A Cynic No More...

I have a confession to make...

I can be a bit cynical...sarcastic...snarky.

I know, I know, y'all are in utter and complete shock right now

about this revelation.  

;-)

So with this admission, I will confess to rolling my eyes a bit ( okay, a lot )

whenever someone out there shares a recent find

with the inevitable "and it's FRENCH!" tacked on to the end.

I mean, seriously...

"I found this fabulous 

alarm clock / enamel pitcher / toilet plunger 

at a garage sale yesterday...and it's FRENCH! "

I mused about this to a friend recently, how is it that everything cool

we unearth in our treasure hunting invariably

comes from France?

Not that France isn't way cool,
but it just seemed too unlikely to me.

A cynic, I was.

I thought people were just tacking on the French

pedigree to be pretentious.

Until it happened to me.

 At a local thrift store yesterday, 

I stumbled across a stack of eight perfectly beautiful

blue and white plates, the perfect complement

to my charming blue and white kitchen.

with this  taped across the top of the plates...

SHUT. THE. FRONT. DOOR.

Really?

Always the cynic though, I had to do 

the inevitable plate flip maneuver...

Well, I'll be.

I'm a believer.

And I apologize to any and all

for ever, EVAH doubting that your

uber cool toilet plungers came from France!

Off to Mickey D's now for some

pommes frites!

Happy Weekend!

linking with

feathered nest friday

&

vintage inspiration friday

Thank You Again, Romantic Country Magazine!

Hello Friends!

Remember me telling you that even amidst all the trials and tribulations,

that I still  had much to be grateful for?

'Tis true!

I am so honored and just plain tickled pink

to let y'all know that I've been published

in Romantic Country Magazine once again!

They used four of my images from the amazing
shows in Warrenton for their feature on the
best flea markets and barn sales in the country for
their marvelous Fall 2011 Issue...

I want to extend a very grateful thank you to both
Mary Forsell and Fifi O'Neill,
new and previous Editors of Romantic Country Magazine,
both complete dreams to work with.

And also my sweet friends 
Theresa Cano of Garden Antqs Vintage
and
Christie Connelly of Sommerfeld Place...

The full page page pic and the equestrian print photos were
taken in Christie's space at Warrenton,
the suitcases and silver ice bucket photos were snapped
at Theresa's spot at Zapp Hall.

Such talented, beautiful, generous friends I have, eh?
I sure think so.
Be sure to pick up this issue, you'll find that some of
my absolute favorite blog buddies
are featured elsewhere in the mag, too.
:-)

To help say "thank you", I'm offering one of you your very own

copy of the magazine...all you have to do is leave a comment on this post!

No hoops to jump through, no buttons to grab, I'll pick a winner next week.

Easy.
I realize that not everyone has access to this fantastic magazine,
and I just want to make it a little easier for ya.
( giveaway is closed )

I'm having some camera issues this week,
so I'll be back once I get my lens contacts cleaned
and quit getting the
black screen / cryptic "f/0" warning ( whaaaaaa? )on my LCD screen.

Happy Wednesday!

linking with

vintage inspiration friday
show and tell friday 

&

at the picket fence

and so it goes

 how many different types of mis-matched fencing
do you see in the photo above?

how about this one?

4 foot white pickets,
weatherd pickets,
new pickets...

new 6 foot privacy fencing,
old weathered 6 foot privacy fencing...

barbed wire fencing,
plain old regular wire fencing...

all to try and contain our dogs.
and it still wasn't enough.

no, after bringing the two dogs over 2 weeks ago,
our two beautiful Siberian Huskies,
it became immediately apparent that the several
4 foot tall stretches of fencing would not contain one of the pups.

he became panicked and anxious when my husband drove off the first time,
just as he has done in the past, and successfully began
to work his way over, under and through the fence.
not completely, but he was well on his way.

i've watched this pup scale fences before,
so i had a bit of an "i told you so" moment
when i witnessed this.

**sigh**

long story short ( too late, right? )
until we can get yet another fence put up,
a uniform, 6 foot privacy fence all the way around,
my husband is living 30 miles away in our old home with the dogs,
and i'm living here in the cottage with the cat.

a few days after this living arrangement went into place,
my husband left for a week in Portland, Oregon to help
his mom get the family home ready for sale.

and so it goes here, as well.

now that he is back home, we are still living apart, reluctantly so.
things are tense and stressful between us, i have to confess.

we must finance the building of yet another fence,
even though funds are low.

we must get the new cottage organized and more livable.
getting it ready for potential magazine and/or book photo shoots?
doubtful.

and most importantly, we must, must, MUST
get the old house prepared to list and sell.
it's a financial must.

houses simply aren't selling right now, so i've had
more than a few anxious, sleepless nights over this.
all of this, actually.

i'm not looking for sympathy here,
i'm just trying to explain why i've been away
the past couple of weeks.

nobody put a gun to my head and forced me to buy
the new cottage, so any hardship we are experiencing
is of our own creation.
strike that. it's of MY creation.
having this new home was my dream, and the mr. indulged me.
i find him blameless in this whole mess.

but still? still?
i am blessed.
abundantly so, i do believe.

in spite of it all, there are some wonderful things
happening in my life...in our lives...if i can just see
beyond the present circumstances.

that's hard to do, but it's what i must do.
i say, as i sit here and type this post, as my husband
resides in another home, with the other two-thirds
of our fur kids.

i'll share more of the good later this week.

until then,

away

Due to some unforeseen personal issues,
I will be taking some time away

to deal with some things that need addressing.

Love, prayers and good thoughts to you all.

I'll be back.

this post closed to comments

A Visit With House Wren

Happy Friday!

I took a break from the unpacking of boxes, to pop on down the street

to Fredericksburg Trade Days, but this wasn't my usual shopping excursion.

Nope, I was there for the sole purpose of meeting Nancy and Mike

of House Wren Vintage Home and Garden, 

and these two most certainly did not disappoint!

I had heard others singing their praises for months now, but it wasn't

until just this morning that I saw firsthand the magic of House Wren...

I adore the ingenious mix of natural elements amidst the
timeless industrial beauty,

Their lighting creations are absolutely

out of this world.

Seltzer bottle? Top right?

Mine now.  :-)

Love the clock?

Mmm hmmm, so did I...it came home with me.  :-)

I'll take one of everything, please!

There's beautiful Nancy right there!

Every bit as nice as she is lovely.

If you'd like to shop this incredible space 

at Fredericksburg Trade Days,

you can find them in Barn 3, second space on the right. 

They'll be set up all weekend,

and you can check the Trade Days site for future dates.

In even more exciting news, House Wren, The Shop is opening

July 1, 2011 in Wimberley Texas...

House Wren

13801 RR 12, #101

Wimberley, Texas  78676

I'll be there, I hope to see you there, too!

Happy Weekend!

New House Pics

Moving stinks.

No, seriously.

I mean, having a gorgeous new cottage to foof and primp

and shop for is beyond wonderful, don't get me wrong.

But the rest?

The packing, the unpacking,

the heat ( correction: the stifling heat ),

the scavenger hunt for basic household neccesities

lost in the move...that  is no fun whatsoever.

It is very slow going on the feathering-our-nest front,

but you're still going to get pictures, every step of the way.

Today, you're getting unedited, slightly blurry,

"oh well, they're better than nothing" images...

Hope you enjoy!

 Welcome to the foyer, the entry hallway,

the vestibule.

 Winnie checking out her new digs.

She's not too sure about this old house.

She hid under one of the beds for hours and hated me 

for several more.

Then she cautiously ventured out and became the

little intrepid explorer I know and love!

 The living room.

Nothing special right now, much work to be done yet.

 Pardon my Urban Outfitters
ruffle laundry bag draped on the sofa.
It looks totally contrived, like I draped it there for a photo op,
but I promise that's not the case.

 Another peek at my beloved Carol Hicks Bolton sofa, Babette.

Yes, she has a name. 

Of course she has a name! Just look at her.

Still have MANY smocked cotton panels

to hang in this room. That, and to replace the existing shades

with white wood blinds.

 My little corner of creativity,

and the Winster doing her explorer kitty thang

So that's it for now.

I still have to figure out what's going to be hung 

on the walls and where.

And oh yeah....where the toilet paper is, too!  ;-)

Have a wonderful Thursday!

{ it IS Thursday, right? I've lost track in this moving fog! }

P.S.

I haven't had a spare moment to catch up on correspondence

or visit blogs, so please forgive me and bear with me.

Once normalcy returns, I'll be by to visit!