Because I Needed More To Do

 

I got a fun message the other day, from a perfect stranger, letting me know she featured my gorgeous turquoise stand mixer on her blog. Then I got a message from another perfect stranger saying she loves the mixer too! This mixer is drawing alot of interest. Soooo…

 

I thought this would be a great time to tell you about my new

But I Had A Tiara Etsy Shop!

 

Remember how I told you I am getting rid of alot of stuff? Well, here’s how I am parting with the pretty vintage treasures. I am excitiscared since I don’t have alot of free time, but we’ll see how it goes.

Etsy is an online marketplace featuring only handmade items people have made themselves, or vintage items twenty years old or older. There are tons of amazing artists, seamstresses, up-cyclers, and vintage sweetness dealers. If you are looking for something specific, you are sure to find it there. 

 

In my teensy tiny shop {almost everything fits in a big Rubbermaid tub} you will see a haberdashery of vintage cuteness I have either had in my house for years, hand selected for my former antique booth, or bought recently just because I find something sweet and irresistible and can’t pass it up. Well, and because I need more to do with my time. You know how it is. It’s not going to replace my day job or anything. So check it out if you wanna (if you do, and you have not used Etsy before, please put my name, But I Had A Tiara, in the referral line. I guess they have some kind of point program or something).

 

Budinnyway…

 

So I got a “convo” (that’s what they call messages on Etsy) from Jadite Kate last night telling me she put up that aforementioned piece of loveliness. So I, of course, went to her blog to look.

 

Ohhh, ahhhh. Hmmm, I might still keep that thing.

 

Ohhh, what fun it was to look! As you may have guessed, Kate collects jadite (also spelled jadeite, it’s the same thing). If you don’t know what it is, you can see puh-lenty on her blog. Jade green glassware, very vintagey and useful, makes a great home decor statement. It’s pretty cool stuff. In fact, I find it ironic that I just recently started looking for a few classy pieces for accents in our living room to go along with some green I have added in there. If you want some, Kate sells it, along with other adorable vintage picks at her Etsy shop.

When you visit her, make sure you scroll down some to see a huge collection she has featured, as well as a super cute picture board she found online for using jadite in a wedding. Ohh, those orange and green color combos are so pretty!

I love her idea for featuring Etsy picks on her blog each month or season too.

Heather Kent is the second person who contacted me. She makes adorable handpainted necklaces that really are miniature paintings. They are very detailed for such tiny pieces. In fact, I’d love to use a few of them together somewhere in my home. My neck will be jealous.

Her peacock feather would match my blog nicely. And, oh…did you see those birdies?

Okay Girlikins, have at it. Etsy is a pretty fun place to get inspiration too! 

Moving Out!

Okay, so I am not actually moving ME out. But I am moving out a ton of STUFF. And it seems the best way to do that is to move it ALL out, clean it as if you are moving, then only put back what you actually use, collect, or enjoy.

Even then it is a fine line. Because enjoyment could be found in any number of collections, memory triggers or just that plain old not-wanting-to-be-without feeling.

I love my small collection of Heisey and Morgantown Plantation glass pieces. Pineapples are a sign of welcome and, well, I just love these sweet little pieces. These are my two favorites. It will be hard to see them go. Maybe I will sell the other four pieces rest and keep just these…

Aren’t they sweet?

I also love the Franciscan Apple set I inherited from a former neighbor when she passed away then added to (we use it everyday now), some pieces of my grandmother’s, and keepsakes from my children’s childhoods.

There are things my kids love that take up space.

Trailblazer glasses for one.

I am, after all, the mother of five boys. Five basketball lovin’ boys.

At least they use them...

I just can’t keep it all. I have to ask myself “What is really important?”.

Because we don’t need any of it to survive.

Here is my pile from mostly just the plastics cabinet, with a couple baking things thrown in. I have so much Tupperware and I don’t use plastic much anymore. The iced tea maker hasn’t been used in so long, it still has dribbles from when we had the new countertop put on our island!

Some of this is hard. My cabinets sure look better!

And I know life will be much simpler yet again once it is GONE.

So, that’s what I am up to today. Well, that and painting. Painting, painting, painting. And redecorating bits of about three rooms. And a few other projects. Whilst also starting school out slowly, with the kids learning how to do dictation – more on that another day.

What are you up to?

I’m looking forward to a cup of tea later today and getting caught up on all of your blogs too! I hope you have something for me!

Whimsy On Wednesday: Hidden Treasure

"A bird's not defined by being grounded but by his ability to fly. Remember this, humans are not defined by their limitations, but by the intentions I have for them; not by what they seem to be, but by everything it means to be created in my image." ~W. Young

The whimsy I have had on my mind the last couple of days is the little piece of “dog”wood above. My grandpa found it once, long ago. I think it was in his kindling pile. He polished it, gave it a coat of veneer and put a little hook in it so he could hang it on their wall.

Since he passed, I have had it on my wall. It is funny how something so simple and sort of silly can make me think of deeper things.





I love it when people see things with rose colored glasses. Glass half full types, who have a tendency to look on the bright side. People who see the best in others, and the sweetness in life. Bright eyed optimists who see hidden treasure.
My grandpa did that, even with everyday things like the piece of “dog”wood. My grandma is that way, especially about people. 

I think God is that way too, when He thinks about us.

I am reminded of the quote above (below the picture) which I once read in a book I tried more than four times to finish but never did. It reminds me that it is okay to be on the path I am walking right now -- the beaten zigzag of learning and making mistakes and not being who I was created to be on a given day.
Because walking this path, as confused as I sometimes find myself, and how, so many times, I am just bumbling through like a bull in a china closet, it is all part of becoming ‘enlightened’ to who I truly am, causing me to grow into who I was created to be. And, more importantly, to really know Who God is and what He planned for me to do here (Ephesians 1:17-18).
I am still learning. And that’s okay. God sees me as that girl. Already, today.



I hope that, today, you can find something sweet and unexpected, some whimsy in an everyday thing, reminding you that you are a work in progress...

And you are beautiful.

Oh and look, by way of a foggy follow-up, here’s another reminder… I’d love it if you gave this song a listen while you look at the pictures below. Beautiful, sung acapella by Rescue. Fog keeps us from seeing what is underneath. But it still looks really beautiful.

This fog dissipated in a matter of a few minutes, while I got my coffee.

And I could again see the fertile valley below.

Finding A Sweet Spot

Last year, on a whim, we left one campground for another while following my little brothers around. One was visiting from SoCal and we wanted as much time with him, and with my other brother, as we could have. We went to the basic area they had in mind -- and discovered one of the best camping spots we have ever found.

We have since referred to it as “The Sweet Spot”

That’s where we are supposed to be this week if it weren’t for the gosh-dawg weather.

I can’t always be gallivanting about, but I do have Sweet Spots here and there around our home and property, that I can enjoy most every day. Some of them are areas where I have put things I love and provided with chairs and what-not (don’t you love when people use the word “what-not”? Once, when we were at a campground listening to a ranger give a talk, we counted how many times he said “what-not” and it was over 20! So I am using it here just for my enjoyment!).

There are other areas I love even passing by or walking to and sitting on the ground, or just standing and taking in the view and what-not.

View from my new Morning Sweet Spot

This morning I sat in a newly created Sweet Spot. Outside. Because my favorite Sweet Spots are usually outside. It was somewhat brisk, so I wore my (husband’s grandfather’s) old wool shirt over my pj’s and had a blanket (crocheted by my late step-grandmother) around me.

Someone gave us the table when they were moving, and I spray painted it lime green. Someone else who was moving gave us the cute Indian Blue papasan lawn chairs. They really are too low for this table, but I rarely read or use my computer on a tabletop anyway. I just need a place to set my books and coffee.

The pile of books I am currently working on

I found the quaint tablecloth for ten dollars. I love birds. Embroidered birds are especially sweet. And I think I mentioned that I have been falling in love with old linens. I was just thinking of how I wished I had one I love for that table and, out-of-the-blue, on an unexpected side trip from taking my son to lunch on Saturday, I found it – the perfect size and practically custom made to my preferences.

Each little piece of this spot has it’s own story – bought at the beach, love the size and shape, found at the GW and works great for this or that – but my post would be too long and boring if I told you all about each of them.

Today I even had my own special soundtrack. These two boys were having a crow-off.

You can see who got the girls…

I was rewarded for getting up early by this gorgeous, naturally framed sunrise behind my left shoulder…

And by getting a glimpse of this little volunteer who has been trying to bloom for weeks.

Being a morning person has it’s perks

I love that, no matter what our lack of budget, we can create little spaces that are our own, where the things we place there help us relax, breathe in the good things in life and reflect on sweet memories.

Where we love to be.

I hope that today you can find your very own Sweet Spot… and what-not. Enjoy your view!

Happy Labor Day!

Menu Plan Monday, Not-Goin’-Campin’-After-All Edition

For more menu ideas, check out MPM at Orgjunkie.com

Seriously, I am so disappointed. First the mechanic was closed Friday so I could not pick up the batteries we need in order to go camping, pushing back our trip for a day.

Now, the skies read that the calendar says it is Back To School week in the Pacific NW and decided to provide stereotypical fall weather.

I had to decide – go or stay?

We’re staying home, starting school, and working slowly on getting packed for camping so we can leave at the first signs of nice, warm weather. Why go and freeze, then waste the sunny weather doing school? I am keeping my fingers crossed that there is still some 80+ degree weather in the forecast and NOT only the two weekends we can’t do it.

To make this week more festive for the kids, I will be including special breakfast favorites on a few of our menu days this week. Usually each person chooses from a variety of foods I keep available and eats what sounds good. Our staples include peanut butter toast, yogurt (often with a spoonful of peanut butter in it), fruit for smoothies and kids who love using the Vitamix, granola, eggs and oatmeal. If they do not choose an option with protein, they are required to eat some nuts, a spoonful of peanut butter, or something that does include protein and healthy fat for some brain food.

Some of the breakfast foods we will be having are:

~ Breakfast Cookies ( I will decide which ones, both are linked here)

~ Lazy’s Ultimate Muffins (I darn well better have saved this in my recipe box because my link shows that either Lara is not blogging anymore, or she has not yet started her Wordpress blog and linked her old one. OH NO!!! This is my favorite recipe by far! Gonna have to go check my box and hope I obeyed my instinct and copied it down…)

~ The Migas we tried last week were a hit. Even Mr. Picky Pants liked it. I didn’t really follow an exact recipe. You pretty much make a corn tortilla crispish in the frying pan, break it into pieces, cook scrambled eggs over it and then add cheese. I also fry ham for the kids and add veggies for mine. It’s kind of like making some breakfast nachos.

Gotta admit, last week I had so many irons in the fire I did not even look at my Menu Plan. I went from memory, used alot of leftovers and freezer finds, and we got pizza on Friday. Do you have weeks like that? It’s all about having a plan, but being flexible.

I WISH it was this kind of iron I had in the {camp}fire!

Monday, Labor Day: BBQ Pork Ribs leftover from meals I made and froze for my family to eat while I was in India. Sounds like good labor Day fare to me. I think I will make some potato salad to go with it. I’ve made potato salad for years but am always willing to try something new and wonderful. Do you have a wonderful potato salad recipe I should try?

Tuesday: I have Fresh Tuna Taco filling in the freezer, also leftover from meals I made for my family when I went to India. I hope it froze well and will be yummy this night!

Wednesday: BLTA’s on skinny hamburger buns or maybe homemade, if we have time to make them

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Creamy Crockpot Chicken Nachos

Saturday: Potato Pancakes with Indian Flair, homemade Green Chutney

Sunday: Fly By The Seat Of Our Pants (leftovers or go out to eat after church)

Have a great Back-To-School -- or in our case, NOT Back-To-School (since we homeschool) – week!

Oh, and if you are visiting me from MPM, I want to make sure you know about my Soup's On Saturday carnival starting in October. Click my S.O.S. button below for details -- and I'd love it if you grab my button and tell your friends too!

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This ‘n That, Saturday Around Home

I am so thankful for a 15 year old who cheerfully helps me with chores that include heavy lifting and lifting at odd angles. Today he helped me get at some old tables we have that need work so I could see about preparing one of them for the school room. He also, with not one word of complaint, helped me with some other barn projects. He is really good about this. I took him out to lunch today to let him know how much I appreciate that about him.

That baby had beef, ham, bacon, typical veggies, two kinds of cheese, and an egg on it!

Remember when I referred to Sneaky Mama Hen making her nest where I could not get at them? Well, her babies hatched this week and we moved her, so I could finally get to the tables.

After looking today, I am glad to see that one table and a set or partial set of chairs looks promising. I am excited to get started. Oh, and I am indeed going to paint a red color similar to the red on that chalkboard topped desk I included in a post last week. I just love that it is red, yet still somewhat neutral because of the shade it is. And I think I will use a velvet looking gold fabric for the seats. I’m not immovably decided on this though. It depends on what kind of screaming deal I can get on fabric and how durable it is. Stay tuned.

Since today is Saturday – I thought I’d remind you that Soup’s On Saturday begins next month. So, if you love soup even half as much as I do, you will want to start thinking about it and getting ready to link your faves! Also, if you plan to post -- or even check it out, or if you have friends who love soup, please grab my S.O.S. button for your blog by cut and pasting the jibberish in the little box under my SOS button below. Clicking on it will also take you to the category schedule.

Yummy. Soup and warm bread are about the only two things that made me look forward to fall. Sort of.

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~The Soup's On Saturday carnival runs from October through May~

Date Night at the Forest Edge

We got to go to the annual Street of Dreams this year as guests of Elite Development NW

They won pretty much every award for Forest Edge, the home they built, including awards for their careful attention to the environment.

One of the builders is a dear friend of ours and she (yep, I said SHE) and her business partner (also a she) build really gorgeous homes. Now, who can anticipate what the woman of the house will enjoy using better than other ladies of the house(s)? Like these, for example…

Secret spice storage behind the leg in front of the super duper gorgeous, ohhhh the beauty, Wolf stove.

That little tiny button to the left of the auxiliary sink is for the garbage disposal.

Touches of glass and crystal in vignettes throughout the house add a clean, smooth texture and a touch of elegance

Just be careful not to place them where the sun can hit them!

There are layered looks worked into the construction of the home that add alot of interest.

One of my favorite features of the house is how they reclaimed and repurposed the wood from trees they had to remove, using them throughout the house.

Reclaimed wood shelves in one of the pantries came from the land that had to be cleared

This countertop, in a mini kitchen outside of the media room, was also crafted of reclaimed wood from the property.

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The Media Room is equipped with a 3D capable HDTV and is altitude controlled, as is the Master Sleeping Area, so if an athlete is in training, their body can get used to whatever altitude their event will be held in. I thought that was fascinating!

Parts of the Master Suite were also reclaimed and repurposed as closet space. I found it interesting to hear that they custom stained the wood in each room according to how the light hit it.

I would totally take a soak in that tub!

But, if I had the choice, I’d probably head for the pool.

In foreground is (unlit) tabletop fireplace. At the end, through the doors, is the workout facility.

There was lots of classic whimsy for inspiration. Did I just coin a new style term?

And you know whimsy is my favorite…

And, talk about whimsy!!!

This bookcase is a secret door and opens up into a huge unfinished space above the garage

A copy of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was a fun touch too!

I love this rain chain, used instead of a plain old gutter for a downspout.

Beautiful job Jamie and Natalie! And thank you so much for the personal tour –

not to mention the free date night!

When I tour magnificent homes and admire the design and decor, I love to glean inspiration for inexpensive ways I can mirror the same look to create a warm and inviting home for my family. I hope this gave you some inspiration to brighten up a little corner of your home this Labor Day weekend!