Sometimes it's in....

the Details!

When I find things out thrifting there are certain things that I buy out of necessity. Clothes for the Girlies, items for etsy, or storage needs (baskets r cheap in the thrifts people!).

Then there are things that I buy because they make me smile. The little things, the details are aesthetically pleasing to me.
I walked through the house this morning a took a few snapshots of things that I have decorated my home with. They make me feel comfy, at home, settled, happy when I walk in & see them! They aren't what I live for....but they sure make living a little brighter! Enjoy!
FIGURINES











Chenille Bedspread





Curtains


Pleated Lampshade


EMBROIDERY





Pictures in Girlies rooms





A Worn but Pretty Wedgewood Plate


Painting


Vintage Globes


Huge Vintage Twig Basket I store linens in



I hope you all have items around your home that make you smile when you see them. Be it a memory from when or where or who you got it with. Or maybe just an inexpensive item you brought home from the thrift cause it was delightful to you!!



--Jeanette using BlogPress on iPhone

Latest but prob'ly not....

Greatest. This weekend to keep myself occupied I decided to do a small project that has literally been sitting in the living room for quite a few months.

I bought this set of HomeCo owls @ GW for .99 each. They were kinda fun as they were. The one owl had a look of "whatever" on his face, similar to the eye rolling my oldest is trying to perfect.



Hmmm, they are both lucky I don't knock their blocks off!! Haha

Well, I happened to have a set of quail that I bought @ GW almost a year ago while on vacation. I liked the all white look, it makes a statement. Since I'm trying to act like I know about decor, I tho't maybe I should take some paint to the owls too.....



Matchy-matchy is good....right!?

Well, I decided to do the deed this weekend & here's how it turned out....



The brownness & the yellow eyes!!



Gonna get 'er done!!



Layer one.....covered well. Four layers later...



The finished product back on the dusty stand!! I like'em. May do another layer of high gloss paint to get 'em nice & shiny!!



See no more annoyed facial expressions!! Haha




--Jeanette using BlogPress on iPhone

Trying....

To get back in my groove, my schedule, my "loco-motive"!! Trying to just plain concentrate on life & living it. It seems like my body is here (believe me it's all still here), but the mind isn't focusing.

Maybe it's the fact that we had an unexpected extra week off work. Greg's been home all week, picking up after everyone, doing load after load of laundry (after load, after load!!).

Maybe it's the fact that the girls don't seem to want to even try to get along & play with each other, or friends that come to play.

With the week long bedside vigil, the weeklong trip for funeral, visiting family & the benefit concert. Staying @ brother & sister in laws house is a blessing, but it's not the same as staying in your own home, with your own bed & your own chores!!

In all of this I've missed my blogging. My etsy work (from the shopping, to the pictures & listing). My routine. Who new I was such a stickler for schedules!!!! HAHAHAHA!

This morning the girls & Greg were up early. I had the privilege of sleeping with Lauryn in my bed last night....sleeping being a relative term! While Greg & Liyah had a sleepover in the living room after our movie. Let's just say, this mom slept in til almost 9 am....& then drug myself out of the bed for some coffee!

We were all outside early this morning. While they were all running around crazy playing tag, hide n seek & hitting the wiffle ball I was walking around looking at the plants in my flower beds. They are mostly all flowering now so I got to take some pics....it made me feel some better. Doing something that is more familiar & calming.




The skies this morning! Beautiful & bright!



My hollyhocks have almost all gone, blossomed while we were out of town.



One of my three lavender bushes has blossomed. I was watching a honeybee buzz around, he's in this pic somewhere!



Most of my roses blossomed while we were gone too. This is just a little bud starting to open.



Some "Mary Beans" growing on the bush...maybe they will be ready by next week!

So Greg & I are back to our regular work schedule next week. Hopefully that means I'll feel more like myself, & actually feel like a productive part of this family again (not just the cook, cleaner & referee)!!

How is everyone else's summer going!?
I continue to see pics on Twitter & Instagram of other produce from gardens...our big garden down @ my Mom's house might actually give up some veggies next week! Yeah, I can hardly wait for fresh homegrown veg again!!

I'm looking forward to finding "normal" again, no matter how insane it may appear to others!



--Jeanette using BlogPress on iPhone

The end...

It has been a long 2 1/2 weeks since I wrote last. It has bothered me that I haven't written, but there has been no inspiration. No drive. No sarcasm. No crazies. Just tiredness, real bone deep tiredness.

You see, Grandma Patty is gone from our lives here on this earth.

The woman, who when she first laid eyes on me, smiled a huge smile, hugged me tight & said she was so happy to meet me.

The woman who came & stayed with me when I had Lauryn. When she could still travel to Nashville on her own. Who could still cook & did it very well I must say!!

The same woman who came when Liyah was born. Who had to get a ride to Murfreesboro, TN. Who couldn't cook anymore without forgetting that she had burners on....yet could still take a morning walk with Lauryn just to give me a break from a toddler.

The very same woman who spoiled all four of her granddaughters with every penny she could spare. Who loved to hold them, cuddle them & hum to them when she could no longer remember the words to the songs she knew so well.

The same woman who moved in to live with us. Utterly unable to care for herself, so frustrated that she KNEW what she wanted to say & do, but unable to make her mouth speak or her hands work as she used to!

The same woman who loved her sons unconditionally, her 4 sisters & 2 brothers unequivocally!! The one who missed her "mommy" unashamedly when she passed away.

The one who in her last 10 days of life could not eat or drink. Who when a favorite niece called her to tell her she loved her, found the strength to raise her arms & let out a moan. Who continued to tap her toes to the Southern Gospel music, until there was no strength to do so.

This woman, who has been so much to so many. A daughter & sister first of all. A best friend & niece & aunt secondly.

Who loved her boys & granddaughters with her whole being, even through the 8 years of dementia taking away her mind & mobility.

This is the Grandma Patty we will miss.

Will I miss the early morning wanderings? No.
Will I miss the ever challenging mealtimes? No
Will I miss the hit & misses when it came to toileting? NO!

I WILL miss the smile, the laughter, the shopping, the movies, the family get togethers @ Camp Coutney in NC. I will miss her not being here to see her granddaughters grow up. For her to be around giving them good memories of their Grandma Patty.

This one thing I know...she is in a better place! I don't say that lightly. I believe it! I believe there is a God, who loves his creation. I know Patty believed in God & was his adopted child....an heir to his kingdom. I also believe that in heaven there is no crying, no pain, no weakness or loneliness! I know that she has a new body, a new mind & is relishing the fellowship with her Lord & her loved ones!!

Though we are sad she is no longer here to see, to hug to talk to....we are so very joyful that there is going to be a heavenly reunion & she will be more than she ever was on this old earth!!

With love we said our good byes & with love we will greet her with hugs in heaven!!




Grandma Patty's hand, held many times throughout our week of bedside vigil. She left her human body knowing her family loved her dearly!





--Jeanette using BlogPress on iPhone

A story from "The Frumpy House"

as most of my followers/readers out there know, I have an etsy shop...a shop for vintage items.  If you didn't know, check out the righthand sidebar on my blog that links to the shop and has pics of newly listed items.

This is just some info for you who may like to shop vintage....

A few weeks ago, Greg and I, made an impromptu day trip to Detroit.  We had never been there together. I hadn't been there since I was a kid.

My mom's sister, Joyce has lived and worked in Detroit for the last 35 yrs or so.  She has been at a mission in the downtown area.  Well, the mission has of course people giving them things (some people leave them their whole home & contents) to do with as they want.  Usually, they sell the homes and items to help fund the mission.  One of the things my aunt does throughout the summer is run yard sales.  Just down the block from the mission they have a large (I mean LARGE) garage/storage facility that is just piled high with items that they set out, hang up or pile up for people to look at and buy.

Well, in a visit with my aunt a few weeks previously I had mentioned my shop and that I was selling vintage things that I had thrifted or found at sales (yard, garage, flea etc).  She said come on down and have a look through the items we have.  If you find something you can sell, sell it and we can split the profit....

So of course, we made the trip!

I wish I had taken pics of the place.  It was amazing.  Like going to the largest rummage sale ever!!  Rummage I did....for hours, to my hearts content.  I found some pretty amazing and fun things.  I was digging through huge bags of clothes, as in moving these bags out of the way to get to some boxes, to get to boxed items that I hoped would hold some treasures.

Treasures found!!  So, here are some pics that show a few of the things I have listed.  There are more to come!!

Vermillion, Springfield, MO 100% Walnut Salad Set***

The biggest Granny Square afghan EVER!!

Mattel toy gun, not listed yet, have to research!

The 100% Wool Beret, not the cutie, is for sale!

Lincoln, Beautyware Coffee and Tea Canisters 

Pretty in Pink '50's Salt, Pepper and Vinegar Set

Melamine Fish shaped Hors d'oeuvre Set!

There is soooo much more, I'm hoping to head back to the Motor City and find some more goodies, possibly @ the end of the summer!!  We'd like to take the girls to the Detroit Zoo....Maybe a dual purpose trip!

***So, I'm thinking of marking items that are from the mission in the shop.  Would it make any difference to any of you readers in making a purchase if you knew a certain percentage was going to a good cause?  Let me know what you think, I may or may not, depending on feedback!

The end of an era....

As of today we will no longer wake in the night as we hear the rain pitter patter on the skylight! We will no longer jump up and rush the towels & buckets to catch the aforementioned rain as it ran in rivulets down the aforementioned skylight.

THAT my friends is a good thing...& I am very happy!!

My dad, the best "free" contractor around....sometimes whatever is freshly baked is enough for payment....worked hard all day to repair the roof & close up the skylight.

I'm usually the apprentice I just don't get to do all the technical stuff, I'm more of a hander-upper.

So early this morning we had this on our roof...



Working minutes it looked like this...



Now it looks like this...


Thanks again dad! It's gonna be my job to "finish" the job....cleaning all the dust & debris up tomorrow!

PS: since I had an appointment in our nearest "large" town (re: has a Wal-Mart & more than one fast food restaurant) I did a little thrifting.....will share some fun things soon!

--Jeanette using BlogPress on iPhone

She is the best of times....

She is the worst of times!! Yes, my lovely Lauryn! My first born, my golden haired beauty, my strong willed eldest!!

She can go for days at a time being petulant, moody, oppositional & grotesquely whiney!! Yet the girl has all the lights on, plus a few amped up flashlights if you know what I mean!!

She has brains in her belfry. Illustrious gray matter in her noggin. She's got them there smarts y'all!!!

Lauryn is blessed with many things....she is quite stunning with her blue almond shaped eyes, symmetrical facial features, naturally curly blonde hair.....she has an outgoing personality, odd little sense of humor & smarts from somewhere other than maternal or paternal!!

Golly, that girly is S.M.A.R.T.

We are blessed enough to send her to a private Christian school which not only teaches her her ABC's and 123's, but the beliefs that we hold dear!!

The end of the year is much like any other school! She got her last report card, a printout of how she scored on the National CAT testing and of course the bill!! Everything looked great, well it had been great all year! She'd been on A Honor roll each quarter (95% avg or above in each subject) so nothing new to us!

Then comes Honors Banquet, where all students are recognized for their achievements throughout the year! Yeah Tigers!!!

We were sitting toward the back of the auditorium, due to the nonstop action of the 5 yr old girly!! But we weren't missing a thing!

Imagine with me now.....name, blah, blah, blah, applause.....no disrespect to anyone, it's just fewer words when you "blah" a bunch out!!

Outstanding work by all! Lauryn's name was called & she was given her certificates for music (did you see the penny whistle post?), volleyball (she actually got to play a game this year due to kids being sick & the other school having a young team too), and pins for recognition in each subject that she had the highest % (or GPA).

Ummm, HELLO! 5 PINS!! Heck yeah!! That's my girl!!!




Math, social studies, science, English, and spelling!! Whoooeee!




She had so many things to hang onto, she started dropping them!


Then comes the fun part....trophy time!!
I was back in my seat after rushing up to take pictures of her getting her certificates & pins....

When they said the honors of highest GPA for 1st thru 5th grade levels goes to "Lauryn"!! I decided maybe I should get a pic. Then they said the highest number of PACES (the curriculum is made up of workbooks that are an avg of 25 pages long, each student must complete 3 books in each subject (Lauryn had 7 subjects) each 9 week quarter w/ above 80% on their tests) for the 1st thru 5th grades, "Lauryn"....um yeah! Wait I'm coming for pictures, stay there....




Posing for me....she looked upset about the wait didn't she!?!?

Okay, that's all the excitement a momma can take! I was about to burst my buttons, and NO it was not from the fine dinner we had beforehand!

So the night progresses & many other wonderful students get awards....then some more come Lauryn's way!

Our retired principle still comes to the school everyday & works with the students who may need a little extra help. She is very involved in the group 'Daughters of the American Revolution'. Embarrassing as it is I'm not sure what all this group does, but they are national. Each fall the children are given a topic to write an essay on & draw a stamp. This years topic was "keeping history alive"....I think! Eeep!! Bad mommy....anywhoo, Lauryn won 1st in her grade level for district, state & honorable mention @ national level. I'm pretty impressed & she was given a $10 prize, she was VERY impressed!

The last major award of the night goes to the students who have memorized 8 months of scripture (a passage of about 12-20 verses)! Lauryn received a trophy for that accomplishment too!!

Whew, this has been a lengthy post. I usually try to keep my insanity to a low level...but for reals, this stuff is too good to not share!!

SO CONGRATS LAURYN, you've gone and doned us parental units proud!!!!
















Oh, did I fail to mention Lauryn is 7 and just completed the 3rd grade?!? No? Well, I tried to tell ya the girly is S.M.A.R.T.....she's also a smarty pants (so don't hate, I'll be the first to tell you none of us is perfect)!!

I Love my Lauryn & I'm really excited to see where her smarts will take her in life!!



--Jeanette using BlogPress on iPhone