10 March 2011

FREE stuff.....


Springtime!
Flowers bloomin',
Trees bustin' out all over....
Pollen tickling my sinuses.....
and
of course,
"April showers".....
the first week of March....

BIG storms were predicted for our area yesterday....
Clouds loomed heavy all morning....
I scurried around trying to accomplish all sorts of things before the
onslaught of rain, hail, lightening, thunder...

Well,
you get the picture.

And, as I rounded the bend in the parking lot in our community,
my peripheral vision caught something 
on the curb, surrounded by trash cans.....
(they call them buckets now don't they?)
on it's side, as if thrown by someone disgusted...
was a lid to a old wooden shipping chest.
You know the type, rounded top, with splats
of wood securing the top.

So,
(and by now, you are aware that the FREE stuff is for me...sorry)
I did what any mother of 3 college aged boys does...
parked my car, and non-chalantly,
(or more precisely, as slowly as I could manage)
 strolled over to have myself a "look-see".
Not only did I find a dirty, but perfectly intact,
lid/top but I found the bottom too!
AND
I saw that underneath this discarded trunk
was a piece of furniture,
in pieces....
So,
I picked up the trunk, placed the top on the bottom,
put them off to the side,
and tried to assemble the 
"parts".....
much to my surprise (and delight)
when things started to come together,
I had found a discarded
mirrored vanity.

Realizing that there would be no way for me to carry this discovery home,
I carried the trunk, which fortunately did not stink,
back to my house, and fired up the FIT,
put the back seat in the full and upright position
and drove over to pick up my 
treasure!

Getting this FREE stuff inside was made much easier 
by the fact that it was in numerous pieces,
each of which was manageable...

I had, and have no real idea where these things will ultimately 
land, so I brought them just inside the front door....


What do you think?


Pretty good for the amateur picker...


The wallpaper that is inside is old and peeling (obviously)
and I think I will be able to easily remedy that...


The painting on the floor is simply waiting for the vanity to 
get itself out of the way, so it can be re-hung.


Amazingly,
the mirror is intact, beveled, and apparently
custom made since it is uneven, oddly shaped....


The drawers were really very clean, and only need a bit 
of furniture polish to make them shine...

As you can see from some of the photos,
the top has some water damage and that 
is probably the reason for the trash day expulsion...
But my sweetie came up with a perfect 
solution....a piece of marble,
cut the size of the top,
placed just so...will make this find nearly perfect.

Wonder what next weeks trash will hold?
smiles...



03 March 2011

Busy as a Bee!....

Winter Slaw is the best!


and the easiest, when you have one of these..


YUM!


Then there is that expensive "chillin" box that we bought for 
the kitchen re-model


"cabinet depth, stainless steel, side by side"


PAIN IN THE NECK!


We have had it "fixed" twice...


and still, the little door that allows ice to be dispensed


doesn't close well enough to keep the ice from becoming a solid mass...


So....we struggle to get the ice handler out to defrost it...


chop the ice off the inside mechanism...


run cool water over the ice handler/boxie thingy


make sure that the button works again..


put a piece of plastic down to cover the floor...


and together we work on fixing the ice maker....
DO NOT BUY THIS KITCHENAID!


Ah....on to better things...


a gift of hen eggs from a farmer friend...


a completed apron for a friend of mine...


who has taken up cake decorating 
(maybe she will make me one!)


An opportunity to give a sweet young couple a family portrait...


My first Apple Tart...


Yes, it is not my recipe, but "her's"


A rose from my sweetie


A lovely couch that I found at a used stuff store...


clean it up...and I know right where to put it...


In my office!


hangin out with Not Yo Momma...


Just below the flower posters I bought years ago from 
Martha...


Inspired me to clean the ol' place up...


find a place for everything...


and everything in it's place...


dust it off..


organize...


under the watchful eye of my sweetie...






And Wha-Laa! 
I feel like a new person...
amazing how good being busy feels...
smiles

25 February 2011

So Talented......


This takes about 5 minutes to watch....
it is fascinating!

Also, Wondering....the music was the theme music to a TV show,
PBS, I think.....
and for the life of me.... I cannot 
recall which one....

Can anyone help me out here?

Enjoy!
Happy Weekend....
smiles

23 February 2011

SPRING FEVER!


Spring Break.....


Flowers....













Beach Trips!







Visits to 
professionally manicured gardens....











and
SUNSHINE!


Yep!
me too.....
yearning for some sand in my shoes....
smiles!