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!

Thrift store "junky"...literally!

I helped out at the consignment store today and here's what I personally "nabbed" and brought home.  They need to be cleaned up yet but I already have plans for them!

This is a pottery piece or cement as it is heavy.  It's tilted for some reason so it might be hand made but no drainage hole so perfect for a plant inside

I also picked up this picnic basket and a wool blanket.....WOOL!!!!  My favorite fabric...woo hoo!

And isn't his cute?  It's going next to my tub, I think with "spa" ingredients on top of it...a pretty candle, a lace table mat, a bowl with handmade soaps....ahhh....I can just picture it!  But now I have to go make supper as I have nothing in this house to eat!  I hate when that happens.  Oh well, maybe I can play with my new treasures later if I have any energy left! LOL! 

Guess what I did today................

After making out bills yesterday, I tackled the next big issue.....THE BUDGET!  I am SO bad on budgeting.  I was good years ago but then I started being so busy MAKING the  money that I didn't have time to manage it.  Well, guess what...I have plenty of time now and definitely need to manage my money!   It's easy to move up on the financial ladder but a whole different story to come down.  I have very expensive medicines that I take which I am blessed are available but it has certainly affected my bottom line.   Living on lots less has taken me time to get used to but I'm getting there and tightening my belt has been challenging and yet invigorating at the same time.  
  The file above is for bills and receipts and inside each month is a list of bills. It's just a piece of notebook paper...nothing fancy.   It has the name of the bill, amount due, balance, interest paid, amount paid etc.  I have Quicken on my pc which allows me to pay using check, EFT(electronic file transfer for when you pay bills online), DEP for deposit and SAV for savings.  I  use SAV for deducting per month what I would need to pay bills that aren't monthly, such as taxes etc. 
There are some pictures of some old budget books/systems I used to use  and are still good but now I do everything on my pc.  I downloaded a great, yet simple, budget spreadsheet from Laurie Perry/Crazy Aunt Purl .  Scroll to the bottom of her website and on the right side you will find "Crazy Aunt Purl's Budget Worksheet".  It's the one I use and it works...well...as long as you plug in the correct numbers and "face the music". LOL! 

BIll paying day..........but a good day to do it!

We had cold and snow here today.  A far cry from the 60-70 degrees we had the last month.  It is 24 degrees right now...brrrrr!  I've had a fire going all day and did laundry and paid bills.  That's about it....not very interesting but glad I had the money to pay them!  There they are by the front door ready to be mailed.  Only 2 to mail...the rest get paid online.  I WISH I only had 2 bills to pay! 

Oh! How I Love Thee Mary Engelbreit....let me count the ways!

I am going to try and "link up" with "It's a Very Cherry World's" Rednesday celebration.  This is her 3 year anniversary!  3 Years!!!!  And she does such a beautiful job.  Please stop by her blog....you will not regret it.  It is RED, Engelbreitish, cheery and cherry and just darn cute and uplifting!  She's a role model to me!  So, in honor of her 3rd year and of Rednesday and Ms. Engelbreit.....here is today's post.  Here is a link to Sue's blog:
It's a very cherry world

Books, books, and more books.....what can I say?

More books came in the mail today from a wonderful friend of mine.....ME!!! LOL!  But you know since everyone has the e-readers now, it seems real paper books are a steal!  Most of what I get is used if I can get them that way so they're really cheap and a lot of the type of books I get aren't available on the e-readers yet anyway.

Primitive Quilts and Projects is a magazine I subscribed to.  It is 4 times a year  but pricey so not sure I'll resubscribe but they have really nice stuff in them.  I just won't make that much stuff....ever.  
The other book is about flea market finds and antiques.  It was talked about on PBS once I think and if something sounds really good I write it down for future purchase (unfortunately, our library never has the book I am looking for...it's very small).  This was one of those "future purchase" books.

The Betsy-Tacy book is the first in a series of childrens books "back in the day" which I never read and never heard about but when I did I was right "on it"!  I love those old children's books and series and I've read a lot of them.
 The Memory Quilt is about the Great Cloquet Fire of 1918.  Cloquet is a sweet little town in Minnesota that I used to stay the night in on my way to Canada.  It was the halfway mark of 8 hours in a 16 hour trip.  I had no idea of this history so I will be very interested to read about it.   

YES!!!!!  More felting is in my future...I just know it!!!!  Aren't those darling projects on the front???  I want to make both of those for sure!  My friend that owns the quilt shop just made the one on the right with a black background in the size of a dresser scarf but when she "felted it" her "woven ends" came out and she ended up with holes in it in several places....I wanted to cry FOR her....not sure she'll be doing anymore felting or crocheting in the near future.  But as an aside...she said she knew she spun it for too long...she wanted to get the water out of it because it was so heavy and wet and she wanted it to dry faster.  WARNING.....weave in your ends REALLY well and do not use your spin cycle.  Poor Jamie.....it's lesson to all of us!

Woe is me.............

Here's the book I've been reading that inspired this post.  It said to gather up your cleaning items in a bucket with a handle and that way they were ready to go with you wherever you wanted to clean!  Brilliant, I thought! 

This is the bucket she showed in the book all full of these delightful cleaning items from Caldrea.  I really liked the idea and the bucket...especially since it's yellow and don't I need new cleaning supplies????  So, I mozzie on over to the Caldrea website and for $75.00 I can have it ALL!!!  Bucket included not counting S&H.  AHHHH!!!!!  My dreams dashed...I sit there for a moment and wonder how I could possibly replicate "the cleaning bucket".  Whoa!  Wait a minute...I have a yellow porcelain bucket in my bathroom being used as a wastebasket!  So, I empty it, clean it and fill it with MY cleaning supplies!  Brilliant, I tell you!  Brilliant!

Ok...it's not new and maybe not quite as "pretty" as the Caldrea one with it's "newness" and fresh supplies but I didn't spend $75.00 and change either!

Here's what it looks like.....microfiber cleaning cloths folded in the bottom and my supplies surrounding it.  There's room for more if I think of something else too.  I did not include bathroom cleaning supplies as those are in each bathroom at the ready and those are supplies that are only used in the bathroom so why bother toting those around was my thinking.

Caldrea and Mrs. Meyers are run/owned by the same people, I think. so I even got close as to supplies since I do LOVE Mrs. Meyer's products www.mrsmeyers.com   BTW...she's having  a sale on Holiday items as we speak so stop on over to her website!  Great smells, great cleaning, and all natural!  As you will notice I have used some of the bottles for my own cleaning supplies that I make up myself.  I got the recipes from Mary Jane's Farm chat room where there is SO MUCH great information about everything!

These are leftovers from a by-gone era and as soon as they are used up I will be replacing them with something less "chemical" and more natural.  Any suggestions would be appreciated!  Oh!!!!  Silly me....I forgot to include my newest and most favoritest (tee hee) product! 

It's the Pledge Multi-surface duster which is similar to a Swiffer but softer and 360 degrees around so you can dust the most delicate of objects without even picking it up if you don't want to!  I forgot to include the handle but there are the refills in the bag in the picture.  I also found a few other things to put in the bucket....my Sonic Scrubber which is great since I have RA and my "elbow grease" just isn't what it used to be, an old veggie brush I use to get dust out of corners and next to moldings where it's carpeted and the denture brush which is really good in the carpeted corners.

 

 Okay...I guess that's enough for today,  it's almost 3:30 and I'm not sure the cleaning is going to get done today....maybe tomorrow!   I avoided that one didn't I!?! LOL!  I hope you accomplished more than me today!   But I'm all set for tomorrow!

Got a few books in the mail yesterday...Woo Hoo!

I have been REALLY bad this week but then again...they are my Christmas and Birthday presents but they just keep coming and MOI has to pay for them! LOL!  Yes...I am my own "bottom line"!  I haven't read them yet but they look very interesting to me.

This one I have already read from cover to cover!  I have another book by her that I got at a thrift store  and I loved it.  She designs her own and it is "ART".  She's very famous and has things hanging in galleries!  I don't think that will happen to me but I would like to try and design my own applique pictures.  Stay tuned for further developements!

I'm SO tired!

I helped out all day at the local thrift/consignment store and as much as I love it....I'm exhausted!  So, I came home, fixed supper, folded a load of clothes, ran the dishwasher and Googled Mary Engelbreit which sent me into "la-la land" for who knows how long?  Do you ever do that?  Get on the internet and look up and  hours have gone by? AHHHHH!!!!!  It was inspiring but I am too tired to do anything about it! LOL!   So, I am posting my finished crocheted and felted wool tote bag which will probably be used to hold my knitting and then I'll have to make a knitted wool felted tote to hold my crocheting! Ha! Ha!  I'm going to bed now.  I think I am fighting off a cold as I keep bumping up the thermostat.  I'll get my jammies on, curl up with my ME decorating books and make plans for when I have more energy!  Hope y'all had a great Saturday!

Spent the day outdoors....70's....almost had to turn the ac on (not really)

Okay...who could say "no" to these 2? Not me!  So we grabbed the leashes and off we went!

It was a gorgeous day in the Ozarks to "take a hike"!

Unfortunately with this warm weather the plants are getting confused I think.....these are  daffodils (I think)  coming up in the woods.  They grow wild around here.  There were daffodils here last year so that's why I think I know what they are.  Not sure what will happen if Winter really does show up now.
After we got back I took down the Christmas decorations outside and spent time cleaning the garage.  I know, it's not a very interesting post but I was happy!

Did I have a Happy Birthday? Oh yeah!

No, I did not make that cake....although I have made my own birthday cake before, I chose not to this year.  I bought a Pepperidge Farm Birthday cake...vanilla cake and frosting.  It's something new I think.  Anyway, I bought a quart of Butter Pecan ice cream (MY FAVORITE)  to go with it....yep!  That's what I'm talking about!  The girls and I had a party....they did not get cake but they did each get some ice cream...they love it as much as I do!  No candles....we're not licensed for that big of a fireworks display!  This picture is from last night BEFORE the party! LOL!

Today was off to Wally World for supplies and I spotted these rugs and snapped up  3 of them at $10.00 each.  They are the half circle kind; 1 for in front of the frig, the sink, and the stove.  I really needed them as my old kitchen rugs are starting to fall apart.  It's funny because my old rugs are apples too that I bought at Target (back in the day when I lived near a Target) and they lasted about 10 years!

I also picked up this little gem!  I love books SO MUCH....I just can't help myself!  I  heard a very postivie review on this book and it is a NYT's best seller but of course that doesn't mean "MOI"  will like it but the photography and the title grabbed me and all though I was never told I was peculiar as a child there were other adjectives they used so I thought I might find the tale intriguing!  I'll let you know.
Now, I'm off to have some din-din, the girls have been fed and gone out already and sit down to do some knitting and watch Grey's Anatomy.  I hope you all have a lovely evening!

Wednesday - January 4, 2012.

I'm having a little trouble with my blogging alignment.  They've changed it since I last blogged or I've forgotten so please be patient while I "experiment"! LOL!  Today is my 63rd birthday!  I cannot believe I have made it this far!  But here I am...still breathing!  It's been a beautiful birthday so far and I'm getting ready to sit down and knit for awhile.  I ran out to the quilt shop and got some "knitting advice" earlier and I'm ready to go again.  I also took "the girls" for a 3 mile hike in the woods as it is 60 here today and just gorgeous.  

What I'm posting is a project I did a few weeks ago and almost a challenge to myself.  I bought the book below and loved every project in it so I told my craft group that I was going to make all of it; every project in the book.  Of course there was much laughter because I am not known as a good "finisher"....."starter" yes but not too good on closure.  I told them I was turning over a new leaf!   I wanted to pick the easier projects first to build up my self confidence so I chose these fabric berries with wool stems.  I made 6 large and 6 small and they are tea dyed also.  The only thing I did not do was sew on seed beads all over them.....REALLY????  That was a bit much I thought but maybe someday when I'm bedridden and desperate for something to do I will but for now I like them as is.  In fairness, I also polled the craft group first to ensure I wasn't NOT finishing a project but thank goodness they agreed that it would take forever plus I didn't have any beads that I could use.  I can be a bit anal at times though so who  knows what might happen to those berries down the road.

Here's the berries in a too large bowl but I wanted you to be able to see them individually.  I usually have them in a smaller bowl mounded up.

Here's the Need'l Love pattern book that I made the berries from.  I love all their pattern books!  So, check in to see if I get everything in this book done by the end of the year!  Oh boy...what have I gotten myself into?  I think next are those little woolen pumpkin coasters on the front.....like I said, I'm going for the easier projects first to build my confidence muscle for finishing projects.  Oh, I have also made a "resolution" to work on an old project simultaneously so that there are multiple streams of finished items!  This is my dream!  P.S.   Sorry for the glare on the book...I need to learn how to take pictures too.

Third time's charm!

This is my 3rd day posting!  They say 21 days and it's a habit!  Tuesday is my knitting lesson at the local quilt/yarn shop and I am making the oven mitts below.  The pattern can be found on www.purlsoho.com/purl/purlbee.  Anyway, I've knitted a few scarves but nothing complicated until now.  For most "established knitters" this would not be complicated but for me it is a learning process!

This is my Christmas present to myself...a complete set of Hiya Hiya  interchangeable  circular needles.  The red case has the bigger sizes and the blue case has the smaller sizes.  I BETTER learn to knit and do it well for what these cost!  But we don't live anywhere near a place that sells knitting supplies except the quilt shop does carry some yarn.  Every time you start a project you have to order new needles over the internet and wait for them to arrive so I decided to get these so I would always be ready for that "next project"!  I love knitting but I am not very good at it yet.  I have to concentrate and not watch T.V. and have the house quiet with no interruptions else I mess up and still sometimes I do!
Any of you knitters out there? 

January 2, 2012.  Monday
Well, I'm already behind the 8 ball here in my blog!  I'm not sure when to blog...the night before for the next day or in the morning from  the day before or maybe right now on what I accomplished or didn't accomplish this very day?  For now what you are reading and seeing is from today at 6:40 p.m. DST.  But see what I mean...today is January 2nd...you're supposed to make Hoppin' John on January 1st!
I don't know about you but I just do not get the amount of things done I used to when I was younger and before they "messed" with my thyroid!  I used to have SUPER energy and now I'm more like a slug.  But back in the day I worked myself too hard and got very ill because of it so I am now forced to go at a slower pace which I actually really enjoy but then I look around my house and think I may be in BIG trouble! LOL!
Do you have a schedule like those vintage kitchen towels depict such as certain chores on Monday, Tuesday etc?  I have a bit of one...Monday is change the sheets, do laundry and iron (yes, I iron but only 10 items at a standing but I like to iron), Tuesday is my knitting class and garbage day, Wednesday is recycling, Thursday is whatever and Friday too and Saturday I help out at the local resale shop, and Sunday our Craft Group gathers at the local quilt shop from 1-4.  After reading this I realize Monday is really the only day I have planned...hmmm.   Where did cleaning, watering plants etc all go.  I better get planning and FOCUS on a few other things around here!

Here's the "lucky" blackeyed peas

TaDa!  I added mustard greens which were not called for but  it did suggest  kale but I had none of that.   I did not have to go to the store either!  It has onion, green pepper, celery seed instead of celery and chicken broth, garlic, vinegar and ham pieces.  Now that I've eaten it I can tell you it is delicious!  Credit goes to Pioneer Woman as it was her recipe.   

I would like to someday make EVERYTHING from scratch but for now I am trying to accomplish my first goal which is to use up what I have in my cupboards!  Yes, Jiffy corn muffin mix!  Next time it will be from scratch!

This is my old 8" square pan which has some holes in it so I lined it with parchment paper.  I bought a new pan but it is 9" square.  Can you still find 8" square pans?  All my recipes call for 8" square.

Here's the finished dinner but as you can tell I am no food stylist! LOL!  But it tasted great and that was all that mattered to me! 

Long time no see...........

Yes, I'm back.  I apologize to my followers which I'm sure are zero now but hopefully you'll come back.  I went through a "life-changing" aha moment over a year ago now.  I think my last post was November 2010.  Okay...I'm slow getting back on my feet, I admit it.  But it was a period of questions for myself and my faith and the way I had orchestrated my life and my relationships.  Good to go now though!  I tore off the rear-view mirrors on my car too.....no looking back except to remember the lessons!
Enough about me!  I am thrilled to be back and missed you all SO MUCH and I apologize to some of you who sent me things that I never even acknowledged because I had nothing to give to anyone.   But I am happy and at peace with myself and my life and hopefully will be able to reconnect with all of you especially those who were so generous with their interest and encouragement in all my crazy forays! LOL!  My crazy forays continue...I'm starting off 2012 with a passion for felting wool!  Okay, maybe it's just a passion for wool, or maybe fiber? Oh, and fabric too! Regardless, I have crocheted a bag with embellishments that I felted today and it is still drying.  I need to sew the flowers, leaves and dangly tendrils on when  its dry.  So here goes to great food, great projects and great books in 2012 and most of all to the great friends I hope are waiting out there for me.  Happy New Year everyone!
P.S.  The pattern for the bag is free on   www.ravelry.com