Sleepless and Weird

Posted on June 28, 2013 by April

So, it’s nearly 1AM… on a work night…. and I can’t sleep. I’ve tried the warm milk thing, I’ve tried to quietly read a book, but it’s just not gonna happen tonight. Ya know, that elusive thing that some people call sleep. So, I thought, if I can’t sleep why not share some random things I’ve found while oot and aboot. Or rather, a sleepless in thrifting post, but that would be lying because some of these things were found at non-thrifty type stores. Maybe, Sleepless in Shopping?? Anywho, all post titles aside, here’s some weirdness I’ve found odd enough to shoot, edit, and share here.

A cute trio of squirrels right?

Yeeeah…notsomuch…how about a giant ash tray? Nothing says class like Marlboro’s and squirrels. (no offense to those fans of Marlboro’s, or bushy tailed woodland creatures.)

Oh now, this gem would be perfect for storing that yearly dose of candy corn. Honestly, this Halloween kitty kind of creeped me out a little bit. Maybe it’s the head gazing straight up as if he has a crick in his neck. And now my neck hurts.

Finally the pièce de résistance (I totally didn’t copy and paste that from wiki)

Bubba wouldn’t let bring one of those awesome tiger heads home. Actually, I really wanted two of them to flank the front entry way. Ya know, to match my Mary of Guadalupe that I have displayed in a bathtub prominently in the front yard. (Again, no offense to those who enjoy a good Catholic saint displayed in the front yard. It can be done quite tastefully.)

Well, I think that’s all the weirdness I can handle for tonight. In the meantime, here’s a couple shots of those in casa de yellow not suffering from sleeplessness.

Honestly, I didn’t even get off the couch to take these, lazy much?

Let’s just say I’m a little jealous of my furry companions. But in the meantime, I have just discovered the 1AM rerun of Rehab Addict. *Enter sleepy happy dance*

Worry Like A Dog

Posted on June 20, 2013 by April

Sometimes you need to slow down, relax, and see the world from the view point of the dog.

They’ve really got the right idea when you think about it. Dogs don’t worry about where their next meal is coming from…

Where they’ll lay their head down for that next “cat” nap…

Nor do they worry about what they’ll wear or how they look…

The canine species is completely and utterly non-materialistic nor vain. They don’t care if you’re wearing last years fashions or if you’ve even showered, actually the smellier you are the better in the dogs humble opinion.

The dog is a non-worrier, they rely on their master to provide for their every need. That’s really a lesson we can learn from our canine companions. In fact, in an oft quoted exert from Matthew 6, we are instructed not to worry:

²⁵“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

²⁸“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

³¹“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:25-34 (NKJV)

Now if the birds of the air and the grass of the field aren’t worried, then why are we so worried? Our Master will supply for our every need.

He even takes us on daily walks, we just have to trust Him to hold the other end of the leash.

Honey Bears and In-laws

Posted on June 6, 2013 by April

So, I’ve finally been going through the zillions of photos I’ve taken over the past several months and came across a trip Bubba and I took down south to Las Cruces over the long President’s Day holiday. Yeah, I know it’s June, and these shots were taken waaaay back in Feburary, let’s just say I’m behind, and losing at the game of catch up.

Instead of getting all wordy like I always do I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Okay, I lied, I am going to get wordy, but only to explain the photos, because some of them really can’t speak for themselves. Well, they can but I’m a chronic interrupter. So anyways, that sandy stuff in the middle of this photo is the Rio Grande River. And those mountains are the Organ Mountains, very pointy.

Here’s another view of the Organ’s set in contrast to an alfalfa field.

Here’s where we almost got married. From another view you don’t see the green houses, but instead see the surrounding gardens. The grounds are operated by the local college, and quite often you’ll see some pretty interesting plant life. One year they did an entire ornamental pepper garden. It was gorgeous!

And here’s a giant rooster. Bubba wouldn’t let me bring him home. Maybe one day I will surprise him like the Bloggess (may contain four letter words, and I don’t mean words like “skinny jeans”) did for Victor.

And here’s a bench made from a Ford tailgate. I couldn’t fit it into my trunk so it got left behind.

And an old church, I love old churches.

This one is in Old Mesilla, Basilica of San Albino, gorgeous church.

While we were in town we stopped by to visit my Bubba-in-laws.

Father-in-law with Bubba niece.

Isn’t she the cutest? I couldn’t get an un-blurry shot though, the little rascal moves like lightening.

Here she is with her momma, enjoying some chocolate cake.

Speaking of momma’s, here’s Bubba’s mom.

After visiting with family it was time to head home and bail our brat girls out the kennel, which is actually considered a pet boutique. Yes, I’m that weird dog lover that can’t bear the thought of my beloved pooches spending any amount of time in a kennel. This place allows free range dogs, so the girls are part of herd while we are away. I think they like it…they come back exhausted as one usually does when away from home and ones favorite chair.

Or ones most prized sunny spot near the fridge….

Anyways, getting on with it…

Since the three day weekend fell around Valentine’s Day Bubba made my favorite brownies from my favorite cookbook by Helen Corbitt. The recipe can be found here.

As I munched on the most delectable of brownies and decided skinny jeans just weren’t in the cards for me I enjoyed gazing at the red tulips that Bubba surprised me with.

And unloading all the sweet honey goodness I found while poking around a farmer’s market while visiting the southern part of the state.

I couldn’t resist the teeny honey bears.

And now I’ve run out of pictures and words…how’s that for an eloquent ending?

Banana Pudding

Posted on May 23, 2013 by April

Words…I have so many words….it’s been so long since I got to share my words on here. Oh, and I can’t forget all the pictures, I’ve got two 8GB cards full of photos that are just waiting to be edited. But I don’t have the patience to go through them right now, you’ll see those later, hopefully sometime this year.

On Tuesday the nice people at WordPress kindly reminded me that I’ve been rattling on about randomness on this blog for 3 years now. Three years! Where did those three years go? And how should one celebrate such a milestone? Hmmm….maybe with some banana pudding perhaps?

It was yummy by the way…

And of course someone had to have a very unhygienic taste…

In the eloquent words of my brother-in-law…..YUCK…..

The pudding was nothing fancy, it was the lazy girl banana pudding recipe on the side of the Jell-o puddin’ box. Took a whole 5 minutes to prepare, but oh so worth those 5 minutes in my stuffy kitchen.

And the green glasses the pudding was served in came from Goodwill a couple years ago. According to the label that was attached ,they were hand blown in Italy. I don’t know how authentic they are or how old they are, but I liked the color of the green glass and the bubbles floating in them. You can’t see the glass bubbles in the photos, but the glasses are slightly seeded.

There are so many other things to talk about, but there isn’t enough room for all of that in one little post. So, let’s enjoy some gratuitous dogs photos shall we?

Goldie ponders deep doggie thoughts from her chair. And yes, again, the dog.has.a.chair. I never thought I’d be one of those people that would give up a perfectly good chair in the living room for a dog. But then again, I never thought I’d be one of those people that would have a blog, and then blog about her dogs. Guess I’ll just have to step back and enjoy my dog person weirdness.

I don’t think Annie minds though. She just wants more banana pudding.

Pretty in Pink

Posted on May 2, 2013 by April

Since apparently I have taken to posting once a week, and that once a week happens to fall on what I call Friday Eve which also happens to be Thrifting Thursday around these parts, I’ve decided to give Thrifting Thursday a break for a little while. It’s not going away forever, heck, you might even see it next week, but I want this blog to be more than just about thrifted goodness. Yeah, I could post more than once a week, and I always plan to, but then life and work come into the mix. Honestly, after staring at a computer all day at my 9-5 ,the last thing I want to do is look at another screen once I get home. Okay, I do look at the TV and that’s considered a screen, but you catch my drift.

So this week, let’s take a look at what’s going on in the backyard. Particularly, the magic that’s happening with my apricot tree.

Here she is mid-March, in all her pink blossom goodness.

A little over watering has caused some shoots at the very top, I’m thinking they should probably be trimmed at some point. But for now they make for a dramatic shot reaching towards the sky.

Here she is in early April, just about ready to show her summer green.

I haven’t gotten out there to take a picture of her this month, but she’s in her full summer greens now.

Which means the dogs can wrestle under the tree without worry of knocking off any pretty in pink blossoms.

Thrifting Thursday: Thrifting with the Royals

Posted on April 25, 2013 by April

Can everyone say Friday-Eve? Yeah, that’s what I call Thursday’s now, makes them that much more jovial dontcha think? Well, to celebrate the wonderfull-ness that is Friday Eve, I like to partake in what I call Thrifting Thursday. A time when I stop and reflect on all things gloriously thrifted. It’s been a very long time since I’ve gotten to celebrate my Friday Eve in such a manner, so I might be a little rusty. But here goes….

This week I’ll be showing you all the great and marvelous thrifty goodness I’ve spotted while out and about.

If only I could sew. I loved this Pfaff sewing machine. The chair went under the table and looked like a drawer when stowed away. It was adorable.

Apparently, this guy was purchased in June of 1962. I love it when these items come with a known story. Ya know, instead of making one up to fill in the gaps.

Then I found this giant. I loved the chunky wood and the sturdy-ness. Not so much the dark wood, but that can always be changed.

If you don’t believe me about the chunky-ness, here’s a shot of the lower door. That’s at least 3 inches thick.

And the little drawers were just as chunky. Let’s just say if this cabinet were a woman, she’d be wearing curvy fit jeans.

Speaking of curvy, I’m such a sucker for chests with curvy lines. Wait, that came out wrong. I think you know what I mean.

It was all I could do to leave this curvy beauty, but she was a bit wibbly wobbly (timey wimey, Doctor Who much?) and I didn’t have the time to rid of her of her wibble. So, she was left to be adopted by someone else who had the time for her, doesn’t every girl deserve that?

Oh, have I mentioned how much I love old electronics. I don’t necessarily want to bring them home, but I do enjoy a quick sniff around to see what they’re all about.

This one had me with all those cool knobs, well the two knobs. There aren’t many things you can buy these days that have knobs on them.

I’m not a coffee drinker, but I liked the way this coffee grinder looked. Maybe it’s the history and the untold story that intrigued me.

And I found these awesome thrones! I have no idea what I would have done with them, but darn it they’re thrones and everyone knows a queen needs a throne for her castle.

Thrifting Thursday: Catching up with the Care Bears

Posted on April 18, 2013 by April

My records indicate I’ve missed a couple of Thrifting Thursdays, so one is due. But today, I really don’t feel like doing a thrift heavy post. There’s been so much randomness happening lately, I’ve been having trouble keeping my jumbled mind on one topic. So how about a random post mixing in just a little thrift for sweetness?

A couple Tuesday’s ago (April 2nd) I turned 20+12, for those of you without a calculator handy, that’s 32. That means, I have been alive for 280,506 hours, 11,687 days, 1,669 weeks, 384 months, and 32 years, give or take a few nanoseconds. That’s a lot of time to waste on Pinterest, blogging, photographing my beloved canines, and in general piddling around this little world of mine. And I wouldn’t give up any of my 1.01e+18 nanoseconds on this earth for another life.( Thank you Google for doing the math!)

So here’s what’s been happening in my little life as of late….

Painting walls, more on that later. That one red wall in my kitchen was driving me nuts, now I have one wall painted one of these two colors.

Reorganizing, our storage room or what others may call a spare room had to get cleaned out and fast for a special guest (Hi Mom!). Isn’t it crazy how much chaos occurs before the order can begin? And yes, that’s a twin mattress in my living room, blocking my TV. What better motivation to get things done than by blocking ones television.

Things haven’t been all chaos in the month since I last blogged. There’s been some time spent on the couch. Relaxing.

Eating some popcorn.

Hammin’ it up.

Enjoying the company of pancake man.

Having a drink because, everyone knows that puddle water tastes the best after leaping tall buildings.

I still can’t believe Easter has come and gone. Before we know it, we’ll be celebrating our mother’s and then our father’s, and then it’ll be time to pull out the red, white, and blue.

But in the meantime, there’s the memory of Easter and the enjoyment of the here and now. Which as it happens, it’s still spring time! Personally, my favorite season.

For Easter, I had the great pleasure of hosting my Mom for dinner. I pulled out all the pastel glassware I could find. Which happened to be the glasses, but the plates were white. That counts as pastel. Sorta..

She brought with her some beautiful tulips. My favorite flower.

A few days after Easter, I enjoyed my first glass of tea as a 32 year old from the most mature glass in the cupboard. Who says you have to stop drinking your favorite beverage from Care Bear glasses once your 30’s come along?

Not I, which is probably why I’m starting a little collection.

So, I’ve got Cheer Bear (my personal fave) Tenderheart and Grumpy Bear.

Originally offered by Pizza Hut in 1983 or ’84.

The entire set included six of the most popular Care Bears, the three that I’m missing, Funshine Bear, Good Luck Bear and Friend Bear. Plus, the three that I currently use whenever they are clean, Cheer Bear, Tenderheart, and Grumpy Bear.

These glasses bring back so many childhood memories….aww…yes…the glorious ’80’s. The decade of my childhood. It went by so fast.

Better remember not to blink now, or I’ll open my eyes and be in my 40’s!

And on that note, I bid you adieu!

Spring has Sprung

Posted on March 20, 2013 by April

Happy Spring everyone!! As most of you know, today is the first day of spring, and honestly I couldn’t be happier about it. I am certainly not a winter girl, the cold short days really take their toll on me. But now that the days are getting longer, warmer and the opportunities to get out and play in the sunshine are more abundant, I can shake those winter blues like Annie shakes off the dead winter grass from her back. It’s quite exhilarating, shaking the winter blues that is, not shaking grass off my back.

With spring upon us, I’ve been enjoying a few spring-y touches around the house.

Daffodils, they’re so sunny and bright, they almost smile.

They make me smile right back at them. I’ve also discovered glitter covered eggs from the dollar store.

They maybe a little tacky, but at least my table looks Easter-y.

Recently, I’ve been seeing my sweet momma a lot, and finally got to give her the Valentine’s gift I’d stitched up for her.

The scarf came out huge, apparently I have gauge issues.

But sweet momma tried it on, anyways. Under Goldie-dogs watchful gaze, of course.

Oh, and spring not only brings with it daffodils to my table and finally a grass free dog, but also new birds to my yard!

A male Northern Flicker Woodpecker.

Guess the bugs living in between the stepping stones didn’t stand a chance. I couldn’t get a shot of him flying, so I borrowed a shot taken by Laura Meyers, who obviously has a quicker shutter finger than I do.

Via

Doesn’t this guy have a gorgeous undercarriage? The one munching on bugs in my backyard had more of an orange-y undercarriage than the one pictured above. But he still took my breath away. It’s not too often we get birds other than pigeons and doves hanging out back there.

Now that spring has sprung and the sun is shining brightly, I’ll be taking my leave out of doors. (And maybe cut back on my BBC viewing.)

Happy Spring Everyone!

Idea Stores

Posted on March 15, 2013 by April

Absence certainly makes the heart grow fonder. I’ve really missed blogging these past couple of weeks, and I haven’t even been all that busy. Just lazy I suppose, at work there is not much time to blog, plus I really don’t know how ethical it is to use company time to do such things. Then when home time comes around, all I want to do is sit on the couch and attempt to watch TV, but instead I wake up 2 hours later to find the local news filling my head with current headlines. Let’s just say I’m tired.

But a couple of weeks ago I was able to drag myself off the couch, and visit a couple of my favorite “idea” stores. You know those kinds of stores where the merchandise is too pricey (at least for this cheapskate) to actually purchase anything, but instead steal their ideas and buy something similar at your favorite thrift or discount store.

Well, Potty Barn and Anthropologie are my idea stores. And here’s what I found:

I really don’t know what I like best about Anthropologie, the gorgeous smells or scrumptuous eye candy.

I love this table, I don’t know if it was truly old, but those wheels are awesome.

These quilts had me at, “Hey, I’m 100% cotton!” My favorite is the white ruffled one second from the bottom.

Have I mentioned all the eye candy that Anthropologie has to offer?

I loved this corner gallery. It might look odd in a main living area, but perhaps it would work in a bedroom?

And these weird little glass balls. I thought they were a light fixture at first, but I still like them. They bring a little shine into a space.

Aren’t these bright lamps the coolest?

Oh, and they had owls!

Lots of owls…

And not just owls, they also offered weenie dogs that would hold letters for you. I thought about buying this for my sister, but alas, $30 was too steep for my tight little wallet.

This chair is so cute, I could see one of my thrifted chairs getting this treatment.

All I need now is a cute euro pillow. And some time away from the couch.

After indulging in all the eye candy that Anthropologie offered it was time to see what Pottery Barn had in store for me.

I love their table settings at the Barn of Pottery. They’re a little too busy for my everyday life, but still fun to gaze upon. I did however, get some ideas for my own Easter table.

A bunny holding colorful plates anyone?

How about a cheese dome displaying pretty Easter eggs?

Or cute bunny napkins?

I also noticed a trend in both stores:

Colored and textured glassware. Which I’m completely on board with, evidenced by my favorite colorful glasses purchases from one of my favorite thrift stores. You can read more about those here.

Normally, when visiting my idea stores, I just come away with ideas. But this time, I actually purchased something. My very first purchase from Anthropologie. It was like a little present to me and from me.

All wrapped up with pretty tape! But what lay beyond that pretty tape?

Why, a yummy candle. I can’t remember what flavor it is, but I snatched it from the clearance section for $15. Now, every time I light my gifted to me candle, I pretend I’m walking around one of my favorite idea stores. Of course, then I wake up and realize I just fell asleep on the couch again.

Thrifting Thursday: Random Shopping

Posted on February 28, 2013 by April

Has it really been two weeks since I last celebrated Thrifting Thursday?! Actually, I do believe, it’s been two weeks since I’ve even blogged! Talk about being behind on the blog schedule! I think it’s time I cash out and give you that meaty Thrifting Thursday post you have all surely been biting at the bit to read.

If you’re new here, Thrifting Thursdays are the day I’ve set aside to talk about all the great antique, vintage, and otherwise previously loved goods to be found in thrift stores. Thursday also makes a great day to celebrate all things thrifted since Thursday sort of rhymes with thirfting, but not really. Let’s just pretend it rhymes.

Anyways….back at the ranch.

Here are some cool things I’ve spotted while rooting around my favorite thrift stores.

I couldn’t help myself, that poor kid plunged me back to 1987. I had the girl version of this haircut. It was awesome and went great with my equally awesome pink CareBear, velcro sneakers.

Speaking of awesome haircuts, check this guy out. Apparently, he is Mostly Male.

Evidenced by the interchangeable outfits between the mostly female ,the mostly male is pictured with.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. (Quoted from Seinfeld.)

After savoring the openness of clothing from the ’70’s I wandered over to another section of the store and was officially creeped out by this Elvis head. I guess The King is still alive, at least at our local Goodwill.

As always, when I’m out thrifting I’m on the look out for some really nice vintage-y furniture. I am obsessed with the sturdiness and design of pieces that are 40 years or older.

I LOVED the legs on this elegant lady! And those clean lines…OH LA LA.

And then there was this guy, I have no idea what I would’ve used him for, but I would’ve found a place for him. If only I could find a way of making the trunk of my Malibu stretch.

Oh, and then I found this pretty secretary.

She wasn’t that well made, nor that old. But I still liked the idea.

Plus, she offered extra storage. See those little ledges on the sides? Those are meant for shelving, I couldn’t find the shelves nearby so I can only guess they were either broken or just got separated.

All in all, I’d say there were some pretty good finds, nothing that I felt warranted handing over my hard earned beans or cramming into my already cluttered home, but some pretty great stuff nonetheless. Although, I might go back for that Elvis head, that’s a classic piece.

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