There's No Place Like...

The Theatre!

Last night we went out on a date to see the wonderful Wizard of Oz!

The ruby slippers sparkled...

And the actors were excellent!

I did not bring my camera for blog pictures but if I had, I would have taken photos of all the little girls dressed up as Dorothy. So cute!

Can't wait until I can bring Dear Bebe to see shows.

I'd give the show four popcorns ~

A great night out! (Which ultimately means Dear Hubs gets five popcorns just for getting us out on a date!)

Yay!

A Shaker and A Mover

Dear Bebe is at a wonderful stage. She's learning so many new things, absorbing like a sponge.

She already thinks a DVD box somehow goes in the machine with all of the buttons.... those little eyes are watching all the time! I couldn't believe it when she held up a Baby Einstein DVD last week and then tried to stick it in the slot.

Dear Bebe is also pointing AT EVERYTHING. We have been asking her to "show" us different items as we say them. This week we are working on colors.

She holds her own bottle now... no, not this kind ... but she likes to shake Mommy's water bottles and crinkle them to make a funny sound.

She's also moving very fast! Not yet walking ... but oh SO close. As soon as she does aaaakkkkkkk! I think I'm going to need an extra boost of energy. I'm tired as it is now.

But it is exciting! (I know, I won't be saying this at the end of each day)

I'm cherishing each milestone and embracing her achievements. Isn't that what Mommy and Daddy are for?

What are the chances?

Sunday was a gorgeous day... perfect weather and the leaves on the trees were at their peak of color.

I took a few hours of "me" time and went antiquing for my shop.

There were quite a few little goodies I found but this one made me smile:

Is that what I think it says on there?

It is just the sweetest old mug and I thought it perfectly BELLA!

I wonder who made painted it and for whom? What are the chances of me finding this one for my store...Bella Rosa Antiques. Wow! Neat.

It is also one of those....do I sell it ....do I keep it?

Spiritual Sunday ~ Who is in Control?

(This devotional was written by Jim Burns of Homeword Devotions)

When it comes to our life, we have nothing to say about our birth and little say about our death, but in between these two events most of the decisions are ours to be made. Are you letting life and circumstances control you, or are you controlling your own life and destiny with God’s help. Don't let life pass you by when you have the God-given ability to make things happen. I've heard it said:

You can't control the length of your life, but you can control its use.

You can't control your facial appearance, but you can control its expression.

You can't control the weather, but you can control the moral atmosphere that surrounds you.

You can't control the distance of your head above the ground, but you can control the height of the contents in your head.

You can't control the other fellow's annoying faults, but you can see to it that you do not develop similar faults.

Why worry about things you cannot control? Get busy controlling the things that depend on you.

For more uplifting words and thoughts click on Charlotte and Ginger's blog.

Behind the Scenes of an Antique Shop

The antique business may come across as so glitz and glam (ha!) with all of the hob nobbing we do with estate sale people and such...


The fancy furs we wear...





The bling of the vintage jewelry...



The elegant handbags ...

But here's a behind the scenes look at what I'm doing to get things ready for "photo shoots."



My latest vintage china mugs and cups are in the "soaking process" before washing. Just to get the top coat of dust or dirt from years of storage. Sometimes adhesive from a price tag is left behind. And it all takes time.

Linens are also time consuming. They need to be washed and then ironed.

And did I mention I do not like ironing?

But when you find little sweeties like these vintage Christmas hankies... you can't help but take good care of them. There may be items that need repair... vintage toys sometimes get a trip to the "hospital" before making it to our antique booth.

Most of the time vintage items we buy are best kept in their current agey look... the old genuine patina on something shouldn't be removed in many cases... as in furniture or vintage papers.... and old skeleton keys.

It is really up to the dealer how to present the antiques for sale.

Part of the fun for me is setting up scenes for picture taking before items are loaded onto the Bella Rosa website. It is really not a whole lot different than what I used to do as a TV producer. This time however it is still pictures I am working with, not video.

And glamorous or not, it's what goes on, "behind the scenes."

Girls Night Out

Rarely I get to have a night out with girlfriends and I looked forward to this all day.

Met two "old" friends (we all met ten years ago in a local young professionals organization)

The restaurant of choice...Italian.

We started out with the bruschetta...

Then I ordered the chicken caprese.... YUM

It was DE-Lizioso! Let's face it... a night out...

I didn't have to cook..... it was WONDERFUL!

And it was especially nice to catch up with good friends.
Look how excited I was... tee hee. I'll have to do this more often!

Jillian Goes to a Country Auction & Finds Mr. Stinky

Today we had gorgeous weather .... great day to head to a country auction nearby.

Looking for "new" goodies to add to my shop.

When I walked in the tables were filled and all set to go.

I did spot a few items I wouldn't mind bringing home...

This pretty roses urn...

Oui Oui! I wouldn't mind having this French perfume bottle...

Amazing looking Staffordshire (style?) dogs..

A beautiful beaded collar...

But then I ran into Mr. Stinky here. What. Is. This. I had to laugh. He was making quite a spectacle each time a potential bidder would walk in and check out the prospects. Just wondering if stuffed skunks have become the new collectible!

I actually never stayed long enough to find out how much he went for.

The auction was starting much later than anticpated and I didn't have a whole lot of time. Dear Hubs was home watching Dear Bebe for me so... I left and headed for the outdoor fleamarket. With what time I had left I scoured table after table and brought home a few goodies.

I'll be sharing them on here after I take photos of them tomorrow.

An interesting and fun day ... there's a saying I think for this:

Country auctions are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get!

Fall Clean Out

Fall.

You may think of pumpkins, warm apple cider, football games and other fun stuff.

I think of cold weather approaching and how the heck I'm going to make it 'til March.

Seriously.

Lately I've been in a "FALL CLEANOUT" mood. If I had my way I'd be filling up bags and boxes of things to go to the thrift store.

This weekend I finally tackled one of my annual projects. The clothes transfer.

Does anyone else do this? Pack up all of the summer stuff and drag out the fall/winter things? This is a major feat in my house. I have to nag...uh...I mean, ask nicely for Dear Hubby to get up in the attic and find the storage containers.

Then it is a whole afternoon or evening sorting and hanging.

For women it's major:

Blouses
Shirts
Blazers
Shoes
Belts
Handbags
Holiday clothes

Men:

Pants

Shirts

Sweats

It was good to go through a lot of things and send them off to Goodwill. Last year I didn't get to wear much of my Fall/Winter wardrobe because I was still trying to fit into pants and opting for "comfy clothes".... er...sweatpants.

So this year was kind of fun...finding clothes I haven't worn since '07/'08. Which made me think I need a little updating here and there in the clothes department. Not many I just found out... Dear Hubs told me he budgets 50.00 a month for clothes. I laughed and laughed! In some stores that buys you half a pair of pants. Sigh.

Anyway, the Fall transfer is over for now. I just couldn't help but think how long I'd have to wait until we were dragging out the summer clothes again! Ahhhhhhhh!

Gorgeous Palette, Gorgeous Art

Photo: Baxter State Park in Maine. Photo Credit; J. Stone

We've had so much chilly rain here in the Northeast I am remembering why it is needed today.

God is a wonderful creator. Just look at that scene! How Great Thou ART!

If you enjoyed my post this Sunday... hop on over to Charlotte and Ginger's blog for more uplifting thoughts here.

Have an awesome day!

Pondering: To blog or not to blog

This is going to be an honest post. And the truth is... I'm not sure if I should keep up with this blog.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my blog. I started writing online to help me get through a painful, emotional experience. And it has been great. Much more than I ever thought it would be.

But 2 years and 338 posts later, I'm feeling burnt out. Running out of creative ideas. Some days I doubt I ever had any!

I do think it is difficult keeping up with a one year old, a blog, an online website, another blog and my antique booth... not to mention household chores! And a husband! Aaaaaakkkk! Oh the dust bunnies! (on the floor, not on the husband)

Maybe I could save time by combining my two blogs into one? This is what I'm contemplating.

I keep Jillian's Pages going for a few reasons:

* The gal pals I've "met" and keep in touch with

* My family reads it to keep up with our adventures

* I enjoy it, gives my creative brain room to play

There are days though I feel let down. Disappointed. I know I don't have a whole lot of time to visit other blogs so I really shouldn't expect much in return.

Please feel free to leave a comment and throw me some words of encouragement if you'd like. Maybe I just need to hear them?

Outdoor Wednesday ~ Road to ?

This was the scene from our hayride...er wagon ride last weekend as we headed toward a pumpkin patch with friends of ours.

It is funny how the road appears to go no where. Kind of like the yellow brick road on the Wizard of Oz! It actually bends to the left among the corn rows. I also think the big houses appearing at the horizon line is interesting. So many farms have been sold off to developers that this has become a common scene in our area.

Other great scenes from this farm.... the pumpkins! We kept laughing because these were the only large pumpkins to be found. It was like they were running out. By the time we arrived to the field of pumpkins, only the small ones were left! But that was okay because they teeny size was perfect for Dear Bebe.

Dear Bebe also loved the "moo" cows.


And we had lots of fun anyway!

Check out more outdoor scenes on Susan's blog... here.