When the gettin' gets good...

Simply said... I love junque... ...And almost as much, ...I love telling about my junk

and the bargain for which it was! :)

What better place to share and swap junk tales,

than on Rhoda's blog, in her weekly feature....

A couple of weeks ago, I found the 6" crystal bowl, below, at our church rummage sale.

I was on the committee hosting the sale, and spotted the little sparkling beauty as we were pricing items the night before the sale. I quickly stashed the bowl in "my 'to buy' pile." We priced items for the sale fairly cheaply, and I almost paid a dollar for the bowl. But once home, and upon inspection, I found that it was marked Waterford Crystal--in like new condition! I was ecstatic!!! And to ease my conscience, I ended paying $5.00 for it instead. They were happy---I was happy! :)

The white milkglass set, was a birthday gift from my mother-in-law, found at a really neat flea/antique "Mall," housed in an old tobacco warehouse in Mullins, SC. Can't remember the name, but it is on main street downtown, and worth the stop to visit!

The set below, was a great yard sale find!

Beautiful entertaining staples, (new) silver serving pieces with glass handles for $8.00.



And lastly, a Goodwill Makeover Story...

The tall and handsome parrot above, began his life as

---a antique golden color. I loved him at first sight, and tried to overlook his slightly overbearing gold finish....

...but decided a fresh coat of white spray paint,

would better suit him, me, and my decor...

He stands a proud 21" tall, is very heavy, cost $10, and is a "Regency/Furniture Showroom" piece.

________________________________

This weekend, I'll be taking a little "Vaca," ---and visiting the flea market of all flea markets ---The Depot at Gibson Mill, in Concord, NC! Over 85,000 square feet, I'm bound to find a few treasures I can't live without!

Now that's "when the gettin' gets good!!!" :)

Visit to the Big Apple

A couple of weeks ago, Ashley and I made a trek to New York City! I wouldn't want to live there permanently, (unless I was in my 20's -- and I'm not!) but I sure do enjoy the opportunity to immerse myself in short doses to it!

Landing at LaGuardia, we were greeted by overcast, cloudy skies, which did little to dampen our moods. Shortly after we checked into our hotel, we went in search of lunch and happened upon...The Soup Man Restaurant.

Fortunately, the staff was very nice, the food was good, and we didn't hear, "NO soup for You!" (Reminiscent of the Soup Nazi from Seinfield)
The first night, we went to The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre to see The Adams Family.

It was AWESOME!!!

Bebe Neuwirth (Morticia), Roger Rees (Gomez), Brad Oscar (Uncle Fester), and Jackie Hoffman (Grandma) were brilliant!!! The script was hilarious and the set phenomenal. If in NYC, I highly recommend seeing it!
Later, the skies that had threatened to unload all day...did...while we were in Times Square...several blocks from our hotel!

Ashley below.... The next day, we headed to the Green Flea for a little "junk shopping." There were not nearly as many vendors as the last time we visited, which was probably due to the projected weather forecast...a little disappointing. But Ashley still managed to find some cute jewelry pieces.

The booth below, under the blue tent, had the most fabulous re-purposed furniture! I tried several times to get a better picture, but it was very popular and crowded with onlookers...and with good reason! Next, we headed over to Hell's Kitchen Flea Market.

Personally, when it is in it's prime, I prefer the Green Flea, but Ashley did score some nice jewelry for a good price at Hell's Kitchen.

And being that it obviously doesn't take much to impress me ("smiles")...

I was fascinated by the various food trucks that lined the streets of the flea market...

A Lobster Truck... A Rickshaw Dumpling Truck...

And a Taco Truck!

Being from NC, I'm accustomed to primarily seeing trucks offering Hotdogs, BBQ, Ice Cream, or Fried Funnel Cakes! :) All staples of fine southern festival food!
Another shot below, from Hell's Kitchen Flea...

One thing I've learned, if you want affordable food in NYC, get off the main streets and hit the local dives...such as the one below.

Right down from Hell's Kitchen, we picked up a few slices of pizza for lunch.

At Fat Sal's, the prices were cheap, and the food was great! That afternoon we shopped...alot!!!

Hitting SOHO, and then Macy's.

Somehow, my trips always conveniently fall in the middle of a huge shoe sale at Macy's! :) Or maybe they have them year round...who knows.

Macy's and Century 21 (which we visited the day before), are always two must-stops for us!

In SOHO, the Hollister Models were available for photo-opps.

And who would pass up the chance...certainly not Ashley! :)

And being that I am a creature of habit, another routine indulgement for me in NYC is Junior's Cheesecakes!

Junior's Pineapple Cheesecake...sweet heaven on earth! My partner in crime...Ashley texting her boyfriend! Ahh, young love! :)

Although I can't really call her a partner in crime...she was "good" and ordered a fruit cup instead of cheesecake...who has that kind of willpower???

In the middle of Times Square that night, the 2011 Tony Awards were airing live. We happened upon the large overhead screen when Sutton Foster was giving a performance from her latest Broadway Production, Anything Goes, in which she was awarded the 2011 Best Actress Award for.

Sutton Foster is an amazing actress. I had the pleasure of seeing her years ago in Modern Millie, with Delta Burke. (And her aunt lives less than a mile from me!) And on the morning of our last day, Ashley and I visited Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.

Ashley stealing a kiss from Justin, below...Playing a little basketball...

and hanging with Spongebob! :)

"The crime problem in NY is getting really serious. The other day the Statue of Liberty had both hands up." --Jay Leno

On our final stroll through Times Square, we were greeted with tunes from the Naked Cowboy...a NY tradition!

Maybe it's time for some traditions to be broken...Just sayin'! :)

"Oh The Places You'll Go" Graduation Party

"Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You're off to Great Places!

You're off and away!"

-Dr. Seuss

My Daughter, Ashley, graduated from High School over Memorial Day Weekend.
To commemorate the event, we honored her with a Graduation Dinner at our home, with the theme, "Oh The Places You'll Go," by Dr. Seuss.

A Personalized Banner was hung to greet the Guests & Announce the Celebration... The kitchen decorated for the occasion...

"Congrats" Banner, (below), made from festive scrapbooking paper...

The dessert buffet...

{Pictures were taken before all the food was put out.

Strawberries, Creme Horns, and Whipped Creme were yet to come.}

The whimsical cake was made by a local lady. Just as delicious as it was cute! :)

The white milk glass hobnail bowl held Confetti (candied) Popcorn from our local Vic's Popcorn Store. Perfect colors for a Dr. Seuss Party!!!

Awaiting...

a Southern BBQ Buffet,

consisting of BBQ Pork, BBQ'ed Oven Baked Potatoes, Slaw, Green String Beans,

and Hush Puppies.

{Had not been picked up from the Caterers at the time the photos were taken.}

Later in the Evening...

Some of the guests enjoying their meal.

{Others were in the dining room and I, unfortunately, failed to get pictures!}

Party Favors for the guests,

and Ashley's School Memory Notebook Displayed.

The Memory Book included pictures and memorabilia collected and saved, from Preschool through Ashley's Senior year.

Personalized Candy Bars -- Party Favors

The back of the wrapper read:

INGREDIENTS: One Diploma, One Bright Future, and Limitless Possibilites!

Thanks for helping us celebrate this special occasion!

Nutrition Facts...

Total Fat: Who cares??? Ashley graduated!

Total Sodium: Enough to make you thirsty for success.

Protein: 100% energy to travel the world.

{See source below}

"You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself

any direction you choose.

You're on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the {girl} who'll decide where to go."

-Dr. Seuss

Random Pictures from Graduation...
Ashley and her maternal Grandparents.

Ashley & her paternal Grandparents.

Ashley surrounded by brothers & cousins.

"You'll be on your way up!

You'll be seeing great sights!

You'll join the high fliers

who will soar to high heights."

-Dr. Seuss

Tossing of the Graduation Caps...

~Congratulations Ashley! ~

"And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)"

-Dr. Seuss

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Personalized Candy Bar Wrappers (Party Favors)

& Personalized Banner were purchased online at www.party411.com.

My first time dealing with them, and the communication and product were excellent!

~ Highly recommend! :) ~