Christmas Parade 2010

Today was a first for me. I rode in my first Christmas parade. Normally I'm a spectator but decided to take the plunge this year and ride on my dad's new wagon. It was great! I had a blast!

Of course when I whip out my camera to take a few pictures my battery is stone.cold.dead. I was able to snap a few pictures with my iPhone and better yet.... I was able to take a couple of short videos.

This is Willie or Waylon, one of the outlaw mules, before the parade. I can't tell them apart.

This is Mr. & Mrs. Claus aka Daddy and Mama. Don't they look cute in their Christmas red?

I hate I did not get a close up of the bedazzled bling on the front of Daddy's shirt. I found that shirt for him last year at Cracker Barrel. It is from the Alan Jackson collection and has been henceforth and forevermore declared the Christmas parade shirt. I lifted this picture from some nice person's eBay auction:

This is player #1 (aka Josh) and player #2 in training (Jacob) getting the wagon all decked out before the parade.

Jacob striking a pose. I think he liked it because he's already tried to Facebook it.

This is Jacob after he said something he shouldn't have said. He did that a lot today. Just kidding. Sort of.

Finally, this is a picture of the Nativity vignette I have on top of my piano.

I bought the Nativity set years ago and it is one of my favorite Christmas decorations. Last weekend Jacob helped me put up 5 trees, one large one and four table tops. The painting in the back was a birthday gift from my friend. I love it! It's on canvas and is definitely a keeper.

So given my blogging track record, I may or may not be back before Christmas. If not, I wish you a very merry Christmas!

The Booth - Christmas Edition

I have been busy for the last couple of weeks. This post is a little scattered but please stay with me [smile].

First, did you know that Waverly teamed with Hefty and came out with these scrumptious paper goods? I didn't. I already LOVE Waverly fabric so I was smitten when I saw these:

With a reasonable Wally World price of $2.88, I think these are a definite knock out of the park!

Moving on... Jacob helped his Mama create this CUTE diaper cake for a shower gift:

I helped him do this cake for the shower. The cake was HUGE! The wheels are regular size 8" cake pans so that should give you an idea as to the size of the cake. It is by no means perfect but we were very happy with how it turned out. And, it fed a lot of people! I got the idea from a Crafting Traditions magazine that I picked up at the thrift store. I love buying magazines at the thrift. My fav thrift, America's Thrift Store, sells magazines 3 for 99 cents. It makes it much easier to buy them, read them and toss them without the guilt of wasting a lot of money on a subscription.
I told you I was going to ramble.....

I took vacation this past Monday to get the booth ready for Christmas open house. I had so much fun!

I decided to do a gingerbread man them on the baker's rack:

The copper cannisters sold almost immediately and did not make it to the open house.

Look at the cute mini nativity blow mold set that I found at a yard sale earlier this summer. Hubby put these and the lamps on a timer and set it to turn off about 30 minutes before the store closes for the night.

More Random shots. The folded Alabama shirt has already sold!

The plate says "Jesus is the reason for the season." I have come to love incorporating red birds in my Christmas decorating.

This vintage santa suit is a late addition to the booth. I spotted this from across the Goodwill and tried not to sprint over to it! It is vintage with a heavy metal zipper. It is very clean with no stains. I got it for a steal and hope it goes to a new, good home! I think it definitely adds Christmas charm to the booth.
Finally, on a sad note, my dad's brother Buddy was found dead one week ago. His funeral was Friday. He died just about a month after his brother Phillip. There are now 5 Lee children with my dad being the only remaining son. At its longest, life is SHORT! Take advantage of everyday!

My Mood and Michael Bolton

This picture pretty much describes my mood lately! Ugh! I have a pretty good idea why I'm like this--but it doesn't make it any easier.

I am mean as a snake!



When I saw this on the record rack at the America's Thrift Store I think I shreiked in horror. It's not that I spend an inordinate amount of time at the record rack-- because I don't. Remember Barry? But, when I'm passing by the rack and I see a record cover like this, I feel it is my duty to pass it on. Look at all the thick, curly hair. And the leather. And the HAIRSPRAY! Really Michael? Is it just me or does he look like he has been eating a lemon? Michael Bolton has changed so much! But.... haven't we all?

Changing Of The Seasons

Life is full of changes. Not all of them are good ones. We buried my Daddy's brother Phillip today. Uncle Phillip had just celebrated his 71st birthday. My cousin, Uncle Phillip's son, preached his funeral and did a wonderful job--although I'm sure it was very hard for him. There were seven Lee children. Now there are 6. The seasons of our lives change. Time marches on and eternity gets closer and closer.

After the funeral I took advantage of the free afternoon and did a fall booth revamp! I ran out of time and didn't quite finish but I am very pleased with how it turned out! It's Alabama football time, Ya'll! I re-dressed the mannequin in an Alabama shirt and trendy denim skirt with a leather belt that has a gorgeous rhinestone buckle. Girlfriend is ready for GAME DAY!

I'm so happy with this corner! Before it seemed a little too crowded and you couldn't see everything that was for sale. After several strategic furniture moves, everything fit like a glove! Yes, that is Alabama gift wrapping paper!

Notice the cute Dorothy costume--complete with red glitter shoes!

I wish the chair would sell. That would free up a ton of floor space! The chair is now sitting behind the two white bookcases.

This is a shot of all my orange kitchen items on the baker's rack. I had the idea to change the main color scheme as the seasons change. As you can see I have plenty of orange!

I moved all the blue and white items from the baker's rack to the green shelf. I love the blue and white on the green background.

This is probably my favorite vignette. Jacob did the beautiful arrangement. I so want to keep the huge white turkey platter! It is marked "Japan" and it is sublime! It will definitely be coming home with me if it doesn't sell. So of course I gave it a hefty price so I could make sure that it comes home with me...uh....cough....make sure that it goes to a good home! The flower arrangment kind of blocks the mirror and sconce set but it is gorgeous too!

I almost forgot a very important milestone. Husband and I have been married for 20 years. Look at the beautiful flowers he gave me:

You Snooze.....You Lose

Today was a very fruitful yardsaleing day. I was at my first sale before the sun came up. I found several very nice things for the booth. After the yardsales I ran in The Mission of Hope furniture store. This has become an almost weekly stop for me. Most of my shelving for the booth came from there. When I went into the store this was sitting there waiting for me.....

I fell in LOVE! It was the most scrumptious pink sofa I had ever seen! I WANTED this sofa! I sent husband a text to test the waters to see if he would go along with the purchase and before he could return a text a lady bought it! I really didn't have any where to put it. And, I already have my sunroom sofa which is very similar.......

But It is my opinion that a girl can never have too many pink sofas!

The sofa would've needed a good cleaning...and the finish on the wood was starting to chip.....and.....oh, who am I kidding? I wanted this sofa! It was only $75 for goodness sake. And it was solid as a ROCK! It is a piece that you design a room around.

Things at the booth are going very well. I've had several sales this week! These pictures show some items that were not included in the original photos I posted.

Introducing.....Ms Jackie's Junque at The Queen's Attic

Today I moved into my booth at The Queen's Attic. The Queen's Attic is located on U. S. Highway 90 in the Tillman's Corner/Theodore area. Having a "booth" has been a dream of mine for sometime. Well, today that dream became reality! The owners of The Queen's Attic are the NICEST people and allow a lot of creative license when designing your space. So....without further delay....I present Ms Jackie's Junque!



This is a view of the right side of the booth. I chose to go with a couple of brightly colored shelves. They add so much pop to your vintage collectibles and seem to draw you in as you are walking by.
Can you spy something in this picture that does not belong? Say hello to the Windex!

This is a view of the left side of the booth. I have a mid-century Drexel dresser and a baker's rack full of blue and white items. And then of course you have my vintage dress form that I'm using as a mannequin. She is dressed and ready for the rodeo! I went with a white ruffled sundress, chunky turquoise belt and western print jacket. Leather boots and suede bag complete her trendy look. But--she may be getting a change of clothes pretty soon--no respectable Southern girl would wear white after Labor Day. Ok--maybe that rule only applies to shoes. I personally would not take the chance.

This is a close up of a Willow Tree vignette that I did on top of the dresser.

This is a close up of the bi-fold doors in the corner. I picked these up at a church yardsale for $5.00. They were a yucky white and were dirty and grungy. A fresh coat of aqua paint made them beautiful! Hubby added cup hooks and I'm using it to display a few vintage aprons.
I could not have pulled it together without the help of hubby, Diane, Jacob and my Daddy. They were all such great help! Oh--believe me--when you get that many perfectionists together it can be interesting...ha ha! I wasn't sure that everything was going to fit, but it did. I was so happy with how it turned out. Now I hope everything flies off the shelves. Lord knows I have plenty to restock with!

If you are considering renting an antique booth, I say GO FOR IT! Make it a fun, creative process.

More to come.

Pre Oil Spill Gumbo

Oh for the good old days. The days before the explosion at the Macondo well site and subsequent pumping of millions of gallons of oil into our beautiful Gulf of Mexico. Scientists have said within the last couple of days that the ecological impact will not be as bad as first feared. Thank God! Much of the Gulf water has been reopened to fishing.

I want to share pictures of some Gumbo we made pre-oil spill.

Shrimp washed and deveined:



Lump crab meat:



The final product:




Just look at those shrimp. Yum! This gumbo was delicious! Who knows. Maybe in a month or two I'll be ready to try it again!

Is Your Door Closed?

Tonight at church someone said something that I've heard before, but for some reason tonight... "it clicked" with me. God does not speak to us in an audible voice. Oh, he could. But he speaks to us through his Word (the Bible). Tonight I felt God speak to me regarding what the lady at church said. She said...

The door of our heart opens from the inside!

And then she read this scripture from Revelation 3:20:

[20] Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

That's it! That simple thought. The door of my heart opens from the inside. Is my door open or do I have the do not disturb sign hanging from my door knob? Is there something that I need to make right between me and God? Is there someone I need to forgive? Is there someone I need to accept? If you feel the Holy Spirit dealing with you over something......Open Your Door!

Christmas in July

I've waited six months to do this post. Seriously. Two things perpetuated me to do it now. #1- This is the last week of July. If I didn't do it now--then when? Christmas in August? Not so much.

#2- It is so hot here! It has been close to 100 degrees a couple of times. Couple that with our ever present humidity and it is almost unbearable. I had hoped that simply looking at these photos would cool me down. Well, not so much on that, either.

These photos are from a cute Christmas red bird vignette that I (with Jacob's help) did last Christmas. The mini tree has beautiful red birds as does the garland on the top of the dresser. The cute bird house came from the DG (Dollar General). I placed it on a red doily on my Maw Maw Vera's cake plate. The red table runner came from a yardsale. I was so pleased with how it turned out. Just think! I can re-create this in about 4 months.