Junkin' Solo ...

hey y'all!

okay, so i'm back on the treasure hunt. even though i swore i wouldn't go back out in this damn texas heat, i set my alarm for 7:30 on saturday morning thinking i'd hit the yard sale trail early enough to beat the heat. yeah. right.

there's no beating the heat in the middle of summer in the middle of texas in the middle of menopause. just ain't happenin'.

armed with breakfast (a pack of peanut butter crackers, the orange kind), a route 44-size cup FULL of ice, my printed yard sale list (sales grouped geographically and pin-pointed on a map because, well, that's just the kinda gal i am), and a brand new tube of blistex, i headed out (solo, because my fellow FAGs were either on vacation or had other plans. whaaa?!).

with my junking mentality, estate sales take priority over ordinary yard sales. so i hit the only estate sale listing first. as it happens, it was across the street from the city cemetery. not that i minded, it's just that estate sales sorta creep me out already.

unfortunately, i wasn't early enough. the buzzards had already picked it pretty clean. however, i did find a few goodies, including a gorgeous decorative plate with roses on it. the ladies running the sale were the daughters of the deceased ... lotsa fun. one of them kept offering up items to me, replete with sentimental tales of her mother. how could i refuse them?

easy. i just said they didn't fit my decor and began regaling her with stories of my mother, who just happened to be buried across the street. oddly enough, she wasn't interested and walked away from me, mid-story. hmmph.

people.

afterward, i hit a few family sales and a couple of church jumbles. nothing spectacular.

hubby and i barnstormed (goodwill bargain barn) yesterday too. yes, he's moving around pretty well for someone with 15 staples holding his belly together.

he didn't find anything (he only looks for books, being the literate english major that he is ... not that i don't like books, i do. i love them. but i make a beeline for the junk and he checks out the books for both of us), but i found quite a bit of yummy stuff, including a great little plant stand/table thingy with a marble top. after i paint it, we'll see where it lands.

okay enough nonsense. on with the pics, which is what all of you (all four of you) have been waiting for, right? haha.

love and hugs to all,
terry lee


The Day's Treasure Collection, assembled for your viewing pleasure.


already white and shabby candlestick, a sweet baby clothes hanger (both for a buck)


a 50 cents church sale find for pal bonnie. she'll like the green shoe topper. and btw, i did not change the date blocks. december 40th reminds me of the 12th of never.


it seems i can't resist these vintage samsonite train cases. fun to paint or decoupage.


found this little box at the GW barn. no lid, but it was too cute to pass up. got the sweet miniature roses at a yard sale. perfect together!


lordy. isn't this pretty? i'm a sucker for anything with pink roses on it. fitty cents. estate sale.


here's the decorative rose plate i mentioned up yonder ... from the estate sale. sweet, no?


this is prolly one of my fave finds of the day ... a v. sweet handcrafted musical (!!) wooden jewelry/trinket box, with an inlaid wooden rose on the lid!!! oh.my.gawd. 50 cents at the GW barn. i adore musical boxes ... and roses!!


here it is opened. the engraving says it's handcrafted by roy and nell mason. wonder who they are. it plays "how great thou art" ... so sweet.


WTH?! is this tray not the cutest thing?!?! i love it!


lovely little marble-top table. $2 at GW barn. she'll be pink soon!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation ...

hey y'all,

thanks to all of you for the comments on my new blog site (here and via email). i appreciate y'all making the switch with me and for your patience as i continue to figure out what the heck i'm doing.

as promised (and i know each of you has been holding her baited breath for this post), here's the scoop (or poop, if you prefer) on our (hubs and mine) "summer vacation".

i'm not one to overuse quotation marks (however, i do seem to have an affinity for the parenthetical), in fact, i take issue a great deal of the time when they're overused (here's a great blog if you feel the same: blog of unnecessary quotes).

but.

i.

digress.

as.

usual.


i used quotation marks for "summer vacation" because it really wasn't. summer, yes. vacation no. we missed out on our annual summer adventure this year because my dearest needed surgery.

i won't go into all the gory details (and believe me, i could) since he doesn't want me writing anything too personal about him. suffice it to say, it was an ordeal for my dear hubby.

since we'd all much rather read/write about moi (hahahaha), i thought i'd share a few items of interest, "travel tips" if you will, from my perspective as the S.O. (significant other) of a surgical patient at chateau de la scott & white (otherwise known as scott & white memorial hospital, temple, texas for those of you not familiar with healthcare facilities in central texas).

keep in mind that said S.O. stayed with said surgical patient for 5 days and 4 nights, never leaving his side except to find nourishment for S.O. or something for the patient:


1. don't have surgery unless whatever they're taking out is killing you. it's traumatic and dramatic and it could kill you. and i'm not even talking about the patient here.

2. if you have a 3:00pm surgical report time, you are sooo screwed.

3. if the surgical unit calls you at home and requests that you come into surgery early, don't think you're going into surgery early. it's just a ploy to get you and the patient there early so you can wait longer.

4. take your laptop. chateau de la scott & white offers "free" (don't kid yourself, your insurance premiums are paying for this too) wireless internet in the surgical family waiting area. however, unlike hotels, they filter your access. don't expect to update your facebook/myspace pages, or check the yard sale listings on craigslist while your loved one is under the knife ... not that you'd want to anyway, right?!?! of course not. don't be silly.

5. make friends with the lady behind the desk. she makes the coffee.

6. when they finally wheel your loved one to you and his first words are, "these people are trying to kill me!!", he's probably not having as much fun as you are.

7. after settling into your suite (room 824, north tower), you realize that hospital pillows are nothing more than floppy pieces of plastic stuffed into a 50 thread count sort-of-white pillow case. word to the wise: pack your own pillows. your neck will thank you.

8. but it really doesn't matter what kind of pillow you have because your head won't be on it very much. night-time at chateau de la scott & white is a constant cacophony of beeps and buzzes, knocks and noises, pokes and prods by the vampires with needles, the med students with questions (who aren't sure which end of the stethoscope goes in their ears) and the never-ending parade of what i affectionately call "baby doctors".

and by "baby doctors", i don't mean doctors who take care of babies. i mean the fetuses in scrubs who are allegedly old enough to have finished college AND med school and are now pretending to know how to treat your loved one ... despite the fact that they can't possibly be a day over 12.

9. make friends with your RN. she can make things happen. she can also make things not happen. like when it's discharge time. you want a proactive nurse. esp. if your patient is somewhat IMpatient. if you know what i mean.

10. take pictures of your "vacation". it'll make it last longer. AND you can share them with others on your blog. haha!


dear hubby's vacation bed ... v. fancy and smart, too!


my nest on the north tower. tara did a mercy run mid-week and brought me my own pillow!


our lovely view from the north tower ... the old circular towers of S&W, back in the good ol' days


if you get bored, you can always watch the window washers outside ... don't forget your camera!


hubby swore they were gawking inside the windows ... peeping tom window washers!! whaa??!?!


a gorgeous sunrise from the north tower. who says this isn't a vacation?!


ahh yes. the patient says this isn't a vacation. poor baby. oh well, at least he was watching golf ...


okay, this has nothing to do with our "vacation". but the day after we got home (saturday), i hit a couple of yard sales. isn't this the CUTEST, sweetest bird?! love the designs and colors on her cracked body! perfect on my patio!


sweet cup and plate ... thanks sue!


tiny, old, chippy framed picture from paris. !!!!!!! yard sale find!!!


and i'll leave you with a close-up of my mailbox pinkies. so lovely!

love and hugs,
terry lee

Here I Am!

hey y'all!

welcome to my first blog on blogger! am still trying to sort out everything here, but i think i'm getting the hang of it.

thanks for following me to the new site. please bookmark it and come back often.

upcoming blog: our recent five day stay at the exquisite chateau de la scott & white in temple, texas!! stay tuned!

meantime, here's a lovely rose from my garden.

hugs,
terry lee