frugal friday finds

Have you seen all the burlap runners featured on your favorite decorating blogs and web sites? Google and see for yourself. It's quite overwhelming. Well I wanted to make one so bad and knew I had some burlap buried in a bin in the garage and after several attempts to uncover it, I gave up... only to score several yards at a thrift store last week with plans to do just that.

But then... I found this.

OH. MY. GOSH. I was stunned. It's even more beautiful than your run-of-the-mill burlap runner. It's got these nubby clumps of fringe scattered about. (Double click the pic to enlarge) I had to wonder if it was some sort of silk blend scarf, although it's rather rough & coarse like burlap.

Anyway, it's the perfect size & length for my farmhouse table. And I love its one-of-a-kind uniqueness. And if it falls apart when I finally hand wash it, I will have only spent $2.99.

I don't know about you, but I am wild about anything with words and phrases and numbers. So these next finds made me so happy. Found the It's Time To Dine apron for a dollar at Tiedemann's Family Thrift- you know, my favorite little thrift store.
Notice the tiny metal sign that says Dinner is ready when the alarm goes off~ 30 cents on clearance at Marshall's. Too cute. Too true.


And now to my 2nd best find in July. (my Longeberger purse was #1)
I have seen this 24X24" canvas print several times over the past couple years and never dreamed I'd own my very own. I am all over lemons and dreams and cute little ampersands, so you can imagine my delight!

~It'll Cost Nothing to Dream & Everything Not To~

Found it for $5.00 at the ARC in Tempe. I know! I went on eBay HERE and about had a cow when I saw what they're selling for!

Let's link up to my favorite parties-
~ SHOW & TELL FRIDAY
~ FRUGALICIOUS FRIDAY
~ GARAGE SALEN PARTAY
~ FRUGAL FRIDAY

whimsical wedding idea

Can you believe how couples are incorporating vintage in weddings these days! Well, this idea beats all. You can read all about the wedding on my friend Heidi's blog.


"Steph's main color was a lovely aqua blue. She found the neatest vintage typewriter in the perfect shade of aqua and used it for the sign-in table."


"Guests were encouraged to type a bit of advice for the new couple."

I can see how the bride could then input the type-written advise throughout her wedding scrapbook.

What a whimsical way to engage your guests! Love the idea.

Cozy Cottage Camping

We ended up taking our cozy cottage travel trailer up north three times this month, after it sat in our driveway for 8 months. And we're having so much fun! Yesterday after church we quickly gathered our gear, our dog Koda and headed for the cool country.


It was 113 degrees when we left the Valley and when we arrived at the Rim above Payson, it was a cool 63 degrees! I know. Pure. Bliss.




By noon today, it was pouring rain. We spent the morning hiking and exploring the other camp sites, so we were more than ready to hunker down and relish the rain pelting down. Love that sound.



My husband's a pastor, so his day-off is Monday. Which makes for an easy 24 hour get-away. You see, most of the camp sites clear out by the time we arrive Sunday in the late afternoon, so we're more apt to snag a prime site. And when we head home on Monday, there is very little traffic coming down the mountain. And trust me, you don't want to get behind us. Yes, we've become that 'vehicle' you hate to get behind in a long line of weekend traffic. So coming back on a Monday is nice... for everyone :)

I love spending time with this guy.

Love looking down on the ever-changing cloud formations hovering over the expansive stand of Ponderosa pine at the edge of the Rim.

The stand stretching from Flagstaff along the Mogollon rim to the White Mountains is reportedly the largest continuous stand of Ponderosa Pine on the continent. (quote taken from THIS article)

When we finally left the Rim it was 59 degrees. Although we were dreading the heat, we felt refreshed, renewed and ready for whatever the week holds. Bring it on.

Click HERE to read the story about how we found our cozy cottage on wheels.

Longaberger purse

Let me set up the story.
Years ago my Mom bought my sister Ginny the Longaberger purse for her birthday, back in the 80's. And it has bugged me ever since.
Ok, I'm kidding.
Well, sorta.
Anyway, I have wanted one ever since. Finding my Kate Spade basket purse at a yard sale for $5.00 helped a little. Probably my best deal to date. You can read the story HERE. But that was short lived. I was still on the look-out for a Longaberger purse.


So a couple weeks ago I stumble, and I mean literally stumble upon the purse of my dreams at my other favorite thrift/junk store, the ARC in Tempe. It's 1 PM on Sat. half-off day and there it is, in the middle of the isle. Are you kidding me! Why is this discontinued 1990 Longaberger purse STILL in the store, ON THE FLOOR!! Well I know... and you know. It was waiting for ME!
I paid $4.00 and was out the door... before someone could tap me on the shoulder and explain that they had set the basket on the floor while retrieving their wild kids that were running all over the store.
I'm just saying... I mean it could have happened.

But there's more to the story. Isn't there always?
So I knew I wanted a protector so I could actually use it and not risk damaging the basket. I google and find one on eBay. THE actual Longaberger protector for this very basket for $8.00. Brand new. YEH!
End of story.

Linky parties-
~ SHOW OFF YOUR STUFF PARTY
~ SHOW AND TELL FRIDAY
~ FRUGAL FRIDAY
~ FRUGALICIOUS FRIDAY
~ FRIDAY FUN FINDS

Camping w/ Koda

Is there anything sweeter than a boy and his dog?
Well, this camping trip was all about taking Koda with us... and getting out of 113 degree temps... and finding rain. And it was a complete success on every level! Koda was a dream to travel with and loved sleeping under our bed in the cozy cottage. The weather was near perfect. And we found rain, just before packing up to come home. Good thing, cuz we weren't coming home till we did.


Isn't our Koda Pop the sweetest? We love her so much and knew how sad she has been without her pal Wiley, so we thought we'd take her on her very first camping trip to the Rim Country.


We kept her on a chain the first day, but then realized she was not going to leave our side, especially her master's side. She adores Randy!


We love the Mogollon Rim about as much as we love the Grand Canyon. And that's saying ALOT! You can't imagine how beautiful the vistas are along the Rim. And it changes hourly as the sun casts shadows that give it even more grandeur.


Check out this sandstone slab that was stuck in the roots of this tree and hanging over the edge of the rim!


I don't even want to know how someone had the guts to carve initials on the stone.


My sweet man and his dog.


Camp fires and charcoal fires are prohibited because of all the wildfires throughout Arizona, so we cooked our meals on the Coleman stove that came with our cozy cottage.


What's camping without bacon sizzling in a fry pan? Like pointless. And Koda could not agree more!


Can you believe we found these camping chairs at Sam's, and they matched our cottage perfectly! The little tables are so handy dandy.


My favorite picture of the whole weekend. Love our Koda. Click all the pics to enlarge, but especially this one.


Koda was terrified when we took her to Woods Canyon Lake. The water lapping up on shore was so scary to her.


And then... how do I say this... this strange phenomenon occurred. Rain. YES, RAIN! We couldn't believe it! We were like little kids as the thunder roared in the distance, knowing we were about to experience RAIN while snuggled inside our cozy cottage. Folks, dreams really do come true! It was heavenly.


And when it was over, the colors were even more vivid and the scenery more breathtaking. We were in awe of God's creation.


The perfect ending to a perfect weekend get-away.


And we were ready to go home.

Cath Kidston oil cloth

I finally found a use for the Cath Kidston oil cloth that I bought while visiting our daughter in England a year ago. Do you remember me telling you about entering the Cath Kidston store in Bath and literally shaking I was so excited?! Well you can read all about that memorable moment HERE. Anyway, that precious piece of oil cloth has finally found a home... draped over the darling table & chairs set that Randy & I found last weekend at a yard sale for $15.00! I know!


And just when I thought I couldn't love it any better, I find this set of dishes on clearance at Target last night for $10.00! And yes, the set came with four goblets, real metal flatware and red gingham cloth napkins! (that happen to match the apron that Mrs. McGillicutty is wearing) And the raspberry red plates match the oil cloth roses perfectly. (Double click and see for yourself) Again I was shaking, I was so happy! Randy & I could hardly wait to set the table this morning and anticipate all the meals we will share with our granddaughters in the very near future.


You see, that's the coolest part about the table & chairs set, they are so solid that we can actually sit with her and share a meal while sipping juice from the crystal clear goblets. Ok, so they're plastic, but Emolyn will think they're real. And that's all that matters.

Family Camp~ Part 2

SUNDAY, 4th of JULY


4th of July was a day filled with celebrations! We had worship outside overlooking the meadow, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Col.3:16) So amazing!



In fact, there was a moment during worship when I was so overcome with emotion watching my husband and our son leading us in worship. God is so faithful to guide each of our children on their own personal journey of faith. I am so proud of Shawn... as a son, a husband, a daddy and a faithful servant.


Then we gathered at the creek for baptisms. Oh my gosh, talk about the ultimate celebration!



Finally~ Western Night! What a fun way to celebrate families and friendships! Thanks Kelsie~ PINKERTON PHOTOGRAPHY, for taking all the family photos and the group shot below. What a wild & crazy bunch of family campers!



Emolyn is getting so excited for their little family to expand. Her baby sister is due 10/10/10! I can't believe how fast it is going. Of course we're praying the baby goes full-term and is born healthy. Emolyn came 7 weeks early, weighing 2 lbs. 7 oz... but very healthy!


Nicole & Emolyn ~ Kelsie & Rori ~ Meredith & Jack


We ended the festivities with a hayride... singing patriotic songs as we made our way around Mountain Meadow Camp. I couldn't help but snap a pic of our cozy cottage as we passed by. She was manufactured in 1976, the year of our Nations bicentennial birthday. So as you can see, she is very patriotic!

Family Camp~ Part 1

We made it! Oh my gosh, I can't even begin to tell you how special these past 4 days have been. Our cozy cottage on wheels got us to Family Camp @ Mountain Meadow Camp near Christopher Creek in 2 hours. I was euphoric. And cooled off! I mean come on, it was the road trip of my dreams. After 8 months we finally got our Travette travel trailer out on the road and she did not disappoint. SO cozy, cute and comfy!


Emolyn calls our cozy cottage "Mimi's house". And her cousin Nora, Nora's friend Hannah and Emolyn happened to be our first house guests after we got settled in.


Mountain Meadow Camp is so rustic. One of the prettiest settings in all of Arizona. We parked our little cottage mere feet from this historic bridge over Christopher Creek.


Have I ever told you how much I love creeks and rivers? Well Christopher Creeks happen to be one of my very favorites.


The first thing I thought when I saw this stack of firewood... photo shoot with the pretty princess!

Emolyn was singing Jesus loves me during our photo shoot.

... they are weak, but He is STRONG!

YEEEES, Jesus loves me!

... the Bible tells me so. Oh man, I love her to pieces.

And I love this man too.

What is it about moss that is so intriguing? I love the varied texture of moss to rocks... and the blue sky reflecting off the crystal clear water.

And these yellow flowers were everywhere.

Stay tuned. Part 2 coming soon.