Lots of Furniture ~ But Where is the Dining Room Table?

I have been playing refinishing and painting furniture for almost a year now ~ at first it didn't take up too much space nor did it take too much time.  Maybe it was because I only did one or two pieces a week ~ but now....OMG......I have no dining room to speak of ~ no dining room table as that is actually where I am painting (its too darn hot outside).  Then, I look around and all I see are various cans of paint, brushes, glazes, sanding paper (for distressing) and I tell myself; "o.k., self, is this REALLY worth it".....my house is so out of whack that I can't handle it anymore......

Once you develop this crazy passion for painting, creating, designing furniture ~ you totally lose sight of everything else ~ well, at least I have.  I am one of these people that HAS to have a very neat, clean, tidy home ~ NO MORE ~ that is the least of my concerns now....am I insane?  Does anyone else out there have this problem?

I make sure I clean the bathrooms and try to do laundry but it usually stacks up (and its only my husband and I)......I don't cook very often as it takes too much time, so I eat sandwiches or my husband will cook.  And on that note, thank God my husband is not one to complain about anything ~ he helps me as best as he can but not the way I would do things.....you all know what I mean, right? 

These pieces that I'm posting right now are ALL in my office and in my dining room ~ I'm too tired to take more pictures of all the paint cans, the brushes, etc.....actually too embarrassed to show you...lol.

I am going to have to hire a maid or slow down on painting ~ I wish I could do it all and do it PERFECT but I can't......so, for now I choose to refinish and paint the very best I can and my house is being so totally neglected.....I'm sorry little house.

I will get myself more organized and maybe slow down A LITTLE just so I can figure out where my kitchen towels are, my bath towels, my bills, etc.....just kidding.

Please let me know if you are having this dilema too ~ I have to do some real serious thinking here as I don't how much longer I can live in an unorganized home.

Thanks for stopping by and May God Bless You♥

Learning to Enjoy Life and Create Beautiful Furniture at the Same Time

A few months back I had posted about my husband and I being seperated ~ we had problems with my daughter living here, then his son living here, then on and on and on......well, all that has been resolved, with the help of God ~ and alot of hard work, believe me.  My daughter has moved into her own apartment and his son has also moved ~ my husband and I have both agreed that no one will move in with us anymore ~ our marriage is very important to us and we have to think about us. On this particular evening we drove downtown to a nice place called Sambuca ~ there was a band called Norma Zenteno (we know her personally) that was playing.  The music was great, the food was fabulous and the company was fun!

With this in mind ~ we have been taking little weekend trips, going out in the evening to listen to jazz music, having steak dinners, and just enjoying our "alone time" again.

We danced, I ran into some old friends ~ and I realized that it was possible to have fun and create beautiful furniture at the same time ~ I say this because for those of you that know ~ it is very time consuming and can get very tiring.  Looking for the right pieces to buy, going to auctions, garage sales, checking out craigslist......its alot of work......but guess what.  After this great evening, I got up the next day (Friday morning) and was refreshed and ready to paint and paint some more.

Just a note to all the ladies that blog and work as hard as I do ~ it is possible to do it all.  It may seem like we can't take time off to enjoy ourselves ~ but it can be done.  Take it from me ~ I'm not a spring chicken but I'm not dead either ~ I will enjoy my life, my husband and my business, all of which I love so much♥

Here is just another little table I created recently ~ been really busy lately and I'll post other items this week......enjoy life, my friends!

Thanks for stopping by and may God Bless You♥

Our Weekend Getaway and Antiques

Last week I mentioned to my husband that I wanted to just "get away for the weekend" ~ it didn't have to be out of the country or a big extravagant trip, just a little trip to the country would be wonderful.  We decided to drive towards a small town of Navasota, Tx ~ this is actually where my husbands grandparents grew up and there are a few antique shops there.  Before we got there though, we stopped at this country restaurant ~ on the outside there were some "folks" just sitting under a tree enjoying the fresh cool breeze.

This little place was very, very different and unusual ~ it has been there since the early 1900's ~ the pieces of furniture and different items throughout this place were unbelievable.  I didn't want to take too many pictures as I didn't know if they would mind or not.  This picture above is my husband with his new best friend......lol.

They had these little wagons scattered throughout the place ~ what about trying to carry furniture in something like this???? Yeppers, I think I'll take a couple of these......can we barter?

How about trying to wash today's laundry in something like this?  Yes, my friends, I can't believe our grandmothers use to have to wash clothes in these "washers" ~ what??? it only comes in white?  What happend to all the color choices?

Then, I see this antique stove ~ nothing pretty about this thing ~ well, at least not to me.  I wouldn't even know where to begin cooking on this; heck, I barely use the fancy stove I have at home......you know how it is when you have to refinish and paint furniture, don't you?  Thank God my husband loves to cook cause I do fine eating a piece of bologna and a diet coke ~ I'm good with that.

Then, we ran into all these antiques ~ wow, this place was great.  So many things to choose from and not enough room in my SUV.  We didn't plan on making any purchases as this was supposed to be a "getaway weekend" ~ no work, no looking for pieces of furniture......WHAT?  No furniture....oh, you are sadly mistaken ~ I am ALWAYS looking for furniture.  I brought home one nice piece and some other items but this was my favorite

Well, we made it back without doing too much damage to the checkbook ~ we ended up in College Station ~ going to some nice restaurants, enjoyed the pool at the hotel and relaxed.

Now its time to get back to work again ~ but it sure was nice.  I also made a friend over there ~ he was pretty "cold" with me, so I didn't bring him home ~ I told him to stay just where he was.....

Thanks for stopping by and may God Bless You ♥

A " Must Visit" Little Shop

As bloggers we all get to meet many wonderful people ~ some of them we communicate through e-mail but then there are times when we get to actually meet them in person.  The wonderful lady I recently met has a wonderful and beautiful shop called "The Old Oak Cottage" ~ she had contacted me regarding some pieces that I had available and we decided to meet and continue our conversation in person.

  My granddaughter, Samantha, and I drove out to Huffman, Tx which is very close to Humble, Atascocita, Kingwood, Summerwood and many other areas out North ~ when we arrived, we were greeted by a pleasant and friendly smile ~ her name is Marci.  She and her business partner, Mandy own and run this great haven ~

This beautiful little cottage has so many beautiful and unique items that you don't know where to begin ~ they have bath & toiletrie items, jewelery, furniture, vintage items, shabby chic and on and on....you get the picture. 

I took lots of pictures but you need to go by and visit them ~ they also have a blog and its at http://theoldoakcottage.blogspot.com/ ~ you can also visit their website, which is still in its baby stages but you can see it from the beginning ~ how exciting.

Look at all these beautiful things ~ just heaven.  Everything from baby items, teenage items and then they have LOTS of things for us!  Yes, ladies ~ you will ♥ this place.

This is my granddaughter, Samantha ~ we really loved this shabby chic desk so we brought it with us.

This is another view of more beautiful pieces ~

Then, of course, I had to take a picture of me and the wonderful Ms. Marci ~ she is truly a beautiful person ~ I didn't get to meet her partner, Mandy but I promised to go back out and meet her too.  This was such a nice visit. 

So, if you're in the Humble, Kingwood, Atascocita area or even in Houston, take the time to stop by and visit these wonderful ladies and the hidden treasures they have in Huffman, Tx ~ The Old Oak Cottage.

Grandkids, Fabulous Finds, Picking up Husband at Airport and Life

This past week has been a heck of week, first I had a blowout in one of my tires ~

 I'm watering my garden/yard and I get all bit up by ants ~ I'm outside sanding pieces of furniture and I break out in hives (I think its from the heat), take my mom to the drs. office and I'm told to throw away my drink, which I just paid a whole $1 for at McDonalds....uuuhhh, no, I don't think so ~ I'll just wait outside.....

Well, here are a few pictures of this week's happenings ~ I also sold some beautiful pieces that didn't stay around too long, which is a GREAT THING.

Then I'm out picking up some beautiful pieces and this one is my favorite, so far.  Can't wait to get started on this:

  I think the most relaxing time I had was after picking up my husband from the airport and then stopping to get some great mexican food ~ yes, we love mexican food.  But they had no margaritas ~ what kind of restaurant is this?????

Life is good my friends and I hope all is well with you also ~

Thanks for stopping by and may God Bless You♥

If Life Gives You Lemons ~ Make Lemonade

On Tuesday, I headed out to find some small accent pieces, as my friends were requesting some.  My dear mom and my sister Nel came along for the ride......we do alot of driving around, you ladies know that, right?  Yep, you find a great deal 30 miles away and you can't pass it up; well, at least I can't....lol

So, I picked up a cute chest of drawers from a family who was moving to New Orleans ~ the  husband was getting transferred and they were trying to sell alot of their furniture ~ this particular chest of drawers was perfect for what I was planning on doing.  Then, I had a client who was looking for accent tables and these were PERFECT too. 

So, we're driving down the freeway, going about 65 mph, radio on 99.1 (Sunny), just talking away ~ I felt the road a little funny but I figured, oh, its just THIS freeway ~ there is no way it's my SUV (remember, I had a flat about three weeks ago already).  Then, all of a sudden, BAM ~ a loud noise and black rubber starts flying everywhere.  I HAD A BLOWOUT ~ Thank God it was one of my back tires.  So, now what?  Well, I sat in my SUV for about 5 minutes and my phone rings, ~ its my son.  "Hey mom, where are you?  I'm coming over to your house" ~ well, what great timing.  Needless to say, my son came to my rescue right away ~ let me make this short cause I have lots of painting to do ~ after he went a picked up a new tire for me (well, I paid for it, but he went and got for me....lol) I said, lets go eat something ~ its been a heck of a hot day.  When I told my son WHERE we were going, he said "whatttt?""""  I said yes, that is where we are going.  He knows I very budget conscious and don't like to splurge on fancy restuarants ~ so, we went to a nice mexican restaurant that is a little pricey but their food is fantastic......I ordered WATER for everyone (drinks are almost $2.00 each) and then I said, o.k. ~ mom, Nel and I , we will share a meal and son, you can have your own ~ no problem ~ we're use to doing this (sharing)......

The food that they brought us was plenty and then some ~ then the best part ~ my ticket was only $17.20 for all of us ~ yeppers, when you order water, add lemons and sweet & low ~ lemonade at no charge!  This turned out to be a wonderful day.

My son, Freddy ~ my hero. 

Thanks for stopping by and may God Bless You ♥

And the bidding starts at $100 for Miss Bella

I just finished this pretty little antique chest of drawers ~ its made of solid wood, intricate details, wheels for easy mobility, dovetail drawers ~ just gorgeous...here she is before I did the work on her (Bella)

I was so anxious to get started on this piece as I knew she was going to be beautiful ~ wasn't sure what colors to go with but here was my final decision. 

I actually posted her on my website, my facebook page and of course, Craigslist....but then this morning, I had second thoughts about it.  I really wanted this piece to go to someone who REALLY loves her.  So, guess what I'm doing today?  I'm having an auction on my facebook page ~ yes, the bidding has started today at $100 ~ whoever offers me the most $$$ will take this baby home Saturday.  I know I could probably get more but I want it to go to a "friend" or "fan" or whatever you want to call your facebook family ~ so, I hope I made the right decision on both the paint colors and the auctioning part of it.  

Have a great weekend, my blogger friends ~ paint, shop, create and be safe ~

Thanks for stopping by and May God Bless You ♥

LOTS of EXCITEMENT GOING ON AT YOUNIQUE727

Hello My fellow bloggers ~ where the heck have I been?  Well, let me see ~ my daughter and three children moved into their own apartment.  Hoorraaayy ~ I have my home back to myself again and I am still trying to organize, de-clutter, clean, etc. ~ oh, I love my daughter and grandkids but ohweeehhh, they sure can take up alot of space and they sure left a mess. 

Next ~ life throws wrenches in to let us know we are not in control, GOD is ~  like a flat tire when you're planning to get together with good friends for a GIGANTIC GARAGE SALE ~ yes, my friend Mandie at Altar'd had a big garage sale a couple of weeks back.  Jannet from Simple Matters and I were going to be there ~ but life made it impossible for us to get together.  O.K., so we'll try again some other time.

Then, as many of you know, my husband and I have been apart ~ we're trying to work things out.  We have been going to dinner, to the movies, talking and doing alot of praying.  Sometimes I think we just lose sight that love brought us together and that sometimes it takes alot more to keep us together. 

Here lately, I've had to step back and analyze myself ~ do I really need to lose my cool because my husband didn't pick up his glass from the coffee table or because he didn't offer to fold the towels on the couch?  I'm trying, friends, I'm really trying ~

Let me share some pics of some pieces I've done lately ~ I will do my best to come back everyday.  I have a facebook contest going on right now ~ thinking of offering painting and refinishing classes and also now offering layaways . 

I have really missed "venting" so if I go on and on, its just cause I haven't talked to you all in a looonnnggg time......

Thanks for stopping by and may God Bless You ♥