Been Pickin' lately?

When it is 100+ degrees

every day for weeks at a time.

The early bird gets

to pick,

without

croaking from heat exhaustion!

No fancy basket,

Froofed up version for Country Living.

Dirt still on them

right from the vine!

Hope you are having a wonderful summer weekend!

(only maybe not as hot as ours!)

New Job!

On our first trip to the OBX this summer

we ended up having to buy

the obligatory Hermit Crab

for Little Keeper.

His classroom had one and he was obsessed with it from day one...

So as soon as he saw one in the beach shop

He had to have one.

I remember having one as a kid and loved it.
He had a natural shell and lived in a glass fish bowl.

We buried "Hermie" in the back yard under our oak tree

when he passed.

Now-a-days,

Hermit Crabs now have much more stylish

homes and accessories.

Custom painted shells with bling,

neon swimming pools.

Everything a crab could want right?

I have decided to give up my day job

and become a custom crab painter...

Or I can decorate your crabs little apartment.

Check out this stylishly painted shell and the awesome

little playhouse I found at the thrift store while I was at the beach

for.50 cents!

So what do you think?

New Day job?

Totally Beachin' Thriftshare....

All of my finds for this weekend

were from a short trip down to the OBX

this past weekend.

I always love trying to get in a quick stop or two

because different stores than my usual ones are so much fun.

These are the best looking on the outside too

something about the beach makes people have to be a bit more creative

to get peoples attention...

Can't help but love Hotline Pink,

all proceeds go to a group that provides services for abused women.

Found 8 of these tiny flocked birds for .10 cents each!

Also found 3 of these small aluminum molds for again .10 cents each!

Bad thing is they wrote the price on them in red marker

and I'll have to use Brillo to get it off

and I hate to take off the patina (ha)

If you have any better suggestions let me know!

I'm actually thinking of using them to store things in upside down

like my mini letter stamps, pins,etc.

Trip #1 total $1.10

Not bad if I do say so myself!

Hotline too!

Thrift Store

Love the fish and beach scenes painted all over the outside...

Nice bag of old spools of thread

for $2.00

Children's Golden Book

I really have learned to love the illustrations in a lot of these books

I had a couple as a kid

and started picking them up for my son

before he was even born

and now like to use them for inspiration and in some of my projects

love

this page especially because

it talks about the "grown ups"

talking on the porch in the evening and the

"kids" playing in the yard

When I was a kid and we would go to my great grandmothers

farm

this was the evening ritual.

Catching fireflies

dessert while rocking

or sitting in the glider till it got too dark to see.

This little book brought back some memories.

Great find for .50 cents!

Total for trip #2

$2.50!

Head on over to

Apron Thrift Girl

to see what other Booty was found

(excuse the Pirate jargon... it's hard to stop after you've been

in Blackbeards hangout for the weekend!)

Happy Monday!

Photographic genius?

Funny how you stumble

upon things your children have done

without you knowing....

Little Keeper used

to have a thing for raisins

I find them hidden in all kinds of places all over the house...

In shoes,

On the staircase,

In the bathroom.

You get the picture.

I thought it was actually funny,

Hansel and Gretel left breadcrumbs...

if we wanted to know where LK went,

all you had to do was follow the raisins...

I hand him my IPOD on occasion

so he can play a game when he gets impatient

in a restaurant or in the car...

and 

this is the randomness I find

?

Peek-A-Boo

Nice Shark Shoes...

I have to laugh

he sees me taking photographs all the time...

So naturally he wants to copy?

The randomness of the photos is what is so funny.

These were a TINY sampling of what he filled my

Hipstamatic account with

I had to delete about 40

photos of what appeared to be

knees

fingers

pant legs

and stuff that looked like Supernovas?

Just a "trail" of where LK has been.....

Etsy Spotlight....BeatUpCreations

I have not done an Etsy Spotlight in a while

mainly because I haven't even had the time to browse lately...

Some how in the few minutes I had today

I stumbled upon

this

interesting store

O.K. it is total Kitsch in a weird way

but fun

and made me laugh..

visit

Beat Up Creations

Fun and very creative....

This next one is what originally caught my eye...

Titled

"Deer ol' Chunk"

I love the Goonies...

and baby Keepers version of the PeePee dance

looks like the "Truffle Shuffle"

we laugh on a daily basis about this....

and then

I saw this one....

and to top it all off...

Pee-Wee!

Someone is definitely getting one of these for Christmas!

Wouldn't it just be great to have all of

your serious collectible vintage dishes and then

have one of these randomly mixed in?

Cant you just see peoples reactions?

Great conversation pieces!

Take a look at the other weird portraits and sculptures for fun!

Happy Thursday Everyone!

Nothin' like it.........

Sittin' on the front porch.

Watching the sun go down.

Smelling the summer breeze.

Kids running through the yard.

Cooling grass under your feet.

Fireflies in a jar.

Catching up on how the day went.

Evenings in the summer

create some of the best memories.

Insomniac...

My baby Keeper

crawled in to the bed with me this morning at 2 a.m.

proceeded to flop like a flounder for two hours

before he was

taken screaming back to his room where

his father slept beside him on the floor for a half hour before making it back to our bed...

By now of course....

I am wide awake.

The hamster in my brain has started to run his little treadmill,

So I just decided to get up...

work on my

Studio Space?

(which is really just the corner of a tiny bedroom)

Sit here contemplating

a sort of midlife crisis

like I have been for weeks now?

Much better way to exhaust myself I think!

Have you ever hit the point where you

feel you just have to stand up for

what you know is right?

Even if it may not have a "prudent" or "responsible" outcome

in others eyes?

Because it would just give you the pleasure of knowing you did something

to make yourself truly Happy for a change?

I've always been told if you don't try you will regret it

or 

that experience ,

even if in failure is better than having never tried.

I feel like I need to get

ME and MY Family

in a good place mentally and somewhat physically.

Stop being a slave to people who really don't

care about you other than you make their life easier.

A house and storage space full of THINGS

that don't make us happy.

If I had the time I could dump

it all.

When I'm not working

I tend to lose weight - a lot-

does that tell me I'm an emotional eater or what?

Could I try that venture to make money from what really makes me happy?

Live off some savings and sales from the online business?

I can very easily do temporary work if need be...

Then I feel a pang of guilt because I

think of folks who have sooo much less 

and would love to have my "problems"

But should I discount my feelings and stay miserable and sleepless because of it?

Ughhh.

Just keeping it real with everyone.

I'm my usual bounce back self

but I want to be the 

SHINY

GLOWY

version of me that I know I can be....

Ever have one of these nights?

Weeks?

I'm sorry for the ramble but I  needed it.....

 

New Shiny Happy.....

I was so excited to find

this AMAZINGLY beautiful

photography blog today

that I just had to share it....

From Me To You

Lots of different sections to it

The moving

"Cinemagraphs"

is what took  me there...

I want to be this woman....

You must go visit if you love

Photography

Fashion

Vintage

Something for everyone!

Enjoy!



Thriftshare Monday...........

Thriftshare for last week

didn't happen 

so I've got 2 weeks to catch up on....

I'll share my beach finds next week since my camera card

has grown legs and walked off.....

hopefully I'll find it!

I found all these at a yardsale

for $1

(there are more than pictured)

plastic in my favorite green

maybe Bakelite?

I can't decide if they were bracelets or

napkin rings...

I've put them out as napkin rings....

either way I love them...super unique on my table!

Tiny vase with Jane Austen looking girl

$1.29 at CHKD ....

Beatrix Potter Squirrel Nutkin

by Royal Doulton

 I couldn't resist...

maybe it'll be a gift

it was such a steal too...

$3.49

(sorry about the yucky Instagram shot)

Head on over to

Apron Thrift Girl

and see what else was snatched up this weekend!

Happy Monday!

Otherwise this particular weekend was a bit dry for the thrifting

Hot, Humid, and terrible thunder and lightening storms!

How is your Summer thrifting going?

New beginnings.....

Ready to get moving...



Try something new.....

Live life to its fullest!

Snacky Snack....On the healthy side!

Who doesn't want to be healthy?

Dumb question of course.

I do however notice a lot of times

it is hard for folks to know what is REALLY good for them in

a grocery store.

I just wanted to share one of my favorite

meals or afternoon pick me ups

 that is  full of protein and is filling.

Plus there was just such a lovely light this

morning shining on my breakfast....

Greek Yogurt

1/4 cup granola

Handful of almonds

2 or three strawberries

Greek yogurt has become very popular lately

which in some ways is good...

I used to only be able to find large tubs

which I could never eat fast enough.

Now the single size is wonderful.

Make sure you don''t get ones with

lots of mix ins full of sugar!

This one has honey and I barely even use half of it

because it sweetens so well.

Greek yogurt has as much protein if not more than most cuts of meat

and is much more healthy.

Almonds and granola add that extra crunch, fiber, and healthy oil.

I love strawberries

but what ever we have as far as fruit goes will do.

Try some and let me know what you think.

Sometimes I even eat this as dinner!

The Best Breakfast at the Beach...(in my opinion)

I have been vacationing in the

Outer Banks since I was born.

I think only one year passed when I did not get to go!

We usually go at least two or three times a year.

Over the years you see a lot of businesses and restaurants

come and go.

Making most of your profit in a 6 month period and staying

successful season to season is not an easy task.

I have had many a favorite place only to return next season and find they have closed.

Some last a few years and others only one.

These next two businesses have flourished in the last few years

and have been able to expand...

All the better

they serve my two FAVORITE things...

Donuts and coffee!

The Front Porch Cafe

Amazing

Unique

Friendly - not fake!

Building a sense of community through coffee

I like to think.

I could drink one of these Iced Dreaminess in a cup every morning...

Marie is the best!

                                                                         Duck Donuts

As a connoisseur of those little fried bits of heaven called

donuts...

(yes I have a problem)

Duck Donuts is amazing...

This is the little fryer that makes

the goodies...

Every morning during "In-Season" especially...

the place is so packed your donuts

usually go directly from the fryer into your box

just so they can keep up

the best part about that is they are still warm...

A beach sunrise across the box

makes them taste even better I think...

They make all their own glazes.

They have toppings too,

but we went topless this particular morning...

Notice the change of lighting?

Unfortunately one disappeared somewhere between the shop

and the cottage....

Yummy Goodness

according to the 3 year olds....

So next time you are in the OBX

stop in to one of these two great shops!

Hopefully I didn't make you really hungry...

Happy Wednesday!

Happy 4th!

                                       Just wanted to share some photos of our annual
                                                              4th of July parade....

                                                      Hope you all have a fun day!




Our Village is 93 years old this year,
that is the homes that were built here are 93 years old



Our parade is small but sweet,
bigger some years than others.



Anyone can join in .

Make your own floats,

ride your bike,

skateboard,

bring your classic car.

If you have talent bring that too.

There is usually some sort of candy scrambling involved....





You can even walk your dog in the Patriotic pet section!



The city usually rolls out our two antique fire trucks that
are originals from our very own station across the street...



I don't think the Coca Cola cooler was a standard issue....



The mayor even comes to walk with us

which is nice considering how large

our city is

that he can come and celebrate with

such a small community.

Thanks to the Fireman, Police, National Guard units,

and even the postman who walk with us!

Unfortunately the smoke from the nearby wildfires

cut our parade visit short today,

my wimpy allergies and the ones I seemed to have passed on

to junior Keeper

couldn't take it.

So we'll get creative and do some indoor celebrating!

Happy Fourth to you all!

What are you doing today?

Any traditions?