January Day 2: Junk Day

My sister sent me a text last week itching to visit the antique barn in Springfield.  I said "how about Monday?"  I was on holiday from my job today so we took our happy selves there just a tad after they opened this morning.

  I love these paintings.  There were two of them. 

 I did buy this teeny angel candle holder for next year.

 This angel found something that once belonged to her!  Sold at her yard sale, it still has her initials on the bottom!

 Why the heck I cannot come off of fifteen bucks for a fabulous Samsonite pink briefcase I have no idea.  I love it.

 I love this iddy frog.

This one inspired me somehow.  One of those shelves that I just stopped and stared at for a minute.

Contrary to my personal tradition, my Christmas decorations were not down before New Year's Eve.  My neck has been out of whack for several days now and after my third day in a row to visit my chiropractor he advised me to STOP.  No lifting, vacuuming... does he know me???  Rarely do I sit down, rarely do I watch TV, rarely do I blog like I would like to because I cannot be still!  That was Friday.  Today, after the junk shopping, I managed, at my own pace to get the things taken apart and neatly put away.  It was actually a good thing that I got some inspiration this morning because I redid my mantle with things that I collect from out woods and creek and ... barn floors.

 It does look better in real life.  Plus it is a showcase of things that I love. 

The rocks that I have collected, feathers found in the woods on my beloved walks and even three owl pellets found on Christmas Eve this year when we spotted an owl in the barn.  He had obviously been roosting in there for a while.  I started looking around the floor and found them.  Sick... I know... owl hair balls.  Hey.. we had to dissect them in biology!



A Shelf For The Tub

I have the most wonderful husband in the world.  I really do. 

And this is what he made me for Christmas. 

I saw something like this in a home decor book from the library. 

I showed it to him and took a picture of it but never printed it out for him. 

I didn't really think another thing about it. 

Until I unwrapped it Christmas Eve night when we felt we had waited long enough on opening just one present.  He opened a dvd.  I opened this.

It is a bathtub shelf.  Made out of tobacco sticks. 

The sticks aren't really of tobacco stalks,

but of other wood and are used in hanging tobacco in the barns. 

The dark color is stained by years of firing and curing the tobacco in the barns.

It has such a spa feel to it. 

Yesterday morning I piled all my bathy things on it before my bath like my wash cloth, soap, shaving cream, razor, and a cup for rinsing off. 

I never knew how useful this invention would prove itself to be. 

I no longer have to reach up on to the sink cabinet nor stretch to the back side of the tub to the stool while splashing water onto the floor. 

I truly love it and he knew I would.

Contact with the outside world

I am very sad that I cannot call you this morning. Shaun and Mike took off into the woods earlier and I felt all contact with the outside world was gone. I thought... oh I'll drink my coffee and call her. But alas.. there my little phone lay dead on the bench. PooPoo. I guess I have to get ready and go out. Oh Well. That's what I get for getting snockered and doing jumping jacks with a hoodie on.


I wanted to share this ladies' website with you before Christmas and didn't because I planned on making the clothespin ornaments instead of the bird seed wreaths but I didn't have enough clothespins that I wanted to get rid of. I completely plan on having a clothesline at the day care trailer and didn't see the sense in wasting them. So I only made one and kept it.

Anyhow, here it is. It's not Pinterest but it's goooood. She has got some fabulous ideas.

http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

I LOVE the pots in wooden frames. Fab idea and why have I never used Gorilla glue. It expands. I have to buy some today.

I might make cinnamon rolls when I get back from the phone store in a bit if you want to come over and play.

P.S. I already started taking down Christmas stuff. I can't bear to take the tree down yet. It's so me and so very pretty bird.

Laurie

not sure why my glasses look tined with blue.  huh

Quick Cake Mix Cookies

While browsing through a lovely Christmas open house in Crossplains, TN two weekends ago, I stumbled upon the refreshments.  Being the lemon lover that I am, I immediately snatched a yellow cookie with powdered sugar on it.  To my delight it was lemon and wonderful!  So soft, so light... I could have eaten the whole plate.  But then I may not have been invited back to next year's open house :)

I thought about these cookies for more than a week.  Finally I looked up in every book I have and came up empty.  Then decided to internet search pictures of lemon cookies and at last came up with a recipe.  I have to share!  These are so very easy to make and take under an hour from start to finish. 

Cake Mix Cookies

1 cake mix, any flavor, I recommend lemon

1 tub cool whip 8 ounce

1 egg

powdered sugar - about 1/3 cup

Mix cake mix, egg and cool whip with a blender.  The batter will be sticky.  Drop one spoonful at a time into powdered sugar and drop onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.  Allow to cool and try like heck not to eat them all.  Unless they are only for you... then go ahead.