How I Love You!

That's the name of my Valentine's Day mixed media collage...

....created in the wee hours of the morning last night (and on Ambien, no less!), and presented as a V-day gift to my sweet husband earlier today.

Vintage sheet music, tag, bingo game pieces, a lovely red glove purchased at yesterdays estate sale, and the perfect vintage Valentine card.

This is only my second real attempt at doing mixed media collages, and I know I have a long way to go to reach the level of friends like JAN, but I'm determined to become a better artist, so watch out, world!  ;-)

I'll be back later this evening with a second post featuring all my wonderful vintage Valentine's for the big party at
Anything Goes Here.

And because there's only so many hours in a day *grin*, my BIG estate sale post will be up sometime tomorrow.

Off now for a night out with my Valentine!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

The Love of a Friend...

 

The friend in question being the one and only

Debra of Common Ground.

What a lovely surprise to find this beautiful, altered vintage Valentine card in my mail today, 

from none other than sweet Debra herself!

 

  

What a generous and loving friend!

More than a friend, a true sister in every sense of the word.

Thank you, my dearest of friends, I absolutely love it!

And speaking of dear and generous friends, be sure to check back tomorrow when I amaze and astonish you with my incredible new treasures found while spending the day with my newest junkin' buddy,

Jan of The Polka Dot Barn!

We hit ANOTHER awesome estate sale, and also scored some major finds at a local antique mall, too.

I also happened upon a wonderful stash of vintage Valentine's just in time for the 

Vintage Valentine Card Party 

hosted by Joan of Anything Goes Here.

 

I can't wait to share them all with you!

See you tomorrow, and happy hunting this weekend!

A Gift...

 

We all love vintage photos...or as we like to call them,

Instant Ancestors.

I can't keep track of how many old, sepia-toned photos I have of other peoples mothers, fathers, grandmothers, great uncle Bob's....I'll bet y'all have a lot too, right? They're irresistible.

So, in the spirit of sharing, here is a brand new "instant ancestor" for you  to add to your stash....

it's my very own Mom!

Wasn't she just the most adorable little thing ever?

So, if you're so inclined to decoupage her, or put her in a fairy jar or sprinkle her with glitter, go ahead. 

I don't mind, and I give you permission.

It's my mom, and I'm sharing her with you.

 Goodnight, sweet friends!

Guilty Pleasures and True Confessions

Here it is, the post where you either say 

"Oh my gosh! I can totally relate! That's MY sneaky, shameful, guilty pleasure too!"

or....

You shake your head in amazement, go "tsk, tsk", and promptly become an un-follower of this blog.

I have a few guilty pleasures which I unabashedly enjoy.
They are not the least bit intellectually edifying, and more than likely cause me to leak brain cells with each exposure. 

Still, I am unapologetic...I own my shallowness with regards to these mental bon bon's, and to those of you who can proudly boast a steady diet of C-Span, PBS, and High Fiber Foods, a great, big, fat Huzzah! to you.

Guilty Pleasure Number One: 

 

Please, make yourself comfy and join my husband on the "why does she watch this crap?" settee!

"The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love"", wherein  25 fame-ho gals act out their marriage-rescue fantasies on a guy they've just met. 

I ask you, what's not to love? 

Do I think this show is contrived? Absolutely.

Do I think that each season's Bachelor is tool-ier than the last? Without a doubt.

Do I understand why Bachelor Jake is keeping the skanky Vienna over other, classier gals? Heck no!

Will I watch next season's chosen Bachelor wash, rinse and repeat this formula? Need you ask?

Guilty Pleasure Number Two:

General Hospital...a show ostensibly about the goings-on in an urban hospital, and yet in recent years has devolved into a third-rate Sopranos homage. The Gummi-Bear Mob, led by ruthless kingpin with a heart-o-gold (is there any other kind?) Sonny Corinthos, are the centerpiece of the venerable ABC soap.

Is it all mob, all the time? Pretty much.

Is good old Luke Spencer still around? You betcha!

In fact, the latest super couple in the making is Lulu and Dante .... the daughter of Luke and Laura and the newly discovered, undercover cop, adult son of....duh-duh-duh...SONNY CORINTHOS!!! OMG, as they say!

Yep, my DVR has a permanent date with this silly soap, and I gobble it up like so much cotton candy.

Guilty Pleasure Number Three:

This ain't your Mama's ramen.

This is spicy and zesty and altogether intoxicating. I swear, this noodle soup has magical, healing properties, and although it'll never be confused with health food, it sure does do MY body good when I'm feeling under the weather. If you're a spicy food aficionado like I am, do yourself a favor and grab a bag or five of Shin Ramyun next time you're out.

Guilty Pleasure Number Four:

Little Debbie Fudge Brownies.

Madame Debbie's contributions to society rank right up there with Madame Curie's in my book!

No Godiva for this gal, just gimme a box of Lil' Debbie goodness this Valentine's Day and I'll be a happy gal. Serve 'em to me straight from the fridge and I'll be yours for life.

Guilty Pleasure Number Five:

Uh huh.

When I was planning our wedding reception three years ago, I only knew of one song that absolutely, positively HAD to be played, and it was Sir Mix-a-Lot's ode to the female posterior.

Don't ask me why, there's just something goofy and infectious about the song (and video) which always causes me to bust a discreet move whenever it comes on. 

That's it for now.

Still love me?

Any guilty pleasures that YOU wanna share?

Do tell!

Silver Sunday....Two Hearts

 

Two vintage silver skeleton keys with heart openings....

My vintage inspired wedding / engagement set, not silver metal ( it's white gold ), but silver in color...

A perfect marriage!

Be sure to visit Beth at Gypsy Fish Journal for this final Silver Sunday!

Blogger Burnout

In my travels around blogland, as well as in my private conversations, I'm seeing more and more of what can only be termed as

Blogger Burnout.

Shoot, sometimes all I have to do is look in the mirror to get a good look at what a tired blogger looks like!

↑

Ever feel like this?
Like your cup's only half full?

To those who have opened up about their struggles to balance it all, to fit in blogging and family and work and everything else, I admire you more than I can say! You have truly spoken my heart and expressed much of what I myself have felt of late.

But what are the causes?

Is it an external or an internal pressure we place on ourselves to be....

Fabulous?

Funny?

Welcoming?

Polite?

Prolific?

Timely?

Buzz-worthy?

And in so doing, what do we sacrifice...

Family time?

Work obligations?

Prayer time?

Household chores?

Peace of mind?

I speak only for myself when I say that any and all pressure I feel related to blogging is entirely self-imposed. I got myself on this treadmill, and I'm the one that occasionally turns it waaaay up to full throttle! I'm the one that worries that perhaps others will view my occasional inability to make it over to their blogs to say "hey" as rudness, when what it really is is exhaustion, pure and simple.

Let me go on record right now as saying that blogging has never, ever felt like a chore or an obligation to me.

Far from it, it has been an unexpected joy, a source of delight and wonder and has revealed to me dear friends and kindred spirits the likes of which I never knew exisited!

But like so many others have expressed, I too have seen the effects that my blogging has had on my home life and  my relationships in the "real" world.

Dishes and clothes have gone unwashed.

Checkbooks have gone unbalanced.

Prayers have gone un-prayed.

Husbands (just one!) have been neglected.

Can I blame any  of this on blogging?

I think not.

The fault lies squarely with the woman talking to you right now, and there lies the solution as well.

This post doesn't have any answers or quick fixes, just a little honesty in the hopes that the more of us that speak up about this, the more forgiving we might feel towards ourselves.

You know, maybe give ourselves permission to miss a few days of blogging, safe in the knowledge that the world will keep on turning and no one will perish if I don't post pics of my latest crap from this weeks estate sale.

I've included a poll, so even if you don't post a comment, I hope you'll weigh in on whether you've been experiencing blogger burnout, too.

Thanks for "listening", and don't forget to do something nice for yourself today.  :-)

XO,

Anne

So I Was Mindin' My Own Business...

When I hear a loud "thunk, thunk, thunk" on the front door.

We live waaaaay out in the country, so I'm thinking "who the heck could this be?"

I crack the door just a smidge, and what do I see but....

 

What the?????

"Hey, y'all! It's Ruby! 

I'm here to help ya sell your hats and scarves and earrings and bling in your Etsy Shop!"

Oooooo-kay.....

"I mean, just LOOK! I can rock a cowboy hat! 

 "I can TOTALLY rock the winter look!"

 

"And just to show ya how well I'll fit in waaaaay out here in the sticks....

...Bass Pro Shops baby, don't you know it!"

"And see, I can even sit here on your laptop, all serene-like, while you study for ACLS..."

 

 Ha! Look at that coif and those lips! Do you see anything "all serene-like" about Ruby?  ;-)

Still, the gal does have a point.

I really have  needed a helper to showcase my fab vintage bling, and since she's already here...

I vote she stays! What say you?

In breaking news, I see that someway, somehow, I just this afternoon picked up my 500th Follower.

Wow.

I'm speechless and honored and completely thankful to everyone who has ever read a single word I've written! For sticking with me through good times and bad, I salute you!

Towards the end of the month, I'm planning a big giveaway to celebrate the event and to say thank you, so please be sure to check back!

But for now, hop on over to Donna at Brynwood Needleworks, she's having TWO absolutely wonderful giveaways!

First up, she's having a Sweetheart Valentine Giveaway!

Secondly, because she just hit 200 Followers (YAY Donna!), she's having a megapalooza

200th Follower Giveaway!

Hurry over to see Donna now!

And while you're making the rounds, don't forget to stop by  

My Romantic Home to share in Show & Tell Friday, hosted by Cindy! Always a blast!

Have a beautiful Thursday!