damaged goods

I like damaged goods. I am all over those clearance aisles filled with less-than-perfect items. They actually have more character... they've shown they can last, endure... they've proven they have longevity.
And to be perfectly honest, I am not comfortable with shiney, new things. Really... they make me nervous. When will they show their true colors? Will they be able to withstand some wear 'n tear? And I find myself thinking "someone please put me out of my misery and ding the dang thing!" I really feel that way. And I know me, I would be so weird about wanting it to stay new, to stay perfect. I wouldn't want the kids to sneeze near it, much less touch it! So we just never bought anything new... except of course mattresses and pillows and such. As a result, I was ok with my kids applying the usual wear 'n tear cuz well, it sorta started that way anyway and we didn't pay much... and that's a good thing, right?!

So I was at Hobby Lobby the other day and I found this... one of the hooks was off, the screws missing and the wood, pretty beat up... which made it all the more charming and shabby and chic! Retail $49.99, I paid $10.00! All the vintage gingham aprons were found at my little thrift store for a dollar each. Check out the detailed handwork.


Can you believe it! I found this at Goodwill for $1.49! The glass was so dirty, buttons were missing and the sewing notions were not adhered to the fabric anymore. But look at that Penney's pattern! Clic the pic, cuz it says that "Buttons and Bows" was a hit song from the Paramount Picture "Pale-face" starring Bob Hope and Jane Russell!! Can you believe it! They named apron patterns after hit songs!!! And the ric rac has a 10 cents price tag! Someone lovingly framed these vintage sewing notions and then for whatever reason, discarded it. And now it's mine to preserve with love. I have always wanted to frame vintage sewing notions too! So my plan is to reposition the notions and add some more that I have and glue on more buttons and change out the fabric backing to... maybe a yellow gingham. I will be sure to post pics when the project is completed. In the mean time, I will continue to rescue and repurpose discarded damaged goods. It's what I do.

the dog days of summer

So what's new on the home front?
Well, we'll start with Shawn... he's loving his job at the Apple Store. In fact, he had his first brush with fame... the other day he sold two iPhones to Amare Stoudemire of the PHOENIX SUNS!! Check out his official website ! What a cool site!
Shawn's wife Nicole is starting her new job as an ER nurse at Good Sam this Monday. She has been working for the past three years as an ICU nurse at Thunderbird Banner. She's looking forward to all the exciting, new challenges and I am sure will have some fascinating stories to share.
Miranda is enjoying her job as an instructor at the Arizona School of Message Therapy in Tempe. She loves her students, decorating her apartment, Netflix and reading... oh and she is counting the days when the new Harry Potter book comes out so her and her Dad can read the entire book together. They have read every book out loud together. And me... well, I have never read nor seen the Harry Potter movies. So I just don't get all the hype.
Tyler is working full time for FLOOR & DECOR in Tempe. He's pretty excited that he gets paid to 'work out', carrying all those heavy boxes of tile. Just wanted to point out that his name means tile maker/ tile layer... sorta weird, huh.
And it's hot... real hot! So we do what most of you do in the winter... we hibernate, we become housebound. Cuz there is nothing worse than getting back in a HOT vehicle! My exercise program you ask... parking my van wherever I can find a piece of shade, even if I have to walk a REAL long ways. And it makes my kids so mad, but they thank me when we get back to a somewhat tolerable van! Oh, the joys of living in the desert.
So I will leave you with this.


Tyler took this awesome picture a year ago while we were hiking near Horn Peak. We were at a Horn Creek family camp near Westcliffe, Colorado. The camp is at 9000 ft. and it's cool and beautiful and Randy and I leave to go back there in three weeks and we can hardly wait!!

cottage hankies

Do you not love these pics! I wish I could claim this lovely cottage bedroom as my very own but well... maybe in my dreams. But I did get permission from Cindy @ My Romantic Home to post these lovely pics, to show you what she did with her vintage hanky collection! I love the look! And I AM going to do the same with all my hankies! Can't wait to get started! Thanks for the inspiration Cindy! Oh and be sure to check out her awesome blog!

recycled purse

Look what I found for my friend Nancy's birthday!!! A RECYCLED PURSE! Ok, a few months back I read about a company that makes recycled purses from license plates and old bottle caps and of course I thought they were so cool. So I'm walking through Saver's last week and look down and there it was! An OHIO license plate purse!! And my friend grew up in Ohio and oh my gosh, it was an actual Little Earth recycled purse that retails for $59.00 and I got it for $4.99!! I was sooo excited! Come on, what are the chances?!
Happy Birthday Nancy! Her and Terry hosted a wonderful, yummy dinner party on Saturday night with a group of friends that have known each other for over 25 years, to celebrate my dear friend Nancy's 7x7 birthday on 07/07/07!!

pegged artwork

When I was planning my craft room, I knew I wanted a wall filled with colorful tote bags hanging on pegs. What I ended up hanging from those pegs were little girl straw bags and such. You have got to go down the isle at your local Savers and check out the little girl's purse section! And here's the kicker, most of them have the original tags on them, because they are given as gifts and never used. They are so bright and colorful and so artsy cutsy! I mixed in a couple small baskets filled with vintage millinery flowers to add even more texture. Ok, so the bustier pink floral purse was found at a yard sale for 50 cents! Come on, how could I NOT add that to my pegged artwork!

America, The Beautiful

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The addition of the phrase "under God" was added to the Pledge in 1954 by President Eisenhower. Check out the story on Wikipedia.

President Eisenhower felt strongly "that these words [“under God”] will remind Americans that despite our great physical strength we must remain humble. They will help us to keep constantly in our minds and hearts the spiritual and moral principles which alone give dignity to man, and upon which our way of life is founded."

Wow, I did not know that story. I was just looking up the Pledge of Allegiance to make sure I spelled the words right... and found out a whole lot more.

Have a happy & safe Independence Day Celebration!

let us not forget

A year ago when we were back visiting my family in WI, we took my parents on a roadtrip. We stopped for breakfast near the little town of Cadott and happened upon a very touching memorial to the events of 9/11. I was once again reminded that the pain of that day brought our country together in a way that I pray will remain... that memorials like this will never let us forget those lives that were senselessly taken that day.

I was also reminded, as I watched my Dad staring at the Memorial, that WWII had ended soon after he joined the Army in 1944 and that is when ~ "Eisenhower ordered every unit not in the battle line to be brought to see the horrors of the camps scattered about Germany". Eisenhower wanted the soldiers to SEE what he knew the world would not believe, when they heard about what had happened in those concentration camps. My Dad was one of those servicemen. I can't imagine what he witnessed...

A few years ago my brothers took my Dad to see the Holocaust Museum in Washinton D.C. My Dad saw a particular picture and told my brothers that he was there the day that picture was taken. Some women overheard him telling his sons the events of that day when dignitaries and soldiers came to that camp. My brothers and these women were in awe as they heard my Dad tell of that experience, that happened some 60 years ago, that we had never known before... and that we, as a Nation, will hopefully never forget.

let freedom ring

This week I will be posting some of my favorite photos with our nation's flag. We always had a flag waving from a flag pole on our family farm in WI... always. In fact many of those flags throughout the years had been flown from our nation's capitol before we recieved it. Yes, you can buy a flag that has first flown from the Capitol. How cool is that! I remember taking down our flag each night if there was a threat of rain and raise it back up in the morning. My Dad is a very patriotic man that served in World War II, so the flag was always a big deal and still is. Randy & I are proud to have a flag at our home too.


Every single time we go back to the farm, Randy and our son Tyler climb the 90 foot Harvestor Silo the morning we head back to Phoenix. You can see our van, packed and ready to go, and Tyler and Randy on top of the silo. I was always too nervous to watch them climb up and climb down, so I would wait for them to get to the top and then take their picture. No, I have never done it and chances are, I never will.

cupcake*iPhone*madness

I love anything CUPCAKE! What is it about CUPCAKES? And I am not even a cake-lover. But I love a pretty cupcake. Maybe cuz they are so small and cute and covered with creamy, fluffy nostalgia. That's it, you know... they take us back to our childhood.
I found this little cupcake stand at Mervyn's on clearance for two dollars and it's on the orange tray that I got at IKEA for 99 cents. I am loving orange these days. What's with that!

So some marketing genius came up with this idea to market a bottle of wine and call it "Cupcake Chardonnay". Come on, now who wouldn't want a bottle of this sitting on your counter! I fell for it... and it's available at Cost Plus.

Don't know if I told you, but our son Shawn who just graduated from ASU got a job at the Apple Store in Phoenix. And because we have not been to see him at his job and we kinda want to see all the iPhone hoopla and they are open till midnite, we're going tonight! Should be quite the setting for some crazy photo ops!

my job

Some of you have asked about my new job. So I thought I'd fill you in. First of all, I love my job! They handed me a check today and I was like... you mean I get paid to do this!
I am so grateful every morning as I drive the 30 minute commute to my job because I can't believe I get to do what I do!
It is so much more than being the receptionist for the church I have attended since the week that Randy and I were engaged in Feb. of 1979. I love this place... this community of grace we call Open Door Fellowship. I get to see so many that I love and I get to serve them and answer the phones and help the various ministries in any way I can and best of all, the staff is so fun and awesome! And because our church happens to be in a very congested, busy part of Phoenix ( oh and a half a mile from one of the "top ten most dangerous intersections in the nation"! )... well, we get needy, drug-addicted, mentally ill, homeless people in our offices every day. And the stories are heartbreaking. And I get sad... and mad... and feel so helpless. We offer them what we can... knowing it's not enough. And I pray I will not grow weary and heartless to their plight but that I will be an encouragement to them with kind and loving words.

So, how about a little, light-hearted story that happened a couple of weeks ago. It was VBS week on our church campus.
Ok, let me back up 25 years... my last job was the music teacher and cook at a preschool, the five years prior to Shawn's birth. But I was also the resident "tooth-puller" those five years. And a mighty darn good one I might add. Never made a kid cry in all those years. Well, word must have gotten out... cuz that week of VBS, I was called out of a meeting, and there stood the sweetest, saddest little girl. Our Children's Pastor explained to me that this little girl was sad cuz her tooth needed to be pulled... so I knelt down and pulled it... umm, more like the tooth fell onto the tissue as I reached in to pull it. The little girl, who btw, did not even know me, gave me the biggest smile and the biggest hug! I walked back into my meeting and yelled out "I'm back! I still got it!" Seriously, I was in tears... that I would be so blessed to have made a little girl so happy by pulling her tooth. Come on, how many of you get paid to do that!!

So, I am the receptionist and I also input updated information for each member of our church on FileMakerPro, while I am answering the phones. And I work Tuesday, Wed. and Thursday. And I love my job.

vintage scale & apron

Randy and I were teaching at a Marriage Retreat over the weekend. So nice to get out of town and out of the heat! These retreats are always such a blessing... when we set aside the time to concentrate on our marriage. And speaking of marriage, our son Shawn and his wife Nicole are celebrating 3 years of marriage today! What a darling couple they are!


Yes, another apron with XL ric rac from my little vintage thrift store. Over the years I have filled my vintage scale ($25.00 at a yard sale) with my various collections. When my sister was here we emptied it with plans to refill it... but for now, this apron will do.

my vintage aqua phone

YES! SHE'S MINE! 

 That AQUA phone right up there is mine! And I still can't believe it! 

OK, just calm down and tell the story...

Well, one of my favorite people in all the world... who happens to be my husband's best friend... and happens to be the teaching Pastor at our church (what a gifted communicator of Truth)... and happens to be an author (check this book out)... and happens to be responsible for getting me started in acting (yes, he's an actor too)... and happens to be married to my dear friend Stacey... and well, he just so happens to have the coolest phone ever... that happens to be AQUA... that I happened to mention that I LOVED... and then guess what happened? 

HE GAVE ME THAT PHONE!!! 

SERIOUSLY, HE GAVE ME THAT AQUA PHONE!!! 

John called me into his office as I was getting ready to leave work today 

and just gave it to me! Just like that.

Isn't she a beauty and she works perfectly and has the sweetest, vintage ring and makes me smile every time I walk into my sewing room. 

And yes, she's a 'she'. Don't know why, but she is.

John, thank you! THANK YOU! 

I am forever grateful!

Randy & I sure love doing life with you and Stacey!

I want...

this.

Hey, a girl can dream can't she! Isn't she a beauty! Oh and for only a cool $50,000! That's more than the first home Randy and I bought in 1983! Be sure to check out the Shady Dell RV Resort in Bisbee, AZ!!! And then click on trailers & rates. Oh my gosh, the cutest place ever!
Anyway, I am itching to hit the road! Have I told you how happy I am when traveling? Giddy happy! Crazy happy! I don't read or look through magazines or sleep. I don't want to miss a single thing! You know, those interesting cloud formations, old dilapidated windmills, an Airstream cruising along, a yard sale or thrift store, a thunderstorm building in the distance, weird license plates, fields of corn and alfalfa or an Amish family in a horse pulled buggy.
And we always play the license plate game... finding all 50 states! We have never found all 50 in a single trip. So, I got one question... do any of you folks in Rhode Island or West Virginia ever go on vacation?!

happy things

Several of you bloggers are posting your 'happy things'. It made me think about what is making me happy at the moment. Oh, I know, happiness is only fleeting. It comes and goes. And what I really desire most is that peace, joy and contentment, that is not dependant on my circumstances but rather on the knowledge that the Lord is always in control and always with me and that I am loved unconditionally just the way I am, no matter what. But having said that, I do love my happy things! So here goes...


My friend Kathy gave me these miniature sewing items this week. I about cried! I actually learned to sew on that very same Singer machine! Ok, only larger. And I now own the smallest pin cushion in the world! And I would have sooo picked out those very bolts of fabric! What a precious gift Kathy! You're the best! (the dime is to show just how tiny!)


Ok, so when I knew I would be taking my Mac to my new job three days a week, thus began my search for the perfect laptop tote bag. My daughter-in-law Nicole suggested Ross and Marshalls. Here's what I found... a Nine West computer tote bag with a padded sleeve for my 15" Mac and get this... $140.00 retail... for only $19.99!! Yes, twenty dollars!! And it's perfect for my computer mouse, cords, wallet, water bottle, cell phone, magazines, etc! And, well, I look so darn cool!


My precious Koda makes me soooo happy! She brings so much joy to our home and family. Look at that sweet face! TOOO CUTE!


Our friends Rand & Michele grow the sweetest tomatoes! And the tiny yellow pear tomatoes are my very favorite!! Yesterday at work I made the mistake of biting into one, rather than popping the whole thing in my mouth... yup, juices all over my pants!

I am really jazzed about my new lamp! Why? Cuz I paid only $2.99 at Saver's!!! I already had the shade and had been looking for a taller lamp. I looked everywhere- Ross, TJMax, Marshalls, IKEA, Kirkland and Target... and it was at Saver's all along! YES! I was one happy shopper!

I won

all this!

Natasha's blog is one of my favorites! I mean, come on, Rickrack and Ribbon! The name alone won me over! Go visit her, she will be your new best friend! Anyway, she came upon the "mother load" of all thrifty fabric finds! Tons of vintage fabric! So she had a drawing and I won the coveted 'Holly Hobby' fabric and OOOH, soooo much more! Natasha, you are so sweet and generous! Do you know that I have loved Holly Hobby forever! And my goodness, the buttons and the orange ric rac! And you package everything so darn cute! Thank you!!

containing treasures

I am always on the lookout for fun, unusual containers to house my fun, unusual collections! Like for instance... my dice, my packaged ric rac, cards of buttons, bits of yarn, colorful beads, wooded spools of thread and my IKEA cording. Thinking outside the box will enable you to repurpose an old sugar jar for the IKEA cording, a favorite Pyrex bowl for the buttons, a green pasta drainer for my spools of thread and a wire basket (25 cents) for my packaged ric rac.

Oh, I gotta share one of my favorite unusual container stories. My sister-in-law put a gorgeous floral arrangement in a old white enamel bed pan! Her husband's a nurse!
Do you house a collection in unusual containers? Oh please, do share!

this & that

Mrs. McGillicutty is sporting a thrifted gingham apron trimmed with gigantic ric rac. She's looking ready to 'rock 'n sew'! Did you notice the colored melamine cups on my little galvanized cupboard? Found all ten cups in a bag at Saver's for two dollars. They were missing their matching saucers, which was fine with me. Love that stacked look.



Have you seen these 13"x13" trays at IKEA? I loved their design, especially the aqua one, but was unwilling to pay $5.99. They went down to $3.99 and I snagged an aqua one and an orange one. Heck, they may be even cheaper by now! I like that you can use them as you work on a scrap page... or any craft project that you need to move around the house.

*** GUESS WHAT?? I just got back from IKEA and they are now 99 cents!! YES, 99 cents!!

Went to Ross the other night and found this darling little dish drainer for $3.50. Isn't it so cute and handy. You could fill it with picture packets, fat-quarters, scrap embellishment packets, sewing notions, vintage salad plates. What else? Help me out.
Randy took the old red metal clock apart so it wouldn't run like a Mac truck! Seriously, it was sooo loud! Now it's as quiet as a mouse and runs like a... clock!

it's official

I'm a working girl! And I'm having sooo much fun! Is that wrong?! Well, I'm loving my job, my boss, the staff and everyone that comes through the door. At one point I was telling someone that I love being here, and this sweet gal that was waiting to talk to the staff about new phones said "I love being here! You hug everyone that comes through the door!"
Miranda and Shawn even came to go out to lunch and celebrate with Randy and I. Did I feel all grown up or what! Oh and a HUGE thank you to my dear husband for my new banner! Come on now, a new job and a new banner on the same day!

vintage chenille

I found these three chenille bedspreads at Saver's half-off Memorial Day Sale! I couldn't believe they were still there when my sister and I finally got to the store. I paid $4.00 for the full size yellow, $4.00 for the full-size pink and $2.00 for the twin-size blue. They are all in perfect condition!



And then during the week I found these two chenille pillows at Goodwill for $3.99 each. They are like new, perfectly white. And they will stay that way. Cuz...


... look where I put them! High atop my hutch in the guest room with the chenille Easter basket from Target and my chenille bunny I got at a thrift store for a dollar. Loving all my fluffy chenille!


When Randy & I married in 1979 we were given a homemade tied quilt made from two sheets. It is without a doubt the softest blanket we own and my three kids have fought over who gets to use it for years. You know what I'm talking about, those wonderful vintage sheets from the 60's & 70's that we are all starting to collect because they are sooo soft & dreamy. Well, I recently found that exact pattern in a top sheet and three pillow cases at two different thrift stores AND in excellant condition! In all these years I had never seen that pattern. Gotta love it when your favorite bedding comes together after 28 years!

25 years ago...

I worked outside the home for the last time. 25 years ago our firstborn son Shawn was born and I have been a full-time Mom ever since. For the past 25 years I have poured my life into being a wife to Randy, Mom to Shawn (25), Miranda (22) & Tyler (18) and being a homemaker. And I have loved every moment. Ok, not every single moment, but you know what I mean.


When Randy and I got married we talked about my staying home when we had children. Both of our Mom's were stay-at-home Mom's, so we were ready and willing to sacrifice whatever it would take for me to stay home with the kids till they were all out of school. I did not want to look back one day and have regrets. I just knew FOR ME, I needed to stay home with my kids. Anyway, looking back on those early years, so much of who I am today was formed as Randy & I entered fulltime ministry and started our family and began totally trusting the Lord to meet our every need. And let me tell you, it wasn't always easy. There were many lean years that to this day I don't know how we managed. So many stories, so many miracles. Someday I will tell them.
I was 'forced' to shop second hand and yard sales (ok, not really, I have always loved yard sales!). We intentionally settled on a lifestyle that would not put us in debt. In our 28 years of marriage Randy & I have paid interest on a home and a vehicle... but we have never had any other debt. In saying these things, I am in no way making any kind of statement. These were OUR own personal convictions. I am humbled as I look back on how the Lord provided and cared for our little family. Beyond humbled... and forever grateful.

Well, last week our third-born Tyler graduated from high school and well, my career as a full-time Mom is over. Did you hear what I said? My "career" as a full-time Mom is over. I will always be a Mom forever & ever... but well, more like Mom-On-Call. You know, always willing and ready to be there and to do whatever, whenever I am needed.

Soooo, now what? Well... I am starting a part-time job at our church next week and just between you and me, I am kinda nervous. No, lota nervous! But excited too. And who do you suppose my boss is... ya, my husband! That should be interesting. No, he's so fun and cute and awesome. How can I not want to be there! I will keep you posted.