You can only choose one....

You have been told you can only choose one.......
Which one would you choose?

So true......

I just wanted to share with you this wonderful advice that I received  recently.
I had a situation this week where this statement came in handy .
Perhaps you may have dealt with or a dealing with something where this can apply.
I love this advice because  it is SO SIMPLE yet SO TRUE.
Eleanor was right in the money.
Thanks Ms. Roosevelt.

Breathtaking.....

Hello friends!

A quick post today to share with you all this amazing double rainbow!

We were getting a doozie of a thunderstorm while Mr. OTM and I were heading to an auction.

We were running late and trying to drive safely while getting pelted with huge rain drops.

Then all of the sudden it stopped...

and there right before our eyes was the BIGGEST MOST BEAUTIFUL double RAINBOW I have ever seen. My camera doesn't do it justice at all ..they were both huge and full and bright! Stunning! God is amazing that way!All of the sudden...being on time for the sale didn't matter so much. Mr. OTM and I both realized that this was a moment to behold....to STOP and take in all the wonder and beauty.

SOOOO happy I had my camera with me to at least capture a glimpse of this gift.

When we did finally make it to the sale.....all everyone was talking about was this!

People were smiling and commenting and HAPPY!

Just confirms that IT IS the small things in life {like this giant rainbow} that are the best things.

The Art of Stalking Junk.....

Hello Friends!

If I were to write a book about JUNK.....

One of the chapters would have this title:

The Art of Stalking Junk

In that chapter I would share with you this TRUE STORY of how I did just that yesterday afternoon.

I left the shop about 11:00 am on my way to do a design consultation. Since I didn't want to show up to a professional appointment with my car loaded with junk, Mr. OTM and I emptied it completely prior to me leaving. (I love the feel of am empty car almost as much as one that is full of junk!) ANYWAY.....my first stop was to get some gas. After emptying my 401k into the gas tank, I pulled out onto busy Hwy. 74. As I pull out , I spot a pick up truck with a trailer filled with metal. I follow behind it.

LOTS of metal........"hummmmm" I say to myself.."all that stuff looks pretty beat up....like maybe they are going to the scrap yard or something!"

Holy Cow THAT WAS IT! I was positive they were scraping all that stuff.....HUGE bags of soda cans, old washing machine parts.....and on the VERY END of the TRAILER......

WAS THIS!!!!That's when the stalking officially began!

I HAD to get their attention to see if they would pull over.

More so, I had to see if they would pull over for some crazy chick , on a busy highway.

I pulled up next to them twice and both times I got a

"what's up with this crazy chick beside us look??"

FINALLY, they rolled down their window and I asked them if they could pull over.

THANK GOODNESS he said okay!

So, I am completely pumped up and excited to get this deal done!

Except.... that they decide to "pull over" into the turning lane which , as you know,

is the center of the highway.

Not the most convenient place for your first stalking episode, however it definitely added to the excitement!

"Good grief" I think , "if I don't get killed this whole thing is gonna be so worth it!"

I look around to see if any cars are heading our way or anything like that.

So far , so good.

The guy approaches my car and I tell him I want to buy that metal chest of drawers on the back of the trailer.
He laughs and says that he never had anyone ask him to pull over like that before that didn't have flashing lights and a uniform!

Anyway we cut a deal and I suggested that we move out of the road an into a parking lot!

Lord knows I didn't want my picture to wind up on the front page of the paper because I caused a 5 car pile up in Marshville. I am sure the newspaper article would proceed to explain exactly WHY I was in the middle of the road in the first place....and I am positive that many of you would totally understand ...however...safety first right ???

So anyway....

THANK GOODNESS the trunk was empty!

The guys loaded it up for me and I was good to go!

Not before I give them a business card and tell them to please feel free to stop by the shop first before they head to the scrap yard in the future.

You never know where you are gonna meet a good source!
My fist stalking episode was a success!

And fun...I had to call Mr. OTM right away and tell him what I just did.

He wasn't surprised......one.......bit.

Now fast forward to that evening. I tried a more conventional means of purchasing by going to an auction. Not as much drama like being in the middle of the road or anything, but fun none the less. Especially when I scored.............

this AWESOME 6 foot chippy chalkboard!

It was one of those...."I don't care how much it is I MUST have it" kind of things.

Thank goodness it was wellllllllll below what I envisioned having to pay, considering the fact that my 401k was in the gas tank remember?

I LOVE IT

I LOVE IT

I LOVE IT!!!

This one is probably going to Lucketts with me..

If I can part with it.

We'll have to see.

So there you have it! Two fabulous JUNK FINDS on the same day, but with two totally different stories.

Either way , I was completely happy and went to bed with a smile on my face!

Hummmmmm.....perhaps I should write a book.........

The End!

I CANNOT believe this!

Just when you thought you were done reading posts about my

camera....BAM here comes another one!

WAIT!!! Don't click off just yet!

You've hung in with me this far......

You've offered the kindest words to keep me from thinking I was losing it.....

One comment even stated that I was going to FIND my camera now that I got a new one.....

I know....hilarious right?

BINGO!

Yep!! I found the little sucker hiding in the console of the car!

I swear I could hear it giggling when I lifted the lid.
So I guess I have grown my photography arsenal!!!!.I hear that some of the big time picture takers have duplicates of their favorite cameras in case- God forbid- something would happen to one of them.

Feelin a little bit like Annie Lebowitz right about now...........

(P.S. The sunset photo was taken in the Gulf of Mexico a few years ago. It has nothing to do with the post except for being eye candy cuz we all hate posts without pics right?)

Call me crazy.....

Hello Friends!

So on my last post you found me boo-hooing about my lost camera.....

(which still remains lost by the way.)

I decided that I just needed to take the plunge and go ahead and get a new camera.

Just jump on in there and spend the 400.00 and have a nice big ole fancy hi-tech

number loaded with thing a ma jigs and doo dads.

So I began my online assault of all things "camera!"

I hit Amazon....

I hit Best Buy.....

I hit Overstock.....

I hit ebay......and that's where I found.......

this.....

My old camera.

And I bought it.

For $74.00 plus shipping.

I know...I know...You can't tell me anything I haven't already told myself BUT I have this totally rationalized (in my head...)

See, I have a BOATLOAD of awesome items to get into my etsy shop....

I have a new nephew to meet in a few weeks.....

I have NO time to sit and figure out my ISO and aperture right now on a new camera.

I need to take pictures NOW!

See....alllllllll rationalized.....

Call me Crazy?

Maybe.

I Feel Lost.......

Hello Friends.

I lost my camera.

There I said it. Now it's real.

UGH.

I truly feel lost without it.

It must have heard me mention that I was in the market for a new one so it just up and disappeared.

What it didn't understand was that I didn't want to REPLACE it...I just wanted to add to our photography arsenal like all the big time picture takers do.

I wanted to learn a new camera with different do dads and stuff (high tech big time picture taker terms) while still being able to feel comfy with my old stand by fav.

Makes me sad. It's lost someplace between the house and the shop. I have looked everywhere so tonight I made myself fess up......

I lost it.

Sniff.....

(crying jag could take a few minutes..........)

Now this forces me to go out on a limb with a new camera and have no safety net with my old one.

I can't wait to see how this goes.

Til then, here are some Winter Whites pics I've had stored up....

(taken with "you know who")

Meet my New Purse!

Hello Friends!

Isn't it fun to be in the market for a new bag?

I love bags and seem to always be on the look out for

the next best thing.

Well I am here to tell you ......

I found it!

This time I owe it all to LL BEAN!

If you were to look at my collection of bags, totes, luggage etc...you would definitely notice a trend.

CANVAS.

I love the durability and texture and depending on the bag you can even throw it in the washing machine .

My new LL BEAN bag is called the Sea Washed Canvas Guide Bag. I ordered the khaki but is also comes in olive too. (yep.......it was tempting to order one of each, I'll be honest.)

Let me count the ways I love this bag:

1. LOADS of space

2. It's not heavy

3. Was not too pricey (only $49)

4. The color will hide dirt

5. Will stand up to being tossed in the pick up during junk trips

6. adjustable strap

7. handy pockets

8.convenient bag handle

I am a more rugged kinda girl when it come to purses for everyday use. They have to stand up and I don't want to cry a river if it gets a mark, scratch or rip especially if it was a more expensive bag.

This one is PERFECT!

My new BBF.

Concrete Facts.......

Concrete fact #1: Today I turn 43.

No doubt about it....(the wrinkle on my forehead is a dead give away)

How did 43 get here so fast? In my heart am still the little girl playing Space Invaders on Atari with my brother and buying Forenza sweatshirts at The Limited!

Concrete fact #2: Time goes by WAYYYYY to fast. It's not a cliche but a cold hard fact.

Sooooo, since there is not a dang thing I can do about it~ I am just going to embrace the whole 43 thing and count all my blessings and look forward to this whole year.

There is ALOT to look forward to!

I have a nephew who is set to be born any day now....

Russ's niece is going to have a baby girl in November....

I've got a grandson coming in March from my beautiful step daughter Erin....

Russ's nephew is getting married in September....

and my other beautiful step daughter Shawna is getting married in Oct.!

So much to be thankful for.So in the spirit of Birthday's and all that goes with them....

I decided to get myself a present.

I knew what I wanted for months now( but have been too cheap to get it.)

Ta-Da!!

My Jeanne d'Arc Living arrived

and

I AM IN LOVE!!!

Oh my gosh. What a magazine.

The pictures, the articles , the inspiration.

Everything is so beautiful.

And ...my good friend Joy from savvycityfarmer is featured!!!

I went outside on the porch to read it this morning and as the sun was coming up it inspired me to take you on a stroll of all the different concrete pieces that I have in my flowerbeds.

(See...that magazine works fast!!)

This little girl was a bargain because she doesn't have a hanger on the back.
That's alright by me...I think she looks great resting at the base of my tree as my garden path winds around her.....





this stepping stone greets you at the start of the path.....

my favorite birdbath was handmade....

can't possibly have a flower bed without bunnies.....

my English Puddler is a fav with the butterflies....

(and also looks great when I bring it in the house for winter and set a candle in the center!!)

You can't have a garden without this guy!

Concrete pinecones are really for a gas fireplace but I found them at Goodwill for .49 cents each and thought they would also look good in a garden...

My concrete mushrooms are all over the place...I love um!

THIS is my favorite and to be honest it's not concrete at all

But solid rock! I lugged two of these back from Valley Forge Pennsylvania years ago and have carried them to each house I have moved to.

My hen and chicks planter is another piece that I have had for years!

These hen and chicks came from the first house I bought and have been with me ever since.

Thanks for looking!

Have a great day!!

Just a thought....

Just a thought for today...Never underestimate the power of one broken seed.

Grateful

Hello Friends.

When two gals hop in the car at 5 am for a 5 hour drive just to get to your shop~

you know you may be onto something.

There was no other reason for the trip.....

they just wanted to come to the shop.

I was blown away.

And so happy.

That got me to thinking about anybody~ near or far

who hops in the car to make the shop a destination

whether it's only 5 minutes or 5 hours.....

It continues to make me so grateful and amazed.....
and proud....

I LOVE that YOU LOVE what I do here.

I appreciate all the goodness that you bring to me each time to grace my door step....

I am grateful for the joy that MY shop brings YOU....

but more importantly I want you to know that it really is

ALL ABOUT YOU.

YOU are the inspiration for the merchandise I buy......

YOU are the motivation behind the displays I create....
YOU are the reason that most of my clothes have stains and a manicure is a total waste of money....

YOU are the reason that I can get up in the morning to go to a job I love.....

For all those things I am beyond grateful.

THANK YOU for that.

Some times No words Speak Louder...

I was in a restaurant this afternoon having dinner....

This Budweiser commercial came on that captivated me right away... By the end of it....

I was in tears.

I looked around....I wasn't alone.

Such a powerful moment of reflection.

No words...just action.

Remember me?

Hello Friends!!!

Remember me???

Mr. OTM and I are are officially back from wedding week and

LET ME TELL YOU..........

It was WONDERFUL!

I have tons of pictures to sort thru and share with you.

In the mean time, I thought we'd have a little fun with this guy.....Be honest....who had one of these???

(I did...lol!)

Glad to be home.