Sneak Peek

I have been shopping all weekend. Must get good stuff for Winnie and Tulula's Grand Opening. Have you marked your calendar? June 13, 11:00 am. It's the newest antique mall coming to Athens, Texas! Here is your sneak peek at some of the goodies I have found.

he he he...Great stuff, huh?

Happy Sunday!

~Mindy

Vintage Cardboard Tubes

I have a new fascination. Are you familiar with cardboard tubes? No. That is not the official name, just my description. The first pictured one is 8" tall with a screw top. The top unscrews from the top portion and will screw into the bottom portion.

The second one is a little bigger. Mayron is 5'4", so it is about 3'6".

What is your take on these cardboard tubes? Their history or their future? Like em? I am one to like things more in bulk, so, I'm on the lookout for more.

Happy Friday!

~Mindy

Spelling Bee

I am a spelling fanatic. I like to spell correctly. When I turned 40 (I know the fact that I have reached that pinnacle may shock some of you), I asked for a new dictionary. I keep that dictionary beside my desk at all times.

When I was perusing match.com for a man, spelling counted. Seriously. David actually complimented me on my writing skills (spelling included) when he contacted me on match.com. See? We are so well suited, we share this desire for proper spelling! Have I mentioned that we have been dating for 20 months now? Indeed!

I digress. I just did a spell check and it says "no misspellings found". Whew!

So, are you aware that tomorrow night, Thursday evening, 8p/7c, the Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals are being televised on ABC?

My sister, LucyJane, and I will be planted in front of the TV. Pina coladas in hand. Cheering on whoever catches our fancy. We will raise our hand between our eyes and the TV, cover the word on the screen, and then fail miserably at spelling it out loud.

So, my friends, this is your public service announcement. Set your DVR, Tivo, old school VCR. Use a pen to circle it on your TV guide. Mark your calendar. Clear your calendar! Prepare to cheer on a child. Challenge yourself. Enjoy good, clean, simple entertainment.

And then, come back here and tell me all about it. If you give it a chance, you will realize and appreciate why I have watched the Scripps Spelling Bee Finals the last 3 years, without fail.

Love it!
~Mindy

Ketchup

Not really ketchup. "Catch up" would be more like it. It looks like most of y'all had a good, long weekend. I'm still trying to catch up with lots of you. Heck, I am still trying to catch up with me!

Let's see. Saturday was a much sunnier day in Poetry and we had lots of folks come out and buy from the community yard sale and from Primitiques. Thanks, y'all!

Alisha of Presh-Presh and Misti of M2 (that is M squared for you non-math folks), came by and what fun these ladies are going to be in Warrenton! And of course, I forgot to take my camera. Ugh. I also got to meet a lurker, Candy. She said she does not have a blog, she just reads all of us. She and some girlfriends are professional junkers from the Dallas area. It was so nice to meet you, Candy.

Sunday after church, David and I headed to Athens to check out Winnie & Tulula's home. David got to play with his new Canon 50D camera. Here is your exclusive look at W&T's, as it was Sunday. Have I ever told you that I love old buildings? Check this out:

These front, display windows are divine.

And here is Gloria, the direct descendant of Winnie and Tulula...and the Queen Mother of this concept antique mall.
I dreamed of chippy green walls Sunday night. Aren't they marvelous?

Monday, David got to name it, regarding our activities. So, we enjoyed putting together a futon for his screened porch and then we caught some rays in his swimming pool. My legs are as white as a catfish belly. You know that is white, don't you? I need to work on the tan. We grilled steaks, enjoyed margaritas and I tested out the futon for a nice little nap. This screened porch rocks!

I hope to catch up with y'all soon.

Shoot, I almost forgot, Misti at M2 tagged me. Didn't I just do this? But, she wants to know 7 things about me. So, briefly:
1. I liked the flavor of play-doh when I was a kid. Nice and salty. I'd choose Fritos now days.
2. I wrecked every car I ever had. Well, until I paid for one with my own money. No wrecks since then! Sorry Mom and Dad!
3. Everyone thought I was a boy when I was a kid. I had short hair and I went fishing with my dad. Can you say tom boy?
4. I was in All State Choir in high school. Yup. I was a choir goon.
5. I played 13 seasons of soccer when I was a kid. Loved soccer!
6. I want to be a donor when I die. Actually, upon my last breath, take my parts and then rush me to the furnace. I do NOT want folks staring at me when I am dead.
7. I like almonds. Salted. Smoked. Almonds. Yum!

Happy Tuesday!

~Mindy

Tagged

I have been tagged by Jan at the Polka Dot Barn. So, the rules are for me to link back to her and list six other bloggers that I want to know more about.

As a team player, I think it would be the funnest (is that a word?) to learn more about some of the lady dealers coming into Winnie and Tulula's. Don't you? This will be fun! Well, that is, if they have the time to play. You know, we only have until June 13, to prepare for our grand opening.

So, here we go, in no particular order:
1. Maggie at The Veranda.
2. Lillie of the Junk Palace.
3. Donna at Curious Goods.
4. Theresa of Garden Antqs Vintage.
5. Debbie at Talking Trash.
6. Gloria at The Sweet Pea Collection. I truly do not expect to hear from Gloria, the Queen Mother of Winnie & Tulula's. She is one busy woman, preparing the building for all of us. She keeps telling me that when I meet her, she will be the one looking like a homeless woman. Bless her heart! She is working it, for sure! Just go peruse her site and love that music. Great stuff!

Now. My task is to tell you six things that you might not know about me. And I will do that...But, as always when I am tagged, I make up rules. Let's see...alright tagged ladies, share with us 6 things that you might be bringing to Winnie & Tulula's for the Grand Opening. You can tell us 6 things about you, too, if you have time. I know you are busy!

I'll bring:
1. Rusty stuff
2. Chippy stuff
3. Painted stuff
4. White stuff
5. Metal stuff.
6. Garden stuff.
(was this a big tease, or what?)

And just for grins, here are 6 things you probably don't know about me:
1. I love Burt's Bee's chapstick.
2. Mrs. Meyer's home cleaning products rock. They are like perfume for my home AND they are functional.
3. My very first car was a Ford Pinto. And I live to tell about it.
4. I lettered in golf in high school.
5. I hope to retire from my "real" job in less than 5 years. he he he
6. I have 4 indoor cats: Ellie Mae, Jethro Bodene, Opie Jo and Country Bumpkin (Bunky). Am I country or what?

Now, you ladies who were tagged, you can take any or part of this assignment. If you desire, link back to me and then list those 6 things, and then tag 6 more bloggers.

The rest of you, check out these talented women and you will soon figure out how excited I am to be a part of this new venture!

The Poetry Community Yard Sale is tomorrow from 8:00am-1:00pm. Y'all come see us!

Happy Weekend!
~Mindy

Trends

Ladies and gentlemen, today is the day to share.

There are trends and there are trendsetters. Tell your secrets.

Who influences you? Do you follow anyone in particular? What current trends are you loving? Wood, painted or stained? Or no wood at all? Metal. Chipped, painted or rusty? Colors? No colors? What colors? Plaster? Chalk? Silver? Gold?

Me? I used to like unpainted woods only. American primitives. Oak. Ahhh...beautiful oak! No Euro furniture at all. I am evolving into less woods all together. I am watching clothing styles. I am looking at the big picture. I can't just be happy anymore with what I have always liked.

Ok. So, you don't have to tell all of your secrets! I just like the idea of knowing where you have come from and where you are going. Do tell...

Happy Thursday!
~Mindy

Life is Short

My niece, Amy died Sunday. She'd had diabetes since she was a little girl and more recently, was on dialysis awaiting donor organs.

We aren't promised tomorrow. Love today. Live today. Cherish your family.

I will miss this blond ray of sunshine.

Happy Life!

~Mindy

Celebration and Announcement - Post 200

I would like to thank everyone who submitted their magazine recommendations. I don't have time, money nor the inclination to buy every magazine out there and determine what is best for me. So, y'alls suggestions and reviews were the sole source in my decision making today. Thank you!

Romantic Country and Romantic Homes seem to be quite popular. I might very well pick them up and check them out. Heck, I might have to pick up all of these just to peruse, at least once.

I really like that some "lurkers" came out of the woodwork with recommendations. Where have y'all been? I look forward to spending some time checking out the new folks' blogs.

Here is what was said about the magazine I chose:

"...Southern charm and sophistication, bling and gilt, with rustic and primitive thrown in. Always beautiful photos."


I like what she had to say. Her summation hits on where my interests lie these days.

Sooo, based solely on Joan from Anything Goes Here's recommendation, I will be subscribing to Veranda. Now, y'all go look at her blog, would ya? She is one of the lurkers I referred to earlier. I have never seen her blog before today, and I love it! Well written. Great photography. I like her!

Joan, email me your full name/address info and I will send you a 1 year subscription, as promised!

Post 200. Wow! Wanna hear how I am celebrating?

Big News!

Have you heard about Winnie and Tulula's in Athens? This is not your Mother's Antique Mall. The dealers here DON'T colour between the lines. Big names are going to be in this joint selling their goods. I could name them, but you may as well just click on over and read all about them. It's like Who's Who Among Kick Booty Dealers. To quote the last post on their blog, there will be "fabulous dealers, designers and stylists taking up residence here." I know you are booking your flights and clearing your calendars for Saturday, June 13. That is the day of the Grand Opening.

You know I will be there. Who would miss this? But, guess what. Not only will I be there. I will be there selling. Set up. In my very own space. Selling! Me! Yup! I will be one of those dealers in Winnie and Tulula's! I have never coloured between the lines. And I absolutely love the idea of being surrounded by such wonderful peeps. Exciting stuff, eh?

Who's coming?

Happy Monday and Happy 200th post to me!

~Mindy

Raindrops were Falling on Our Heads (post #199)

Saturday brought May showers to the Poetry Community Yard Sale. This field was supposed to be filled with buyers and sellers, come rain or shine. But, not everyone wanted to get soaked! We had 3 sellers who came and sold out of their vehicles. Talk about Tailgate Parties and Trunk Shows, we had 'em!

A few folks did come out and take advantage of our Rainy Day Sale. Bargains were to be had!

Mayron came out and set up some goodies. Great displaying in the midst of the storm!

She took advantage of this slotted piece for showing off all of her smalls. Thank you, my friend, Mayron for coming out and playing with me!

My regret? I didn't take pictures of all the brave troopers who came out and shopped! Ready for some name dropping? Well, Maggie from The Veranda cheated and came out Friday, when it was dry. Theresa from Garden Antqs Vintage made the drive from Huntsville to Poetry with her hubby, mom and baby boy. Liz and Fran from Terrell made it. Valarie and Tim came from McKinney. So nice to meet y'all! Diane from Pilot Point came over for some shopping while her hubby was in a fishing tournament at a local lake. I'm sorry I didn't get her blog name. Diane, shout out so we can check out your blog, would ya? It was busy sometimes, so I may have missed someone. If so, I am sorry. Several locals came out, as well. So, we had a good time, in spite of Mother Nature.

Couldn't make it yesterday? Good news! We're gonna do it again this coming Saturday, May 23. You are invited to come set up and sell, or come buy to your heart's content. I'll be getting new merchandise into Primitiques and many more sellers will be set up in the yard, for your buying pleasures. I went a little crazy with my red dot, half price sale in the store. My bet? I'll do it again. We have red tags all over the store and red dots on the front porch. I'm ready to make room for more new merchandise!

Let me know if you want to come sell and we can talk details.

Happy dry Sunday!

~Mindy

ps. I am going to read over all of your recommendations (from post 198) and choose my new magazine subscription tonight. I will make my choice soley based on your recommendation. No research. Just trust. My 200th post will reveal the winner of a 1 year subscription.

pps. Debbie at Talking Trash's birthday is this Tuesday. Be sure to drop by this week to wish her well!

Magazine Recommendation (post 198)

For years, I was a subscriber to Country Home Magazine. I had not renewed when the announcement was made for it's retirement. So, I have not been the recipient of whatever magazine took over the subscriptions.

While I do learn a lot from blog reading and perusing, I don't always have a computer with me. There are times when I would enjoy picking up a magazine and thumbing through.

Y'all have seen what I buy, how I decorate, what interests me. Save me some time and tell me: What magazine should I pick up now? What do you like? Why do you like it? Why do you think I'll like it? Influence me!

My 200th post is coming up and if, just based on what you tell me, I choose your recommendation, we are both in for a treat. I will not only order it for me, I will give you 1 year, as well.

So, do tell! I'll choose and announce the day of my 200th post....which will probably be this weekend some time.

I look forward to hearing what y'all enjoy and what you think I will enjoy! I miss Country Home!

Follow up: I am not taking any other mags at this time. If more than one of you "pushes" the same mag with equal passion and I choose that one, I will throw your names in a hat and choose one of you for the 1 year subscription. So, don't be afraid to recommend one that is already mentioned. I'd like to know what you think will best fit me.

Happy Thursday!
~Mindy

Rain are Shine!

Just a quick post. Poetry Community Antiques and Yard Sale will be held this Saturday, May 16 at 8:00am. Yee Haw!

One day, my folks were driving around garage sale-ing when they saw a yard sale sign that said "Open Rain are Shine" on it. They laughed so hard! So, now we say it all the time.

I hope to see some locals at Primitiques this Saturday, come rain are shine. Mayron tells me she is bringing out come cool metal stuff to set up with me. One of my regular customers is bringing vintage jewelry to sell. We have several garage sale folks setting up. I think we're going to have a good turn out. Come see us!

I just heard this scoop. Go here to find out about a new shop in Athens. It seems many of my favorite dealers are going to be in one place! How dadgum convenient is this going to be? Yee haw!

I am limited to computer access these days, so if you haven't heard from me, don't be hatin'. I miss you.

Happy Day!
~Mindy

More pics and Stuff

Check out this wonderful plaster cat. She has the most wonderful character!

Amy asked for more pictures. So, here are a few more of Primitiques. On my left sidebar, you will see Photography and Stuff. Under that, you will find Primitiques Pics. You can always go there and see what's going on that I haven't shown you here.

David had fun stacking this old light fixture with a bunch of goodies. Looks pretty good, eh?

Here is the back side of that wonderful metal piece used as a backdrop against yesterday's goodies.
This stained glass leaning on the rusty grate is kinda fun in the white baby crib.

Have I told you the tick story? When David and I went to Eureka Springs, I discovered 2 ticks on me that I had picked up along the way. And then this past Saturday, I acquired a Poetry tick. Y'all. I do NOT like insects on my body. In particular, blood sucking, invasive insects! ICK!

We are still hoping for no rain on Saturday. The Community Yard Sale may be postponed; we are still waiting on Wednesday's forecast for Saturday. Regardless, there will be red tag specials at Primitiques this weekend. We need more room for all of these new goodies we've been getting!

As for the blog party. I am not getting a lot of feedback on whether folks are coming to my house after the sale. Let's go ahead and cancel that aspect of things. If that breaks your heart, let me know and I'll rethink it. But, unless I get some inspiration, my house is not going to be in visitor shape!

Happy Tuesday!

~Mindy

A Working Weekend

Whew! I'm ready to go back to my "real" job so that I can rest! I got some buying in Saturday morning, then met David at Primitiques. He worked on a new flag pole for the Antiques Flag. It looks great!
And then, we striped the yard for the Community Yard Sale. We started out being incredibly anal about the measurements. By the end, we were laughing and free handing it. Whew! That was a project! Thanks for your help, David!

Awesome awning, huh? I'm ready for this sale (May 16)! We have lots of new stuff and the look of the store is really different.

Don't you love her? Thanks, everyone for sharing your traditions and plans for the day, celebrating Mother's Day. Food seemed to be a central theme. At my place, LucyJane (sis) grilled chicken and potatoes on the grill and we enjoyed a wonderful lunch with Mom and Dad.

Mom's project? She decided to help me prepare for the Community Yard Sale. My garage is a very, very, very scary place. We got a lot out of there. Things are priced and boxed and ready for the garage sale this Saturday. My garage is now just "very" scary. Much better! Thanks Mom and LucyJane!!! And Dad helped by tending a couple burn piles. Indeed, out here in the country, we can burn. Cool...

It was a great, productive weekend. Hope you got to enjoy your family and some good times.

Update: We will decide Wednesday whether the Community Yard Sale needs to be rescheduled, due to rain. If needed, we will set up May 23 (instead of May 16).

Happy Day!
~Mindy

Traditions

Mother's Day Traditions? My Mom likes to come out to my place on Mother's Day and have a work day. We all do work around my garage/house/pond/garden/barn/land. Whatever. Isn't she the best? I'm not sure what she wants to tackle this time, but I guarantee, it will be much better by the time we are done with it!
This is Ellie Mae. She is one of my "kids"...just threw her in for good measure.

What kind of traditions do you share with your family?

Happy Mother's Day Weekend to you all!

~Mindy

ps. All photos are courtesy of Snakelover61.

I Scream, You Scream,

We all scream for ice cream! When I was but a child, on the last day of school at the end of the day, if we passed into the next grade (and we always did!), Mom would take us out for ice cream. It was a treat that we always looked forward to.

As the day approaches for the Big Poetry Sale and the Blog Party, I have decided not to kill myself cookin'. Instead, for all you bloggers who come out to my house after the sale, I will provide the makings for some hot fudge sundaes. Hey, if I survive this big sale, after being sick for the last week, it will feel like I've passed on to the next grade! It will be a treat for all of us! Several of you have responded that you are coming to the sale. I am so excited to see some familiar faces and to meet some new friends.

Go back here and tell me if you will be coming to my house for ice cream so I can make sure I have enough Blue Bell. I am aiming to be packed up and ready to go by 3pm. You can come to the sale at your leisure, hit other local shops and then rally back at Primitiques by 3pm. We'll all entourage to my house from there. It's not a 5 minute drive. Sound like a plan?

Now, if y'all read David's last post, you know I am ripe to steal some of his flickr pics...so, here ya go!

David and I played dress up in Eureka Springs. The man is killer in a pair of chaps, let me tell ya! Go here to see another pose.
Here, I hold the ingredients (butterscotch schnapps and Bailey's cream) for a fine concoction. Good stuff! I really, really liked this box filled with old bulbs. David knew it wouldn't fit in the truck, so, we opted for a picture instead.

Happy Thursday!
~Mindy

The Cart Project

Yes, Candy, I said "project". But, it's not a lot of work. I'm just trying out different things to make this old cart functional. We eyed this in McAlester, Oklahoma in a funky little junk yard we had discovered on a previous roadtrip.
Lester, the junk man, told us that this cart was used for moving barrels around. I could see it as a coffee table. It is 31" long, 18" deep and 18" tall.

I thought maybe a piece of glass on top would be a good thing. But, the cart isn't really square.

This metal mat is a nice look, but, the non-squareness is apparent.

The longer I worked with it, I started to think it might be a great outdoor piece. Plant up this sink with ferns or gerber daisies.

Maybe a porch piece?

It would be great poolside, with beach towels in the baskets.

Would you have taken it off Lester's hands? Wanna take it off my hands? $39. What would you do with it?

Happy Wednesday

~Mindy

David's Birthday Weekend

It all started Friday morning when I had David look outside his screened porch to see a gift. Look! A bird!
I bought this bird for David in Warrenton. And he seemed to be pretty tickled with it! I feared that the bird, Lucky, wouldn't travel so well, so David got this present a couple days early.

We then made the drive to Eureka Springs. We stayed in The Beaver Lake Cottages. From the beautiful views of the lake and mountains, to the hummingbird feeder inviting the hummingbirds, to the fine linens, to the live plants in the cottage, we were spoiled rotten for the 4 days we were there. I highly recommend this place!

It rained most of the time we were there, and it was chilly. So, the fireplace was a nice comfort.

More gifts for David. This one was a package put together by my sister.

Sunday, David's birthday, we took a roadtrip to Ozark, Missouri and ate lunch at Lambert's, Home of Throwed Rolls. What an experience! By this time, I should mention, David and I were both suffering the symptoms of colds. I had congestion, sore throat, coughs, sneezes, fatigue. David was feeling run down. Lambert's picked us both up. Lively music. Neat atmosphere. Great home cookin'. This guy's job is to throw rolls. What a hoot!

David's meal came in a skillet.

When I mentioned to our waitress that it was David's birthday, we got $10 off the meal! Wow! He was also given a cinnamon roll with balloons and I couldn't resist taking his picture next to this t-shirt "Hot Buns".

We then headed over to Leola's, within walking distance. Do you know Jan? She is a sweetheart! I love family, and the fact that this business is founded by 3 sisters and a niece appeals to me. Wanna see some wonderful pictures of the store? Well, you know that David took a lot! I've been known to steal his pictures for my blog. So, he was sure to post up a blog before I could snatch them up! Check it out.

When we got back to the cabin, in my hoarse, sick voice, I sang Happy Birthday and David got to make a wish.

Happy Birthday, love. My wish is for us to share many more celebrations together!

Happy Tuesday!

~Mindy

We're Baaack!!!

Howdy! David and I just got back from Eureka Springs where we went for a long weekend to celebrate his birthday. While we are both suffering from a cold, we had a great time. I'll tell you more about the trip soon. But, I wanted to give you a quick, sneak peek at some of the goodies I came home with.

Yes. I bought more than smalls. This is just a gander at what I have unloaded so far. In fact, a couple of the larger items are still in David's truck at his house.

Of course, it will take me some time to get caught up on y'all. Four days away from a computer puts one in blog limbo, ya know! I hope all is well.

~Mindy