Yard Sales According To: Me

I have never really found my niche at yard sales.... now I do love a good deal and I have been none to go to "junk" stores and frequent re-use it shops... but going to yard sales has always been hard for me..
first of all I think maybe I am kinda rude... seriously who would try and sell a wooden bench for 50.00 at a YARD SALE?

I know what price I am looking for and i have VERY specific taste... I usually feel like it is a waste of time... I am NOT looking for clothing... i am NOT looking for toys... I am not interested in anything form the 70's 80's or 90's... I am looking for old stuff... what I have learned is that I don't need to bother going to yard sales in big developments.. their stuff is never old enough...I need to find houses where the residents are more "mature"

I love how rusty and untouched this old thing is... I found it  last year at an Amish man's farm sale... I just love it! he had more and I wish now I would have gotten more. To think about the history an object can have...

these chairs I found this weekend... just driving down the road (on our way to get ice-cream) and we passed a house with a bunch of fun chairs outside... I got all excited but husband really didn't want to stop (he knew he would have to deal with me getting annoyed for example : the bench I kinda... maybe... almost... liked for 50.00! humph)  he compromised with me and said if they are there on the way home we can stop.... right away he asked me how much I would pay for that kind of a chair in good condition.. (my good condition = not falling apart too much and only needs a little wood glue)... I said about 10-15.00...

A Little Dinner Party

Last minute things are kinda ideal for me... somehow God always allows them to come together... I put on my Grandmother's apron and got to work....

 

  

 I dressed up our dining room... I got to use my wedding china!! for like the 3rd time ever...  (we are going on 6 years this June)... I found a drop cloth that fit just right at Harber Freight for 6.99! for a 12 ft. by 4ft. piece of fabric!... I love the texture it kinda feels rustic and I like that! 

 

I had to put two tables together to make enough room... oh how I long for a VERY large table...(note to self 10 ft. table is a big as we can go ) Husband really had so squish on the end. I hung Christmas lights from my ceiling and added simple name tags and flowers from a bush outside..I  also threw in some tea lights for good measure....

and what were my kids doing while I was making everything so girly?... well....

 

 

 

 

... not much but they were having fun too...

 

 

I have been very fortunate to have been introduced to some very special girls. I met them when they were in seventh grade and I was in my first year of marriage.  I got to know them well by sharing sleepovers, midnight shopping trips, and many beach trips.

 

They went from seventh grade girls...

  

...To high school girls before I knew it....

 

 

Most of my favorite memories took place at the beach where I got plenty of time to talk and learn about their lives.. they were each unique and special... not one I would trade for another...

 They welcomed me into their lives and I got to celebrate milestones... like sweet 16 birthday parties...

They have been a major part of my life too we all went to the wedding of a fellow youth leader together... they kept my husband busy occupied  entertained while I was part of the wedding party...

Graduation is coming this year and it is a little crazy the thought of them in college the real world... I wanted to throw them a dinner party to celebrate the truly uniqueness that is them... The wonderful special gift they gave me of allowing me to be a part of their lives.... thanks girls!

Our Day In The Rain

It has been raining her for almost a week straight... its actually been a little crazy.. or have I have been going a little crazy with two boys ready to tear my house down we are ready to go outside and PLAY. I don't know if this picture does the rain any justice... it was really coming down!

 The weather hasn't been too cold so we finally gave up and decided to spend some time playing the the wonderful  no, I was right wonderful weather God was proving us with. And when the sun came out we got really excited....

 ....Splashing in the puddles (not sure what was up with the baseball bat and golf club...) but the boys had a blast! and boy did we get soaked!!

 

I took a moment to stop and look at the beauty God has given to us... beautiful sun kissed flowers. I have an entire bush of these guys and they sit right by my garden I just love the bright color contrast to the green leaves that surround them. My neighbors have some large lilac bushes on the other side of this bush and the smell is awesome in my garden ...Thanks neighbors!!

After dinner the rain stated again.. Of course... Daddy and Connor didn't mind at all and played some baseball in the rain till they were soaked through again...

*what you don't see in Riley and Momma under the big blue umbrella*

Praise the Lord, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good: his love endures forever. Psalm 106:1

Thoughts From a Mothers Heart

I wonder if it is any coincidence that our pastor has been preaching on the book of Revelation with this new info that the end times are coming this Saturday.. now if I know anything I know that the end times will NOT be this Saturday... but it got me to thinking about the idea of the rapture... I am not here to argue when it will happen .. but the question that has kinda been bugging me  in the back of my mind since sr. high youth group... do babies go to heaven?  I have always cherished the idea about the age of innocence, before the child could make a decision about Jesus in their life and Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, "let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these". If you know me at all you know how I feel about the idea of lying to my children... from  Santa Clause to the Easter Bunny... the only awesome amazing stories I want my children to BELIEVE in are those in the Bible. Parents have a bunch of say in the lives of their children as far as what they teach them to believe in... but at 4 and almost 2 are MY children old enough to make the choice for Jesus because THEY want to ... or is it just because that is what I have told them?
As a mother I find my children to be MOST of what I spend my time thinking about and praying about. So basically I feel my life is totally intertwined with theirs. Is this the way God intended it to be?


Last evening I was considering the rapture, thinking out loud with my husband... I know my salvation is secure but what about my children. I found it very difficult to imagine Heaven without them he asked the question would I even notice... this really took me off guard of COURSE I would notice they are my children I would weep for them every day if they were not with me!... after my initial angry reaction I took time to think about the question.. would I even notice? I would be in the presence of the Lord and he is going to be amazing... my awesome sinful children will never compare to his perfection. I bible describes heaven to be a wonderful place, and there will be no crying in heaven... so if my children are sentenced to Hell I won't know it? or I won't care?
I can not imagine that that could be possible... here on earth the idea of life with out my children is traumatic to say the least. I find peace in the thought of them going to be with the Lord before me however devastating the thought... I  think I could be OK with that... if I HAD to...


This fear that continues to resurface in my life, does it mean that I have not given everything to the Lord? can I be fully content here on earth with Jesus, without my children like I would be in Heaven or have a created a kind of idol out of my children that is preventing me to be fully happy and trust in the Lord?... or is unconditional LOVE I have the way God designed it to be...

...Ramblings from a mothers heart....

The begnings of our garden: Trellis

I have always had a little garden in my yard it was mostly a "salsa" garden where I would grow the different ingredients to make salsa (my mother in law makes the BEST chopped salsa around). This year I want to expand and make a "spaghetti sauce" as well as a "salsa" garden. We have a bunch of large tree's in our yard so it makes it difficult to have a large garden.

This year I planted 8 tomato plants, 4 jalapeno plants, 4 bell pepper plants, and 4 sweet banana pepper plants. I also have potatoes and lettuce and two rows of onions. I know that is nothing compared to what my grandmother had in her garden, but honestly we don't eat green things in this house (beans and peas). Last year I tried egg plants and I found out I don't really like those either... live and learn I guess....

OK back to my situation... like I was saying I have 8 tomato plants planted and I have a small garden. there are several different way to stake up the plants, cages, stacks... and so on. I have one tomato cage... but last year the plant got so large that it took over more than half of the garden and almost toppled the cage... also cages cost about 10.00 each (for the good ones). I was browsing around on freecycle.org if you have never been on you need to check it out! it is a great way to recycle things you don't use anymore share with other people... LOVE IT! and someone was requesting long poles for making tomato trellis's in their garden, my mind started thinking.... we just removed an ugly old brown awning from our house.. it had long poles after offering them to the individual on freecycle I googled how to trellis tomato plants and decided to use some of the poles myself...

This is the back of your house with our ugly brown awning attached....

 ...here is what it looks like today with it removed... you see that nice change to the paint on our house? oh yeah!! we are getting it painted!! oh yeah and I added a small water feature...I still hate the louvers on the porch... I am really excited to make changed there too!

 Last year tomato plant... crazy large... taking over everything...that is just ONE plant!

 This is my plan for this year... more plants, but I am trying something new a trellising system... I am going to try and train the plant to climb the ropes and hopefully I will get lots of fruit and not take up as much space

 

 finally.. my garden.. yes it kinda looks like a graveyard with those pavers all around.... but... I like to reuse things and that was what I had laying around...

I don't know about you but I think our old awning looks much better as tomato trellis in my garden!!

cheap or thrifty?

Two very important men (Dad and Grandpa) in my life have been talking about my cheapness recently... and it got me to thinking am I really cheap or am I thrifty?

I recently discovered some advantages to living in the country I can get free range eggs from a local farmer for 1.50 a dozen...regular eggs in the grocery store are $1.60. I can also get milk 2.90 a gallon from a local dairy (yes it is pasteurized Grandpa). A gallon of 2% in the store was almost $4.00 a gallon! we love milk in our house (mostly of the chocolate variety) at about a gallon every 2 days every little bit helps.

I expanded my garden this year so I could grow more tomato plants and pepper plants (more to come on my garden)... do you know how expensive peppers are in the store 1.00 each! we use peppers in like everything... I got a pack of 4 plants for 1.25 (I am not very good at seeding my own) so as long as i get al least 2 peppers I will have broken even...which I totally will because last year I had a ton with less plants. My Aunt gave me some black raspberry plants I hope to maybe make some jam... or at the very least some awesome homemade ice-cream... we planted a Apple tree this year also... no apples this year but I sure hope to get some in the future.. at the rate we eat apple sauce in this house it will be am awesome investment (the tree was $12.00).

I also must make a shout out to the Children's Place outlet...how I love your .99 cent sales :) brand new clothes for really cheap.

Am I cheap or just thrifty? i am not sure, but I am making no apologies for wanting to save a few bucks here and there... have you SEEN the cost of heating oil?!?

Pottery Barn why do you have to be so expensive?

Ive been spending a lot of time playing around with old things trying to find new uses for them. with a lot of time spent looking at Pottery Barn for idea's. My mom and I went to this cute little shop ... and I couldn't pass up this cute wooden tray...

perfect spot don't you think?

Pottery Barn has this example offered for $99.00!!
it was described as a found item.. i found mine for $10.00 :) a little more then I normally spend but not too bad



Mine again.. not exactly the same thing but I think it accomplishes the look I was going for..

Now i just want to share with you some things i LOVE from Pottery Barn now if i could duplicate but at a fraction of the price...This one I already have plans for... I have gathered the supplies... I just need to find the perfect spot for it...


I just love the texture of the lamp shades... I really have a thing for pendant lights :)
I love everything about this outdoor space ... from the lights strung between the trees to the random pillows on the grass.... they even have a movie playing on an old sheet.... well what I see as an old sheet but is most likely a very expensive screen.