Thanks everyone for your prayers and concern. My aunt Brenda passed away peacefully late Monday afternoon. The past week has been very hectic and it has gone by really fast! Last week Thursday, my parents came to town because it was my aunt's birthday. She was in the hospital in Detroit at Karmanos Cancer Treatment Hospital.
They were told, along with my uncle that they should set up Hospice for my aunt-and that she only had 4 months left to live. They moved her to Arbor Hospice in Ann Arbor on Friday where they were told she only had one week!!
My mom,her husband and two of her daughters were with her when she passed away. My mom said she knew it was going to be soon because of her breathing. She called her friend Jessica and Jessica sang Amazing Grace over the phone to my aunt. My mom hugged her and whispered in her ear to go dance with Jesus, and then dance with Brian (my brother who passed away 12 years ago). Shortly after that she passed...
She was a very loving, caring person who will be greatly missed!!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Girlfriends in God-Today's Message...
This was in a daily devotional email that I received today. It really spoke to me and I thought I'd share it with you...it is from Girlfriends in God-you can find their link on my sidebar if you are interested in receiving their daily emails.
Hope you're having a great day!!!
How to Stay Young
1. Throw out non-essential numbers such as your age, weight and height.
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. If you really need a grouch, there are probably family members to fill that need.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Just never let the brain idle.
4. Enjoy the simple things. When the children are young, that is all you can afford. When they are in college that is all you can afford. When they are grown, and you are on retirement, that is all you can afford.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. Laugh so much that you can be tracked in the store by your distinctive laughter.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person that is with us our entire life is ourselves.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it is family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies or whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health. If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Go to the mall, the next county, a foreign country - but not guilt.
10. Tell the people you love how much you love them every chance you get. Never assume they know.
11. Don't worry about things you cannot change or do anything about. Accept them and move on.
12. Read more and dust less.
13. Spend more time with your family and friends and less time working.
14. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor, not to endure. Recognize these moments now and cherish them.
15. Do not "save" anything. Use your good china and crystal for every special event such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, or the next blossom of flowers you see.
16. Wear your best outfit to the market.
17. Don't save your good perfume for only special occasions. Use it even if you are going shopping or just to the bank.
18. "Someday" and "one of these days" should vanish from your vocabulary. If it is worth seeing or hearing or doing, go and see or hear or do it now.
What about you? Are you living each day to the fullest? Jesus is all about living an abundant life in the here and now … whatever stage of life that may be for you. Jesus came so that we can live abundantly and eternally. Eternity began the moment you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
An Unsuspecting Victim...
I work in the Youth Department at my church. I assist 3 youth group directors who work with kids 5th grade through 12th grade. This weekend we are sending over 140 students and leaders (7th through 12th graders) away for a winter retreat to two different location via 3 charter buses. It is my responsibility to make sure everyone has all of their permission slips, payments and medication lists in order before the trips take place.
In addition to these two retreats, we are registering for a 6th grade event, a high school mission trip, planning a fundraising dinner(that I am doing the food for), and another 5th and 6th grade event. So I have been working a lot of long, crazy hours and by the time I go home, I am fried.
Usually when I go home, I make sure my desk is cleaned up and empty-I hate starting a day off jumping into a mess. So today when I walked in and saw that someone had gotten the permission slip books out of the upper cabinet above my desk and just left them on my desk-I wasn't very happy.
This is the cabinet as is usually looks when I come in, closed hiding the many folders that I use to organize permission slips and purchase orders.
This is what it looks like when it is empty.
This was hidden inside...a box that had been modified with a ramp of cardboard-higher in the back and lower in the front. It was filled with ping pong balls!!
Enough to fill the ping pong ball dispenser, and cover the bottom 3 inches in a 3 gallon bucket. All of which flew out at me as soon as I flung the cabinet open to put the books away!!!
They went EVERYWHERE!!! I laughed and laughed and laughed! Then I started cleaning them up, and plotting my revenge! At first I just acted like normal when my coworkers started trickling in. I hid the balls and left the books out on my desk to make it look like I hadn't sprung the trap yet, but when I went to grab some ping pong balls to throw at the one guy whom I was sure was the mastermind-I tipped over the bucket and they all hit the floor again-and he just cracked up in his office!
I still have to come up with something to do to him to retaliate, I was too busy to think about what I could do that wasn't going to get me fired or in serious trouble! Any ideas? A few years ago, one of our students took paper dixie cups, filled them with with water and put them all over the floor of our previous department directors office. There were hundreds of cups! It took hours to empty them all!
Another prank a high school student pulled was to stick the director's stapler in a bowl of jello and when it hardened, she dumped it out onto a plate on his desk with a note. I can't use those ideas, because they know about those, Oh, and I got one of them today by sticking a small piece of masking tape on the bottom of his optical mouse-he kept trying batteries-to no avail!
I'm glad I work with the people I work with, because they have a great sense of humor, and that little prank was just what I needed to turn a crummy week into one that I'll still be smiling about for a long time to come!
So, let me hear your ideas! Have you had a good prank played on you? Or have you been the prankster? I'm looking for a fun way to reciprocate!!
In addition to these two retreats, we are registering for a 6th grade event, a high school mission trip, planning a fundraising dinner(that I am doing the food for), and another 5th and 6th grade event. So I have been working a lot of long, crazy hours and by the time I go home, I am fried.
Usually when I go home, I make sure my desk is cleaned up and empty-I hate starting a day off jumping into a mess. So today when I walked in and saw that someone had gotten the permission slip books out of the upper cabinet above my desk and just left them on my desk-I wasn't very happy.
They went EVERYWHERE!!! I laughed and laughed and laughed! Then I started cleaning them up, and plotting my revenge! At first I just acted like normal when my coworkers started trickling in. I hid the balls and left the books out on my desk to make it look like I hadn't sprung the trap yet, but when I went to grab some ping pong balls to throw at the one guy whom I was sure was the mastermind-I tipped over the bucket and they all hit the floor again-and he just cracked up in his office!
I still have to come up with something to do to him to retaliate, I was too busy to think about what I could do that wasn't going to get me fired or in serious trouble! Any ideas? A few years ago, one of our students took paper dixie cups, filled them with with water and put them all over the floor of our previous department directors office. There were hundreds of cups! It took hours to empty them all!
Another prank a high school student pulled was to stick the director's stapler in a bowl of jello and when it hardened, she dumped it out onto a plate on his desk with a note. I can't use those ideas, because they know about those, Oh, and I got one of them today by sticking a small piece of masking tape on the bottom of his optical mouse-he kept trying batteries-to no avail!
I'm glad I work with the people I work with, because they have a great sense of humor, and that little prank was just what I needed to turn a crummy week into one that I'll still be smiling about for a long time to come!
So, let me hear your ideas! Have you had a good prank played on you? Or have you been the prankster? I'm looking for a fun way to reciprocate!!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Great Reads for a Sunday Afternoon!
I had a turkey in the freezer in the garage just waiting to be grilled, and today was the day! Do you ever buy more than one turkey when the prices are really low? I usually do, and we have one in the winter and another one on Easter. Have you ever tried grilling them? You don't know what you are missing if you haven't!!! YUM!!!
Since the turkey needed supervision on the grill, I couldn't venture too far from the house, so I thought it would be a perfect day to catch up on some reading, picture ogling and some drooling over vintage goodness!
The magazines were great and the turkey was great!! Hope you are having a nice Sunday too!!
Since the turkey needed supervision on the grill, I couldn't venture too far from the house, so I thought it would be a perfect day to catch up on some reading, picture ogling and some drooling over vintage goodness!
Share Your Pins Sunday!!
Check out this fun new linky party/blog hop hosted by Esther over at Shabby Cottage Collectibles!! What a fun idea!! Thanks Esther for hosting!!
Here are my favorite pins from this week...
Don't you just LOVE linens hanging on the clothesline?!?! Check out all of my boards for my vintage favorites!
Don't forget to stop by
Check out what everyone is pinning, and post yours too!!
Here are my favorite pins from this week...
Don't forget to stop by
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Saturday...A Review!
This morning I got up and made 4 pans of brownies first thing. One was decorated with sugar letters that said Happy Birthday, for a friend from our volleyball league, because today is her birthday and she will be playing tonight. The rest are for the rest of the people who will be there.
Then I went to my booth to take down my Valentine's garland,and to straighten and fluff. It looked pretty good, only a few things out of place. I did find 4 empty hangers and that has me a little concerned...I haven't sold any linens since last week Friday-yet I have 4 empty hangers! I walked around the mall, but didn't spot any strays of mine in other booths. I hope someone didn't just shove them into a big purse or diaper bag or something!
After I was done there, I decided to check out an estate sale in Mason. When I was at the booth, I was already halfway there, so it made sense to head over to it. It was the second and last day of the sale. It really wasn't worth the extra drive. There was still a LOT of stuff left, but even at half off, it was still too high for me. I guess the main draw of this sale was WWII bomber things that were original to the person they were holding the estate sale for.
All those things were long gone when I got there, but I did get to hear the guy conducting the sale talking to a shopper about a physical fight that broke out in line prior to the sale opening! Two guys wanting the WWII stuff so badly, they turned into brainless fools. What a shame! Is there really anything at an estate sale that is worth fighting over? Is your spot in line so precious that you'd be willing to get into a scuffle over? Not for me! I'd walk away first!!
I picked up a couple of dumb things, mostly because I drove all that way, and felt I needed to at least walk away with something. I don't know why I got them-I should have left them there! Here they are...
I was starving and set the GPS to find a McDonald's and on the way, I passed the Mason Antiques District and a Goodwill store. You know I stopped at both-right!?!? The Goodwill was very well picked over, and looked to be full of dealers looking for their next find for their booth.
The antique shops were holding their cabin fever sales of anything from 10%-60%, although I never saw the booth(s) holding the 60% discounts!
I haven't been to Mason for a good while now, and if I wasn't already there, I wouldn't have driven out of my way to get there. Their prices are really way too high. Even if I wasn't a dealer (which I wasn't the last 2 times I visited), I would still think their prices were too high! I saw a Fiesta mixing bowl that has to have been there at least 5 years, in the same spot at the same price ($225). I remember because that is when I fell in love with Fiesta mixing bowls and at the same time fell into despair because I thought I'd never be able to afford them!
Since then, I've finished a full 7 piece set and have started 2 more sets that are almost complete and I've never paid more than $40 for a bowl-even the biggest of the set!! I almost wanted to whisper to the people shopping there to save their money and their time and drive another 20 minutes or so to my antique mall!! The majority of the booths in my mall have very reasonable prices, and a much better selection.
The Mason Antiques Mall also has outside stalls that dealers rent and "display" or dump (which is more accurate) their wares for people to browse through. I hate shopping the stalls, it is creepy, and dirty and for the most part looks like no one has touched the stuff in them for months! One stall had a big mirror on the floor leaning against a shelf. It was so dusty that people had written all kinds of things in the dust.
So, my advice is skip Mason for antiques. Go to Livingston Antiques Outlet mall, Williamston Antiques mall, Mega mall, or Knightsbridge Antiques mall if you are in southeastern Michigan. You won't miss anything, in fact, you will more thank likely be thankful for the time not wasted.
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Then I went to my booth to take down my Valentine's garland,and to straighten and fluff. It looked pretty good, only a few things out of place. I did find 4 empty hangers and that has me a little concerned...I haven't sold any linens since last week Friday-yet I have 4 empty hangers! I walked around the mall, but didn't spot any strays of mine in other booths. I hope someone didn't just shove them into a big purse or diaper bag or something!
After I was done there, I decided to check out an estate sale in Mason. When I was at the booth, I was already halfway there, so it made sense to head over to it. It was the second and last day of the sale. It really wasn't worth the extra drive. There was still a LOT of stuff left, but even at half off, it was still too high for me. I guess the main draw of this sale was WWII bomber things that were original to the person they were holding the estate sale for.
All those things were long gone when I got there, but I did get to hear the guy conducting the sale talking to a shopper about a physical fight that broke out in line prior to the sale opening! Two guys wanting the WWII stuff so badly, they turned into brainless fools. What a shame! Is there really anything at an estate sale that is worth fighting over? Is your spot in line so precious that you'd be willing to get into a scuffle over? Not for me! I'd walk away first!!
I picked up a couple of dumb things, mostly because I drove all that way, and felt I needed to at least walk away with something. I don't know why I got them-I should have left them there! Here they are...
I was starving and set the GPS to find a McDonald's and on the way, I passed the Mason Antiques District and a Goodwill store. You know I stopped at both-right!?!? The Goodwill was very well picked over, and looked to be full of dealers looking for their next find for their booth.
The antique shops were holding their cabin fever sales of anything from 10%-60%, although I never saw the booth(s) holding the 60% discounts!
I haven't been to Mason for a good while now, and if I wasn't already there, I wouldn't have driven out of my way to get there. Their prices are really way too high. Even if I wasn't a dealer (which I wasn't the last 2 times I visited), I would still think their prices were too high! I saw a Fiesta mixing bowl that has to have been there at least 5 years, in the same spot at the same price ($225). I remember because that is when I fell in love with Fiesta mixing bowls and at the same time fell into despair because I thought I'd never be able to afford them!
Since then, I've finished a full 7 piece set and have started 2 more sets that are almost complete and I've never paid more than $40 for a bowl-even the biggest of the set!! I almost wanted to whisper to the people shopping there to save their money and their time and drive another 20 minutes or so to my antique mall!! The majority of the booths in my mall have very reasonable prices, and a much better selection.
The Mason Antiques Mall also has outside stalls that dealers rent and "display" or dump (which is more accurate) their wares for people to browse through. I hate shopping the stalls, it is creepy, and dirty and for the most part looks like no one has touched the stuff in them for months! One stall had a big mirror on the floor leaning against a shelf. It was so dusty that people had written all kinds of things in the dust.
So, my advice is skip Mason for antiques. Go to Livingston Antiques Outlet mall, Williamston Antiques mall, Mega mall, or Knightsbridge Antiques mall if you are in southeastern Michigan. You won't miss anything, in fact, you will more thank likely be thankful for the time not wasted.
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Friday, February 17, 2012
What Did You Do Today???
I didn't go to any sales today. I have enough junk treasures to get me by until something wonderful comes along. Instead, I ran errands all morning, had a super fun lunch out with my guys at Applebees (the Paradise Chicken Salad is very good!), got the car washed, cleaned the garage and (the cat is out of the bag...) took the rest of the Christmas lights off the house and the trees in the front yard-gasp!!
Now, I'm taking a break before I tackle the laundry and cleaning my room. While we were out, the boys had me stop at Planet Fitness, and they both went in and joined! It was $20 to join and $10 a month for a year, and you pay each month. I guess going to lunch with me tired them out, because they are at home now watching Sponge Bob-resting before they go work out for the first time!
Isn't that blue sky gorgeous?!?!?
While I waited in the car, I cleaned the inside of the car and found some papers I picked up last weekend when I visited Mega Mall. If you live in Southeast Michigan, or are within driving distance of Mega Mall in Lansing, you might want to mark these dates on your calendar!
Break time is over! Off to finish my chores-then over to your blog to see what you did today! Thanks for stopping by!!
Now, I'm taking a break before I tackle the laundry and cleaning my room. While we were out, the boys had me stop at Planet Fitness, and they both went in and joined! It was $20 to join and $10 a month for a year, and you pay each month. I guess going to lunch with me tired them out, because they are at home now watching Sponge Bob-resting before they go work out for the first time!
While I waited in the car, I cleaned the inside of the car and found some papers I picked up last weekend when I visited Mega Mall. If you live in Southeast Michigan, or are within driving distance of Mega Mall in Lansing, you might want to mark these dates on your calendar!
"Happy Valentine's Day Mom, I love you"...
What do you do when you get a box like this delivered to you at work...
and you open it...and you see purple irises, and star gazer lilies (your favorites)....and your hands start to shake a little...then you read the card...
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"Happy Valentine's Day Mom, I love you" -Eric Xxxxx (the x's take the place of letters-not the kisses and hugs kind of x's).
First you cry...then you feel so blessed...then you wipe a couple tears away...then you laugh-because he signed his last name to the card!!!
Then you chuckle every day since Valentine's Day when you see the card and remember what a sweet son you have ...and that he signed his last name to the card!!!
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"Happy Valentine's Day Mom, I love you" -Eric Xxxxx (the x's take the place of letters-not the kisses and hugs kind of x's).
First you cry...then you feel so blessed...then you wipe a couple tears away...then you laugh-because he signed his last name to the card!!!
Then you chuckle every day since Valentine's Day when you see the card and remember what a sweet son you have ...and that he signed his last name to the card!!!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
The Unfinished Quilt...
I picked this unfinished applique quilt up at an estate sale last Thursday in a very old farm house in the middle of nowhere. It was only $2. Someone started it, but never finished it. I would say it is probably about 50% or a little more done. There is one section that has the pieces all pinned in place, but you can see it has been stored away for a long time with them pinned in.
I think it was from a quilt kit because the pattern is printed on the white background fabric and the pieces that are pinned on look to have been pre-cut. I think it would be an amazing quilt if it ever got finished! The parts that are done, have been sewn by hand, by someone who was very meticulous. Can you believe the people selling it only valued it at $2??? How many hours were put into this to only be essentially sold off for pennies.
I'd like to find material to fill in the remaining shapes and spaces, but I'm afraid my lack of patience and sewing skills would show up like a dead flower on the quilt that is already so beautiful! Maybe my mom would be up for a project...I always come up with the ideas and pass the actually work on to her-she loves to sew and knit and to do stained glass and fused glass. Me, I like to plan the ideas, buy the pieces and then watch someone else make it come to life...I get too critical and if it starts failing, or looking not like I imagined it, I give up-I'm gonna have to work on that!
I think it was from a quilt kit because the pattern is printed on the white background fabric and the pieces that are pinned on look to have been pre-cut. I think it would be an amazing quilt if it ever got finished! The parts that are done, have been sewn by hand, by someone who was very meticulous. Can you believe the people selling it only valued it at $2??? How many hours were put into this to only be essentially sold off for pennies.
I'd like to find material to fill in the remaining shapes and spaces, but I'm afraid my lack of patience and sewing skills would show up like a dead flower on the quilt that is already so beautiful! Maybe my mom would be up for a project...I always come up with the ideas and pass the actually work on to her-she loves to sew and knit and to do stained glass and fused glass. Me, I like to plan the ideas, buy the pieces and then watch someone else make it come to life...I get too critical and if it starts failing, or looking not like I imagined it, I give up-I'm gonna have to work on that!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
25 Things...
I've been seeing a LOT of friends on Facebook posting "25 Things", 25 random things about yourself, and now some blog friends are participating too! Since I have a bunch of time today until I have to get to volleyball, and playing around on the computer is much more entertaining that doing laundry or dusting...I thought I'd play along too!
1. I was a tomboy growing up. I liked to play all the sports the boys liked to play and I used to like to beat them at their own game (I still like to beat them-I can't lie about it!). I still like to play, and I'm still way too competitive!
2. In the winter, I play volleyball 4 nights a week, and would play more if I could! I play 2 nights on ladies teams, and 2 nights on co-ed teams and I LOVE playing with the ladies 110% more than with the guys!
3. I have a sand volleyball court in my yard! My whole family plays and we love it!
4. I work in a church! I am an administrative assistant to 3 student ministry directors for 5th grade through 12th grade. I love the fast pace of my job, and that when I leave work, I can leave it there and not take it home with me (for the most part).
5. My favorite color is purple-always has been. I used to have a one-piece purple snowsuit when I was in kindergarten, and it had white "fur" around the hood. Luckily, it was a style that was around for a few years, because when I out-grew it, my mom was able to find it again for me in a bigger size, so I got to wear it for about 4 years! I also always wore a purple and white "Kool-aid" hat with it.
6. I LOVE to hop in the car and drive where ever-especially to estate sales and garage sales and up north Michigan. It is like an exciting treasure hunt/road trip-I think I am addicted to the buzz of finding great treasures!! Treasures for me don't necessarily have to be things I buy-it can be a really cool old house that I get to go in, it can be the way ice is sitting on tree branches, or the way the clouds are forming in the sky.
7. I was hit by a car when I was in second grade. We lived close to my elementary school, so I walked to and from school every day. Shortly after a new children crossing sign was erected at the very spot I always crossed the street, I stepped out into the road into a car, because I couldn't see past the sign! No broken bones-just massive bruising, and it was the only time I've ever blacked out. My mom was on the phone with an older neighbor when it happened and the lady said O, my gosh! Some kid in a purple coat just got hit by a car! My mom immediately knew it was me! The driver drove me home, came in and talked to my mom, and said he'd be back to check in, but we never saw him again. I remember trying to drag myself behind the couch (because I couldn't put any weight on my leg-it hurt so bad) when the police officer showed up at our house. I was trying to hide because I thought he was going to take me away!
8. I love 80's music. Not so much the dumb lyrics, but the music itself.
9. I was one of five generations of first born girls. I messed up the family tree when my first born was a boy!
10. I only like sauer kraut when it is cold. If I try to eat it warm or hot, it makes me gag.
11. Tuna and peanut butter give me heartburn-so I rarely eat them. I LOVE peanut butter too!!!
12. I've had mostly gray hair (hidden under the hair dye of course) since I was 26 (runs in the family). My grandma was totally gray at 38, my aunt at 35. I don't know when I went totally gray-or if I ever have, I haven't seen my natural hair color in a lonnnnng time!
13. I used to be a certified Optician (for 14 years). I just decided this year to not renew my certification (I've been out of the optical field for 12 years). I was an operations manager for Lenscrafters. All that fancy title meant was that I could sell, fit, adjust repair and make the glasses-I could work the floor and in the lab-one manager to do the work of two.
14.My brother was born severely mentally handicapped. He was 4 years younger than me and although he lived to be 28 years old, he never functioned much beyond an infant. He needed constant care (diapers, feeding tubes, back and leg braces, and tons of meds). I spent a good portion of my growing up years helping my parents care for him.
15. I got married when I was 20 and moved to California where we lived for almost 2 years while Kevin was in the Navy. I hated almost every minute of it too! I was so immature, and had never been out of my small hometown before that it was a HUGE culture shock. I wish I would have been able to see it for the adventure it was and look for the "treasures" to be seen while I was there-instead of being miserable!
16. My mom and I snuck on to the Queen Mary when it was docked in Longbeach! There was a wedding reception going on, and we snuck in with the guests! We got to wander all over-wish I would have taken a camera!!!
17. I started going to garage sales to find things for the boys cheap! We didn't have much money when Adam was born (I was the only one working while Kevin went to nursing school), so I would go out every Thursday looking for "treasures" for my family and home. I would get the paper on Wednesday, map out all the sales I was interested in on a giant paper county map and then head out for a few hours with the boys (once Eric came along they both went). They ended up with a TON of cool toys during their growing up years because of garage sales! They also were able to stay in jeans without holes in the knees constantly because of garage sales!
18. My first job was at JC Penney. I worked in the children's clothing department. My dad's mom was dying of cancer and I told my boss that I would need some time off when her funeral came. He told me to chose between my job and my family. Really? A 16 year old kid needs to make a decision like that? I quit on the spot!
19. Even though I'm a tomboy at heart, I'm still girly deep down inside. I LOVE to dress up, get pedicures, and I love Japanese cherry blossom body wash from Bath and Body Works!
20. My whole house used to be decorated in purple-except the boys rooms! Now it is a mix of purple and vintage-I LOVE it!!!
21. I used to have a licensed in-home day care, and I used to have an event planning/catering business that I shared with 2 other friends. The day care was just 2 days a week for a couple of wealthy moms who needed a break from their young kids, and it worked well on my days off from my optical job. The catering/event planning job was just a natural progression from my job at the time (special event planning for our Children's Ministry Department at my church). It went well and we were really busy with a LOT of catering events. The only problems were-my other two "friends" didn't want to work together, so I had to work every event (on top of my regular job), plus I was always the one to do the initial client meetings, plan the menus, shop, cook, prep, pack, haul, etc. It got to be so much! I was gone every weekend and busy every night. I gave it up to spend more time with my family.
22. I used to have a mini bike! A Honda Trail 70. It was rust/copper colored and I rode it into the ground! My cousin spent a lot of hours behind me on it. She got a pretty nasty burn on her thigh from the exhaust pipe -I wonder if she still has a scar there after all these years-I'll have to ask her!
23. My favorite food is mashed potatoes-no gravy-just mashed potatoes. They can be cold or warm-doesn't matter. I don't like my food to touch either!
24. I'm a salty girl-I prefer salty snacks to sweet snacks or desserts. Give me chips and salsa over chocolate cake any day!!!
25. The biggest event I have ever catered was for 1500 people for our church picnic (did it for about 7 years). We made everything from scratch for most of that time too! 30 dozen hard boiled eggs for potato salad was a killer!!
This was fun-but a LOT harder than I thought!! Sorry it is rambling! Some of them that I've ready have flowed really nicely...I guess #26 is that I'm a pretty random girl!
Now it's your turn!! Post your 25 things so we can get to know you better too!!!
1. I was a tomboy growing up. I liked to play all the sports the boys liked to play and I used to like to beat them at their own game (I still like to beat them-I can't lie about it!). I still like to play, and I'm still way too competitive!
2. In the winter, I play volleyball 4 nights a week, and would play more if I could! I play 2 nights on ladies teams, and 2 nights on co-ed teams and I LOVE playing with the ladies 110% more than with the guys!
3. I have a sand volleyball court in my yard! My whole family plays and we love it!
4. I work in a church! I am an administrative assistant to 3 student ministry directors for 5th grade through 12th grade. I love the fast pace of my job, and that when I leave work, I can leave it there and not take it home with me (for the most part).
5. My favorite color is purple-always has been. I used to have a one-piece purple snowsuit when I was in kindergarten, and it had white "fur" around the hood. Luckily, it was a style that was around for a few years, because when I out-grew it, my mom was able to find it again for me in a bigger size, so I got to wear it for about 4 years! I also always wore a purple and white "Kool-aid" hat with it.
6. I LOVE to hop in the car and drive where ever-especially to estate sales and garage sales and up north Michigan. It is like an exciting treasure hunt/road trip-I think I am addicted to the buzz of finding great treasures!! Treasures for me don't necessarily have to be things I buy-it can be a really cool old house that I get to go in, it can be the way ice is sitting on tree branches, or the way the clouds are forming in the sky.
7. I was hit by a car when I was in second grade. We lived close to my elementary school, so I walked to and from school every day. Shortly after a new children crossing sign was erected at the very spot I always crossed the street, I stepped out into the road into a car, because I couldn't see past the sign! No broken bones-just massive bruising, and it was the only time I've ever blacked out. My mom was on the phone with an older neighbor when it happened and the lady said O, my gosh! Some kid in a purple coat just got hit by a car! My mom immediately knew it was me! The driver drove me home, came in and talked to my mom, and said he'd be back to check in, but we never saw him again. I remember trying to drag myself behind the couch (because I couldn't put any weight on my leg-it hurt so bad) when the police officer showed up at our house. I was trying to hide because I thought he was going to take me away!
8. I love 80's music. Not so much the dumb lyrics, but the music itself.
9. I was one of five generations of first born girls. I messed up the family tree when my first born was a boy!
10. I only like sauer kraut when it is cold. If I try to eat it warm or hot, it makes me gag.
11. Tuna and peanut butter give me heartburn-so I rarely eat them. I LOVE peanut butter too!!!
12. I've had mostly gray hair (hidden under the hair dye of course) since I was 26 (runs in the family). My grandma was totally gray at 38, my aunt at 35. I don't know when I went totally gray-or if I ever have, I haven't seen my natural hair color in a lonnnnng time!
13. I used to be a certified Optician (for 14 years). I just decided this year to not renew my certification (I've been out of the optical field for 12 years). I was an operations manager for Lenscrafters. All that fancy title meant was that I could sell, fit, adjust repair and make the glasses-I could work the floor and in the lab-one manager to do the work of two.
14.My brother was born severely mentally handicapped. He was 4 years younger than me and although he lived to be 28 years old, he never functioned much beyond an infant. He needed constant care (diapers, feeding tubes, back and leg braces, and tons of meds). I spent a good portion of my growing up years helping my parents care for him.
15. I got married when I was 20 and moved to California where we lived for almost 2 years while Kevin was in the Navy. I hated almost every minute of it too! I was so immature, and had never been out of my small hometown before that it was a HUGE culture shock. I wish I would have been able to see it for the adventure it was and look for the "treasures" to be seen while I was there-instead of being miserable!
16. My mom and I snuck on to the Queen Mary when it was docked in Longbeach! There was a wedding reception going on, and we snuck in with the guests! We got to wander all over-wish I would have taken a camera!!!
17. I started going to garage sales to find things for the boys cheap! We didn't have much money when Adam was born (I was the only one working while Kevin went to nursing school), so I would go out every Thursday looking for "treasures" for my family and home. I would get the paper on Wednesday, map out all the sales I was interested in on a giant paper county map and then head out for a few hours with the boys (once Eric came along they both went). They ended up with a TON of cool toys during their growing up years because of garage sales! They also were able to stay in jeans without holes in the knees constantly because of garage sales!
18. My first job was at JC Penney. I worked in the children's clothing department. My dad's mom was dying of cancer and I told my boss that I would need some time off when her funeral came. He told me to chose between my job and my family. Really? A 16 year old kid needs to make a decision like that? I quit on the spot!
19. Even though I'm a tomboy at heart, I'm still girly deep down inside. I LOVE to dress up, get pedicures, and I love Japanese cherry blossom body wash from Bath and Body Works!
20. My whole house used to be decorated in purple-except the boys rooms! Now it is a mix of purple and vintage-I LOVE it!!!
21. I used to have a licensed in-home day care, and I used to have an event planning/catering business that I shared with 2 other friends. The day care was just 2 days a week for a couple of wealthy moms who needed a break from their young kids, and it worked well on my days off from my optical job. The catering/event planning job was just a natural progression from my job at the time (special event planning for our Children's Ministry Department at my church). It went well and we were really busy with a LOT of catering events. The only problems were-my other two "friends" didn't want to work together, so I had to work every event (on top of my regular job), plus I was always the one to do the initial client meetings, plan the menus, shop, cook, prep, pack, haul, etc. It got to be so much! I was gone every weekend and busy every night. I gave it up to spend more time with my family.
22. I used to have a mini bike! A Honda Trail 70. It was rust/copper colored and I rode it into the ground! My cousin spent a lot of hours behind me on it. She got a pretty nasty burn on her thigh from the exhaust pipe -I wonder if she still has a scar there after all these years-I'll have to ask her!
23. My favorite food is mashed potatoes-no gravy-just mashed potatoes. They can be cold or warm-doesn't matter. I don't like my food to touch either!
24. I'm a salty girl-I prefer salty snacks to sweet snacks or desserts. Give me chips and salsa over chocolate cake any day!!!
25. The biggest event I have ever catered was for 1500 people for our church picnic (did it for about 7 years). We made everything from scratch for most of that time too! 30 dozen hard boiled eggs for potato salad was a killer!!
This was fun-but a LOT harder than I thought!! Sorry it is rambling! Some of them that I've ready have flowed really nicely...I guess #26 is that I'm a pretty random girl!
Now it's your turn!! Post your 25 things so we can get to know you better too!!!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
A Few Forgotten Finds...
I found a few things in my garage that I got recently but forgot to show you...
A child sized maple drop leaf table, that one of my guys put something on top of and gouged it more than it was when I bought it!
Some vintage material-all for $1.50.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Taking advantage of the sun!
Our Michigan winter has been so mild this year! I've been LOVING the sunshine and blue skies!! I decided to tackle a HUGE pile of linens that has been piling up since fall. I soaked them for hours, and then hung them in the sun to dry. It felt amazing to be doing that in February! No gray skies here! I LOVE seeing the linens flapping in the breeze! It just brings a smile to my heart!
See the remnants of the ice rink that never was in the background??
Saturday, February 11, 2012
A Quick Trip to the Other Side of Town!
Last night, I found an estate sale on the other side of town that was a one day sale-for TODAY! So Kevin and I decided to check it out! We didn't get up early enough to get there when it opened, we got there an hour late. The roads were bad and the temperature was finally what it was supposed to be for February in Michigan--9 degrees!
It was in a tiny little condo, so we already know that all of the good stuff was gone before the sale even began, because they already had to downsize once to get to the condo. It was a family run sale-so prices were all over the map. I did pick up a few things. I think I got all of the vintage things that were left. The rest was clothes, newer furniture and new everything else.
The hankies were only ten cents each! I'm keeping the apron-I LOVE the purple!!!
Friday, February 10, 2012
There's NOTHING like a good GPS!!
Yesterday after work, I took off for an estate sale in a very old farm house. It was a long drive so when I got out to my car (at work) and found that Kevin still had my GPS in his car, I didn't want to go all the way home to get it. I had Adam's GPS in my car from a month ago when mine was acting up. I grabbed his one day just as a back-up so I wouldn't get stranded somewhere.
I didn't get to the sale until around 1:30 and it was very well picked over. I wish I would have been able to get there earlier!! For the most part the prices were pretty good, some things were high, but you get that at just about any sale.
I saw an old iron Victorian style full size headboard for $20 in the garage. It was pretty rusty and it didn't have the side rails or foot board, so I decided to think about it while I walked around the inside. I found a couple of small things inside (the house was packed with people shopping), but almost everything I saw had either a "hold" or "sold" tag on it. When I went back to the garage, the headboard was sold! Snooze-you lose-right? Oh well, it wasn't that big of a deal for me, so I won't lose any sleep over it.
This is what came home with me...
This is an applique quilt that has been started-it's full of pins-ouch! Found that out the hard way-$2.
This is what came home with me...
This is a rocking chair that I dug out in the basement-it was only $3-needs a good cleaning, and it is pretty stable!
Yes, sadly, another tablecloth came home with me...the only thing I can say is, I don't have one in this color?
I got back in the car and set the GPS for home. It is a really old, cheap GPS that doesn't say street names, or tell you which side of the road your destination is on. It was also really off on its measurements. It would say 800 feet when it was more like 80 feet. I got about 5 miles from the sale (which was in an area I'd never been to) and the screen went black and it started making a very loud grinding/clicking sound. I kept pushing the power button, but nothing happened. I had to put it under my leg just to silence it enough to not go crazy!!
I had to rely on gut instinct to find my way to the expressway. The GPS was taking me home a totally different way than it took me to get to the sale and I was out in the middle of no where. I finally found one expressway that eventually led me to an expressway that I know.
I stopped at a consignment store (that I love) in Fenton on the way home and was hoping the GPS would wind down on the battery and stop the awful noise while I was shopping...no such luck! It was still going strong when I came out. I did score a vintage Fiesta relish tray base while I was shopping and it was only $13!! Guess that means I will be adding the inserts to my wish list now!
I almost did a happy dance right in the aisle when I found this!!!
I drove most of the way home, but decided to stop at the grocery store--to get away from the terrible noise the GPS was STILL making! It sure has a long battery life! When I got home, I left it in my car clicking/grinding away until Adam got home from school. It was going off for over 4 hours by the time he got to it!! He told me to toss it out the window when I was driving (I had called him to ask if he knew why it was going crazy-but he had no clue either)! He found a pin and pushed the tiny reset button and it turned off and back on and was perfectly normal-I'm glad I didn't toss it!! Why didn't I think of that???!?!?
I ended up with Adam's GPS again since I didn't think to grab mine. It worked fine until I got into a bunch of one way roads...then it got me all turned around. Thankfully, I was able to call Adam and he walked me through it and got me to the hall where the auction was. I was only 20 minutes late too!
Twenty minutes late might have been 2 hours late, as I soon discovered! They had been selling quilts left and right and by the time I registered and got in the swing of the auctioneer's call, I had missed out on all but 3 quilts!!! UGH!!! The lady in front of me had a HUGE pile of them and she kept winning more! I was able to snag one, but it was the second least desirable one. It was really cheap, so I don't regret it. Who knew 20 minutes could make such a big deal!! Usually when I go to auctions, I sit (or stand) and wait, and wait and wait for the stuff I am interested in to come up!
Not gorgeous-but not a total frog either.
Notice the empty card....wahh!
I liked this auctioneer. He was quick and didn't do a lot of dilly dallying around-he sold a TON of stuff in the hour and a half that I was there. I bid on a few more things but they all went for way more than I was willing to pay. I decided to scoot out and try to find some thrift stores and make a stop at Mega Mall on my way home. The one thrift store I was really anxious to check out--Vintage Palooza--wasn't even at the location it was supposed to be at. It must have went out of business but Google is still picking it up when you do a search for vintage thrift. It looks like it is a restaurant now.Bummer!!
I did find the Mega Mall-in a kind of round about way (that crazy GPS again!). I've been wanting to check out the Mall since I've heard there is new management and a lot of new dealers. It was a great day to go, it was their "Cabin fever" sale. A lot of the dealers were having sales that ranged anywhere from 10%-75% off. Even at 75% off, I couldn't find anything that I couldn't live without or resell. Almost every booth was full, and some of the older, dirty booths have really been cleaned up-yay for new management!!! I did find one thing in a 50% off booth...
I did find the Mega Mall-in a kind of round about way (that crazy GPS again!). I've been wanting to check out the Mall since I've heard there is new management and a lot of new dealers. It was a great day to go, it was their "Cabin fever" sale. A lot of the dealers were having sales that ranged anywhere from 10%-75% off. Even at 75% off, I couldn't find anything that I couldn't live without or resell. Almost every booth was full, and some of the older, dirty booths have really been cleaned up-yay for new management!!! I did find one thing in a 50% off booth...
This is a picture I borrowed from the internet, I left mine out in the car and I was
too lazy to run out and get it-besides...it's cold out there!!!
too lazy to run out and get it-besides...it's cold out there!!!
After I got home, I had to run a meal over to some friends who recently had a death in the family, run Eric around to find a new backpack (his ripped and it's too bad to fix or even use anymore)-do you know how hard it is to find a backpack in the not back to school season?!?!? What a pain!! We did eventually find one--after a LOT of running around!
Now we are just vegging out, after our Friday night pizza. It's nice to be home with no where to go!!! Now I think I'll head over to your place to catch up on what you've been doing this week-I can't wait to see what you've done, where you've been and what you've found!!!
Happy Weekend!!!
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