Time to list it...

I have been selling my vintage finds on Etsy for over a year now.  With each item I list, I hear the usual voice in my head tempting me to "keep it, keep it, keep it" right up until I finish editing the listing and push the publish button.  I recently listed this pair of wooden newel post caps.  For once,  there was no voice in my head tempting me to keep them.  Don't get me wrong, the detail is hard to resist and I had already displayed them on my bookshelf.  But, I did hear a tiny voice, the tiny voice of my 6 year old telling her brother to "look at the wooden boobies", and I knew it was time for them to go.

Linking with:

Apron Thrift Girl

Thrifty Love at Cap Creations

Coastal Charm

Common Ground

Junkin Joe at the Cottage Market

The Real Deal

We were in Massachusetts over the weekend enjoying an early taste of fall.  We went exploring and found this amazing pumpkin parked downtown in front of a row of shops.  Needless to say, it caught the attention of everyone that was passing by.  

Hard to believe, but it is made of styrofoam.

We found the real deal later in the day and decided that

 the best things do often come in small packages.

Every day is Christmas....

As I was sneaking my newest find into the house last weekend, my 6 year old daughter saw me and asked "Is that for me?"  It was a scene right out of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  I felt like the Grinch, stuffing presents and the Christmas tree up the chimney, caught red-handed by sweet little Cindy Lou Hoo.  My daughter asked a pretty simple question, 

but I didn't have a simple answer.

How do I explain that Mommy likes doll cribs just as much

 (and maybe even more) than a 6 year old?

and that Mommy likes little high chairs...

and little rocking chairs...

and little step stools that I am way to big to use...

I have yet to think of a simple answer.  So, the answer is always "yes, it's for both of us to share" as I hand my newest find over to my daughter and her dolls and patiently wait my turn.  I guess everyday is Christmas when your mom has a passion for vintage.

Linking with:

Caps Creations

Apron Thrift Girl

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

Inspiration Friday At The Picket Fence

Potpourri Friday 2805

Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense

Imparting Grace

Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Junkin Joe at The Cottage Market

Miss Mustard Seed

    

1,000 Wishes

Our oldest daughter turned 16 this summer.  Born with multiple disabilities and an ever growing list of challenges, she greets every day with a smile and has never asked us for anything.  She can't communicate, but we have learned that she is happiest when she is surrounded by family and friends.  Her birthday was a week long celebration of grandparents and friends dropping in to help her celebrate. 

My husband had ordered a box of wish lanterns and we launched them in the evenings whenever we had guests.  Everyone had a chance to make a special wish. 

We are a superstitious group and the adults didn't reveal our wishes, but I'm sure many of them were for Samantha's continued health and happiness.  My 6 year old daughter must have heard the story about the genie in the bottle, because she told us that she wished Samantha could have 1,000 more wishes.  Maybe that is what the rest of us 

were hoping for as well..... 

Linking with:

Rooted in Thyme

Time Travel Thursday

Polka Dot Pretties

Fridays Unfolded at Stuff & Nonsense

Two Yellow Birds Decor

Inspiration Friday at the Picket Fence

Grace st Home at Imparting Grace

Potpourri Friday at 2805

 

Simple Summer Fun

While on vacation, we've been enjoying playing board games at night.  Some friends came to visit and introduced us to Bananagrams.  It has quickly become a new family favorite. It is very similar to Scrabble, but without a game board and it moves along quickly.  It's a great after dinner game and my 6 year old has even been using the letter tiles to work on her spelling during the day.  But, I couldn't resist sharing these pictures of our second favorite game this summer-good old fashioned checkers.

We discovered this homemade checkerboard painted on

 the outdoor picnic table and it has kept us busy.

  

So simple and charming.

Linking With:

Kathe with a E

A Taste of Summer....Part 2

I came across another honor stand down the road from our vacation house

 and couldn't resist stopping.  This adorable wagon looks like it has weathered 

quite a few summers selling homegrown flowers and tomatoes! 

A Taste of Summer

It is back to school time for a number of people around the country, but we don't go back until after Labor Day, so I am trying to keep my head firmly planted in vacation mode.  In case you are trying to do the same, I wanted to share a peek at this local farm stand that says to me summer is still in full swing.  This honor stand is about a mile from our vacation home and we visit it daily.  It's old fashioned charm could be on the pages of Country Living magazine and I think that it is rare to find an "honor stand"

 at the end of a driveway these days.

Having lived in New Jersey for the past ten years, I will always support the argument that Jersey tomatoes are the best, but this local Massachusetts corn is tops.  It is super sweet.

And fresh picked flowers just within reach.  This honor stand is one of my fondest summer memories and one of the many reasons I am happy that my summer is still in full swing.

Also linking with: Potpourri Friday

Motivation

I bought a roll of raffle tickets at a party store a few years ago and they have served me well.  I promise you, if you pull out a roll of raffle tickets, you will have an instant audience and willing participants whether it be adults or children.  Young or old, everyone seems eager to take a chance and accept their fate at the hand of lady luck.  A quick raffle has helped us settle seating assignments at Thanksgiving, decide who gets to open presents first at our Christmas gathering with the grandparents and lay claim to the first or last slice of cake when necessary.  Beyond impromptu "games of chance", our roll of raffle tickets is most often used as reward tickets to motivate the kids to work towards a goal.  My son is still chipping away at his summer reading and math sheets, and the raffle tickets have come to the rescue to motivate him to keep going.  He happily plops a ticket in the jar each time he finishes an assignment and gets one step closer to winning his reward!     

Honey Harvest

Did I ever mention that we are beekeepers?  Actually, my husband and 10 year old son are the official beekeepers.  I mostly enjoy watching all the activity out our back window.  My husband has always been a gardener and I think beekeeping fills his need to tinker outside and be productive.  It has been a 3 year learning process and a fun father son activity.  

Our friends and neighbors are intrigued, curious, and all asking for a jar of honey come harvest time. 

They harvested the honey the last weekend in July.  

I was the lucky photographer taking these pictures without a bee suit.  How many times do you think I heard "get closer, get closer, you've got to get a picture of this"?

I was more comfortable taking pictures of the finished product.

The boys were so proud of their fancy labels.  

And it's back to business for our little ladies.  A girl's work is never done......

Have You Read Any Good Books Lately?

I ran across a book review of American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld on Jeanne's blog Jeannie Marie & Company and it couldn't have come at a better time.  I had set the book aside to read this summer, but was hesitating based on the length and my concern that it might not be light enough for a fun summer read.  Jeanne found it to be well written and hard to put down, but definitely a platform for the liberal author to spread her own political views.  Plus it was too loooooong.  I try to keep my summer reading in line with my movie choices (chick flicks, romantic comedies, light and fun).  So, I'm holding off on American Wife for now and trying to decide between two other books I have heard about recently.

I'm a big fan of women learning more about themselves, or even better, a group of women learning more about themselves together.  Bring on The Help, The Friday Night Knitting Club, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons.

I'm throwing a little vintage love into my summer reading mix and trying to decide between A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff and The Secret Lives of Dresses by Erin McKean.  Both books use vintage clothing  as a vehicle to help the main character learn more about herself.  I'm sure learning about the clothing will be equally as fun as learning about the characters.  Has anyone read either of these and did you enjoy them? 

In Full Bloom

I have always loved hydrangeas.  We planted these bushes next to the side entrance

 of our house a few years ago.  Hydrangea colors change based on the acidity of the soil

 and it was fun to watch ours go through the process and settle 

into these beautiful shades of blue and purple.

They are such hearty plants and have really thrived.  

This variety is called "Endless Summer" and they have lived up to their name.  

They bloom from late spring through fall here in New Jersey.

I love the fact that a quick and easy 4th of July centerpiece is always right outside my door!

I wish I had a pencil

This little guy reminds me of my 10 year old.  Pondering his next excuse as to why he can't start his homework.  His #1 excuse....."I can't find a pencil".

So you can imagine how happy I was when I uncovered this

 vintage pencil holder at an estate sale.

And when my son had to clean out his desk the last day of school, he uncovered a find of his own.  Now we know where all the pencils have been hiding.  

But he may have known this all along!  

Linking with:

Apron Thrift Girl~Thrift Share Monday

Thrifty Love at Caps Creations

The Blue Eyed Owl

Frugal Treasures Tuesday at Beez Rental Designs

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

Time Travel Thursday

Vintage Inspired Paperboy Apron

I got a little distracted pulling my giveaway together and never got a chance to show off my newest vintage inspired apron for kids.  My son will tell you that girls get all the "fun stuff" when it comes to role play and dress-up clothes, so I was determined to add a boy's apron to my etsy shop.  A vintage inspired paperboy apron seemed like a good place to start.  My favorite part was searching for an old font style and selecting a newspaper name that would lay evenly across the two pockets.

Boys always need big, deep pockets to stash all their stuff and this fits the bill.  

My son has given it two thumbs up!

Assembly Line Crafting

Last week I had one of those weeks where all the stuff I needed to get done (the dreaded "to do" list) beat out all the things I would rather have been doing.  I committed to tackling most of my "to do" list, but knew that if I kept a little time for being creative, I would be more productive in general.  I needed a simple project that wouldn't require too much of my attention.  I took my own advice and printed out the pattern from my mini bottle apron tutorial and got to work.

This project was the perfect creativity quick fix that I could stop and start as needed while tackling my "to do" list each day.  And I found the repetitive "assembly line" nature of making multiple mini aprons to be very relaxing.  So, that's what I did.........

 If only I had had a few friends around to help me......