Sam I am...

I have a new addition to the family!My husband came home from playing pool last night with a black lab.One of the fellas he plays with lives out in the country.At around 3am the previous night a car pulled up to his house and abandoned 2 dogs in his yard.Another friend took the smaller one and we took the lab who is now known as Sam.Meet Sam,he knows commands,listens fairly well,slobbers an unattractive amount and besides some scarring on his nose and elbows,and being underweight appears to be in good health.

He is also totally in love with my husband!




He also hates sitting still long enough for me to take any photos of him.


In typical lab fashion he enjoys fetching things.I need to get him some toys but for now this stick is his favorite thing.



The kids love him.My son is less than thrilled about being licked by Sam though.But how about my other fur babies you may wonder?Ollie is THRILLED.Obnoxiously thrilled.He's all over Sam which has made Sam nervous but they get along.I just have to tell Ollie to back off sometimes.Like in this photo,you can see Ollie's eyes PLEADING with me to please,please,pretty please let him be annoying and jump all over Sam again.


Lug on the other hand for being a rescue dog himself is not very accepting of another rescue in the home.To say he is indignant would be an understatement.Stink eyes have been given to me and my husband and groans and sighs are tossed in Sam's direction.He'll warm up.I'm just trying to give him extra loves so he sees its a new addition,not a replacement.




I can't understand how a person can just abandon an animal like that.Due to Sam being malnourished I wonder if they couldn't afford to keep him?I can only speculate but it doesn't excuse the behavior.What matters now though is that Sam is safe and has a home.A forever home.

This Memorial Day Weekend...

Here in the states many look at memorial day as 3 day weekend,a reason to barbecue and drink beers.Now I'm not knocking any of that but I do hope as I've heard people boast of their holiday parties they'll be attending that they'll also be giving nod to those that have served.

Though it is looked at as a time to honor those that have served and died I thought I'd share with you photos of my gramps in uniform who I am still so fortunate to have with me.He is a retired Sergeant Major in his 90's and has fought 7 terms of war from WWII through Vietnam.



my grandfather on the right




I hope everyone has a fun and safe remains of the holiday weekend.I want to express my gratitude to the men and women that have served and continue to serve this country.Also thank you to your families for their bravery in holding down the home front and staying strong when you're away from them.Also in their ability to put on a smile knowing in times of war there is a chance you may not return to them.I salute you all.

"All gave some,Some gave all"

Kitty Cats and Sticks and Stones....

Yesterday the kids and I took my dad to his doctors appointment.While he went in to get his new leg adjusted I peaked in a thrift store to see if they had anything good.I fell in love with this ceramic kitty,as did Heidi so I couldn't say "no".It was only $1.80 it its not like it broke the bank by any means.



Also spotted this little vintage jewelry box looking rather lonely.I had a customer buy 2 necklaces the other day so I thought I'd send them in this.Hopefully she likes it too.


That stunning red coat I mentioned in my last post sold so today I had to rally the troops and we went to the post office to mail it off.After wards hubs and I took the kiddies down to the beach to play.

Wayland ended up falling asleep on the way there so he missed the fun.Hubs went off with Heidi to play on the playground and make sand castles as I sat on the bench with Wayland passed out in the stroller,blissfully unaware of the fun he was missing.
Next to me on the bench was this stick and stone which made me smile.More than likely placed there by a child earlier in the day.


Due to it being Halloween weekend there are a lot of parties going on.One the way home from the beach a few blocks from the house I spotted this one pointing down the driveway and thought "THERE is one I'd like to crash"...I wouldn't of course but definitely seemed like a fun party.

Whichever Way the Wind Blows....

The last few days have been a mix of good news and bad news.Good news is I've gotten a few things together for my 300 followers give away so expect that soon!Bad news is after the job my hubby had in Alaska fell through he was unable to find work again.As gracious as our friends have been letting him stay with them, with no work on the horizon,a dwindling bank account and 4 months away from each he decided it was time to throw in the towel.Great news is we'll be together again soon at least!But the bad news is its here where I don't want to be and where jobs are hard to come by too.

What does the future hold for my family?I can't say.I don't know where exactly it will be other than not here as I don't care for southern California.Our goal for now is to just make the best of the situation,save money and go from there.

I had some time to process the news and I'll admit yesterday I was pretty blue but sitting around sulking about things you have no control over doesn't do any good.Instead I took the kids for a walk to hunt for lizards.That mission failed but Heidi was equally thrilled over finding a patch of mushrooms and moss growing under a heavily shaded tree.






After parking the stroller in the driveway we weren't quiet ready to go in the house and decided art time was in order.It is hard to stay too upset about anything when you have chalk in your hand doodling stars,hearts and stick figures galore.Pretty therapeutic actually!




Ollie decided to join in the fun by dragging the box of chalk around the driveway and that my pants made for a lovely canvas too.

World Market & Lazy Days at the Ranch...

Oh hello internet connection!You're back!I can finally do the post I wanted to do 2 days ago now,hee hee.2 days ago I got to see my niece which was nice since I haven't seen her in about 5 years!My mom,her and my kids had a great day together.We stopped by Cost Plus World Market.I think that's such a fun store and I haven't been to one in a few years since they don't exist in Indiana,yet Ohio had 2!Way to be greedy Ohio!

I took them to the park and after wards we went to have lunch at my moms.My mom doesn't really live on a ranch but we call it the ranch as she has a ranch style home with a few horse corrals.I love it out there its so relaxing.I took an insane amount of photos so I thought it'd be best to use the photo-booth option on my phone and just pick 12 to make a collage with.

You can see some of the fun things they sell at Cost Plus in case you've never been to one.I love their packaging.I didn't get a snap of it but they have Chinese take out cartons that are pink with polka dots that I want to pick up for gift boxes,adorable!But you can see the Japanese and Russian doll gift bags they had amongst the other goodies.I only had $5.00 to my name and that got blown buying those cute wafer hippo cookies for the kids.




In other exciting news I made the front page of Etsy!After selling for over a year I'd yet to make it but now I can stop complaining about it,haha.Funny too that it ended up being a vintage tie of all things that made it.

I have to thank Nicole of Bombshell Bettie Vintage She has a great blog,fantastic Etsy shop AND makes THEE BEST Etsy treasuries,its about time one made it to the front page!I'm so excited that I was included when one of hers was finally noticed!

Prayers For Vince...

I've met some really amazing people through social networking.I love to support my fellow Etsy friends but sometimes life isn't always fun and games,its not all promoting,giggles and gossip.Things happen sometimes and it can be ugly.It is easy enough to ignore people in their time of need if you don't know them in real life but that kind of indifference I think is where a lot of the problems of the world lay.Something shouldn't have to be happening RIGHT in front of you to care.

If you shop hair bows on Etsy there are tons!Very few stand out but one shop I always thought did even before I befriended her was Roxanne of Original Cenz.Now you'll notice in her shop announcements sadly her 3 year old Vince had a tumor removed from his brain and to date has been diagnosed with brain cancer.He is currently undergoing chemo and radiation.

Roxanne and her husband just welcomed into this world a new baby boy so you can imagine this is a time of mixed emotions for them.Joy over this new life their love brought into this world and the despair of your oldest child who is still just a baby himself struggling with such a serious disease.

The very talented Corissa of Wicked Minky has designed some necklaces for Vince that Roxanne's best friend is selling in her shop here.If you can I urge you to go buy a necklace.Roxanne will also be opening her Etsy shop back up soon to help cover the growing medical costs.

And more importantly do PLEASE pray for him!I don't care what your faith is.Whatever God,Gods,Goddesses,Higher Power or just light a candle or think good thoughts for this little kid fighting for his life right now.I had this cancer scare with my mother but as a mother I can't imagine having to deal with this with my child!Pray for Roxanne and her husband for the strength and courage needed to get through this and pray their new baby boy gets to have a HEALTHY big brother around to protect him growing up as it should be.


The power of positive thinking is so important and this family could use it right now so my dear blogger community please band together with me and Pray for Vince!He can beat this I'm sure!And to Roxanne should you ever get the chance to read this please know that so many of us though we may not have had the pleasure of meeting each other in person think so highly of you and your family.We're touched by your struggle and hope all the best for you and your family!

Lazy Sundays and Hand Me Downs...

Sundays are my lazy days.Normally I catch up with the laundry for the week,sometimes I don't get dressed and lounge around in my pj's all day.Today wasn't one of those days though.I've yet to start a load of laundry and around noon not only were the kids getting a little stir crazy buy so was I.

A brisk walk on this beautiful day was in order so I threw on a house dress,my grandmothers hat and a pair of cute 70's wedges I had thrifted for $2.00,dressed the kids and grabbed a leash and off we went.




About a block away from my dads is a yard filled with beautiful roses.I managed to snap a photo of this one before the person came out and stood there,surely wondering what this strange woman with 2 small children and a boston terrier were doing.


And of course you can't think of southern California without palm trees...its true we have a lot.Its been over a month now since I last saw my husband and I'm missing him tons.Ready to trade in these palm trees for some moose!


I've managed to exhaust the dog who is happily snoring besides me,my daughter is content counting pennies right now and the boy is tossing some blocks around.We're back into lazy mode.I should probably get some laundry started and I'd like to fast forward to tonight already when the kids are asleep and True Blood comes on!

A Horse of Course ...

Today the kids and I went over to my moms to help her go through some of her horse and vintage items she was ready to let go of.There are a few items I still have in my moms garage that I can't wait to come across,like my Ewok stuffed animal!However,today was not the day to find that....Yes,I am a Star Wars nerd.I proudly admit it.

Instead we came across a box of my old Breyer horses that kept Heidi and Wayland entertained while my mom and I worked.When I first opened the box I saw my moms old horse from the 50's and had to pull it out so Heidi wouldn't try to play with it.My mom said I could use it for Wayland's room decor so just another reason I can't wait to get to Alaska and set up his cowboy room!





Ollie got to come out and play too which was nice.I always feel bad about leaving him.He never did this before when I would left him but ever since I moved into my dads to help him out he cries and makes the most god awful sounds when I walk out the door(he much like my daughter I think are equally unhappy here and I'm working as hard as I can to get us up north asap).He could be happily snoring on the couch but the moment I go out to say get the mail he runs to the back yard and sits at the gate and makes this chattering dolphin-esque noise which I'm sure the neighbors think I'm torturing the poor guy!We didn't want to bring him over to my moms before because of this guy right here:


That is Fox Livingston and don't let his size fool you he is a stone face killa!Seriously he has killed a few dogs that have come onto the property.I think its because his dad,my old Corgi Bandit was attacked and killed by dogs that had come up to the ranch 10 years ago and Fox takes no chances now.Poor guy,he has issues.Fortunately him and Ollie got along splendidly and no blood or fur was shed.

Today also marks the 10 year anniversary of my fathers death.I can't believe its been that long already.I really wanted to share some fun photos I have of him as a kid from the 40s and 50s but they're packed away so I thought I'd just leave it as an honorable mention on my blog.I could probably ramble on some more but I promised myself I'd get some listings done tonight and its almost midnight!Yikes!Eh,who needs sleep anyway?

Alive and in California....

Whew!What a crazy past week its been you guys!So much I've wanted to share but as my luck would have it whenever I have found time to blog I couldn't find a reliable internet connection to "borrow".My flight here went smoothly.Traveling with not one but two small children made me nervous but thankfully my kids are awesome and worked with me,the second flight we caught was the longest part of the trip and luckily they slept through most of it.

My mom picked us up from the airport and we spent the first few days at her house.She has a great platonic relationship with her best bud Louie who she is roommates with(anyone that says men and woman can't be just friends I kindly beg to differ and direct them to example A).Louie is a car nut and besides having a pretty sweet 60s Corvette he added this 1950 shoebox Ford that I was drooling over during my whole stay.




On the 31st my little girl turned 3!I can't believe it but she really is this little lady now and not just my baby (but she'll always be my baby).She wanted to see some fish for her birthday so she was obliged.





The rest of the time I've spent feeling overwhelmed and trying to find my routine.Its a little harder than I expected to take care of someone that should have a 24 hours a day nurse AND balance my life but I'm doing the best I can.In case I've been a little vague about my family emergency its because I didn't want to complain since I try to avoid the negatives of life on this blog but just so everyone is clear I came out here to help my dad (technically ex-step father but the closest thing I've ever had to a dad so the dad title he gets).

He had his legs amputated because of his diabetes.He refuses to give himself his insulin and is suffering from a mild case of dementia.Basically if I had to sum up what I'm dealing with when it comes to him its like being stuck in an episode of Hoarders,Scrubs,Clean House and add a dash of family drama but at the end of the hour I do not get to change the channel,its all on repeat.If he lives outside of the time frame of the 6 to 8 months I'm staying here to take care of him I'm worried about what will become of him but as much as I should probably worry about that for now I'm trying to take it one day at a time.

Ah,sorry needed to vent a little there,feel better now.In more upbeat news I'm happy to report my Etsy shop is back up in running.I kept it open during my move and didn't have too many issues getting caught up on orders and everything unpacked quickly but the lack of listing nearly killed me!I did mange to squeeze in one new listing today
and still have a TON more to get to but time is not on my side and neither is a reliable internet connection!I need to shop around and find a cheap provider while I'm staying here.So folks that's what is new and exciting? with me this week.I'm dying to get out there and thrift and see what pretty things southern California has to offer.

Life Works Out in Odd Ways Sometimes...

As I had mentioned a few posts ago my family and I are moving to Alaska at the end of May.It's been stressful planning as it is a VERY expensive move and the cost of living up there is really high.I'm still planning on moving up there but the gods work in mysterious ways sometimes.Though the events are unfortunate in the long run this will be most beneficial to my family.My husband is going to go ahead and move to Alaska at the end of May but due to an emergency in my family I will be taking the kids to California for 6 months.Could end up being shorter,perhaps a tad longer but right now that is the plan.

Watching a family members health decline is heart breaking but its very important to be there for them if you can.I've missed being away from my family and this will give my mother and mother in law a chance to be near their grand-babies for awhile.It will also give my husband a chance to find work easier and a place when he just has himself to worry about and plenty of time to get established up there before the kids,dog and I come up.

So life throws a wrench in your plans sometimes but like I said it really is for the best.Plus I'm a big believer in absence makes the heart grow fonder so it will give me a chance to miss my hubby like crazy again like I haven't since we first started dating and weren't married and together 24/7...you know familiarity breeds contempt,haha!But no really it will be strange being away from him and I'll miss him like crazy but we're playing the hand life dealt us.

I will still be running my Etsy shop and hoping I can still find many goodies in California.Hoping my old haunts are still around and that the mid-west has spoiled me too much.I'll be leaving at the end of May so I'll probably have my shop closed for about 2 weeks which will be very odd for me but I'm hoping to sell as much as possible BEFORE I leave so fingers crossed the sales fairy is good to me so I won't have to lug it across the country.Needless to say I'm quite a flutter with all this craziness going on and its got me California dreaming.Thought I'd share some California themed goodies I've seen on Etsy with you all.

Love this 1940's L.A scrapbook,yeah I have "old lady" hobbies I love scrapbooking!
Souvenir tablecloth
H Bar C California RanchWear western shirt


California Hankie Pillow
California souvenir apron

He's Here!

Born on Sunday weighing 8 pounds 13oz and 21 inches long,a big fella for my mere 5 foot frame!Now it's time to shed this baby weight so I can fit into the vintage dresses I've hoarded over my pregnancy (which I've also been needing to show off here *le sigh* poor neglected blog).

Here's my lil man,a whole 5 days old :

Born on Sunday weighing 8 pounds 13


eep!They don't make a coffee strong enough to keep up with a toddler AND a newborn!

I Hope This Doesn't Ruin My Little Pony For Her...

In family news Sunday for us is "family day"... I mean really everyday is family day but more so it's take Heidi to the park day.She had a blast as always and she loves the swings.We're delighted that they opened up a zoo there too and it's free!It's tiny but it has a good variety of animals and things to do,plus did I mention its free?!

One of the features is a petting zoo with goats and ponies.We opted NOT to let Heidi in there this time and instead she seemed content petting one of the ponies through the fence...until she stopped and started paying attention to another pony that had walked up and pony number 1 bit her!It didn't break the skin but it gave her an instant bruise you could see under the teeth marks on her arm.Poor dear!She of course sobbed and kept repeating over and over "bad horse it bit me!Why?!"

I am proud of my hubby he controlled his overprotectiveness and didn't punch the pony.I know the thought seems silly but he told me right as we were walking away he had thought about it and then decided such a thing would probably be frowned upon and he didn't want Heidi to end up banned for life from the zoo because her Papa once punched a pony,hahaha!I do feel that in the future any boy unfortunate enough to foolishly break our daughters heart won't ever fair so lucky as that pony.

We took her to the gift shop afterwards where she fell in love with a penguin and declared "Happy Feet!" (which we had just watched this morning).My husband told me to take her outside and he'd meet us out there.I took her over to the fountain and a few minutes later out Papa arrived the hero with a penguin for her.$3.48 to buy your child some happiness and sort of make up for when ponies attack is priceless.