I ♥ Vintage

Sigh...it's Friday again. Oh, had you noticed, too? For me, that usually means
what has become a somewhat bad weekly habit for me: the flea.

I speak here not of little parasitic creatures, but the flea market. You see, I love vintage things.
Adore. I love them because they are unique, quaint, cute, charming--but part of it is
also the hunt; stumbling across that too-cute tschotske that you (or maybe just I) have
to take home. The bad part is, I often find A LOT of stuff in the "take home" department
(Especially because the flea market trip is often interspersed with a lot of yard sales!).

Nonetheless, with all the events coming up, I will have to say good-bye to my little
guilty pleasure, at least for now. But not without sharing a few of my recent finds,
that is...(insert maniacal laughter here).

I'll start with this painting :) I don't know what about it caught my eye exactly, besides
being beautifully painted. It just makes me feel good! The back has the artist name and
the year: 1979.

I'll move on to some kitchenware--because what proper housewife doesn't indulge in
household-y vintage purchases?

I have no idea where or how I'll use the bowls, but they were so cheerfully painted (and cheap)
that I had to get them.

This canister I will use to hold my baking stuff--rolling pin, whisks, etc.

And aren't these vintage utensils cool? Our kitchen is red, so they'll be perfect
to display somewhere!

I love that their labels are still on...

...but what is this for? I looked up the words and it means "cup parsley" in French. Huh?
Okay. I wasn't going to use it anyway ;)

A cute old red chicken to match the afore-mentioned utensils, of course. Shelf company!

This is a cool ladle-thing that I saw Martha Stewart using on her show. Doesn't she make
just about anything seem so practical and necessary for a well-run kitchen?

These are the things you find yourself buying as a mom: "baby" cake pans. Because you
know your daughter will LOVE them :)

I'm going to share the following item even though it may be a little hard to...
because Jakey broke it :(

It was a beautiful pottery bowl and cup, in one of my favorite colors--the softest,
palest blue.

This sisterly, shabby chic-ish little pair of bowls don't even begin to make up
 for it, but it's a very small start.

Plus, who could resist the price?

Here he is getting on another find, a vintage stool in the best condition ever...not that it will
last, with those tar-black feet of his.

Oh Jakey!!! Lol ;)

 On to other miscellaneous curiosities...

I didn't know I was in a bit of a yellow mood until I got home, but I'm glad I was.

I liked this happy little family portrait as soon as I saw it. Aren't they cute?

And the mama! Don't you just know she was a spunky one?

I've always been enchanted by old black-and-white photographs. My family
never really had a lot of old family pics, so maybe it's wishful thinking? To me,
an album full of pics from, say, the 40's is a magical thing!

Next comes this brass candleholder. Like the style, not the brass-ness so much.
So I'll just paint it! White would do nicely.

As long as there are little girls, there will be fancy little china tea sets.
Thank goodness.

 Cute cutlery and all.

 And for when we need a slightly larger basket to lug our lunch and other
tea cups in?

 A huge, bulky picnic basket, of course! Because mommy thinks it just the bees knees.
And so, even if it is completely impractical, mommy will dutifully pull it out for the next
picnic.

Okay, I've saved my favorite find for last! It is sort of a children's item, although
not these--

 (Like-new pajamas for a dollar?? Bibs for 50 cents? Only at a yard sale! That's why our
 philosophy is: if it is in good shape and can be washed, scoured, bleached, or scrubbed--
we'll take it!)

My favorite recent find is...my new LeSportsac diaper bag!

 Ok, maybe it's not meant to be a diaper bag. But as soon as I saw the colorful pattern, I knew
that's what I wanted it for. I added some little pins I had for added spice :)

I always drool over these cute bags, but they are usually a bit pricey, even at
discount stores. I've noticed they sell similar knock-off type bags, but the quality
in this one is so evident. It's a good thing I stopped at the small little yard sale where I found
it, because the nice lady there had so many cute things in pristine condition.

This bag came with another matching cosmetic-type bag inside--for $1!

Yep, there certainly is an allure to finding second-hand stuff!

Have you found any good scores lately?




p.s. I have to confess this post was totally spurred on by Carol
and her charming blog, Old Glory Cottage--visit her for more thrifty-n-cute finds
at oldglorycottage.blogspot.com!

Shoe Syndrome

I believe most mothers of two or more children (or even just one "extra-spirited" one, like Addie!)
have felt what I feel right now...yes, it's

The Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe Syndrome!!!

Okay, well, I don't whip them all soundly, or at all. (And not giving them bread? That's 

the only thing that Jakey will eat these days!) But, sometimes it DOES feel like instead 

of having three children, I have ten! 

Time! Where does the time go? And when do I get to take a break, a breather, and

just a teeny bit of time for myself...like to blog? ;)

Things have been SO BUSY lately. Jake and Addie are having a joint birthday party

 this weekend, so my sister and I have excitedly been planning that. I can't wait to show

 you what we've come up with, using a particular classic movie as the theme...can anyone

 guess what it is? I'll be sharing about it soon! 

The weekend after that, we will be having Liam's baptism. Perhaps it will be a little 

calmer, considering it will involve only one baby instead of two? You may recall this

baptism pic from a recent post :)

Those two! :)

We are also planning a trip to Disneyland. We'd like to go around mid-October, near 

Addie's actual birthday. The kids have never been there, and Addie is very excited! 

I'm planning a yard sale, because you know how expensive it can be (another "to-do!"

Oh yeah, maybe I'm also having it because my kids have too much stuff!) Nate's been

there only once, when he was really young, so it'll be lots of fun to share that with him--

if he gets to go!

That's the last "to-do"on our list lately, and I have to share it with you because

I am so proud of him. Nate may not be able to go to Disneyland because he is ready to

launch his new business, Mr. Brightside Window Cleaning. 

Like a lot of people, school got put on the back burner for both of us once the babies

came along. For Nate, that meant going back to the sort of work he'd done for many

years before we met, which was driving a truck. I have to say, I don't know how mamas out 

there do it when their hubby is a truck driver! I was lucky enough that he stayed relatively

close by on his route, but nonetheless he was gone 12+ hours a day when all went well.

He had to drive 600 miles a day round trip! I felt so bad for him. It was a difficult in a

lot of ways.

So, now we are in the fledgling stage, ready to fly out of the nest. Nate has put a lot of 

effort into this company. He's researched, planned, and otherwise worked on every detail

imaginable. He built and designed his website virtually by himself. To see all the care and

thought he has put into it amazes me. Now the materials he needs to advertise are 

here, and we are putting all our faith and hope into it being a success. Not overnight,

but slowly... we are are willing and happy to work hard.

So....do YOU have shoe syndrome?

Are you feeling...

*bewildered?

*like your darling angels have multiplied...times five?

*a might bit "weak in the knees?"

*achy, tired, or just "junky?"

*faint of heart?

*prone to eating large amounts of sugar

in "self-sympathy?"

*keen for a quiet room?

Remember, the symptoms start when you are young...

...but peak with the onset of children.

There is no known cure, but large doses of rest do temporarily relieve the symptoms.

If nothing else works, consider perhaps a change of shoe--

or location.

Here's hoping YOU at least have a relaxing day! :)

✂Mixed Bag✂

Hi everyone! I hope you're enjoying your weekend!

I've been in a baking mood lately, 

so that is what is on the agenda

for today. I'm going to make an 

old favorite, and hopefully the results

will be decent enough to share with you soon ;)

In the meantime, here are some random pics from the archives,
beginning with one last "batch" from our trip to Oregon. (Sorry. I couldn't resist.)

Does anyone know the "Breathing Space" section in Oprah magazine?

This reminded me of it :) We loved driving up the windy mountain road

in Oregon that led to this view.

Then again, there are no shortage of beautiful views in Yachats...this photo was taken

from Horizon Hill, where you can see the town and ocean stretching out before you.

Nonni and Poppi thought it would be brilliant to take one of their chairs up there so

one can truly enjoy the view. Aren't they smart?

Nate relaxing :)

I had to share this photo of Nonni, because I think it is so gorgeous of her :)

I love to play with different camera shots and ways of editing...especially 

if the picture is less than perfect, because then it becomes a (fun) challenge

to try and salvage it!

A mini-photo session with Liam...

I didn't say they were good though! :P

Some random pics that don't "fit" anywhere....

Yay! You've made it to the end! You are now an official member of the

Small House by the Sea photo club. I hope we didn't bore ya too much! :D

Thank you for stopping by!