100th Post GIVEAWAY Celebration!

Yes, it is here! My 100th post already. I can't believe it... who knew I had this much to say? And my year anniversary isn't even here yet.

To celebrate I'm having a giveaway. It will be simple... and will run for only one week.

Here's what you can do to try and win:

1) Leave a comment on my blog between now and June 19th, on any posting.

2) Only one entry counts....although all comments are always welcome!

3) If you advertise my giveaway and post this graphic on your blog (be sure to let me know)...you will receive an additional entry.

4) The winner will be announced Friday, June 20th. Make sure I will be able to contact you.

Now, for the most important part. What will you win?

A box chock full of vintage goodies ranging from paper scrappy type items to jewelry to silverware to linens. I will leave photo hints throughout the week to give you a sneek peak.

Can't wait to see who wins! Thanks for celebrating with me. I have enjoyed every minute of blogging, making friends, and meeting new people. I look forward to 100 more posts ...and beyond!

A Stroll in the Park

This weekend dear hubs and I decided to go see the new Indiana Jones movie. We also decided to try a new theatre we had never been to before. It wasn't too close to our house and we drove for awhile before we arrived. And we arrived just in time for the movie to start. (This is typical.)

I rush up to the ticket windows as DH is parking (to save time of course) only to discover the movie had been SOLD OUT. (Economy must not be too bad around here?) Anyway, we didn't want to see anything else so we got back in the car. Sigh. Now what?


We drove around and ended up in one of the sweetest little towns in our area of Pennsylvania. And what better plan B than getting a homemade ice cream. Mmmmmm. Then we took a stroll in the town park. (To walk off the calories, ha ha.) It ended up being a very impromptu, relaxing evening. Isn't that the way life is? You think you have a plan in mind...but it doesn't always seem to work out the way we want it to.

Or does it?

Pretty Peonies for a Porch Party

Today I decided to participate in a porch party, hosted over on Rose Colored Glasses. It is her birthday today and she has set out some lovely treats...I wish I could really be there to have a sip of her pink lemonade and lemon cupcakes. But, I'll have to do with showing you our display. (Sorry, no treats are involved.) The picture above is of our porch from our last house. I loved sitting on this porch with a cool drink, my journal or magazine, and relaxing. The pink peonies we grew in the side yard and they were also a favorite of mine. Now we live in a wooded area and sun is hard to come by. But, we've planted peonies again and hopefully someday, we will have blooms to enjoy!

The white porch swing we had my Father in Law drag out of the old barn (he has so much stuff in there) and I painted it white while my dear hubby added new chains. I made the swing pillows on my Mom's old Singer sewing machine. When we moved I left the pillows with the swing and the new owner because I felt they needed to stay with the house. We don't have a porch at our new house, so what was I going to do with them?

This was the porch heading into fall....but it was still a warm time of year and a great time to come outside to enjoy it. We often had candles burning at night with snacks and a little bit o'wine.

Hope you enjoyed our porch view as much as we did. Thanks for letting us share with you today!

We Could All Use A Little Graduation

Last night we attended my step son's high school graduation. It was our third since my step son is the youngest of three. I decided to take it all in from a "sideline" perspective. (This may have been due to the fact I kept tearing up everytime my step son marched on by and was trying to avoid an all out bawling session.) What I noticed about the evening was how much JOY there was in the stadium. There is nothing like the giddy happiness of a teenager about to leave high school with all of his/her dreams waiting ahead. And from a parent's perspective, there is nothing more touching than remembering this same moment we ourselves experienced (wasn't it just like yesterday?) while also hoping for the best for said teenager. You of course, want your children (and step children) to reach for the sky.

The other part of the evening I really enjoyed were the speeches and remarks from all of the selected students, and the principal. Most of the remarks were the usual...."we'll never be together like this again".....and "go for your dreams" ..... and "we were proud to be students here." What I liked about some of the remarks, particularly from the valedictorian, was about going out there and making a point of giving back. I think this was a great message because too many times in our society we teach to go go go and take take take for yourself. Sometimes when we give back, we also get something for ourselves. Success is not just about getting the highest paying job, or achieving the highest rank in the office. Sometimes it's about happiness.

And sometimes, we all need a little graduation.

Garden Party ~ Latest LuRay Find

This past weekend our antique mall had a Garden Party. This was the first year we had this event and I brought my neighbor to check it out. We had a great time wandering throughout the lovely courtyard which was decked out with lots of Garden themed items to purchase. Since my neighbor is an avid gardener I thought she would enjoy the afternoon. (I am not however as noted by my post last week.)





Not only did she find a few treasures to buy, I did as well. There was this DARLING child's picnic basket full of little ceramic dishes. And they look like a miniature version of none other than my beloved LuRay Pastels dinnerware! (See my collection by clicking here.) So, I had to get the set. Too cute!

Do I display them in the kitchen with the real deal? Or keep them in their original basket? I may just have to try them out and see...my LuRay cabinets are kind of full which is not a bad thing!

Bella the MOVIE ~ It is beautiful!

Last night we watched the movie, "BELLA." The tag line is "True Love Goes Beyond Romance." This movie had been recommended to me by a few people and had won several awards. I had put it in my Netflix list of movies to see and it finally arrived. The movie is about a woman who gets pregnant under the wrong circumstances and how different events shape her decision on what to do about it. The movie definitely has a pro-life theme which develops throughout the film until we get to the emotional end, which was beautiful.

I'm not sure how well known any of the actors are but the lead male is a Mexican superstar and is considered their "BRAD PITT!" Either way, they did a great job. If I remember correctly this movie was a smaller budget film that had not been given a wide run of theatres at first. A lot of churches helped push the film and gave it extra advertising, allowing it to run in more cities.

I'm glad I got a chance to see it. It does run into a slow spot in the middle but overall, it is worth the view.

Probably not a movie for young children as they may not "get it." I would give it four popcorns because of it's positive theme.

Mood for Cooking

Lately I've been in a cooking mood. Ever get out of the cooking mood? There is nothing worse. Well, except for the fact that sometimes someone else will do it! Or better yet, you go OUT to eat.

Today I made quiche. I wrote about quiche back on my Christmas post here. Not sure why but I woke up today thinking I just had to make it. This time I added tomatoes and about every type of cheese we had in the fridge. Delicious!

Yesterday it was meatloaf. Now I know that sounds kind of boring but it was pretty good. (If I must say so myself.) Two bean salad on the side.

And of course I have no pictures of my wonderful creations... so I will try to find something online to show here for fun.

What are you cooking up? For dessert check out my faux sweet treats on my other blog, Bella Rosa. I can't get over how real they look.

All this talk of food is making me hungry...

~ Great Memorial Day Weekend ~

What a great Memorial Day weekend. Most of it was spent working on the yard and getting ready for a barbecue we decided to have pretty much at the last minute.

The first day we shopped around for flowers, shrubs, and materials for planting. This is a huge task for my dear hubs because he has to get the best price on a flat of flowers. I had never really thought about this before since I had only owned my own house for three years before getting married. I would buy a small amount of flowers in small pots and think I was Ms. Greenthumb.
But not my hubby. Nooooooo. He used to landscape on the side and this is SERIOUS business to him. So, we shopped around. The first greenhouse ended up having the best price....but the worst selection of flowers. The ironic things was....the group we put together in the flat above were the nicest looking flowers we ended up with. But this didn't stop us from going to THREE more greenhouses. By the time I got home I was too tired to plant.


But the next day we were ready to go. I put together the arrangements in the urns, hanging baskets, and around the trees while DH did the shrubs (we had dilemmas over where to place everything ....even shrubs that were already in the ground.) and the front and side flower beds. Then he went on to mowing and the rest. He worked and worked for about 6 hours straight. He loves this stuff. I on the other hand petered out after the kneeling and planting. Not my idea of a good time. I've never been an avid gardener.

But I like the urns! Now the sad part is...the third day of our three day weekend was spent getting ready for the barbecue. And I was soooooo tired I didn't even take any pictures. NO PICTURES! Can you believe it?

We had a good time though...we played a name game as guests arrived. You know, the game where you pick a name out of a hat and it is placed on your back and you have to keep asking other people questions until you guess who it is. Lots of fun. And it helps get the "party started."

This years theme tied in with Memorial Day: "Famous Americans Who Have Served in the Military." When I researched different names I was surprised to learn who had served and sacrificed for our country. Names like Tony Bennett, Clint Eastwood, Alan Alda, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Bill Cosby, and Montel Williams.

You learn something new everyday.

Hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend too.

Someone is Trapped in the Attic!

The story I am about to tell is very reminiscent of stories told by one of my favorite writers....James Thurber. If you ever remember reading some of his tales like "The Night the Bed Fell" you will understand why the following tickled my funny bone.

The other night, my dear hubbby came home a little later than usual. I ate dinner by myself and decided it was time to settle down and watch TV. After all, it was the American Idol finale coming up, and I just HAD to see who was going to win.

During the half hour before the show started I kept hearing a muffled bang. Hmmmm....I guess they're setting off fireworks downtown for the local baseball game again. I put it out of my mind.

But I kept hearing it. And it was a weird sound...but again, I was convinced it was the fireworks display.

Now American Idol is on and you know how long they dragged that show out. And I started hearing the banging more and more. Now it started to sound like it was coming from inside the house. I would turn the volume down...and it would stop. (Always the way, isn't it?)

Then my dear hubby comes home and I tell him about it. "It sounds like someone is trapped in the house"....I say in half fear/ half exasperation. He looks at me like I'm nuts.

He opens the outside door to listen for a banging noise in the neighborhood. Maybe someone was having a party next door. Nothing.

We turn off the dishwasher and the volume on the TV. I hear it very low but he doesn't. Now I'm getting frustrated.

By now it is almost time to announce THE WINNER OF AMERICAN IDOL. I've been waiting all season for this.

The banging starts up again. "I hear it ......I hear it.....do you hear it?????" I holler. "It sounds like someone is trapped somewhere and is banging to get out!!!!!"

Then we do a cat count. Out of the three there are only two. Little Sissy is missing. Oh no...where is Sissy? Then I think to myself...that's a loud banging sound for a little cat....but.... maybe.....

My dear hubby shakes the kitty food container. She comes running out of nowhere. There she is!

The banging continues. It's not Sissy. (To her dismay she doesn't get any food either.)

I say...."it's coming from upstairs!"

My dear hubby says ....."OH THE ATTIC!"

My attention is still half glued to the TV....any.... second.... now . . .

The suspense is building.

Dear Hubby runs upstairs....opens up something ....where he is in the house I can't tell because I'm definitely going to find out who won this wonderful/annoying/dragged out contest.

I hear the banging really loud now. And then I hear him laughing. Hard.

And the next American Idol is......David.......


COOK!

And my husband is still laughing....and the noise stops.

He comes downstairs and tells me amid all of his laughter....

It was a baby swing we were storing for a friend that had "broken."

Magically it had started working again....and was banging against a piece of furniture.

Sigh. It was all over.

The American Idol build up and the source of the weird/scary noise had been discovered. All at the same time.

The only one that had been "trapped" was me.

What I like about James Thurber's stories is they are based on our human nature to immediately make assumptions and let our fears or paranoia get the best of us...until things are so blown out of proportion they become ridiculous....which, for me, always makes for hysterical reading.

And that my friends is my tale of "The Night Someone Was Trapped in the Attic."

Gotta Love a Car Show & Memorial Day SALE!

This weekend our church held a car show to help raise some desperately needed money. My dear hubby was so excited and very involved...he loves vintage cars. Every year there is a big car show in Hershey and it is not too far from the antique mall where we have a booth. He loves finding things throughout the year that appeals to vintage car collectors and sets it up in our space. But this car show he was not just a spectator .... he helped out with advertising, vendors, security, you name it.


When he's out hunting down antiques (he's the hunter/gatherer and I'm the display/pricer/decorator so our "team" works out well!) he's looking for things like this you see here near the vintage gas pumps. These are not ours but were on display for car collectors to stop and have their picture taken with their own cars at the "filling station." I thought it was a cute idea. And let's not even think about how cheap it was way back then to "fill 'er up."

I had to work at our booth but I made a quick stop at the car show to take photos. I love photography and I wasn't sure if anyone had thought to get a photographer over to the show so I figured, why not. I got a little cute myself with the reflection in the hubcap. Should I be getting paid for this? LOL!

Here are some of the items I brought to decorate the booth in time for Memorial Day. This is my favorite time of year coming just around the corner.....SUMMER! And there's nothing like kicking it off with a day to remember all of those who have so bravely fought for our freedom.

We're also celebrating over at the new Bella Rosa Antiques shop! Starting this Thursday, May 22nd until Monday, May 26th....A MEMORIAL DAY SALE!

20% off of everything ..... including the items in the fleamarket (FLEA BELLA) for FIVE DAYS ONLY.

I know, it is a shameless plug, but I really thought you'd want to know about a sale. Who doesn't love a sale?