Atlanta Bound Again!

I'm Atlanta bound once again!! This morning, I'm catching a flight to Atlanta to see Jana & Rob and my brother Don & his family. Can't wait!!!! It's been too long since I've seen any of them (Thanksgiving for Jana & Rob and July for Don!!!!) It's so crazy that I can save so much money by driving to a tiny little airport in Longview rather than flying out of Shreveport, but if that's what it takes, then I'll do it! While Don and I hope to go over lots of business-related stuff, I'm looking forward to a relaxing time of just visiting and catching up! I might even have a few pictures to post when I get back!!

Junq Drunk - Part 3

Round Top was so much fun! We did have some interesting experiences in the form of some restaurant drama (do NOT visit "Scotty's and Friends" if you visit the area!!!)
AND a small critter (or two) that forced us to move out of our usual lodging into a hotel (true country girls we are not!). Of course, that also afforded us the opportunity to poke some fun at Sandy, and we had plenty of laughter mixed in with the shrieks and squeals.
Here are a few of my favorite photos from the weekend.
The Purple Ladies:

Vintage bicycles for sale

I wish I had this big clock for my wall!

This guy was staring us down when we stopped to take his picture.

Another bird in a tree near our farmhouse.

Vintage art supplies

Valine's first purchase

A vignette with a Parisian feel

Globes and beach themed goodness

And lots of letters!!

and look at the concentration on Valine's face! (she never did get that bottle of wine open)

Isn't this "counter" great??? Pale pink suitcases with casters on the bottom.

And a little bit more vintage inspiration.
This is one of my very favorite photos of the weekend. I took this on the first evening as we walked around Fayetteville. This little bird was perched atop the steeple at the Lutheran church.

Junq Drunq - Part 2

Being in the rolling hill country of south Texas provided the perfect backdrop to practice some of the prompts from my Picture Inspiration class over at Big Picture Classes. Tracey Clark is the teacher and each week she provides prompts related to photography, composition and finding inspiration in our everyday lives. Having worked through the first few weeks I am beginning to see things a bit differently and I noticed some of the themes reflected in the photos I took this weekend.

Rhythm . . .


Motif . . .

From Mommy's Treasures

Stacks (there were LOTS of these) . . .

and this week's prompt - Infinity.

Junq Drunq - Part 1

After 2 full days of shopping at the Round Top Antiques Show, I think that we can officially claim the title that Valine offered---"Junq Drunq". Although the weather almost bordered on "hot" Saturday, it was wonderful to be outdoors walking and browsing. This sign that we saw posted at a La Grange antique store pretty much summed up the overall experience.

Rare . . .

common . . .

old . . .

and, of course the bizarre!
It was such fun, but I'm pretty pooped, so I'll post a few more photos tomorrow.

Round Robin - Winter Meets Spring

The prompt for the Round Robin Photo Challenge this time states: Spring is coming, but Winter seldom goes quietly, relaxing its grip on the land. Ideally I'd like to see pictures that show signs of both seasons, the remnant of winter paired with the promise of spring. Here in Louisiana, spring has most certainly arrived, so opportunities to capture both seasons at the same time have passed. However, I do have a photo from a few weeks back that sort of fits the bill:

It's quite difficult to tell, but that those drops of water are actually frozen. I took this picture of a miniature rose that was blooming amid sleet and snow flurries.
Be sure to check out the submissions of the other "robins". The linking list is here.

The Walls Are Up!!

Last Saturday, Lowe's arrived bright and early to deliver a load of building materials. Later in the day, Callie and Jordan helped me move the junk treasures out of my old, dilapidated backyard storage buildings into the PODS unit that was deposited on my driveway. I don't have any "before" pictures---not only did I forget to take any, but they really would be just a bit too embarrassing to even show!
Tuesday morning, my builders (Jonathan and David) set to work tearing down the old sheds in preparation for the new and improved storage building. At the end of the day, the slab was clear, a strip of new cement had been poured and a couple of walls lay on the grass (already a drastic improvement from before).


Wednesday, the stud walls went up.

And then this evening, when I got home from a very long day, I found walls

rafters

and even an inside shelf!!

Since I came home feeling a bit under the weather, this was a great way to perk me up a bit! After adding electricity and finishing touches, they should be finished early next week ---just in time to move things back in during my spring break!!

Spring Showers

It's not May yet, but there are still showers in the air. It seems that each weekend for the next month or two are filled with showers for weddings and new babies. This morning, I helped hostess a bridal shower for the daughter of a close friend at church. Robin is a great girl and we all agree that Elijah is a very lucky guy to be marrying her!

As we began planning the shower, we found it really difficult to schedule a time that all of the hostesses could meet together, even for a brief meeting. Thank goodness for the internet, because we kept in touch via email and divvied up jobs and food. I was in charge of the invitation, centerpiece and cake. Robin's sister told me that she really wanted a King Cake, so I was able to find a bakery that would prepare one for us, despite the fact that Mardi Gras was several days ago. (of course, we had tons left over given the Lenten promises of giving up sweets that so many people just began).


For flowers, I wanted something kind of simple and very feminine. I stopped at the floral area of the grocery store yesterday and was thrilled to see a brand new shipment of tulips---in every color imaginable. Robin's wedding colors include purple, so I bought a few bunches of purple and white (and a few pink ones for myself). :-) Using the bottles I'd saved from Callie's wedding, I placed a few stems in each one and placed them in my antique bottle rack. In addition, I used a bit of beading from the $1 bins at Joann's, a couple of crocheted doilies, some reindeer moss and a few organza flowers I whipped up last night. A while back, I added rub-ons to the bottles, as well as a few charms and that really added a nice feminine touch to the centerpiece.
So often, what I picture in my mind never quite translates in real life. But, this time it turned out just the way I intended, simple and feminine!

The shower turned out very nice and I think everyone had a good time. Can't wait until the wedding!

As I've been cleaning out the cabinets in my living room, I've spent lots of time reminiscing over photos and other tidbits of the past. Among some of my favorites are the sweet cards from my past that my mom had gathered in an envelope. These are the baby cards.

They just don't make cards like these anymore---

Look at the sweet drawings.


It tickles me that my mama felt the need to write my name on the front of each card. As if these very feminine cards weren't enough to separate them from those of my brothers. I think it took several days for them to settle on my name and well-wishers weren't sure. Once I was named, she must have gone through and labeled every card.

Here are a few of the birthday cards. There aren't any names on the outside of these cards, but, hey, I guess after four children in 5 1/2 years, something's gotta' give.
Love them! And love her for saving them!