"CountryBlessings@Lakewood"

I Have Moved!

2011-02-25T12:17:00.000-05:00

It's official! I've moved! Moved on over to Old Time Pickers! Hope to see you there to share in all my new adventures!

Have a Pickin' Cool Day,

Cindy

Little Lost Sheep

2010-10-25T11:34:00.000-04:00

Yes, I've been missing. Gone. Disappeared. Lost.

?!?!?!?

Really? Well, let's just say I've been very busy and occupied.

You see, I opened a new online shop. No biggie as I've done this type of thing before.

But this time was different. I was suddenly and quite unexpectedly blessed with sales and a lot of positive attention.

I quickly had to redesign the layout of our home, add shelves and storage, put systems into place, and do everything else that is needed to secure and grow a successful business.

The business is now full time and I enjoy it immensely. I have thought about this blog and all the friendships that have developed along the way. Such a blessing! I thank everyone who has contacted me to make sure I'm okay.

So what is it that I truly need to do now? I am starting a new blog to coincide with my new business, but do I really want to abandon this blog since it such a part of me? I've been avoiding making a decision for the past couple of months.

Geez...time to step up and just do it and stop being a little lost sheep. So what I've decided for now is to put this blog to rest until I see how this all plays out.

The new blog is at OldTimePickers.com. I will begin writing there soon and really envision a merging of the two blogs into something bigger and better.

We'll have to see...I just don't want to be a little lost sheep again!

Count Your Blessings, July 2010

2010-07-02T06:16:00.000-04:00

It's that time for all of us to take a moment to Count Our Blessings.

Allow me to start...

I'm sure you know the story of 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'. Even though Goldilocks was just a child, she knew. She knew that she did not need or want the biggest, the best, or even the most. She was determined to find what was 'just right' for her.

Children can be so wise. As a former kindergarten teacher, I was always fascinated with my students' perception of the world around them. Life is not as complicated for children. They do not worry about outside influences or how others may perceive them. They follow their own instincts. They experience the freedom to do and be what is 'just right'.

As adults, we don't need the biggest, the best, or even the most. We are truly blessed when we celebrate who we are and what we already have.

So just as Goldilocks and my students, I now embrace what is 'just right' as I seek simplicity within my life. I can now do and be what is 'just right'. I can count my blessings.

Now go ahead, your turn...share a blessing!

GUIDELINES FOR 'COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS':

-You may join in the first Saturday/Weekend of every month to share the blessings in your life. The meme will stay open for a few days to give you more opportunity to share.

-This is not to share our latest craft, thrifty purchase, or remodel project. Just a sharing of our blessings, an appreciation of life and what it has to offer. A time to push our problems aside. A reason to reflect what is good. A way to possibly give hope to others who need to hear something inspirational in their time of need.

-Click the LinkyTool below to link up your blessing post that is on your blog. In the URL line, insert your blog post URL, not your blog address. To do this, right click on the title of your blessing post on your blog, click copy shortcut, then paste it here.

-Please add the 'Count Your Blessings' button found in the right sidebar here to your blog post or do a link back (right click my post title, click copy shortcut, add to your blog post).

-Take the time to share and be inspired by other participants by visiting them and leaving comments.

Thank You For Sharing...Country Blessings To All!

Reminder To Count Your Blessings

2010-07-01T14:51:00.001-04:00

Just a quick reminder for those who wish to join in this weekend. It is time to share your blessings in a blog post or in a comment. See you soon!

(I will open it up on Friday to link up.)

It's Back...Count Your Blessings

2010-06-29T09:06:00.000-04:00

This season, I have cut back on blogging to about once a week. It’s all about balance and what I strive for in my real life. And really, I would rather blog once a week and hope that it has some meaning than to blog and babble continuously about nothing on a daily basis.

I do feel blessed so the time has come to continue the monthly sharing of ‘Count Your Blessings’ which is held the first Saturday of every month! ‘Count Your Blessings’ is a time for reflection, appreciation, and understanding. No sharing of things, projects, or latest finds...just a true appreciation of nature, family, friends, faith, etc.

I will have set this up with LinkyTool so you may join in starting this Friday, July 2 and I will have it run through Sunday, July 4. Join in with your own blog post, by making a comment, or both. Hope to see you then!

You Know You're Addicted To Gardening When...

2010-06-24T10:25:00.000-04:00

Your neighbors recognize you in your pajamas, rubber clogs and a cup of coffee.

You grab other people's banana peels, coffee grinds, apple cores, etc. for your compost pile.

You have to wash your hair to get your fingernails clean.

All your neighbors come and ask you questions.

You know the temperature of your compost every day.

You buy a bigger truck so that you can haul more mulch.

You enjoy crushing Japanese beetles because you like the sound that it makes.

Your boss makes "taking care of the office plants" an official part of your job description.

Everything you touch turns to "fertilizer".

Your non-gardening spouse becomes conversant in botanical names.

You find yourself feeling leaves, flowers and trunks of trees wherever you go, even at funerals.

You dumpster-dive for discarded bulbs after commercial landscapers remove them to plant annuals.

You plan vacation trips around the locations of botanical gardens, arboreta, historic gardens, etc.

You sneak home a 7 foot Japanese Maple and wonder if your spouse will notice.

When considering your budget, plants are more important than groceries.

You always carry a shovel, bottled water and a plastic bag in your trunk as emergency tools.

You appreciate your Master Gardener badge more than your jewelry.

You talk "dirt" at baseball practice.

You spend more time chopping your kitchen greens for the compost pile than for cooking.

You like the smell of horse manure better than Estee Lauder.

You rejoice in rain...even after 10 straight days of it.

You have pride in how bad your hands look.

You have a decorative compost container on your kitchen counter.

You can give away plants easily, but compost is another thing.

Soil test results actually mean something.

You understand what IPM means and are happy about it.

You'd rather go to a nursery to shop than a clothes store.

You know that Sevin is not a number.

You take every single person who enters your house on a "garden tour".

You look at your child's sandbox and see a raised bed.

You ask for tools for Christmas, Mother/Father's day, your Birthday and any other occasion you can think of.

You can't bear to thin seedlings and throw them away.

You scold total strangers who don't take care of their potted plants.

You know how many bags of fertilizer/potting soil,/mulch your car will hold.

You drive around the neighborhood hoping to score extra bags of leaves for your compost pile.

Your preferred reading matter is seed catalogs.

And last but not least, you know that the four seasons are:

Planning the Garden

Preparing the Garden

Gardening

~and~

Preparing and Planning for the next Garden.

-Author Unknown

God Gave Me A Clothesline

2010-06-16T09:06:00.000-04:00

Hanging fresh laundry in the great outdoors is not a chore, but an opportunity. A chance to slow down to appreciate. A time to take notice. An insight of how things were done before today's complications have interrupted our sanity. Just sometimes....we need to hang wet, clean clothes onto a line so our spirit may soar and shine.

I'm a gal who has wanted a clothesline out here in the country for years now. I won't say how many years and I won't go into why I don't have one. Not important. What is important is that now I have one. Well, kind of.

It started the other day when the dryer quit. Dead. It is older than the hills, after all. How long can I expect it to be loyal day in and day out? I wasn't even upset with its refusal to give it a go one more time. The problem was, I had a basket of wet laundry sitting at my feet needing my attention. Okay, I am a make do type of personality. Do what you can and use what you have.

I went into my craft room and found a nice long, clean rope and oodles of clothespins. I went outside and found two perfect trees that would allow me to string up two lines to accommodate one whole load of wash. You may think I'm a dork, but I was excited at the thought of having clothes smell of our great country air.

I grabbed my freshly washed laundry and started the simplistic ritual of hanging my clothes. And my first thought was "God gave me a clothesline'. It was not a day that my dryer died, but a day that I was given and had asked for. I was happy.

And now I must finish this post cause you guessed it...I must go hang the laundry. I am going to slow down to appreciate, take some time to notice, and gain back some sanity.

My wish is the same for you and I hope God gives you a clothesline in your life.

Ducks In a Row

2010-06-03T14:06:00.001-04:00

I know I have not been making my rounds to visit my friends in blogland, so I apologize.

I've bee very occupied with other adventures and hope to return soon.

I've decided to postpone 'Count Your Blessings' at this time and possibly continue it in a month or so.

Thanks for your understanding while I get my ducks in a row...or do I mean geese?

The View

2010-05-26T06:51:00.000-04:00

This is the view from my home office window. Can you understand why I am not blogging as much now that the beautiful weather is upon us, while the fresh breezes rustle the curtains, and the birds call out to me to come and play?

I spend as much time as possible outside as it makes me a better person. I enjoy blogging, but how can it ever compare to the joys of the natural world before me? See my garden? See the lake beyond that? This is my paradise in which I am able to celebrate every day.

Oh, and see that white spot to the right of the bench? That is Wags, an old dog that I ~~stole~~ rescued. She spends her days as if one with nature and not taking it for granted. As abused and neglected as she was and her poor old body shows it, she is now happy to enjoy what God has given her. A simple life, yet a good one. She does not take it for granted at all.

We can learn so much from our animal friends and our natural world. We just need to take the time to take it in. So yes, I am not blogging much these days. And for now...that is good.

Thirteen a Lucky Number?

2010-05-19T11:03:00.001-04:00

This is a normal sight here at Lakewood...every spring.

Babies running here and there.

They are so cute in their quest for food!

This spring is a little more interesting and fun with lots of babies.

And I mean lots! Multiple families. Multiple babies.

We have one family with 13 babies...13? Geese only lay 6 to 8 eggs.

How did they end up with 13?

And how do they manage with that many running under foot?

So is 13 a lucky number?!? Apparently not! This same family now has 15 babies. Yep...15!

How can that happen? Are they fostering? Have they adopted?

Naw...I think they have started a daycare! Times are tough, ya know!

What A Colorful Bunch!

2010-05-17T09:21:00.000-04:00

Meet the inhabitants of Tiny Town Theater. They have lead a useful and productive life with me in the past as we entertained many company functions, church groups, and a variety of banquets. But that was in the good old days.

For years now, they have all sat quietly stored away. And that is a shame. Everybody and everything needs a purpose. And by fate, it all fell into place for these character puppets who have brought so much joy.

I was cleaning the basement when I came upon their box and immediately thought of my sister. She is very involved with the youth at her church and I thought there might be a need.

Well within two hours of that initial thought, my sister called me and asked me if I still had those puppets. God works that way sometimes.

So the plan for all my fabric friends is for them to hop a plane to Honduras to take part in a youth ministry program there. They are ready to serve their new purpose and to have exciting adventures in a different country.

Gee...I hope they write me once in awhile.

Okay, I need no comments on that statement.

Morning Walk

2010-05-03T09:55:00.001-04:00

Massive rains for two days makes for an interesting morning walk today.

Heavy fog over the lake with the sun trying to break through.

One of the many boats picked up by the rising waters and abandoned in a new location.

Walk is stopped short with water on the road from the lake overflowing.

Chip is a little nervous with the sound of the rushing water.

Dale wants to know what should we do now.

I say a want a photo opp with my two boys.

Dale's always a good boy. And Chip? Let's just say he has ADD.

Count Your Blessings #1

2010-04-30T20:33:00.000-04:00

It's time for our first 'Count Your Blessings' meme!

What really is a blessing? For me, it is a gift. It is a gift that is noticed and is appreciated. It is about being in touch...being connected.

Blessings come in many shapes and sizes. Some are ordinary. Others are extraordinary. It is all about us taking the time to receive them.

I must share my choice in the button for this meme. I will admit that I originally was looking for something spiritual. After looking through a few photos, I realized that a lot of us are always looking for answers when the most meaningful moments and answers are right before us. We just need to take the time to experience them.

That is when I came across this scene of two chairs by a body of water. I felt a sense of peace and serenity. To me, it represents reflection and sharing. Perfect for what we are trying to accomplish with 'Count Your Blessings'.

So what is my blessing that I wish to share with you today? It resembles the meme button above...I have the opportunity to admire and be amazed by God's work in nature on a daily basis...

I'm sitting here on the ground taking in every magnificent color, feeling the blades of grass upon my skin, hearing the birds in the tree above me, and smelling the fresh, warm air of spring.

For me, it's all about reflection, peace, and serenity. I am truly blessed. For this, I am thankful.

Now it is your turn...how do you feel blessed?

GUIDELINES FOR 'COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS':

-You may join in the first of every month to share the blessings in your life. The meme will stay open for a few days to give you more opportunity to share.

-Use the LinkyTool below to link up you blessing post. In the URL line, insert your blog post url, not your blog address. To do so, right click on the title of your blessing post, click copy shortcut, then paste it here.

-Please add the 'Count Your Blessings' button found in the right sidebar to your blog post or do a link back to this meme in your post.

-Take the time to share and be inspired by other participants by visiting them and leaving comments.

Thank You For Sharing...Country Blessings To All!

Count Your Blessings is On

2010-04-29T11:48:00.000-04:00

It was a Monday. Yes, it was when I tried to sign up with MckLinky for an account. I want to start a meme about what we appreciate in life so I needed MckLinky for that purpose. MckLinky wouldn't let me. Over and over again. No such luck.

So I went in on Tuesday and tried again. I had an account within minutes. So I chalk it up to being a Monday! Mondays sure get a bad rap, don't they?

So 'Count Your Blessings' will be arriving very quickly...this Saturday, in fact. It will occur every month on the first. Now I know this is not much notice so I probably won't have many join in. And that is okay.

Last year, I was doing a monthly update post to make sure I was on the right path and staying true to my journey. 'Count Your Blessings' is similar in that I purposely put into words what is good about life. Others can join in if they wish to do so.

'Count Your Blessings' is a time for reflection, appreciation, and understanding. Hope to see you Saturday so we can all count our blessings.

How Hard Can It Be?!?

2010-04-26T08:11:00.000-04:00

I just don't know! I mean, how hard can it be? Really! Everyone else is doing it! I should be able to slid right in there and do it, too. If I can I blog, I certainly should be able to accomplish this.

I know my first name...check! I know my last name...check! I know my email address...check! So far, so good. Then there is that little button that says 'NEXT' that I need to click on...okay, no problem. 'NEXT'.

Whoops...error page. Okay, well, let's do this again. No biggie. So I do. Over and over again. And there it is...that darn error page. I know it is not my computer...it is brand spanking new, quick, and with all the latest and greatest. It has to be on their end.

So when I do receive that error page, there is a link to click on to contact 'him' about the problem so he can get right back to me and we can correct this. Thank goodness...a human being who cares on the other end. Whew...I am saved.

So up comes a little form to fill out so he can better address the problem. I fill it out accordingly, click the button and you guessed it...'ERROR'. Yep and for giggles, I went ahead and clicked on the link to address that problem and yep, it was the same form I just filled out. SIGH...

So what is it, you ask, that I am trying to accomplish? Mcklinky...now known as Linkytools. Pfffttt....

Yes, I wanted to have a get together the first of every month. Not to share our latest craft, thrifty purchase, or remodel project. Just a sharing of 'Count Your Blessings', an appreciation of life and what it has to offer. A time to push our problems aside. A reason to reflect what is good. A way to possibly give hope to others who need to hear something inspirational in their time of need. That's all.

So I question the problems possibly associated with Linkytools if I repeatedly try to sign up for an account and cannot even do so or convey the issue to 'him'. Any thoughts out there?

Maybe I just need to chalk this up to being a Monday. Or apply that 'I'm a square peg in a round hole' philosophy again. Or I just need to take a breath and count my blessings. What do you think?

What Do I Say?

2010-04-21T09:17:00.000-04:00

It has been about one year now since I walked away from the business world nonsense. No matter how hard I tried to fit in...I just didn't. I had a stirring inside, a longing for something different.

I found myself not caring about all the things others cared about. I discovered I did not want to talk about what others thought important. It all seemed so shallow. I found myself looking within. I was the square peg and I would never fit into that round hole. Here I thought I was lost when I really was just finding myself.

So now what do I say? What do I say when I come across an old business acquaintance and they ask where have I been and what have I been up to?

I say "I'm retired". They would never understand it all nor do they really want to know or even care who I am now. I could so easily say "I didn't want to grow up so now...

I play in the dirt,

I spend time with my (blogging) friends,

I remodel and decorate,

and I do arts and crafts.

But I don't say any of that. Instead I just say "I'm retired".

The Little Milk Stool that Almost Wasn't

2010-04-20T10:28:00.000-04:00

See this little milk stool?

It just had its debut and was featured on the front page of Etsy this morning!

Some of you know that we recently opened Old Time Pickers as an online country store.

It's all about Rust & Crust & Weathered & Worn!

We are loving it and had just started listing items this past Friday.

I almost did not get this milk stool. It wasn't from a lack of trying. It was from an abundance of confusion. This stool came from an estate auction. All the items were out on the lawn for inspection and I always arrive early enough to give myself some time to determine my strategy. Auctions can get crazy and you really need to stay on top of things. So I thought I was ready.

But late in the day, near the end, when I started to become tired, they pulled out this milk stool out of nowhere. I'm not kidding! And the bidding began. Wait, I want that! Well, I jumped in and then quickly lost the bid. Or so I thought.

I was turning to walk away when everyone was trying to get my attention. I turned back to the crowd and everyone was staring at me. My response was..."What?" (I said I was getting tired.) The auctioneer asked me if I wanted it or not?

Me-"I didn't win it."

Other lady-"I thought you had the last bid."

Me-"Well, I thought you did."

Other lady-" Hmmm...what was your last bid?'

That is when the auctioneer interrupted our polite conversation and determined that

I did win the bid. So this cute little stool came home with me.

As I said, auctions can get crazy. But they are always fun!

Do You See Flowers or Do You See Weeds?

2010-04-17T10:01:00.000-04:00

You fight dandelions all weekend, and late Monday afternoon there they

are, pert as all get out, in full and gorgeous bloom, pretty as can be,

thriving as only dandelions can in the face of adversity.

- Hal Borland

I hope that we can see flowers in a world that sees weeds."

- Donna Doyon, Lessons from a Dandelion

You Asked...

2010-04-14T06:50:00.000-04:00

I posted a lovely spring picture in my post yesterday and I had a few comments that inquired if I took that picture myself. I have to admit that I did not. I wish I was that good at photography. I try. The picture from yesterday is one of the many photos I have in my clip art that came with my Publisher program. So how can you tell for sure if a picture is mine or not? I tag mine with 'Lakewood' right on the picture.

And did you know that I use a camera that is broken? My fault...I broke it. I was at the top of the basement stairs and dropped it. Dropped my camera. Then as if in slow motion, I watched it bounce on the carpeted steps over and over again until it hit the concrete basement floor. Hard.

In horror, I watched it come to life all on its own. It started making noises, the flash was going on and off, and the lens was going in and out as if I was zooming in on an object. After it calmed down, I thought for sure my camera would never work again.

But aside from a cracked LCD screen, my little EasyShare appeared to survive the accident.

Now it does become a little temperamental at times, sometimes a little cranky, and is a bit slower here and there...kind of like me. We understand each other perfectly.

You had to ask...

A Time and Season

2010-04-13T10:08:00.000-04:00

'For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.'

Now is the time to give thanks to God for this beautiful season.

Got Milk?!?

2010-04-12T13:19:00.000-04:00

Weekends are for enjoyment from the regular old grind of things, to have fun, and to be with family. Tool Man and I did just that this gorgeous weekend. We spent time together out and about doing what we enjoy.

So where did we go? Digging through piles of what some would call junk. We pick and then we pick some more. We don't care if it is at an auction, a flea market, or a curbside. It is all about the piece, its history, and its story.

After two days of picking, we realized we had a theme going on...Got Milk. On Saturday, I picked up this cute little milk stool at an auction. When we arrived home and unpacked an auction box, we discovered a small milk bottle. And the next day, we came across some milk crates. But unfortunately, we have no cow. Yet!

Even though it is very tempting to keep all of these special finds...we will be handing them over to Frank and Ina Mae at Old Time Pickers. After all...this is a family affair.

Anyone else got milk?!?

My Treasure Hunts

2010-04-09T12:10:00.000-04:00

What did you play as a child? Were you creative and did you have an imagination that was wild with excitement and with the possibilities of all that can be? Did you embrace outlandish roles that did not even consider your gender? Were you over the top and did not care what others might think? Was it more important just to have fun and be in the moment?

In my own adult life, I am discovering similarities to the escapades in my imaginative childhood to those pursuits that I am enjoying now. I had boy cousins to play with so we scampered up trees, darted in and around buildings playing army, whooped it up being cowboys and Indians, argued who would play the good guys versus the bad guys, and became pirates looking for lost treasures.

Nothing was more exciting than those treasure hunts. And it is really not much of a different pursuit than what I do now.

I go on treasure hunts looking for the lost and forlorn...looking for those vintage pieces to make them valuable again. These pictures of my most recent treasures...found dumped all in one box...needed to be valued again.

So I still enjoy the adventure of a good hunt, the thrill of looking for treasure, and the satisfaction of unearthing something of value. As I contemplate 'what is my real age here?', I've come to the realization that it is okay to be young at heart. So how young are you?

My Picks

2010-04-08T06:12:00.033-04:00

I received a tip from someone on where to find some 'good old things'. I consider myself a picker and find my treasures when and where I can, but this was a first for me. Someone was pointing me in the right direction, helping me out. So this past weekend Tool Man and I became official. Yep, we are not fooling around anymore and considering this a hobby...this is now our business!

You can read about our announcement here.

And that wonderful tip led to these amazing finds.

I had posted about our cool vintage finds full of rust and crust here.

Today, I would like to share some of my other finds.

Old keys and locks...do I keep them or sell them?

Time pieces...so nice to display or should I craft to my heart's content?

And question of day...does anyone know what these pieces are below?

Yes, I bought them without knowing what they are...but they are so cool!

I love my aqua and a vendor gave these dishes to me...yes, he did!

Weathered wood and rust...this will be for sale in our new shop, for sure.

This little white dish is cute...even looks better in contrast to the weathered wood. Maybe it needs a little nest and bird. We'll see!

Come and see our shop when we open...we have other treasures just waiting for the perfect home.

I am linking up to Leigh and Suzanne and their blog parties.
It has been ages since I've done so!
Lots of vintage and thrifty finds to drool over.
Go see what the fuss is all about!

Tales From Bloggeritaville-Thrifty Thursday

Coloradolady-Vintage Thingie Thursday

Old Time Pickers

2010-04-07T06:41:00.001-04:00

Meet Frank and Ina Mae. My family. My history. My heritage.

Aren't they adorable? I just love this photo of them.

Now meet the persona of our new Etsy shop.

Yep...Old Time Pickers!!!

Frank and Ina Mae have inspired us to dig, rummage, and scrounge...get our hands a little dirty to find cool industrial vintage with plenty of rust and crust to make ya feel right at home with items that have a story to tell!

Lovin' It & Livin' It!!!

Rust, Crust, and All!!!

Are you curious yet? Here is a preview of some of our items from a previous post in case you missed it.

Now I already have an Etsy shop. Shop At Lakewood is for all my finds that have a vintage flair and have some country charm. I did not intentionally set out to open Old Time Pickers. It happened naturally. It evolved all on its own.

It started when Tool Man (hubby) and I were at an auction about a month ago. I started to bid on a pile which I normally wouldn't. Some would say it was junk and Tool Man asked why I wanted it. That small pile had some weathered wood in it...a small beat up bench...I had to have it...I wanted it to sell in my shop...then I decided I wanted it for myself...you know how that goes!

So for the best explanation and to help Tool Man understand I was not alone in my desire for this so called junk, I introduced him to Etsy and opened a whole new world for him. His previous hobby has centered strictly around old tools. Now he has discovered that industrial vintage is cool. Rust and crust is popular. Pieces with history are to be cherished.

Now there is no stopping either one of us. We are having the time of our lives! Old Time Pickers is just what we needed! Our shop will open soon and we feel very blessed to stumble upon a passion to share and pass on to others!

Looking For Rust and Crust

2010-04-05T18:57:00.000-04:00

Today was spent getting down and dirty looking for unique pieces filled with rust and crust. When an ordinary piece has rust and/or crust...it becomes extraordinary. It has a story...a slice of history.

Tool Man accompanied me on this jaunt and we were not disappointed. A little dirty, yes, but happy all the same. Upon arriving at our stop, these wonderful wooden crates (above) greeted us. They came home with us...all ten of them.

Then some industrial metal and touches of blue glass called our names.

Old lunch boxes, cookie cutters, and benches...oh my!

And this is some of what we brought home. What fun!

All these items will soon be for sale in our new shop.

Details coming soon!