A Roof Over Our Heads!

We are getting a new roof! FINALLY! Well, we are getting one on our house, too, but the one I'm talking about is our little church building.  A few years ago, God gave us a church building. I'm not kidding. We'd asked to rent, borrow, lease, buy, and the answer was always no. The people who had it always said, no, sorry, they couldn't do it. This building was hardly ever used and it was in great need of some repairs, mainly the roof. We had been looking for a church home, had not found one we felt the Lord telling us, "This is it! This is home!" in, and finally, after about 9 months search, we found a local church that we all felt at home in, the kids found friendships in, all that.  Well, after we were at our new church home for about 4 months, we got a call from the people in charge of the little church. They wanted to give it to us. They instructed us to go get a lawyer, have a deed drawn, we pay for it, and they signed the deed. Gave it to us! Wow! Now what? We had a place to go, now what do we do? We felt like God was the one giving this to us, so we just followed through, and yep, for the last 4 years or 5 years, we've had a church.
Our first thought, was how do we use it? We decided to just open it up on Wednesdays for a Bible study, and we would still attend our other church on Sundays. Well, little by little, we've got a faithful group of friends attending, and it is something we just love! Yes, it's work, it's responsibility, it's commitment, but it's been a real blessing.

See the guy up in the belfry? That's my sweetheart!

It's above the road, so it looks way up there, doesn't it? This is one side view.

We actually had a vintage sale one Christmas in it, and have been asked MANY times if we would do it again. (Haven't actually got an answer from the guys over that one yet! They had to move a lot of pews!)  It was beautiful, all lit up, so old fashioned. We used the proceeds of funds to go towards a roof, but it wasn't nearly enough. Well, we finally were able to take the tarp off of the roof, and we are now waiting for the final 3 days of straight sunny days so that we can get it finished roofing. We'll probably even have a potluck or barbecue to celebrate. But in the meantime, I thought I'd show you the progress so far. We still have to paint the building, can't wait for the blue to go! It's going to be beautiful, don't you think? It's very primitive, very old, built in the late 1800s, and very well loved by us all. The neighbors are appreciating it's facelift, too, by the way! 
I am still amazed because I've always had a "thing" for this old church, and still feel really blessed that God would answer such a request!

Fun Funky Junk!

I think I get it from my mother. I sometimes pout. But today, I didn't have to pout, or beg, or anything! My husband is actually pretty good about junking with me. In fact, sometimes, he takes too long in a place junking, like he's gonna miss something. I complain sometimes, because I tend to think there's something better at the next stop. But he has been known to find some pretty neat things underneath something I walked right past!
We decided to finally finish our little bathroom, but I'm on a budget. We got a good deal on a regular type of vanity (but it has doors and drawers, something we never got finished on the one we had, and he got tired of putting it off). It has a golden oak finish, but we're going to darken it up with some stain. I decided that, since he's putting in the vanity, we may as well paint (which is a whole other job, because I had put wallpaper up and it's pretty much there to stay, so we are going through a recommended process of sealing, mudding it spackle, THEN painting.) He's taking it pretty well, so far. So, my daughter and I were sealing the wallpaper, and decided the medicine cabinet has to go, too. To shorten this story, yesterday, I got to thinking, "I believe the Junk Sisters are in Hillsboro this weekend!" I checked, and sure enough, they were. So before bed, I asked if he wanted to take me up there to look for a medicine cabinet. We had just looked the day before in some shops, and came up with nothing.
I don't know if it's because he got to take the day off from working on the bathroom, or because he was just as anxious as me to go junking, or if it's because we consider junking a date. He was awake before me and asked, "Are you ready to go?" Seriously, we're going to drive up? Instead of working on the bathroom? Well, sure, let's go!
And we were pleasantly surprised to find what we were looking for! Twice. And he bought both of them! Oh well, I'll be able to use the other one on my hot tub porch. I want it to look like a bathhouse anyway!
I had so much fun at the Junk Sisters Junk Salvation show! I am definitely dragging him to Puyallup (can't believe I had to look to see how to spell that!). It won't be too hard now! I've so far only gotten him as far as Uncovered Ruby and the Vintage Gathering sales, and that was only to help Kristin and I set up! But now, I think I've got him hooked! I love to broaden his junking scope a little! Hopefully, my daughter, Kristin, took my advice, and went up (since she was already heading to Beaverton) because she would have just melted over the vintage trailers at the show! So cute!
And you know what I think I love the best? The people! I saw some familiar faces all around, got some hugs, too. Once in a while you come across someone at these shows who've never had the opportunity to smile (I'm just assuming), but for the most part, everyone is very friendly, smiling, and happy to be surrounded by like-minded junk lovers and junk! (For some great photos, check out the Girl In Pink"s blog, she's got some awesome photos!)
So, what do you think, my favorite of the two cabinets is the dark one. I laughed when we got to the car with it, because we were standing there admiring it in the back of the car, when a man walked up and asked, "So, was it worth going to?" YES!! It was packed with all kinds of fun stuff, I tell him! He admired my cabinet, then said, "Looks like you'll have to replace the mirror though." Huh? No way, I'm not replacing the mirror! I like it like that! He just looked at me kinda of like I was a little kooky (which I am, but so are you if you read my blog) and shook his head. He just didn't get it. Maybe when he got inside his life changed! You think?

Sweet tThings to Ponder

I've been pretty busy this weekend. First, I caught a cold, so I figured, since I already don't feel that well, I may as well clean up my "Etsy store" a little. What a mess I can make in what was supposed to be my sewing room! But, I'm getting it reorganized. I have a LOT of fun things I've found that I've been trying to find the time to list in my Etsy and Artfire shops. So, I've been plugging away at it.
One thing that hurries me a long, is there are seasonal type things to list, and you must do it early enough. I got most of the Valentines listed that I wanted to, even some Easter while I was at it. Like I said before, I got these all in one box, from Karla in the Wallowas, I think her shop was called Jinglebobs. I want to go back. It was filled with awesome stuff! So, if you get to Eastern Oregon, be sure to stop in and see her!
Anyway, all the cards I've listed lately, were from her shop. They were all done by the same Oregon artist in the 40s. Kind of neat. Well, I had a nice lady from Japan email to see about getting several cards from me. In the course of our convos, I told her I had a lot of these, and I took photos and sent to her. So, I was going through the cards. There are a l ot of prototypes, not sure yet what I'll do with those. They feel like important history, do I want to "lose" them? They just seem special.
Well, in my searching, I came across one card that she had done for Hallmark. It was an anniversary card, and out of all these cards, it was one she had actually given to her husband on their anniversary! It reads:
"To My Hubby on our anniversary. Hubbies are fixers, cocktail mixers,
Lemon squeezers, try-to-please-ers, garden rakers, money makers,
Rodent killers, ashtray spillers, Yes, they do a lot, it's true,
To make wives love them like they do!
And honey it's sure plain to see The luckiest wife of all is ME!

She signed the card this way: "'cuz I love you more than anything, and you've made me happier than I've ever been in all my life...Virginia

Now, I wonder, was she thinking of him when she designed this card? Was he the one who inspired her in her work? Did she have a really hard life previously, and he was her hero, rescuing her from heartache? (I personally can relate to this, my husband of almost 26 years is my own rescuer, from one very hard few years of my young adult life!) Or maybe she had a wonderful childhood, didn't have any "lag" in happiness, but met her true love who made her even happier than she ever could imagine??
And where am I left, with this piece of history? If I gave it up, would anyone ever know that the one who signed the card to her husband, also designed the card? Do you see the huge responsibility before me? Yes, I'm taking it probably way too seriously, but, it's part of what junking is all about, isn't it? All this stuff has a history! A lot of it held memories for people!
I have an old primitive wood stool with the smoothest seat, that I got at a sale for $3. The older lady told me it had been her dads, and he sat on it for years at his store, he was a shopkeeper! My mind goes to the Laura Ingalls days when they sat around a wood stove and visited in those stores. My stool's not THAT old, but, you know, I have that piece of history. Every time my grandkids come and eat at my table, the grandsons always like to sit in that stool, and a flash goes through my mind, and smile in my heart, that this piece of history is still living out good times!

My Tea Towel is Featured in Stylish Homes!

Well, I was pleasantly surprised to get a convo today that my tea towel is featured in Stylish Home! So thank you Greg and crew over at Stylish Home!
What is special to me, is I've been working in my "Etsy" room, trying to get it organized, and get ready to take care of a project I've been putting off. That project, I was just starting to get photos of today! The project? I have a LOT of vintage linens that I need to list! So, I'll show you a few in the meantime, and then I'll get back to the shop! Oh, that is, after I check out Stylish Home further!! This week it's all about vintage linens, and who doesn't love that theme??

Matthew Mead is at it Again!

If you got a copy of Matthew Mead's "Holiday" magazine this winter, you will know how exciting it is to hear he is at it again. This time, it's summer! My favorite time of the year, besides spring and fall. But I can just imagine (or can I) what is in store for us in his newest publication, coming out around Mother's Day. You can only get it through his blog, and trust me, when I went to sales this winter, I took it with me to browse through during breaks, and everyone who saw it asked me where I got it. It is beautiful, and I know that the summer one will be worth waiting for!

What's in a Valentine?

What is it that I


love about Valentines? I think part of it is the memories of making those envelopes that we taped to our desks in school, where all the kids put valentines in each others envelopes.
My mom was always a "room mother" for my class, which meant she and another mom were the one's who gave all the parties for our class. Looking back, my mom was very involved with me in my younger years of school! I can't remember going on a field trip without her, until about 5th grade. So I guess Valentines day is mixed with list of good fuzzy feelings.
I was in elementary school in the 60s, so I've always loved the era that reminds me of the Valentines I received. (The Valentines above are from a different batch I found at a great shop in the Wallowas, they're from the 1940sn 50s.)
But another thing I love about Valentines, is the RED! I love the color red. It seems so bright and cheerful to me. It's a happy color, don't you think?
To me, also, Valentine's
Day is about love. And for me, it's amazing, the love I receive from family and friends, and especially my Lord, who has shown His great love to me in more ways than I can count!
Hope your Valentines Day is bright, cheerful, and rich with love and good memories!

Settling in for a Long Winter's Nap!

You may have heard the Biblical account of Martha and Mary? Martha was the one who was busy making preparations, doing the work. And grumbling. Mary was the one who sat quietly listening and learning from her Lord. This last month I've been a Martha. Pretty much out of necessity this year, with construction slow for my husband. Not that I'm not grateful at all. I bake a lot of bread this time of year to sell to my ever-increasing group of customers. I keep warning my daughters that one day soon they will have the business and I'm going to play! But like I said, it's been very helpful this year. I'm always shocked at how much Finnish cardamom bread people buy. It's amazing really! Well, last night was my last baking endeavor of the year. 72 loaves! Orders came in Kate, I hadn't exactly added everyone up, & sure enough, I was up until 4 am baking 72 loaves of bread, back up at 8 to get started delivering.
I still feel like I'm gonna have a meltdown from fatigue! But I made it! I'm done! And now I just want to be a Mary!
I will have a good time with my family celebrating Christmas, there's no doubt. But more importantly, I'm ready to rest. To contemplate WHY we celebrate Christmas. To be awed again by the ever-loving Father who has had so much mercy and patience and love. For the miracles He's done and is still doing. Yes, now it's time to sit before the warm woodstove and just rest in Him!
I truly hope each of you have a wonderful celebration and enjoy the blessing of God's grace to us all.
Merry Christmas!

PS thought I'd show you how my husband and kids put up the tree lol! He promised a smaller one. Well, maybe it was a LITTLE smaller but not much! He has to wire it from the beams! Crazy guy!