HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Here we are, in Indiana, having a wonderful time with my children and their families! From our family to yours, have a wonderful day of THANKSGIVING! Love, Sher

Forensics (con't), Friday Fleas and Flurries

Just a quick update on our exciting forensics file (okay, sometimes a girl has to put some drama in her blog):  Our neighbor has been reimbursed for his mailbox!  Although we haven't been in touch with the other property owners, I have to presume that the driver of the truck is or has taken care of their damage. My entry was actually meant to be typical Grinnin Gramma humor, at least the parts with the forensics evidence.  Since, except for maybe the pride of the driver, nobody was injured I really thought the fact that the truck was wound up like a top in barbed wire but the sheriffs department still needed an eye witness, was kinda funny.

 Before we went to bed last night, I opened the door to cast a final check on our property.  Imagine my surprise when I saw this:  Our immediate world was covered in snow!

I snapped a couple pictures, believing it would all be melted by morning.  Instead, this is what was happening outside at 7:00 this morning:    Here's the view from my kitchen window:    We're even under a severe weather watch and it's almost 1:00 PM as I write this!  A scene like this isn't at all unusual for Indiana (which is where we'll be heading tomorrow - yaaaaaay!) but it is totally atypical for NE Tennessee.

Click on the polka-dotted logo for Friday Flea Market vendors!  Many thanks to Polly (Counting Your Blessings) for putting this together for us!

Last but not least, my offerings for Friday Flea Market are a few of my handmade Christmas stockings:

Additional pictures are on my Webshots album.  Just click the picture!

 

Primitive stocking with charm - $12.00 plus postage

Shabby chic, lightly aged with teastain - $13.99 + postage

Large shabby chic stocking with lace inset - $15.99 + postage

I'll be in Indiana for this next week, grateful to my neighbors for watching our house, dog and parrots while we're gone.  Therefore, you can email me at Miller.sher@yahoo.com if you have any questions about my flea market items (last week's are still available, too!) but they won't be mailed until a week from Monday.

Have a great Thanksgiving!  

Contentment and a Forensics Puzzle (Sorta)

Contentment and Forensics?  What do these two have in common, you ask.  My answer:  Aw, you know me.  Absolutely nothing, except for the fact I have a little of both in today's blog entry.

First, contentment.  I earlier signed up with MeGardenGal to participate in her 30 days of contentment therapy.   I haven't done a very good job staying on topic.  It's not because I'm discontented.  It's because I am contented.  

Yes, during times of unrest and financial distress, I remain somehow somewhat contented.  Of course, I have my days.  Yesterday was one.  Nothing seemed to go the way it was "supposed" to.  I couldn't find important information we needed and I became very frustrated and irritated.  It threw me into a mad document-filing frenzy (that still isn't finished as of today) but I am now content with the knowledge that so many unnecessary papers are no longer in the way (Thank Goodness one of the banks today sponsored a paper shredding event!).  Keeping things filed properly and in their place helps keep me content.  I happen to be married to a man who could seemingly care less and this household has, of recent years, somehow edged its way over to that dark side.  

Yet still, I remain content until something happens (such as yesterday) when I explode off my proverbial rocker and do my level best to put things together again in a (for me) more liveable situation.  Ah, contentment!

Now, turning to forensics:  No, I'm not a real forensics scientist, although I watch a lot of actors who portray them on TV.

That was the disclaimer.  Now for the description of this real-life incident!

It was the other night.  Dinner was in the oven, not quite finished.  I was sitting here at my computer.  Hubby was in the living room, stretched out on the couch watching television when suddenly, the still was interrupted by a couple THUDs, a few sounds of CLOP-CLOP and sounds of a car engine revving.  I heard Hubby go out the front door, return into the house via the back door, then he was quickly gone again.  Hmm. That was unusual in itself.  He never leaves the house without letting me know nor kissing me goodbye.  

I waited a few minutes, listening for his return.  Curiosity got the better of me and I slipped on some shoes and went outside where several of our neighbors had gathered next to our house.

They gave me the Readers Digest Condensed Version of what happened.  Some guy in a black or dark colored truck was speeding down the road, lost control and went off the road, shattering two mail boxes, a couple newspaper tubes and taking down about a hundred feet of barbed wire fence before landing in the creek.   (This picture was taken after the mailboxes were replaced)(Said creek runs along part of our front yard but the damage was done in the front of the cow pasture next to us.)  

The 4-wheel drive vehicle had almost turned upside down in the creek.  My Hubby advised the driver that he would never get out of that slippery, muddy creek area, as did our neighbor.  The driver thought otherwise and continued to shift his vehicle from low to reverse, rocking back and forth, before managing to get the vehicle to thrust itself up from its would-be tomb back onto the road, almost running over our neighbor in the process.

He then turned the truck around and disappeared down the road.  This is the point where Hubby and Neighbor jumped into our truck and proceeded to "track" the culprit.  How did they track this truck?

It was wrapped up in almost 100 feet of barbed wire, dragging huge pieces of metal behind it, leaving scratches and scuffs in the road.  (Aren't forensics wonderful?)   Sure enough, they followed the truck to a house not far from here where they sat outside and called the sheriff, who had already been called by the neighbors they left behind back at our place.  

Okay, long story less long - everyone ended up reconvening back at the creek with the missing fence and broken mail boxes area.  The sheriffs asked Hubby and neighbors if they could identify the guy who had confessed already confessed to being the driver who had also confessed to being scared and leaving the scene, running back home.   Everyone was honest.  No, they said.  It was too dark.   Nobody could positively identify him.   Do you agree these colors show up really pretty at night?  It was, however, difficult to not be able to say that the dark truck in his driveway that was wrapped up in about 100 feet of rusty barbed wire  was definitely the truck that everyone (except me) saw in the ditch.

Since nobody could positively identify the fence/mail box assailant, he would not be ticketed.  However, he was verbally advised that he would need to pay for damages.

Isn't this an exciting blog?  

Friday FLEA MARKET (& more)

For today's FLEA MARKET, how about a Gun Digest?

  

It's a collector's item in itself, as this is the 25th Anniversary copy, published in 1971.

A look at the contents:

It's obviously been used but is in good condition.  Want it?  You can have it for $8.50, including shipping!

And, for the Autograph Collector, here's the Standard Guide to Collecting Autographs, published in 1999:

A little peek on the inside:

Also in good condition, also $8.50, including shipping!

P.S.  I have been known to deal prices...

Thank you, POLLY, for putting together the Friday Flea Market!  Click the logo 

to see the other participating bloggers!

MORE LATER...

More Photos Added & November's Giftaway

 I'm just a photo-snappin' fool!   As usual, we forgot a couple items that we had planned to take to the shop before this weekend, so guess where I went yesterday?  At least, I remembered the camera!  I added more shots to my "Preparing for Santa" album on Webshots.  If you want to see the new pix, you can start HERE so you won't have to go through the ones you've already seen!

     We put a tree in another of our rooms and decorated it with mostly handmade ornaments (ornies).  This tree is decorated with 100% primitives.  It has a couple rubber band guns stuffed in it but you can't see them in this picture.  

     Do you recognize my work?

    

   These photos are all on my Webshots album but I wanted you to see how the shabby ornaments look on my lime green tree:   

     It's decorated with all pink, white or green ornaments.  We bought this tree a few years ago at Menard's in Indiana and you wouldn't believe the number of people who want to buy it! (We don't have a Menard's in Tennessee, so Menard's, if you're reading this...hint*hint...)

     Now, let's talk about this blog's November Giftaway:  I messed up on the October Giftaway - I failed to include a Thanksgiving themed item!  So, for November, you know that the only thing to do is to include TWO Christmas-themed items to make up for Thanksgiving.  If you followed this line of thinking, you must be either as old or confused as I am.

     

     So, what will those two items be?  I'm leaving it up to you - leave a comment letting me know whether you prefer primitive or shabby.  

     Either way, you will be receiving this item within your package:  

  

     I hope you love it as much as I do!  

     And no, that's not all.  You know me - I'll be adding more to this Giftaway later.  What will it be?  Hmmm...I do need to think about sharing more of my vintage aprons.  But who knows?

    Just leave a message!  If you don't have a blog, be sure to let me know how you can be reached if YOU win!  And, be sure to let me know your preference - primitive or shabby!

Crafting, Kids, and Contentment

     I have a secret that really isn't a secret.  It's something that I've been wanting for several long years and it looks like it's finally going to happen.  I just didn't want to say anything, for fear of "jinxing" it.

     As you probably already know, my two children and I live in three different states - Louisiana, Indiana and Tennessee.  As a result, the three of us haven't been together under one roof for about 15 years.

     Well, if things work out the way we're hoping, this coming Thanksgiving will be the happiest and best one I've had in years.  We're all planning on being in Indiana for Thanksgiving!  My eyelids start burning, just thinking about it.  My grandchildren will all be together for the first time in their lives!  I jokingly told my son that we may all have to wear name tags.  

     I pray that nothing interrupts our plans!

     Mary Ellen (MEGARDENGAL) has been exploring contentment in her life and has invited the rest of us to join her.  She's calling it 30 days of Contentment Therapy. Thinking of my children and the lives they have brings me much contentment.  They are happy adults, excellent parents and warm individuals.  I'll stop there, trying to not gush too much about them.  But it does give me contentment to know that I did have something to do with the people they are today.  

Crafting and doing almost anything art related gives me another type of contentment.  It relaxes me, and I believe that to be relaxed you must feel somewhat content, right?

I recently saw some pinkeeps that Cathy (Hazelruthe) made.  They inspired me to make some similar pinkeeps/jewelry holders and the three below are my translations of her design:

     

     

They all have candlestick bases; the "Heart in Hand" version is on a wood candlestick that I painted black.  I used glass bases for the others.  "Heart in Hand" also has a vintage lace "sleeve".

I made a couple stuffed faux mittens, too.  I decided to not give the snowman in this one a hat but he was looking too bare-headed to me.  So, I decided to give him hair but not too much hair.  The idea of a bald snowman with the typical bald man hairdo cracked me up.  (No offense to bald men - I personally think that a good looking bald man is often much more handsome than a guy with a full head of hair.  It's the combing over of a few long strands of hair that I wish you wouldn't do.)

   

Anyway, I do get much contentment from crafting but being able to entertain myself with such silly little details also gives me contentment.   This, and I think I can still play well with others.  LOL - what are some of the things that bring contentment to YOU?

Today's the Final Day! ...and ...Contentment Therapy!

The lines may be long, but this is OUR America!  Please VOTE.

On a different note:

Please visit Maryanne .  My contentment right now is knowing that Hubby & I voted early (last week) and sitting here, blogging barefoot! 

OCTOBER'S Winner!!!!

OMG!  October went so quickly that I forgot to do the name drawing for this blog's monthly Giftaway!  (If you hear a thumping sound, it's just my head against the desk...)

THE WINNER IS:  KAT FROM KATCOLLECTS!  

Congratulations, Kat!  Please email me at Miller.sher@yahoo.com with your snail addy info!

Preparing for Santa!

    Our big annual Christmas party is coming up December 6!  By "our" I'm not talking about one we do here at the house - oh no, I'm not quite THAT stupid to undertake something like that right now.  

     I'm talking about the one that Robin holds every year at the shop (meaning the CORNER NEST in Elizabethton, TN).  She holds it the first Saturday of December and has done  this for roughly 15 years now.  It's a lot of fun for everyone, including us vendors.  We have oodles of door prizes, a visit from Santa, lots of free food and TONS of people from several states!  

     If you're in the area, be sure to stop in!  If you're not in the area, make plans to be here!  

     I thought I'd share some of the photos I took today - keep in mind that most of the shop is not yet decorated!  This month will be a really busy one - I'm glad our part is finished!  

Enjoy the photos! Preparing for Santa

(If, for some reason, the link doesn't work, you can view it HERE.)