Hello TGIF

Hi everyone and Happy Friday. I know I don't usually post on weekday mornings but my company has cut us back to four days a week. I really don't need the cut right now but at least we get Friday as a stay at home day. My goal is to give up the day job but that's a while away. I'll be working on getting some cleaning done this long weekend and sorting through lots of treasures that I haven't found a place for. I've restricted myself, no more treasure hunting until I've sorted out everything that I've already bought and cleaned and decorated for autumn and gotten back into my sewing and crafting. Maybe I can get this all done in three days and be ready for the hunt again next week!! The picture above is a box of pewter that I purchased last weekend, I have to get it sorted and cleaned. I also found a great plate rack that I'm going to use to display my pewter plates on. I'll post pictures of the rack as soon as I get it on the wall.

This is the side of my old school desk. I've been wanting to do a post about this for the longest time. The pictures aren't very good but I thought I'd post them anyway. Last fall my brother called me at work, he was visiting a local used furniture - junk store and the owner wanted him to tell me about this desk. You see we were lived right off the old mill village when we were growing up. The mill village was actually a town proper with it's own school. My stepfather and his mother went to the old school. I have the history of the school and I know that it was built after the Civil War so the children of the mill would have a school to attend. I haven't had time to research this yet but this came from the attic of one of the old mill houses. The shop owner said the elderly lady he bought it from had attended the school and they gave these old desks to students that wanted them when they were replaced with new desks in the 1920's. Unfortunately the desk just wasn't in my budget that day so I had to pass it up. Months passed and I stopped by the shop one day looking for a cupboard and the shop owner said he thought he had something tucked away in a back corner behind some chests that I might be interested in. Can you believe he had hidden this desk away and saved it for me. I backed the van right up to door and brought her home. The shop owner was a friend of brothers and he said he just felt like we should have it and he gave me a nice discount on the price. When I got home Brother was so surprised and he made a special trip back to thank his friend. On the side of the desk there is the shield of Athena and there are two dates 1889 and 1888. I just love it.

I just couldn't resist posting a couple more pictures of the beautiful white flowering Jasmine (at least I think that's what it is). It is so beautiful, it's a last reminder that it is still summer even though the days are shorter and there's just a hint here and there that autumn is coming.

A Spoiled Kitty and a Favorite Shelf

It's been just too hot here this week, I'm pet sitting for a very good friend, not to mention taking care of my own brats--- oops I meant cats. I have lots of pictures that I plan to post this weekend but for now just a little post. This is one of my favorite shelves, the white is soothing and it adds just a hint of my love for white in my primitive living room.

Now I bought this stroller at a yard sale Sat. for Sugar Bee and she seemed to love it. So much so that she decided that all of the white wicker must be hers too. I had to take the hurricane shade away from this candle for fear she's knock it off and break it and then jump into the glass. Oh well she does look cute in there.

Have a great week everyone! Hugs!

Nature's Art

I'm sorry, I can never figure out how to delete pictures when I accidently post them, in trying to delete the one I ended up adding two more---ops.

Hi everyone, I just had to pop in and share some photo's that I took this afternoon. The first two are of nature, simple and beautiful. The others are of just a few of my great finds this morning. I'll be posting more over the next couple of days and also I'll be working on my Halloween blog so be sure to stop on by. I'm not sure what this vine is, I'm thinking it may be Jasmine but either way it is a favorite of mine. Every year in late summer it climbs to the top of the big camelia bush and blooms so beautifully. It has such a light coolness about, so delicate and lacey. It is always so calming and comforting on the hot, sticky late summer afternoons.

And this is the Crepe Myrtle tree, we had such a nice cool rain this afternoon and the bark of the Crepe Myrtle is a true work of art.

This is my favorite find this morning. It's an old fireplace pot but I like to think of it as the cauldron of some wise old witch. The handle has been replaced and as you can see it is straight out of the barn. I'll post more pictures when I get her cleaned up.

One sale had lots of americana and this is just one of the items I bought. I'll post pictures of the others between now and Monday.

I found this at yet another sale. I'm going to paint and distress it and pile it high with pumpkins! I'm starting to look forward to autumn now. Brother was my Halloween buddy, we always decorated and celebrated together. It won't be the same this year. I can hear hin now, he would be saying "just how many pumpkins am I going to have to help you bring home to fill this thing??? " but he would be right there helping me pick out the pumpkins and gourds and making sure that they were arranged just right.

This red basket was at the same sale. I just can't pass up a red basket of any kind. I hope you are having a pleasant weekend. I've got lots of sorting and rearranging to do but I plan to have some great pictures for you soon.

Bright Blessings.

A Great Make Do

Isn't this just the greatest make-do ever. This was a gift from my dear friend Fran a few weeks ago. It's a home made kitty carrier probably made in the 40's or 50's when people didn't have many options for transporting their furrbabies. I just adore it.

My camera is acting up again; sorry for the blurry pictures but I'm having a terrible time getting it to focus.

This is a print on canvas that I found earlier in the summer when my camera was on the blink the first time. I saw this from the van at a garage sale and ran to it. It is a copy of the painting of the Alling children that was painted in about 1839 by Oliver Tarbell Eddy. I looked this up online to see if I could get some information on it. Just as I had guessed sadly, the little boy in the black dress had passed away before the portrait was painted. That is why he is in black and standing a bit apart from his sisters. I don't know where I'm going to hang this yet but it is definitely a keeper.

This creel was a Sat. yard sale find. It's not antique but it is a vintage piece and just in time for my autumn decorating.

Can you see her? She was free at the sale. She's a bottle doll; I guess made in the 60's as she's on what appears to be a plastic Joy or Ivory bottle. I just love her.

I'm also playing with a new blog for Autumn-Halloween. My time is so limited with the hours that I work but if you get a chance stop over at http://familiarspirits.blogspot.com/. Please keep in mind that it's under construction and I haven't gotten this whole blog thing figured out yet anyway but it's lots of fun and I love visiting all of my favorites and many others. I expect my favorites list will grow and grow. Have a great Sunday Afternoon!

Memories and Treasures

It's been a few weeks since I have posted and I would like to thank all of you that have offered your prayers and support during this tragic time. Your kind posts have been a great comfort to me and my family. The police have given the name of a "person of interest" but so far no arrests have been made. Please keep us in your prayers and pray that they will get the person that did this off of the streets.

I've tried to log in daily to check in on the blogs that I follow, it has been a quiet refuge for me these past weeks. Here are few pictures of some favorite finds from earlier this summer. I loved this old magazine, and it was just purrfect for me; imagine kittens and sewing all together on one cover.

This isn't a real good picture but this is a great red plaid bib apron, it fits right into my collection of old aprons.

I can never find enough baskets and this one is just perfect.



And now another birdbath story.

Some of you may remember my post about Miss Pattie's birdbath last winter. Well leave it to my dear brother. Just several weeks before he passed he came home and said "you know that other birdbath base that you have. The one that looks like the old tree; that you've been upset about for years because you could never find a top that would look good on it. Well I was helping the neighbor that moved into Miss Bailey's house do some yard work and found the top of her old birdbath covered in grass and weeds. She was going to throw it away but she was glad to give it to me and it's not the same as the one you had but I think it will work." Well he brought it home and yes it does work and it is just beautiful. There's another birdbath story too but that will have to wait till another time. What precious memories these birdbaths have for me now.

I found these two old pin keeps, I love these.

And on a hot sticky Saturday morning treasure hunting trip I found these two snowy paintings at a yard sale. I couldn't resist them. They were so cool and refreshing and they will be just perfect to display with my snowmen come winter.

Thank you all again and I hope to post more often now . I know life will not be the same again but life is good and I am fortunate to have so many warm, sweet memories.