I think this might be fun...

but am I fashionable enough?  :)  

Play along...it sounds fun. 

I found this via The Doe or the Deer..one of my new daily reads...who mentioned it via 

Moms are for Everyone. 

Next...that book I told you about that I am making for our trip?  Soooooo vintagey (yea, it's not a word, but how else would you say it?) and cool and ready for laughs on the road.  

Pics coming soon.  Yay!

Goodness, me!

I have been working hard over here.  But I am almost there.  I'm keepin' it real...I get a burst of energy and get so excited, and then I lose that spark and think I just can't do it, but I will.  Whew...that was a long thought, wasn't it?  The shop is coming along, but I don't want to show it to you just yet, for there are other pretty birdie things to add...so I have a few more late nights to put in.  Tomorrow, I will show you something really cute for our trip.  
And I am using shop goodies to make it. 
Sneaky at the top of the post. :)

Summer means business!

...the business of playing iPhone games and watching spider videos on YouTube (not really sure why)...

 and business of making sure our feet stay dirty and out of shoes...I'm not sure if they stink or not, but I'll leave it up to 

somebody else to check.  

the business of adding things to our new collage wall (the tongue depresser? clock and the cool vintage latch hook daisy rug...don't you remember doing those???) 

 

and business of making paper things for a 

BIG Feed the Birdies shop launch!  

Oh, my....I am SO excited!

We're taking a little trip...

...to Springfield, MO.  The lovely Elsie and Rachel live there, and I'm so sad that Red Velvet Art has closed its store front doors.  But, if you have been a reader of their blogs, the thrifting is marvelous, and that is why I want to go.  Yes, I am taking a vacation...to thrift.  I've heard of Charley's and Red Racks, and I am scoping out more and planning our route.  We will venture through Oklahoma on the way, and visit all the little shops.   My mom says drive two miles forward and one mile back.  We'll drive the original Route 66 and find all kinds of goodies...I just know it.  I promise to take lots of pictures when we go, so that you can travel vicariously through me, and eat pancakes at Aunt Martha's Pancake House in your dreams, take pictures downtown against all those cool brick buildings, and ride with the music turned up and everyone hollering STOP! when we see a fun place on the side of the road.  I'll take all but 3 seats out of the car so we have plenty of room for a mod rocking chair and some pretty vintage kitchen things. 

I can't wait!

Making it Cozy

I've secretly been longing for a flea market style wall of all kinds of things like this one

Or Rachel's clipboard wall (love):

 

And picture walls like this one:

on Young House Love 

so I started with mine like this

 

You remember that, don't you?  Those two awesome stapler paintings from my sweet friend Cassie.  And the cool orange stool from an estate find. I decided that my wall needed a little more coziness added to it, and more color.  So Katie and I started a little summer project today, and rearranged a little bit.  Here we are in progress:

We moved the two staplers to be above and below eachother, right together.  I think they look better that way.  Now that cool "C" is an estate find from an old store sign.  And the chalk board was salvaged from the boys old art easel.  I just ran some ribbon through the holes and hung it on the wall, with an old metal C that I found on another hunt.  I hope that thing doesn't fall off the wall because it might hurt.  Then we added the IKEA dog picture that the kids got me for my birthday a few years ago.  Isn't he cute?  And the tiny frames of traffic pics are IKEA too.  Are you sensing a pattern here? 

So here is what we came up with, all by ourselves! (Now the chalk board had to be cleaned several times in progress).

I printed one of my favorite sayings on the chalkboard and drew a little crown.  I also think I need to add a few more Cs that I might find later.  And maybe one or two more pictures.  Here is a final glance with the vintage sofa we picked up at an estate, along with the super fantastic Sears radio and rad black rotary phone on the end tables picked up by William on eBay.  What do you think?  

Is it better?

I promised William that I wouldn't move anything around when I cleaned today.  Ooops.  I did. 

Comparisons

You can go with this:



or you can go with that:



You can go with this:



Or you can go with that:



(screeching halt car tire noises entered here)

What? Wal Mart thinks they have something over Hershey's? Over s'mores? Really?

I'll pay the extra 75 cents, thank you very much. :-)

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Going

Going....




Going....




Gone...


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Little Taco Casa Warriors

We took a little random road trip with the girls (Sarah and Melissa) and four kids..all crammed in the swagger wagon! Taco Casa was calling our name, and the closest one was about 45 minutes away, but worth it! The kids opted for McDonalds but we got our Taco Casa drive-thru style and snuck it in so the tooties could play. We're good mommas like that.






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I won! I won!

I have been a long time reader of Picky Palate...remember that recipe of hers.. yummy ranch chicken spaghetti that I made sometime ago?  (I think it's time to make it again).  She hosted a Hungry Jack Pancake Party basket giveaway this past week, AND I WON!  WOOHOO!  Go check out her blog...she hosts things like this quite frequently, and her recipes are really, really good.  You won't be disappointed.  In the meantime, drool over this basket that's headed to my kitchen.  Come over for cakes!  And, thanks, Jenny!

Pool Party

Summertime...and the living is easy.


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In the zone

I was crafty today.  Yay!  I found this diaper pouch tutorial on Noodlehead.  I think I will turn out several of these little diaper pouches and maybe a few more bags.  Here's the first one I made.  It had  velcro to latch the twill tape on the tutorial, but I thought a diaper pin would be cute. Tuck in a few diapers and a little package of wipes, and you are good to go, Momma! 

I found the army green bag on clearance at Hobby Lobby, and added a few little patches of scrap fabric and some vintage trim to it. 

This whole project, bag and pouch, took all of about an hour, birdies!  And it's pretty cute, to boot. 

If you know somebody that is expecting...easy peasy, and precious!

Back in a bit with my summer

picture of the day. 

Yay for a super start of the season!

Oh yea!

Here's my little owl spoon rest that came from that fabulous estate this weekend. I forgot to show you, didn't I?



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Spend the summer with me...

...in pictures. I am hoping to blog twice each day. One post will be a picture to share and one will be whatever randomness is inspiring me, turning up for dinner, creating something pretty or useful, or just plain neatness. Come and play...it's summer!

Katie and I ventured to the library today.


We opted for some winter and Christmas books to help beat the summer heat.



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Fab Finds

One of the fun things about scouting estate sales is the houses themselves. Today was an awesome find of fabulous 60s decor. Sadly, the house has to be demolished, but oh, I would have wanted to replace the bad bones and move right in with some cleaning and new floors. Check out these kitchen cabinets...metal...aqua...(she drools a little on herself walking through here)




Then there were pink and aqua bathrooms.



I die. Check out the lights next to the mirror here.



And in the bedroom, we found this French provencial cabinet, right?



No, wait. Open that pretty thing up.



I am basically having to drag myself out of here before I come home with mirrored blinds, a TV to repair, and a lucite table. I did get a cute little owl spoon rest, and William found a photo flood lamp we are going to outfit with a tripod and old Kodak for the living room. Ahhhh...summer sales. I love them.

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Memorial Day Part 2

Between the lot of us, we got some great pics at the lake.  Here are some of my favorites.

1.  My son is so sweet with babies.  He watched this little guy whenever he had the chance.  Makes this momma feel so proud.  I think Parker kinda liked Brady too.  :)

2.  It doesn't get much cuter than this...

3.  Or this...

4.  And I would say Emma is a future Charlie's Angel with this pose...

5.  Who else in the world would get in that nasty water but two silly boys.  Ewwwww...haha!

6.  Little Miss Sunshine

 

7.  Oh, there's that raccoon again. 

Did you name him yet?

8.  What's in this bucket?

9.  The strawberries made everybody

happy this weekend. 

The end.  Fun times!