Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Are your little's going to go trick or treating tonight? Because of the weather, it's been postponed until tomorrow night around this ole haunted house, which means I will miss it all together! I'm off to Michigan tomorrow to visit my parents...and attend the wedding of my dear friends son. I generally go to my daughters on Halloween and trick or treat with them...but will not get to this time (said with a pout)!

I did get over to their house the other night to enjoy carving and painting some pumpkins
with 2 of my favorite littles...even though they were battling a bit of a cold!
(sorry some of the pics are bit blurry)

They  did an amazing job on their painted pumpkins!!

Then last night I got a visit from
 a growling tiger...and a cute little lady bug...2 more of my favorite littles!!

Little Miss Lady Bug...is enjoying some of her Halloween loot!

And this is one cute scary little tiger!

not really scary...just plain cute m'kay!

I do believe this is the last day for the view out my kitchen window!

storms with high winds coming this way! Fall is my very favorite time of year...but once the leaves are gone...I'm looking forward to lots and lots of the white stuff!!

I am so blessed and I have so much to be grateful for!!

I leave you with this final picture, a picture of one single element of my fall mantel...manipulated just a bit with picmonkey

Happy Halloween!

Sharon

I'm coming clean!

Confession Time

I have become a hoarder!

photo source google

 I wasn't always a hoarder...I mean I always brought in stuff...I like to shop! These kind of places speak to me the same way Pier 1 does!!

 However, I would also have large yard sales and get rid of stuff too...and then take whatever was left to Goodwill...so it kind of balanced out...I stayed on top of it.

 Have you seen the show Hoarders? I have watched in disbelief. How could someone live that way???

I watched one episode where the man's entire yard was filled with everything from piles of clothing...to old cars, trucks, and even a bus! 

Flikr

How could someone let it get like that?? As they were trying to clean up the yard...they asked him if they could get rid of an old warped, nasty, table top...his response "no...I'm going to fix that up...and make a new table"  I'm sure he laid it out there with good intentions...20 years ago!!! He can't let it go now. "Hey sir, I have a spare pedestal  for your table top, seems I can't let it go either...lets get together sometime!"

I saw myself in that moment...and it scared me...scares me!  I have a basement and a garage full of "good intentions"  Yes I crank out a good DYI project about once a year. I am bringing in quicker than I am putting out!

I understand the hoarder a bit better now!  Basically, they see value in everything...I kind of do that too! "A little paint would turn that into a gem!"  or "Oh I could take that broken thing...connect it to this broken thing...and create some wonderful thing!"  That's great really! To rescue something from it's final resting place in a land fill somewhere. I did this for quite awhile...sold many of my transformed items on ebay a few years back. It's fun, I enjoy it. I have several things around here that I have "rescued". Last month, I brought back this car load from Michigan...2 awesome chairs waiting for a makeover...

and you can read about my haul from 

Arkansas right here

You're just going through life...doing what makes you happy. You're in control.  

Then usually some tragic thing happens...maybe a death...a divorce...an illness...whatever...maybe you have very little time on your hands to get much accomplished from cleaning your house, to getting the laundry done...and the "hobby" get's totally out of hand. Maybe you get new hardwood floors on your entire first floor, so you take everything you had on that floor up to the spare bedrooms...temporarily...until the floors are done...but then you decide you don't want to bring them back down (I may or may not be talking about myself here)

maybe you fluctuate in weight so much that you have 4 different sizes in your closet, and only a few items that actually even fit (I may or may not be talking about myself here) 

maybe you spend to much time on Pinterest getting ideas on what to do with your junk...and have no time left to do anything with it. (and yes I am talking about myself here!)

You begin to get behind...and then suddenly it is just plain overwhelming!

BOOM! I'm living a hoarders lifestyle! Don't get me wrong...my main living areas are ok...but the basement, garage, closets...omg...I'm looking like a hoarder...Now with the overflow in my spare bedrooms! 

Something's gotta give!

I'm done!

It's time to purge...right now...YES! YES!YES!

Last week I took 3 truckloads of hoarded "JUNK" out of my basement and straight to Goodwill.

It was kind of hard! But at the same time...so freeing!! I have already had the "I knew I shouldn't have gotten rid of that!" thought about something I could have used the other day...but you know what...it passed quickly...I can do without it! Maybe there is hope for me after all!

Hope you're having a great day...and thank you for taking a moment out to stop by!  Would appreciate your feedback. Do you have hoarder tendencies? Do you have diamonds in the rough waiting for their turn to shine? Please share! 

Right now, I'm heading in to purge my closet...if you don't hear from me in awhile...call for search and rescue!!

Sharon

Feeling blessed to have stuff
Feeling guilty about having to much!

Another "out of state" find!

Well, looks like I took a bit of a blogging break...again!  I certainly didn't know I was going to take a blogging break...and I didn't tell anyone I was going to take a blogging break...it wasn't my intention to take a blogging break...but guess what??  

It seems like I took a blogging break!

This summer has completely gone by in a blur!
I have spent a lot of my time in Michigan! As I have said before...neither of my parents are doing well. I have been trying to help out with their care...and spending just as much time as I can with them...because quite frankly I don't know how much more time we'll have.

There has been practically no time for projects or decorating...or yard sales!

Right now, my husband and I are visiting my son in Arkansas. While they are away fishing...this morning...and I have some quiet time to myself I wanted to share my find with you.

We did manage to hit a couple of yard sales yesterday.The guys were trying to appease me because they were leaving me alone this morning to go fishing! I gave them a hard time...and it worked...but in truth, I am enjoying my quiet time this morning...with my laptop! Catching up with all of the bloggers out there and pinterest! "Now how could you guys leave me all alone like this...shame on you!" 
She says with a big smile on her face, and a large mug of coffee!

Anyway...back to my story...as we were heading out yesterday morning...my husband said...

"now don't look for any furniture! 
no buffets! 
no chairs!
no china cabinets!
 or anything else that is big!
we won't be able to get them home!!"

(we have our explorer and not our pick up)
My reply (it's always the same) "Where there's a will...there's a way!" After all if you read this post about the 2 chairs I brought home from Michigan you know that it's true!

Into the first garage we go...and this is what I see...

Can you say awesome!
35.00 bucks
and it now sits in my sons garage.
He has a truck...and is coming home Thanksgiving...and graciously said he would love to bring it home for me and didn't say no when I volunteered him to bring it home for me!

The pictures are horrible...it's to close to the wall...and to dark to get a good pic...but I still couldn't wait to show you...cause I am so excited to work on this!

It really needs to be cleaned up...
and needs a couple of fix ups...

After all it has been used in a garage as a work bench...and has had this vice bolted to the top...for years...and has had oil cans and other such stuff, stored on the shelves...but we're gonna take care of the holes (we being my hubby)...and I have a palm sander and some primer...so I am sure seeing the potential in this!


It is almost 74" long!
I have a few ideas kicking around, on where I might use it...and how I might refinish it. With very little work I think I could achieve a finish similar to this Pottery Barn trunk...

or how about this buffet from Restoration Hardware...

Or maybe just a fresh coat of paint!
It is solid wood...but I don't know what kind. I asked Bob...and his response was
 "firewood"

Oh ye of little faith!
You will see...


In the meantime...please send my your ideas...how do you see it finished in your mind? 

Until next time...
sooner than later I hope...

sharon