I love weekends 2

Grrrr.... Not one thing was found at the yard sales this morning AND the one sale I really wanted to go to was cancelled due to rain (although the rain cleared off by 7 a.m.... I'm just saying;). Oh well, at least I was done with Wal-Mart by 8:15 this morning and headed back home with a nice Diet Dr. Pepper from Sonic. So no yard sale pics for me to post, so I'll share this snapshot I took of my sweet little girl last night! Happy Weekend!!

Book Review 10

Four or five years ago, I decided to try a new author: Tamera Alexander, and I was thrilled that I did! I read her first series, Fountain Creek Chronicles: Rekindled, Revealed, & Remembered. Although it's been a while since I've read those, they stand out to me as books with depth and such Christian perspective.
This weekend, I started another series by Alexander, Timber Ridge Reflections. I devoured the 300+ page book as my wonderful spring break drew to a close! I so enjoyed From a Distance. For me it was the perfect mix of romance, history (I'm a sucker for a book set in the mid to late 1800s:), and Christian principle.

Brooke's Bargains 34

Last night, I set the coffee maker, printed out the yard sale ads from the online newspaper, and set my alarm. One problem-- instead of snooze, I turned my alarm off! I was so irritated with myself, but at least I was tired from staying up late to read a good book;) There were more than a dozen sales listed in the paper! Grrrr.....

Anyway, late this afternoon, I went for a jog, and our neighbor around the corner was having an all-day-clean-out-the garage-sale!!! I spotted a jogging stroller, so I went to check it out. Here's what I got...

I knew Brittany & Job were wanting one of these, and they can be expensive-- around $140 for this brand! I got this one for $25.

3 pieces of beautiful milk glass $3

Trip to Missouri on Spring Break

Although Ron grew up in South Alabama, he doesn't have much family there anymore as his mom and brothers moved to the Branson/Springfield area of Missouri about eight years ago. They are about five hours away from us here in good ol' Mississippi.
We spent three days there since I was off work for spring break! I enjoy traveling there. Even though it's only five hours from here, we travel through four states, and it's kinda of a pretty drive. I bought Ava a mini d.v.d player a while back, but of course, I couldn't find the charger for it! She did great on the trip though. Yay for little naps when she was starting to get restless.  While Ava napped, Ron and I enjoyed listening to some c.d.s that we borrowed from friends; the speaker is Voddie Baucham. Last year when I told Maria, a church friend and homeschooling parent, that I felt led in that direction, she told me about this guy. WOW. He's a fabulous speaker and well-studied biblically, especially regarding God's plan for the family.  I can't say enough good things about the six c.d.s I've heard so far!! I guess I'm off topic... :)
Don't you love trying new restaurants when you are away from home? We do. We love the frozen custard shops in their area. Ugh, I probably gained weight during this break:( We also went to Landry's in Branson- so wonderful!
Ron's mom (Mamaw to Ava) was thrilled that we came for a visit. We got to see Danny and Kayla's new house... And Jim's home renovation and horses and cow... and just hang out and relax a little. Good times.

excited about cookie dough frozen custard:)

We all went to dinner at Cheddar's. 

It looks like all we did was eat.... Not really! Ha!!

Great New Blog

You know how picking paint colors can be tough?? Check out this new blog: Favorite Paint Colors. Kristin takes referrals on paint colors from her readers. She used mine:) 

A 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration

Yesterday, I had the honor of attending my great-aunt Till and great-uncle Buddy's fiftieth wedding anniversary reception. It was absolutely elegant and inspiring. Their son, Mark, started with some trivia about the year they were married: 1961. It was interesting to me because I am currently teaching that decade in my U.S. History class:). They had a wonderful slide show with pictures from childhood to present day. My favorite part was seeing snapshots of their travels to places like Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Mexico, England, and Switzerland.
Of course, when I visit with Aunt Till, I think about her sister, my grandmother, who passed away nearly three years ago.
Before leaving, my sister said, "This makes you really think about parenting and wanting to do it right, doesn't it? You only get one chance." Indeed.

March 1961

My lovely aunt and uncle with their great nieces and great-great niece and nephew

my beautiful cousin, Michele

I think this is one of the best pic I have of these cousins:)

sisters with our babies

Brooke's Bargains 33

Ahhhh..... The first yard sale day of the year... Gorgeous, perfect weather!! Most of the sales, Brittany and I went to were DUDS, but I did find three good things and only spent $7.

I really like this clock, and it had a $19.99 sticker on the bottom; I paid $2. Also, I've been wanting a cupcake stand for a while. I got this one with the tag still on it for $3.

Ava has been asking for a scooter. I got this one for $2. She was sooooooo excited! She's been riding it all over the kitchen this morning:)

Niki's Dining Room Makeover: Part II

I had a great time doing Niki's dining room! I think it turned out great, and we spent less than $300!!

Before

After

Before

After

old rug

new rug

$1 yard sale find

hot glued a fabric remnant and hung it with wire 

Niki found this adorable bird house. She already had the lamp and table in another room.

Niki made these silhouettes of her children. I love the scrapbook paper that coordinates with the paint colors! The frames were inexpensive from Walmart.

$15 thrift store mirror

I love how the wall grouping turned out. She already had the plate hanger; it was gold, so it got a makeover with black spray paint.

Where did the money go? 
Rug: $90 (Target)
Lamp: $20 (Target)
Curtains: $30 (Niki made them.)
Table scape:$40 (from Gordman's)
Hardware for cabinet: $10 (Target)
Random accessories: $35 (Marshall's, Thrift Stores)
Also, if you need old hardback books, check the library. Sometimes they give them away. I got four books for free:)

Stop by Thrifty Thursday& The Shabby Nest!

I'm linking up to Catch a Glimpse Thursday!

Niki's Dining Room Makeover: Part I

Here's a quick look at the before and after pics of Niki's dining room. I'll post the details later this weekend...

 Before

After 

Mirror Makeover

Tomorrow, I'll be making over Niki's dining room, so today I painted the mirror I found at a thrift store. I had been looking for a mirror with an interesting frame. After a little haggling, I got the  heavy, well-made mirror for $15.

It was a dark wood with a gold trim.

I used some leftover paint from my parents' kitchen redo. I may sand it a little or something... I really like this mirror!

Book Review 9

I've had to make myself slow down on the reading because work has been so demanding lately (it's the middle of the semester rush). Anyway, I have squeezed in two books since my last book review post...

I have now read all of Deeanne Gist's books, and her next one doesn't come out until October:( This one was written with J. Mark Bertrand, a mystery/suspense writer, so it has a different feel from her other novels. I did like it although her other books are my favorite!

This is a new author. Courting Morrow Little is her second novel. It was incredible. I loved it because it wasn't like any other frontier-type book I've read. As another reader stated, "Some of the books start to seem like the same story over and over." This was deep, and I could feel the characters' anguish and see the beautiful setting. I will be reading more of Laura Frantz!

Thrifty Shoe Shopping for Kiddos

Whenever I go to thrift stores, I check the children's shoes because I have found so many shoes for Ava that are great brands and hardly worn or never worn. And now I look for Reid too, of course! When I get home, I love to look online at the average retail price for the brands to confirm my savings:)

 

I found 5 pairs for $28. The shoes were Converse All Stars, L'Amour, Baby Gap, Nike, and Genuine Kids (Target). If I would have paid retail, my total would have been around $150. Yay!!

Weekends

Thanking God for REST this weekend! I was so stressed out at work last week with all the deadlines and paperwork and teaching and duties. The weekend was spent window shopping with Ava, a couple of encouraging discussions with friends, meals with my family, a great run, quality time with my husband, snuggling with Ava, seeing friends at a shower, blogging, reading a good book, serving in the church nursery, and a Sunday afternoon nap with my two favorite people:). I feel better. YAY. (And Spring Break begins in 5 days!!)
Have a blessed week!

Livin' Life 2

Some fun memory-making/randomness since my last 'Life' post have been: 

• Mom's birthday! Dad, Mom, Ron, Ava, Job, Brittany, Reid, and me met at one of  her favorite restaurants: Outback Steakhouse for dinner. It was great. My mom is not a shopper, so she is always excited to see what Britt and I pick out for her:) The week before Mom made a feast for all of us. What a treat to get to hang out with my family!

• February's Supper Club was hosted by Christie. She decided to give it a sparkly theme, so we came dressed in glitter and sequins! It was a blast. She did a salad theme: chicken, pasta, potato with delicious cupcakes for dessert. I love getting together once a month with old friends. Some of us go all the way back to kindergarten! And Katie made a big announcement: her first baby is on the way!

• Ava is at such an adorable, fun age! Recently, singing is something she's really into! Ron has a beautiful voice (and I do NOT), so hopefully, she got his singing gene! :) Every time we get in the car, she asks to listen to her worship c.d.! She also has a thing for the Gaither Vocal Band. I hear her singing while she colors and plays too.

• Last weekend, the three of us went to the beauty revue at the high school where I teach. Ron was asked to be the emcee. I enjoyed seeing my students in a different element, and Ava thought that they were all princesses in their gorgeous, colorful dresses!! The next day, we went to support my best teacher friend, who is also the head fast pitch softball coach, Tammy's team. The weather could not have been more perfect for softball watching.

• With Ron working retail, he normally is off during the week so he and Ava go on outings while I'm at school. They have become regulars at the park. He also took her to get her nails painted one day which I thought was soooooo cute and sweet! She picked out lime green with glitter, of course;)

• A co-worker had a catalog Scentsy party a few weeks ago. I have heard so much about it, but didn't even really know what it was all about. I decided to give it a whirl. They had a special for a medium warmer and three bars-- I chose cucumber melon, cotton, and havana cabana (I think). I have it plugged in now, and it works so well!

• I have so many friends that are expecting babies! I went to Crystal's shower two weeks ago in the same town where my grandpa lives. Then I was privileged to help throw a shower for Meg. Can't wait to meet Ford and Gaines!!!

My mom is the sweetest!

FUN times:)

One of the pageant girls. I held Lauren the day she was born, and now she's a student in my 11th grade class! Do I feel old?! Where does time go? She is the same age as I was when I was carrying her around!

We dropped in to see Papaw. It made his day!

Sweet Crystal

Meg got some awesome gifts for Baby Gaines!

It's That Time of the Year Again!

Yard Sale Season is back! I've been an avid yard sale shopper for more than two years now. It's the thrill of the find, the early Saturday morning when most are still asleep, giggling with my sister over what we paid for something, getting compliments on my home decor/clothes that I paid next to nothing for, my husband's bragging about my finds (he's still in awe of the Columbia fleece I bought him for $3:), and a hot cup of coffee in my hand that makes it one of my favorite things to do!
Brittany and I are geared up for the first big yard sale day of 2011:), so in honor of that I've found lots of pictures of some of my favorite finds from 2009 and 2010. I'll throw in the prices if I remember off the top of my head...

Stuff for my house:

Love baskets! Use them all the time!

Orange sofa: $80

I love my little rooster that was $0.50!

$5 for milk glass lamp

I love this silhouette for $3.

the lamp shades were only a $1 a piece!

enormous rug, perfect condition $80

Stuff for Ava:)

Ava's lady bug costume: $0.50

$3

I can hardly bring myself to pay full price for a movie. Ava has a great selection of movies.

Ava has so many jeans, and I've only paid full price for 2 pair. All others have been from yard sales.

I've never paid full price for a swim suit.

We used the Dora pinata at her Dora-themed party!

Brittany and I have found Ava rainboots in sizes 5, 6, 7, 8 at yard sales!

We love pajamas! Ava wore these adorable Christmas pjs this past winter. $1/pair

Stuff for school:

Vera Bradley lunch box, mint condition $3

Beauty Products:

I was most excited about this Fake Bake! I paid $1 for it after I had ordered some from amazon.com for $25. It works great!!

Clothes for me:

Christmas decor:

Thought this old sled would be a neat item to use with my Christmas decor. I believe it was $1.

What's the best thing you've ever found at a yard sale??