Sisterly Love.

Words escape me but I had to include

this precious picture of 2 sisters. Love!

For Us Too ....

We all felt like we graduated with C as she

walked across the stage. From helping her

study to taking care of little B, in so many

ways, we all contributed. Today was for us too!

Posing Grad.

Graduate mama, proud boy.

Taking time out for a call.

Proud Boy.

 Little B was so excited to

watch him mama graduate.

He kept telling her how beautiful she is.

So much love between these two.

The Ceremony Begins.

All the families and dignitaries are

seated, waiting for the beginning.

Pomp and Circumstance.

And bagpipes!

Speeches and inspiring words.

And in the centre of it all, the dedicated

and hardworking graduates, reaping the

rewards of late night studies and hours of

clinical's, all celebrated today by all of us.

A New Beginning.

 After 2 years of study, our eldest daughter

graduated from Nursing School on Thursday.

A special day for a strong young lady,

abandoned by her spouse 4.5 years ago.

A single mother, not by choice. But making

the choice to move forward towards success.

Words cannot even describe the pride we feel.

For now, I'll just share the pictures we took.

Drizzly May.

After several months of very dry and hot

weather, the skies opened up in mid May

and we have now had more rain in one

month than ever. A record in fact.

How did your May shape up?

Lots of rain or hot and dry?

My Dream Garden.

We're working away on designing the

landscaping on our acreage. Fun!

This is my dream garden. We have purchased

our raised garden beds but need fencing now. 

Isn't it incredibly sweet?

Do you have a dream garden?

Painting Project.

 We bought this little cabinet, with

shelves inside, for $10 last spring.

I finally figured out where it would be

best used but knew it needed work.

Taking it apart was easy. Painting

it will take several coats and sanding.

I'm the same green as our kitchen

cabinets and chose chalk paint.

First coat has really gone on well

but was soaked up by the wood.

I'm guessing I'll need to do at least 2 

more coats to get it to the right shade.

Once completed, this cabinet will be

set up in our mudroom. It has 4 inner

shelves and there are 4 of us always

needing places to put keys and items

we've brought home but need to take

with us each day. Very functional.

Any projects you're working on now?

Have you used chalk paint before?

Final Sale Treasures.

The last few items we bought last

weekend at the Boot Sale.

Grouped together but truthfully,

they'll end up all over the house.

First up, this British egg cup to add to 

our tiny collection in the tea cupboard.

A green perfume bottle and a matching 

lavender one for my dressing table.

And finally, this little cherub dish ~ perfect 

for little hand soaps or a mix of potpourri.

Have you been to any Boot Sales this week?

Any great treasures you can share with us?

A Blue Bottle ....

.... to add to my little collection of

bottles that includes purple, green

and pink tones. Now I have a blue

one! All different sizes too.

Vintage Frame.

I love collecting frames! As an artist, it's crucial

to me that art is displayed in ways that let them

really stand out. I also love to put vintage pictures

and postcards in frames that are of the period.

This sweet frame was just $2. It's small but

heavy and just perfect for a lovely project.

Do you collect picture frames?

How do you display art?

Celebrating 1000.

On September 3rd, 2011, I embarked on an unknown and uncertain journey. As a new writer, I was looking for ways to explore this art, a chance to share my life, an opportunity to create new memories and a place to document the progress of all my intended projects. Today, May 28th, 2016 marks my 1728th date of blogging and officially the launch of my 1000th post. I don't have a big following, my words are my own and only from the heart, and I haven't made a penny sharing this life with commentary, but today I am proud of this achievement. I love writing my blog and capturing moments. How long will I write? I have no idea and no goals to conquer, other than my annual guess of how many posts I could possibly, within reason in this busy life, create. Thank you for reading, commenting and enjoy a laugh or two with me. I've loved connecting with those who have reached out and look forward to meeting many other bloggers as this journey continues to unfold it's path. On to 2000 ~ seems so far away! But I'm up to the task. 

I Couldn't Resist.

Do you have a little written list or a running list in your head of items that you'd hope to find on treasure hunts? I like to be intentional in my purchases and if I can buy used, I'm a very happy shopper! I like to sit in a room, visualize what is missing and then add that item to my list. I have a little journal I keep so I can remember those little ideas that creep into my mind. Then it's fun to shop when I know what items I still need to pick up along the way. It's fun to hunt and even better when items that have been elusive suddenly appear one day, when I least expect them. That's what makes hunting treasures fun.

One thing I've been hoping to find is a tiny

table to put beside our tub in the master bath.

A spot to hold a cool drink, my book,

a candle and the tv remote if it's on.

This equisite table was at the Boot Sale

and listed for $8. But did I pay that? No,

of course not! I offered $5 and it was

accepted without hesitation. Great buy.

Wreath Love.

I love little wreaths. Not sure why and how

I grew to add them to our home decor.

But they are great for changing out a room

when we're decorating or honoring a season.

Tea Party Year.

If you've followed my blog for a while, you may know that I am a big tea lover. And that in this new sweet cottage we call home, we created an actual "tea pantry" instead of a traditional "butler's pantry." A lovely spot to display our tea pots, precious tea cups and saucers, tins of delicious tea and a few special books and tea trinkets. At the Boot Sale, my dh came across this beautiful book, in brand new condition. On the back is a sticker from the store it was originally purchased from, clearly in the U.K., as the tag shows the price as 20 pounds. In Canadian, at today's exchange rate, I would have paid $38.50 but instead, I had to hand over just $13.50. Not a bad deal! Love all the details in it.

Called "The Vintage Tea Party Year" it's full 

of great ideas to host tea parties during the year.

All the major holidays are covered, and I few new

ones for us to explore. We can't wait to try them!

Flowery Bell.

This bone china flowery bell caught

my eye and was just $5, which was

1/2 of what it was listed for. But the

vendor had a sale table. Bonus!!

Tiny Petit Point.

 On this dark, dreary and rainy day, more

photos of our Boot Sale Treasures.

My grandmother created beautiful Petit Point

art and I've started to collect some myself.

I have just a few of hers but never pass up a chance

to buy from another artist. Especially when the price

is right! This tiny Petit Point was listed for $10 but

I managed to pay just $6 for it after adding a few items

together then asking the vendor if she'd accept an

offer for all 4 items. And she did! So happy.

A Tin for Sweets.

Another Boot Sale find. Listed for $10 but

the lovely vendor accepted my offer of $6.

I loved the whimsical decor of this little tin.

Now I'll have to make room in the tea cupboard.

Moss Rose.

One of the patterns of china I collect is Moss Rose.

I love anything Royal Albert, especially on sale!

This cake plate was $10 but as we entered the vendor's

tent, she told us that all her wares would be half price.

So very a tidy sum of $5, this cake plate is now gracing

our china cabinet, with it's matching pieces together. I

was able to find the same plate listed for $55 on a

replacement site. Our great deal of the day for sure.

House Frame.

The first item we purchased at the Boot Sale on the weekend we almost didn't! When we arrive, we always do a little walk around and then get serious about really hunting for treasures. On this wet and windy day, we stopped inside the first booth (a tent to protect items from the rain) in our path to get out of the rain. And there was this sweet house frame. As the vendor's tent began to fill up, we crept out to wander down the lane. Suddenly, I just had to have it! Do you ever have that happen? I was already imagining the pictures I'd put in each slot, and maybe adding a few quotes too. As we walked back to the tent, I spotted someone holding it and chatting with the vendor. NOOO! But then she put it down, thanked the vendor and left the tent. YES!! Within seconds, it was in my hands. Priced at $40, I mulled over spending almost half my budget ($100) on one item. As I was considering the price, the vendor came over to greet me. I told her how much I loved her items, then asked if prices were firm. As her teeth chattered from the cold, she smiled and said "sure, make me an offer". I offered $30, thinking we'd meet at $35 but she immediately said yes, and I left the tent with a big grin on my face, my husband laughing behind, muttering something about "the one that almost got away"! We took it back to our car as it was too bulky to carry around all morning. Along the way, I had a number of people ask where we got it! Tucked safely away in our car, we went back to venture through the collection of tents and open tables to find more treasures. More posts soon showing our haul for the day.

Boot Sale #1.

Our local Antique Malls holds 4 Boot sales each Spring and Summer. Today, the long weekend here in Canada,, was the first one. In the midst of the big fires, the unbearable heat, tons of deadlines and lots of worry, it was nice to have something really fun to look forward to. 

Then the rain started to fall from the sky. We've now had rain for 4 days straight. As I've said before and I'll say again today, I LOVE the rain! And this year, with the heat and fires, the rain was more than welcome. There are some people in the big city beside us who have now experienced flooding in their homes. The big city south of us received mounds of snow all weekend. Truly, our weather is crazy now. Not sure if this is the "end of days" but I wish we could go back to weather that is more calm. And predictable. And NO fires!! Back to my story: the rain started to fall from the sky. Now we were wondering if the Boot Sale would still happen. Or if lots of vendors would pull out. We had our fingers crossed.

We woke up early this morning, eager to see if the rain was still coming down in buckets .... and it was! But the word from the owners of the Antique Mall was that it was still on, so we showered, tidied the house, made the bed, grabbed our rain gear and our wallets, and off to went into the big city beside us. It was a sloshing ride, with huge puddles, black skies and rain that pelleted our car. As we drove in to the lot, it slowed to a spit and by the time we got out of our car, it had stopped. The wind was still cold but at least we didn't get rained on. 

Budget conscious, we had $100 tucked away in my wallet. These funds we had raised by taking in all our bottles we had collected in our garage. We received $108 in total. And here's what we bought: 

In the end, if we had paid what the prices were as marked, we would have spent our full $100. But with a bit of luck and a few queries, negotiations were welcome and we paid just $45 for the lot. 

This sale was small compared to others and the tables were sparse, despite the fact that we got there well in advance of opening. I'm sure many vendors were sold out before the afternoon. We saw some regulars, did a bit of catching up, then once we had taken our goods to our car, we went into the Antique Mall to warm up and see if there were any good buys inside. We didn't stay long as the crowds were huge but we did buy the tea book and the cupcake tin, bringing out total for the day up to $64. I'm very happy with our purchases and had a great time. Can't wait for the next one.

Do you have Boot Sales in your community?

Does your town or city have an Antique Mall?

Forest Flowers.

 No words. Just pretty flowers from

our forest on a rainy, cold weekend.

No complaints here though. The rain is a

welcome relief from the fires and the heat.

Days' End Creating.

 One super cute frame already on sale

plus an extra 20% at the "M" store ....

.... one piece of scrapbooking paper

with the colors of our home in it ....

.... a piece of pretty lace found at the

bottom of a pile at the Antique Mall ....

.... equals one super sweet frame with

lovely colors and lace to grace our island.

Did you get creative tonight and make something?

Do you think I should chalk paint the frame green?