Pumpkin Sunrise

  Good morning!  Around here the humidity has left and Mother Nature has gifted me (us) some beautiful cool crisp air. I'll be walking this morning with a sweatshirt on - what blessings! The days are shortening quickly hinting at fall weather, thank goodness. I'm sitting here with jeans on hoping that I do not need to switch to capris later in the afternoon. My husband and I went to a restaurant with outdoor seating for lunch over looking a pond. The food was delicious and the views made the food taste better. All you could hear were birds chirping and an occasional flopping fish in the water. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I've been in a creative lull.  I'm just going with it because I know it will pass. Yesterday I wanted to start a pair of socks for my husband with this delicious merino yak blend in the photo below. I ignored the voice in my head that said 'but you have three other projects you should be working on'. Life is for living in the moment an

Aren't these the cutest ever?  I am a rooster collector, I have no idea why.  I'm going to guess I like the red in the rooster.  Anyways, these two little guys were my mom's and I inherited them fourteen years ago.  She either found them at garage sales or they were my in my grandmother's collection.  I wish I knew.  Does it matter though?  They are mine and I love them :) Joining Lady Cordelia

Here is another little beauty that I picked up while visiting a thrift store.  It is hand made and somehow I believe it's made by a younger person.  I just LOVE the turtle etched onto the side.  I have a thing for pottery and I have a thing for vases.  So this creation fits the criteria of being bought and brought into my home :) Have you found anything second hand that you would like to share? Joining Lady Cordelia

The weekend that my sister and brother in law were visiting us, there was an afternoon that the guys went on their merry way and my sister and I went out and about the town. We passed a thrift store that begged us to stop in.  That's when I saw this glass box and left it on the shelf.  (why?  who knows!)  I browse faster than my sister and we parted ways. When we met again she had the glass box in her hands....in that moment I really wanted it.  I was also kicking myself for not picking it up first. She said to me "don't you want this?  It's your style."..........Love her!  Now I can have the perfect-to-me green box and still love my sister for being so thoughtful.  I did find her a wooden shelf for her rubber stamp collection.  Why is it easier sometimes to find items for someone else? So my question is, do you think this is an old refrigerator container?  Any ideas if it has an interesting past? There are no markings.  It's sitting now on my kitchen

These candlestick holders were bought at a garage sale a year ago by my husband.  He bought them for me and I think he paid maybe two dollars total.  He is thrifty that way.  I have them lined up in the dining room on the organ.  I love how matchy matchy they are. Of course I had to move them to my family room for their photo shoot.  It's a little too dark in the dining room. I wonder why someone decided that they didn't need them or want them anymore.  That's the best part of second hand stuff.  "One man's junk is another man's treasure" as the saying goes.  So I am treasuring someone's junk. Joining Lady Cordelia

This is my coffee table in my family room.  Back in the day when my husband was getting his doctorate and we were freshly married and young, friends of ours were moving and gave us this coffee table.  That was around 25 years ago. This table has seen two children who would take their very first steps around the perimeter and bang whatever toy was in their hands on the table top.  My daughter loved Sesame Street weebles (they do not fall down) and my son loved his plastic hammer.  I cannot count how many drinks were spilled.  That is how this lovely table inherited it's distressed lived in look. Our previous dog, Zoe, loved to lay under it and cool off on a hot day throughout the summer. We have thought of replacing this table, but I just can't do it.  There are too many memories and gosh, it's solid wood!!!  Our dear Frodo "hides" under the table when we are trying to catch him.  How could I possibly take his safety zone away? Joining Lady Cordelia

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I went to a university used book sale.  It was very overcrowded with many people and not enough room to squeeze through the packed aisles. I was able to shop anyways.  I lasted longer than my husband, he hates crowds (and possibly humans).  How does one push anyone out of the way politely?  Also if I see a group hovering over a section, I need to see what the fuss is about. The grass is always greener on the other side.  Every one knows that :) My number one area to scan is the classics (not many people there!).  Once I'm finished, I go to fiction which has the crowds.  After that, I leisurely browse everything and anything.  I paid $2 for hardback covers and $1 for large paperback covers.  Please do not be impressed with the math book.  My son is a math major and it's for him.  I'm lucky I can add and subtract. Did you see the top book by Tennyson?  No copyright printed in book but my snooping around the internet is saying 1900ish

My find this week is the lovely blue and brown vase.  I love it!!  I paid a whopping .99 cents and it was worth every single penny.  Love finding thrifty finds?  Then check out Lady Cordelia  and see what others have unearthed. I had to show you the most GLORIOUS sunrise this very morning.  Yep.  I grabbed the camera when I took Frodo outside to get the paper.  Let me tell you, photographing, holding the paper and the leash is getting to be a skill I have honed. I was thinking about why I love mornings so much.  To me they are full of a day's hope.  I have the many hours ahead of me to accomplish what I want to get done.  I am quite scheduled in my life, always have been.  I need a plan, I want a plan.  So every morning I grab a cup of coffee and write my list for the day.  With the kids away at universities my list is quite short and simple.  I'm enjoying that immensely! I've always been a morning person. As a kid, I remember getting up around five a.m. w

While my husband and I were out and about over the weekend, I stumbled across this fabulous find.  A HUGE bread box.  The very best part was the price---three dollars!!  Can you believe it??  I know, I think they mispriced the item.  I've seen less desirable bread boxes for $20. I washed it with just dish detergent and let it air dry.  So of course I'm not going to keep bread in it, that's just silly.  I thought it would make an excellent candy box.  (candy is a staple in this house, just one piece with put a smile on anyone's face). Once I brought it home, I then had to think of where to put it in the kitchen because it really is large.  I rearranged the cook book nook to make room for the box.  Lovely! What have you found on your outings? Joining Lady Cordelia

Today I am flashing back to the late eighties....I hope I'm not dating myself.  My husband and I used to live in Ohio, which by the way, has fantastic flea markets!  We would always go on a Saturday and spend many hours walking around.  In the building were the "regulars" and their stuff never changed much. But outside!!  Outside was just like a garage sale all in one big opened field!  On a sunny day, you could lose yourself browsing.  My husband was always on the look out for vinyl records.  I was just looking.  I had nothing in particular in my mind. These spice shakers were discovered by me for a whole $3 dollars :D  That is including the little shelf they sit on.  I have hung them in my kitchen in six different homes (we moved around a lot back then). And that completes my flashback to the eighties.... Joining Lady Cordelia

See that pile of books?  That is what I found at the recycling center.  Yep.  People throw out just about anything.  The top four books are children's easy reader books.  The latin book I snagged for my daughter who loves languages.   Lady Cordelia is having a link up about thrifty finds on Thursdays. The trivial pursuit game we bought at a thrift store.  We played last night just the three of us and boy is it ever hard!  And dated.....one answer was West Berlin-not there anymore!  It's still a fun game, I can't decide if I feel really smart when I know an answer or really uneducated when I haven't a clue. I found this lovely weed in the yard and took a blurry photo of it.  Not on purpose of course, it's just how I thought it was in focus. Sunshine through my new and improved fence that so far has kept Frodo from escaping.  Frodo is still up to getting into mischief.  Yesterday was so warm that the snakes were out.  We have many garter snakes in the