What I did today. (because of yesterday).

My name is Sheila O.
I am a Craigslist addict.
Please help.

Yes. I admit it. There's just something about the free ads that I can't resist. I have gotten a lot of nice stuff by perusing those ads. I have also had to, at times, take stuff to get stuff. This could be dangerous, because I am already enough of a pack-rat without any help WHAT.SO.EVER.
One day I wanted a few cookbooks. I had to take six huge boxes of books and National Geographics in order to get the three books I wanted. I actually found a few more books in those boxes that I could use. There were three sets of encyclopedias. I did keep the oldest of those. (World Book. I then donated most of the books and some of the National Geographics to the thrift store and took the rest of the National Geographics to the recycling bin.

Yesterday I was talking on the phone to my daughter and she mentioned an ad. I had just seen it, too, and we decided to go get some of the stuff they had. We got there too late for her to get the cupboard full of canned goods and a couple of the other things we wanted, but I was able to get a few nice things, like an extremely rusty milk can. I'm ok with the rust. I will wire brush it down and then paint it cute. I was happy to get it because it reminds me of my grandmother. I also got three really nice fake plants.
Here they are after taking their shower.


There were two plastic bins I wanted for storage, but people were coming like flies to outdated yogurt, so I quit going through them and just took them how they were. I also took the hose reel, complete with hose, a garden stone, a planter, a nice fireplace screen for David and Nicole, an old wool rug that I want to use at the back door and a mirror.
My daughter got a really nice sewing cabinet complete with a machine and lots of accessories. She was very happy about that. She also got a nice ironing board and a couple of birdhouses.

So today I spent the day going through those two plastic bins, washing everything and then sorting it. I actually got some pretty nice stuff in those two bins. I didn't take pictures, but there are a couple of fish that I was going to throw away. They are the type that people used to put in their bathrooms in the seventies. I really was going to throw them away. Really. But then while washing them I noticed they were hand painted, probably in some ceramic class like I used to take and had initials and a date. 1964. They are white with gold (as in gold, not yellow) accents. Oh heck. I will take a picture and show you tomorrow. Why am I now keeping them? I don't know. Refer to one of the above paragraphs. I think it's because of that.
My name is Sheila O.
I am a pack-rat.
Please help.

The other thing I did today was rescue this piece of mirror


from this frame.


The explanation to that is another blog. I'm working on it.
It's kind of emotional to me, although forcing that mirror out in one piece was somewhat therapeutic even if my fingers are a little beat up from the acid. I will explain later. I can't do it tomorrow. I have to work. I will aim for Friday.
But trust me. I was determined to save this small piece of mirror.
I'm not crazy. Really.

Scanning pictures is like going back in time.

For some reason the boys thought sleeping on the floor in
their clothes was a treat. Keri was just there for a little bit.

Licking the bowl clean.

Like a deer in headlights.

Caught messing with the Christmas tree.

Not sure, but I'm sure it was a game of teasing the baby.
I'm thinking maybe he didn't like the feel of the koosh-ball.

Jeren hiding in the fabric box.

I have no idea why David has a black eye in this picture.

Tired after a long day as a flower girl.

Maybe one of the girls knows what was going on here.

Jeren reading the Sunday ads.

Wordless Wednesday

My wordless Wednesdays are never wordless. Oh well...here are some of my favorite pictures from when the kids were little. Most of them are of Jeren because I need a scanner, so these are what were already in my files. I may have posted some of them before.



Jeren sleeping. Notice he has a binky in his mouth, a cup under his arm and a reserve binky in his hand. He laid down next to the library books so he could read, but never made it that far.





Jeren and Grandpa

What Jeren's sister did to him when she got him out of the tub.

My favorite picture of Sean and David.

My favorite picture of Keri and Jeren. They were my two binky babies. She always used hers correctly, but Jeren always used his upside down.

This picture amuses me. They are waiting for the fire. We forgot to take firewood and were trying to get a fire from stuff we found on the beach.

This is what Sean used to do when you told him to smile.

Jeren and his friend Dennis on the trampoline in the leaves.

Wordless Wednesday, A Time Gone By

Here are some pictures I took of the old grain mill near my house. When I was a teen, they still used this mill daily. The trains backed up and dropped their grain down the chute from the bottom of the grain cars. You should be able to barely see the tracks that run up alongside the building. Eventually the grain was delivered by semi-truck, but still dropped down the chute. This mill made animal feeds. I've always thought it would be a wonderful place for an antique store. Alas, I haven't the funds to make that happen.