I built a cat house!

Yes, that's right I built a cat house, when I was 7 or 8 years old. My Dad had been building something and had left some pieces of scrap 1x4's laying on the porch.
We didn't have any dogs at the time just our cat Tiger, a sweet affectionate tabby. So with hammer in hand I got to work, nail this board here and that one there, this was so cool I had found my calling I was creating something out of some discard junk.
Well my masterpiece was finally complete, I was so proud, I bound through the screen door and belted out proudly " I built a cat house!" to which my Dad exclaimed "You better not have built a cat house on my front porch." then gave a big ole chuckle.
Well how was I to know at my young and tender age that a cat house was another name for a "house of ill repute".
Well I no longer build cat houses, but I do think that is when I sparked my love of taking someones discarded items and making them into treasures.

Picket fence & purple coneflowers

This is my picket fence, doesn't every girl want a white house with a picket fence. Well my house isn't white but I did come up with an idea for the little picket fence. On day while at Lowe's I spotted this bundle of tomato stakes, well of course I was not going to use them for staking tomatoes, that's just not very crafty. I have always wanted a little fence or something for the back of my flower bed and this little job works great.

It is actually three pieces hinged together and braced on back, you have to add the brace because without it, it does not want to stand too well and the wind will keep knocking it down. One of the pickets is broken, I think it just adds to the primitive old look I love. We spray painted it with some white paint.

Looks like my grapevine and morning glories have found a home.

The purple coneflowers did wonderful this year. These flowers are great they are very hardy and grow in a nice big mass, plus they are just pretty. :-)

Feeling ready for Fall!

I do love summer, but it is almost a little too busy. Well with the exception of the time I spend laying out in the swimming pool and daydreaming. So that is why I am feeling ready for fall, fall is just a little less hectic and more structured for me. School will be starting in a few weeks and I will have to get up early and get my son on his way, instead of sleeping in like I have been doing most of the summer.
This is my first fall project for this year. I know it seemed a little early for fall items to me too, but after seeing all the wonderful primitive fall items on Ebay , I caught the bug. I also have a small show coming up at the end of September and I am trying to get some things ready for it.
This wood cut out is actually for a snowman pattern, I did a little tweaking on and through the magic of my sander and paint brush he became a scarecrow. I love these kind of projects that are all the same cut out but I can dress them 100's of ways. This is great for me because I have a real aversion to painting the same thing several times, that is why I don't do too many shows and prefer to do Ebay. I know that the painting on these will be the same but I could change the face up some if I would like, and the dressing them up is my favorite part.

July 14th auction finds

Not too many auction items this week, but some great ones. I have already found new homes for all the goodies I hauled home Saturday. My favorite is the blue crock bowl.
The ironstone pitcher may be going on ebay, there seems to be a market for them there and I got it and the other pitcher in a lot.
The auctioneers helper told me the small lite yellow bowl could be McCoy, he said some of them where not marked and this has no markings on it.
Things were a little nuts at this auction, people where bidding like crazy and paying way too much for things. I got crazy myself and bid a little too much for a barn shaped cookie jar & salt and pepper shakers, then got home and found out they where from Wal-Mart. Live and learn.

My weekend auction finds!

This is what I found at the other end of the county and actually in another county on my "Traded laptop for blacktop this weekend" post. Went to a great auction in Ste. Genevieve, what bargains I got the whole table full of items plus the wooden ironing board and little child's rocker for $14.00.
These vintage linens are so pretty, I just love the towel with the basket and flowers. Most of the linens have been hand sewn. I love auctions!

A slide show of this weekend auction finds.

Traded the laptop for the blacktop this weekend.

Wow! I actually traveled from one end of the county to the other this weekend. Okay so I spend way too much time on the laptop especially the internet, with forums, blog and Ebay. It was time to get out in the real world for awhile, trade the laptop for the blacktop, hit the open road. Saturday evening we went to one of my all time favorite places: Maramec Springs Park this is just such a peaceful and beautiful place, it is a trout fish hatchery feed by a spring. The park is also a wildlife sanctuary so it is full of whitetail deer. While there we saw a Momma deer with her two
babies, they were still trying to nurse although I guess Momma was trying to ween them because she kept walking away every time they tried.
I love the sound of the rushing waters it is so calming, we saw a couple setting in lawn chairs beside the bridge falls reading, now I could do that all day long. If I lived closer I would go there every day, I don't think that it would loose it's charm, I could watch those little twin fawns grow up.
I have to remember to go there this fall and take more pictures, those will be beautiful with all the fall colors.
This is a great place to take the kids, we use to take the boys there when they where smaller and went places with us. The kids loved to feed the trout, they have food you can buy there, the chubby squirrels must pick up all the leftovers that fall on the ground, because they were some of the chubbiest squirrels I have ever seen.
If you ever get a chance to visit the
springs you will not regret it.

Drew

I already introduced you to oldest son, and this is my baby: Drew. Not too much of a baby at 17 yrs. old.
What can I say about Drew, he is funny, makes me smile, he talks too much and I have a lot of work put into him (which is my way of saying he was my problem child, all those attributes I mentioned earlier don't set too well with teachers) but as he has grown he has turned into a great kid, and we are really proud of him.

Ebay item!!

Oh, I love how my little thrift shop find turned out. It's listed on Ebay now, go check it out.

Happy 4th of July!!

Thanking a soldier.

Laura made a comment to my post titled "My Soldier" and it got me thinking about something I want to share with all of you.
The day we took my son Kurt to the airport to catch a fight back to Iraq, it was a Saturday morning at Lambert Airport it was very busy with lots of folks hustling and bustling about.
I was amazed at all the families with young children preparing to board the airplane, with bags upon bags of luggage, car seats and toys to keep the kids busy while on the plane. There were also men in business suits, a group of teens possible going to do mission work and people from foreign lands probably returning home.
Everyone was in a hurry trying to make sure they were where they needed to be, had what they needed to have, and did not miss their flight. Kurt had made a few trips himself first in this line, then in another, finally asking an airport clerk if he could use the self-check in. Then while standing in one of the lines a gentleman walked up to Kurt and put out his hand and while shaking hands he said "Thank you for your service."
I tell you at that moment I thought my heart was going to explode from all the pride I felt for my son. I know we see this sentiment on signs, bumper stickers, web sites, etc..., but when someone takes the time out of their busy day to say an honest heart felt "Thank You" it means so much more.
So if you are like the gentleman in the airport, or like Laura, and take the time out of your day to say thank you a soldier and his family please know that I say "Thank you" to you from the bottom of my hear. It is your kindness that helps make this time in our lives a little more bearable.