Totally Vintage has these 15 Mr. Men Books for sale.   Oh my, I had forgotten these books, but I loved them when I was little.  I loved the drawings.  Just simple shapes made into characters.  Maybe it is because I never learned to draw anything more complicated than basic shapes.

I have never come across these gems in my treasure hunts.  I want one just to read it one.  I specifically remember Mr. Noisy.

Did you ever read them?

I know sometimes when I read blogs I start to think that everyone else has it together.  Their houses are clean and organized, and their kids are fed the most nutritious meals.  Anyway, I used to let myself get caught in that feeling, but I don’t go there any more.  I know that when I write my blog posts, I typically put my best foot forward.  I am always trying to see the bright side, so why dwell on the less than positive parts of life by writing them down in my blog.  I know others do the same.

So today, I thought I would how you a few areas in my house right now.  Someone asked me this weekend how I do it all? I seem to have it together. Ha, I just look like I am juggling with easy.  The truth is I am good at getting things done.  I prioritize my things to do and many times I let a lot of crap fall off my plate.  I guess when my friend comes to my house, it is always organized and clean.  Ha, my house is rarely organized and clean. It is one of the things I usually let slide, or my boys clean.  The only time the house gets cleaned and things put away is when I know someone is coming over.  It is my reason to clean, otherwise everything else comes first.  Now don’t get me wrong, I love it when people come to visit unannounced, they will find me in my crazy, messy life that I love.  No excuses…hopefully they came to visit me not my house.  But a house needs to be cleaned occasionally so having visitors gives me the motivation to do it.

So without further ado, here is what you would find on my main floor if you dropped by today.  The picture above is my entry way.  Those are purchases from the last three weeks that I am trying to clean, sort through, log in, take photos of and list on Etsy.  That is the first thing that would greet you.

Then there is the homeschool pile.  I am trying to finalize this year and plan for next year.  Basically done with JV, but am struggling to plan for Z for next year, his senior year.  He wants to take a class or two at the local high school again, but they won’t have the schedule done till early June.  So it sits and waits.

Then there is this table.  JV and I decided to work on our stamp collections this summer. We store it in the guest room closet, so we pulled everything out of the closet. (Perfect time to clean that closet.)  We are going to put things away and organize our stamps.  Easier to do when you pull it out.  We did this last Friday and haven’t gotten back to it yet.

This is the pile of papers on my counter.  I struggle controlling paper, and this is my frustration zone in my house.  Try as I might, it is always messy here.  Normally it gets put away when we entertain, but then it grows back almost over night.

JV is fixing a wolf puzzle, so that is in the living room right now.  I love fixing puzzles.  I used to fix them during the winter on Sunday afternoons watching the Dallas Cowboys with my Dad.

Our tomatoes were pulled into the house because of the rain.  Bismarck averages 2.25 inches of rain in May, the second highest month of the year.  It started raining Thursday. We are up to 3.75 inches, and it isn’t done yet.

There are a few other small piles of things as well, but you get the idea.  Life is crazy, messy.  Things get thrown all over the place.  I don’t believe it should be clean, organized and perfect.  We still have to live life.  Life is good.

Find a way to embrace your crazy, busy, hectic, messy life.  I know I, for one, won’t wish I had a straighter, organized home when my boys are gone.

I went out to 8 garage sales on Thursday morning and had a little bit of luck.  I didn’t go out Friday, just too much to do around here.  Then I had to go to Dickinson on Saturday.  Mom and I found a little time to get to an auction for 30 minutes, but not a lot that I wanted.

However, this magazine rack was thrown in with something else that I wanted.  I was pleased because my gold magazine racks have sold well.

I picked up this green train case at a garage sale.  Not sure if a green one will sell.  I have sold other colors. This one screams 1980s to me, yet I think it is older than that.  Guess I will find out if it sells or not.  I think the make great storage boxes for toys, makeup, jewelry and craft items.

I found another Cram Imperial World Globe that was reasonably priced.  I really love the beige with a blue/green color and nothing else.  Set in a gold base, I think this one is stunning.  It is pre 1989 since it still has the Soviet Union on it.

One of my early listing back in 2011 when I started my Etsy shop was the bicycle built for 2 from Homco.  It sold pretty quickly, so when I saw this trio, called Time Traveler’s, I just had to pick them up.  I think they would look amazing in a boy’s room that had vintage transportation in it.

I usually wiling to sell most anything I find, but this strong guy was hard for me to list.  I bought it at a garage sale where proceeds were going for Relay for Life cancer benefit.  I have always had a fascination with old guillotine paper cutters.  I don’t know how old this is.  I remember being a teacher’s aide when I was in high school.  I would help grade school teacher’s out with paperwork during my study hall. I remember cutting lots of paper with one of these bad boys.  I attended a small school so all 12 grades were in one school building.  I graduating in a class of 27. At first I thought I would keep the cutter, but no, someone else can enjoy it.  This is one item I will buy any time I see it.

Finally, here is a little Fisher Price riding toy.  It is a little faded but that just tells me it was used and loved.  I didn’t use this.  I think this was after my time as a little girl.  I just love how slender it is.  It seems like most riding toys now are so bulky.  Maybe just a little safer, but so rounded that they almost seem bigger than the toddler.

Did you own any of these items?

Linking up to:  A Living Space, Bright Green Door and

It has been a cool spring. This year we decided to plant three tomato plants in planters, so we could start growing them on our patio.  We move the plants into the garage most evenings because it still cools off near freezing. They are becoming beautiful plants.  The question is are you suppose to pinch off the blooms at first so the nutrients go into the plant or so you leave them on the plants?  I have heard it both ways.  Anyone know?

I had purchased a yellow telephone recently.  Listed it and it sold within a week, so when I saw this red telephone I snatched it up.  I did not think it will sell as fast because there are more red telephones out there, but it still is so cool.  I was wrong, it sold within two days. Love that colorful vintage phones make great displays.

This week you get two Rushes of Remembering.  Here is another item I purchased for $.25 because of the memories.  This is a dog pillow.  Animal shaped pillows were popular in the 1970s.  We had three shaped pillows on our couch.  We did not have this exact one, but it was a dog pillow.  My favorite memory was when my Mom and Dad went out on a Saturday evening, we had babysitter, Jeri, who could sing but, we also played games.  She would tie a cloth around our eyes and spin us around.  With a large black button in hand we had to see if we could get the button on the nose of the dog pillow.  I thought it was so much fun.  Who says you can’t have a blast with a strip of fabric, a button and a pillow?

Do you have any favorite memories from when you had a babysitter?

Sometimes I pick up something for $.25 just because it brings back memories.  When I was young I had pierced ears.  Think I got them pierced my freshmen year.  Small dot-sized earrings were popular.  The best way to keep them was in a heavy metal, shaped earring holder like the one above.  We didn’t have this one exactly, but I can see my gold with diamond studs in it.

Offered by Gussiesparlour on Etsy

If you just have to have one like mine, you can go on Etsy and search for metal earring holders and you will find a few like the girl above offered by Gussies Parlour.  Come on, you know you want one.

I have not had pierced ears since 1999.  How do I know that? When I was pregnant with my second son, piercings started bothering me.  Wearing earrings bothered me, so I stopped wearing them.  By the time JV was born, and I thought about wearing earrings again, probably sometime after he was 6 months old, my holes had grown closed.  What? 15 years or so, and they grew closed.

Why don’t I go get them pierced again?  I am chicken.  The thought of punching a hole into my body, scares me.  I know it wouldn’t really hurt, but the thought does me in.  It was never a problem when I had long hair, because you really couldn’t see my ears.  Now that I have short hair I have started thinking about piercing my ears again.  If I can get past the thought of creating a hole in my body, I will do it. Promise I will let you know because I know the fact that I can’t pierce my ears will keep you awake at night.

So do you remember earring holders like the turtle above?  Did you have one?

Last fall I told you about my Rush of Remembering when I saw this clock.  I was so excited when I saw not one, but two Fisher Price Teaching Clocks at a garage sale on Saturday.  What to do? Can’t leave either one, so I bought both.  The lady said that she bought them for her daughters because she had them when she was young.  They could have cared less about them.  Oh, the stab of the heart.  Doesn’t everyone love what I love?

I also purchased this red wicker basket.  I drooled over the red exterior.  I already have two picnic baskets on sale; this woven one and this Hawkeye one.  I sold one.  Have to get this one listed this week.

On a Facebook group for thrifting I heard that old hot rollers sell well.  I picked up this old set by Clairol, the Kindness 20 Instant Hairsetter Set that looks like new.

Then I saw this Clairol Lock and Roll set too.  I have a few things listed on eBay and since this one isn’t that old, I will list it on My Ebay.

Anything miniature is always cute.  This sold oak, folding rocking chair for a child or large doll is so cute.

So it was a good garage sale weekend.  What was your favorite find?

Linking to: Thrifty Things Friday, A Living Space and

I am the most blessed girl in the world.  I have been treated like a queen for 2.5 days now.  (I get treated well all of them time, actually.)  You see, today, May 12 is Mother’s Day and my Anniversary.  I have been a Mom now for 17+ years and married to the love of my life for 23 years.  I get to celebrate both on the same day.

My dear husband decided to take me out to eat at the Peacock Alley in Bismarck on Friday evening. I hadn’t eaten there before.  It was absolutely yummy.  We even had a Chocolate Turtle cake with ice cream for dessert. After, we hung out downtown and watched the annual Band Night Parade that kicks off spring around here.  Saw several people we knew…mostly friends’ children.  It was a little windy, but a nice evening to spend with my husband.

Yesterday we went to church in the evening, and then the boys took me out to eat at The Walrus Restaurant.  Another restaurant I hadn’t eaten at before, but a friend of theirs recommended the pizza.  I had a Fruit Salad that had strawberries, pineapple, oranges on a bed of greens.  Simply yummy.  Then they took me out for Cold Stone Creamery ice cream.  Dessert two nights in a row.  Yum, yum.  Later we went home had some wine and read.  I love lazy cozy evenings with my family and a good book. To me the perfect way to celebrate.

Today the boys made me breakfast and brought it to me in bed.  Didn’t I tell you that I am being treated like a queen?  They made lunch and plan to make me dinner too. I think it is sloppy joes.  No cooking for the last three days.  I can get used to this.

Can we have Mother’s Day and my anniversary again next weekend?

Cards I made while at a Crafting Retreat in April. The bottom right hand one is the card I sent out for Mother’s Day this year.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of my wonderful Mom friends.  I realize that there is pain associated with Mother’s Day because many struggle with fertility issues, gave up a baby for adoption, or even had an abortion. My heart goes out to all of you.  Even though I have two boys, I lost 4 other children, and that hole is always there in my heart.  But there is so much happiness as well.  I know so many fantastic Moms out there.  I am sending you all hugs and prayers.

Happy Mother’s Day to my Mom and my Mother-in-law.  Thank you both for all you do and have done.

Me?  I am going to church and hanging out with my family.  Gotta love that.