Saturday, February 26, 2011

"driver pull over, i need to spend more money"



i'm usually not this dressed up when i'm junking (and i don't have a driver), but the message on this card made me laugh because i found it after i decided to make one more stop at the junk store before i left washington state. i was actually hoping i wouldn't find much because i already had my boxes packed up and ready to ship. but a quick sweep through the store couldn't hurt anything, right? well, after packing up two more boxes tonight, i just have to say, hurt never felt so good! either i missed this stuff before, or they had been busy restocking after i left the last time.



i've discovered an important rule of thumb for me. if i see something that catches my eye, whether it's the color, texture, or quirkiness...i need to buy it (if it's priced within reason). because if i don't, 9 times out of 10, i think of a use for it somewhere down the line and kick myself for not getting it. i don't have to know exactly what i'm going to do with it at the time of purchase...it will come. that's my new rule and i'm stickin' to it!



this will be my last blog for a few weeks. we'll be packing up in az and heading back to co for 5 weeks to finish up 2 renovation projects and begin a new one. below is a picture of the new project. built in the late 1800's this will be our new home/store. situated right at 10,000 ft. elevation, victor is an historic mining town that we discovered back in the 80's on vacation. we loved it then and always dreamed of living there. now 30 some years later, this is where we've landed.


120 s. second victor, co 80860
store name t.b.d. i'm open for suggestions!



check back in a few weeks for progress pictures.

Friday, February 25, 2011

"the stuff"



this box is perfect...almost. my husband always hates when i say something we're working on together is perfect. he knows that really means we'll be changing it a few more times. so i try to avoid using that word around him whenever possible...it makes him nervous.
he never objects to me buying "the stuff", he just thinks i should buy it closer to home. he doesn't seem to understand that you can't just stroll into the local walmart and find "the stuff". you have to snatch it up whenever and wherever you can find it...even if that means you have to haul it, ship it, drag it. what he really objects to is when he has to go pick up "the stuff". we made a deal about that last summer...it didn't last long. oh, and this really torques him, when i can't even remember where it was at and i tell him it's somewhere over between this county road and that county road.

he doesn't join me on my treasure hunts very often, but when he does, his typical remark is "just exactly what are you looking for"? geez, he should know better than to ask me that by now. my reply never changes..."i don't know, but i'll know it when i see it".
just look at all the space i still have left in this box. i have 5 more just like it. so let's see, that's 6 x at least $30...hmmm...yep...it's worth it. i love "the stuff".
instructions to me on "the stuff"
Matthew 6:21..."for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"
it really is...just stuff...got it






Wednesday, February 23, 2011

today, after what i'd call a 'skiff' of snow, school is cancelled. what? i guess they've never seen an indiana snow storm. but, it's all good, gives me some extra time with niece and nephew. however, i AM bummed that my spa treatment, so generously provided by my sister, is also cancelled. other than that, i don't mind being snowed in...i have boxes to pack. i think i can get everything safely packed for shipping...except the grungy blue stool. i wonder if the airline would let me take it onboard and set on it in the aisle if i promised to strap in tight, or maybe the pilot would like to use it (he might have the "j" chromosome). i could say it's a new type of floatation device. i promise you, i'll find a way to get it home!

i'm starting to have a reality check as i look at all my acquisitions. this is seriously alot of stuff! one of my good friends, linda eshelman, always said i jumped into things up to my elbows. i'd say i'm in alot higher than that at the moment. and right now, i'm sure my sister is looking at this from her hotel room in las vegas and shaking her head. guess i might as well 'fess up'...this is only half of it.




galations 5:22-23 "but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and SELF CONTROL."
i don't like that one. obviously i need it.
getting to the heart of the matter...
yesterday while junking, this vintage container caught my eye. i loved the color, texture and especially the black vinyl handle. it will make a great wine bottle holder or some other, unyet thought of, necessity. stored inside were a bunch of old hair rollers that went straight to the trash. but then suddenly, the "j" chromosome (junk ?, judy ?, Jesus ? not sure which) screamed "wait...back up the waste management truck!" the very thought of coiled wire inside the hair rollers caused me to begin to salivate! so I dug them out of the trash...off with the black mesh and out with the bristles to reveal the sought after precious wire...and i love them! they will probably end up on a Christmas tree, embellished with sparkle or other glitz. they will definitely be schmaltzy! i thought i was done, when again, the "j" chromosome began to speak.."what about the lowly bristles?" so i dug deeper into the trash, and after giving them great consisderation, i began to see vintage 'bottle trees'. out came the scissors and with a few snips, they were transformed into little trees...love them too! i'm holding off on emptying the trash, just in case the "j" chromosome speaks again about the black mesh.


1 Samuel 16:7..."God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart"



thank you, Lord, for letting me have wire coils AND bottle brush trees as a bonus!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011


what do you call a person who flies to her sister's house to house/kid sit with only a carry on bag, goes junk shopping and comes back with a van full? fully committed! plus...i did find room to squeeze the kids in...so thoughtful of me. i can pack more stuff into a square inch than anyone else i know, but there's no way i'm getting all this in a carry on bag. so tomorrow i'll be out hunting for very large boxes to ship in. but after all, how could i pass up this grungy stool? come on...it has wire on it!!! as i was bringing it in for its glamour shot, my niece looked at it and asked if i was going to paint it. uhhh...NO!!! she obviously doesn't have the junk chromosome.

Monday, February 21, 2011

whether it's chicken wire, barbed wire or wire nuts, i'm always finding something to rework. And now that i mention wire nuts, it reminds me of an off the wall 'cheer' we did in high school. it went something like this...nuts and bolts, bolts and nuts, we've been screwed! i guess that's why i got kicked off the squad. but back to wire and being wired. from my earliest memories, i was always trying to make something better, more organized, more useful. so it's high time i accept my lot in life and get on with it. no matter how i try to curb my appetite for junk, everywhere i look...there it is. it jumps in my car and takes over every seat except the drivers...and sometimes, it even tries to crowd me out. so it is with great anticipation that i embark on yet another adventure. more to come on that as it unfolds, but for right now, let's just say i'm 'preparing'...

proverbs 31:16 "she considers a field and buys it..."
proverbs 31:17 "she sets about her work vigorously..."
proverbs 31:28 "her children arise and call her a mess...oops...blessed"

thank you Lord for letting me have fun today!