No Room, Leon

"No room, no room..."

  These were the words of my son 

as he practiced his lines

 for the Christmas play last week.

  He was to be the inn keeper.

  "No room, no room."

The premise of the production

was about a child named LEON 

who was being bullied and could only secure the part 

of an understudy of the inn keeper in the school play-

and he ended up being the Christmas star-

NOEL.

How relevant-

 to everything going on here on this little blog.

  No room for the cost of a new computer to edit my images,

 and no room to save the images I take.

Waiting

and thinking 

about how I will handle this.

   I am attempting some other methods right now

 to see how they work for me.

  I hope to get a new computer soon after the holidays are through.

  Until then, I DO have room for life's other joys-

 the Christmas play, 

the Christmas band concert, 

basketball games, 

holiday crafts with the kids, 

kids' holiday parties, 

and reflection on the more quiet meaning of advent- 

patience and waiting and preparation.

And my son,

who didn't talk as a baby,

and ended up in speech therapy for a year,

 and then stuttered for another year,

sang on stage in a trio of boys- 

something I never thought he would do.

It's all possible.

I have taken some time to look over this little blog

in my time away 

and she is getting freshened up.

 I've begun some clean up and am generating ideas.  

She's a little blog, but she's my blog. 

I worry too much about how others perceive it,

 and I shouldn't. 

 No more.  

We're going to stay folksy as a donkey
and that's how we're gonna roll.

Thank you 

to those who have not completely abandoned me

 since the computer virus.  

I know I haven't posted as of late

so it's a boring place to be.

My son's science project ended up costing us $600, 

well, that was the cost of the computer that it ate anyway.

Good thing he got an A.

After the holiday rush will be a better time 

to search and invest

for a new device.

Until then,

a merry NOEL is in order over here.

Christmas is almost here!

(I am sooo behind in the giftwrap.)

NO ROOM FOR WORRIES.


Sharing with
Ivy and Elephants
Savvy Southern Style
Common Ground
French Country Cottage

A Virus

Folks...

Our computer has suffered a major hard drive crash

due to the Sweet Packs virus.

Dan has tried to fix the ongoing problem for two weeks with a variety of strategies,

but he has been unsuccessful.

It has been taken in to be serviced. 

If it cannot be repaired, it will be replaced.

For now, I am just answering email on my work laptop.

I won't have access to my photos for at least a few more days yet.

So sorry for being gone during pumpkin season!

It has been very frustrating to not be able to access my blog.

See you soon on the prairie...

*me*

Sweet Fall Pinks

On my way around town last Friday

I spotted a sign that read, "Vintage Garage Sale,"
 with the littlest pink rocker at the end of the drive.

Alert! Alert!  Chippy goodness ahead!

Once I got out of the car, it was mine.

I sure thought it was nifty, but actually wasn't very thrifty...

it set me back $30.
I was sucked it by the nail head trim, suede seat, and
deep vintage pink paint.

SO....

into the truck she went,

and once we arrived home, my daughter claimed it as her own, of course,

that's the way she rolls around here.  

If the shoe...er rocker....FITS...

So the little chippy rocker just had to get

some proper photos taken,

with some tiny white pumpkins and dried pink roses....

She's so shabby chic, and just perfect for any time of year, really:

crisp fall romance, winter's Valentine's preparation,

or spring pastel flavor.

Right now, she's still sitting in my front room,

but as SOON as Tahbies' room gets painted grey

(and the paint is in the garage ready to go, I just have to find the time)

she'll be transported upstairs to her room 

for book reviews and doll cuddling.

Wishing you all sweet moments in 
these warm fall days...


Sharing with :
Coastal Charm
Savvy Southern Style
Ivy and Elephants

Ma's 70th Birthday... and Bangs

My Ma turned 70 this past weekend.  

Please everyone, wish her a Happy 70th Birthday!!

She doesn't look 70, does she?
She is beautiful!

Here we are, the little Tahbies, me, Ma, & my brother.

Ma is ageless.  She works hard, but not "out," just in the yard

maintaining an extensive property.
Her workout is pushing a wheelbarrow.

Myself, I have cut some bangs.

I am losing the battle with gravity.

My stress wrinkles from work are more defined

and I'm not taking it so good.

I hope I will look like Ma at 70.

Dan said I need to start wearing 

a cross your heart bra,

a babushka,

and start planting potatoes in a field as my heritage dictates.

Okay, fine,

so where's my farm field, then??  

Get on that, Dan!!

Vintage Glam Fairy Pumpkins

I harvested an armload of wee mini-pumpkins today,

all of them a creamy ivory white.
I then decided they needed to be dressed up, of course!

This little September Cinderella vignette 
has them snuggled up in one of my bird nests

with some vintage jewels that were Grandma's,

 on her vintage Quaker lace linen.

These pumpkins are soooo sweetly tiny...

I can fit TWO of them in the nest!
Just the size of a rose bud
or a brooch,
they are almost naturally for dolls.

We grew them in the garden,

one of the only pumpkin varieties
 that survived the garden traumas this year.

I KNOW we planted more pumpkins...
I think they all succumbed to the squirrels love for freshly hoed earth.

Aren't they lovely,

such a perfect combination of textures, sparkles,

and reflected light.

It sparks a certain kinda woodsy Cinderella charm
that makes me want to break out the glass slippers,
if I actually had any.

Just perfect for a fairy or left behind by fairy god-mother's spell...

you'd almost expect one to pop out here
and sit awhile for my photo shoot.

My daughter has been leaving a small tea cup of milk

out for the fairies on these early autumn nights.

We're livin' in a sweet dream world right now.
She's totally into fairies.

Is it the fairies that drink the milk-
or the neighborhood cat?

I vote for the fairies.







Sharing with

Coastal Charm
Savvy Southern Style
Common Ground
French Country Cottage
Debbie Doo's Primp Your Pumpkin!

Jus Veggin'

I found some awesome NEW granny square afghans

at a garage sale for $2 each!

I thought maybe we could use them in the vintage camper reno,

but for now they're in my front room.
One is a multi-colored pattern, 
and the other has orange, red, pink, and white.

It's kinda my bright way of adding a little vintage autumn coziness

to the home.  Most of my palette is soft, so these

lovelies add some intensity.

My sofa-bench is my favorite spot to vegg now when I need a cat nap.

BUUUUTTTTT.....

I won't be curlin' up with a blankie tonight,

it was 97 degrees today and they let out school early 

because we haven't any A/C in the building.

Today I need to just COOL off and VEGG
 sans new blankie.

So I will appreciate my fall beauties today

from afar and hope for a cool down.

Sharing my new finds with 
Savvy Southern Style

Elf On A....'59 Zenith?

Yes, Elf on Shelf 

is on a radio right now...

We found this little radio at a garage sale last week for $10...

and thought a little re-do would make it a perfect

tube radio to listen to music in our retro-themed Christmas camper,

Summer Holiday,
which we are in the process of renovating.

A little yellow paint,

a bow with a toadstool mushroom,

and a wee little elf complete the radio's makeover.

Just a little paint and hot glue

brought this radio

into a new vintage reality.





There are a few new updates to the
vintage camper, which I'll post soon...





but for now, we're jammin' on the driveway
to three stations with a warm tinny-sound.





Sharing with
 Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Share Your Cup with Jann
Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Pop Bottle Crates

We say POP around here! 
I just love vintage crates, they are so hard to pass up
with vintage graphics and weathered wood, it's pure utilitarian Americana.

At $10 each on average, it adds such character to a room.

Here, I had Dan build me a cabinet for my crates to store art supplies.

On the top, I keep a vintage Coke tray.

This is great for flowers, or a cup with paint brushes in it if I'm working.

The first FleaMarket Style magazine inspired this little cabinet.

FleaMarket Mag

I saw it in the story and had to have one.

We skipped the bun feet and added casters for mobility.

The corners are held together with corner bead,

which also supports the crates as drawers on the inside.

A well divided tray can help corral all those loose paint bottles
and keep you color-coded and organized!

I'll be picking more of these up in the future,

they're just so cute,
for books, magazines, flowers, remotes, utensils, anything!





Sharing with
Savvy Southern Style
Ivy and Elephants
Share Your Cup
Funky Junk 

Chippy Chalkware

I have some fabulous red and aqua

chalkware finds to share with you,
perfect summer finds.

These figures are known as the Sacred Heart of Jesus

and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

I acquired these last week at the antique mart
and they stand about 14" tall.

I really wanted to hit a good flea this summer, but whenever they were around,
we couldn't go!
So I have really been scouring the thrift stores, etc.
to see what's in town.

I count these as a good summer find.

I didn't really have any chalkware
and now I have two.

The Jesus was just $12, 
and the chippy Mary is uber chippy
and was gifted to me,
probably so they can stay together.

The colors are very saturated and intense, 

the red, aqua, and ivory color scheme is incredibly vintage,

and I am enjoying their bright colors as summer comes to a close.

Soon it will be time for fall browns
and autumn posts, but I'm trying to squeeze in my last bit
of ocean blue and dipped roses
before the leaves begin to turn.

School has started and is VERY stressful.
Anyone in education knows
that this field is in the process of undergoing
a technological revolution
and it is VERY hard on teachers.
I usually do not talk about work online, but
it is only mid-August and already my stress level is at mid-October point,
so this is early.

 I am very much reflecting on what it means to be a teacher
and just how much weight is on our shoulders.

And I just want to enjoy the rest of summer before it's gone, too.

Sharing with
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Feathered Nest at French Country Cottage
Be Inspired at Common Ground