Look What I Found!

Over the past several weeks, my junkin friend Rebecka and I have hit some local spots, including the storage shed of another friend. My favorite part of junking with Rebecka is hearing her say "Look what I found" because I know it means she has landed something wonderful!

This time though, I also had a few LWIF moments myself and I wanted to share them with you!

First this great old print caught my eye and I had to have it...I have long needed an aristocrat in the house, and he fit the bill. I was so excited, as I had put away my pewter sconces until the right item came along to go with them. We still have not named him, but I am sure we will think of something!

Next, this fantastic chest of drawers was spotted on a junking day....great mirror on top, nice and tall, great colonial style pulls. I did not need it, but it was marked SO CHEAPLY that I knew I could not leave it! I will find a spot soon for it as I am moving things around to make room for it. It was truly a steal, how could we leave it behind?





I am a sucker for wooden bowls, especially priced right! This one was a deal and is the largest one I have ever found. Even with the crack, it is a beauty for sure! I will be hard pressed to find a larger one, but you know, we must continue the hunt! What about this darling measurer? The local thrift store provided it to me at a lovely price. It has already been used for so many things, I am not sure what it will be doing on a permanent basis! It has great patina and is a nice size.

Lastly, I have found that my youngest is growing up too fast. Always the bargain hunter, I found a fantastic red dress for homecoming for her. Last weekend was the big game and dance, and she looked radiant.

In all the things I have found, that is the one that is so bittersweet. It is a wonderful thing to see your child grow into such beautiful person, inside and out. However , it is a little sad to know that means they will soon leave the nest you have enjoyed sharing with them! She thought my find in the portrait was a little creepy, she was none too pleased to help me get that chest of drawers up the stairs. She asked me what in the world I was going to do with one more wooden bowl. She could not understand why we could not really use the measurer when we were cooking together. She has, however, said many times on those junking trips "Look what I found".....so I know a little bit of me will go with her! That's the best kind of homecoming anyway! What did you find lately that had to make your house it's home? ~Beth




Thanks to Kay Brown Photography for capturing Homecoming 2011 for Olivia!

All Treats/No Tricks!

Finally the time came to bring out the jack-o-lanterns and the black cats! I always love the addition of my two favorite icons of Halloween. There is something about the grins of those jack-o-lanterns and the arched backs of kitties that really gets me looking forward to the visits of ghouls and goblins. One of my most treasured decorations for Halloween is a superb old black and white photo of my mom, dressed as a witch at about 7 years of age. It sits proudly it my foyer each year. She has always enjoyed All Hallow's Eve it seems.

My mom loved to dress our home's front porch for the holiday. We lived in a house that had an alcove on the front of the house. Our home had a spanish flair to it's exterior, a popular design for it's time. With two arched windows with wrought iron inserts and an arched entry complete with big wooden doors, the alcove was a perfect spot for decorating. You had to step inside the alcove and walk to the front door. Short distance on a sunny day or regular evening, but on Halloween it seemed like an eternity to reach the doorbell. Some kids passed us by altogether.

Early in day, my mom would collect some spanish moss from the trees. Draping it all over those arched windows and doorway created the perfect spooky look. Adding some yellow or orange paper over the lights outside added quite the eerie glow. Carved pumpkins, creepy music and a hanging ghost completed the design. She dressed like a witch and painted her face green. We loved every minute of it....so did she.

We have long since moved from that house. We kids are all grown up. Mom's front porch now does not quite lend itself to the same scarey entry, but she still decorates and has the best candy on the block.

My favorite part of Halloween is really the costumes. Once my girls came along, I could not wait for the costuming to begin. Never really big on the scarey costumes, we opted for odd, unusual ideas...or at least they seemed that way to me! A Leprechaun, the Monopoly Man with a Pair of Dice (love everyone dressing together to create a theme), Rudoplph The Red Nosed Reindeer, and a working Stop Light to name a few. We have always enjoyed coming up with an idea and dreaming up the costume. Quite the feat since I do not sew! Store bought costumes were not a part of their childhood. I hope they didn't mind too much!

Now that the black cats are out, and the jack-o-lanterns are afoot, I know that Halloween is right around the corner. Fall is well underway and soon the turkeys will chase off the cats and pumpkins til next year. Until then, we will enjoy the our frightening felines and candle lit faces and await the tricksters we can bribe with treats.