I am proud to say that in 2013 I celebrated my 62nd birthday. It is so amazing - although my chronological age is 62, mentally I feel so much younger. I can definitely relate to the things my father used to say as he grew older. I clearly remember him telling me that his brain often played tricks on his 80+ year old body - like telling him that he could still jump high in the air, when in actuality his feet never left the ground. But the idea that his brain still held on to his youthful way of thinking was encouraging and now I an experiencing that same brain/body relationship. Over the past few months I have become so comfortable with retirement that the overwhelming desire I had to go back to work is now all a distant memory.
I continue to make my frequent (and often successful) treks to thrift stores and antique shops and I have invited and encouraged some family members (who I never thought would want to participate in these trips) to experience thrift store shopping. I think that the mere fact that bargains were found lured them in. Hmm, let's see if I have any pics of just a few of my recent finds.
PYREX...
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| Pyrex Coffee Carafe: $2.49 - my daughter collects Pyrex, so each time I see a piece that I think she may like - I buy it. |
THE $5.00 LAMP
I found this floor lamp (on the left) at a yard sale for $1.00 and decided that I wanted to update it. So, I removed the glass table, used silver spray paint, bought a lampshade at the Salvation Army for $4.00 and, Voila, a new lamp!!!
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PILLOWS!!!
I love decorator pillows, but they are so expensive. Found these brand new ones at the Goodwill for $2.99 each. Yep, you heard me, $2.99 each.
BOWL
Bought this bowl at the Salvation Army for $6.99, which is a major expense for me, but I fell in love with it at first sight.
MORE LAMPS
These matching lamps were $3.99 each at the Salvation Army and the awesome lamp shades were $3.00 each at this a little resale shop called Helping Hands (in Oxford, MS).
CAST IRON
Cast iron always brings back childhood memories for me. I have discovered lovely pieces in great colors and can't resist bringing them home with me.
Yes, that is a cast iron tea kettle on the right.
ESPRESSO MAKER
I don't even drink espresso, but for $.99 I could not resist this lovely pot. Perhaps it will inspire me to one day drink espresso. Who knows?
THE BAMBOO PLATTER
This bamboo platter on the left was calling out to me at the Goodwill ($6.00). I would guess it is about 18"-20" in diameter. I had no idea how I would use it, but I envisioned it somewhere in my eclectic life style, so I bought it touched and it up with some spray paint and now I have it as a wall hanging. Amazingly, when I moved to Oxford, MS, I found a smaller version (on the right) which is about the size of a dinner plate, at the Goodwill here for $1.79 and the exact same spray painted color.
CROCKERY
I long for antique crockery, but each time I find a piece the price is more that I want to pay. However, I did find this piece at a thrift store in Tupelo MS, called City Thrift (cost $19.00). I was not exactly sure how it had been used, but I Googled it and found out that it is the base for a water dispenser. I also found out that one of my cousins (who recognized it on my Facebook page) used to work for the company who distributed them. I envision using this as a centerpiece, filled with beautiful live flowers.
BURGUNDY TABLE
I bought this table from a cousin who was relocating to another state and selling some of the furnishings from her house. It was in her basement, in a corner, covered with dust. I saw so much potential in it that I had to have it. It was originally maybe a Cherry Wood finish, but I wanted it to be some color that was eye-catching so I chose to spray paint it this lovely burgundy color (take note that this table and my bamboo platters are all the same color - all from one can of spray paint).
FRENCH PRESS
Somehow, somewhere, I decided that I wanted to step up my coffee drinking from instant to French Press (probably inspired by the coolness of the whole French press process). While wandering through an antique mall in St. Louis, I found two French Press coffee pots (the larger of which I gave to my daughter, Adrienne.) I kept the smaller red one for myself. I now love French Press coffee and my single serve pot works just fine for me. The yellow one (which I found at Helping Hands) is used to make tea from loose tea leaves. I have not tried it yet, but have plans to travel to a quaint little grocer in Water Valley to purchase tea very soon. I will keep you posted.
MORE BOWLS...
I found these brand new bowls at the Goodwill. The larger ones were $3.00 and $2.00 and the smaller ones were $.59 each. They are so colorful.
MY TRUNK
While browsing though the Salvation Army in STL I found this awesome trunk. At one time I owned a trunk that I loved dearly and had for about 20 years, but discovered that it was too costly to have it shipped back to the states from St. Croix so I left it there with good friends. When I saw this one, I knew I had to have it. I use it both for storage and as my bedside table - love, love, love it!!!
LAST, BUT NOT LEAST...
I found this beautiful vintage pitcher and glasses at the Antique mall in STL. They are a beautiful coral color with 14k gold trim. I could not resist this purchase. It cost me $30 but, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and pay the price. Haven't used them yet, but I see this set being used to enjoy a cool glass of fresh lemonade.
Well, now that I have brought you up to date on my bargains, let see what else has been going on in my life.
Our 2013 Family reunion was held in Los Angeles, California in July. This was my first trip to LA even though I have family there. We had a great time and although I know I would never want to live in LA, I certainly would enjoy more visits there. One of our activities for the reunion weekend was a "70's Night". We dressed in fashions from the 70's, listened to music from the 70's and had a Karaoke extravaganza (with the disco ball and big wicker chair that was so famous in club photos from the 70's).
I also had an opportunity to see some of Hollywood and the Farmer's Market.
After returning home from Los Angeles, two days later I took a trip to spend some time with Adrienne and her family in Oxford, MS. It is always great to visit with them, because there is never a dull moment. My four granddaughters were as excited to see me as I was to see them and we had a wonderful visit. I stayed with them for about 6 weeks and we did everything from nature hikes to traveling to Jackson MS to see the two older girls perform with their dance school. I think I may have some pics from that trip...let's see:
If you can't tell from the pictures...let me just say we had a great time together. We had such a good time together that I returned to St. Louis, packed up all my belongings and now I make my home in Oxford, Mississippi. I will tell you more about my move in my next post.
See you soon.
