the time has come ...

... the walrus said, to talk of many things.

and i guess i am the walrus. coo coo ca choo.

don't have much time or energy or motivation to sit here and write a long post, so i'll be quick. and i think i'll number my thoughts, so as to organized this scrambled mess of mush they call a mind.

1. i turned 50 since last we met. whoop-de-doo! it's nifty and i'm thrifty. and in the words of molly shannon's SNL character, sally o'malley: "i'm 50 years old and i like to kick and strrrretch and KICK! 'cause i'm 50 years old! 50! 50! book 'em danno, i'm 5-0."



had a good bday weekend. hubs had to work in prep for summer school so the FAGs and our FAGette tara went to austin to paint the town pink. spent saturday night in two lovely suites in a gorgeous hotel that had ... wait for it ... ROYAL SWANS swimming in the koi pond in the lobby!

there really was lots of eye candy at this hotel with a gorgeous atrium and glass elevators. great place to start a new decade of my life, especially surrounded by my best girls.

from the 6th floor, looking down at the lobby and the swans

see that gorgeous blonde in the elevator? her name is tara. :)

birthday girl dons the green (ack!) birthday hat (acquired from restaurant the night before), for The Opening of the Gifts

beautiful daughter with her old mama ... haha

jannetta hugs the birthday girl

bonnie's turn!

i'm 5-0!

group picture!

2. have been doing V. well on my Junk Flow Situation (as discussed in previous posts). selling fairly well on ebay and i shed myself of PLENTY at the last show (see previous post). i'm still working on the INFLUX PROBLEM but whatcha gonna do? a junker's gotta junk. but i'm truly focusing on scaling back and putting things back before checkout.

am in LOVE with this retro cool aqua bread bin/tin. found it at the barn for $1!!!

picked up this interesting copper set at a sale in austin on birthday weekend. i love it. but it's not budging on ebay.

3. am following american idol much too closely. am concerned about the intensity and depth of which i CARE about the show and the idols. i mean, really. i went into full-blown hysteria when casey got the boot this week (hi dee ho ... heave ho!). i find myself in a state of agitation should someone interrupt me while i'm watching. i vote more often than i should. i can't put my iphone down. just one more text vote. i worry about what will happen when the season is over. i want james to win because: A. he deserves it. he's so full of musical talent that it's oozing out of every pore. B. i'm so encouraged and heartened that someone with his disabilities can overcome sooo much and come sooo far. it gives me hope for my son ... that he can do ANYthing. asperger's, ADD, whatever ... it shouldn't hold you back and keep you from realizing your dreams.

4. said goodbye to michael scott of the office last night. yes, i actually cried. i know it's not real life (like idol ... bwahahaha) but i've watched this show for many years and i think steve carrol is one of the funniest guys out there. he WAS the office. will miss him on the show.

5. easter came. easter left. one of the first years i didn't make an easter basket for anyone. :( however, i DID receive this SWEEEEET pink vintage sewing basket for my bday from dear friend and fellow 1961 baby, mary valentine! OH!!!! and she also gave me THE BEST BIRTHDAY GIFT ANYONE could ever receive ... her first grandbaby!!! Sweet baby Olivia was born on MY birthday!!! whoop!!! congrats, grandma mary!!

isn't it lovely? and it goes perfectly with my little bunnies and chicks.

sweetness incarnate

6. had a precious afternoon with my two youngest yesterday. in an impromptu "picnic", the three of us grabbed some chick-fil-a and headed for the lake. we ate under the bridge but didn't get out of the car because there were a few fishermen (think deliverance) and three dogs roaming the area. in fact, one of them came over to our car (smelled the chick-fil-a probably) and tried to climb in the car window. he left multiple claw scratches on my dark blue camry. and no, i didn't bother to complain to their owners (see deliverance reference above).

however, we did drive around the lake to a nicer area and walked around a bit. gorgeous, sunny weather, the company of my babes and chick-fil-a.

yeah, 50 is starting out okay. :)

matt holds up a fossilized ear. nah, not really. but it's incredible how much it actually LOOKS like an ear!

tara looking cool in her shades. it was a beautiful sunny day

happy weekend, y'all.

love and hugs,
terry lee

My New Baby!

hey y'all,

another looooong lag between posts and i'm terribly sorry for it. have missed bloggieland ... writing, reading, lurking.

this will be a quickie because i'm half-dead and have a full day of junking ahead of me tomorrow (yes, with the FAGs!). whoop!

thanks to everyone who came out last saturday to the american cancer society's relay for life garage sale, sponsored by the shine team realtors! i could not believe how many vendors there were in that huge building! we were packed!! the poor shoppers didn't have much room to mill around!

it was, in one word, AMAZING!! such a success! i sold tons of junk ... er ... lovely vintage treasures! what a blessing to unload all of that so i can buy more! heh heh

it was crowded and we were busy from 7am until after 2pm. wow. thanks to my helpers tara, jannetta, bonnie and matthew. couldn't have made it without yous guys!!

so much for making this a quickie, eh? i do tend to ramble. what i really wanted to share with you (see subject title) is my new baby! no, not the screaming, wetting, bawling kind. this one just sits there, is v. quiet and oh-so-lovely!

while on my wednesday junking rounds, i eyed this extraordinary piece at the AS IS lot of a local goodwill store. i made a beeline to it. i just KNEW someone was going to knock me down to get to it. but nope. not a soul around to fight with.

it's a 1925 brunswick panatrope with radiola ... minus the radiola equipment ... but the chest/cabinet is gorgeous, is it not?!

had to go inside to get a price check on it and all the while, i was deathly afraid someone was going to get it first. after several attempts, i finally got an employee to walk out with me and give me a price.

she inspected it, checked her clipboard multiple times and couldn't seem to find it on the list. finally. FINALLY. she said, "well, i'll take $6 for it. it doesn't have the insides to it, or i would've charged you more."

i do believe my heart went into a mild tachycardic arrhythmia. whaaa?! $6 is all she wants?! i heard myself say, "i'll take it!" and i don't remember a thing until after matt and i hauled it home in the truck later that afternoon.

i am in love. truly. who cares that its innards are missing?! i mean, yeah, of course it'd be a hellavu lot more valuable if the stereo/radio equipment was there and working. but it's still a lovely antique and i love it!

happy junkin' this weekend, y'all. hoping to capture some bluebonnet pics this time.

love and hugs,
terrylee

Come One, Come Y'all!

hey y'all!

i know it's been forever since i've posted. wow, life's been a little insane lately.

but i just wanted to let y'all (if you're in the central texas area) know that i'll be selling at the huge shine team community garage sale this saturday, april 2nd at the killeen special events center.

it's for a great cause ... raising funds for the relay for life which benefits the american cancer society. here is their facebook link for more info: Garage Sale Info

it starts early (7am!!). be sure to set your alarm clocks so you won't miss all the good stuff! please stop by my booth and say hey! i'll have plenty of vintage treasures at great prices for you!

hope to see you there!

love and hugs,
terry lee

Date & Time
Saturday, April 2, 2011 7:00am - 2:00pm

Location
Killeen Special Events Center
3601 S WS Young Drive
Killeen, TX

Stirring the Junkin' Pot

hey y'all,

been a long time since i've posted, i know. i'm sure you've all been waiting with baited breath and crying into your pillows each night for lack of terrylee's junking adventures. heh heh

killer vintage pillow with rows and rows of roses!

and yes. stuffed with chicken and duck feathers!!
well, i'll tell it to you straight. i lost my muse for a while. honestly, as much as i love love love junk and the thrill of the treasure hunt, i just got a little burned out and simply overwhelmed.

i kept buying and buying (and buying and buying and buying) ... do you get the picture yet? because i can NOT pass up a great vintage treasure OR a bargain. cases in point:

three lil vintage "bunnies" looking all sweet and precious and adorable. just look at those faces!

a precious vintage lipstick holder with mirror and sweet cherub

an estate sale find, this is a wax doll from the 1920s ... with her original hair, albeit a tad wadded. she's divine!
and what, several of you have asked me in the past, do i DO with all my terrific treasures? i think some of you have actually begun to worry a little about my ... er ... problem. situation. whatever you wanna call it.

we've all watched hoarders. and i think it's good medicine for junkers like me. we need a reality check. i need a reality check.

does this mean i'm done junking? in a word, NO. in two words, HELL no. i will NOT stop doing something that means so much to me. i LOVE vintage/antique items. i love their history. they make me feel connected to a past that i didn't live. to those women before me who had such a different life, yet probably felt many of the same emotions, desires, pleasures and heartaches that i have experienced.

BUT, how many vintage plates with pink roses does a person need?! how many scraps of vintage lace, doilies, bottles, ladies' hats, hat boxes, dresses, slips, dolls, ephemera ... i could go on and on. really? how much is too much?!

i guess the saturation point is different for all of us. but i know i've reached mine. the junk has taken over and is winning, just like the terrorists (heh).

so what's the answer? for me, i think the solution is three-fold. first, i need to buy in moderation. be more discriminating in my selections. reign myself in a bit. put things back. think twice. think thrice.

secondly, spend an occasional saturday with my current junk ... cleaning, sifting, organizing instead of junking for new pieces.

lately, it seems all i ever do is just move junk from one place to another. it's like my house is one big pot o' junk and i'm just stirring it around, over and over. watching it simmer. enjoying the aromas and anticipating the delicious flavors. but who can eat a whole potful of vintage yumminess??

thank the good lord i now have a "craft room". as IF any crafting is ever done in there. basically, it's my junk room. but still, i'm thankful for it ... a place to store/organize/fret-over my current junk. i mean, inventory.

which brings me to: thirdly, i need to feed the hungry masses, yearning for their own vintage food. share the love. meaning, more needs to go OUT. basic physics. inflow and output. junk in, junk out. give, sell, donate, etc. whatever. but i need a better output. i do sell on ebay, but that's quite a constipated process if you ask me. still, it's junk OUT. also, i'm excited about a couple of upcoming community garage sales at which i'll be a vendor (more info on that forthcoming).

a spot to call home base for my shipping efforts.
with any luck, i'll stay focused on this three-fold formula and my junkin' world will have a little more equilibrium. because i will not answer if the hoarder film crew comes knocking at my door!

as an aside, it's march in central texas. i'm officially on the bluebonnet watch! whoop!

love and hugs, ya'll,
terrylee

A Bounty of Blistex and Beautiful Blooms

hey y'all,

and a very happy valentine's day to y'all!

okay, so it's a day early but in this house, we celebrate things whenever we feel like it. and since tomorrow (the real day of love and flowers and chocolates and other nonsensical stuff) is a monday, my DH decided to surprise me with a bouquet of red roses and boxes of blistex this morning.

as i stumbled into the kitchen (♫♪♫ to pour myself a cup of ambition ♪♫♪), i was blown away by these gorgeous roses ... sitting pretty next to boxes and boxes of my beloved blistex!

also, my valentine wrote me a poem (he's a poet and he knows it!) and presented it to me on a sweet, pink handmade card.

all together now ladies: awwwwwww ... sighhhhhhhhhh.

i know. i have a winner, a keeper, a dandy. he works hard so i don't have to. kinda like those scrubbing bubbles ... haha. i could go on and on about all he does for me, but i don't want y'all to hate me because i have such a wonderful husband. hate me because i'm beautiful. bwahahahahahaha!!

i had a terrific junkin' day with my darling daughter yesterday. just the two of us. she's so funny ... and fun to be with! we hit an estate sale in temple, among other things. it was only her second estate sale ever and so she's still sorting out how she feels about them.

a sweeeeeet lil perfume bottle. so tiny, so old. love it!
i've blogged before about the mixed emotions they elicit. it's sad to rummage through the remains of a dead person's life ... all the things they've collected through the years. on the other hand, it's utterly fascinating to explore and discover all the things they've collected in their lives.

you can't tell in the picture, but this gorgeous vintage bonnet is a light green. it. is. KILLER.
tara did well and actually finished perusing before i did. that's because she's inexperienced in the art of digging and sifting, which as you all know, that's how you find the treasures. but when i met up with her in one of the back bedrooms, she looked pale and slightly panicked. she had just looked in the master bathroom and eyed a box labeled "ladies urinal", along with other medical-type supplies.

apparently, this made her "creepiness meter" go berserk. she was ready to check out. literally and figuratively. so while she waited in the car, i finished shopping and then took my leave as well.

this estate sale had lots of old lace to go along with the arsenic in the master bath. okay, i'm kidding. no arsenic.
no doubt about it. estate sales are an acquired taste. some are absolutely fab, some are duds. but if i'm being honest, every single one of them has a "creep factor". some just hide it better than others.

at the estate sale, i found a great pair of old heavy duty scissors that cut like a dream! the handmade-looking journal was a score from a temple thrift shop

old chenille pillow with some added lace and vintage button. adorable!
hope y'all have a great week of valentines and chocolate, plenty of hugs and kisses ... and lots and lots of happiness and love.

love and hugs,
terrylee

my favorite piece from the estate sale: a gorgeous black dress that is approximately 100 years old. it belonged to the mother of an 86 year old woman. she said she remembers her mother wearing the dress, with a slip-type undergarment. good thing ... it's v. sheer! and oh-so-beautiful!

up close

hmmm, could be romantical, no? :)