a friend like that

You know those houses setting out in pastures fallen to bits?  Do they make you want jump out of the pick up, do a belly crawl while trespassing and rummage through it to see what kind of cool treasures you can find?  Well, I do!  I do not trespass, but that's doesn't mean I don't want to!  Not very many people are overly excited to rummage through old houses and barns that are knee deep in poo, dirt and brain eating birds for 100 year old goodies in 100 + degree weather.  Well, I have a friend like THAT, My Running Buddy is just like that!!  I'm blessed with a friend that lives right down the road and though we come from very different worlds, we have a crazy amount of things in common.  It's a blessing and a BLAST!

The house above is a random picture I found, but we've been junk hunting in houses and barns in this condition for weeks now.  We have tracked down people and begged them to let us pilfer in their old run down houses and barns, this is usually followed by a strange look.  I think they join our kids in thinking we drink our bath water, but they have no idea the joy it brings to our hearts to find old crystal door knobs, tin gas cans, galvanized feed buckets and wash tubs, metal lawn chairs, rickety tables, rocking chairs held together with bailing wire, 40 year old coffee cans, family heirloom saddles that are falling to bits, rod iron head and foot boards, the list goes on and on!  We are amazed at all the things people chalk up as trash and we gather in blood, sweat, and tears with HUGE smiles on our faces!

This is a display at My Running Buddy's house, after a hunt or two.

Then yesterday on a leisurely junk hunt scoping out houses we yearned to scavenge, we hit the mother load!  Don't get me wrong we have drug home several pick up loads of adored treasure before yesterdays adventure, but we found diamonds in the rough. When I say rough... I mean ROUGH! 

You see, as we were cruising back roads we came across a house we had our eye on for a while.  So, after we finally got the go ahead and a "there's nothing in there", we found it!  There in this house amongst large holes in the floor, the ceiling caving in on top of us, the plaster from the walls crumbling to the floor, there was two very well built room petitions with trim and molding, drawers and cubbies.  They were beautiful, at least we knew they would be. 

As we inched closer we were bombarded by two enormous brain eating buzzards!!  They were HUGE AND ugly AND stinky AND scary.  They hissed and flapped their wings at us, but we were more determined to gather our treasure than they could ever imagine!  So, My Running Buddy threw paint cans at them as we screamed and yelped, she saved us from the brain eating, 3 feet - NO - maybe 10 feet tall buzzards!!!

We were so excited about our find we could hardly contain ourselves. We had to go home, put our babies down for naps, get our big kids from school and wait for the Dads to get home from work.  After everyone was home, feed, and settled, off we went with our "Emergency Kits" in hand!

We pulled up to the scarier than usual old house in the light of the moon and tore out to collect our goods.  With hammers, saws, and flash lights from our Kits we pounded through the house hoping not to come face to face with any more brain eating buzzards.  Successful at being scarier than them, we were alone in the house with our treasures. 

We worked and hammered AND sweat and worked AND sawed and sweat AND kicked and pushed AND pulled and FINALLY we got one out.  Then the other took the same punishment.  I must say, things are not made the way they use to be!  We got them loaded and set off to gather the other stock piles we had.  By the end of the night we were loaded down with a rocking chair on top, which gave me the urge to bust into song and holler "Y'all come back now ya hear!?". 

AND here it is...The front of one cabinet.

The other, there are also little drawers for the top left hand side.

The back of both and the drawers.

I realize that to most folk this doesn't look like more than a nasty heap of scrap wood, but it's SOO much more!!!  See......

Cool. huh? We moved a door, but it's still awesome!



In the end we get to look at our lovely "trash to treasure" and grin.  Here are a few other finds we have, not so graciously stumbled across.

These are two lawn chairs and an ammo box.

This table was heaped with cow poo and I gave it a make over!



This is my cool wash tub with a drain specked.



Here is my rod iron head board, I have to foot board to match! They were being used as gates.

I replaced my broken bedside lamp globe with this insulator.

OH!! How I love JuNk!!! 

I hope your inspired to make trash into treasure and become a REAL junk Gypsy! 

Peace LOVE & jUnK!,
~C~

kindergarten

As I sit here on this cool summer morning over a cup of coffee, listening to the cows and my babies sleep, I'm reminded that Summer is almost over and Fall is a coming.  Oh how I love Fall, it's time for Friday night football games, the trees turning, time for the scare crows to perch on the porch, and cabbage, mums, and pansies to grace the flower pots. 


This all means it's time for school to start again.  This is a sure sign I'm an old lady, not the young filly I think I am.  Why you ask?  Well, because my baby is going to be in Kindergarten this year.


WWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!  

Yep that precious baby, that looks remarkably like her baby sister is going to Kindergarten.  This in turn means Mama has to get back in the groove of things.  Back to a routine, back to a schedule.  No more letting the girls sleep until 10 o' clock while I enjoy the peace and quite, then getting them up and deciding what to do for the day.  No more day trips to the creek or the ranch.  Nope, I have to be on the ball. 


This isn't all bad you see.  I might be a tiny bit glad she's going back to school to play and learn.  Most of all to run off some of the everlasting energy she seems to burst of.  She has been excited about going back too, which has been exhibiting it's self in her behavior. wheww!!  I'm also a tad OCD and I'm a routine kind of gal.  So, it's a good thing.

We're all ready for school with the supplies and a few new clothes.  I feel that Rylie's bedroom needs a supervised cleaning before I set her off tomorrow... as does under the bed, behind the door, in the closet.  All the hiding places she thinks I've never used before. 

On that note I better get myself up and get to work cleaning the girls room and play room.  I'm gonna get Rylie to help, pray for us both!!!! 


peace, love and the smell of crayons,
~C~

a list.

Following in the steps of a lovely, caring lady in my life, I'm making a list.  A list of things I'm thankful for.  Sometimes I think people are quick to forget what and who they are thankful for.  I'm thankful and I try my best to give praise as often as I think of it.

1.  First and foremost I'm thankful for my little family.  I'm thankful for my loving husband and my precious girls!  I would be nothing with out them.

2.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to be at home with my babies.  I cherish every moment.

3.  I'm thankful for the blessing of living in God's country.  We love it here!

4.  I'm thankful for the friends in my life.  Everyone of them has a special spot in my heart, some are crazy, some are fun, some I need their shoulder to cry on, but the memories and stories never get old!  I can't wait to make many more.  

5.  Our extended family, I'm thankful for.  Although we are not close to them all, they all mean a lot to us. 

6.  Every time I'm able to be horseback or watch My Luvin' Man ranch rodeo and/or cowboy, I'm thankful.  What more could you ask for, than to do what you love.  It's a blessing indeed!

7.  I'm thankful for My Luvin' Man's job and the people he works for and with.  They are good, kind people and I'm thankful he enjoys going into work everyday.


This is only the beginning of all the things I'm thankful for, but it's a good start. 

thankful from the north,
~C~