By George

Back again with another one of the Weekend Posts That Didn't Happen. You may or may not recall that I purchased some vinyl lettering phrases for my wall from a company called Uppercase Living. I put the first one up but had a devil of a time getting it to work, and I was nervous as I still had one phrase remaining. Well, I finally got around to it right before Quin left and here is the result. It was still every bit as difficult to apply as the first one, but at least this time I knew it was going to be a pain in the butt so I was prepared! My family room is done with a little bit of Americana (being an Army wife will do that to you!) so I thought this was appropriate. The painting is Prayer at Valley Forge by Arnold Friberg and was my graduation gift to Quin back before we were even married.

I got a hot tip on some Simply Shabby Chic bedding being on 75% off clearance at Target so I headed down this morning for a look. I have been looking for a new duvet for our bed but since we have a King they are all way out of my price range, and I don't want to spend so much on a set that I feel like I have to have it for 10 years to justify the cost. To my delight, I found this King duvet with matching shams marked down to about $25.00 and a cute green and white striped bed skirt for about $13.00. I also found a sweet little throw pillow for about $6.25; it's one I've had my eye on for months and months now but was just to cheap to buy at full price. The duvet just happens to perfectly match my existing sheets, and I'm excited to have a bed skirt! We've been without one since we bought our bed 2.5 years ago, and I'm tired of looking at the ugly box springs.

They're all in the wash right now and I'll have my mom help me get the bed skirt on when she's here this weekend, as lifting a king-size mattress and spreading a bed skirt underneath is way more than I can manage on my own. I do need to get some king-size pillows to put in the shams, but I'll look at JoAnn's so I can use a 40% off coupon; since they're just for show I don't care if they're the cheap kind. The floral print is kind of girly but hopefully Quin won't mind too much. Plus since I got a great deal I don't have to feel absolutely married to them. That was definitely worth braving the snow! I also heard that the Global Bazaar line is 75% off, but my store had nothing left but a few throw pillows. I didn't have my eye on anything particular, but for 75% off I'm always willing to look!

A thrifter's lament

Well, then. I thought I was being super clever when I set up three blog entries to post while I was gone this weekend. Actually, I just posted a photo to three blank posts and saved them as drafts, figuring that I could fill in the text at my leisure and thereby not go another six days between posts. However, Blogger pulled a fast one on me and when I tried to type in those saved draft entries, all my text was blue and underlined and I couldn't do anything to the photos or they completely disappeared. Hmph. So I was forced to go six days between blog entries again, but it wasn't for lack of trying.

I made a quick run to a thrift last week before I left and found this great coat for Maren. Unless she hits an incredible growth spurt it will be a good four years until she can wear it, as it's a size 6 but it's beautifully made and for $7.50 I couldn't pass it up. A navy wool Sunday coat will always be in style, and I have plenty of room in the back of the closet. As I was checking out, the lady that runs the thrift shop mentioned it had been her daughter's coat (it's a consignment thrift on base) and she was just tickled to see me buying it. She was glad to know it was going to a good home where it would be appreciated!

Haven't done any other thrifting lately, other than an utterly disappointing trip to Saver's before Quin left. Time was that I never left that store empty-handed, but now that seems to be the norm. I'm not sure if there was a change in management or if their donations have drastically declined, but the shelves seem to be perpetually empty. The store itself has gotten increasingly dirty and prices have gone up. Their patterns used to be $.29 each, the cheapest I could find anywhere and they always had just scads of them. In fact, I've bought most of my vintage patterns there. On this most recent trip, there were probably fewer than two dozen patterns (mostly ugly 1980s clothes) and they were all marked $.69. I foresee my trips to that store becoming more and more infrequent until I just don't bother anymore. Bummer. :(

And now, after that lament: a gratuitous cute baby picture!

I was a lucky winner of Sarah's blog giveaway and I received her package last week. What a fun treat! She sent a gorgeous vintage tablecloth printed with bright red berries--it will be perfect in my red kitchen! She also shared some vintage embroidered linens, an older Martha mag, vintage embroidered trim, a tissue paper fan, a vintage Valentine, and the sweetest little heart-shaped vase that you fill with a sprig of fresh flowers and pin to your lapel. She also sent some fabulous vintage Christmas ornaments, which will be added to my collection! I was just tickled to open her package. Thanks again, Sarah & Jack!

Shonda, if you're reading: Happy Birthday! Shonda was my college roommate and one of the dearest friends I've had the pleasure to have. She is a wonderful person all-around and I'm blessed to know her. :) She's also a really talented photographer--that's her blog over to the right, Through the Lens. Here's her photo site: Shonda Barlow Photography. Take a look; I think you'll be charmed by the images she captures--I know I am!

Things are a little blue around here. Husband left on Monday to head to Missouri for an 8-week training course for work. He's had a rough go of it so far--he woke up dreadfully sick on Monday morning and things just went downhill from there. I feel terrible for him and hope that things start looking up soon. Maren and I are lonesome for him already! We're leaving tomorrow for Utah to visit my folks for a few days, a welcome distraction. I still have to get us packed, so I'm off to watch LOST and fold laundry!

Happy President's Day!

For your President's Day viewing pleasure, a few more pieces dredged from my 'archives' (AKA a box in the basement):

Abe Lincoln, drawn by me in Kindergarten, February 1984. Note the masterful use of chiaroscuro shading and the surprised-looking eyebrows.

George Washington weaving and silhouette, February 6, 1987 (3rd grade). This is a cool project because we first wove the red and blue construction paper, then cut the silhouette. The outside of the silhouette is glued on the other side of the woven paper, making this piece of art reversible! Tres clever!

Have you seen this cool new U2 video? Clever.

Pink & Brown love

I was paired up with MeLisa from Sew Little Thyme for the Pink & Brown Swap. I received my package this week and was immediately flooded with Wayne's World-style "I'm Not Worthy" feelings. Folks, she sent me the most amazing, generous package that I was completely overwhelmed. Everything was packaged so prettily and it took every ounce of restraint that I possess to unpack the box, find a place to set this all up and take the photo before opening it all up.
MeLisa managed to find a whole lot more to fulfill the "brown" part of the swap than I found for her. She sent me 2 little Pyrex square dishes, the prettiest vintage hankies, 2 vintage regional cookbooks chock-full of stick-to-your ribs Midwestern recipes, a great scrapbook idea book that I've always liked but never owned, felt rickrack, the coolest little vintage bridge tallies and place cards (I will have to photograph these closer and post them another time, they're really neat!), frames for scrapbooking, hand lotion, pink & brown pens, a darling starfish cookie cutter as well as 2 vintage cutters , and CANDY!

But that's not all! There was also this vintage apron in the most perfect pink & brown--still can't believe she was lucky enough to find that! And for the crafted item, MeLisa made really neat reversible pink & brown bags--one for me and a little one for Miss Maren! What an absolutely unexpected but super sweet thing for MeLisa to do.

I had such fun participating in this swap and having MeLisa as a partner made it even better!

Bejeweled and Bespectacled

Thanks for all the First Grade Valentine love! I had to giggle at my Mom's comment, though--she said she couldn't believe that I saved those. Silly, YOU saved those for me! I didn't even find that stuff until I was probably in high school, and by then I knew better than to throw stuff like that away. So all credit goes to my dear Mom, without whom I couldn't have made that last blog post. Pack-rattery triumphs yet again!

I had a really nice Valentine's Day, and I have to brag just a -wee- bit. Would you just look at those sparklies? Sweet husband surprised me with this beautiful diamond pendant as a combination Valentine's/Anniversary gift (our anniversary is March 2). It's especially appropriate for our anniversary because there are five diamonds and this year we celebrate five years of marriage. I'm just thrilled with my new bauble and even more touched at his thoughtfulness! What a good husband I have!

Today is my first day of wearing glasses in preparation for my LASIK surgery, which is two weeks away! I'm experiencing the same woozy feeling I had when I started with the soft contacts, where my feet look to be impossibly far away and everything's just a little bit off. I completely forgot about not being able to see myself when putting on makeup! LOL Only two weeks...

Yesterday was an awesome mail day for me! I got packages from both MeLisa and Sarah that I will post about soon and a cute Valentine's Day goodie from my Mom. Between all that and all the spoiling I received on Wednesday, I felt like the luckiest girl ever!

When I was in Elementary School, I loved Valentine's Day. I remember carefully writing out the names of my classmates from the list provided by my teacher and being so excited to deposit each little envelope in its owner's 'mailbox'. I can't remember ever receiving a Secret Admirer Valentine, but I do remember sending one! Can't honestly remember who it was to, but I remember the silly rush of putting it in his bag and wondering if he'd know who it was from. What a goofball I was. :)

For my photo today I dug out my Valentines from 1st grade, which would have been 1985, I think. The thing in the middle is my little decorated lunch sack 'mailbox'. I remember that my mom used to let me order Valentines from the Current catalog, and I loved to pore over it and choose my cards for the year--what a treat that was!

Hope you all have a wonderful day with those you love!

This is the cutest bag that was my Valentine from my dear Mom. She had her neighbor make one for me and a wee little matching bag for Miss Maren. I love the vintage Valentine fabric! The interior is lined in a red and white gingham and the bottom is the black and white polka dot. I love that it has long handles; long enough that I can hold it over my shoulder to keep my hands free to wrangle Maren. I love that it's big enough to keep a magazine in, which came in handy when I was at the eye doctor yesterday and she was running really late. It's been fun to carry something festive and I think maybe I'll just keep it around until the end of February, even though Valentine's Day is tomorrow. I'm just not ready to retire it yet. Thanks again, Mom!

I know this photo is a little out of focus but I think it's kinda neat anyway. Sweet husband had a dozen of the most gorgeous red roses sent to me and I've been enjoying them all weekend. Simply beautiful! They remind me of my wedding, where I had a perfect nosegay-style bouquet of deep red roses and we had the same red roses decorating the tables at the reception. I have a wonderful husband. Thank you, Sweetie. :)

I went in yesterday for another checkup with the eye doctor and got the go-ahead for my LASIK surgery! I have to go tomorrow to get some glasses made and start wearing them right away. Next Wednesday is my pre-op appointment and then my surgery is scheduled for Friday, March 2. I'm excited and scared about it. I'm really not looking forward to wearing glasses for 2 weeks; it's been 14 years since I last wore glasses and they are just a huge hassle. I think I'm most worried about not being able to wear sunglasses when I drive, as my eyes are very sensitive to light glare. Oh well, it will all be worth it, right? My surgery is at 2:30 in the afternoon on Friday and I have to be in at 8:45 am the next morning for a follow-up, and they said I can most likely drive myself to that appointment. That's amazing! 18 hours after having my eyes cut open and lasered, and I'll be able to see well enough to drive. I love modern medicine!

Fashionista

Hot pink high-heeled sandals. They go with everything.

Book reports

I just finished reading Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette by Sena Jeter Naslund. While I was sick I didn't feel like doing much more than laying on the couch and this gave me something to do to pass the time. I like historical fiction and the recent movie and flurry of book releases surrounding it piqued my interest in Marie Antoinette again. I studied the French Revolution in several different history classes and always got the idea that Marie Antoinette was completely out of touch with reality and did nothing but spend money while the people of France starved. This novel made me rethink that previous judgment. I realize it's fictional, and M.A. may well have been every bit as selfish and delusional as I learned before, but the author has really written it in a way that left me sympathetic with M.A. and feeling like maybe she was misunderstood--as we know, history is usually written by the winners, and the French Monarchy didn't exactly come out on top during the Revolution. I agree that she spent exorbitant sums of money on frivolity (working replica of a peasant village on the grounds of Versailles, anyone?) that could probably have been put to better use elsewhere. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction. I'm dying to see the Sofia Coppola/Kirsten Dunst movie that came out last year but since it's a total chick movie I haven't been able convince Quin to watch it with me. I think I'll have to save that one for while he's gone.

The second book I have to review is Thunderstruck by Erik Larson. I read his earlier book, The Devil in the White City, back when it first came out. Both books are in a similar style: he tells two stories that seem parallel but eventually come together. In the first book, I found myself skipping over the architecture mumbo-jumbo to get to the juicier parts about the serial killer. In Thunderstruck I ended up doing the same thing. The two stories are of Guglielmo Marconi (inventor of the wireless telegraph) and Dr. Harvey Crippen, noted wife-killer. The parts about Marconi held my attention only briefly--I started skipping those pretty early on and just reading about Dr. Crippen. Larson's books are well-researched, but they're just plain boring. I gave him two chances and that's it for me.

The third book I've read recently is Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine. I'd heard a little about her on the news and thought her premise was interesting--not that I'd be remotely interested in doing it myself, however. I ended up skimming most of this book as well. Levine comes off as a self-absorbed, elitist New Yorker who in one instance throws a fit because she can't find that day's edition of The New York Times in a 7-11 in Bozeman, Montana. How very provincial, indeed. She never misses an opportunity to bash the Bush administration, at times seeming to invent reasons to throw in barbs. Her ultra-liberal, ultra-feminist, aging-hippie dogma was so overpowering that I found it hard to get past and see her message. Hey Judith--I can't hear what you're saying because you're yelling too loud! That was a big waste of my time. Not recommended.

Hello my poor little neglected blog, has it really been TWO WEEKS since I last wrote? Eek. My absence is due to being out of town, being sick, and just general laziness. It seems the same general ickiness that has beset me for a week now has also landed at Sarah, Shara, Kirsten & MeLisa's houses. Hope you're all feeling better soon, ladies! I wouldn't wish what I had on anyone and have tried hard to keep DH and DD from getting it. I noticed yesterday afternoon however that DD has a drippy nose and has been sneezing quite a lot. Oh dear. I'm SO over this stupid 'being sick' thing.

The 'out of town' portion of my excuse was the 3 days I spent in Southern Colorado visiting my grandparents. My mom was in the area for work so she flew in and we took Maren and drove down to visit, leaving Quin and the dog to hang around in their underwear and eat pizza for 3 days. One of my favorite things about going to the town where my grandparents live is that there is a great junk/thrift store. It's a small town and the store is privately run so prices are pretty much rock-bottom. One drawback is their proclivity for writing the prices on everything in black Sharpie, but I guess everything can't be perfect.

It's a junk/thrift store, emphasis on the junky part. You have to be willing to DIG to find the good stuff but I'm always up for the adventure. Here are my takings for this trip: Japanese stacking mug, $.25 (why do I keep buying these? I don't drink coffee or tea and rarely drink hot chocolate), 5 vintage Shiny Brite ornaments $.10 each, vintage Gurley candle, $.50. The neat old buckles are from a big bag that included a bunch of other buttons and notions. The bag was $1.00. The red and aqua vintage tablecloth was actually from a different thrifting trip and was $1.95. I love it and it's on my kitchen table right now!

This thrift store has boxes and boxes of patterns all priced at a quarter which is cheaper than I can find them at any of the thrifts around here. I went through every single one of them but was very selective in my final choices. I chose these specifically for the images, to be used in a future craft project. I had to giggle because I think I've actually bought the one on the top right before but either Maren destroyed it or I gave it away. Funny that it would turn up again! I LOVE the skirt on the bottom right with the birdcages and the birds. Oh, how I wish big, full skirts with birdcages and birds were in fashion still! That looks like an absolute delight to wear.

And last, 2 more darling vintage apron patterns for my collection. Love the shape of the bib on the one on the bottom right. If only I had the 18" waist to go along with it!

Finally got my Pink & Brown swap all finished up and now I just need to pack it up and get it in the mail! Next project is to make Valentines, as I've got to get them in the mail ASAP. I've also got a Valentine craft in the works that I hope to show you in the next day or two. Time to get busy!