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?

A garage sale of my own

Is there anyone out there that enjoys having a yard sale?

It’s a bit like pulling teeth, isn’t it.

This year, my annual garage sale was a means to an end; the last of the money I wanted to earn before going to New York City.

I didn’t want to do it, but I had to face my demons, I mean trash.

It really does add up.

All the trash I buy for the shop at QcumberZ that doesn’t sell.

All the trash I buy for craigslist that hasn’t sold.

Trash I’m selling for friends and family.

Plus, my own trash.

After all, I do have a growing family.

I set everything up in my driveway the night before and marvel at all my junk.

I just want it gone.

Funny thing about all this trash.

If I crashed my own garage sale, I would buy most of this stuff back.

The picture frames, the vintage scarves, the birdhouse lamps.

Ugh!

Instead I sell it for next to nothing.  Now, I’m standing on the other side.

I’m not normally on this side of trashing. I'm suddenly so sympathetic to those of you who sell trash to me.

Thank you, all those brave souls who have garage sales.  

You keep me in business.

You make the weekends amazing.

You have such great trash.

Someone bickers over a .50 cent picture frame.

“Would you take .25 cents?”

“Sure,” I say, promising myself I will never bicker over a quarter ever IN MY LIFE!

At about 10:00pm the night before the sale, I decide it’d be a great opportunity for my kids to have a bake sale.  It will teach them how to earn money, they’ll have a blast, they’ll be responsible.

Instead of working on getting more organized for the garage sale, I decide to bake cinnamon rolls, brownies and rice crispie treats.  Licking the batter wasn't all that bad either.  I’m in bed at 1:00am, than up at 7:30am to put up my neon signs with the black arrows pointing down the street I live on.

The first car rolls in, then the next.  By 8:00am, I’ve earned $30.00.  I go inside and check on the baby, hoping she’s awake. 

Later that morning, a woman in my driveway asks if I have a blog about trash.

We hug.

She’s amazing, with her 2 beautiful daughters.  She shares the story of their adoption.  I feel like I've known her my whole life. I start focusing more on the relationships with the people browsing trash in my driveway.

These are some cool people.  

A few of my friends come by and it turns into social hour.

I give all the baked goods away and put $10.00 in the boy's tip jar.  

I close shop at noon Saturday.  It’s over 100 degrees and I’m ready to be done. 

The rest of this stuff I’m donating to my kid’s school annual rummage sale.  Kelly and our friend Cindy are taking charge of that little project.

Good-bye trash, you’re moving on to bigger and better things.

With my house cleaned out, I feel the pull.  I can’t wait to go out garaging this weekend.
It's the circle of life.

Birthday Party For Three Boys Paid By My Dear Trash

I've been so inspired by Kelly's Big Challenge. It's a blast to see what she makes each week and watch her get closer to her goal of $4,000.00. The idea behind The Big Challenge is to pick something you want (Kelly's taking a nice trip to Disney World with her Mr. Right and 5 girls) and earn the money to accomplish it by selling trash on Ebay, Craig's List and/or your own garage sale.

I've been working to pay for the birth of baby girl, but I needed something a little more exciting then paying a huge hospital bill. I wanted a challenge that provided instant gratification. The three youngest boys have birthdays just a month apart, so the counselor and I decided to throw a big blow-out birthday party before baby girl is born. I cleared it with my doctor. She said anytime I go into labor from here on out is fine, so I went to work (secretly hoping I'd go into labor).

Our family spent 3 days doing yard work, moving a huge pile of fire wood, cleaning up after dogs, house work, laundry, moping floors, shopping, baking and just overall making the house look beautiful. I love having party's at my home because it's one of the few times the house is really clean. Plus, the counselor really get's into it too and he's so strong.

I'll also admit we hired a neighbor to help with yard work and a friend to help with house work. All this was included in the money I earned from selling other people's trash.

For the birthday party, I wanted a bouncy. I found a company on Craig's List that had what the boys wanted; a sports bouncy with a basketball hoop. The rental fee for the day was $95.00. Since we rented it on a Monday, the owner offered it to me for $75.00. That was a nice gift I wasn't expecting so Happy Birthday to me too.

The invitation for the party said "Come for dinner and games."

Dinner was a burrito bar, salad, fruit, the best darn lemon-aide with lemons from our overgrown/desperate lemon tree and ice cream cake that could feed an army. The party was a blast, even though I didn't go into labor.

Happy Birthday, Payson. You're 8 and great!

Happy Birthday, Mayer. You're 5 and so alive!

Happy Birthday, Reef. You're 2 and way too cool!

We love you, little buddies and are so happy you had such a fun time.

I'm also happy to say the $300.00 tab from the party was picked up by yours truly. I have a few other Big Challenges in mind too: A new computer, a trip to Utah for a writer's conference and a summer vacation to Newport Beach, CA.

Plus, just this week the money I earned from My Dear Trash paid for a huge household project totally $1,000.00. I'll be posting that beauty tomorrow. What Big Challenges are brewing out there for you? We'd love to follow your journey as well.

Remember, just a few more days until we reward the winner of a Bella Be-Jeweled gift certificate. Leave a comment under any blog entry and become a follower to qualify. Good luck.