yep, $3! Lady at the yard sale said it was her Grandma's, and the color was wrong for her house. HUH??? This bowl is in perfect condition...no chips, no cracks, no flea bites...wrong color? No Way!!

My all time favorite yellowware bowl...huge, one tiny flea bite on the inside & cracled glaze...$5. Found this at a yard sale wrapped in a plastic WalMart bag. Thought at first that it was a big plastic bowl, but when I opened the bag I was thrilled to see this, with a little orange price tag that said "five dollars" in spidery old handwriting. Be still my heart!!

Adorable little chippy green shelf...$1...apparently it used to have a door, but minus the door served my purpose better. My family is from the New Bedford area of Massachussetts, and my mother collected many things nautical to reflect that. All of these things were hers, except for the scrimshaw piece that I found here in Central Florida.

Had an unexpected day off today...WooHoo! Thought we would go to the beach, but we have a 70% chance of severe thunderstorms. So scrapped the beach, and decided to clean...not something I do with any regularity! :} While dusting, I came up with this idea for a new post when I realized that some of my favorite things have come from yard or estate sales and cost $5 or less. So, with no further rambling...here are some of my very favorite finds. Do you have some all time favorites that you have paid less than $5 for? Maybe a good topic for when you're having one of those blah blog days and you can't think of anything fun to post about...have a great Thursday. *elaine*