A Parking Sign from JFK's Inauguration

As many of you may know, I lost my beloved mother-in-law this summer.  My husband’s parents have been a strong support in my life and we gather often for Sunday dinners and birthday celebrations.  From the day the counselor and I married, I called my in-laws “Mom” and “Dad.”  

What a blessing to have another set of loving parents in my life.

Here we are last summer in Prescott.

We also loved U of A basketball!

 But with her gone, it has left a whole in my heart.  Still, I know she is all around and have felt her presence many times. 

My mother-in-law, “Mom” loved antiques.  With all the thrifting I do, I found many wonderful Christmas and birthday presents for her.  One piece in particular I found about 15 years ago at a school benefit sale in Paradise Valley.  There, leaning against a box was this street sign.  

For $5.00, it was mine.  Mom loved anything Americana and red/white/blue.  The next time I went to Mom’s house, I told her I had a surprise and presented her the sign.

She recognized the date as John F. Kennedy’s inauguration.  

(images found here)

She shared her memories of January 20, 1961, of President Kennedy and proudly hung the sign in her kitchen.  We examined the back, 

amazed someone had taken the time to preserve their ticket and keep it with the sign.  

Often, when we gathered at her home, she would pull me aside and thank me for the sign.  It was one of her favorites.

With her passing, Dad started cleaning up the home, deciding what would stay and what would go.  Not only did I want the NO PARKING SIGN, I absolutely needed it!  I need it to hold on to her, to the memory of her and to the joy she radiated. I need it because she loved it!

I know it's just a sign, but it means so much more.

I miss her.

Love Notes, Qcumberz and Weekend Finds

I work on my manuscript this weekend, typing away on the computer.  Eden and Reef play in the toy room, Mayer is skateboarding and Payson helps unload the dishwasher.

It’s almost 5:00pm, I take a break from my writing just long enough to put dinner in the oven.

I come back to the computer and find this little message typed in at the bottom of the page.

iloveu

My son, Chandler does this all the time. 

I’m working on a writing project and step away from the computer for a while.  Maybe I clean up the kitchen, play with Eden and Reef, stick dinner in the over and then I come back to my writing and find a little love note he’s typed in.

Chandler’s often has his nose in a book, reading in the lazy boy chair next to the computer while I work.  I run ideas past him.  He’s a great editor, even helps me with spelling from time to time.

He encourages me with his little love notes.  The love of my children is such a gift. 

Here's another note Chandler wrote me, well . . . more like a list.

A grocery list to be exact.

The truth is, I tend to be a bit forgetful, so Chandler has taken it upon himself to write out a list before I run off to Costco.  

Notice the bold direction:

When we arrived at Costco, Chandler asked me to pull out the list.  Well, I forgot the list.  I left it at home on the kitchen counter, but Chandler remembered everything he had written down and was able to help me find what we needed.

Chandler is away at science camp for the next few days.

Can you tell I miss him?

Sigh.

I love that boy.  He's a good one.

So . . . Ron, the owner of Qcumberz called this weekend.  I sold my little farm table and 4 chairs I purchased a few weeks ago while out garaging.  

I was a little hesitant when I purchased this set for $40.00, but it was unique enough to catch my eye so I thought maybe it would catch someone else's too.

Remember my green man painting?  He sold last week too.  

I purchased him for $7.99 and he sold for $49.50.  I knew he was special.

And this cement lion's head sold.  I think it used to be on a fountain in a fancy resort or hotel.  It weighs about 25 pounds.

Other Qcumberz sales?

This retro lunch box

and my GROW garden box that I painted and modge-podged.

My weekend garage sale finds were great.

Starting with Eden’s $1.00 dress.  So sweet and worth all 100 pennies.

Eden wore her $1.00 dress to church while Reef and I wore our dollar day thrift store finds.

I found a few other knick-knacks, 

but was thrilled with I found this gorgeous French provincial dresser.  I can't wait to get my sander on this one.  Last time I had one like this, the vote was to paint it pink, but it sold before I ever got around to painting it.  

I wonder what color I should paint this one?

The counselor decided he wanted to hit the thrift stores to buy some furniture too.  He's been working with me long enough to know what I'm looking for.

What a great find, but what I really love is the guy who found it.  "Take a picture for your blog," he suggests, but of course I already have the camera ready.  I snapped the picture just as he said "This is my first purchase, #1, but more to come."
This could be exciting.

And lastly, I call this dresser the "I Love Lucy" dresser.  

Something about it screams 1950's and I can just envision it in Lucille Ball's bedroom on the "I Love Lucy" show.

I finished painting it a bluish-gray and matched a mid-century nightstand to make it a complete set.

How was your weekend?   Any great trashy finds or sweet notes from someone you love?  Hugs.

Saturday

My weekend started Saturday morning with my nine year-old son Payson sneaking into bed with me.  He’d had a bad dream, a dream where I was no longer his mommy.

“I was so scared,” he said as he told me the details of his dream.

I held onto him tight while he cried into my shoulder.

I told him all the reasons why I loved him; he makes me laugh, how I love the way the wind blows through his hair when he runs, how he’s so sweet when he dances with his little sister, how he’s always the first one to try something new, and so on.  The baby has learned to crawl out of her crib, so she was in bed with us snuggling for a while too and finally started crying for her bottle.

The counselor picked up a dozen donuts and had them waiting for us on the table when we finally got out of bed. The little kids went with Daddy to the park, so Chandler and Payson went to garage sales with me. 
After hitting Jamba Juice, we found this $20.00 over-sized denim chair at a garage sale.  

It barely fit in the car, but with a little rope, we managed to get it home.  I have it listed on craigslist for $60.00.

I made fresh salsa salad for lunch.  

This recipe is one of my favorites.  Tomatoes, orange and yellow pepper, avocado, cilantro, feta cheese and a squeeze of lime juice.  Add a few tortilla chips, and it’s salsa with a fork.

After lunch, the kids did the unthinkable, yes, that’s them and the sweet neighbors in the pool.  

Not even 80 degrees outside yet, but they had to try it.

Payson's freezing and not sure if he'll take the plunge again.  

A few weeks ago I found this amazing vintage hutch for $50.00.  

In my $5.00 Speed Control Goodwill dress, I finally take the fixtures off and start sanding it down.  I still don't have official painting clothes, mainly because I'm too impatient to change.  I try to be very careful, but if I ruin too many clothes I'm sure I'll finally concede that I need to paint in real down n' dirty paint clothes.  

This hutch is going in my non-pantry. 

What’s a non-pantry? 

It’s a little hallway off your kitchen that you’re trying to turn into a pantry because you don’t really have a pantry.  I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Just peeking out are the blossoms of our apricot tree. 

I find Chandler relaxing on the hammock after his freezing swim in the pool.  The sun sure does feel wonderful.

Spring is just around the corner.

How was your weekend?

Easy Trash Finds for Christmas

It’s great living next door to a caterer.

My neighbor, the caterer is ever so kind in sharing leftover food from weddings, special events, etc. and more often, her decorating ideas.

She’s a genius.  This last month, she inherited a huge box of antique sheet music.  She’s made a sheet music wreath, wrapped candle sticks and bird houses in sheet music, added holly and red glittery birds, candy canes and snow flakes.  Her house is a winter wonderland.

Much of her decorating reminds me of some of the stuff Kelly and I saw at Anthropologie, like this Christmas tree, made out of sheet music priced at $38.00.

And these Mason & salt/pepper shaker jars, full of a Christmas tree and snow.

No reason to pay this much for cute Christmas decor, when you can make the same type of stuff from thrift store finds.  My neighbor, the caterer, had a box of old Christmas decorations ready to take to Goodwill, when she offered them to me.

I brought them home and paired them up with the 20 feet of garland I purchased at a garaging this weekend (paid $2.00 for all of it).

I strung up more garland across my windows and paired it with the caterer's decorations she gave me.  

Remember my gorgeous Christmas tree I found at a garage sale last year?  The home owner charged me $1.00 per foot, pricing the tree at $10.00.  Yes, this is the counselor's childhood sleeping bag covered with football mascots used as a tree skirt.  The counselor put up the tree while I was out garaging and the tree skirt was his idea.  We all have our battles, don't we. 

With the colder weather, Reef needed some warm shoes.  I found these leather boutique European boots at D.I. for $4.00.  

I love how he pairs them with his swimsuit.

Ride like the wind, little guy!

I found little sister's Christmas dress on Goodwill's dollar day this summer.  I found the red shoes last week at Deseret Industries for $2.00. Here she is after church.

We took family photos on Sunday.  I went thrifting with my mom on Saturday, hoping I'd find something fun and bold with a hint of Anthropologie coming through.  I found this Jones New York 1990's jacket and loved the color.  It was half-off day at Goodwill, so I paid $7.50 for it.  The boys all had their $1.00 day Goodwill sweaters.  Eden and I are wearing hair pieces I made from vintage silk flowers.  I think it's the only time this year Chandler and Payson have worn something besides basketball shorts and Nike t-shirts.

I'm glad I have some extra cash to start my holiday shopping.

I’d have to say my biggest payoff of the year was this credenza I found a few weeks ago.  

I paid $10.00 for it at a church rummage sale. It’s the same song and dance I’ve heard before and the reason this blog is called My Dear Trash.

“Yeah, it’s just an old ugly thing ready to go in the dumpster.  You really want it?  $10.00 and it’s yours.”

So, for $10.00 it was mine. 

It’s all in the eye of the beholder and I could tell this piece of furniture had a home somewhere.

Solid wood, no scratches, excellent working condition, so I listed it as-is on craigslist.

It sold in just a few days for $150.00 to an interior decorator who has huge plans for it.

What a way to start my holiday season.
Linking up to:

My favorite garage sale find? A wig box.

I haven’t been garage sale shopping for weeks and weeks.  With a husband who works most Saturdays, it’s a bit overwhelming to consider taking care of all 5 kids, let alone running around to garage sales.  When the weather cools and every community is having large rummage sales and just a run to the grocery store I'll encounter 20 yard sale signs along the way, it’s easy to see why Saturday mornings I go through shopping withdrawals.  So, this Saturday, with the counselor home, I asked if he’d watch the kids so I could go have some fun.

My first 20 minutes out, I found this crazy huge credenza for $10.00.  This beauty is 98 inches long.   I’m not certain if I’ll paint it or not, but I already listed it on craigslist.

I found Eden a Madame Alexandra doll of her very own for $10.00. 

My favorite find was this vintage suitcase for $5.00.  I laughed out loud when I zipped it open.  It’s a wig box, mannequin and brush included. 

This little dresser was $10.00.  I can't wait to paint it up, maybe a robin's egg blue.

The antique church pew was $20.00.  I think this will go down to the shop at QcumberZ.

Vintage tamborine?  Why not.  Teather ball new in box?  Why yes, thank you.  Vintage clock radio and game all $1.00 each.

Retro bar stool for $2.00.  Love it.

This chair with the original fabric is very Anthropologie and for $10.00, I'm certain I can flip it for a profit.

Note to self:  Never run into to Costco while the car is full of yard sale finds.  It got very crowded in here.

Shopping trash on Saturday was busy, so Eden and I took it easy Sunday morning, browsing the latest Anthropologie catalog.

I loved the great clothes, but Eden loved looking at the chicken and horses.