Benefit Yard Sale for the Spencers

I have a beautiful friend who I've known for years and years.  

Her name is Monica and we met on while serving missions on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, UT.  What I first noticed about Monica was her sense of style, next came her sense of humor - both are incredible.

Since Monica was from Connecticut, I knew once our mission was over the odd's of me seeing her were slim to known.  Well, fate took care of that.  Monica's twin sister Renee married an Arizona cowboy who she met while he served a mission in Connecticut, so Renee moved out to Arizona.  Because the family is so close, Monica, her sister Carla and their mother Sharon all moved out from Connecticut to be with Renee and her new husband in Arizona.  A year or so later, Monica met her sweet husband David and that's how one of my favorite missionary friends became an Arizonan.

Monica and David have a beautiful family, but because of some health issues and a lousy economy (David is out of work),  I thought it would be a great time to do what I do best and through a benefit yard sale.  This month is going to be a tough one for them, so any donations you have set aside to go to the thrift store would be appreciated.  The sale is this weekend, Saturday June 21 from 6:30 to noon .  My home is in Mesa off of Brown and Gilbert, just follow the signs. Donations are accepted at any time so please email me at lauralofgreen@aol.com for drop-off locations.  Thanks friends.

If awards were handed out to parents at the end of the school year

I’m really proud of my boys for all their accomplishments this year – 

Chandler with his writing/Engish award and outstanding GPA

and Payson for his track and field accomplisments, perfect attendance and Hale hero award. 

I started thinking about what it takes to actually stand out in these wonderful schools our children attend.  There are so many good, smart kids.  These kids inspire me.  They work so hard and have a maturity and understanding I never had when I was a kid their age. 

As I sat in the auditorium I wondered what about the parents? Sure, we play a huge part in our kid’s accomplishments and overall outlook on life, but what if we were monitored, tested, compared and evaluated?  What would we be awarded for?  So, here are some awards I'd like to suggest for the time-crunched, stressed-out, exhausted, run-out-the-door-without-brushing-your-teeth-so-your-kid-gets-to-school-on-time parent!

  And the award goes to . . .

Waking up in the morning with a good attitude?  I’m not sure if I’d be selected for this one.  If there was an award for just waking up? Probably!

Not running out of milk for cereal.  Nope, I wouldn’t get that one either.  Although I always have some sort of milk be it soy, almond, coconut or rice, those don’t qualify.  Cow’s milk is the only one my kids want.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run through the sprinklers in the morning to help

Reef get his bike out of the side yard.   What award would that be?  Sprinkler runner?

Of course, all this is done barefoot in my pajamas. Does that make me gifted?

What about taking homework up to the school my kid forgot?  Does that make me a homework runner?  Do I get an award if I’ve done that successfully?

Remembering lunch money award?  Stuffing a $20 dollar bill in their pocket and praying it gets to the teacher before it’s lost somewhere on the playground.

What about last minute project completer?  I always have extra carpenter’s glue, spray paint and an array of small items that if necessary can be used to complete an Egyptian pyramid tomb.  Keeping an array of hodge-podge "someday I'll need that" items really pays off after 10:00 pm weeknights.  

Speed-read participation form signer?  If the school wants to take my kid to a fish farm, yes, please!  Why would I protest?  I don’t even need to read these forms anymore and never take the time to fill in work/cell/home phone.  I only have one number, so that cuts down on time stat! 

Doughnut delivery for 28 students plus one teacher?  I’ve never forgot my kid’s birthday.  Bonus points for not eating a doughnut in the car while driving from the store to the school? Nailed it!

And lastly, the clean socks award.  Now that doesn’t mean I would win the matching socks award, no that would go to someone else, but at least my kids socks are clean (most of the time).

Enjoying Mother's Day all week

These little treasures of mine sure made my Mother’s day special.  

I was emotional with every homemade card, the little dandelions Reef picked me and the spontaneous hugs. Here's Reef reading me a Mother's day card, obviously anxious to get out into the pool once he's finished!

I took my mom out Friday for some shopping and dinner later.  And it was just the two of us as the  boys were at a father/son camp out & Eden was playing with a friend.  It was like a real Mother's day date!

On Mother’s Day Sunday, we took vegetable lasagna and fresh peach cobbler to my in-laws and loved on them for the afternoon.  

Later in the day, the boys and I took off into the sunset for a family bike ride. 

I can get so sentimental about bike rides.  I remember this as one of the highlights of my childhood, riding around the neighborhood with my own parents and feeling such freedom.  The last family bike ride we had Mayer complained we'd gone too far and was tired.  Payson was thirsty and we didn't have any water.  Chandler's bike was a bit too big and Reef wiped out by the canal.  He cried and had to ride his bike all the way back home with a sore bottom.  Still, the sentiment remains.  I just love the freedom, the wind, the casual motion and waving hello to neighbors even if my kids are miserable (just joking about that last part!).  

I am happy nothing traumatic to report about my Mother's Day bike ride, except I had a flat tire.  I was walking the bike home, when someone with a generated pump stopped and filled up my tire enough so I could ride it home.

I found this lovely Sandra Darren dress at Goodwill for $5.00.  New, it would sell for $80.00.  I love the front pockets.  Another dress to add to project:USED.  

And finished up a few pieces of furniture for the shop at Antique Plaza.  

Mother’s Day week didn't mean slowing down, it just meant a few more kisses along the way.

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Saying Goodbye

A poem and most precious gratitude to the mother of my husband, whom I love and call Mom.  Those who know and love her, please remember her in your prayers as she is suffering with Alzheimer's. 

You walk alone down an abandoned path, I want to hold your hand.

But you have to do this on your own, this is not what anyone planned.

With so much yet to live for why is God taking you now?

Unspoken expressions of love are said in silence some how?

I wonder how someone who is weak still can be so strong.

Can I bring you back somehow if I hum your favorite song?

So much is lost, so much seems gone and yet you’re traveling still

To a place where memories come and go - why must the journey be uphill?

I realize nothing stays the same, but if only your laughter and smile.

Your life so full of joy – I hope you remember once in a while.

Your eyes stare at me like before, I wait for your reply.

But you say nothing so together we stare at the clouds in the sky.

I take your hand gently in mine and never want to let go.

What can I say, what can I do to force this disease to slow.

You presence has blessed this world, your children shine with love.

I see you in each one of them, a blessing from above.

What can I say when the moment is up, when I know your time is through?

With tear-stained eyes I wrap you in my arms and whisper, “Mom, thank you.”

We love you, Mom.

Week in Thrifting and Latest Dresser Re-do

It's been a great week thrifting.  I always find something I can't live without.

I'm really into owls, so when I found this huge "family of owls" vintage wall art for $6.99, I snatched it up.  I'm not sure where to put it yet.  As for now it leans against my fireplace.

Because of how Anthropologie and Pottery Barn stage there photo shoots, I'm always on the lookout for that something special when staging dressers.  These vintage horses are it!

The raw wood piece is hand-carved, signed and dated 1951.  The colorful wood horse, found last week while shopping Goodwill on date night looks to be from the same era and is hand-painted.  Eye-candy for me!

I really liked this Made in England vintage tin, with it's cute folk art.  I found it at Goodwill for $1.99.

I like to use things like this for Eden's hair clips or Reef's Lego's.  

On dollar day, I found this cute faux Coco Chanel dress.  Mayer was certain the logo was DC, his favorite skateboarding brand.

 I must say, they look an awful lot alike. 

If this dress makes me a cool skater mom, DC it is!

My DC/Coco Chanel dress will be worn for project:USED at out next photo session.  I know a lot of you want to participate, so here's the thing.  When wearing a used dress, please hash tag #projectused when posting your photo on social media.  Also, you can link up to me on facebook under Laura Lofgreen, My Dear Trash and now, Project Used.  For updates on future on photo session, I will post them on my  blog and the project used facebook page .  Please follow project:USED on facebook and you can also follow me on instagram at lalalofgreen.  There's a lot of cool stuff coming up and I want as many people at our photo shoots as we can get.

And, last but not least, I also finished up another turquoise dresser (can't keep that color around for long) and I loved how it turned out.

When I found this XL piece at Deseret Industries, it was like reeling in a big fish.  

I don't find many 78 inchers.  

On a sad note, we've had a furniture death in the family.

Yes, this amazing armoire died on Thursday.

It was spectacular.

It only weighs about 200 pounds, so after the wedding (click here to read more about that) I left it on the patio until I could decide what to do with it.  We've had so many windy/blustery days here and wouldn't you know it, a gust of wind knocked it over.  It literally split and came apart.  Like Humpty Dumpty, I couldn't put it back together again.  I was just grateful no one was hurt because this thing was a beast.

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Easter Sunday and Spinach Waffles

I know Easter morning should be reserved for candy and chocolate only, but I did whip up a batch of homemade waffles in hopes my kids wouldn't die of sugar overload.  I start by mixing 2 cups milk, 2 eggs and either a cup of blueberries or peaches (usually, these are frozen) in the blender.  Well, for some reason, I wanted to change things up a bit.  I decided to add 1/2 cup blueberries and 1/2 cup fresh spinach.  The ingredients became a blur of purple in the blender.

Perhaps you read my blog post about how I found my thrift store waffle iron (click here to read more), but I've yet to blog about my $2.00 handheld Malitta coffee grinder I found a few years ago at a garage sale.  New, they sell for around $30.00.  I use it to grind flax, chia seed, oatmeal and more.

In my waffles I add 1/2 cup ground flax seed, 1/2 cup ground chia seed, 1/2 a cup ground oatmeal and 1/2 a cup ground whole wheat flour.

Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, with a tablespoon of olive oil and baking power.

Although I think a cup of fresh spinach would taste great (because you can't even taste the spinach at all ), I didn't want my waffles to be green.  The blueberries and flax keeps the waffles a nice dark color, so nobody becomes suspicious of just how healthy they really are.

Oh, no!  If the kids new these things were healthy, I don't think they'd eat them.

We took these fresh picked honeysuckles to my mother-in-law and had lunch with them.  They smelled amazing!  The glass vase was $1.00 from Goodwill.

For church services, I wore this $8.00 Aryeh dress I found at Goodwill.  

I just loved the colors and ribbons.  

From what I found on-line, an Aryeh dress sells for around $50.00.   

Eden wore a little dress from Wonder Kids I found for $2.00 at Goodwill.

The dress is 100% linen and has oodles of ruffles to keep it fluffy.  

She looked so cute, running around the yard and playing with her cousins.  She certainly didn't let a fancy dress slow her down.

We carried on our Easter tradition at Grandma and Grandpa Hinze's home.  They didn't want to slow down, but I gathered as many grand kids as I could to get a quick photo.

Well, the Easter candy is almost gone, but I've been experiencing with the waffles.  This morning I added an entire zucchini and it slipped by without any suspicion.  I feel deceptive!  Should I feel deceptive?  Strange to feed my kids something healthy and feel so secretive!  :)  I should be a spy!

The deception must run in the family because Eden is hoping I don't notice the dog she just slipped inside her Barbie Dream House.

My Vicky Tiel Vintage Dress

It was Saturday night and I spent a few minutes cleaning up.  My make-up, only used two times a week; for date night and church on Sunday was quickly put on my face.  In almost an instant, I brushed through my hair.

What to wear?

What    to    wear? 

I had just picked up a dress at Goodwill on half-off day.  It was a bit funky - vintage perhaps but not cool vintage quite yet?  More like late 1980's - something a Duran Duran model would wear in a music video from that era.  I almost didn't get it, but I understand the wonder of a beautiful wrap-around.  For $5.00, I bought it.

It was a little too fancy for a typical date night in the Mesa/Gilbert area.  The counselor and I usually hit up Oregano's or Pita Jungle, but I took a chance.  I've been so excited for project:USED I seek out unusual dresses just for the heck of it.  I want as many crazy cool used dresses I can get my hands on.  For more information on project:USED and my desire to raise awareness and offer help to victims of sexual abuse , click here.

I put the dress on and instantly felt like a disco light turned on in a dark room.  The colors were amazing - they were perfect for how I felt.  The fabric was soft, but durable.  The wrap formed perfectly around my shape.  I loved it.

I opted for a pair of high heals and out we went.

Love was in the air!  Why did I feel so lovely - like a model walking the streets of Paris?

  

I smiled at perfect strangers and kept seeing photo potentials everywhere.  What was it?  It certainly was my date' he's pretty special, but it was more then that.

It was the dress.  I knew it was the dress.  I loved the dress.  People stopped and commented on the lovely thing.  I twirled a time or two.  I loved the dress.

Later that night, I just had to know.  What was it about the dress?  Who designed it?  I knew it was something special, but I knew I'd  be surprised.  I love being surprised.

Vicky Tiel vintage dresses, priced anywhere from $600 to $1,100.
Here's a little bit about that girl, Vicky Tiel (she's awesome).

As the "it" girl of the sixties, Tiel's signature dress designs made women feel and look great in their corseted draped dresses that flatter the curves of a woman's body. Tiel's couture designs have been sold exclusively in Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus for over thirty years, worn by everyone from her partner and backer of her boutique in Paris, Elizabeth Taylor, to Goldie Hawn, Halle Berry, Kim Kardashian and Oprah Winfrey.

Tiel wrote her memoir in 2011,"It's All About the Dress", published by St Martins Press and she has a fashion- art -couture blog on the Huffington Post. 

Yes, I knew there was something special about that dress.

April, moving wedding dressers and another Project Used

For many many years, the month of April has been my busy month.  

I had three babies born in April, so there's been a lot of celebrating around here.

Mayer turned nine.

Eden turned four.

And Payson turned 12.

There's been one to many birthday cakes, even an ice cream cake (with homemade graham cracker crust) I made for my baby brother Sam.

I think my little niece Ada is really looking forward to some of that cake.  

The counselor and I finally moved the "wedding" dressers (click here to read more about the wedding I recently hosted at my house) down to the shop at Antique Plaza.  Because the bride's colors were gray and cream, I painted an assortment of dressers to match.  Now, there are all for sale.  Cool, huh.

Cream and gray are really popular colors for furniture up-do's!

Wouldn't it be nice if I had a hobby, like collecting English tea cups or decorating birthday cakes.  

Moving all this furniture can be such a pain in the back, literally, but when I was a little girl, I used to help my dad move furniture a lot.  I remember him saying "Lift with the legs, not the back" so that's what I try to do. 

The counselor works wonders with the furniture dolly, so it seems more and more I'm just giving instruction.  I'm like an annoying backseat driver, but he loves me anyway.

And, this Saturday April 26, we are having another project: USED 

(click here to read more about an awareness campaign I've started with used dresses to prevent, offer support and raise awareness for sexual abuse).

Please join us 3:00 to 5:00pm at my home for a photo session. I provide the used dresses.  There are so many wonderful people working on this project, we have a lot of fun and you get to keep your dress.  Please contact me at lauralofgreen@aol.com for more information.

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