Looking up at cloud formations
linking to A Beautiful Mess
Daydreams
Monday, August 16, 2010
As each Saturday is filled with family activities taking us all over the county, I haven't been able to take a trip to the flea and farmer's market this season. With a few hour break in the early morning, I took the opportunity to go.
Aside from purchasing fresh local produce for the upcoming week's meals, there were also some other deals waiting for me.
One person just had everything in boxes so it was a treasure hunt. I only looked at two boxes because there were only two things that caught my attention: Fireking jadeite and an owl (of course). It set me back only pennies.
Lotus prep bowls - 4 for a dollar.
As I was paying for the plates, I spotted this typewriter. I nearly reached muscle failure taking it to the car. The kids are so intrigued by this.
I also bought some picture props, a cool, old oil painting of a bullfighter, vintage army men and this die cast truck and trailer. The boys like little toys and I like it when they are not plastic.
So for under $30.00 which included fruits, vegetables and maybe a Philly style pretzel twist, hold-the-salt, I came in under budget...and got some exercise.
linking to Apron Thrift Girl
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Sunday, August 15, 2010
The little girl could barely touch the ground with her big toe while sitting on the edge of the merry-go-round. She stretched her foot as far as she could and was able to gently push herself around. The ride crept along at a snail's pace.
She hopped off and with her hands securely on the bars, she leaned into the metal structure and pushed. She pushed and ran as fast as she could, trying not to let her legs fall under. In one motion, she jumped back onto the bar and in a cradle position, leaned back and looked up at the trees. Spinning on the merry-go-round while looking up made her dizzy and caused her to giggle. She did this over and over until she realized that the park had gone quiet.
Remembering that her shoes were placed next to her mom on the bleachers, she back to see if they were there. The shoes were gone and so was everyone else.
Panic struck and she quickly moved her head around to see if anyone was in view. The only people were those that were closing up the concession stand so she ran over and timidly asked if she could use the phone. 834-3149 was a number that she could remember easily, even at 5 years old.
Her heart sank as she listened to all of the rings. No one was home and no one was here, she thought. How could they have forgotten her?
She did not like to cry in front of people. So she waited until she got back to the playground before shedding a tear. Her mom would come back but it was getting a little dark under the shady trees and cloud cover. Waiting seemed to take forever. Her feet were dusty but the powdery dirt felt good so she drew pictures with the big toe that barely touched the ground. She sang, "Lambert, the sheepish lion" to herself to pass the time and gently pushed herself again. Finally she folded her arms on the bar in front of her and rested her head, letting her legs dangle through the bars.
The people from the concession stand came by to tell her they were leaving and asked if she'd be all right. That almost got her crying again but she said, "My mom should be here any minute."
Now she was really all alone.
Just then she looked up and saw the familiar family car pull to a stop in front of her. The windows of the car were rolled down and everyone was calling her name. Happily, she jumped off of the merry-go-round and bounded for the car. Her happiness was short-lived when she saw that everyone had a famous Top-Burger Blackberry shake in hand as well as burgers and french fries with special seasonings.
Teasing older brothers were waving shakes in front of her. She assumed that they would stop to get her something but she watched the Top Burger restaurant fade in the distance as they headed for home.
Turning toward her mother she asked how she could forget her. Her mom said, "Sorry, I counted heads and there were four." Every one giggled. Her sister's friend, Sheila, was the fourth that day. "Sheila? You counted Sheila? She has blond hair. You didn't notice that it wasn't me?" she asked.
"Sorry" her mother said. "I was in a hurry and forgot."
"And I don't get any Top Burger?"
"Sorry, I don't have any money left. I had just enough for four."
All the way home she had to endure the noises of her siblings sucking the last bit of shake through their straws and the "Ahhh.." her brothers said along with an exaggerated, "that was good." Her jaw dropped in amazement not believing this cruelty. Lisa, her sister, and Sheila gobbled up their french fries. She stoically ignored them and went into the house still in disbelief that she had been forgotten.
She hopped off and with her hands securely on the bars, she leaned into the metal structure and pushed. She pushed and ran as fast as she could, trying not to let her legs fall under. In one motion, she jumped back onto the bar and in a cradle position, leaned back and looked up at the trees. Spinning on the merry-go-round while looking up made her dizzy and caused her to giggle. She did this over and over until she realized that the park had gone quiet.
Remembering that her shoes were placed next to her mom on the bleachers, she back to see if they were there. The shoes were gone and so was everyone else.
Panic struck and she quickly moved her head around to see if anyone was in view. The only people were those that were closing up the concession stand so she ran over and timidly asked if she could use the phone. 834-3149 was a number that she could remember easily, even at 5 years old.
Her heart sank as she listened to all of the rings. No one was home and no one was here, she thought. How could they have forgotten her?
She did not like to cry in front of people. So she waited until she got back to the playground before shedding a tear. Her mom would come back but it was getting a little dark under the shady trees and cloud cover. Waiting seemed to take forever. Her feet were dusty but the powdery dirt felt good so she drew pictures with the big toe that barely touched the ground. She sang, "Lambert, the sheepish lion" to herself to pass the time and gently pushed herself again. Finally she folded her arms on the bar in front of her and rested her head, letting her legs dangle through the bars.
The people from the concession stand came by to tell her they were leaving and asked if she'd be all right. That almost got her crying again but she said, "My mom should be here any minute."
Now she was really all alone.
Just then she looked up and saw the familiar family car pull to a stop in front of her. The windows of the car were rolled down and everyone was calling her name. Happily, she jumped off of the merry-go-round and bounded for the car. Her happiness was short-lived when she saw that everyone had a famous Top-Burger Blackberry shake in hand as well as burgers and french fries with special seasonings.
Teasing older brothers were waving shakes in front of her. She assumed that they would stop to get her something but she watched the Top Burger restaurant fade in the distance as they headed for home.
Turning toward her mother she asked how she could forget her. Her mom said, "Sorry, I counted heads and there were four." Every one giggled. Her sister's friend, Sheila, was the fourth that day. "Sheila? You counted Sheila? She has blond hair. You didn't notice that it wasn't me?" she asked.
"Sorry" her mother said. "I was in a hurry and forgot."
"And I don't get any Top Burger?"
"Sorry, I don't have any money left. I had just enough for four."
All the way home she had to endure the noises of her siblings sucking the last bit of shake through their straws and the "Ahhh.." her brothers said along with an exaggerated, "that was good." Her jaw dropped in amazement not believing this cruelty. Lisa, her sister, and Sheila gobbled up their french fries. She stoically ignored them and went into the house still in disbelief that she had been forgotten.
So do you think I am still scarred by this event??
My mom and I laughed about this for years.
My mom and I laughed about this for years.
I remember thinking then that I would never forget my kids and I haven't. Lost them in a store maybe, but forgetting them and DRIVING ALL THE WAY HOME? That hasn't happened yet, sheesh!
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Thursday, August 12, 2010
If so, which is it?
Rush marrying a beautiful, young woman for a fourth time?
Or Elton performing at their wedding?
Is hell freezing right now??
Rush marrying a beautiful, young woman for a fourth time?
Or Elton performing at their wedding?
Is hell freezing right now??
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Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Summer concert with friends. My girls are on the right.
Hands up for one of the opening bands.
Paramore and lead singer, Haley Williams. The girl can sing.
I had the opportunity to go with my daughters to a concert last weekend. It was a good time.
Hands up for one of the opening bands.
Paramore and lead singer, Haley Williams. The girl can sing.
I had the opportunity to go with my daughters to a concert last weekend. It was a good time. We saw the band Paramore but unless you have a teenager or a tween, you might not know who they are.
The crowd was young and it was pushing to the stage. I lost my kids in the crowd but I was content with not getting right up to the stage. I wanted a little breathing room. I figured that Charley would be disappointed if I didn't get a picture of her favorite band so I stood in the middle of hundreds of teens and early 20 somethings to wait for them. We had to listen to 3 so-so bands to get to the good stuff.
It was a bit of torture. The kids around me kept saying, "come on!" when those bands would start another song. I felt the same way.
Everyone around me was actually pretty nice. The girl in front of me had pretty, long blond hair but she kept tousle-ing it every 2 seconds which would hit me right in my face. The girls next to me would look at me and roll their eyes with sympathy. I was so happy when she moved a little to the left. And then the poor girl to my left winced when she got it. The blond girl finally put it up in a ponytail.
After a few songs I motioned to some girls next to me to take my spot and ducked to wind my way back out of the crowd. It was about 20 degrees cooler outside of it and the view was much better. I sat on the hill, ate Twizzlers and enjoyed the band.
My ears rang all night which was always a sign that I had a good time when I was a teen-age concert-goer.
Oh the things you do for your kids.
And the things they do for me, like inviting me to hang out with them at a concert and not even being embarrassed.
They're young, fun and happy.
And I loved every minute. (Except for the hair tousle thing... but at least it was clean.)
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Saturday, August 7, 2010
I had to laugh the other day as I read an article on Al Gore and his sudden new fascination with heavy metal music. Apparently, he's loving the single life since Tipper never let him listen to rock music because of the bad influence she felt that it was. She has had a 25 year quest to get warning labels on music with explicit lyrics. I see nothing wrong with that. It's just like rating a movie and that doesn't seem to bother anyone. Anyone? Anyone?
Here is an excerpt from a recent interview.
"According to Gore's personal assistant Eric Linscott, the Nobel Peace Prize winner has been spending most of each workday gorging himself on the songs "On Your Knees," "The Torture Never Stops," and "Show No Mercy."
"I spent six hours at Best Buy yesterday trying to find these Quiet Riot and N.W.A. albums he was asking for," said Linscott, who claimed he also purchased a mirror etched with the AC/DC logo for Gore's home office. "Whenever I try to talk to him about upcoming meetings or something, he just makes this, like, devil symbol with his hands or starts air-drumming. I'm really hoping this is just a phase."
Al has also been catching up on movies that he couldn't watch either and
announced plans to stay up all night watching Porky's, Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Red Dawn, and The Terminator.
"Why would I need Tipper when I've got all this?" said Gore, gesturing toward stacks of compact discs, vinyl albums, VHS cassettes, DVDs, and Nintendo games. "I'll tell you one thing: If she thinks I miss her, then she's out of her mind, because I don't. I'm living the dream here, my friend. I'm not lonely at all."
Added Gore, "Not lonely at all."
In Tipper's quiet defiance, I expect her to increase her carbon footprint by leaving on all of the lights, buying a bottle of water in a plastic bottle and filling up the biggest gas guzzler at the BP station.
Here is an excerpt from a recent interview.
"According to Gore's personal assistant Eric Linscott, the Nobel Peace Prize winner has been spending most of each workday gorging himself on the songs "On Your Knees," "The Torture Never Stops," and "Show No Mercy."
"I spent six hours at Best Buy yesterday trying to find these Quiet Riot and N.W.A. albums he was asking for," said Linscott, who claimed he also purchased a mirror etched with the AC/DC logo for Gore's home office. "Whenever I try to talk to him about upcoming meetings or something, he just makes this, like, devil symbol with his hands or starts air-drumming. I'm really hoping this is just a phase."
Al has also been catching up on movies that he couldn't watch either and
announced plans to stay up all night watching Porky's, Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Red Dawn, and The Terminator.
"Why would I need Tipper when I've got all this?" said Gore, gesturing toward stacks of compact discs, vinyl albums, VHS cassettes, DVDs, and Nintendo games. "I'll tell you one thing: If she thinks I miss her, then she's out of her mind, because I don't. I'm living the dream here, my friend. I'm not lonely at all."
Added Gore, "Not lonely at all."
In Tipper's quiet defiance, I expect her to increase her carbon footprint by leaving on all of the lights, buying a bottle of water in a plastic bottle and filling up the biggest gas guzzler at the BP station.
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Monday, August 2, 2010
The terms "antique," "vintage" and "thrift" are thrown about all the time. I am guilty of it.Do you ever get confused on which is which?
I was asked recently about these terms so I thought I'd share.
This is what I have found out from dealers and watching the antiques roadshow. I always cringe when the experts ask the person with the item if they know anything about it and the person goes on and on about how some General gave the pistol to their great, great grandfather and they have no evidence of that fact. Then they find out that the pistol is in fact a reproduction and only worth $25.00. Oh sad face.
Anyway, "antique" refers to something that is at least 100 years old and has a provenance like where it came from, who owned it and documentation.
"Vintage" is anything from about 1920-1980. 1980 on up is not considered vintage. It's just considered out of date. While at one time it was a term used for the age of wine, it is now loosely used to describe anything old. It should still be of decent quality though. Vintage items can often be overpriced so be careful of that.
"Thrift" is neither of these things. It usually means something that is used and no longer wanted, and doesn't want to end up in the landfill. This can also mean junk. However, because people don't always know what they are getting rid of, you can find true antiques and vintage items at thrift shops and garage sales, just like all those success stories you hear about.
Remember that one lucky lady on antiques roadshow who bought the $25.00 table 30 years ago at a garage sale? The Keno brothers were going crazy and estimated its worth up to $300,000.00 if she hit the right auction.
The sweet lady almost went into shock. I said, "Sell it!" She listened and put it up at Sotheby's. The Keno's wanted it so badly but topping out at $525,000.00, they just couldn't do it. I was so happy for that lady it brought tears to my eyes.
The most recent one was earlier this year with an inherited jade collection from China. It was valued at over 1 million dollars.
It had sentimental value for the owner so she didn't want to sell it all but thought her brother would. Again, I say sell it. At least the $100,000.00 dollar piece. One fall off the shelf and it would be worth nothing. That's what would happen at my house but then again I wouldn't have a million dollar jade collection but maybe a vintage jadeite china collection.
And as I am sitting here writing this, MTV's "Sweet 16" is on and I'm too lazy to go turn it over. Where is the remote when you need it?
The last Sweet 16 party cost 1 million dollars. The 16 year-old had some of her friends make an entrance with her. They were dubbed the VIPs. She said they should be happy that she's including them in her day and if anybody trips and spoils this entrance, she'll kill them. So you can sell your Jade collection to pay for that.
The girl's parents gave her a new SUV too. She was disgusted. Can you imagine the horror of being seen in a nice, new SUV? Remember, the VIPs are going to be riding with her!
That was just the trick car though. Hiding behind it was a new Mercedes with a diamond encrusted logo.
Ahhh, that's better.
P.S. You're all my VIPs.
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