yard sale training

a few more pictures from the flea market last weekend.  i love seeing what i missed in the pictures that i took.  not really.  but i do get ideas on what to look for at yard sales should i be in the market for something and want it cheap!  yard sale season is just around the corner!  and in case you were wondering, there are five seasons... winter, spring, yard sale, summer, fall.  take your pick on which is your favorite.  i tend to be a summer girl myself... accompanied by... yard sale.

now, a bit of yard sale training to get your eyes in gear in the form of "I Spy".

I spy a blue cross, a pink donut, two chinese beads, an orange frame and pears..

I know.. that was way to easy.

I Spy a duck decoy, five pumpkins, a Bambi book, a silver helmet,a mini rolling pin,
 an eagle and a wee black doll.

 Still pretty easy but I bet you had to focus.

 I spy a bronze statue, three gnomes, a set of china cups and saucers, a happy face,

a mortar and pestle, two blue ball jars and eight time pieces.

This is fun.

I spy, a jack daniels bottle, seven faces, four turkeys, a trophy, and a ladder.

 That one made me giggle.

I spy a tree and the number four, two ladders, a star wars sign, and iron kettle,

 valentines and a wooden foot stool.

Feel like you're spending way too much time on this blog?  Then you're not ready for yard sale season!  Keep going!  Just a couple more.  I am having way too much fun.  Combining two of my favorite things, 

I Spy and junk! 

I spy three parrots, driftwood, two humongous dough bowls, the competition, blue sky and 

nothing that you need.  Move on.

I spy a candy jar, a stove, a saucer, a big enamelware bowl I should have bought, a bicycle,
a cupcake pan and a scotty dog.

 Let me know if you can't find something.

I spy a hook, a chest, an odd statue, a trash can, three wooden boxes, a violin, 

four ladders, a basket and ten fans.

 I realize there are two additional fan bases.  Only a professional yard sale-r would have noticed that.

You are making me so proud right now.

Ok, last one.

 I spy zep, five grain sacks, four wagon wheels, a blue wire basket, a red enamelware bowl, a boat motor, a gas can, an oil can, three pumpkins, a stack of baskets, more bounce per ounce, and a six wheel wagon.

Tripped you up a little bit on the wheels.  Oh well... here's a bonus one.  Not many look at the costume jewelry so it's extra credit training.

I spy a horse, a ballerina, three butterflies, a gold bracelet, two pink roses, a pearl head and a golden basket.

Now, if you can still focus enough to see good go hit some yard sales!  You are officially tuned in!

Congrats and love from your little friend Laurie!

P.S. Happy Birthday tomorrow Kristen!!!!

Go Karts

SO, we were told by some pals that there was a new go kart facility that had opened in Nashville.  We used to have a couple of outdoor tracks but to my knowledge they are history.  We decided, on Valentine's Day evening, to go a check them out.  We piled in with eight or nine friends and headed South on a very cold night.  I was glad they are indoors!  Y'all, this place is pretty cool.  We got our tickets and our head socks and helmets and went to wait in line for our eight minute ride.  It turned out to be a lot of fun.  The karts run about forty miles an hour and the concrete track has twists and turns.  I actually got turned around going around corners a couple of times and wound up being the slowest of our group but hey... slow and steady wins the race.  Not really.  I didn't win.  We had a couple of ex-race car drivers in our group.
Y'all we had a blast.
So here's my review...

Location:  8  You would think this part of town would make you nervous 

but once we got there it wasn't bad at all.

Price:  6  A little high for my style but I do understand why.

Safety:  9  I wasn't uncomfortable a bit and the karts are controlled 

so if there is a wreck they slow everyone down.

Overall Fun:  10  Cause I like to go fast and live on the edge a little.

Look them up:  

Music City Indoor Karting

400 Davidson Street Suite #403

Nashville, TN 37213

Phone: 615-242-3275

Graham Struesel Cake

I generally get assigned to make birthday cakes for the parties in my family and I love to do so!  This past week, my sister Marty celebrated her birthday on Thursday so we all got together on Sunday for a wonderful Mom-made lasagna with bread and salad followed by cake and ice cream!  What a lovely way yo spend a Sunday afternoon laughing with family, celebrating our sister's birthday and eating Laurie-made cake.  This year the birthday girl wanted our Aunt Sabine's Graham Struesel Cake which is like a coffee cake with a topping of brown sugar, graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon and butter followed by a simple powdered sugar glaze.  It turned out to be wonderfully delicious accompanied by ice cream.  I am regretting not stealing a piece to bring home.  I truly hope you give this recipe a try.  It is very easy and scrumptious.  

weekend shots

 Morning sun on Sunday morning peeking around the back porch.

A birthday girl and my niece Jess.

My favorite picture of the day.  Very giggly and natural.

it's a good day today, it's a good day today

Anybody who watches tv around here should know that little tune, It's a good day today, from the Goodwill guy on their commercial.  Me and Mary Evelyn were singing it yesterday afternoon while walking around the Nashville Flea Market.  Which is what I wanted to share with you this morning.  It's going to be a good day today in Nashville, weather wise and all, and the Nashville Flea Market is this weekend.  There's not too many yard sales going on yet and this is a good place to get your feet wet with bargains.  We came away with several yesterday!  Almost makes me want to go back today!

Follow your arrow where ever it points.

I love to see all the costume glistening in the sun.

I brought this little scale home with me :)  I didn not pay ten bucks for it though.

I don't know what people do with these but they are everywhere out here!

I am in look for rugs like this.  I don't need expensive ones although I do enjoy them as well.  Gives me something to garage sale for this summer.

I also bought the enamelware refrigerator tray here on the left.  It has rusty holes in the bottom and will be the new home of a couple of herbs in a couple of months!  Yay!

These reminded me of you Jenn.

Have you ever seen such a pile in your life?

Thoughts to live by..... It's a good day today, it's a good day today!  Enjoy it!

four fanciful finds

1, 2, 3, 4

recipes i want to try

I have been craving some really odd foods lately.  Not odd to everyone, just to my normal or "used to" diet.

1.  This Pizza Bread by Tidymom.net looks fantastic!   Although I would probably leave the chicken out for me.  I am in need of a baking stone.  I broke my stone from Pampered Chef some years ago and am wanting a new one with all the bread baking lately.

2.  The Ultimate Leaning Bellini from Macaroni Grill is one of my favorites.  I have to try this recipe especially since I have my new Vitamix in my hands!

3.  I had my first falafel burger at the Pharmacy in Nashville not long ago and have been looking at recipes to make my own ever since.  This recipe for falafel from Gourmandelle looks easy and very good!

4.  This winter has been a long and cold one it seems and soup has been on the menu in our house quite a bit.  This lentil soup from The First Mess seems very rich and divine tasting that I cannot wait to make it soon.  And it will be soon because Spring is on it's way... yay!

Hey you guys... I also found a daily food journal that is pretty cool that I am going to try myself and thought I would share it with you as well.  I like that I can log what I eat, glasses of recommended daily water and exercise which I badly need to begin again.  

I found the food journal at ThirtyHandmadeDays and just love it.

BTW, Happy Birthday to my sister Marty!!!

diy tool pouch

Here's a cute little tool pouch I dreamed up yesterday while at the day care.  After supper last night I wandered in to my craft room at home, drew a picture of what I wanted, looked around at what materials I had and an hour later, I had a tool pouch.  The second one took about fifteen minutes to put together.  I got stuck on what to use for the ties at the waist and after much looking and debating on what to use I turned around and saw a big bolt of gingham ribbon that I bought at Christmas time this past year.  Perfect.  

It is super simple if you have the know how and can be used as a tool pouch for kid's play tools or I even thought it would be completely handy while planting the garden to have my seeds in.  Or while out walking to put my treasures in. 

I used a shotgun shell shot bag and cut it in half so I could make two pouches out of it.  I used a thicker canvas fabric for the back side and simply hemmed the top edges, sewed the three sides together, incorporating the ribbon at the top edges, flipped it inside out and sewed two straight lines giving it three pockets.  I made the ribbons way too long for the kids but just long enough so that it fits me too.  

Aunt Dea... tell Norman thanks again for the bags!  I have found yet another use for them!