A FEW OF MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS THINGS...

Our mantle for 2014.
Estate sale find...
Hobnail, Milk Glass Lamp Globes...
scattered in the magnolia leaf garland
to look like ornaments.

 Last year's old lampshade tree...
dressed up with some gaudy ornaments.
Decorates the back porch and annoys Violet, the cat.

 Collection of Santas...
the little angel dressed like Santa, plays Silent Night.
She is probably close to 50 years old.
My daddy gave her to me one Christmas.

               Doesn't everyone have a Christmas Moose?

 I think I need more lime green ornaments!
I have them in the kitchen in my big farmhouse bowls.
They are in jars and just scattered on tables.
They are hanging in the staircase bows...
they are everywhere!!

Tray Snowman!

 Glass Snowman...
I made a smaller one,
but this one is the one I like best...
love the Nativity on the top.

Merry Christmas
from my family to yours!
Be blessed!

Vicki

 One Sunday night in April,
I heard...

 
"Baby, can you come here a minute?
Don't come out the back door though." 

Doot, doooot, dooot...
Looking out my back door...
(song by J.C. Fogerty)

There were no tambourines and elephants...

This is what I found!

MY PORCH!

MY HUSBAND!

 

This ain't Jericho and he ain't Joshua,
but the walls came a tumbling down!

That first step was a DOOZEY!

 We knew the porch was developing some issues,
but we never dreamed this would happen!

 OUCH! 

 
He also has a pinched nerve
near his elbow from the fall.

But there are...

 He could have gotten hurt really seriously!
But he is OK!
Thank the Lord!

 AND...

 
We are now getting a brand new porch!

Today is the first day of building,
so it still has a ways to go...

IMAGINE...
a tin covered roof in the center...
platforms, steps, and hopefully a ceiling fan.

 I need to LEVEL with you though...
this part of my house faces the street,
but was built to be the back of our house.

The actual front faces the woods.

When the former owner built the house almost 35 years ago, he built it so he could watch the deer and other wildlife in the woods behind...
uh...
in front of the house.
This side of the house
has always looked a bit unfinished,
so now maybe with this porch
it will have more curb appeal.

So terrible things can turn into
BLESSINGS!
I already knew that though!
It's been a while since I've posted because...
Well, breast cancer.
It's kinda out my back door too!
Thank the Lord again!

However, breast cancer for me has lead to

RETIREMENT!!!

A 
BLESSING!!!

    I retired...

   not because of my circumstance,

  but because of my decision!

  My decision to paint,

create junk art,

go visit my boy,

and

do just about anything
this
artteachergirl
wants
to do now!!!

                                      See ya Later Tater!
                             
                                               Best,
                                         Vicki

JUNK THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING...

OK, haven't been around for a while,
so here's a few random photos to show a bit
of the JUNK that's been happening
in my blessed life...

Loved this on Pinterest, so of course,
I had to create my version over my dining area window.

All it took was lots of random plates,
hot glue and plate holders.
Plus a lot of climbing up and down and rearranging.
I think it turned out really well.

 

I have not finished this yet but decided to show it anyway...
please pray for my pictures, they need a lot of help.

I found the mirror frame at the Catholic Church's yard sale.

They have the best sales and are just over the river
and
around the bend from me.
The sweet ladies there let me have it half price,
and could not imagine why I would want that old thing!

For several years it graced my lime green dresser,
and looked lovely with a wreath hanging on it.

However, it needed a more permanent home
that would really show it off.

I think it likes the idea of being part of the headboard
for our new king size bed.

Just time I saw this heart,
I knew the mirror frame would frame it up perfectly.

But there needs to be more around the frame...
I'm thinking...I'm thinking...it will come to me...eventually.

    Wish this wasn't blurred but I just love the top of the frame.

 And yeah...
WE HAD SNOW AND NO SCHOOL!!!!
Gotta love living in the south!

 That's it for my

     

 Later Tater!
Vicki

Come on over with me to...

Thrifty Life Thursday
Be Inspired Friday

SAVE A SWEATER, MAKE A PUMPKIN

Hello, I'm Vicki and I have a pumpkin problem...
I can't stop making them.

It began innocently with an old sweater
my husband would be wearing this winter, holes and all,
if I hadn't snitched it last year and hid it in my closet.

My original idea was to cut the bottom off of it
and make an infinity scarf,
but now that fall is in the air,
I started thinking sweater pumpkins.

From sweater pumpkins came any kind of fabric 

I could lay my hands on pumpkins. 

(go ahead, say that 3 times)

I love them all, but my favorite is one made
from a very stiff, old paint rag.
Actually, it's an old handkerchief of my daddy's
that I used for a paint rag.
Being the junker artist that I am I couldn't toss it
because the paint turned the handkerchief
such a pretty ocher color.
My weird junk hoarding paid off,

 this pumpkin has a lot of personality about it.

What?

Come on, don't tell me your pumpkins don't have personality?
Later Tater, got to make more pumpkins before bedtime.

Have a
FABULOUS FALL!

DECORATING MY SOUL

                                

 I found this on ChIC vInTiQuE and thought...

How did she know?!

Of course I haven't stopped cleaning my house!
It's clean enough for us.
(wink, wink)

Really, I've always decorated my soul. 
I'm an artsy person...we do that!
However, as I walk through my valley now,
that's even more important to me...
the house will always be there.

I've taken to decorating my soul even more.
This is how I did it last Sunday...

 The church in Musella, Georgia

 Crepe Myrtles the Queen of the South...at least to me.

  

 It's rusty...that's good enough for me!

 Loved this hall tree!
It was sitting on the peach house porch.
Peach packers and packing machines were behind it.
You could lean on the hall tree as you looked down below at all the commotion of the peach house.
An odd combination, but it decorates the soul.
(who's that bald lady in the pink hat?)

 Have no idea what this is, but it's rusty so, well, you know?
Decorates my soul!

General store just across from the peach house.

 Peach packers eat their lunches here,
under the shed and sitting on these benches.
This thought just made me smile.
While no one was here then, the thought of the laughter and stories shared here was nice.

 

 We left Musella and moved on to Thomaston, Georgia...

 One of my favorite places was closed,
but their porch front displays
decorated my soul big time!

 Wings on the front doors of
Rescue Me Market...
kinda appropriate for me, dontcha think?

I have many angels watching over me.

 Got to go back for a birdfeeder!!
These are made from tires.

 It's rusty dontcha know?

 

 

 Ended this wonderful day exploring this covered bridge.

 Are you decorating your soul?
What have you given

yourself lately?