Broken Oak Ranch

Let it Snow!

2011-03-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

Jon and I spent last Saturday night at our cabin. I had to beg and plead with him to take me up into all that snow! I was way too chicken to drive in the snow by myself. I wanted to spend the whole weekend, but I could only get him to agree to one night.

We knew there was going to be several feet of snow on the ground and debated buying a snow blower. We've nixed that idea for now, but if all this snow keeps up, it's going to become a priority for sure! He had to ram the truck into the berm left by the snowplow about four times to get us off the road. Then we got out and shoveled enough snow so that we could get the truck into the garage. Thank God we picked a place with a garage. So many places in Twain Harte don't have them.

While we were there, it started snowing again. the snow was so pretty! I took these photos with my iPhone because I didn't have my camera with me. I haven't quite finished all of the little details inside so I haven't taken any "after" pictures of the interior yet. I did remember to take "before" pictures though, so I'll try to get some posted after I've got the new batch taken so you can see how I've worked my magic on this place.

I love this little cedar tree in front of the house. I want to put Christmas lights on it next Christmas and light it up. It will look so pretty all lit up with new snow falling. Doesn't all the snow around it look like a soft blanket? Oh, maybe that's why they call it "a blanket of snow." Duh.

Have You Cleaned Out Your Gimcrack Lately?

2011-03-03T11:33:00.000-08:00

{image from Zazzle.com}

Have I told you lately how much I love my iPhone? I mean really love it? This phone has revolutionized my life! One of the apps I've downloaded is dictionary.com, which sends me the word of the day each day. Very often I already know the word, but I do have some new ones thrown at me now and then. Today's word is gimcrack. Yep, gimcrack. Needless to say, that little gem was not in my vocabulary so I looked up its meaning: A showy but useless or worthless object; a gewgaw. Hmm. I probably have more than a few of those in my life. In fact, lately I've had the spring cleaning bug and I've been clearing out a lot of my gimcrack. I've hit every "crack" and crevice in my house! Some has gone to the thrift store, and some has been set aside for Jani. She always loves her some good gimcrack! Okay, okay, I'll stop. Oh, how I do love to "crack" myself up!

Musical Phones

2010-08-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy retrotogo.com

Did you know that you can play songs on the keypad of your phone? I don't know where I learned this, but I've known it since I was a little kid. I was suprised to find out that there are a lot of people who don't know this. Two people I work with, for example. I tried to show them on our phones, but all the digits have the same tones so I had to bust out my trusty iPhone and rock Mary Had a Little Lamb for them. They weren't quite as impressed as I thought they should have been...

I will admit though, that I thought the songbook was pretty much limited to Mary Had a Little Lamb. I was suprised when I Googled it to find out that there are tons of other songs you can play, especially Christmas carols. But the best one? Funkytown! Disco Rules Baby!

Sister Love

2010-08-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I've ever mentioned the phenomenon where all of my sisters call me by their daughter's names. It happens every time we're together and every sister does it. They also call their daughters by my name. I'm sure that as soon as I'm gone, they revert to calling their daughters by their actual names. This is probably a big relief to my nieces who must think their Moms are going wacky.

I gave up a long time ago trying to correct them, and now I just answer to whaterver they call me. It's easier than having them run through five names before they get to mine. I've answered to "Karie, Rebecca, Nikki, Christina and Rachel." It's pretty funny when it happens, but it can be very confusing to other people. I think this happens because my sisters used to babysit me when I was little.

One time, Joan and Mary spent the babysitting money they earned babysitting my newphew and niece on a dress for me. It was pale blue, with smocking across the top, and it was covered with little black and white raccoons. I took one of my school pictures in that dress. Wasn't that nice of them? I think I was their living doll.

In the picture above, I'm the little one in the wagon holding the ball. Joan is in the wagon with me, and from left to right are Mary, Janice, John and Chuck. This was either taken on one of our many camping trips, or at our cabin when it was being built. Or maybe it was taken at Fallen Leaf Lake since we used to go there a lot too. Wasn't I a cute little thing?

There's an App for that!

2010-06-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

I finally went and did it. I took the plunge. Bit the bullet. Made the leap. Bought the farm...wait, I'd be dead if I bought the farm... I bought an iPhone! I am in iPhone love. I am obsessed. Enthralled. Captivated. Riveted. Well, you get the idea.

Do you know they have an app for everything now? You can do your online banking (Don't EVER do your online banking from your phone), play tons of different games, track your period, find local yard sales, and on and on and on.

And the games? Oh my God. I've downloaded Scrabble, Chuzzle, Whirly Word, Speed, Hangman, Soduku and a bunch of others.

I'm living in iPhone land lately. I come home from work, sit on the sofa and start playing with my phone. Sick, I know, but I'm sure the thrill will wear off for me soon enough. But until it does, I'm having a blast.

Jani and I had a text war recently, and I'm proud to say I opened a can of whoop ass on her that I'm sure she's still feeling days later. This is how the war went:

Jeanne: I updated my blog. Dog.
Jani: About time. Slime.
Jeanne: Read it and weep. Creep
Jani: Dik lick
Jeanne: You can't top that. Funky cat.
Jeanne: Don't even try. Pig sty.
Jani: Know that...PuSSy cat.
Jani: Addam is thinking...hold on. (She had to call in reinforcements.)
Jeanne: Don't talk smack. Ass whack.
Jeanne: Don't think too long. Donkey kong.
Jeanne: You might hurt your brain. Acid rain.
Jeanne: Did you check out? Or are you just having a pout?
Jeanne: I kicked your ass. My name's Jeanne Kla*s.
Jeanne: Are you sitting there laughing? Or just passing gassey?
Jeanne: My brownies are done. Got to go eat me some.
Jani: You have too much time on your hands...Rubber bands????
Jeanne: That's not a question. Dumb ass.
Jani: Back off Jack!
Jeanne: WTF. Numb chuck.
Jani: I'm done and you're spun.
Jani: Huuu...That was a good one.
Jeanne: I'm eating brownies and you're wearing a frownie. Clownie.

So yeah, I spent half an hour making up rhymes. I was expanding my mind! Slime.

Barn Sale Wrap Up

2010-06-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share some pictures of the Barn Sale. My barn was bursting at the seams with tons of really good stuff.

Thank God I sold this big china hutch. It was really heavy and I didn't want to move it again.

Love this pie safe. I picked it up for next to nothing at an estate sale. Of course it didn't look like that when I first saw it...

Cute little ceramic puppy and vintage hats.

Furniture, lamps, dishes...

Lots of cool Christmas stuff.

I had no idea I had so much stuff and I'm beyond glad that it's all gone!

I have to say that my house and yard looked so beautiful on the day of the sale. The pond was full, all the grass was green, the house was freshly painted and the roses were blooming. One older woman came up to the checkout counter and said, "Oh! You've just made me so happy! You've made me so happy just by being able to look at this. It's just beautiful here!" It made me feel like all of my hard work on the house has been worth it.

Long Time No See...

2010-06-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been over two months since my last blog post. Although I've missed my blog, I've been making good use of my time away.

I had my first Barn Sale on April 30th and May 1st. It was very successful but I can't believe how much work it was. What merchandise I had left over after the sale, I sold in bulk wholesale lots to a guy named Tony. My barn is almost totally empty and I'm loving it! I've decided to take the summer off from junking. It's a lot of work to seek out the best stuff, so I'll think about what I want to do when Fall comes.

Since my Barn Sale is done, the merchandise gone, and no booth spaces anymore, I've noticed that I'm not running around saying, "I don't have time!" I've been rearranging furniture in my house, buying some new stuff, and taking it easy in general. I have a whole stack of magazines that I'm catching up on and I've been knocking back my fair share of novels.

I had the exterior of my house painted and it looks great. I chose a medium grayish green color and the bright white trim really makes it pop. Now I'm working on plans to have my kitchen remodeled. I'm loving my house, but not all the yard work that goes with it.

This is a picture of the new trellis I had Addam build earlier this year. We used to have a hedge there, but it blocked my view of the barn. Now I can see if there's a creepo lurking there when I take the dogs out at night.

I've just about gotten all of my remodeling done now, but I'm sure that when I'm actually "done", I'll find something else that needs a facelift!

It's a Goose, Not a Duck!

2010-04-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of: www.gutenberg.org

I can't remember if I've ever blogged about the fact that I am the queen of receiving bad customer service. Not just ordinary bad. Real bad.

On Sunday, Jon and I went into the new Tractor Supply store that opened in Sonora about a month ago. We've shopped at the store in Oakdale a number of times and we really like it. So after I treated the man to breakfast, we stopped in T.S. to buy him some new work shirts. I have to buy him "tall" shirts so there are no butt crack issues and T.S. usually has them in stock.

Into the store we go. We pick out the shirts we want, split up to check out the rest of the store, and then we met up again in the middle of the store by the baby chicks. So tiny and cute! There was also a lone duck in a little pen by himself. He was pretty cute looking and after I told him just how cute he was, we got in line at the front of the store. There are two girls behind the counter, but I couldn't tell if one or both of them were cashiering. They were jabbering on so much about the duck that the customers might as well have just walked out with all their stuff without paying. That's how attentive they were being. They're so busy talking in fact, that no one knows who's checking, what registers are open, etc, etc. So one big line of customers finally forms and when it was our turn, this is what happened: I put my stuff on the counter, the girl never looked at me, never spoke to me, and barely managed to ring up the stuff I was buying. She was in a very serious discussion with the other cashier about the duck. Big situation going on with the duck. Real big. Dare I say, "crisis?" The other cashier finally decides that she needs to move the duck up to the front of the store because everyone is back there touching him. (Uh, yeah. What about all the kids putting their grubby little hands on the hundreds of chicks and squeezing the crap out of them? Literally. Equal rights for chicks people. That's all I'm saying.)

So the other cashier ditches the customers, goes and gets the duck in his rubber pen and brings him back up to the cash register. Missy Molasses who is ringing up my sale (still without a single glance in my direction) is still slogging along, stopping her conversation every 20 seconds or so to ring up another item. At this point, I decide to just stand back and observe this circus. I'm in shock that I'm being treated like garbage in a store that has been open for A MONTH. These girls haven't even had a chance to learn the whole staff's names yet, much less get job burnout. So homegirl finally finishes ringing up my sale, hands me my receipt without looking at me, and turns around to face the other girl who she's been chatting with the whole time. Huh.

Once we were outside, I let loose about the shitty service I just got. I was on a roll. I might have uttered an expletive or two. Maybe. I was still so perturbed the next day that when I told Barbi about it, she said I should call and complain. So I went to the Tractor Supply website and emailed a detailed complaint to customer service. I mentioned that they were too busy with the duckling to help the customers. Since I included my phone number, they sent the message on to the store manager who actually called me back. I was at work so I missed his call, but I called him back today and the call went a little something like this here:

Jeanne: Thank you for calling me back.
Manager: No problem. Can you tell me what happened?
Jeanne: Sure. The girls never paid attention to any of the customers. They were rude. You've only been open a month. They need customer service training.
Manager: Okay, let me tell you about what was going on in the store when you came in. I'm not excusing their behavior, but I want to explain.
Jeanne Thinking to Herself: Um, Explanation = Excusing Employees Behavior
Manager: First of all, it was a goose, not a duck.
Jeanne Thinking to Herself: Are you fucking kidding me? It was a goose, not a duck? That's the best you can do?
Manager: The girls had just found it in the parking lot and were taking care of it. Again, I'm not excusing their behavior, I just wanted you to know that wasn't a normal occurance in the store.
Jeanne Thinking to Herself: I know exactly what was going on in the store because I heard the whole conversation. And it was a duck, not a goose.
Manager: Here at Tractor Supply, customer service is a priority. I've spoken to the employees about it and they understand that the customers are a priority.
Jeanne Thinking to Herself: Riiiiiight. Until the next Duck, Duck Goose turns up in the parking lot.
Jeanne - (Realizing the manager is a total boob and hasn't got a clue about what customer service actually means, becomes anxious to end this ridiculous phone call.) Well, thank you for calling me back.
Manager: No problem.
Jeanne Thinking to Herself: Asshole.

I then had to call Big Jon and explain how the manager just tried to school me about the difference between a goose and a duck. Asshole.

For the record, I've raised plenty of mallard ducklings, and that's exactly what they had. IT WAS NOT A GOOSE!

Hello Spring

2010-04-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung (sort of) here in beautiful California. We've had a longer than usual winter, more rain than we've had for years, and a suprise Spring snowstorm last weekend.

I realize I've haven't been paying as much attention to my blog as I normally would, so let me tell you all about what I've been up to...

It all started when we bought a new sofa, which has two built in recliners so that we can both have a great view of the television. When it was delivered towards the end of February, I had to do a bit of furniture rearranging in the living room. Shortly after that we helped some friends move into a new home. Although I hate the physical labor of moving, the move itself is always very exciting to me because it represents a fresh start. A renewal if you will.

Anyway, something about helping them move got me motivated to do what I thought would be a little bit of redecorating in my house. I ended up with four rooms of destruction in about two hours. It went a little something like this here...

Want to move table and chairs from living room to dining room, but I have to move existing table and chairs from dining room first. Decide to sell the chairs at the barn sale. Move those out to the barn. Move table into my crafting room. Decide that the enormous white hutch in the dining room is too enormous for that space. (Which I already knew and had secretly planned to move to the crafts room at some point.) Decide to move white hutch to living room wall and move black glass fronted case in living room to the dining room. Completely empty the hutch of the 500 baubles that were on it. Empty the black fronted cabinet of most of the 300 baubles on it. Swap the two pieces of furniture. Realize right away that 500 baubles will not fit in the space that will only hold 300. Sort through baubles and package the castoffs for the barn sale. Move boxes to barn. Still have 150 baubles to move to the barn, but no more boxes. Scrounge up a couple of rubber tubs and fill those, take them to the barn. Spend time rearranging the cherised baubles in the black fronted cabinet. Husband comes home and helps me put hutch top on, but doesn't like how it looks in the living room. I tell him I really want it in my crafts room anyway. Search in the house for a piece of furniture that can be moved into the living room. Discover the beautiful black cabinet in the office. Measure wall in crafts room to see if white hutch will fit. It will! Secret dream will be realized! Move white hutch out of the way. Empty beautiful black cabinet of loads of crap. Move beautiful black cabinet into the living room. Empty armoire in crafts room of tons of supplies, now stacked all over the floor. Move armoire into the garage so it can go to barn sale. Move white cabinet into crafts room. Smile from ear to ear and revel in realization of now not-so-secret-dream. Spend next several weeks sorting and rearranging baubles.

Whew! Didn't you get tired just reading that? It was a lot of work but I was determined to see it through. I figured out that I usually decorate a room until I'm about 80% happy with it and then never finish. This time, I want to be 100% happy with every room. I have been working on little things almost every day for the last month or so and I am so in love with my house right now that I'm beside myself. I'm still not finished, but I'm loving every minute of the process. I'll have pictures to post soon, but not just yet...

I've also been busy trying to get ready for the barn sale, working on my website (which I'm not ready to reveal), getting my yard in order, having a couple of windows replaced, adding shutters to the barn and picking paint colors for the exterior of my house.

I'll have more on those topics soon, but I bet you're tired of reading now right?

Wordless Wednesday: Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

Have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day everyone! Make sure to eat your corned beef and cabbage tonight. It's good stuff.

Barn Sale: Signature Sweet

2010-03-11T09:24:00.000-08:00

The date for my first ever Bella Hill Vintage Barn Sale has been set for Saturday, May 1, 2010. I have a ton of work to do to get ready, but I've been soldiering on a little bit at a time. I have a giant list of projects to complete, including having my house and barn painted. I want everything looking beautiful for the sale because that's the way I roll. (I actually hate that saying...) I haven't been doing much with the barn yet because baby, it's cold outside! I have, however, been trying to take care of some of the small details.

I originally planned to have cupcakes for my customers but I decided that would be too hard to pull off because I don't want to make them any sooner than the day before, and the day before the sale I'll be running my tail off trying to finish getting ready. I also don't want homemade looking cupcakes; I want fancy cupcakes.

I came across the idea for chocolate dipped caramels on this blog and I thought that might be the perfect thing to make instead of cupcakes. I bought the ingredients last night and made up a batch and they turned out perfectly! For each barn sale I'll have one signature sweet, and these will be my signature sweet for the first sale.

I put sea salt on top of some, coconut on top of others, and next time I'll add chopped walnuts as a third variety. They look very chi-chi when I put each one in its' own ruffled candy paper. I can also make these a few days in advance and store them in airtight containers until the day of the sale. It's the small touches like these the customers appreciate, and I definitely want to appeal to people so they'll come back for each sale.

I packaged up these caramels to be delivered to some friends today. I hope they enjoy them as much as we did while we were taste testing them!

A New Blog in the Family

2010-03-04T10:27:00.000-08:00

(Photo copied from Life in the Klaas Lane.)

My niece Kelly just started a new blog and I'm very excited about it. I have a huge family and since I never know what's going on with anyone, this will help keep me updated on at least part of my family. And yes, when I say huge, I mean huge. Not large, not big, not enormous, but huge. I can't remember if I've ever mentioned it here before, but I am the youngest of fifteen children. Yes, fifteen. All from the same Mom and Dad. And I'm the baby. (Now with gray hair though. Sniff, sniff.)

Her blog is called Life in the Klaas Lane (love the name) and you can see it by clicking here. Pop on over and say "hi."

Wordless Wednesday: Staple Fun

2010-03-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

This is how I spend my time when I'm bored...making smileys out of staples. I know, it's lame, but I made you look!

Let's Play Store...

2010-03-01T07:20:00.000-08:00

I got my new canopy the other day so I thought I would set it up yesterday while we had a break in the rain. Isn't it cool? Nice and white. It's official...I'm a vendor.

I brought out a few things that I'll be taking to the Sonora Spring Festival with me. I'm taking lightweight tables, a chair for me to sit in, and my cash/wrap table. (Along with a bunch of other stuff.)

I bought these two wire shelves at TJ Maxx and they are perfect for the backs of my tables. There were hooks on the bottom of them because they're supposed to be hung on the wall. I had Jon break the hooks off, so now they can sit flat on the tables. I'll be able to put lots of smalls on the shelves.

And this rolling cart? It's a TV cart that I bought awhile back that I've been temporarily using in my craft room. I will be using this for my cash/wrap table. I'm going to paint it up and dress it up and it will be ready to go. Jon said, "What's a cash/wrap table?" I said, "It's where you give me your cash and I wrap up your purchases." Then I ran over and got my raspberry colored tissue paper and it fits perfectly on the top shelf. I made him play "Store" with me. I could see that he wasn't really into it, but we've had a few conversations lately about him pissing on my parade so he sucked it up and played along. He grabbed a box of bullets and brought them up to the cash/wrap table. I pretended to take his money and put it in my new vendor apron, and then I pretended to wrap up his purchase. (Because I wasn't going to waste a sheet of tissue.)

I also ordered a bunch of chinese paper lanterns. I ordered raspberry, white and light pink. Those will be hung on my canopy. I might dress them up with flowers too.

Here's me in my new vendor apron. I ordered it from A Black and White Affair on Etsy. It has a pocket for my business cards, a pen, a clip for my keys, and a zippered pocket for my money. It makes me feel very official.

We took the canopy down and cleaned up, but I'll have to set it up again soon so I can set up the whole booth. I have a ton of work to do to get ready, but it's going to be fun I think.

Looking at this picture I just realized that I'm going to have to make some slipcovers for those green chairs. I've just worked out a design and now I have another thing to add to my to do list...

Bella Hill Vintage

2010-02-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

On the business front, I've been making a lot of changes. I've moved out of both of my booth spaces at the two stores I was in, so now I'm not currently a vendor in any store. It was starting to get a bit overwhelming so I decided to make some changes. My plans are to hold two barn sales each year; once in the Spring and once in the Fall. My first sale is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, May 1, 2010. I may change my mind and run it on Friday and Saturday. It's going to be a ton of work to set up, so I want to take maximum advantage once it's all done.

I've also decided to be a vendor for the Sonora Spring Festival. I figured that would be a good way for me to try out an antique fair/festival to see if it's something I like doing. I've ordered my canopy and my mind is whirling with decorating ideas for my 10x10 space. Let me just say...it's going to be super fab.

I've now totally dropped the name "The Rusty Bucket" and will be using Bella Hill.vintage from now on. I've redesigned my logo yet again (trust me, it keeps getting better), I've ordered my supplies and I'm having fun pulling it all together. I've ordered brown kraft shopping bags which are black on the outside, with raspberry colored tissue paper to wrap the pretties in. I'm printing my logo onto labels and those will be placed on the outside of the bags. Love them! I really enjoy all these types of details. Not every customer will notice or appreciate it, but for those who do, their enjoyment makes me happy. AND, when you give someone a great shopping experience, they usually want to come back.

I'll get some pictures taken of some of my progress so I can post some eye candy for you. Stay tuned!

I Love the Olympics

2010-02-23T10:51:00.000-08:00

Have you been watching the Olympics? I love the Olympics! And I love Canada too! If I wasn't American, I would definitely be Canadian. I cried during the opening ceremony when the American athletes came in and I cried again when the Canadian athletes came in. And might I say, the retro outfits that our athletes had on were supah-cool.

I'm beyond impressed with the drive and determination that is required of any Olympian. I just can't fathom how they can stick with their sport for so many years at such a high level. I'm sure the support of their families has a lot to do with it. I cry during the medal ceremonies, I cry during the Today show interviews. Basically, I just cry for the duration of the whole Olympic games.

I especially cried when I heard about the Candian figure skater whose Mother died of a heart attack on Saturday night. She still plans to skate and I think she will always be happy that she decided to do so. I hope she wins a gold medal.

What is your favorite Olympic sport?

In other news, I had all the windows in my house replaced four years ago except for two. We didn't replace those because I thought we were going to move them, which ended up not happening. So now I'm having those last two replaced, as well as the windows in the barn. As soon as that is done I'll be getting my house and barn repainted. Big changes around here, but the house is way overdue for a new paint job.

I am so tired of the light gray that it will be a nice change. We've lived here for ten years now and I'd like to be done with renovations at some point.

Tomorrow I'll share my latest business news...

Still Obsessed....

2009-12-16T09:33:00.000-08:00

My new obsession sucked me in again last night. This game is so, so good. You should download it immediately. It's a great way to deal with the stress of Christmas, by not dealing with it at all!

My Newest Obsession

2009-12-15T08:39:00.000-08:00

Last night I had plans to do a blog post for today to show you all of my Christmas decorations. That didn't end up happening though, because I downloaded the newest Mystery Case Files game from BigFishGames.

Now, if you've never played any of the Mystery Case Files games, they are absolutely the best hidden object/puzzle games out there. This one is called Mystery Case Files Dire Grove and was a massive file that took about an hour to download. I spent the next hour slogging through the snow and the Dire Grove B&B looking for clues. I could have stayed up until very late playing this game, but I had to cut it short so I would be able to get up for work today. I'm sure I'll be playing it again tonight and every night to come until I finish the whole game. I'll try my very best to post my Christmas decorations and not get sucked into my new obsession too much!

An Early Christmas

2009-12-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

This year, we will be celebrating Christmas on Sunday the 20th. My house is all decorated, my Christmas cards are in the mail, I've bought my gifts for the exchange and my favors are all ready to go. Since it rained all day today, I decided to complete my favors. I bought packages of Mrs. Fields chocolate creme sticks the other day so I didn't even have to leave the house in the rainy weather today. I wrapped each package of chocolates with scrapbook paper and then added a graphic that I downloaded from this blog. After I added a tiny ribbon, they were all done.

I added the text to the graphic and it says:

From our Home to Yours

Christmas 2009

Jon, Jeanne, Koko & Bella

The vintage postcard was already tinted so it was very easy to make these. Did you notice the little girl is standing with her arm around a live deer? You should take a moment to visit the blog I got it from. I just found this blog last week and the vintage postcard graphics she posts are really beautiful. Great for all sorts of projects.

I always like to give my guests a favor when I have any kind of a party. You can never underestimate how welcome it makes people feel. It lets them know you were thinking about them days before they ever arrived, and how could that not make someone feel good?

Cinnamon Yams

2009-12-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

A few days before Thanksgiving, Barbi and I were talking about all the delicious food we would be having on Thanksgiving. She shared this recipe for Cinnamon Yams with me, which she invented herself. I made it and I can tell you it was very delicious.

Yams or sweet potatoes

¼ cube of cream cheese per potato

Butter to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Cinnamon to taste

Cook the yams or sweet potatoes in the microwave. Once done, cut in half and scoop out insides. Discard skins. Mix the insides together with all the ingredients exept the cinnamon. Once all the ingredients are mixed well, add in a small amount of cinnamon. Keep adding cinnamon to taste.

Note: I chose to use canned yams instead of fresh. I just heated them in the microwave and then mashed them up.

This dish was so quick and easy that I'll definitely be making it again. It's quick enough to make as part of a weeknight dinner too.

St. Patrick's Annual Sale

2009-12-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Every year my church holds a rummage/bake/gift sale in the parish hall. The prices are unbelievably low and I usually find a ton of stuff. This year I had it marked on my calendar, and on the appointed day, I got there early and even brought my own bags to lug all of my treasures home. Here's my loot (minus the delicious baked goods I bought):

I bought felt covered Christmas boxes, tiny picture frames, four awesome Mary figurines, a pretty etched glass bottle, some vintage pinking shears, and some embroidered tea towels. I kept two of the Mary figurines, and the other two went to my booths.

Look at the sweet pair of deer I got. I put ribbons around their necks and now they are part of my Christmas decor. I'll be keeping those for sure.

I also bought two really pretty necklaces, some vintage birds and some ric-rac trim.

Here's a close up of one of the brand new embroidered tea towels.

And one of my favorite finds...a pair of covered pedestals. Love them! I think they were $2 each. Do you know how much those things sell for in real life? They're always really expensive when I see them. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them yet, but I'm definitely keeping them.

Remember, you can always click on the pictures to see a larger view of these wonderful treasures.

Random Randomness

2009-12-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

You know, I think one of the things I like best about my blog is posting about random stuff that I see, hear, do or think. Each little tidbit is usually not enough for a blog post of it's own, but put together, they create a fairly funny representation of my daily life. So here are my latest random bits.

1. Have you noticed my new "Inspiration" quote on the sidebar? "Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it." My husband needs to have that quote tattooed on the inside of his eyelids. And then when he's trying to tell me what I can't do (as I'm totally rockin this world to get it done), he needs to close his eyes and read the inside of his eyelids. And that's all I have to say about that!

2. I accidentally hocked a lugie in the hallway at work on my way back from the bathroom. Thank God nobody saw me do it. I hurried back to my office and spilled my shame to Barbi. She made me go clean it up so she wouldn't slip on it...

3. How do you spell lugie anyway? Lugie? Loogie? Lughie? Lew-Ghee? There was no listing for it on dictionary.com.

4. I am allergic to flu shots. I had a bad reaction to the one and only flu shot I received about 15 years ago so I haven't had a flu shot since. I hope no rabid pigs cross my path, but with my luck, I'm not taking any bets on that. After the whole cow slaughtering incident I'm steering clear of livestock.

5. I hated the gay brothers on The Amazing Race and I loved the Harlem Globetrotters. I was sad that they weren't in the final three. I shout at the TV when there are people on there I don't like. Either that or I imitate the asinine stuff that comes out of their mouths. Like the gay brothers: "Stawp! Would you just stawp! Shut UUUUUUPPPPPP! Can you just Shut UUUUPPPPPP? Gawwwwwwd you're just--SHUT UUUUUPPPPP!"

6. I love Russell on Survivor. Anyone who can find the hidden immunity idol three times in a row without a single clue is someone with a lot of initiative. I hope he wins the million dollars. I loved it when he said, "I'm not here to feed these people. I'm not here to give these people water. I'm not here to babysit them. I'm here to win a million dollars!" Yay Russell.

7. I have a sick addiction to all of "The Real Housewives..." series. Orange County, New York, New Jersey and Atlanta. I love them all! Those are some seriously twisted women...

8. I'm seriously, SERIOUSLY thinking about becoming a cougar someday. Damn they're making some fine looking young men these days. Whew! Be still my fluttering heart. Come to Mama and tell me all about it! (Oh, don't get all shocked out on me. I just want to borrow one for a few days...I promise I'll give him back!)

9. Yesterday I stopped in a thrift store at lunch time and was looking at some stuff when an older gentleman came into the store and stopped right in front of me. I smiled at him and took a step back so he could pass me, but he just stood there smiling at me. I took another step back so he could really pass by me this time, but instead of moving he just looked at me and said in a very upper-crust British accent, "You are a very pretty woman." I said "Thank you" and he passed on by. Yeah, it was pretty nice. Made me feel all warm and fuzzy and stuff. But I was really thinking, "Keep going gramps! You're barking up the wrong tree because I'm a future Cougar!" Ha! I think I'll have that t-shirt made! Future Cougar. Raaaaarrrrrr!

Okay rubber duck. That's it for now. I've got to go and let my freak flag fly and see what other adventures life has in store for me.

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!

2009-12-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

All weekend we heard about the huge snow storm that was coming our way from Canada. The storm was supposed to hit Sunday night/Monday morning. When I woke up on Monday morning and looked outside, there was no snow...only rain. I thought, "These meteorologists don't know what they're talking about!" I took a shower and got ready for work and then looked outside again...sure enough, there it was snowing and there was already about an inch on the ground. I thought it would be a good idea to head out for work a little bit early before the roads got bad.

It turns out I was the only one in my office who made it to work. And since we have a digital thermometer in our office, I was a little peeved to see that it was only 62 degrees. So there I sat, all by myself in a freezing cold office with the snow coming down like crazy outside. I went outside a few times to watch the beautiful, fluffy snow coming down.

I took these pictures right outside my building. It's a winter wonderland!

At lunchtime, I was able to go upstairs and enjoy the Christmas Party, which had been moved to our building at the last minute due to the snow. I led my team to victory in the Christmas tree decorating contest. We had to decorate our teammate Steve with Christmas decorations. We did such a good job that we won first place. For our efforts, each of our team members won two tickets to the movies. Yay us! I have requested a picture of our "tree" when they're available, so I'll be sure and post a picture of that.

My teammates didn't realize how competitive I can be. I told them we should have t-shirts made that say "2009 Christmas Tree Decorating Champs!" I think I will try to design something and have them made for a joke. I told them that we could put "2010 Rematch" on the back. I think I might have scared them a little, but they enjoyed the movie tickets so we're all okay with it.

Ornament Exchange Tags

2009-12-08T18:54:00.000-08:00

These are the name tags that I made to put on the bags for our ornament exchange. I used a circular scrapbooking element from Rhonna Farrer and then added my own text to it. I glittered the holly leaves on the right hand side and added felt pointsettia leaves to some, and clear snowflakes to the others.

This is how they looked on all the bags. Supah cute!

Christmas Ornaments

2009-12-02T20:52:00.000-08:00

For the last sixteen years, I've been hosting an ornament exchange with some of the girls at work. This year we have nine participants, which means each person has to make nine of the same ornaments to exchange with the other girls. The exchange will take place tomorrow morning. I finished my ornaments last night and took them in to work today. They are sparkly and shiny but you can't really tell from the photos.

There have been a number of years where I'm not happy with how my ornaments turn out, but this year I love them! I have to admit, the chandelier crystal was a stroke of genius. Genius I say! Remember that you can click on the photos to see a larger version.

I will post photos of the other girls ornaments this weekend. I also made some really cute nametags for the bags but it's too dark in my house to take photos of them right now so I'll post them this weekend as well.

I have a million things to post about but since it's dark when I get home from work it's hard for me to take good photos to post with the stories. I put one of my trees up tonight and now I need to decorate it. I hope to have all of my Christmas decorating done by the end of the weekend. It's a piecemeal process with me. I add a little bit here one day, a little bit there the next day until I'm done. Check back soon because I have a lot to post about!

Freaky Deaky French Fry and Other Random Stuff

2009-11-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

Alright, since I haven't taken pictures of any of the stuff I want to show you, I'm just going to talk about some random stuff that's been floating around my head.

First off: Freaky Deaky French Fry. That's my new saying and I love it! Though my husband wasn't too thrilled when I told him he couldn't have dinner until I made him say Freaky Deaky. I won't be trying that one on him again. (Why yes, I imagine it is quite delightful to be married to me. And yes, he did say it because hunger is a powerful thing.)

Craigs List: I posted three pieces of furniture on Craig's List and then lied to the one person who responded to my ad and told him the furniture was already sold. I was too scared to have a stranger come to my house because he might have been a FREAKY DEAKY KILLER.

I answered the phone at work today and said, "Human Resources. Who-- uh, this is Jeanne." I almost said "Who are you?" (Freaky Deaky speech impediment kicked in there for a minute.)

I work for two more days and then I get ten whole days off! Freaky Deaky Vacation Weekey.

I've been doing a lot of clearing out and organizing around my house. Trying to migrate the rest of my craft supplies from the old crafts room to the new one. Whew! I didn't realize I'd been doing such a good job of stimulating the economy. I've got craft supplies to last me until I'm Freaky Deaky Dead!

I sold a vanity out of my Jamestown booth this weekend, and was able to move two pieces of furniture in to replace it. (Not the aforementioned lied-about-being-sold furniture either.) Freaky Deaky made my Weekey!

My friend (whose initals are B.P.) had a close encounter with a Freaky Deaky Disco Stick this weekend. That's all I'm allowed to say about it except that she said there was no nudity involved. (I'm just glad I didn't have to witness it. What happens in San Diego stays in San Diego.)

That's all the Freaky Deaky French Fry crap I can think of for now. Please leave a comment and tell me what your favorite weird saying is.

Happy Birthday Mom

2009-11-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

My Mom died in 1987 but if she were still alive she would be 84 today. I still miss her all the time and I wonder what my life would have turned out to be if she hadn't died when she did. I was only 19 when she died.

My Mom was a great cook. Her chicken and dumplings were the best I ever tasted. She also used to make bread and sticky buns all the time. When we were having a party (which was almost every weekend in our family) she would make homemade bread dough and then wind in around the bottom of an inverted stainless steel mixing bowl placed on a cookie sheet. Once it was done baking and had cooled slightly, she would remove it from the bowl and we would have warm beehive shaped fresh bread to eat spinach dip with. Yu, hu, hum!

You would think that after cooking for a husband and fifteen children for most of her life, she would be sick of cooking, but even after cooking dinner every night after work, she always seemed to bust out with something special on the weekends. As soon as the sticky buns would come out of the oven I would start picking at the topping and eating it. She should have whacked me upside the head with a wooden spoon for that but she never did.

As Moms go, she was pretty damned cool. And I'll stop there because now I'm going to cry. But you should go hug your Mom.

Veterans Day in America

2009-11-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

My coworker's ten year old daughter Hannah wrote the following poem for a contest at school. She ended up winning second place and had to read her poem on stage last Saturday in front of a group of Veterans who had assembled for a luncheon. Apparently she did a great job giving her speech and she won a crisp ten dollar bill for her efforts. Congratulations Hannah!

Oh, Veterans

by Hannah

Oh Veterans, Oh Veterans we're so happy you came home.

We know you fought for freedom, but we missed you when you weren't home.

You who we love have fought for us and we are so proud that you fought for justice.

Oh Veterans, Oh Veterans we honor you so much.

You are warriors to us. You went into the war for us.

Oh Veterans, Oh Veterans we honor you more and more.

You will always be adored in the eyes of us forever more.

You sacrificed time from your family to give us security.

We are free from worries and free from harm.

Oh Veterans, Oh Veterans you'll always be in our arms and hearts.

And from me, a big thank you to all the Veterans who have so proudly served our Country, including my Dad (Navy), my brothers Jim (Army), Bob (Army), Ken (Army), Tom (Navy) and John (Navy) and my niece Karie (Army) and my nephews Alban (Army), Bob (Air Force) and David (Army - Current Enlistment).

Here is a link to some gorgeous vintage patriotic postcards.

The Daily Good

2009-11-09T08:39:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I came across the website "The Daily Good." This is how their website describes itself: DailyGood is an inspiring quote, a related good-news story, and a simple action -- delivered to your inbox for free by volunteers every day. Just a ripple a day, simply to spread the good.

I signed up for the daily email so I get a little bit of inspiration every day. I especially love the quotes. Check it out if you think you might need a little bit of goodness in your day.

(Image of deer courtesy of The Graphics Fairy.)

Thank You

2009-11-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

I've been telling you lately how much I love to shop on Etsy. It's great because you can order lots of things for not a lot of money, and then the packages magically appear at your doorstep. I've purchased probably four or five things from Etsy in the last month alone.

Sometimes when I open a package from an Etsy seller there is a "Thank You" note included in the package. Sometimes the notes are handwritten, but most often they are some cute little design that the seller has created. I can't tell you how nice it is to open a package and see the "Thank You" right on top. It's also a great marketing tool. I don't remember the names of the shops that I buy from, so when the shop name is included in my package it's a good reminder. If you're selling craft supplies, it's a good way to remind your buyers where to purchase more when they need to.

Not all sellers include a "Thank You" and I'm here to tell you that I don't like it. I don't like it at all, not one little bit. I've gotten used to seeing them and it's really a disappointment when it's missing. I love great packaging and I enjoy seeing the creativity of the seller in designing the note. The package of trims I bought arrived yesterday and when I opened the box I got...the trims I ordered. Nothing extra. No "Thank You". No "Kiss My Ass." Nothing! I was so disappointed.

The notes are also a reminder to me that Etsy is really a people based site. I'm not buying from a huge corporation...I'm buying from a person who took the time to create something special. It's coming directly from their door to mine.

What's the point of all this rambling? The point is that when my Etsy shop is open and merchandise is flying out the door so fast that my head is spinning...I will be taking the time to include a big THANK YOU to each person who orders from me. I mean really, it's such a little thing but it does mean so much. Everyone appreciates a kind word, and a cute extra right?

Is there someone that you need to thank today?

Oh Deer! A Vintage Christmas Tray

2009-11-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

Last weekend while I was at my Jamestown booth I noticed this vintage snack tray in the window. I fell in love with it and told Angelene that I must have it. She told me that she's been hanging on to this tray for years, and that she always treated it very carefully as it is pretty fragile. Then she told me that she was giving it to me as a gift because she could tell I loved it so much. I was over the moon! Treats for me! Treats for me!

Sometimes vintage deer can be a little ugly, or have scary faces. These ones are perfect though. See them frolic in the snow! I plan to put it inside a shadow box so it doesn't get broken. I think I'll leave it out all year round too and not just at Christmas. It will look great in my new, almost decorated crafts room.

At what point do you think I should start calling my crafts room a studio? (That seems to be the trend now for anyone who has ever produced any type of craft.)

Etsy Update

2009-11-05T12:59:00.000-08:00

When I posted my new logo for Bella Hill Vintage, I told you that I probably was not done tweaking it. Here's the latest version:

Do you love it? I really wanted a bird instead of a crown. Everyone already knows I'm the Queen, so I thought the crown was redundant! I also took out the damask background and replaced it with solid pink. I am loving this one so much better than the first version.

I created my banner and avatar for my Etsy site. You can see my shop by clicking here.

Now that I've gone back and looked at the banner again, I think I definitely need two more birds on the logo above. Your thoughts? Please post a comment and let me know.

Setting up an Etsy shop is a little more work than I thought. I've got my PayPal account set up to receive payments, but now I have to figure out shipping charges and how to set those up. Once I'm all done, I'll have to list a couple of dummy items and then buy them to make sure the whole process works okay.

By the way, the vacant shop that I've been pining over in Jamestown? I found out yesterday that the attic has a fusion of bats living in the attic. I like bats because they eat lots of bugs, but I don't want them living in the attic of my beautiful store. So when I move in, they're going to have to move out!

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...

2009-11-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

About a year ago, Jon told his friend Eddie that he could put his steer in our pasture for awhile. I thought "awhile" meant "awhile." I didn't realize that stupid bad-attitude steer would be living here for almost a year. I hated that steer. Real bad. He wasn't a nice docile steer either. When he first got here, he didn't want to live in our pasture any more than I wanted him there.

One day I came home from work and found him in my backyard between the house and the barn. I wasn't about to get out of my truck and risk life and limb to put the dirty escapee bastard back in the pasture, so I drove forward so he couldn't sneak around the barn and make it to the driveway for a real escape. I went to stick my head out my window to yell at him, and not only did I hit my head on the doorjamb of my truck, causing my sunglasses (which were on top of my head) to get slammed into my scalp in an extremely painful way, but I also slammed my front teeth on the top of the window glass that was only halfway down. There I sat, tears of pain in my eyes, rubbing my scalp and holding my mouth so my teeth wouldn't fall out. That's where my real hatred of the rat bastard steer started.

From that point on, I wouldn't go into the pasture with him in there. Oh, don't forget we have a psychopathic horse that lives in the pasture as well. And my leetle black goat, whom my husband has taught to ram people in the ass. Our pasture is fraught with peril, especially for a clumsy person like me.

So last Friday, Eddie's daughter Wendy shows up with her boyfriend and says, "We're here to slaughter the steer." I said, "Great! I hate that cow!" She looked a little suprised and said she thought I'd be sad. Uh, no. A few minutes later a guy pulls up, gets out of his truck with a gun and a LARGE knife and heads to the pasture. I said, "Oh! You're going to slaughter it HERE?" Wendy said, "Yes. That's what I was telling you." Hmm... I think, "Well okay, as long as the rat bastard leaves my pasture I'm cool with that."

The slaughtermaster immediately shoots the steer in the head, jumps the fence, slices his throat and then goes to move his truck into position. You think hearing about it is gruesome? You should have seen it happen! There laid the rat bastard steer, with his four legs sticking straight out, with the last quivers of life shaking his pudgy little legs. I actually felt a bit bad for him at that moment.
The slaughtermaster (I just made that name up) then proceeded to do all kinds of things you don't want to know about. This was the only picture I could stomach taking. When he busted out with the hacksaw, I went back into the house. I'm not sure that I'm going to be able to eat any steaks or roasts for awhile.

When they were finished, there were a couple of patches of blood that my dogs later became very interested in. Later that night they snuck over there when I let them out to pee and had themselves a snack, which of course upset Bella's stomach, which of course caused her to throw up regurgitated cows blood on my bed at 9:30 p.m., which of course caused me to jump up and start screaming obscenities the likes of which you can't imagine. Your ears would have turned purple if you could have heard the string of motherf***ers that I unleashed at that moment. I just LOVE 9:30 p.m. laundry duty.

And the moral of the story? The rat bastards always get it in the end! (As is evidenced by the photo above.)

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

2009-11-03T19:56:00.000-08:00

I've been a fan of The Pioneer Woman's blog for some time now. She has some great recipes on her site, and she gives step by step instructions with plenty of pictures. She's been working on a cookbook for awhile now and it finally got published. I pre-ordered my copy from Amazon, and I got it in the mail last Friday. You can read about it on her website here, and you can order it here.

The book is a total reflection of her website. There are easy to follow recipes, tons of great photos and interesting stuff about her life on their ranch. I highly recommend that you get yourself a copy.

Oh, and if you haven't read her "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" love story, I suggest you start at the beginning and read it all the way through. Homegirl can write!

A Little Inspiration

2009-10-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

The other day I found this poem on this blog. I'll take it as another sign that I'm meant to have my own store...

General Store
by Rachel Field

Some day I'm going to have a store
With a tinkly bell hung over the door,
With real glass cases and counters wide
And drawers all spilly with things inside.
There'll be a little of everything:
Bolts of calico; balls of string;
Jars of peppermint; tins of tea;
Pots and kettles and crockery;
Seeds in packets; scissors bright;
Kegs of sugar, brown and white;
Sarsaparilla for picnic lunches,
Bananas and rubber boots in bunches.
I'll fix the window and dust each shelf,
And take the money in all myself.
It will be my store and I will say:
"What can I do for you today?"

Isn't it perfect? By the way, if you visit her blog and become a follower, you will be entered into a monthly drawing. Treats! Treats!

I'm Baaaack!

2009-10-22T13:58:00.000-07:00

Did you miss me? I missed all (3) of you! Life has been a little hectic lately and I've been trying to find a balance between my work/home/booths. I keep wondering what happened to my nice kicked back lifestyle. I had no idea that having a booth would be so much work and take up so much time. And now with two booths, it's just that much more work.

I've been thinking alot about whether or not I want to continue with my booths at all. Since I'm not in a position to quit my real job and open my own store right now it makes sense to keep them. Sort of. There are two vacant retail locations in town that I've been drooling over. I've got the buildings all made over in my head and either one would be a great location. You know, out with the industrial grey carpeting and in with the laminate wood grain flooring. Up with the pink shutters. Oh yeah. I've been keeping busy with the mental makeovers because the store just isn't going to happen right now.

I've also been kicking around the idea of having an upscale barn sale. Something along the lines of this. If I could achieve even a portion of their success I'd be happy. And just because I don't have quite enough to worry about right now, I've also been thinking about opening my own shop on Etsy. If you haven't checked out Etsy, you've been missing out. I am a regular buyer because there is just way too much cool stuff there to buy.

So along with all of heavy thinking, I've decided that I'm tired of my booth name "The Rusty Bucket." I've grown beyond that. I want my Etsy shop and future store to be a little more sophisticated than rusty guy stuff. So....after much brain storming....the name of my Etsy shop and of my future brick-and-mortor store which will open somewhere, sometime in the future is...

Do you like the logo I designed? I made this all by myself in Photoshop Elements. I am almost totally satisfied with it, but don't be suprised if it changes a little bit. I want to make the black border a little bit wider for starters, and if I can work in a deer and a bird, it will be perfect. Overall, I think the name and the look of the sign is sophisticated, but the pink makes it friendly. This would be the sign I would have outside my shop. I didn't pick a fancy shape because eventually, I'd want to be able to tie in all of my tags, packaging, etc and if I had a custom shape, it would be more difficult to print coordinating goods myself and cost more too.

I went ahead and set up my shop name on Etsy, but that's as far as I've made it so far. Here is the link to my shop. www.BellaHillVintage.Etsy.com It will probably be several weeks before I finish setting up shop and adding merchandise, but I'll be sure to post an update when I do. I plan on selling vintage items and ephemera and some supplies as well.

And back to the Barn Sale. It would be a tremendous amount of work and right now I just feel like nesting so I'm not sure that it will happen soon, if ever. Jon's on board with the idea though so that's good. He'd just be happy if I sold all my stock and got it out of the tack room and the barn.

Well that's my update on the business front. Please leave a comment and tell me what you think of the name and my logo.

Bella's Big Adventure: Part Two

2009-09-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. It's me, Bella again. Mom's not looking right now so I thought I'd hop on her lap top and make another post about our vacation. Today we had to start out the day with an oil change for the truck at a place called Grease Monkey. It was only supposed to take 10 minutes, but it ended up taking an hour and a half. Once we were done, we headed across town to the storage yard where Dad's flatbed trailer was at. Dad let my Uncle Ned take the trailer to Colorado last year and he really wanted to have the trailer back. Once Dad hooked the trailer up, there was a problem with the lights so we had to find a mechanic to fix it. After another hour and a half, we headed back to the Jax store so Dad could pick up some stuff. I got to ride in the cart again, and the nice people even remembered me from the day before.

We finally got on the road to Arvada in the early afternoon. Arvada is located just west of Denver. We were going there to pick up my Uncle Pete's truck and bring it back to California. My Uncle Pete died about two weeks ago and my Aunt Mary didn't have a way to bring his truck home so Mom and Dad said they'd pick up the truck and trailer and bring them both home. There were some pretty tense moments on the way down there. Boy, the people who make the road signs in that area did a really crummy job. Mom and Dad were both really nervous because the roads weren't marked very well at all and there was a ton of traffic. Nobody wanted to let Dad change lanes when he needed to and we had the big trailer behind us. I just tried to sleep through it all, but I could tell my Mom was at the end of her rope. She sure takes good care of Dad, so I don't know why he gets upset that she doesn't have a map of suburban Denver etched in her brain. Jeez Dad! Lighten up! We finally found the house we were going to and after Dad jump started the truck he drove it up onto the trailer. Scary! I think my Dad is really brave for doing that! Once it was all tied down we headed back to Ft. Collins to our nice hotel.

Aunt Nancy and Uncle Ned came to take my Mom and Dad out to dinner at the Texas Roadhouse. I had to stay in my crate in the hotel, but it was okay because I had my rubber chicken to play with. Plus, I was really tired from the stressful day. When they got back to the hotel, Mom was going nuts about some place called Hobby Lobby. I thought she was going to have a cow because she said she loved that store so much. She said it's the most wonderful place on earth, and that's saying something because she's been to Disneyland, and that's supposed to be the most wonderful place on earth. She said, "Michaels? I spit on Michael's! Hobby Lobby rocks!" Dad said we could stay over another day so Mom could shop the whole day at Hobby Lobby if she wanted to. Isn't my Dad nice? I think Mom wants to get home more than she wants to shop at Hobby Lobby though, so we'll be leaving in the morning. Mom is going to have to take turns driving with Dad because he can't drive the whole way. She's pretty nervous about driving the truck with the long gooseneck trailer which is also loaded with a truck but I know she'll do good. My Mom rocks and she's got skills. See ya later!

Bella's Big Adventure

2009-09-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone. Bella here. My Mom asked me to post a message to her blog so that she could enjoy herself on vacation. If you don't know who I am, you can see my picture at the top of this blog. I'm the cute little dog rolling on my back on the lawn.

We started out on Tuesday and drove, drove, drove all the way to Salt Lake City. That was a long and boring drive. I got to sleep most of the way while Mom and Dad were stuck driving. We stayed overnight in some crappy dive in Salt Lake. I think Mom was kind of disappointed in the hotel. She said the lobby looked nice so she thought the rooms would be nice. Wrong. The carpet smelled so bad I didn't even want to pee on it. Dad told me to though, just so we could let them know what we thought of their room.

The next morning, it was more driving, driving, driving. And then more driving, driving, driving. The only good thing was that Mom and Dad got to drive really fast. 75 mph and it was legal! They kept complaining that there wasn't a damned thing to look at. Nothing. No trees, no mountains, no buildings. Nothing. A barren wasteland.

Once we turned off Interstate 80 and headed south into Colorado, the scenery started to get a lot better. Mom lifted me up so I could look out the window and I saw trees, mountains, green grass, rivers, and some antelope too. I wanted to get out and chase them really bad, but I was told that wasn't gonna happen. Then we ended up behind a semi-truck on a two lane highway and Dad starting bitching at Mom to pass the truck. Once she finally did, Dad started yelling at her that there was a car coming! I got scared for a minute until we got in front of the truck and back in our lane, but I knew my Mom wouldn't let anything happen to me. Dad asked her why she passed and she said "Because you told me to! I can't judge distances! I hate passing! Leave me alone when I'm driving!" Dad just said, "Oh."

Once we got to Fort Collins, we checked into a super nice hotel. This place definitely has carpets that I'd like to pee on. Mom said no way though. (Something about the hotel being really new and feeling okay about walking on the carpet in her bare feet.) Mom thought it was cute how they folded up a hand towel and a wash cloth to look like a dress shirt and tie. I'm definitely living the luxe life here. And just think, my sister Koko is back at home at THE KENNEL! Ha ha ha ha! That's what she gets for trying to beat me up all the time.

Once we got settled at the hotel, we got to to over to my Uncle Ned's house. We met his new wife Nancy. She's really nice and she offered me a cookie. She has three poodles that are about my size. Trying to sniff my butt! What was that all about? I stuck pretty close to Mom though because I didn't want those curley haired mutts getting close to her and getting any of my attention!

After a great night of sleep on my comfy hotel bed, we went out with Uncle Ned and Aunt Nancy and we got to go to a farm store. Dad was in heaven! He was practically drooling over all the cool stuff they had there. The people at the store were nice enough to let me in and Mom pushed me around the store in the shopping cart. I was a little scared though. When Mom went to pay for her stuff, the lady at the checkout counter gave me a cookie. She was pretty nice, except when she was trying to school Mom on California wildfires. I could tell Mom was like, "Whatever lady!"

We've had fun so far and I'm looking forward to my next adventure. I'm getting to be a well traveled dog you know. Mom loves me a lot and she doesn't like to be away from me so I usually get to go with her. I love her and she loves me. That's how it is with us. That's all so far. I'll see if Mom will let me do another guest post sometime in the future. Bye!

Friday Fun

2009-08-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...I'm so uncouth, but you've got to admit that dog right there is funny.

Booths, Booths Everywhere!

2009-08-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I started moving in to my new booth space at A. Flowers in Jamestown. I'll be keeping my booth at Mountain Treasures, but I love Jamestown and that's really where I want to be.

I've been trying to get my garage cleaned up and get some of the merchandise I have stored there into my booths. I took some time to break out the chalkboard paint and used it to dress up some cool pots and jars that I had. Once you have the paint on , you can write any message you'd like. I took all of these to my Jamestown booth. The booth is looking pretty sparse right now but I'll finish moving in some fab merchandise this weekend.

The store is in a really beautiful historic building and it has a pressed tin ceiling. Angelene painted out the whole interior in a nice, clean bright white.

I saw a really cool idea for a vintage looking hanging light for my space but I have to visit the hardware store before I can make it. It's going to involve an old wire egg basket and a reproduction Edison bulb. I'll be sure to take photos of my new space when I have it all tricked out so stay tuned.

The Booth Queen

2009-08-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Look what I got! Lana Banana from Mountain Treasures made this poster for me because I've had the top monthly sales in my booth for several months now. Not last month though. Susie beat me out. I'm not bitter though because I believe in sharing the wealth. But she'd better not outsell me next month! Isn't it cute how she put the name of my booth on the buckets? I have three old buckets in my booth that I painted with chalkboard paint and each one has one word from the name of my booth on it.

She also gave me this crown. Miss Vickie kind of balked at that and wanted to know why "she" didn't get a crown. I politely explained to her "Miss Vickie...every Queen needs a crown!" She then tried to steal my crown and put it on her head. Of course, it fell off and I had to again politely explain to her "Miss Vickie...that crown knows whose head it's supposed to be on!"

Here's a close up of my crown in all its glory. Nice isn't it?

Koko thought so too.

Bella? Well, not so much... She wouldn't come near me once she figured out what I was up to.

Pornographic Pasta

2009-08-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I decided to cruise the aisles at TJ Maxx to see if I could find a wonderful treasure. There I was, happily pushing my cart down the specialty food aisle when my gaze happened upon this package of pasta. "Hmmm...Fantasy Pasta. What could that be?" I wondered.

I picked the package up for a closer look and what did I spy with my eagle eye?

A penis? A penis made of pasta? WTF? I thought that surely I must be seeing things. But no, there it was. I squished the package around trying to "adjust" the contents so I could get a better view. Can you see them in this picture? There are two of them! You can click on the picture to make it "larger" if you'd like.

The back of the package says that this is an "artisanal product." Okay...so there is an artist somewhere holed up making penis pasta molds? I guess if it pays the bills...

Naturally I had to buy it. I hope you appreciate the fact that I spent $6 on this crap just so I could provide this blog post for you.

I do appreciate the fact that there is a multitude of colors to choose from. Red, black, white...

Lay down soldiers!

Stand at attention soldiers! (I love it when they're well behaved.)

The package also contained some leaning tower of Pisa's. Does that mean you can only get your freak on with the pasta in Rome? I've heard the men there pinch your butt while you're walking down the street if they think you're cute. If that happened to me I'd pelt them with handfuls of penis pasta.

Here are some churches. Not so good for getting your freak on is what I'm thinking. Oh wait! Maybe you're supposed to throw handfuls of penis pasta at the newlyweds as they're exiting the church!

Now are these swirley girleys supposed to represent the Va-jay jay? Twisted sister!

Or maybe this lovely piece is representing the fine female anatomy?

I don't think I could choke this stuff down, but it was good for a laugh don't you think?

P.S. I did NOT break the one in the "fore" ground.

Wordless Wednesday: Serving America

2009-08-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of my nephew David who is currently stationed in Iraq. I swiped this from his Facebook page. Don't you love this photo? I love the graphic background. Stay safe David. We're all very proud of you!

Floating Friday

2009-07-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took the boat out and had a really nice day. We stayed on the lake for about six hours, which is a long time for us. Usually two or three hours is plenty. I forgot to take my camera, but here are some of the things that I could have taken really cool pictures of...

My dogs standing together at the bow of the boat, with the wind blowing on them and Koko's long silky ears blowing in the breeze. Life is so much better with dogs to show you what love and happiness are.

The bi-plane that decided to do some aerobatics over the lake. And I mean, right over the lake. At some points in time, the plane was maybe thirty feet above the water. We watched the pilot fly low over the water, the ascend over the hills, the back down to the water. At first it looked like a toy plane but as it moved closer to us we could see the full size of it.

The four or five car tires on the bank when we went up the canyon to where the river feeds the lake. Shame, shame, shame on the litterbugs.

My husband's face as he told me that the pictures of the fish on the fishfinder screen didn't mean anything. That those were just put on the screen to make us think there were fish there. Uh huh. (This was said after I told him that I was going to out-fish-him, as I always do.)

The way my puppy looked laying on Jon's chest, trying to catch a nap with Dad while the wind was blowing the heck out of her hair.

All in all it was a good day. I love my boat and feel so lucky that we have this great lake so close to our house.

Fair Photos

2009-07-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

I entered eleven photos in the county fair this year. Now I admit, I didn't do much with my photography this year, but the judge must have been blind. I barely got any ribbons and some of the photos that did were really sucky. Super sucky. I think someone must have paid him off. Last year I got four first place ribbons. This year, none. Here are the photos I entered and the ribbons I did get:

Sunrise - 3rd Place

Seaside Flower Tree: None

Oregon Garden: None

Needle: None

Oregon Bridge: Participation

Seascape: None

Hummingbird: None

Bird: Participation

Lopsided Lyndsy: None

Zac: Participation

Zac in Window: 2nd Place

I don't know if I'll enter any next year. The fair this year was so bad that I don't know if I want to go back. There was a very low turnout and it was boring! I did win myself a pink teddy bear playing Whack-a-Mole. I love that game and it's a good way to get your aggressions out!

I Wanna Take A Ride On Your Disco Stick

2009-07-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

Have you heard the new song from Lady Gaga called Love Games? The song starts off a little something like this here:

Let's have some fun,
This beat is sick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
Let's have some fun,
This beat is sick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick

I about ran off the road the first time I heard it. I can't believe the stuff they get away with putting on the radio now. (By the way, how many times do you think my husband has had to hear me sing those lyrics in the last week?)

And have you heard the county song "Cheater, Cheater" by Joey and Rory? Again, I almost drove into a telephone pole thinking that surely I must have misunderstood the words. You can't say "ho" on the radio...

Cheater, cheater where'd you meet her
Down at Ernie's Bar?
Did she smile your way, twirl her hair and say how cute your dimples are?
Did she use that line "Your place or mine?" while you danced with her real slow?
Tell me cheater, cheater where'd you meet that no good, white trash ho?

Liar, liar did you buy her whiskey all night long?
Did you hide your ring in the pocket of your jeans or did you just keep it on?
When the deed was done and you had your fun did you think I wouldn't know?
Tell me cheater, cheater where'd you meet that no good, white trash ho?

Now I'm not one to judge someone that I ain't never met
But to lay your hands on a married man is bout as low as a gal can get
Hey I wish her well as she rots in hell and you can tell her I said so
Cheater, cheater where'd you meet that no good, white trash ho?

Loser, loser hope you love her cuz your stuck with her now
Take your sorry butt, load up all your stuff, and get the hell out of my house
But I just wish you'd tell me this one thing before you go
Cheater, cheater where'd you meet that no good, white trash ho?

Now I'm not one to judge someone that I ain't never met
But to lay your hands on a married man is bout as low as a gal can get
Hey I wish her well as she rots in hell and you can tell her I said so
Cheater, cheater where'd you meet that no good, white trash ho?

Yeah I just wish you'd tell me this one thing before you go
Cheater, cheater where'd you meet that low down, up town, slept with every guy around, pressed on eyelash, no good, whitetrash ho?

Apparently I'm not keeping up with the times. I mean jeez people, don't you know kids listen to the radio? Imagine this conversation...

Innocent Child: "Mommy? What's a disco stick?"

Mortified Mother: "Ummmmmm...just a ride that you can go on at the playground."

Innocent Child: (Arriving with Mortified Mother at the local playground several days later) Screams - "Mommy, Mommy! I want to take a ride on the Disco Stick!"

Mortified Mother: (Grabs Innocent Child by the hand and runs back to the car, hanging her head in shame the whole way as Other Playground Mothers gasp in shock.)

See what I'm sayin' here? Lyrics like these could really present a problem. Let's keep it clean folks. (And keep those panties on too.)

More Senior Portraits

2009-05-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

About a week and a half ago I took some senior portraits of my nephew William. I hadn't seen him for awhile, so I was suprised to see that soul patch gone wrong on his chin. It looks good on him though. He's quite the bohemian now. I told him to wear whatever he wanted, and he was supposed to bring his guitar but he didn't. His Mom wants me to retake the photos with him in dressier clothes.

Isn't he cute? He graduates next week.

He was quite the model. He had fun posing and turning his head this way and that. He wouldn't do the "which way's the beach" pose for me though. He said it would look corny. I said that it was supposed to look corny, and therefore it would be funny. No go.

When he comes back for the second round, I'm definitely making him do that pose. And some better close ups too.

Underwear Are Not Optional!

2009-05-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

Just as the title of this post states...underwear are not optional. Ever! Why do I bring this up? Yesterday, I found out that someone I know, someone I'm close to, someone I never would have suspected of it doesn't wear underwear. "What-the-hell" I asked her. "How come I didn't know that about you?" She said, "I knew it would have been a thing with you so I never said anything." Uh, yeah! It's definitely a thing with me. I'm so glad that knowledge of my freakish tendencies is well known to those who know me well.

Now, I've been forced to add to the list of weird rules that govern my life. I know they are truly weird, but they're my rules and they are necessary for my peaceful existence:

Weird Rule Number 1. Guests do not get to have sex in my house. Yeah, that's right! Go home and get your freak on. I don't really need to know about it. Keep it private people. Keep it private.

Weird Rule Number 2. Underwear shall be worn at all times when you are near me. God! Now I'm going to have to constantly be checking for panty lines. Besides that, it's unsanitary to go without I tell you! Get your grannies ON! And none of that butt floss stuff either. Those whale tales showing make me want to barf.

Okay so maybe my list was a little shorter than I though. Still very important though. Very important.

Now that I've let that little rant out of the bag, I think I'll just sign off now. Not really much more to add. I'll try to have a normal post tomorrow...

Update on the Peep Peeps

2009-05-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

Remember the ducklings I got awhile back? Well they're growing like weeds. Hungry weeds. They started out in a cage in the garage, then moved to a pen near the patio, and now they have a huge part of the backyard to roam around in. They're such happy little things. They haven't developed enough yet to tell the males from the females, but the males should be getting their beautiful irridescent green feathers in the next couple of weeks.

Bella goes bat shit trying to get at them. She run up and down the fence, barks at them, and then she'll finally settle in and just lay on her belly watching them for as long as I let her.

She did manage to slip past me once when I was opening the gate. The chase was on! She took off after the ducks and I took off after her. She got pretty freaked out when I started using my demon voice to scream at her and she ran back out the gate. Smart dog. I love her, but she knows I'll kick her ass too.

I started with twelve and one got eaten by something during the one night I didn't lock them in their cage. There were blood and feathers left the next morning. Yuk. Now I have one with a gimpy leg. I don't know if it's broken or what, and I can't quite bring myself to take a duck to the vet. I mean, hey, it's the circle of life right?

This is my gimpy leg girl. I don't really know if she's a girl or not, but she's very sweet and timid so I think she is. She's shaking off in this picture, and you can see that her left foot is kind of weird looking. I don't know what I'm going to do about her because she can't survive in the wild with a bum leg. I might keep her and one of the males back by clipping their wings. The pair of them could just live in my backyard and at my pond while the rest of them fly south for the winter.

Yes, I will be releasing them into the wild. Do you know how bad a dozen ducks can make your yard smell? I do. It ain't pretty.

I bought them a little swimming pool at WalMart last weekend. They love it! Here they are enjoying the water. And no, when they outgrow this pool I will not be letting them swim in my white trash snap together swimming pool!

Wordless Wednesday:

2009-05-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

I found my kitty curled up in my wreath one night when I walked into the garage...

Topsy Turvey Tomatoes

2009-05-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the advertisements for the Topsy Turvey Upside Down Tomato Planter? They came out several years ago, and I thought it was a really cool idea. This year, I finally bought two of them so I could try them out.

On Sunday, I had Jon hang the eye hooks from the fascia board on the patio side of the house. (I told him he couldn't have any fresh baked brownies with walnuts and coconut until he did his chores. It worked.) I read the directions and got the two tomato plants all planted up, and then I hung them and watered them. They end up being very heavy once they are full of wet soil.

The bad part is that I will have to use a step ladder when I need to water them, even though I used extender hooks to hang them lower. The good part is that I will be able to pick fresh tomatoes whenever I want. I'm hoping the location I picked for them on the patio will provide the plants with enough sun. It will have to do, because when it's 105 degrees outside, I don't like to be outside watering. Only stuff on the patio, and only if I do it really quickly and then retreat to my air conditioned house. (I don't know how we lived without air conditioning before we had it installed two summers ago.)

These are the tomatoes I selected to plant: Early Girl and Red Cherry Tomatoes. Yum, yum, yum.

You can use the planters to plant other types of vegetables, like cucumbers, peppers and zucchini. If these work out well, I might add to my hanging garden next year.

Serene Sunday

2009-05-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the most relaxing day I've spent in months. There was a light rain for the first part of the day, but the rain stopped during the afternoon. I spent a leisurely day doing small chores around the house. While I was cleaning up my kitchen, I noticed a pair of birds building a nest in a birdhouse right outside the kitchen window. I bought this large tin birdhouse in Murphy's a couple of years ago, and I have it hanging on a double shepherd's hook in the front flowerbed. This is the first time that any birds have tried to nest in it, and after the cat ate the mama bird in my birdhouse on the patio last year, I was hoping these birds would move on and find a better location for their nest. But they worked diligently all day long, with the female carrying one full beak after another of nesting material to their new house. The male was right with her, trip after trip. I don't know what kind of birds they are, but they make the prettiest trilling sound. There is an arbor right next to the birdhouse, so they would both land there and check things out each time before she entered the house. Here she is with a load of nesting material.

Isn't she pretty? The male has very pale lavender feathers on his chest. And they both have feathers on top of their head that they ruffle up.

I finally had to go outside and feed the ducklings, which seemed to scare the birds away for awhile. They came back though, so I guess they've decided that the birdhouse is definitely home. I asked Jon if we should move it to a higher location in the trees so that they wouldn't be afraid of us walking right by. Of course he said no, because he doesn't actually ever want to do any work around here. (Only at other people's houses.) So I'll have to watch their progress, and hope that my cat doesn't figure out that she can climb the trellis to get to them. (Fat chance. That cat is one of the best hunting cats I've ever had.)

Going Batty

2009-05-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

You may not know this about me, but I'm clumsy. I don't know why, and I don't know when it started. I just know that I have a lot of weird little things happen to me because I tend to be, well...clumsy. About a month ago, I went outside to the barn to get my weedeater. When I opened the sliding doors on the front of the barn, something fell and hit me on the arm. I wasn't too panicked, because I knew it bounced right off of me. When I looked down at the ground, I saw this bat laying there. He had been clinging to the railing that holds the door tracks.
At first I thought he was dead, but he was just in his daytime sleeping mode. I scooted him around a little bit and he was definitely alive, but kind of out of it.

I ran into the house to get my camera and I got some shots of him before I put him in a plastic bin in front of the barn. I figured he would wake up come dusk and be on his merry way. He stayed in there for a little while and then took off.

He's pretty cool looking huh? I love bats because they eat mosquitoes and all kinds of other obnoxious insects. I don't usually like them falling all over me though.

Why do I keep calling him a "he"? Well, look for yourself. I mean, it could be a girl, but those sure look like little 'nads to me. Little, bitty, tiny 'nads! This last picture is the best don't you think? I am still progressing in my Photoshop education so I added this frame to each of these shots. I think it gives it a cool vampire-ish look.

So what does a bat falling on me have to do with me being clumsy? Well after the bat adventure was over, I was weedeating the bank on the side of my driveway and I slipped and fell on my arse. I hit pretty hard and it stunned me. I finally got up moaning, "Oh, I broke my dirtstar!" And to top off the whole day, I was moving a bookcase later in the day and caught the nail on my big toe with the edge of the bookcase. Too painful for words. Or breathing. Literally.

So that's an average day here at the ranch for clumsy me. Getting hit by a bat, breaking my dirtstar, and almost ripping my toenail off. Life is good.

P.S. Happy May Day!

Twilight Series (Spoilers)

2009-04-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

I've read the first and second books in the Twilight series, and I'm in the middle of book three. The first book didn't grab my attention until I was almost done with it. The second book was much better. The third book is good too, but I think I'm getting a little burned out with the series. AND, I have a few questions...

#1 Doesn't it seem like Bella should be asking more questions about what, exactly is involved in being a vampire before she starts asking to be changed into one? I mean really. How stupid is she? I would want to know things like: Do vampires have sex? (I'm just sayin! Eternity is a long time to go without.) Would you ever get to see your family again? (It doesn't sound like it.) Do vampires go to the bathroom? (They don't sleep or eat so it doesn't seem likely. Big time saver there.)

#2 What's the deal with Jacob? Who would you pick? Edward or Jacob? Me, I hate to be cold so I'd definitely pick Jacob. He has a better personality too. Friendly and full of fun. Edward is just all around too high maintenance. Plus, would you rather cuddle up to a block of ice or a heater?

#3 Doesn't anyone ever notice when the vampires' eyes are red or black? Uh, that's a little unnatural folks. Wake up and pay attention you Forks folks!

Okay, well I have to get back to reading now to find out if Bella gets changed into an ice-cold bloodsucker. I'm betting that she doesn't...

Flower Strainer

2009-04-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Remember the giant strainer I got at the Peddler's Faire? The minute I saw it, I knew it would make a beautiful and unique planter.
I put a coconut husk liner in it and planted it with a fern, impatiens and begonias. It will look really lovely when it fills out some. I topped it off with some dried spanish moss to give it a finished look. Isn't it pretty?

It looks great sitting right in the middle of my round patio table.

The Ranch is in Bloom

2009-04-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Spring is really in bloom around the ranch. The roses I have planted in the flower bed near my front door are bursting with blooms. I meant to cut them back, but now I'll wait until I've enjoyed the blooms first.

One of my favorite plants is the Ivy Geranium. I have several of them in pots, and I always add one or two more each year. The pink and white geranium below is not the ivy variety, but I thought the petals were pretty so I brought her home.

I'm not sure what this purple flower is called. I planted it about two years ago from a one gallon plant and it's exploded to its' current size. I think it might be called a wallflower.

Doesn't my yard look like a park? I had to get some yard work done before the appraiser showed up at my house Friday afternoon. I'm glad I took the time because he said my house was "beautiful" and that our remodeled bathrooms and the closet look really great.

Here is the jasmine plant that I have climbing on a trellis in the front of the house. The beautiful smell of these can be overwhelming when you step out the front door, but it doesn't last for very long.

Here's a purple rose that I have in the yard. Very pretty.

This is a clematis vine that I have growing near the front door. There are about a hundred buds on it ready to flower. It will look spectacular when that happens.
This is a beautiful pink and cream rose that's right near the front door.
And a red rose near the front door. You always have to have a red rose in the bunch. It really pays to buy the more expensive roses. I love the two tone tea roses. They are so much more elegant looking than the junk roses you can buy.
And finally, the enamel bathtub on my front porch. I filled it with ferns, vinca and impatiens last year when Jani gave it to me. Since it was sheltered on the porch the plants made it through the winter. All except the impatiens. I actually think I'm going to have to cut the ferns back a little bit.
I hope you enjoyed the spring tour!

Peddler's Faire

2009-04-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we headed down to Knight's Ferry for the annual Peddler's Fair. It started at 8:00 and we got there right after it opened. I brought my old lady shopping cart and I made Jon pull it around behind us. He tried to tell me that it was beneath him until I pointed out the husband standing right next to him with the exact same cart we had. HE wasn't giving HIS wife any guff over hauling around the cart, so Jon had to man up real quick like.

I made a major score in the bucket department. Good thing since my booth is named "The Rusty Bucket." I got both galvanized buckets and enamel pots. The enamel pots are really cool because they have handles on the side so you can pour out the contents. I think I'm keeping the smaller one for my toiletries in my bathroom.

I also got a pale lavender colored enamel basin. I've never seen one that color. That will sell like hotcakes. Jani wanted it but I had already taken it to my booth.

I got a wicker plant stand and an old ironing board. I'm going to cover the top of the board with pages from a German book. It's going to look great. I'll put it in my booth with a hefty pricetag on it, and it will make a great display piece too.

I also scored big time on the black baby bath. I thought about keeping it, but I can't keep all the cool stuff I buy. I did decide to keep the giant strainer. I'll show you what I did with it in a day or two.

I spent a couple hours yesterday afternoon rearranging my booth because my cedar hope chest sold. I'll be decreasing the size of my booth by six feet some time in the next month or so. That will save me a bit on rent. They need space for the cooler this summer, and I really don't want to deal with large pieces of furniture anymore so it works out well for the store and for me. The only problem is that I have so much stuff crammed in there I'm going to need to quit taking anything new in and sell a bunch of what I have. I'm up for the challenge though.

It's Her Birthday!

2009-03-31T08:24:00.000-07:00

Today is Jenn's birthday. She's younger than me. (But not by much!) We have to sing, "It's your berfday, it's your berfday" to each other on our birthdays. I sang it to her first thing this morning.

I took this photo of her a couple of years ago when we went to a conference in Anaheim. We were waiting outside the hotel for the trolley bus to take us over to Disneyland. The Santa Ana winds were blowing crazy hard. It was also the first day of the wildland fires that ended up burning out of control for a couple of weeks. The trolley bus never showed up so we ended up taking a cab to Disneyland. (After we waited in the wind for an hour with sand and grit battering us.)

Jenn doesn't really like this picture...but I do and it's my blog, so here it is! Have a great day today Jenn. I hope all your birthday wishes come true!

Book Review

2009-03-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

I've finished reading two great books in the last couple of weeks. The first one is Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. This book was great! It's a love story set during World War II and the internment of Japanese Americans in camps during the war years. I highly recommend this book.

By the way, if this book is accurate, the authorization to intern Japanese Americans also applied to German Americans and Italian Americans although those two groups weren't subjected to the law. I'm definitely going to have to research that. If it's true, and that had happened, my Dad, who was born in Wisconsin in 1922 and who was full of blooded German descent could have been relocated to a camp along with the rest of his family. Thank God he wasn't. He had enlisted in the Navy and was on a destroyer during World War II.

The second book is "The Middle Place" by Kelly Corrigan. This was a really entertaining book. There were lots of parts that made me laugh and lots that made me cry.

There are so many good books to read! I've just started the first book in the Twilight series. I just started it last night and it's pretty good so far. We'll see if it's as good as all the hoopla..
If you've come across any really great books, leave a comment and let me know!

Photoshop Success!

2009-03-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Finally! I've loaded my first "Action" into Photoshop and used it. Whew! That was a huge hurdle for me. This program is so hard to learn if you're not in a classroom environment. But I did it and I'm so proud of myself.

The Action I used is called Coffee Shop Attic Vintage and I found it here. She has a lot more Actions that I plan to download and try out.

This is one of my favorite shots from Zac's senior portrait session. The first picture is the one that the Action has been run on. The second photo is the original, straight out of the camera shot. Which one do you like better? I like them both, but I think the Action makes this one look really cool and old. It could use a little bit more tweaking, but I was so happy that I managed to load the Action and make it work that I had to post it here.

There's no stopping me now! I feel so damned GOOD! Yay me!

Easter Came Early...

2009-03-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Look what I picked up on my way home from work last night. A dozen mallard ducklings. Aren't they the sweetest things? They'll grow to full size in no time, so I'd better be sure to get some better pictures than these before they do.

They love it when I say "peep, peep" to them. How do I know? Because they say "peep, peep" right back to me!

Here's Big Jon thinking, "what in the hell has my wife brought home this time?" Of course he's not thinking that. He had the cage all ready for them when I got home, including the nice bedding. We used to get a batch of ducklings every year and release them into the pond as soon as they were almost full grown. I haven't had a batch for about five years, so I was overdue.

Bella was going bat shit trying to get to them. I told her they were my ducklings but I don't think she cares. She was probably thinking "yum!" I'll be sure to keep you posted on my adventures with the "peep peep's."

Senior Portraits

2009-03-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

Zac came over on Saturday so I could take his senior portraits. Here are a few of the better shots.

Okay, Zac's a good looking kid so that always makes the photos look good...but damn! Am I a good photographer or what? I mean, really! I took these pictures? Doesn't this one on the front of the truck look like an Abercrombie ad?

And they haven't even been photoshopped yet. Now, if I could just figure out how to photshop a smile onto this kid's face!

Oh, and he was pretty happy that Grandpa gave him this 1949 Chevy truck too.

Look at the dreamy look in his eyes. He's thinking, "Man, I'm going to be a total chick magnet in this truck."

There are a few other notable shots that were taken on Saturday, so I'll post those soon.

An Update on the Bathroom Update

2009-03-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

My bathrooms aren't completely done being remodeled but I thought I'd show you the progress so far. The photo above is the guest bathroom. I selected the same tile for both bathrooms and the laundry room. I had Addam lay it in a "brick" pattern as opposed to the regular pattern you see all the time. I love how it turned out. This vanity is about a foot smaller than the old vanity so there's an extra foot of room when you walk into the bathroom. No more hitting my right hip on the corner of the vanity.

The next two photos are of my bathroom. (The wall next to the mirror is not completely painted yet.)
I ordered these vanities online from MoreHome.com and I was a little nervous about how they'd look in person. It's very hard to find vanities with drawers in them and I wasn't willing to give them up so I really had to search to find matching vanities in two sizes with drawers that weren't $1000 each. I also wanted them to look like they were freestanding pieces of furniture.

I bought trim that I liked and painted it for the mirrors, and then had mirrors cut to the size I wanted. After they were hung up, they ended up looking a little too large and I also don't like how they rest on the backsplash. So those are coming down and will be recut to make them a bit smaller.

The vanity tops are from Lowe's and I'm really happy with them. See my blue trash can? I paid $20 for that bad boy. For a bathroom trash can. Who says this country is in a recession? That blue is the accent color for my bathroom. The bathroom curtain has the same color, and so do the berry sprays on the wreath on the wall. This is my laundry room but my new washer and dryer haven't been installed yet. They are charcoal gray and the washer has a glass lid. Niiiiiiice. I didn't get front loaders and I didn't get models with a bunch of electronic garbage on them. Just more stuff to break.

I got the white basin that's on top of the dryer at T.J. Maxx the other day. I think it will stay there, but not the picture that's inside of it. That's going on the wall.
I hope you enjoyed the tour.

Look What I Got

2009-03-17T18:28:00.000-07:00

I got my binder for "The Photographers Workshop" in the mail the other day. I was so excited to get it. Didn't she do a great job on the packaging. Very creative. I love getting cool stuff in the mail. The course syllabus and weekly dividers are all that there is inside, so I imagine I'll be printing out lots of stuff during the class to fill it up.

The class starts on March 30th. I'm really excited and I'm trying to get a bunch of stuff done around my house so I can really focus on the class. On Sunday, I got up at 6:00 a.m. and worked in my crafts room until 1:00 p.m. cleaning and organizing the room and pricing items for my booth. It was so messy that I couldn't even think about creating anything fun in there.

Next Saturday I'll be taking senior portraits of Jon's grandson Zac. I'm a little nervous about it because it's my first photography job, and I really haven't picked up my fancy camera since Christmas. I figure that if I completely blow it, I can always pay for a real photographer to take some new pictures. But I won't blow it. I'm good like that. I think.

Well, sure and begorrah, I hope you all have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day.

The Big One-Oh-Oh-Oh

2009-03-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I went to Mountain Treasures to pick up my tags for the month of February. My jaw dropped when I made...wait for it...here it comes...$1,013.37. I couldn't believe it. I love having this booth!

On Friday night, I was pricing some more merchandise to take to my booth and Jon saw one of the items and said, "you're going to put that in your booth?" I said, "Why yes I am. And now that I've topped the $1,000 mark, I think you need to leave the selling of stuff to ME and keep your opinions to YOU." That shut him up right quick.

Yesterday I finally got up the energy to finish removing the wallpaper border from my bathroom. That stuff was really stuck and it took forever. Then I painted the bathroom. So much for a relaxing Sunday.

Addam is coming back on Friday to do some wrap up stuff, including making the bathroom mirrors smaller. They are way too big. I really misjudged the size of them. I'll be glad to finally have all of this stuff done, but I still have a ways to go. Lots of caulking left to do, touch up painting, and shopping for accessories. I'm so happy with how everything has turned out so far. I'm not going to post photos of the bathrooms until they're done. But you'll love them when I do.

Wordless Wednesday: Speechless

2009-03-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

I can't even post the picture here. It might burn my retinas! You'll have to click here to see today's photo. Ugh.

I Got In!

2009-03-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

I've been following Karen Russell's blog for some time now. She designs scrapbooking products for Creative Imaginations, and she's also a kick-ass photographer. She teaches intense one day photography workshops and I almost took one last year in San Jose. She also offers a ten week online photography course, which is really hard to get into.
I got on the waiting list for the online class about a month ago, but I missed the first pre-registration day for wait list participants because I was working on the house. Yesterday was the second pre-registration day for wait list participants.

So...at 9:00 a.m....I was ready. Since the last registration day sold out in two minutes, I knew I had to be fast. Nimble. Speedy. I had to type like a tornado. And I did it! I got in! My class starts in four weeks. You can read about the course here.

I've really been neglecting my photography lately and it's been showing in the photos I've been posting here recently. Blech! I hope this class keeps me focused on improving my skills.

(These photos have absolutely nothing to do with this post, but people always want eye candy with a blog post so there you have it. The first one is a concrete bridge railing in Oregon, and the second is part of the Peter Iredale shipwreck on the Oregon coast.)

Oh! Speaking of smokin' photographs, check out Alicia Bock on Etsy. I found her shop last week and her photos are absolutely beautiful. She uses this really cool colorwash action on them and they come out really grainy and faded. Beautiful! I like "Friday's Child", "Solstice" and "Love Birds." If I EVER sit my butt down long enough to really learn Photoshop, I'll be able to do cool stuff like that to my photos too.

Bedroom Retreat

2009-03-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

This is what my beautiful new bedroom looks like. The walls are painted, the carpet is in, and I am one happy chick. I'm nowhere near done with the decorating, but I'm off to a good start.

I took these pictures at night so they're not the greatest. And no, those things are not staying next to the TV. Especially not the plastic chicken. (That's for my boss, Chicken Bill. With all due respect.)

I had a really tough time picking carpet that matched the wall color, AND that was in stock for purchase that day. I was getting overwhelmed with my house being out of order and I just wanted it finished. I couldn't wait for another two weeks to order carpet and then have it installed. I bought the new memory foam carpet padding and I have to say, this is the softest carpet I've ever walked on in my bare feet.

Those danglies in the photo are the pull chains on my ceiling fan. And please ignore the price tags on the photo frames sitting on the night stand. I'll get to adding pictures soon. I just had to see if the frames looked okay there first.

I bought this mirror at T.J. Maxx and I love it. I might move it to the other wall, which would be the wall to the left of the TV. That wall definitely needs something large on it.

The dog in the photo frame is our beloved Queen. I had to put her down in January 2007. I can't believe it's been that long already. I got weepy about her the day I was shopping for carpet. I was sad that she wouldn't be around to dirty up our new carpet. I miss that dog!

I got those new lamps the other day and finally moved them into the house to see if I like them. I do. They're staying.

Bella is laying on the new padded bench that I scored at Ross for $60. And it has storage inside too. I couldn't believe my luck, so I snapped that right up.

I hope you like the changes. I'm not finished yet though. Next up is new tile for the kitchen, but I have to finish with all my current projects first. As soon as I have my bathrooms finished and decorated, I'll post photos of both of those.

My Beautiful New Closet

2009-03-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

My new closet is finally finished and so I thought I'd share the pictures I promised a couple of weeks ago. I still have a few details to take care of, like hanging some pictures and some hooks on the wall, but for the most part, it's done.

We had the glass cut for the floor length mirror and I picked out some trim I liked and painted it. Addam cut the trim for the frame and nailed it to the wall, and holy crap...I look worse than I thought in full view with SIX can lights illiminating all of my plump spots. It's diet time for sure around here.
Rather than wasting this space next to the window, Addam had the bright idea of putting some narrow shelves there. They're perfect for storing my books and my jewelry box.
Plenty of space to hang things up.
And I can put my pretty fabric boxes on disply too. I also want to get a beautiful fabric covered chair for the closet. I think that will help to finish it off. I love this closet! My whole bedroom, bathroom and closet now feels like a spa retreat at a really cool hotel. Only it's mine and I get to live here every day.
I'll post some pictures of my bedroom tomorrow. I'm still working on the accessories and furniture, but you'll get the general idea.

Pretty Banners

2009-02-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

I haven't had much crafting time lately, but I did manage to make a few of these cute little banners which I saw on this blog awhile back. They're very sweet and the possibilities are endless as far as words and color combinations.

These ones say "Blessings" "Cowgirl" and "Thankful." I am going to make one for Jani that says "Believe" and one for Wreatha that says "Welcome." So if you have a special request, and you are one of my family members, email if you'd like one.

I plan to sell them in my booth, if I ever get the chance to make some more. I was thinking about pricing them at $7.50 - $8.50. Do you think that's too much money? Too little? Sometimes it's hard to judge how much to charge for things so I'll start high. My stuff usually always sells at the original price though. I haven't had to mark down too many things in my booth.

Speaking of the booth, my vintage white hutch sold about an hour after I moved it to the booth. Remember the one I got from Craigslist? I loved it, but I just didn't have a place for it. I made a tidy profit off of it too. I sold two other pieces of furniture on Saturday. And a few weeks before that I sold the pretty blue secretary that I originally had in my Jamestown booth.

I really need to get some more furniture moved to the Rusty Bucket, so it's a good thing Jani will be here today to help me. My husband gets cranky when he has to move furniture. But she doesn't...

Final Count

2009-02-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

Can you believe that I read a whopping 60 books in 2008? That's more than one a week. But that's not unusual for me because I love to read. I read every day. I have to read at least a few pages before I can go to sleep, no matter how tired I am.

If you look at the sidebar to the left, you can see all the authors and titles that I read. Looking back at my 2008 list, here are a few of my favorites:

The Shack by William P. Young

An Innocent Man by John Grisham

Gap Creek by Robert Morgan

All three of these were really good books and I'd recommend them all. Actually, they were really the only three that stood out from the whole list. Most of the other ones were good too, but these ones stuck with me for some reason.

As you can also see, I've already started my list for 2009. I buy some books new, but a lot of used ones too. I like to buy used books from Barnes & Noble and Amazon. You can find brand new, just released books for sale used, at a much cheaper price. Our local library also has a little bookstore in the library which is staffed by volunteers. I usually go there two or three times a year and stock up. And when I say stock up, I mean I STOCK UP. Like a couple of grocery bags full of books.

Books are a way to keep learning for your whole life. I've been a voracious reader ever since I learned to read. Remember Judy Blume? And "How to Eat Fried Worms?" I also read the whole "Little House on the Prairie" series by Laura Ingalls Wilder in the fifth grade. I can't imagine what life would be like if I couldn't read as much as I do. Probably very boring!

Walk Right In...

2009-02-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

When we moved in to our house 8 1/2 years ago we combined the master bedroom and the bedroom next to it by removing a wall between the two, and taking out the master bedroom door.We were left with a room that was 25 feet long and 14 feet wide, with only a 6 foot closet. I'd always wanted to put in a walk-in closet but couldn't quite figure out how I wanted it to be.

So I finally made a decision to just get it done, and I'm so happy I did! The first two pictures are before pictures. You can see how hard puppy Bella has been on my carpet...

Jon's son-in-law Addam is doing the work for us. Here he is hard at work on the sheetrock. Doesn't he look like, oh I don't know...maybe a J.C. Penney's catalog model?

It took about an hour to decide on the exact placement of the wall because I decided to leave the window where it was so it would be in the closet. I'm very glad I did because I can have all the natural light in the closet that I want. If I had taken the window out it would have felt like a box, but now it feels like a room instead of a closet.We put a jog in the wall to accommodate the window and the existing bedroom entry. It's so much nicer than a straight wall would have been. In the picture below, the wall texture is still drying so that's why it looks splotchy.

Addam built custom shelving along the 14 foot long back wall. The center section is for long hanging clothes and the two side sections are shelves for clothes, etc. On the short wall, I have two rods for hanging clothes, and some narrow shelves next to the window for my books and smaller things.

Addam was a good sport about everything being customized for us. We had to pull out on of Jon's dress shirts to make sure we were putting everything at the right height for a tall man. It all turned out perfectly. So, now that my stuff is moved into the closet why don't I have a picture of that? Well...my bathroom is getting a facelift too so I don't want to put the new carpet in until the bathroom is done. For the time being, I just have some old sheets and towels laid out on the closet floor and it doesn't look very nice. Plus, I don't have those pictures on this computer!

Tomorrow, work is starting on replacing the baseboard and carpet in my guest bedroom which flooded from a clogged rain gutter... Then, it's on to new tile floors in the laundry room and bathrooms, and bathroom facelifts.

Did you miss me?

2009-02-10T13:27:00.000-08:00

Wow! My sister-in-law Yvonne emailed me to remind me that it had been six whole weeks since my last post. I knew it had been awhile, but WOW the time passes quickly. It must have something to do with turning 40 because 41 is right around the corner for me. How'd that happen?

I haven't been lounging around on the sofa eating bon-bons and reading magazines for the last six weeks. Nope. Not me. I've been going a mile a minute for several weeks now. I won't share it all in this post, but one thing I will share is my new dining room hutch. Isn't it beautiful? I finally found one that suited my purposes. It's about twice the size of the one I had before. And way taller too. I had to take the six beautifl bun feet off of it to make it look right for the space. I guess it's still a bit too big but I don't care. I love it. I want to paint the beadboard backing as well, but that will have to wait a bit.

What do you think of my new cabinet?

Bang! Starting the New Year off Right

2009-01-01T19:03:00.001-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's. Ours were very nice, but I'm glad they're over. As much as I love all the Christmas decorations and the festivities of the season, I love even more when everything is packed away and I start clearing out my house for the new year.

I've been cleaning things long neglected, sorting out donations for the thrift store, and moving some things to storage tubs that will eventually go to my booth to be sold.

I also started the ball rolling on a way overdue project at my house. We've wanted a walk-in closet in our bedroom ever since we bought our house. Since we've been here over EIGHT years now, I decided that it was finally time. Yesterday I removed the wallpaper border in my bedroom, and today I'm removing the border from the bathroom walls. We'll have the closet built, some rewiring done, new furniture and I've now decided that I need my bathroom remodeled too.

I plan on taking out the fiberglass bathtub/shower enclosure and replacing it with a beautiful tile shower. I'll also have the tile floor replaced, a new vanity installed, and a new light fixture. Just because my bathroom is small doesn't mean it shouldn't be totally fab.

Here's me and Jon and Christmas Day. I don't really have neck rolls of fat. My head was kind of pushed to the side. We went to his daughter Tammy's house in Fair Oaks and had a really nice day.

Tammy and her husband James had just had new laminate flooring installed in their house so James acted like a shoe nazi all day and made us take off our shoes. That wasn't really a problem except everyone's feet were freezing.

This is Jonathan playing around with the new cell phone he got for Christmas. He had fun taking pictures of everyone all day long. All day long!

This is their Christmas tree. It looked very pretty with all the presents underneath.

This was a cute mantle decoration of Mr. and Mrs. Claus stealing a kiss.

I hope you all had wonderful holidays and that this coming year brings you peace, prosperity and much to be thankful for.

Getting in the Christmas Spirit

2008-12-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

I finally managed to find some Christmas spirit last weekend and dragged all my decorations out of the barn and into my garage. The trees came out of the boxes and were assembled, and all my decorations found their rightful places in the house.

Every year I decorate one of my trees exclusively with birds. I've been doing this for probably five or six years now. I normally use the shorter of my two trees, but this year, I decided to use the seven foot tree. It's a pre-lit tree, and it only has white lights on it. When I finally finished putting all my birds on the tree, I had to stand back and gaze in awe at this beautiful tree. I can't believe how stunning it is. In the evening, my eye keeps being drawn to it, and I just stare at one sweet bird after another. And to think that I wasn't going to put up any trees this year!

This year we have a little party planned for Christmas Eve and I can't wait for my guests to see my tree. Of course, if they don't love it as much as I do, it would be wise for them to play along and humor me... Oh, and my other tree looks great too.

Calling in Gay

2008-12-11T08:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was not at work because of an appointment I had scheduled. When I came back to work this morning, imagine my suprise to find this article printed out and taped to my computer monitor. Oh, those coworkers of mine are a funny bunch. (That would be "ha, ha" funny.)

Then Jenn told me that yesterday morning, our boss stepped out of his office and saw that I wasn't at work. He said, "No Jeanne today? Did she call in Gay?"

Let's set the record straight here people. I am not gay. Not now, not ever. Ask my husband. Nope. No gay inclinations going on around here.

You can bet the next time I need to take a day off work, I will make sure it's not on National Call In Gay Day. (Or National Talk Like A Pirate Day either since I missed that day too!)

Black Friday

2008-12-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

I came across this post the other day and I about threw an ovary because I laughed so hard. You must check it out right now. I don't have anything to say today that can top that post, so I'll leave it at that.

A Little Christmas Decorating

2008-12-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

This last weekend I started thinking about decorating for Christmas. I didn't get much farther than that though. I thought about carrying down all the Christmas decorations from the loft in the barn, and I just couldn't muster up the energy. So I pulled out the "Memory Tree" that I made last year, and if I don't get some energy soon, this tree will be my official Christmas tree this year.

Some of the ornaments are clear glass, and I added photos of people I love. I never did finish it will all the photos I wanted to last year, so maybe I'll finish it this year. Riiiiiiight. I still haven't finished my ornaments for the ornament exchange this Thursday!

By the way, look at the awsome tray table I got at Ross awhile back. It's got birds on the handles. Love it! How come the furniture I love best is the stuff that costs me the least?

My New Desk

2008-12-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

I found this desk at the Salvation Army a week or so ago and I bought it thinking I would repaint it and move it to one of the booths. But the more I looked at it, the more I liked it. I decided that I would keep it and move it into my crafts room, instead of the blanket chest I had in there. I wanted to try a spray paint treatment that I found on the Joys of Home blog.

I chose a soft green paint, because I knew it would go well with my room and with my desk chair. Isn't it pretty? I just love this desk. It was very easy to sand and paint too. I didn't spray a sealer coat on it because I was so anxious to move it inside, but I think it would have been a good idea if I had. Now to finish it, I will mod-podge some old book pages in the bottom of the drawers.

I don't think I have any excuses left for not getting my crafts room fully in order now!

Countdown to Santa

2008-12-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

It's sure hard to get into the Christmas spirit when the sun is shining so brightly outside and the weather is so warm. I did manage to dig out this advent calendar kit that I bought last year and put it together. Jenn made one and I really liked it, so I bought the kit at Target and set it aside. I recently dug it out and got to work on it. I originally thought that I would put it in one of my booths to sell, but once I had it done I liked it too much to share it with a stranger. Besides, who's to say that the person who bought it would really treasure it? She could be a real jerk. That blocks intersections during the Christmas shopping traffic rush. Or maybe she would be a line cutter. Or a parking space stealer. Or a cell-phone-in-the-store-talker-who-blocks-the-aisle?

No, this little creation definitely had to stay home with me where it would be truly appreciated.

Thanksgiving Blessings

2008-11-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel.

~Author Unknown

Photo courtesy of: http://www.lilesnet.com/thanksgiving/pictures/index.htm

Wordless Wednesday: Oregon Garden Rose

2008-11-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

More Rusty Bucket

2008-11-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share more pictures of The Rusty Bucket. Isn't my sign cool? I know, I said that yesterday, but I really do like it.

Here's a Christmas finial, a vintage stainless steel tray and cup and one of my old shutters.

This is an awesome covered wagon that I bought from a booth at the Jamestown store because it goes so well with my theme.

Here are my beautiful snowman Christmas dishes. I decided to sell them, as well as the Christopher Radko dishes. {sniff}{sniff} I'll miss them when they're gone.

Here's a Christmas star and a beautiful centerpiece.

I hope you enjoyed your close up of the booth.

The Big Reveal

2008-11-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Last week I hinted about a suprise that I would be revealing. Well today is The Big Reveal! I had asked at Mountain Treasures, the store in Sonora where my Rusty Bucket booth was if there were any larger spaces coming available. There weren't, but the owner cleaned out one of her big spaces for me. It's right inside the door and it's huge! I wasn't sure that I would have enough merchandise to fill the space, but after a few days of thrift stores and garage sales, I was all set.

This is how my booth looks. I found the rug at a garage sale and it's perfect for the space.

Here are my chandeliers and a chalkboard that I made.

Oh! And what's that in the distance? Why, it's my handmade "The Rusty Bucket. Emporium No. 10" sign. I bought the blank sign and then painted it, added my metal letters, and Mod-Podged my logo onto it. I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

This is a display that sits atop the enamel topped farmhouse table I bought at a sale Friday morning. I wasn't going to sell the table, but I think I need to get over this attachment I'm forming to the furniture I'm buying. I am buying it to turn around and sell it, after all.

I still have a few things to do to make the booth complete. Like add large shutters on each side of the wall to frame in the wall display, and to make a wall out of hinged together old doors for the right wall of my space.

I worked like a dog all weekend and had to force myself to stay in bed and rest until 6:30 this morning. I've been getting up at 5:00 every morning and working on my stuff. (That's after I wake up at 1:30 a.m. and stare at the ceiling for 3 hours.) It was well worth it though. I love my new space, and the people at the store are great. I hope I can stay there a long time and make a lot of money!

I almost Pissed Myself!

2008-11-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

I found this super-fab hutch on Craig's List earlier this week for an amazingly low price. I knew immediately that I had to have it, but the poster had not included any contact information. So I notified Craig's List and waited on pins and needles for the ad to be updated. It finally was when I checked this morning, and I get to pick it up Saturday morning. I about pissed myself in anticipation, hoping that no one had bought it before me. I know, I know. I pissed myself is not a very ladylike thing to say. But as the High Priestess of the Thrift Scene, I can pretty much say whatever I want with immunity. AND, I couldn't think of a better term to express to you my absolute jubliation.

Can you believe how cool this is? The buffet top is marble. I have the perfect place for this, which I will reveal as part of a big suprise in the next day or two. That is, if I don't keep it at home.

Wouldn't it look great in my crafts room, with glass jars of ribbons, buttons and other supplies behind the glass doors? I love, love, love this piece of furniture! Oh happy day!

One Sick Puppy

2008-11-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

I had a bad scare with my puppy Bella early Tuesday morning. I let both dogs out at about 5:00 a.m. and I noticed that Bella had a marble sized lump above one eye and her face was lumpy and swollen. I woke Jon up and said "Something's wrong with my puppy!" We decided that it was probably an allergic reaction. We thought maybe from something we had fed her, but decided she would have swelled the night before.

Being the modern girl that I am, I jumped on the internet and discovered the two most common causes for swollen heads in dogs are food allergies and insect bites. I guess something bit her during the night. I have two questions if that is, in fact, what happened:

1. Was she sleeping on my pillow when the offending insect or arachnid chomped on her cheek, or was she laying on the floor?

2. Should I feel relieved or guilty that the aforementioned chomper didn't bite me? If I feel relieved, does that make me a bad puppy mommy? Hmmm.

Anyway, after a trip to the vet, where they kept her for observation until lunchtime, she got to spend the rest of the day at work with me.

I set up her crate right by my desk and she was as quiet as a church mouse the whole afternoon. (Are church mice quiet when all they hymns are being sung?) She even got some cheese from Barbi.
I would love to take her to work every day. I think it boosts employee morale (except for non-dog-lovers like Jenn). Well behaved dogs are soothing to people. And people who have dogs live a lot longer than those who don't. Plus, it's pretty hard to be mean to someone when they have a cute dog at their side.

Just look at her. Isn't she the sweetest thing you've ever seen?

Wordless Wednesday: French Fountain

2008-11-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

Indian Outlaw

2008-11-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

I'm an indian outlaw. Half Cherokee and Choktaw. My baby, she's a Chippewa. She's a one of a kind.

Do you remember that song by Tim McGraw? I love that song! I've been eyeing these two mugs with saucers at one of my local thrift stores for awhile now. The other day, I just couldn't stand to leave them on the shelf any longer, so I brought them home. Oh they're not staying at my house. Oh no. They're going to booth heaven. Why are they going to booth heaven? Read on, my friends. Read on...

Prior to my husband's retirement from the Sheriff's Department, he was assigned as the liaison between one of our local indian tribes and the Department. There had been some ongoing problems, so he was their new "go to" man. That designation earned him the nickname "Jonny Two Feathers." Well, everyone had fun with that nickname for a number of years. (Including me when I put two feather decals on his rear truck window. To this day he thinks it was one of his coworkers. Shhhh.) When he later retired, he went to work as Chief of Security for our other local tribe because he grew up with the Chief and his brothers.

Given my husband's background with indians, his sister Wreatha thought it was oh-so-funny one time when we were leaving her mother's house and I wouldn't get on the back of the four wheeler with Jon driving. (We lived across the street.) He drives like a crazy man, and sitting backwards on the rack, putting my life in his hands wasn't something I really wanted to do.

They had also given us something large and I had to carry that. I don't remember what it was, but I had to hold it with two hands. So not only would I have had to sit on the wire rack with iron bars hurting my butt, I wouldn't have had any hands to hold on with. So I elected to walk behind and follow him home. Wreatha about gave herself a busted gut when she practically rolled in the driveway laughing that, because I was following behind, I was his SQUAW! I'm telling you, she would not stop. She went on and on and on. She was cracking herself up in a major way. So she elected to be the BRAVE one (like my pun there?) and get on the back of the four wheeler. (Of course, Jon would never speed, or brake excessively, or do any of the other stupid stuff to her that men always do to their wives, so she thought his driving was just fine. Riiiiiiiiiiggggghhhhttt.)

So now you know why there is nothing in my house, nor will there ever be, with the word squaw on it. Those who know me well, know that I am a leader not a follower. And I sure as heck ain't gonna follow along behind some man and live in his backdraft! Go GenX Girls!

The Rusty Bucket...Revealed

2008-11-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

I finally managed to take some photos of my Rusty Bucket booth. It's a pretty small space, so I was able to get the whole thing in one shot.

I wanted the theme of this booth to be western. But frankly, it's hard to find western merchandise. And not all western stuff is cool either. A lot of it is just crap. So I had to go with a more shabby chic/western theme. And yes, it works really well together. I like shabby chic, but in limited amounts. Frankly, the lack of color in shabby chic can be a real visual drain.

But when you add the dark western colors, and throw in some rust, you've got a decorating dream! And when you think about it, how much shabby chic stuff is really western stuff in disguise? Things like shutters, rusty enamel pans, etc. Someone must have thought that "western" was boring, and "shabby chic" was, well, tres chic. Whatev.

This is a picture of one of the little candle chandeliers that I ordered. I painted this one black. They are so pretty when you see them in person.

Do you like the muslin backdrop I made? Muslin is western. Definitely western.

So there you have it. My Rusty Bucket booth. The store owner says that people really love my stuff. And you know why? Because I put cool stuff in my booth!

Clever Dish Display

2008-11-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

I saw a great idea for displaying dishes on the Notes From A Cottage Industry blog awhile back, and I finally have occasion to use it. She took an old crate, filled it with sisal, and added her dishes to it.

I found this crate the other day for $1.50 and I immediately thought of the dish display. I put a small dish rack inside and filled it with green sparkle shred because I couldn't find any sisal. I took the sticker off because it wasn't very attractive, and added this vintage reproduction sticker to it. Perfect for the coming holiday season. Then I added some holiday dishes to go with the whole holiday theme.

I haven't decided whether or not I want to sell these Christopher Radko plates. I probably should because I have, oh, I think at least four sets of Christmas dishes. When Christmas is over, all I have to do is turn the crate around so that the sticker is in the back and doesn't show. This will be moving to one of my booths very soon. Do I know how to multipurpose and item or what?

Holy Frijole...Part Deux...

2008-11-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

It's official. I am the Crap Queen. The Junk Queen. The High Priestess of the Thrift Scene. I have so much crap in my garage that I can't park in there! And I seriously believe that garages were meant to be parked in. I'll be addressing this situation this morning, so my American Girl luxury junk hauling truck doesn't have to spend another night out in the cold.

And my crafts room? Fughetaboutit. Look at this mess! I did manage to get rid of some of it yesterday when I took it to my two booths. But I'm sure it will look as bad as this in the days to come.

I got the Jamestown booth expansion set up, but the wall there really needs to be painted. Damn I hate painting anymore! I was hoping to avoid it, but it's just going to have to be done. I won't post pictures of that booth until I have it done, because the wall looks so bad.

I got some great treasures on my junk run yesterday. I'll post pictures soon. There will be some cool "before" and "after" projects. (As long as I remember to take pictures of the "before."

Holy Frijole!

2008-11-13T13:50:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been a whole month since I've posted to my blog. I've been a bad, bad blogger. Really bad. But in my defense, I've been really busy. And sick too.

I'm still not over the wicked cold I caught about a week and a half ago. Jenn and I flew to Palm Springs on October 26th for a conference and I started feeling sick a few days after we got home. I know it was because I was trapped in that sardine can airplane breathing all that recycled air. Yuk! I don't like to even think about it.

The conference was put on by our retirement system, CalPERS. CalPERS happens to be the largest and wealthiest retirement system in the world. The bad news is that they've lost about 50 BILLION dollars this year. Billion! The good news is that there are some really great people responsible for the investments of the system, and they have an 18 - 20 year reserve in place for meeting retirement funding obligations. Whew! Nice to know that check is going to be there when I retire.

I just wish that we could kick all of our legislators out of office in California and give CalPERS a chance at running the State. I bet they'd do a much better job. And they would keep the legislators from constantly trying to rob the retirement fund. Okay, that's all for my mini-rant.

I've also been really busy with my booths. Have I told you lately how much I LOVE MY BOOTHS! I'm just having the best time shopping for merchandise for them. My October returns were really good at both stores, so I'm motivated to keep going. I'm also expanding my space in Jamestown. I'll be getting a new space that's 7 1/2 feet wide. I bought the coolest vintage sideboard at the Salvation Army which will fit in perfectly. I also went shopping on Tuesday, Veterans' Day and found several other "foundation" items. I will try, try, try to quit being a dweeb and take some pictures after I set things up, and spruce things up this weekend. Christmas is coming too, so I've been working on my Christmas stock. I've got some really cute things to put up for sale. Stay tuned...

My Newest Venture

2008-10-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

I guess it's been awhile since I've updated my blog. But rest assured faithful readership...when I'm not blogging, I'm out living life and gathering really good blogging material. So here's my latest adventure...

My booth at the antique store in Jamestown is doing so well that I've taken a booth in another store. Now, I wasn't looking to add a second booth. I just happened to talk to someone in a different store and found out I would be paying half the rent I pay now, and I wouldn't have to work in the store at all. So how could I pass that up? I couldn't! I will be setting it up this weekend, and my name for this little venture is "The Rusty Bucket", and that's the logo I developed for it. Remember that my first booth is called "The Rusty Nest."

I also get to use the same booth number. This booth will have the theme of: Old, Rusty and Western. I am going to hang a muslin backdrop with a clothesline of old tyme clothes. You know how you see those strung across the streets of gold rush towns when there is a celebration to announce? Never seen one? Well, I live in a gold rush town and that's what happens when there is a celebration to announce. Very cool looking. I also picked up a really cool gun cabinet at a yard sale for the low, low price of $15. Addam put some shelves in it for me and it will make the perfect display case for my booth. I'll post a picture of it once I have it stained and ready to go.

Remember all the rusty buckets and shutters I got at the estate sale? They're going in my new booth. Perfect for my theme. I also have some rusty lanterns, old windows and various other things to add to my booth.

After my first day of work at my first booth, I told my husband, "Yeah, I have two jobs." We both laughed about that, and now I can tell him, "Yeah, I have three jobs!" I'll post pictures of both of my booths after this weekend because I have changes in store for the first booth too.

First Day of Work

2008-10-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first day of work at the antique store where I took a booth. It went pretty well, but business was a bit slow. And I just wanted all of my regular job coworkers to know that apparently it is not a phenomenon that is limited to our office when I...

1. Fall off my shoes. Even when they are flat sandals. Totally flat. No heels. Yes people, I did that at my new job. Almost took out one of the display cases trying to right myself.

2. Get my foot caught in an extension cord that very nearly sends me headfirst into the cash register. I came very, very close. Oh it was a sight to see I tell you. Thank God no one else saw it...

3. Act as flypaper for freaks. I won't even bother telling that story.

My first day was successful, but man my back hurt from standing so much. My new doctor told me that I have a bit of scoliosis and asked me if it hurts to sit or stand for long periods of time. Why, yes. It does.

Since I worked so hard to get my chores done on Thursday night, I have the whole day free to enjoy the first rain of the season and hit all of my favorite thrift stores today.

New Furniture

2008-10-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

My new bed frame was delivered last week. Isn't it beautiful? It has a padded leather headboard, and a narrow wooden platform running all the way around. I love it. It totally changes the look of my bedroom.
Next up: New paint, carpet, and a walk-in closet!

Sweet Teddy Bears

2008-10-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

I found these two sweet bears the other day in my shopping adventures. They were so cute that I couldn't pass them up. Especially after I saw this post on Notes From A Cottage Industry.
I fluffed them up and added new ribbons, as well as gave both of them new names. Jamie and Jaimeson. Because they're from Jamestown don't cha know!
I'll take these to my booth this weekend and hopefully someone will buy them and give them a loving new home.

Wordless Wednesday: Turtle Tower

2008-10-01T06:00:00.001-07:00

A turle tower we saw at the Portland Zoo.

I Took My Husband Junkin'!

2008-09-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today Jon and I went to a special preview of an upcoming estate sale. We had access to anything we wanted, before everything goes up for sale to the public in a couple of weeks. What an opportunity! We got some really great deals and spent a ton of money. (Jon spent most of it.)

I laid out all my treasures in my garage so I could photograph them for your viewing pleasure. In the photo above, you can see part of my loot. I got old shutters, old windows, galvanized buckets, a bread box, some old locks, a couple of trays, an old bingo spinner cage with the wooden balls, an old butter crock, a huge flat cooking pot, a scale, various jars, and on, and on, and on!

This is a vintage compost basket. It's made of wire and I absolutely love it. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it, but I had to have it. I also got the little miniature flag bracket that you see on it. It doesn't really go there, I just put it there to photograph it. It's old. And mine. And I love it.

Here are just some of the shutters I got. I think I got a total of 8. I plan on using some of them for displays in my space. I also got the really cool lamp stand that you see to the right. Those are great for hanging bird cages, etc from.
Here you can see some of my other treasures. Some small baskets, the bingo game, a flour sack, a mirrored tray, the old locks, a flower frog, an old thermometer a soap dish, a hanging scale, and an absolutely beautiful old bible. Can you see it up there in the corner? It's from the 1800's and has a leather cover. The binding is a bit frayed but it's so gorgeous.
And this here is Santa. Santa Claus. I just couldn't leave him there by the side of the barn. I had to bring him home and give him lots of love. How could anyone pass up that face? Isn't he a cutie? I thought I might try to sell him in my booth, but I don't think I can part with him. We also were able to get two old wheelbarrows (perfect for the pumpkins that shall adorn my yard, but not until after October 1st) and two old mule powered hand plows. They will make nice additions to my yard. We also got an old rusty tractor implement that's some type of rake. It has a bunch of tines on it and it, too, will look great in my yard.

Jon got an air compressor, a couple of floor jacks, a vise, a new workbench and some other miscellaneous tools and welding supplies. He was one happy camper. Big time. I think he's got the bug now and maybe we'll actually go shopping together all the time!

By the way, this sale was about an hour from our house. On the way home, we stopped in Copperoppolis at a pizza place called Prima's Pizzeria. (I think that's the name of it.) I had the most delicious meatball sandwich for lunch. I about fell off my chair in ecstasy because it was so darned good. If you're ever near there at lunch time, you'd better getcha one.

And just when I thought my perfectly delightful day couldn't get any better, Wreatha and I drove by a place late in the day that was having a going out of business sale. I got an old arbor for my booth or my yard, two old iron wheels, an old coffee tin and two mid-century (that would be 1950's ladies) outdoor lamps on posts that plug in. Bargains all.

And then I had brownies for dessert to top off my perfect day. Yu hu hum.

The Pumpkin Rule

2008-09-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

After I posted the other day about my rule of not putting any pumpkins out until October 1st, I had a few people tell me that they had broken the rule. I was suprised by that, so I feel compelled to put you folks at ease.

You see, it's MY rule. You don't have to follow it. You can put your pumpkins out whenever you'd like. I don't like to put mine out until October 1st because...

1. It's still kind of hot out. Shorts and pumpkins don't go together.
2. Pumpkins can stay out until just after Thanksgiving, when your Christmas decorations go up.
3. That's a long time to have to look at those pumpkins, glorious though they may be.
4. If I put them out too soon, I get tired of them before Thanksgiving, so this is my way of pacing myself.
5. What's life without stupid rules to follow?

Here's a perfectly good example of a really stupid rule...If you order something from Dell, you have 30 days to return the item if you change your mind. Now, this 30 days doesn't start from the time you take possession of the item. Oh no. That would be logical. The 30 days begins from the invoice date, which is the date you order it. Now, if, like me, you order a camera that is backordered for 15 days, your 30 days begins the day you place your order. Even though the Dell Dumbshits don't even have possession of the item to ship to you, your 30 day countdown has begun. This means that if it takes another 5 days to ship it to you, you really only have 10 days to return the item to the Dell Dumbshits Who Make The Stupidest Rules In This Entire World And Who Have No Concept Of How To Treat A Really Good Customer Who Purchased Two TV's, Two Computers, A Digital Camera and Miscellaneous Other Item In The Past Three Years. Yeah assholes, you pissed me off and your computers SUCK! I will no longer use the phrase "Dude! You're getting a Dell!" At least not with the connotation that you people would like it to be said with.

So there you have it. My Pumpkin Rules Rationale and My Dell Computer Corporation Sucks Rant. Don't you like how I tied those two topics together? Rather masterful on my part I think.

Major Score!

2008-09-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today during our break, Jenn and I walked down to one of our favorite co-op stores. In the second booth, I noticed this vintage birdcage stand. Now, I've been wanting one of these for awhile. However, they usually sell for around $100. I've seen a few for $75, but I think that's still too expensive. So when I saw this one, I checked the tag and it was only $49. I couldn't believe it! It's also one of the nicest shapes I've seen. I love it, love it, love it. I was going to hang my Boston Tiger Fern in it, but it's so large that it obscures the pretty shape, so I'll have to find something else to hang in it. It was my first major score of the day. Oh yeah, there's more...

At lunch time, I went to a new thrift shop that opened recently. It benefits our local Humane Society, and they've done a great job setting up the store. I bought so much stuff for my booth that I filled up the back seat of my truck. There's a reason I drive a truck with a covered bed, and now you know what it is...I get to fill it up with all the good stuff I buy! I bought two sweet teddy bears, an old bingo game, a pretty green jar, some Christmas decorations, plates and more silver trays and bowls. All very cool stuff for my booth.

And speaking of my booth, if you haven't heard enough about it this week, here's the sign I made to hang there. Jon helped me hang it up on Sunday and it looks great.

Tomorrow afternoon my new headboard and platform bedframe is being delivered. I'll share a picture of it soon because it's really beautiful. Total Pottery Barn. It's the first step in my bedroom remodel...