Mini Va-Cay 2008

I just got back from a mini vacation. We went to the Paul B. Johnson State Park in nearby Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Hattiesburg is only about a 1 1/2 hour drive from Mobile. We had a wonderful time. The weather was near perfect, considering it is the end of August and temps could have been sweltering.

There were large Lily Pads everywhere. The Water Lily blooms were beautiful!

There were also ducks everywhere. Very FRIENDLY ducks. So friendly, in fact, that when they heard the cabin door open they would come waddling up begging for bread. Here is Jacob feeding them:

This was the rear view of the cabin. The cabin had two bedrooms, a bathroom and an open kitchen/living room. It was very rustic and charming. From what I could tell most lakefront cabins had a small pier. Ours did. We stayed in cabin #1. This is one of my favorite pictures from our trip:I love the way the evening sun reflects on the water.

The fishing was wonderful. NOT! We had one afternoon when we really got some bites but the fish were tiny and not big enough to keep. It was kind of annoying because they mainly just ate our bait. Which is another story for another day. Ok, I'll tell you today. I couldn't bait my own hook. I know, I know. If you fish you should be able to bait your own hook. Well, I COULD NOT do it! The fishing really was a disappointment. So, if you're planning a trip to PBJ, plan an alternate activity from fishing.

We managed to get in a flea market and some thrifting. And in nearby Wiggins, we had the best snow cones that we'd ever eaten! All in all it was a very fun trip.

My First Quilt

In the next few days I hope to start my first pieced quilt top. I'm going to use an easy block, the disappearing nine patch. From what I understand you do a simple nine patch block and then cut and rearrange the blocks. I had to fight my passive/aggressive side and go ahead and prewash the fabric. I would rather just cut and sew. But, I want to try to do this by the book. So, this is what I started with:

The sweet little pink rose ticking was my inspiration for the color scheme. Since I'm such a fabric-a-holic, I already had most of the other fabric. I've never really tried to pick fabrics for a quilt so I hope this turns out ok. Believe me, I have no trouble picking out (and buying) fabric. I'm not so sure about my ability to put it together in a manner that will be appealing to the eye. I'm wondering if I shouldn't incorporate some less patterned fabric? We'll see.

My Favorite Yardsale / Thrifty Finds

How can I choose just one favorite yardsale find? I simply can't! I heart yardsales! Rhoda at Southern Hospitality is hosting a favorite yardsale/thriftstore find party! I have a couple I'd like to share.

I found this great chair and the end of a yard-sale-ing day. It was a chore to get it in the car but so worth it! It is perfectly worn in all the right places. I can't remember if I paid $10 or $15 for it.

Imagine my delight when I discovered these drapes at my favorite thrift store. They were the inspiration for the entire room. My heart started pounding when I found these! They were in perfect condition. The panels were $16.96 which was a little pricey, but much easier to swallow when I found that they were Croscill. I bought the matching ascot valances on ebay.

I found this table at a yardsale for $10 dollars. The glass was missing so my sweet husband helped me get it replaced. I have enjoyed the table for YEARS since! It even survived the country blue and mauve era! It's now in our bedroom in the little seating area. What you can't really tell from the picture is that it has a beautiful wrought iron detail under the glass.

Ok, I could go on forever but this is the last one, I promise! I also found this beautiful buffet at my favorite thrift. It has the prettiest legs and is the most perfect moss green color. My favorite part about this piece is the pencil markings that it has on the inside of the doors. How sweet! I keep my cookbooks in the little compartments on each end. Here is a close-up:

Rhoda, thanks for allowing me to participate in the party! I love your blog and read it often!

If you'd like to see the finds of others, go here.