Welcome November!

Since my September 1st post, life has been a whirlwind. My sister helped her partner drive their belongings to their new home in Oregon. She left him and their kitty there, and flew back to finish out her job and clear the apartment. She spent the last couple weeks in our home. Then before out flying to start her new life in Oregon, we went through a lot of her stuff that didn't make the trip, she helped me organize my front room and I decided what to keep and what should now go, we held a big yard sale which did really well, then we filled boxes of leftover items to be donated. It was fun having her here. We had a lot of late night talks, a lot of laughter, and a few tears. It was a special time. I plan to visit them next spring or summer, God willing.

I've continued doing my morning journal writing for the Grow Me A Story class. It's called Sowing Seeds. I just put down whatever comes to mind. It's a great exercise to clear the mind and to jot down creative ideas. I'm posting daily on Instagram as part of a 90 Days of Autumn Awareness activity. It's been challenging and fun! I'm working on setting some weekly writing goals, which will include posting more often on this blog. Until then...

July Activites

July has been a busy month so far. It occurred to me, I completely dropped the ball on my June Prompts so I went to take a look at the ones I hadn't used. I picked the following, for June 30th, to do today.

Describe an activity that reminds you of your childhood summers.

My childhood summers were filled with so many activities, but one I loved back then and still love today was shopping at yard sales. There was something exciting about piling into mom's car, heading down the road watching for signs, and quickly pulling into a parking spot. We all had some spending money and would begin searching the tables for a special treasure to take home. You never knew what you would find. A new book, a pretty doll, a board game, a cassette tape. Sometimes I'd find a new piece of clothing. Well, new to me and that was fun! I remember getting a Beatles cassette and mom discovering a song that was not appropriate, so she made me tape over that section with something else. I still get the same feeling of excitement when I spot a yard sale sign. 

So, that's my take on the June 30th prompt. It was written in 5 minutes without editing. I'm not even allowing myself the luxury of checking for spelling and punctuation errors. So there it is, though I really wanted to change those last two lines. They just didn't read well to me. That's part of the challenge, to just write.

This particular prompt fit with my most recent activity. We got our yard sale behind us and had a lot of fun doing it. We sold a lot of small items. My sister brought over some magazines and comic books which surprisingly sold very well. I neglected to take photos of the sale, except for a few items.

Cherished Teddy, Hannah

Tooth Fairy Box

Angel Box

Vintage Magazines

The best part of having the sale was visiting with the variety of people who stopped to shop. Each person was on the hunt for treasures. Some browsed with nothing particular in mind, just enjoying the process of seeing what jumped out at them. Others were on the search for a specific type of item. I was asked for Pyrex, video games, and Pokemon cards for example. The day was warm, but a nice breeze kept us from feeling the heat too much. It was a fun way to spend a day!

Yard Sale, Photos, Internet

Life has been busy. The yard sale went well, but I still have a garage filled with small "treasures" needing new homes. Might be time to start up the eBay sales again. There will definitely be some large donations to the local thrift stores!

Received a call about more family photos at the Antique store, but I haven't gone yet. Spent too much money already, and if I don't see them I won't miss them... right? She's agreed to hold them for a week, so we shall see...

Getting high speed internet installed tomorrow. Maybe I'll actually be here more often. I get so weary of waiting, waiting, waiting for a page to load. Feels like the old-time dial-up days. I can still hear that tone in my head. Well, this was short, but I'll be back after the upgrade!

Thoughts about Hoarding and about Letting Things Go...

I had pulled out a box of depression glass, I'd had stored in my garage, in preparation for a yard sale last month. Only a couple of pieces sold, so the rest went back into the box until another sale a week ago. I just finished rewrapping the leftover items to send to the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store and happened to look at the date on the newspaper I'd had them wrapped in. It was June of 2004, exactly a year after my mom had passed away. These items were from her home and had been packed away for most of the intervening years. I'd pulled them out one other time a few years back for a sale, but when nothing sold, placed them into the same box wrapped in the same newspapers and returned them to the garage. They hadn't been enjoyed by anyone for over 11 years. That's what happens when grief hits and you can't let go of things, or if you're just one of those people who hoards things thinking you will use them some day.  It's really a shame nobody has been able to enjoy the pieces all these years.

I was able to sell a few pieces in the sale last Saturday. From what was left, I selected two milkshake glasses I love and two small bowls, which match my dishes, and placed them in my china hutch. They are pieces I will use and enjoy. The remaining dishes are packed up for their trip to St. Vincent's. It's time for some other bargain hunter, like my mother was, to find them and take them home to cherish.

Autumn is coming...

After a night of rain and thunder, today has been mild and much cooler.  I've been longing for Autumn, and it now feels like it's just around the corner.  I hope we get a long, drawn out, fall season.  I love when the leaves stay on for weeks, all yellows, oranges, and golds!

I've been trying to get stuff gathered for a big yard sale, but keep running out of steam.  It doesn't matter though, I'm getting it boxed up and if there's no sale, the Idaho Youth Ranch, St. Vincent's and ARC will all benefit!

I'm going to be looking into getting a new PC or maybe a Mac.  Can't decide which way to go.  I use mine for writing, photos, and internet, so I want tons of space and high speed.  Any suggestions?

Well, BSU football starts in half an hour, so I'd better get busy.  I need to prep some healthy snacks before game time!

Memory Lane Mondays

Today is the first installment for Memory Lane Mondays.  I've been going through my books recently, so this memory is one that came to mind.  I hope you enjoy it...

My parents divorced when I was 4 years old, so it was just my momma, my little sis and me.  Momma did the best she  could, working as a waitress, and making ends meet.  She developed an eye for a bargain.  She clothed us and furnished our home with second hand deals.  She was a fixture at the Salvation Army Store each week when the trucks brought in the "new" donations.  The Caldwell Auction became a regular part of her routine.  There was also the Youth Ranch, St. Vincents, yard sales, and more.  There wasn't a lot of money to go around, but my sis and I never knew it.



I began reading at an early age, and from the moment my mind began to understand the concept of words and stories, I loved books.  At the end of my first grade year, I decided to take my Dick, Jane, and Sally book home with me.  Somehow, I knew it was wrong so I hid the book in my room.  It wasn't long before Momma found it.  I could tell she was disappointed in me.  She rarely got cross with me, but this day she did.  She explained that bringing the book home was stealing, and that I would have to return it at the beginning of the next school year.  Momma took the book and placed it in her cedar chest.  "Can't I have it until we take it back" I pleaded.  "No, it's not yours to read.  It stays in the chest until you return it to school." she answered.  That's where it stayed, and I learned a valuable lesson.  Momma stuck by her principles, but she also saw how much I loved reading.  After that, whenever my birthday or Christmas came around, there was always a book with my name in it.


© 31JAN11 ajj


NOTE:  To Participate, or if you just want to read other peoples stories, click on the Memory Lane Mondays photo link.  It's on my sidebar. 

Crafting... Cleaning... Selling...

I have officially started my crafting.  The little chairs I showed you over at Moonflower Cottage have been sanded and primed, thanks to the help of my sweet husband!  Now all that remains is the painting and drying time, then adding my own design touch... hopefully, I will turn out a product that is worthy of selling.

I also started painting and decorating some small wood craft items.  Years ago I did tole painting, and these are leftover wood cutouts that I never got around to using.  I'm  in the process of decoupaging three of the larger sized hearts.  Pictures to come at a later date.

This morning I found a note on my mailbox.  My subdivision is having a yard sale... this Friday.  Kind of short notice, but I'm going to see what I can get ready to drag out to the driveway.  I would have loved a little more preparation time.  Oh well, anything I can get rid of means more room in the garage and a little spending money in my pocket!  It's all good!

Endless Yard Sale and Excess...

We are having such beautiful weather here. Perfect cool days and cold nights. Tomorrow promises to be a grand day for garage cleaning. If I had time to prepare, it would have made a perfect "last yard sale of the season" day. My husband has taken the day off to spend with us. Maybe take our son for a much needed haircut and run some errands.

Did anyone watch HGTV's 2009 Endless Yard Sale? Every time I see an episode, I want to be there! The Route 127 Yard Sale starts in Ohio and finishes in Alabama, taking you through Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia. That's 654 miles of yard sale bargains! Unbelievable! Tons of antiques and collectibles along with great deals on newer items. I love getting a bargain, but haven't actually been to a yard sale since early last spring. I made a deal with myself that I would eliminate all my excess "stuff" before bringing any new treasures home. That has been hard!

Trimming my excess has been hard too. And, I'm not just talking stuff. Over the past few months I have gained so much weight, and now we are heading into my favorite "eating" holidays. Part of the problem is that I have lost all desire to diet, and exercise is only what will make my arms and legs feel more normal, rather than what will make them look better... but I digress...

My excess "stuff" is still all around me. I've posted before about my good intentions to simplify. Impressive talk, but no action. I love all my goofy trinkets and keepsakes. And if, God forbid, they were all taken from me tomorrow, I know I would be fine. But they're all still here. Most of them anyway. Another big box went off to charity last week, and I have plans for more to go to the big Orchestra fund-raising yard sale next weekend. This will help pay for Lucky 13's spring Orchestra trip to Seattle. So see... I've been hoarding all these goodies for a reason!

I hope my craziness brings you a smile!

Blessings!
Nita Jo

School, Art, Yard Sale...

This has been a busy week for me. Lucky 13 had registration yesterday. We waited until the last hour of the schedule, just hoping everyone else hadn't done the same. It was the quickest, easiest school registration we ever had. Even the photographer was relaxed and L-13's photo turned out great! He's so happy to have his braces off, and I had him leave the retainer at home so it wouldn't have to be in the pictures. He's getting all the classes he wanted, but won't know the exact order until the first day of school. I'm just happy he's decided to stay in Orchestra. He plays the cello and I love listening to him play.

Today, after getting home from an appointment, I spent a long time reading through older posts of Gail at Shabby Cottage Studio (her link is over on the side bar under My Favorite Places). It was fun to follow her blogging progress from when she began up till the present. She has created so many beautiful pieces of art. It was a relaxing way to spend my time.

I also spent some time scanning old photographs that I hope to use in some of my artwork. I even found a Marriage Certificate from the 1930's and a Report Card that belonged to my Grandma Ruth. I plan to make some type of collage, incorporating these with photos of her. When I get one finished, I will post a photo.

My church is hosting a huge two-day yard sale in two weeks. I have tons of stuff to get ready for the sale. I'm looking forward to doing a little shopping myself. I'm hoping to find a few treasures.

If I don't get around to posting much, it will be because I'm in my garage digging through boxes and trying to convince myself it's time to sell. If I don't get rid of some stuff, I won't have room for anything new!

Before I forget, check out the new photos I added to my photo blog (click on Nitajos Photos over to the right). There's a nice picture of PJ and his 52 Chevy.

Well, goodnight dear friends... I'm off to watch an episode of the Gilmore Girls before I fall to sleep for the night!

Reminiscing, Brunch & Yard Sales

My telephone rang at 7:30 am today! I wanted to answer, "Who died?" but thought better of that. It was actually a wonderful surprise. I got invited to go along to a Mother's Day Breakfast with my cousins Ramona and her sister Shelley, their girls, and their mom.

Ramona and her girls picked me up at my house. We had JB's breakfast buffet. I hadn't done a buffet in years. It was a treat. Reminiscing was so much fun. Our mothers were friends from childhood and it was so nice to hear stories about my mom. I still miss her. Always will.

We talked so long, that we doubled the tip to make up for monopolizing our server's table. She was all smiles over that. We enjoyed the beautiful, sunny morning by sitting on the patio and chatting for another half hour or so.

On the way back to my house we saw it... Yard Sale! Ramona's van just naturally turned that way while we ignored the groans of the two teens in the back seat. My mother was the yard sale Queen! She found so many amazing things when she'd go. We found a few little treasures, and the girls ended up getting a very expensive paint ball set for a very low price. They were ecstatic!

I believe Ramona and I are doing are part to pass on the great Yard Sale heritage to the next generaton! It was a very nice Mother's Day Celebration.

My Mother

A Lady, Both Lovely and Bright.

- Sir Walter Scott