Coming up in 2011

Do you make new year's resolutions? Do you keep them?  Do you go back at the end of the year and review?  If  I did make any resolutions last year, I don't remember them and I didn't write them down.  However, since I am an Oh-ficial blogger I have a place to write them down and review them.  I have decided not to call them resolutions.  The word resolution comes from the word resolve, which makes me  think of problems, which makes me feel negative. Sooooo I have decided to write my "goals" for 2011.  It is kind of scary to write them down for others to see, but hey sometimes it takes me a few eyes over the shoulder to get myself  in gear. 
 Goals for 2011 (I am sticking with 3) and the steps to meeting these goals.
The first one is not new to anyone but considering my health issues the past 6 months, my first goal is to (surprise)
#1 Get back to my ideal body weight
   How am I going to do this?
        * attend my weekly WW meetings (weight watchers) and follow the plan
        * walk on my treadmill/ or outside a minimum of 20 minutes per day
        * brown bag my lunch during the school week  (and how about this funky junk lunch box, I think my friends might wonder about me, if they don't already)

That eyeball is a little creepy.

My second goal is something that (along with the weight issue) I have struggled with all my life...getting and staying organized.  I think the stress of procrastinating also contributes to some of my recent health issues. Therefore I am going to become an
#2  Anti-procrastinator
     How am I going to do this? I don't know... I'll think about that one later! (just kidding)
     * work on  a daily schedule and stick to it. ( I don't know why but Eat, Pray,and Love comes to mind here and I haven't read the book or seen the movie.) My schedule must include a time to pray, a time to eat (refer back to goal 1),  and a time to do things I love. Hmmm, something is missing.  Oh yeah! It must also include a time for my serious work.(Um you know the one I get paid to do.)  It can't just be all about me. When I get all about myself, that's when I procrastinate and things get all messy and stressy. Ok, enough self analysis...
     *I am not going to allow myself to start another project until recently started projects are either purged or finished.  ( I'll be working on that list in a bit.... not procrastinating now, just can't do this and that at the same time.)

Time to purge this project...cause it ain't happening...(it will probably end up in #3)

      Last, but not least is something in which I have become more and more interested. I am going to expand my love of thrifting, garage "saling" and flea marketeering into areas other than just my occasional treasure store sale. So I am going to .....
#3  Expand my business
 How will I do this?
I will be opening an Etsy store focusing on vintage items. (Etsy store opening projected date January 31st, 2011)  Don't worry I will post the grand opening.  Although, I currently list items on Ebay I am committing to listing 2 items per week. This week I have 4 items listed. (yay me!)

Whew!! I am tired now!  However,I can't forget I am also taking the thrift pledge in 2011.

2010 Favorite Finds

Due to some issues I am having with my wrist, my blogging has been few and far between lately. ( I am also using the holidays as an excuse.) However, I am trying to jump back on the bloggin band wagon by posting a few of my favorite finds of 2010. My number one has to be my cottage on the lake.  I am not quite ready to show the entire thing yet, but here is my FAVE part, the deck looking out on the lake....

My fab funky finds at my fave junk store: These boots

(yes I wear them)

and this

 chippy table

and this retro chair

(table came from fave flea market CANTON, TEXAS!! yee haw)

Here I am in Canton, which is my  fave road trip.

This is one of my fave pieces of art ($5).  It's title says "Going to town on Saturday" and it is a great likeness of my own family.  Mr. B trying to get the old car started. (We have a few old cars and attend car shows.) The little terrier barking (Skippy), me sitting on the side of the car a looking very impatient (can't wait to get to town) and little Mr. B climbing over the seat aggravating all of us. (Except my little Mr. B is 6'4" now!)

A closer view

My fave vintage clothing piece...my Mad Men coat..100%cashmere with mink collar ($10). Yep I wear this too but not with the cowboy boots.

 I cannot end this post without my fave place (although I didn't find it in 2010)...my pout house...my woman cave away from home... my retirement...my dream....my treasure store!!

How about you?? What are some of your fave finds  from this past year??

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Making it happen

Seriously, how do people do it....women with careers, families, and great hobbies?  It seems as though I can never find the time or energy to juggle everything and make it all come out like I would like.  I need someone to constantly push me.  I have a bazillion ideas zooming around in my head and it seems like as soon as I get one thing started another idea pops up and I will start that too, without finishing the first. (Kinda sounds like ADD, and I am qualified to do that assessment, just not give myself a formal diagnosis.) My husband, Mr. Brilliant is soooo not like me.  He will start something and is almost obsessive about getting it finished.  This is why I lurve him.  He keeps me sane (most of the time), pushes me to finish projects, but most of all he is never afraid to try a new business venture.  A recent post on Funky Junk Interiors (a blog I lurve) asked what is holding you back.  After reading, thinking, and after some of the days I have recently had at my "real" job I know what holds me back from doing things I really want to try.  It is fear.  Plain and simple. I am not sure where the fear comes from except maybe that I might become homeless, starve to death, have no retirement, no insurance, etc.. you get the picture. After a sweet email from Donna at Funk Junk Interiors  I have decided it is time to no longer be afraid. I don't want to spend another day on this earth wondering what might have been or if only.  I have decided  I should at the very least say I tried. Yep it is time to seize the day. Follow up post coming soon....But in the meantime I am going to post my favorite holiday/party recipe and am linking up to Funky Junk Interiors Holiday Recipe party. 

Spicy Pretzels

1lb bag of pretzels (I like the small twists)
1 envelope of  Hidden Valley Ranch  dry seasoning (or dip mix)
3/4 cup of oil (I use Canola)
crushed red pepper flakes (as much as you like)

You need a very large air tight container.  First mix the oil, seasoning, and red pepper flakes in the bottom of  the bowl....

 Then pour in the pretzels and stir to coat the pretzels.

  Put the lid on your container and turn the bowl upside, then right side up every so often for about 2 days.

  Then try not to make yourself sick from eating too many!!

Now on to more randomness
remember this post about the funky chair.  Now the chair has a funky friend...the hanging domino table (aka the table that I dropped twice and broke twice).  I bought this in Canton but I neglected to get the ladies card. She had some really cool stuff.  I knew right away the table was a perfect mate for the retro chair.  It fell out of my wagon on the way to my truck and I lost a few dominoes.  Then when I got home I dropped it again!!(of course I was trying to carry too much so I wouldn't have to go back to the truck..don't ya hate that!..cause you always break/drop/or something rolls under the vehicle when your hands are full.)  The second time it was a total loss. The top fell off, chipped the edge, and lost some more dominoes.  UGH! I so lurved this table and was about to cry.  Mr. Brilliant came to the rescue and here it sits.... the perfect couple.

Yep it is funky!!I wish I could take credit for making this, but I just can't.  However, I am a terrific finder!! 

Now other randomness.... remember the wall of mirrors I keep mentioning? Here is the work in progress:

I was inspired by this blog  http://vintagerevivals.blogspot.com/2010/08/great-wall-of-mirrors.html   Hers is on a much larger scale. I had to tweak to my small room.  I am sooo in lurve with hers though!!                              
Other randomness coming soon....Peace my friends!

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A Blue Christmas???

Nah not blue in the sense that I am sad, except this will be the first Christmas without my grandma. However, it is a little hard to be blue even about that when I know where she is spending eternity. I have posted about a few things that I had gotten when she passed away.  These were always a part of her Christmas decor....

They were made for her by one of her student's parents at least 30 or more years ago.  I have gotten them out and freshened them up slightly with a little paint. These are very beautiful and bring back wonderful memories.  My other holiday makeovers include these two old suitcases (something else I lurve). 



letters are cut from an Atlas, modge podged, and glittered



Yep I am from Arkansas, Woo Pig!!



Also, I painted this sled and added some pink bling.

More updates coming soon, I had to get my Dollar Tree tree up and started. A week ago I put the question out there ....to tree or not to tree??? Well, I just do not want to get out all the ornaments, fake trees, etc this year and didn't.  I left the old faithfuls in the closet, went to Wally world bought a $20 live tree. (Is it still alive if it has been cut?? no, how about a dead live tree??)I put it on a box Mr. Brilliant built to make it appear to be a $30 tree.  Then I decorated it with a bunch of ornaments from Dollar Tree I had purchased a while back that I had intended to use in a project. (That project obviously did not happen...pro craft ination again!!)

The end result (well I am not happy with the topper so I am sure that will change) is my pottery barnish/ trailerhood tree.  Whatdaya think??  I am having a blue (light special)Christmas!

Peace my friends!!

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