Live Free

A Porch Sale

Just a couple of blocks away from our house, sits a dreamy farmhouse. It occupies an entire block. I'm not sure of the acreage that it sits on, but gosh, it must be at least three. We've walked around this place often. We've wondered who it is that occupies this home. Who tends to the gardens? Who listens to the breeze from the wraparound porch? Who knows the different species of birds that nest and swoop through the grounds? Who listens to the evening quiet as the shadows fall through the house, leaving it dark and asleep? How many footsteps danced, pitter-pattered, clunked, trotted, and ran, around corners, down stairs, through entryways, and into someone's mama's kitchen?

It's a beautiful place.

On Saturday morning, we had the opportunity to meet the couple who call this farmhouse home. They are elderly and were having a porch sale to thin out some of their possessions. I have to say, this was about the most thrilling part of my week -- to browse through the exquisite items for sale and to get to know this lovely couple. Byron instantly hit it off with the gentlemen who has a vast collection of vintage political memorabilia. Oh yes, pins, stickers, figurines. Byron gawked and ended up taking home a little stash of his own. 

And I could've sat and talked with the lady of the house all day long. She is of Swedish ancestry, loves Scandanavian folk art, and well, you know, she had some incredible treasures to share! 

Yes, it was a huge thrifting score! Vintage dala horses, Carl Larsson, vintage table clothes, beautiful hanging plates from Germany, a Red Wing 2 gallon crock, oh another hand painted plate of a winter scene with a tomten (perfect for the holidays), and a Wedgewood Beatrix Potter mug for the little miss. 

And of course, we got to talking about children and grandchildren and how fast it all comes and goes and how hard it can be to be to let go, and to be away from family. She longed to be near her grandchildren and her daughter, but her daughter left home when she went away to college and made a life for herself in California.

Oh, us mothers. No matter the stage of motherhood or the generations that divide us, there is something so unspoken and universal about the way in which we love our children. Nothing prepares us for depth of emotions. Nothing prepares us for the lifelong job with the constant duality of nurturing and holding whilst freeing and letting go. 

One day, I'm sure, I'll be on a porch somewhere, surely in need of thinning out decades of thrifted goodies. Perhaps, a young family will enter my reality and all at once I'll be taken back to those short, sweet first years of motherhood and wondering when did the time slip away. 

Little things collected

I suppose one could call me a collector. Which is ironic, because if you knew me in real life, you'd know of the discomfort I have with stuff, or worse yet, clutter. Oh, but I do like stuff. I'm wanty just like everyone else. It's just that I have a particular fondness for objects with age.

I'm linking up with Cory at Lady Cordelia today. She's beginning a little Thursday tradition called Thrifty Thursday. It should be fun. I love to thrift and I've been wanting to share more about this little hobby of mine for some time. So this is perfect, really.

This is a little cup and bowl set that Beatrix uses pretty often these days. She's extra careful with it because it's super special to our family. I didn't thrift it (and I'm already breaking a Thrifting Thursday rule, I believe). It was my mom's set when she was a little girl. My grandmother held on to it and took such good care of it for many years. My Mom knows of my love for vintage kitchen items and knew I would appreciate sharing this piece of her childhood with Beatrix. Now, Beatrix is known to eat granola and milk or cheerious and milk in the bowl. She sips water, tea, or milk from the cup. 

I love thinking about my mom as a little girl. A few years ago, we discovered a wooden amunition box filled with old family photos - most that were taken by my grandmother. There were so many of my mom and her brothers as young children, caught in the act of being ridiculously cute and/or ridiculously naughty. My grandmother was a stoic and serious woman. She was five feet tall, wore brown lace-up work boots or LLBean duck shoes to garden or work in the barnyard with her entire life that I knew her. So seeing the photos of these moments that she deemed worthy of capturing is like seeing a corner of her soul. There WAS lightness in her afterall - despite the sturdy bootwear. And of course, I knew that about her...

This is a picture of my mom as a toddler, resting in a tire that was laying flat in her yard. I can't help but wonder what her morning or afternoon was like prior to this moment in the tire. I mean, what/who was she chasing? Chickens? Her dog? A cat? Did she stop to hear the birds chirping? Was she singing? Did she find a good stick to walk with that day? Or a puddle to splash through? Was she in my grandmother's skirt as she hung out laundry on the clothesline? Or with my grandfather playing with scraps of wood while he worked in his wood shop? I can't help but wonder about the before and after... 

And that's what I love about vintage items. When you buy something old or if you are lucky enough to have items passed down to you from family, it's just plain romantic. There's a story. Everybody has a story. I think essentially we are all holding tight to our own stories, working in one way or another not to be forgotten. To imprint this world in some (hopefully) good way. It's our work to have the days of our lives permeate through time.

Our hands grasp the hands of those who came before us through these objects we inherit. 

Thrifting. I'm smitten. 

Out and about

If you know me well, then you know my 'out and about's' are of the predictable and mundane sort. Let's see, the grocery store, post office, bank, grocery store, grocery store, grocery store... On the weekend, I might tackle one or two thrift stores.  Yes, and that's about it!  

But this weekend, my oh my, I put myself out there. The weather was sunny and bright on Saturday. And so I just had the greatest craving to drive alone and stretch my legs, and think uninterrupted thoughts without having to answer "wa ya doin'?" five hundred times.  And I also wanted to see some pretty fabric and yarn.  So off I went to two of my favorite little shops in Austin.  I bought a couple of yards of fabric because the little one will need some "I can do it all by myself" items for the spring and summer months which will be here before you know it.  She is, of course, all about the care of self these days.  More on that (and toddler clothing ideas) later....

I didn't get anymore yarn. Nope. Not until this is done. Alright, let's not go there.  

We were sort of caught up on chores around the house, or at least, we didn't feel like facing them on Sunday. So we took a drive.  Which is something Byron and I use to love to do "before we had children."

Aside: I always get perturbed by people who complain about or compare their life to before and after they "had children."  But here I am saying it too because Bea is not the "let's take a drive kind of child"!  At least I don't say it very often though.  Really, we like having the little Bea around a whole lot. We were quite a bore before we knew her! 

What was I saying? On Sunday we took a drive out to one of our favorite small towns close to Austin. Besides a couple of antique stores, their main street looks like so many other American small towns. Beautiful, yet vacant, brick buildings with for sale or for lease signs adorning their windows. All just waiting to be revitalized. It's always, always fun to do a little antiquing in between herding and buffering a toddler from collectibles and breakables. Good times! Really, it was! My spirit can't be broken! 

And that, my friends, was my weekend. By Sunday afternoon I was exhausted from all the out and abouting I did. And now I should be happy and content at home for another couple of months! 

 

Give Away Bliss

When I was just a girl, there were two things that I wanted desperately:  a trip to Disney World and a piano. Guess what?  Those wants never materialized. I write this without an ounce of self-pity too. Even young children can learn from the valuable life lesson that we don't always get everything we want in life. Years, no decades, have trickled by. And despite all the hoopla that the grand amusement park experience promises, I now firmly have no desire to ever visit it. What was the 8 year old me thinking anyway?  Oh, I just liked Mickey Mouse, I guess. 

The piano...has a different ending, sort of. 

My mom cleaned houses for a living when I was a little girl. When school was out or when I was sick, I'd sometimes tag along with her to other people's houses. My favorite houses were the ones that had cable tv (Disney Chanel) and a piano. A couple of them had this perfect combination. 

I took lessons for a bit as a child. But I stopped because I didn't have a piano to practice on. Still, I always loved the piano and the idea of playing it. Somewhere inside of me, I've always regretted not continuing with the lessons. Really, I just loved music.  I loved playing my clarinet in the band. I even got a guitar for Christmas one year. In the end, though, I just dabbled. Adolescent and teenage years got in the way. I got bored with my teachers. And since then, I've never, ever considered myself a musician or musically inclined or whatever.  My musical interest disappeared - or I buried it. 

And then Bea came around and reminded me of a few things about myself I'd long forgotten. Even though I'm not a great singer and I am sure that I'll never master a musical instrument, she reminded me how much I still just love the act of music.  She is never more in her element than when we are singing or dancing together. In fact when she was just a few months old, I can remember driving around town and glancing back at her through the rear view mirror - dancing, oftentimes with rhythm, to the tunes on the radio. She's still something to see. Music, to her, is a force that can not be ignored. Each time we've entered a room with a piano, she's gravitated so strongly to it - climbing up on the bench, and touching and pressing keys with such interest and joy!  She's reminded me of how much I loved to do the same thing when I was a child.  

Thus, the last couple of months we've had our eye for the perfect piano for our needs, our house, and our budget. Last week, a post came up on Craigslist saying that the owner was moving and the first one to contact her could have her piano. We have a piano in our living room now.  I polished it today. It's lovely.  

Another wonderful thrifted gem to add to our home.  

 

 

Must Be October

Must be October because I'm finding myself surrounded by orange and yellow these days.  

Don't laugh...I snagged this afghan from Goodwill the other day. Every time I walk into the living room, I find myself at first startled and then quietly giggling. Certainly sasses our days up, I must say...I can't help but think of the crocheter who made it. I reckon she had some stories to tell.  What compelled her to choose the hunter orange? The funny thing is that the afghan goes pretty well with our living room decor right now. Our style is rounding out to be just as funky as this cozy blanket. We didn't really plan to go all out 70's, but that's just how the thrifting gods have intended our look to be. Maybe one day, when I get better at shooting in low lighting, I'll show off some of our finds that decorate our home. It's pretty rockin', I must admit.  

The living room end table (thrifted as well...)which holds our little nature display right now. Pumpkins, ghourds, pinecons, and acorns sit on a very Autumn looking doily that was made by Byron's great grandmother who shares the same birthday and name as Ms. Bea. I never knew Maw Mee, but I sure wish I did. She was crafty before crafty was cool.  

Well, I guess it's just that time of the year, now isn't it? 

Weekending

August is my February. When northerners are itching for warmer weather, giddy with anticipation to see life spring forth, after so many months of being cooped up... Yeah, well that's me, right now. I can't wait for Fall.   

Until then, I have to say, we're finding plenty to keep us busy.  

In between sewing and brewing, reorganizing, and many episodes of Mad Men (oh my, it's been a long time since I've loved the television...the Drapers' wardrobe...can't get enough), the little one has been providing us hours of entertainment just being her curious, musical, silly self!  

Hope you enjoy these random photos of our random moments of this August weekend.  

 Let's jump on mama over and over while she plays around with the camera.

   Thrifty find! We haven't had a bedroom clock in a couple of years...

  Watching bread dough rise. 

 The sewing table...

{helping me} With close guidance, she found great joy in this work.  

 My sewing nook! I finally got around to making curtains for the window from a thrifted bedsheet I bought for a buck! I love almost everything about this corner of my home.

Yay!! I love this spot in my home. The light flowing through the yellow of the curtains creates the warmest glow! 

  

 
  

  

Thrifted Goodies

The church that we rent space from had a monstrous garage sale this weekend.  I scored - big.  

Check it out.  

Handmade aprons - vintage it seems. 50 cents! 

Although I an not a fan of plastic and I tend to store most of our food items in glass jars - I just couldn't pass up this whole collection of Tupperware!  I mean, it's Tupperware.  These containers and cups are synonymous with my childhood. I grew up in the 80's and I had four older siblings who partially grew up in the 70's.  Our kitchen was decked out in Tupperware.  All of these pieces for under $3 bucks! 

This chest.  Oh, wait, this chest actually came from Goodwill. (I told you we had a great thrifting weekend). It's cedar and in beautiful condition. It is stamped on the underneath by a manufacturer from New Orleans. $6 bucks!  

I also scored a whole host of other items for truly next to nothing: a polaroid camera, children's books, a recorder flute, feed sack fabric, a side table w/ built in lamp -  this whole lot for under $40 dollars.  

Sunday Morning Thrifting

So yesterday, Byron and I got a wild hair up our you know what and decided to go out for breakfast.  We seldom do this because we both agree that breakfast is just too cheap a meal to prepare ourselves. Why pay $20 for breakfast for two when you can cook up some eggs and pancakes for a couple of bucks at most.  Well, because sometimes people get lazy and they don't feel like cooking up breakfast for themselves.  Hence, our excursion.  Both Kerby Lane Cafe's near our house had lines out the door. That was no good, we were hungry and didn't want to wait 45 minutes to be seated.  So we went to this other lesser known place with no wait.  The breakfast tacos were mediocre at best.  We regretted our $20, but what can you do.  You live, you learn, right?  We would have been better off getting breakfast right across the street from our house - a great Mexican restaurant.  

On the way back home, we noticed a strip mall of thrift stores having an outdoor sale in the parking lot. We of course, had to stop.  An auction was about to begin.  And in that auction - mostly junky things - were some beautiful quilts.  I scored one for next to nothing.  It's handmade and in perfect shape.  

The woman who was selling off her quilts said that they were made by her mother.  The quilts had to go though.  She had a DUI fine to pay off.  Can you believe!  Only in Austin on a Sunday morning. Evidently she was quite comfortable sharing her story.  I overheard her tell it to a couple of other buyers after she told me.  

In addition to the lovely quilt, I also scored some vintage pyrex.  I'm obsessed with that stuff right now. My collection is growing but not my cabinet space.  So may have to start using my will power from here on out.  I couldn't refuse these bowls though.   The vendor was practically giving them away.  

Byron scored an old belt buckle.  It's an eagle holding a banner that says "United We Stand".  Patriotic and cheesy, just enough, just for Byron.  No pictures of it though.  Gosh darnit, if he wants a picture of his buckle on the blog, he's going to have to take that picture himself.  Speaking of which,  I don't think you'll be hearing much from the other half.  He firmly believes that the blog is way to girly to his liking. Imagine that.  Come on Byron, you know you'd post The Creative Family as one of your current reads too if you had a blog.  I said it's girly because I'm girly and the only one contributing so far.  Be the change you wish to see, my friend.  

Hope you all had a great weekend.  By the way,  there's no one there is there?  No one is reading this stuff.  I'm all alone here typing to no one.  I guess I should share my link with people.  Maybe one day.  

Gotta love Goodwill

Earlier this summer, Byron and I made a random stop at one of the many thrift stores around town.  Most of the time, we are in and out within 10 minutes.  We're like that - good at spotting keepers.  On that day, right up front, near the door,  I found this perfectly small sewing table - I love small pieces of furniture because my home makes a cottage look like a McMansion, hence you won't find a single piece of oversized anything where I live.  Anyway, this table was not only charming, but it came equipped with the cutest turquoise 1950's sewing machine. As you can imagine, I grabbed this keeper fast.  I got her serviced because she wasn't keeping the needle threaded as she stitched.  Now she's working beautifully.  I love her so much.  This must be what driving luxury European car must be like.  She's so quiet.  She only sews a basic stitch, BUT there is never any puckering or tension problems.  She's not as fast, but so reliable.  Just as a machine should be.  She purrs, I tell you.  I've happily made a few things with her.   I hope to finish a project this weekend and post pictures of it next week.