Flea Market, Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and Family Dollar!

I've just decided to run off and rummage through the flea market and dollar store in a couple hours. I'm hoping to find the following:

A chain and bells to make a card holder like the Centsational Girl:


Pretty random embellishments to help me make frames like Disney's @ Ruffles and Stuff:


Set of pin cushions to make Bob the Tomato like @ Dollar Store Crafts:


Glass candlestick holder and a pretty plate to make a cake stand like the one @ Oh So Crafty:
And also looking for some deer decorations, fabric, ribbon, buttons, whatever else floats my fancy! Check out the great bloggers I noted! You won't be disappointed!

Back and on Break!

Ahhhh! How I love being on break and being able to ACTUALLY read all of my google reader blogs. The tree is FINALLY up and decorated- as of last night at 10pm (No lights this year tho because Charlie is still a cord chewer- he's still only 4 months old tho so he should grow out of it)! Now I have to get to crafting my Christmas gifts!


Also, for my pay it forward gals, your gifts will be coming shortly! They may not arrive til the first week of January, but I have my supplies for my new (and awesomely awesome) idea that I know each of you will love!


Lastly, I've found myself getting mad at my blog choices because so many people have pics of these immaculately clean houses! Well- mine isn't! My craft room is currently called the crap room- because that's where all the craft crap has landed and hasn't been organized. So during my two week break, I plan for before and after pictures of my cleaning. There will also be some shelf installing in the closets or some major crap storage boxes bought. I PROMISE to show you where I've hidden all my junk because I always look at those pictures and scream, "WHERE'S THE CRAP? WHERE'S THE CLUTTER?" Not that I love crap and clutter, just that life happens.

So, I had an amazing week of Secret Santa gifts at school with fun poems and a touching letter on Thursday- for the reveal of my Secret Santa as the gym teacher on Friday. He was the best Secret Santa ever- he raised my spirits, made me smile, and touched my heart and soul. He still says we need to debrief to ensure that I understand the full meaning of everything in the letter- I think I've got it. So, I'm off now to craft some presents and wrap everything- can't wait to see more of you all!



Lots of LoVe,
Amy + 6 critters (Reggie, Buddy, Tink, Charlie, Squirt and Poppy)

Pink Saturday: Favorite Childhood Holiday Memory

(My three tree fairies from the very first year I lived on my own!)

My favorite holiday memory from my childhood was getting together with my mom's side of the family on Christmas Eve to open presents. My mom's side of the family is my rock that has made me the person I am today and stood by me through thick and thin. I LOVE my family more than words can say.

Check out Beverly over @ How Sweet the Sound for more Pink Saturday Bloggers!

Things I'm Thankful for- In Random Order

Going with my friend Sarah's post over at Love, Love, Love- here are some things I'm thankful for:

1. Sarah herself, even though we only spoke like once a year through middle school, high school, and college- I would always refer to her as "my best friend Sarah". (She doesn't know this til now that it's in this post :P.) There was something about the bond we had as friends from her birth on that I knew would never be broken. She introduced me to blogging, google reader, craft blogs, and flea markets. And she is exactly what you need for any occasion!

2. My aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and second cousins. I have an amazing family who comes together for anything you need and are always there on birthdays, holidays, and when you need help with your house, car, yard, or mental stability. They are so funny and I LOVE them.

3. Miss Mindy- my fellow teacher who has spent this year home with her new baby boy. She got me scrapbooking, let me paint her walls, got me to eat spinach, always has a positive thing to say, is the voice of reason, has a cat that I LOVE, and is just a kind spirit who I am thankful to know.

4. My critters- Reggie, Tink, Buddy, Charlie, Squirt, and Poppy. They keep my life interesting.

5. My super wonderful assistant and friend Tara. Without her I would not have survived the last two years of my job. She is awesome and knows just what to say and do to help out.

6. My half time super wonderful assistant Robin. She is so sweet and I love talking to her and hearing her kind voice and words. She always makes me smile.

7. My core of coworkers/friends who always have my back and always have faith in me. They always know what to say, how to help, and what to do to guide me. Without them I wouldn't be the teacher or the person that I am today.

8. My job. It has provided me with friends, pets, my first home, my car, food, clothes, crafting, computer, and on and on and on. My job means so much to me.

9. My friend and coworker Christi and her family. I LOVE her four girls, all who attend or did attend the school where I teach. Christi is awesome and we have so much in common and just crack up together. She's also invited me to tag along with them to the Christmas tree lighting on the circle downtown tomorrow! I'm SOOOO EXCITED!

10. Hope- that next year will be better and I will find the things that are missing from my life, or at least the peace to accept my life as it is and be happy without those things.

What are you thankful for?

Still Here...

I'm still here! Just been incredibly busy at school/work and with my puppy. Haven't had time lately to go to the flea market or blog :(. My Google Reader count of new blog posts is a glaring 182. As a Special Education teacher I'm finding myself even more busy with new changes to how we write IEPs and being compliant. It's stressful, so I find myself coming home to curl up on the couch with my furballs and take a nap or just watch some tv so that I can unwind for the next day.
Sarah over at Love, Love, Love and I managed to do some awesome shopping and hanging out last weekend. We are both trying to make the majority of our Christmas gifts handmade. We also just signed up for a booth at my school's Holiday Bazaar in December! We can't wait to sell some of our crafty things! It's so exciting. I'm so thankful for being able to spend so much time with Sarah to hang out and shop and just spend time together. Every time we get together we pick up right where we left off. She's an awesome friend to have :). Thank God for those friends now when I'm stressing out!
Now it's off to bed so I can get to school by 7:15 to meet with my fifth grade teachers!

P.S. I'm still working on those Pay It Forward gifts!!!!

Love,
Amy Jean and her six little critters =^. .^=

Awesome Pink Saturday!

Do you see THIS???? It's PINK! Table, chairs, canisters, bread box! ALL PINK! (all overpriced in my opinion too- $50 for said breadbox and that was the cheapest tag!) I saw it at the flea market last week and couldn't wait to post it today! Happy Pink Saturday!

Happy Halloween!

Check out Beverly's Pink Saturday hosting page at How Sweet the Sound to find my fellow Pink Bloggers! :)

Fellow Pink Saturday Bloggers

I always forget to link to Beverly over at How Sweet the Sound! So here it goes:

Check out Beverly @ How Sweet the Sound- the creator of PINK SATURDAY!

Now check out fellow Pink Saturday Bloggers I L-O-V-E:

Also, this blog made me CRACK UP! I laughed harder than I have all day at some of the pictures! I'm so glad someone else is nuts about their dogs! (I love my cats, hamster, and turtle too BTW).

I'm trying to keep up with my followers for being so awesome (computer has been temperamental lately and not let me visit), and Angelika's Pink post had me cracking up!

Angelika Heart Talk

Here's to hoping tomorrow is a better day! (One where Charlie doesn't pee in my bed @ 2:30am!)

Doggie Bag!

Okay, so I'm hoping to make some Pink Saturday rounds this week- for the last three weeks I've been sick or out of town and haven't been able to get around! I just had to show you the awesome doggie bag I ordered on Etsy from Vanessa @ Phatmolly's Boutique!

Check her out:

www.Phatmolly.com
OR
Http://Phatmolly.Etsy.com

It was only $15.99 with $5.50 for shipping. I ordered it Wednesday and got it today! SO EXCITED! Isn't it the cutest? It was the only cute doggie bag I could find for my Charlie that wasn't pink!

Pink Saturday

This has some pink in it! I was inspired to make it after I saw the one Maria created over at Tater-Tot Spot .

1. Take board and cut it into desired sizes with a jigsaw
2. Trace blocks onto scrapbook paper and cut out (I chose colors that coordinated with my living room)
3. Modpodge papers on blocks
4. Sand edges of paper with fine sanding block
5. Paint blocks desired color and use the edge of a brush or your sponge brush to paint just on the edges of the paper so that it fades in
6. Make letters (if you are lucky enough to have a Cricut- then GO YOU!, I on the other hand had to make my letters with a paint pen, though Sharpie would work too)
7. Decide on quote you want and add the words to the edges of the blocks
8. Add embellishments
9. If your jigsaw cuts angled lines so that your blocks can't stand then go to Walmart and buy some of the dohickeys from the hardware aisle where you can just attach them to the back of the blocks and hang them on the wall
10. ENJOY!

Oh, and I laid wax paper down on my table to protect the surface and so the paint wouldn't stick :).

One Tree Hill Season 6 Quote

Take a look at yourself in the mirror.
Who do you see?
Is it the person you want to be?
Or is there someone else you were meant to be?
The person you were supposed to be... but fell short of?
Is there someone telling you, you can't be or you won't?
Because you can be.
Love is out there.
Believe that dreams come true every day...
Because they do.
So take a look in that mirror and remind yourself to be happy.
Because you deserve to be- believe that.
And believe that dreams come true every day...
Because they do.
-One Tree Hill Season 6

Sometimes words mean everything.

Charlie's First Week: Lessons Learned

I bought this crate for Charlie because he is partially crate trained... we had a little bit of confusion about this as Buddy decided he wanted inside it instead!

Day One: Never pick up a cute puppy if you don't want to buy it

Day Two: Puppies get you lots of attention out in public

Day Three: Some puppies cannot be contained by a baby gate- they simply see it as another opportunity to plan a great escape (I'm baffled because he didn't chew his way through it and it's twice as tall as him!)

Day Four: Puppy naps are a great opportunity to take a shower

Day Five: Rugs, potty pads, and anything else not attached to the floor are toys to be drug through the house

Day Six: You don't have time to watch your favorite show when there's a puppy driving the other animals crazy

Day Seven: We have our fingers crossed that things will keep getting better!

<3>

Story of the day: My mom came over to visit the animals while I was out shopping with Sarah. She calls me cracking up because she let the dogs out to pee and when Charlie came back in he had something in his mouth. My mom thought it was a stick... turns out it was a big fat worm!!!

EEEEEK!

I laughed so hard... and Sarah gagged! :P

AWESOME G I V E A W A Y from Traci over at Beneath My Heart

Traci is having a super awesome magnetic bulletin board giveaway. While I would love to keep the giveaway all to myself, I LOVE Traci's projects even more and have to share! Go over and check it out! (Become a follower too because she is total awesomeness!)

Beneath My Heart: Giveaway

(These are other boards she made, not the giveaway board which is even more awesome as it comes with magnets!)

Charlie and The Great Escape

Okay, I left Charlie home alone with the others for the first time. I put up the baby gate so that Charlie was all set up in the kitchen/dining room and had the others running around the rest of the house. I put a blanket over the top of the gate to cover a small hole at the top.

We went to dinner and I got home about 45 minutes later. When I opened the door who ran to greet me? Charlie and Buddy! The baby gate stood with the blanket completely undisturbed and Charlie was happily running around with my bigger doggy. Apparently, I have an escape artist on my hands!

Furry Treasure Find

Here's what I got at the Covered Bridge Festival:



Yup, that's right- a puppy! He's a full blooded 2 and a half month on Pomeranian. His name is Charlie (after Charlie in All Dogs Go to Heaven). He's registered, not AKC, but one of those- I left his papers in the car. He's keeping me and my other furry four legged children busy, but he s a total sweetie! More pics to come!

Pink Saturday- Hurried Edition

Okay! So, I'm almost completely recovered from H1N1- going on day 9 since getting sick, and I'm off to hit the yard sales that line the road of the covered bridge festival with Sarah from Love, Love, Love. Check back later to see my treasures! (I was supposed to leave to pick her up 5 minutes ago!)

Whale or Mermaid?

This is an awesome email I got from the parent of one of my past students. It's worth reading and makes me thankful that I educate today's children:

It's amazing what the media makes us think of ourselves isn't it?? A friend sent me this and I love it :-) Malinda

Recently, in a large city, a poster featuring a young, thin and tanned woman appeared in the window of a gym.

It read: "THIS SUMMER, DO YOU WANT TO BE A MERMAID OR A WHALE?" A middle aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym. The newspaper article read:


To Whom It May Concern:
Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans). They have an active sex life, they get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins, stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Barren Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia . Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.

Mermaids don't exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don't have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how could they have sex? Therefore they don't have kids either. Not to mention who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store? The choice is perfectly clear to me, I want to be a whale..

P.S. We are in an age when the media puts into our heads the ideas that only young, skinny and tanned people are beautiful; but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver and a coffee with my friends. With time we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room it distributes out to the rest of our bodies, ha, ha!

So we aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy! Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think, "Goodness, look how smart I am!"

Fall-ified Home

My fall display for inside the house (not much room unfortunately). The pumpkins don't really glow, they're just beaded $1 pumpkins from Walmart that have lots of reflectiveness :P.

My $1.99 door bells!
Front porch with fall leaf garland and pumpkins!

My house, if you click on it you may be able to see that there are little pumpkins hanging all along the gutter!
Happy Fall!

Flea Market Finds from Last Week

Look at the great finds I came across at the Flea Market last week, Pre-H1N1 confirmation (yup, that's right I'm a teacher and I've gotten slapped with the H1N1 virus).

I found these awesomely shabby and sage green (despite the picture) wooden frames for $1.99 each! No idea what I am doing with them yet, partly I just want to hang them up on the wall as they are!

An awesome silver serving tray for just $2 that I'm painting with chalkboard paint because the surface is scratched up and I saw an awesome tray/chalkboard welcome sign over at Tatertots and Jello.

These are all of my finds, along with the dog and my couch. There was the tray and wooden frames, and then the cat flag that I got for just 99 cents! I found more great finds today, but I can't show them all because some are Christmas presents!

Before and After Desk Chair AKA Cat Launching Pad

This old desk chair has been around since my mom was a teenager (she is now in her early 50s) and even before that as my grandpa got it off the curb when he was a garbage man. The bottom of the desk which my mom has stolen back says "Victoria Talking Machines". I've been told this was an old music player, no date on the label though so who knows how old it really is. Anyway, as you can see the seat has seen better days and the thing is super rickety.

Before:

And now, after unscrewing the old seat and ripping off the material, throwing away the saw dust filler, adding layers of an old sweater, covering with a red suede, spray painting the chair, distressing it (overly), and reattaching the seat we have my first ever chair redo/reupholster/distressing EVER!!! I'm excited about the finished product!!!

Even if it now only serves to match my kitchen as a launching pad for my old, fat, grouchy cat to get his booty up on the counter where his food bowl is so that he doesn't further destroy the beautiful handmade wood cabinets this house was blessed with.

After:

Love My Blogging Buddies

Thank you to everyone who came by to visit on Pink Saturday. Unfortunately, I had too much faith in myself when I woke up with a normal temp on Saturday morning and went to the covered bridge festival. By the time we had finished breakfast and arrived at the festival I felt the fever coming back on as strong as ever. Today was day three of the raging fever, but with some Motrin and Mucinex it broke at about 7:30pm. So I just now crawled out of bed and came to check the computer and found all of the amazing comments from yesterday. Thank you all for the well wishes and for stopping by to visit! More crafting to come soon!

Amy

Alright, I took the easy way out for Pink Saturday because I'm sick with a fever of 101.4. Here are some fun pink finds from Target.com!

Pink Dishes

Pink Towels

Pillow with Bow

Pots and Pans
Picture Canvas
TV
Pink Polka Dot Pillow with Bow

ExCiTeMeNt

Are you EXCITED? I'm EXCITED! I'm going to have some major blogging going on here soon. Since the start of three week break from school (which I am working 8:25-noon for the first two weeks of) I have been busy, busy, busy already! I have redone a chair and it's seat, made my brother paint an aquarium stand for me- still a project in the works because it's too plain, went treasure hunting at the flea market and landed some MAJOR finds, and CANNOT wait to share with all of you! YAY! So EXCITED! AND I decorated the outside of my house for fall/Halloween! YAAAYYYY!!!

AND I forgot! I am going to make my own aquarium background... because I really despise the generic fish/ocean/floral backgrounds... if I have to have this huge thing in my house it is going to add to my decor and show my style! :D

Trash to Treasure: Help the Indecisive

(Yes, that's my fat cat Reggie trying to figure out what his crazy owner is up to now.)

Okay... so I have these two shelves that my aunt rescued from her neighbor as she prepared to put them out for trash. Now, I'm becoming less and less a fan of the fake wood finish that's on everything in my house.

Here's the question: What should I do with these?
1. Paint white and do the edges in a light pink
2. Paint white and leave alone
3. Paint ivory with edges in light pink
4. Paint ivory and leave alone

Sarah would paint them black... but her house is in darker fall/autumn colors and mine is in pastels for the most part- and these shelves are going in my pink bedroom (refer to this past Pink Saturday post to see it). Now, if I in the future decide I do not want a pink room- these would have to be repainted so I'm not caring what color they are done in now. Give me your opinions and help please!

Pink Saturday Fellow Bloggers!

I love Laurie's birds over at Laurie's Charming Designs. Check her out!

Pink Saturday!!!

Okay so I was racking my brain last night trying to figure out what in the world I was going to put up for my Pink Saturday post. Then my mom and I went on our weekly Friday late night grocery store trip, and I saw a whole Pepsi Display in PINK!!! I bought a case, brought it home, and cannot wait to do something with this side panel!


I'm off to Bev's Pink Saturday page at How Sweet The Sound to find myself a fellow blogger to share with you!!!

THANK GOD FOR YEAR ROUND SCHOOLS!

Okay! So, as of tomorrow at 3:45pm... I will be FREE!!! We are starting our first three week break of the year! I'll be teaching intersession for three and a half hours a day for the first two weeks, but I'm still super excited! It means time to finish cleaning my house that I moved into over a year ago, finishing up the yard sale, sending things to Good Will, and lots of crafting! So tomorrow I'm coming home to make enchiladas and then looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday. After some much needed catch up sleep I'm off to the craft store for red and white flowers, fabric to redo an old chair, decorative nail heads, and whatever else grabs my eye! Enjoy the fall! It's going to be awesome.

Atlanta, Indiana: New Earth Festival

Okay, so this past weekend Sarah over at LOVE, LOVE, LOVE and I went to the New Earth Festival in Atlanta, Indiana with my mom, aunt, and cousin's daughter. We had tons of fun and saw tons of food... and crafty things :). It's basically like an outdoor flea market/yard sale. Here are some of my fun finds:

This was only 50 cents! AND my kitchen is done in red and white! I fell in love with it. I told Sarah I was going to put it on my kitchen table... she said I don't have room, my mom agreed... from the next photo- I guess they are probably right...


These are ALL of my finds on my tiny table!


The two cat trays were only 25 cents each! My red and white kitchen is also done in cats and paw prints... so I'm going to glue some ribbon on the back of these and hang them up!

The container is my own, but it is filled with homemade doggy treats purchased at $3.50 for a bag FULL! My puppy is super happy!

I became addicted to the gourmet dip by Delicious Living. It's Zesty Garlic and yumminess! Also, $4.

Total amount spent on goodies: $8.50
Total amount spent on food: $8.00 (two pepsi's ($2), a jumbo hot dog ($2), and chili cheese fries ($4)!)

THEN, my cousin had this super cute bow in her hair. She paid $5 for it from Claire's. They didn't have yellow so she asked if I could make her one... I'm thinking it's a project I can manage!


On the way home she fell asleep in front of me. I decided to see how many braids I could get in her hair before she woke up... unfortunately we got to my house before I finished- Sarah and I got a good laugh out of it though!


Now, Sarah and I spotted these adorable things for $10 each and refused to pay that much. We are now going to take it on as a craft to create and sell at the Holiday Bazaar for hopefully a more affordable price... we shall see!


October 10th is my first trip to the Mansfield, Indiana Covered Bridge Festival! More fun to come!