I'd Rather Be Blogging.....

.....than doing all the things I really need to be doing. I enjoy sharing things with my readers - even though I don't even know who some of you are. It is fun to choose just the right photos to go with my post. (Although, I'm trying to figure out why blogger suddenly posts my pics in the opposite order as I upload them. Anyone know?) Then I choose just the right scripture to go with the post. Of course, then I enjoy reading the comments. I just enjoy blogging!

I picked up this wooden bowl at the thrift store last week. It actually looks like an offering plate from church. The milk bottle caps are the ones I got in Jefferson, TX. They had tons of them for a quarter each. I wish I would have picked up a few more. The colors and graphics are so fun!
Is anyone familiar with these flower globes? I had never seen them until this week at the thrift store. There were three of them but I only got this one.
It is the only one that had a "frog" in the lid. What a fun display piece!
We don't have a lot of fall color down here in southern Arkansas, but I love this red leaf!
This is from the pond across the road. The steam rising off the water is stunning. If you enlarge the picture you can see the dew on the tree and the grass. Beautiful!

Okay, I'm not going to bore you with my "to do" list or bring you down with the stresses of the week. I just want you to enjoy my photos and have a good day! Thanks for reading!

{May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness— an abundance of grain and new wine. Genesis 27:28}

P.S. Make sure you check out Margo's Junkin' Journal for a fun give away! Look for the link on my sidebar.

Play & Be Happy!

Ever have one of those days where nothing seems to go right and everything takes twice as long as it should? Well, I've had one of those days all week! One crazy little thing after another....Right now, for instance. Blogger just put my pictures in the opposite order. No time to change it, so they will just have to stay this way.

My Sweet Girl had a good time riding yesterday. Love to see that smile! If you enlarge the picture you will see her "toothless" grin. She lost another tooth yesterday morning. I tried to take a nice, upclose shot of her, but she wouldn't cooperate. Little stinker!
I had a fun time antiquing in Jefferson, TX last Saturday. There are lots of fun shops there. I really didn't buy much....a wire locker basket, some milk bottle caps, and an old box of crayons....but spending the day with "the girls" was great!
There was plenty of "junk" to look at - just not anything I thought I could turn around and sell. I really don't need anything for my house right now except for a mantle. I did see several of those, but it isn't in the budget right now.

I really don't have anything new and exciting to share. You probably don't want to hear about all my phone calls with insurance, doctors, pharmacy, medical supply company..... Instead I will leave you with this:

I love my old typewriter and its message. I need to keep reminding myself of this when things don't go the way they should.
I didn't set out to collect old games. It just sort of happened. I love the colors and graphics.

That is my randomness for today. I do hope you all are having a good week!

{"Live a happy life! Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works; be alert for signs of his presence." Psalm 105:1}

Easiest-Ever Pumpkin Muffins

Good evening! It has been a beautiful fall day and I just wanted to share one of my family's favorite fall treats. Actually, I posted this recipe last year, but it is definitely worth posting again. And this time you get pictures!

Easiest-Ever Pumpkin Muffins

The ingredients: one spice cake mix and one can of pumpkin. That's it!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the cake mix and pumpkin together in a bowl. I do it by hand, but you can use an electric mixer if you want.
The batter will be pretty thick.

Spray muffin tins with cooking spray (or use paper liners) and fill about 2/3 full. This recipe will make 12-15 regular size muffins.
I actually made 12 regular size and 9 mini muffins tonight. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Decrease the time a bit if you are making minis.
These are a great thing to make if you need something quick for a potluck or brunch. I always try to keep the cake mix and pumpkin on hand for "emergencies." My kids love these!
Delicious fresh out of the oven with melted butter. Oh, you can add chopped nuts to the batter if you would like.
Soon, all you will have left is crumbs! Enjoy!

I am off to Jefferson, TX in the morning. Some gals from church are doing a "girls day out." We will be hitting all the local antique stores and flea markets. Maybe we will even find some garage sales and thrift stores. I'm just excited about getting away for a day. Maybe I will have some fun treasures to share with you when I return.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

{"He brought the man of God twenty loaves of fresh-baked bread from the early harvest, along with a few apples from the orchard." 2 Kings 4:42}

Autumn Blessings (and more junk)

I had a wonderful day yesterday! My friends came to visit! These are the women I used to meet with once a week for prayer. (I wrote a bit about them here.) They drove 3 1/2 hours (one way)to get here and even brought lunch with them. We laughed, we cried, we ate, we sat on my porch, we prayed..... It was such a blessing to be together again. Oh, and one of the gals is a massage therapist. She worked on my aching neck. Ahhhh! That was a blessing! Oh, wait! Something else - Luna bars! Flavors I can't buy in this town.

They also brought me a housewarming gift. My dear friend knew I loved this picture and now I have it. It will go in my bedroom and be a wonderful reminder of my sweet friends. Thank you, ladies!

My pictures didn't quite get in the order I wanted them, so I will post about "more junk" and then get back to the "Autumn blessings."

We needed something to hang towels on in our master bathroom. I wanted something unique and this is what I came up with. It is shoe forms screwed onto an old board I had. Works great!

Here is another one with four "hooks." This board is an old table leaf that a guy at a garage sale gave me a couple weeks ago. This is for sale in my booth.

These hooks are near our back door and I thought they looked a little boring. The numbers really liven things up. I "stole" this idea from another blog, but of course I don't remember which one. Sorry.

A while back I found these black "hairy" button things in a box of trims I bought. They immediately reminded me of spiders. So, I added eyes and some fishing line and "EEK" I had spiders!

Back to the Autumn Blessings. I love wildflowers! Our roadsides are lined with these right now.
This is my little fall display on my front porch.
Some little pumpkins stacked in an old hanging planter. I think this would also be fun with a candle in it.
EEK! I have real spiders. A friend was teasing me the other day about my "Halloween decorations." She was referring to the spider webs on my porch. Sometimes I don't have the heart to take them down. They really are works of art.

Well, I am off to parent teacher conferences this afternoon. Then I have photography class. I am taking one of those "continuing education" courses. I really want to learn more about aperature, shutter speed, etc. so I can take better photos. I have a feeling, though, that the class is just going to make me want an SLR camera even worse than I already do. That's okay. I'm just going to be thankful for the camera I do have right now.

{"That's what happens to all who forget God— all their hopes come to nothing. They hang their life from one thin thread, they hitch their fate to a spider web. One jiggle and the thread

breaks, one jab and the web collapses." Job 8:13-15}

Junk For Sale

Good evening! The picture above is how the pond across the road looks almost every morning. The steam rising off the water is absolutely beautiful. I need to try to take a better picture. It is even more breathtaking when you see the sun peaking up over the trees.

I came home this evening to the sound of a tractor mowing our grass. We have several acres of grass, but only mow the yard (probably about 2 acres). I worried when we moved here what we would do since we don't own a tractor. Well, everything works out. A farmer down the road mows and bales our grass. He has hay for his livestock and we have a cleared yard. No money is exchanged, but he is happy and we are happy!

My first month at the antique store was great! I deposited my first check yesterday and it was more than I expected when I started this whole thing. I really enjoy doing this - shopping for treasures, turning "junk" into something new, and then displaying it in my booth just so. I found out that there is one lady in town (and her daughter) who have bought A LOT from my booth. They'll come in or call and ask if I have been there to add anything new. And then they SHOP! Works for me!

Last week was a good junking week. Between thrift stores, garage sales and one estate "tag" sale I came home with lots of new things. Most will end up in my booth, although I am hanging on to a few things (for now anyway).

This isn't everything I bought last week, but it gives you an idea. The back of my van got pretty full on Saturday morning. I am so thankful that my hubby allows me to go junking on Saturday mornings while he watches the kiddos. I don't go out every week, but it sure is nice when I do.

It is a little hard to see the table that everything is sitting on. It appears to be pretty old and "primitive" and was a bargain for $3. It is on my front porch. I'm working on a fall display set up on it that I will try to show you later.

I have a confession. I like men's pajamas. Only vintage ones. Strange, I know. But have you every looked at them? There are some great prints. The ones I found last weekend are probably my favorites. It is a beautiful winter scene fabric. Not sure if I will put them in my booth around Christmas time or if I will keep them and wear them. Yes, I even wear men's pajamas. Now you know.

I love this old refrigerator drawer. And of course I can't pass up trim, lace and rick rack.

There is a lady in town who does estate "tag" sales. Sometimes I think things are pricey and other times I am excited at the bargains I find. This breakfast tray was $2. Definitely worth it! The cherry plate came from a garage sale. Isn't it sweet?

More treasures....a serenity prayer sampler and a Homer Laughlin mixing bowl. I like how they look together.

More old magazines, turkey salt and pepper shakers, a vintage thermos, a McCoy planter....The mirror (which you can see better in a previous picture) is an old window frame. It came from the tag sale. I have been looking for a mirror for our back bathroom and I think this one is perfect.

I'm not sure if I will do much fall decorating inside this year, but like I said before, I am working on the porch. I wish I could find some of those fun pumpkins like are available in some places - white, green, etc. All that is available here is the typical orange ones from the grocery store. Have any of you every grown pumpkins or gourds? I'm thinking about trying it next year.

Time to get off the computer. The house is not going to clean itself and the laundry fairy did not make an appearance here today. I guess it is up to me.....

{Two rows of bronze gourds were around the outer edge of the bowl, ten gourds to every eighteen inches. I Kings 7:24}

Grass Stains

October is "Rett Syndrome Awareness Month." I've been trying to think of some great, profound post, but I guess my heart and my head are just not in it right now. Neither is my body. I have a recurring neck/shoulder/arm pain that is back this week. It hurts to be on the computer. It hurts to sleep. It hurts to lift my Sweet Girl. It isn't horrible - just constant and annoying. But enough about me.

Since I can't think of anything original to type tonight, I want to share a story I wrote a few years ago.

Grass Stains

As moms, we’ve all heard the phrase, “You’ve got to pick your battles.” Well, I am done fighting the war on grass stains. I’ve scrubbed. I’ve soaked. I’ve scrubbed some more. Still, my sons’ jeans come out of the laundry looking quite colorful. My seven year old arrives home from school not only with bright green on his knees, but all the way up and down his legs and the seat of his pants. I can’t even imagine what he does to get those stains in so many places! And if that is not enough, his four year old brother is quickly learning from his example.

I used to worry about those stubborn grass stains. What will other moms think about me if I let my boys be seen this way? Maybe I don’t care enough about their appearance. If I can’t remove those stubborn stains, what does it say about my homemaking skills? After all my scrubbing and soaking, I am still inadequate. Well, I surrender. The grass stains are just going to stay!

My grumbling has turned to gratitude. Now, as I throw those blue-turned-green jeans into the washing machine, I don’t reach for the Shout or Spray-and-Wash. Those stains are a reminder that God has blessed me with two healthy boys who can run and play. I fold the permanently stained jeans and think about the fun that was involved in getting them that way. Let others think what they will. Green is becoming my favorite color.

You see, I also have a daughter and chances are, she will never have grass stains on her knees. Not because she is a girl, but because she can’t walk. She has Rett Syndrome which affects her ability to move, among other things. I love my little girl with all my heart, but I grieve the fact that she will never join her brothers in a game of tag; that she won’t fall down in the grass and come up with green battle scars. Her little pink leggings will be forever pink.

I guess I need to get back to my laundry. Time to soak the food stains from my daughter’s shirts. Swallowing is sometimes difficult for her and food falls out of her mouth onto her clothes. On second thought, I think I’m beginning to like the pizza sauce polka dots……

Here is the most recent picture of Sweet Girl. It was taken last weekend. It is a rare occasion to get her looking at the camera and smiling (well, sort of).

If you would like to know more about Rett Syndrome you can visit these places: RettHelp, Girl Power, and IRSF. All of these sites have information about Rett Syndrome and also opportunities to donate. I really hate asking for money, especially in these difficult economic times. But I also hate that there is no cure for Rett Syndrome yet.

Also, my Usborne books eshow is still open. I am donating my commission to Rett Syndrome research. These books make wonderful gifts and the holidays are fast approaching.

Well, this has been a somewhat "scattered" post. Just the way my brain is tonight, I guess. It is past my bedtime and it hurts to type or even use the mouse. I'll be back in a few days with a more "usual" post.