Picked up a few treasures yesterday!

    Yesterday was shopping day.  I needed to go to Ash Flat, which is about 30 minutes away, where the hardware store is, Walmart and the Thrift Store.  I stopped at the thrift and saw a few items but they raised their prices!  I saw 2 mugs that were colorful but they wanted $4.00 each which is about 3 times as much as I was willing to pay! LOL!  They had some pretty dishes too but again, $4.00 each.  I know, I'm a real cheapy but these are used and also we don't live in a highly populated area plus the economy and people down here don't have a lot for the most part.  I think they must have gotten someone new in there that's pricing but for the first time in years, I walked out with NOTHING!
Then it was on to the hardware store where I needed some BIG "S" hooks (another project I will post about when done...if it works else you'll never see it here..Ha! Ha!)and Johnson's had just what I needed as they always do!  It is a family owned "Ace" hardware store that's been in this area for several generations and as I like to say..."If Johnson's doesn't have it....you don't need it"! LOL!  And that's the truth!  They know exactly where everything is and take you right to it and they are so knowledgeable about all of it!  So, "sure nuff", they had my "S" hooks and then I wandered over to their "decorating" section where they have a little bit of everything; antiques, new, some furniture and decorative items for the home and even rocks!  They're really not just rocks though,  they're crystals and various gems in rock formation.  Arkansas has LOTS of those if you know where to look.  I digress, but you get the picture and they were having a 50% off sale on some of their items....BINGO!  I found my treasures there! After that it was on to Wally World to get supplies and my long awaited and researched Keurig Gourmet Single Cup Special Edition Home Brewing System but that's another post!  I'm still setting up my "coffee bar" which you'll see tomorrow.  So, enough said....here are my pretties from yesterday.

This is a doily that has a stain, as you can see, but that doesn't bother me as it will match all my other "stained" items in my house! LOL!  The workmanship is what I admire and the time someone took with those teenie, tiny crochet hooks to work on it for hours and hours and it was $2.50....I felt guilty only paying that much for it even with the stain which I could probably get out if I researched it.  I love it!

This is a strange item, new and made in China of course but it is made with wire and WOOL...you know how I

cannot resist WOOL!  It is a leaf, berry and pinecone swag made from WOOL...yes, it's Chinese WOOL but it is WOOL, I checked.  Oh, and there's bells on it too.  There was no price on it so I asked and she said $5.00....I said DEAL!  It will probably go on my fireplace mantel as it is Winter, not necessarily Christmas....there's a difference.  Winter decorations can be left out longer! Ha! Ha!  

Isn't this cute?  Don't ask me what exactly it is but for me it will be used for a plant on a table or surface somewhere.  Again, it is new and made in you know where but it was marked down from $19.95 to $9.00 and that was okay by me because I have been looking for various plant stands to elevate my "dangling" ones like spider plants and such.  There you have it!  Were they deals or not?  You be the judge!

Look what came in the mail.......

YES!!!  More Mary Engelbreit!  I worked at the consignment store yesterday and when I came home this had arrived on my doorstep.  I ordered these from the Mary Engelbreit website.  The first is a 10" round puzzle which I plan on framing when done.  It was only $6.00.  It is one of my favorite sayings and a reminder to live in the present and enjoy the NOW!

This is my new kitchen curtain fabric!  I love it!  I am going to make cafe curtains out of it and replace the "ugly" fabric blue shades/blinds that are there now (sorry Mom but our tastes are world's apart).  As I've mentioned,  I inherited this house from my parents when they passed and they were into French Provincial, dainty and pastel.  I, on the other hand, love vintage, bright colors and cozy not formal.  I need to wash and iron the fabric and I will take before and after pictures when I do the window.  I promised myself I would ignore (which isn't easy) the paint and wallpaper so I can get the house ready to put on the market but I couldn't resist this BREIT (get it...Engelbreit?) cheery fabric for the window.

I forgot to post yesterday!

I was so busy looking at others blogs that I forgot to post!  I had taken the pictures and evidently my little mind thought that was enough...NOT!  Oh well...a day late and a dollar short here goes!

This is the top of the frig...will you look at that shine?  No before pictures here!  YUK!

The only things on the frig now are the whiteboard which I find REALLY handy for writing things down when I run out of them in the kitchen and then when I'm ready to go grocery shopping I know what I'm short on.  The towel hanger is magnetic and the only one I have in the kitchen unless you count the stove but it's farther from the sink. 

I'm following a 52 week organizational challenge and they started this week with kitchen counters but I'm going around the room floor to ceiling (sort of).  I did the hutch yesterday and today was the refrigerator.  I cleaned the inside, the outside and took all those magnets and papers off.  Whew!  That puppy was dirty!  You could see where the papers had been!  And the top was worse!  But all clean now!  Tune in tomorrow for the continuing saga!  

Changed a few things around here today!

I changed my blog to accommodate those who have trouble viewing it.  I hope this is better!  I also changed my hutch in my kitchen.  I put material behind the glass and put some different  decorations on top.  The little tree has my cookie cutters on it and I need to tie some red ribbon on them.  I decorated it for Christmas but then realized I really liked it and decided to leave it out year round.  I have a battery operated candle on top too which turns on automatically at a certain time and then goes off in 10 or 8 hours.  You can get them on QVC and I like them for putting in high places where I would like a candle but don't want to go around lighting them in those places.  The hutch needs work but this is good for now.  What did you do today on Martin Luther King Day?

BTW....thanks to Jodie at www.jellywares.blogspot.com who sent me the invite to Pinterest that finally worked!  Jodie has the most gorgeous blog, farm, children and yarn shop in New South Wales.  If you're a knitter or crocheter you really need to visit her!  She does beautiful work in everything she does!  Thanks again Jodie!

OMG!!!! The greatest thing EVER!!! Why didn't someone tell me?????

I discovered PINTEREST!!!!  OMG!!!!  It IS the greatest thing since sliced bread!  I am a "visual" person evidently because I have been glued to it most of the day.  I am addicted.....gave up cigs and now I'm addicted to Pinterest....it's always something!  But really...will some one PLEASE invite me to join?  I sent a request to  Pinterest but they are very slow...we're talking days, weeks maybe!  I did try before once but by the time I found the invite I think it expired.  I cannot get in and I want to SO BADLY!!!!

 This is great as you're aging too because I can't always remember where I "saw" something, like in a magazine but now.....who needs magazines!?!??! LOL!!! (Oh, better not tell the magazine publishers I said that.) I'm good to go with just Pinterest!  Oh, please, please, please someone invite me to join!