Friday the 13th!

Today is April 13, 2012...Friday the 13th!! I always wonder why it makes everyone so nervous and they think it is filled with doom and gloom and unlucky to boot. I think that there are a lot of great and wonderful things associated to the number 13!

There were 13 people at the table for the Last Supper, there are 13 stripes on our flag, there are 13 original colonies, there are 13 olives and 13 leaves on the "Olive Branch, " there are 13 cards in a single suit in a deck of cards, there is the baker's dozen; 13 goodies (who doesn't like an extra donut, cookie, cupcake, etc.), etc. There are so many more examples to prove that it is just a number like all the rest of them!!

Great things happen every day, just as bad things happen every day...we have to take the good with the bad and be the best we can be. This thing called life is sometimes hard and yet at times it is so rewarding as we all follow the path that was chosen and given to us. There are many lessons to learn along the way; some are easier than others. Since none of us are perfect let's try to have compassion and and remember until we walk in someone's shoes...you know the rest.

So my message for today is...extend an Olive Branch, salute our flag, play cards, go to the bakery and be aware and hopefully you will experience a wonderful coincidence! As I always say; there is no such thing as coincidence, it is God's way of showing us He is in charge.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Chapter 37...RVing

Well, Doug finally talked me into our next empty nester chapter...RVing! I have taken an extended break from "camping" after many years of it! I grew up camping (tent camping; fun as a kid and I don't remember it being rough), we camped when we were first married (really roughed it; no services) and we camped with our boys for many years (not as rough; we had a cab over camper with no hook-ups). I have such fond memories of those times, well most of them! So many of our friends have RV's and take off for weekend getaways. Doug has been commenting for some time now how much fun we would have. I was convinced that we would not be RVer's when we got old; well we are getting old and we are going to be RVer's...never say never! The Central Coast offer's some wonderful areas to camp, or as in our case ~ hook-up (woohoo; not rough at all), from the beaches to the mountains that are perfect weekend getaways!

I am looking forward to our new adventure and the opportunities to find treasures along the way, there's bound to be swap meets, flea markets, town festivals, antique/thrift stores, yard sales, etc. Doug certainly knows how to appeal to one of my favorite guilty pleasures. I think I am my most recent redesigned, recycled and repurposed project! I know it will take me a few trips to get back into the swing of things but I am sure it is just like getting back on a bike!

 

Happy trails...

Tip of the Day!

While I was out on my Friday morning walk I was so taken aback by the beautiful blue sky, the warm sun and the fresh air. I just relished how lucky I felt to be able to enjoy such a simple pleasure...and best of all it's free! I love to let my mind wander as I enjoy the sights and scents and I'm always looking for ideas to spark a new project or some great treasure tossed to the curb just waiting to be reused and/or repurposed.

I'm sure we have a couple (at least) of tires!

So my tip of the day is...enjoy the simple things; sometimes they are so fulfilling! Get out and enjoy this great weather we are having...winter may surprise us and show up one of these days.

Love this, so simple!

These are a couple of ideas I have pinned on Pinterest!

Happy New Year!

I didn't realize that it had been so long since I last posted!! I was going to be very diligent and post regularly starting the first of the year...well, after all, it is only February :/ 

http://pinterest.com

I would like to share Pinterest with those of you who have not discovered it yet...I doubt that there are many of you out there, if any of you at all! What a great way to lose yourself for hours at a time...it really get's my creative juices flowing! I am having so much fun "pinning" and have tried some awesome recipes and got some great ideas... I now have a couple of great ideas for my 100 year old French doors!

Since my last posting we have just about finished restoring our Chicago Schwinn Twinn...it looks awesome, we are having the rear handle bars chromed as we could not find any new bars that would work and we realized that the old bars were perfect! We had thought it was a 1977 but the powder coater thinks it is older due to the welds. Schwinn has gone out of buisness and bankrupt a few times so it is hard to determine the exact year and replacement parts are few and far between if you can locate them at all. We would like to ride it so we have upgraded and replaced what we needed to. We can't wait to take it out for a spin. This takes me on to our newest restoration project, or should I say Doug's! We purchased a 1978 Ford F150 about a year ago...it was going to be our truck for junking, the dump, etc. Well, it is  now apart, all of it, and when I say all of it, I mean every thing! Doug is restoring it from the frame up. It is going to be awesome, however, I don't think it will be our "dump" truck! He has assured me it will be a driver though...we'll see!

Until next time...happy junking!

Hello Friends...I've Missed You!

Happy Spring…no I did not fall of the planet! Life is full of twists and turns and sometimes we just have to regroup. Doug and I have been junking whenever we’ve had the chance; so much so that we are going to start selling our treasures as we seem to amass much more than we can use and pass on to our family and friends! We are true “junkers” and just can’t pass up a yard/garage sale, estate sale, flea market, swap meet, you get the picture! We see the potential and beauty in what others would just call junk!

We just can’t stop ourselves and realize that this is more than a hobby…it is a passion. I love to repurpose, reuse and recycle “junk” into functional pieces for your home and yard. I will be posting pictures of our adventures, our treasures and have a section of items for sale. Please come back regularly and share us with your friends!

Happy Junking!

Friends...One Of The Best Gifts You'll Ever Give Yourself

This past weekend our long time friends from Tracy came down for a visit in their hot rods; Doug took the boys to Donut Derelicts (pismoderelicts.com) in Pismo on Saturday morning and to his friend's house in Los Osos who has quite a car collection. I was so excited to get to hang out with the girls on Saturday. I had planned a game night for Friday night, sent out the Evites the week before, received the RSVP's and was looking forward to having a bunch of our good friends over on Friday night for an evening of friendly competition and laughs...well was I surprised when game night turned into a surprise birthday party for me! They really pulled one over on me since my birthday wasn't until Saturday and I don't usually make mention of it. I didn't suspect a thing; I had Friday off and busied myself making lasagna, salad, garlic bread and strawberry trifle for a crowd! I even sharpened the pencils!! I was so surprised and so delighted at the same time; I love to have parties for others but I shy away from me being the center of attention!!

The weekend was so much fun, the weather was gorgeous and getting to spend it with friends was such a gift. I made quiche (the boys were glad they were having donuts!) and the girls and I sat in the backyard and enjoyed our breakfast yakking and catching up while the boys took off in their cars. We had "birthday pie" on Saturday evening and I taught the girls how to play Mexican Train; we resumed our game on Sunday while the boys watched the Indy 500. Doug and I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends, and the best thing about friends is they are a gift that you can keep giving yourself!!

Sometimes it’s Just the Simple Things in Life

This past weekend Doug and I set off to Lompoc to experience a twelve year old Relay; since we are newbie’s to Relay. We surprised Deb, ACS staff partner, and took a lap with her; again what an amazing experience to witness so many people coming together for such a worthwhile cause. I have volunteered to be the Team Captain Chair next year for Nipomo’s Relay For Life. I had been told that once you experience Relay you are never the same again…so true!

On our way back from Lompoc we stopped at Costco to buy vitamins and came home with a Wii. We had so much fun creating our Mii’s in our own likeness and we are hooked on bowling; I may just may able to beat Doug before long! Yesterday morning we synced up the Fitness Board and we found out, according to Wii, we are obese!! Our Mii’s expanded before our eyes as it assessed our personal information...we couldn’t fib on our weight as the Fitness Board weighs you!! So our goal is to each lose 20 lbs in 3 months. We each have a personal trainer to help us meet our goal…who need’s a gym anymore when you can have a personal trainer at your disposal anytime day or night! We decided to cut out dessert since we have to be accountable and check in daily. We started cracking up because we are intimidated by our Wii!

We have been getting together with friends for Game Night and we can’t wait to have a bowling tournament…I need to get my wrist action down and become more consistent. Doug told me yesterday that I don’t have a competitive bone in my body; they are all competitive. Game on!!