{PuMpKiN} {PaTcH} pics!!

Taking time......

...to look back and remember some of the memories of our home! ......This season is such a hard season for me to not be in our house. ....This is the time of year when my projects that I have been procrastinating on usually get done, and not to mention all of the decorations that come along with fall. So what is a girl like me to do without her own house......get over it I guess!

No really, this season of life has really taught me a lot about me and my home. Basically, I was downright obsessed with making it beautiful, and never took the time to realize the beauty of my home beyond the "decor" ....the memories, and the life that was happening inside my home. I am totally not saying that making a home beautiful is wrong. I think it is great for women to make a beautiful and functional place for their family. But like The Nester says, "it does not have to be perfect to be beautiful!"

So, today I am remembering some of the memories that happened in our home before we moved out!

Nana reading to Ava after her bath.

Ava outside helping Daddy with yard work.

Ava reading in her bed like a big girl.

Ava with Grandma, Nana, Great-grandma Evelyn, and Abuelita.

Me and mom at David's graduation party.

David trying out his fire gear for the first time.

I hope you all are having a great fall season! ......As for us we are going to continue to make some beautiful memories during our stay at Grandma and Pops' house! I know that it will not be long until we are back in our little house!

By the way I landed some beautiful treasures this weekend ......so I will post some pictures soon! One is waiting for a new coat of stain.

New weekend beauties

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! This weekend I was able to land some beautiful finds at some beautiful prices. We had a very low key weekend with very little plans ( for a change!) ......We ventured out to Brenham, TX to see my sister and my favorite nieces on a whim. Then we ended up heading on over to Round Top to make a few stops.We were not expecting to do this which was a BIG deal for me! Round Top is something that I have to prepare myself mentally for, because it can be VERY overwhelming. .....None the less we went. As always I saw many beautiful things that I could have bought. But I like to wait and make any possible big purchases till the last day ( which is next Sunday) There is a better chance of getting a better deal! And I will hope for rain....sounds crazy, but I have landed some pretty awesome deals at Round Top in the rain! .....I guess the dealers are not wanting to load up all their stuff they have not sold in the rain.

I found a beautiful linen table runner for Ava's room, and a very cool pear cutting board! I looked at the price tags at first and passed them up because it was just not "cheap" enough for me. Upon exiting the tent I saw a sign that said "All items 50% off!" .......And instantly the price was right.


Within 30 minutes of my next find I was having a conversation with my mom, who was with us, that I would love to find some Hobbie Holly plates to hang on Ava's wall. Low and be hold, check out my next finds.




And would you believe these were also priced at 50% off! I guess these were just meant to be mine.

I had one more sale to catch this weekend. A co-worker of mine and her husband own a nursery and a gift shop that is going out of business. And I landed these.......


For now they have found a home on my moms mantle .....only until we move back in our house! I can't wait to fill these with some seasonal goodies........leaves, pine cones, Christmas balls, fruit, oh the endless possibilities.

I can't go without leaving you with some pictures of my true little beauty!

She rode around the entire mall like this! Oh how I love little girls and all of the accessories that come with them.


This is why Ava loves our time at Grandma and Pops' house. The toy closet. Need I say more!

Sitting in the toy closet!

Me and my beauty!

............and me and my other beauty! Yes he is beautiful, okay ....I'll say handsome!

A Thrifty Day!

Yesterday I got to go on one of my treasure hunting adventures. David and I ventured out to the small town of Rockdale, Texas. There they were having a "city wide garage sale." We got to do this without our little Ava in tow. Thanks to my mom. Don't get me wrong I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, to be with Ava but garage sales and two yr olds don't exactly mix very well. Although, she has been on her fair share of thrifting adventures with me.

Besides getting to add to my collection of treasures, the greatest treasure was getting to enjoy my husbands great company. I love that we can do these things together and just enjoy the beauty of being together anywhere, ....even looking through a bunch of junk....and we saw plenty of that. The things people try to sale, and the things people will buy never fails to amaze me.

Anyway, I must say I am very pleased with the treasures that we found!

I was able to walk away with a beautiful antique wicker table with a beautiful solid wood top for only $15.00. I knew this table was gem when I saw it. I can just imagine it on a future back patio, or in a sunroom.... I will have one of these one day!

I also got two marvelous gold frames. I have been on a quest to find some of these! I have a beautiful bronze "A" that will look beautiful in the center of one of these. I paid only $5.00 for the large ones and the smaller one I got for free. Can't beat that!

I picked up a few mason jars for $1.00....these will look stunning with some fresh cut flowers in them....I am thinking hydrangeas. ......And last but not least, I got an old jug that has been converted into a lamp. ( the cord just needs to be pulled back through and the top screwed back on.) This was my most expensive purchase of the day ringing in at $20.00, paired with the small frame. I tried to barter the price down but the seller was not budging, so I gave in a paid $20.00. The jug itself is probably worth around $50.00-$75.00. ( i need to do some research on the markings!)

I can't wait to use these treasures in our home......when we move back in! Until then they will be tucked away safely in our storage unit.

Hope you enjoyed!

My thrifty finds!

I have had this love for "thrifting" for a while now! This meaning, I love waking up at 5:30 in the morning on Saturday to hit Garage Sales and Estate Sales. I also shop resale shops and Goodwill very frequently. I love the mystery of what I just might happen to find at a great price.

I love it when someone walks into my home and says "that is so neat where did you get that," and I am able to say at a Garage Sale for $1.00! It is such an accomplished feeling. Some of my most favorite things in my house are from garage sales. Right before we moved I bought an adorable pink "chippy" paint rocking horse for Ava at a garage sale for $3.00, come to find out the lady that was it selling told me her dad made it for her when she was a little girl. OMG how in the world could she sell it! I even asked her if she was sure she wanted to sell it, and sure enough she said YES. You would be surprised at the things I find. It is truly a treasure hunt.

Under our current living circumstance ( remember we live in a camper! ), my heart has been torn from the love of decorating my home! Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE to decorate my home. It is not uncommon for me to go to bed rearranging my house in my head, and thinking of my next project.

David has a love hate relationship with this infatuation of mine.....but he greatly enjoys having a comfy, functional, and beautiful home! It is not uncommon for him to keep me company during my "thrifting" adventures. He's the best. He never questions why I am buying what it is I am buying he just smiles and nods.

Anyhow, today while Ava and I ran a few errands I stopped by a resale shop that is in our new neck of the woods. I have been eyeing this place for a while, and I have not stopped because well, we are living in a camper not a house, so decorating has been on the back burner. BUT the other day I came to the conclusion that my thrifting adventures did not have to stop. We will be in our home again in less than a year, so I can just keep buying treasures for our home and add them to my storage unit full of our others treasures from our home. Yes, this is a sickness I tell you, a sickness!

Anyway here are the treasures that I picked up today!





One is a metal clasp glass jar that says flour ( at $1.99), and the other is a white wire vase ( also $1.99!) There were many neat things in this shop amongst the piles of junk......I guess junk just kind of comes with the territory! .....You just gotta have a good eye and look beyond the junk, and sometimes you can even find potential in a junky old piece of furniture......paint is amazing I tell ya!

I passed up a very cute milk class pitcher with a matching set of cups ( $6.00for the set) and two original large mason jars with the metal clasp top at $6.00 each! ( great deal for original mason jars, I have seen the small ones priced at 12.00 each!) ....I only passed these up because I was having to carry Ava , these stores are not exactly stroller friendly! I may just have to go back.

By the way I can't wait, we are fast approaching Roundtop!! If you don't know what this is google it! We go every Oct and April. It is a junkers bliss! Miles and miles of stuff.....yep just stuff! I LOVE IT!!

Camper Mishap!

Well folks, I believe yesterday marked my first BIG blooper as a mommy. Sure I have had silly stuff happen like almost letting Ava roll off a bed, forgetting to feed my child lunch ( I know I am terrible, hey the child does not have a "hearty" appetite), and so forth. But yesterday was my biggest mommy oops thus far.

As you all have been updated recently on our living arrangements, we are living in a camper right! Well, yesterday the trash needed changing, because in this little of an environment, a semi-full trash can start smelling as if you are standing in a dump. So anyhow, I sack up the garbage and take it outside to the sidewalk to be taken to the dumpster later. Well, I figured this was only going to take a few seconds maybe 30 sec. max, so I leave Ava in the camper happily playing with her toys.

Upon arriving back at the camper I was greeted by a door that had been LOCKED by my precious daughter! I stood outside the camper trying to make sure what had just happened had really happened, and within a few seconds I realized it had indeed. My two year old child is in the camper unattended and I have absolutely no way in. This is not like living in a house, there is ONE door and no possible way of finding an unlocked window and climbing in. OH MY GOODNESS what am I going to do. I am outside with no keys and no phone and most importantly no Ava.

I begin to talk to Ava trough the door trying to get her to unlock the door. I am pretty sure she had no idea how to undo what she had just done. At first she thought we were playing a game, but she soon realized mommy is outside and cannot get back in. She begins to cry and keeps asking me to open the door. Yes my heart is breaking at this point, and the thought of any kind of discipline that Ava was going to receive for doing this went out the window, all I wanted to do is hug my sweet little Ava.

I talked to Ava for a few moments, long enough to calm her down a bit, because I was going to have to go get help.

I ran to the camp office and told the sweet little lady what had happened. I was not sure what I needed, a locksmith which, who knows how long that would take or the fire dept. I know they are always available to get kids out of locked cars, but what about campers. And in the back of my mind I am thinking, oh great CPS is going to show up and question me why I left my 2 yr old alone. Yes, by this time the waterworks were flowing.

The sweet lady tells me you go back to the camper and I will send one of the guys ( meaning the maintenance ) people down there.

So back to the camper I go.

I stand outside the door, calling for Ava once more, making sure she is alright. ......And I got NO response ........By this time I want to just start crying that real deep panic cry. But I tell myself that I have to stay calm. I begin praying for God to protect Ava and keep her from any harm, and for him to help us find a way out of what has become a TERRIBLE situation.

After a few minutes I hear the most precious sound, the pitter pat of her little feet. Once again, she was back at the door and she was fine. She was talking to me asking me " Mommy what doing?" .....Well sweet child I am standing in the blistering heat because you decided to lock me out! Of coarse that is not what I said. I just began talking to her to keep her happy, so she would not get scared again.

After a few minutes "Josh" shows up. He is one of the guys that works out here.

He has tools to pick the lock, ......but then he asks me....do you have a laundry shute in the camper??? ....And a light came on....yes we do!!

He says "well lets take a look at that first!"

The laundry shute is under the cabinet under the vanity sink, that opens to the storage compartment under the camper......the opening is about a 12 "x 12" hole. I am looking at this tiny hole thinking ......there are parts of me alone that will not fit through there, there is no way.

But then I look at Josh....he is a tiny guy.

To end this long story.... yes Josh climbs through the TINY hole and rescues my sweet Ava. My heart is forever grateful for little Josh.

I embraced Ava with a hug, and I didn't want to let go. I think she was as equally glad to see me.

After this happened I could not help but think about our heavenly father. I thought about that as long as we stay in his presence and in his arms we are protected from a lot junk. When we are living our lives just as we please, and we "lock"him out of our lives, we are opening ourselves up to a lot of dangerous opportunity for sin.

"...He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. " Ps 23: 3b

"You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." Ps 32: 7


Just as Ava was in the camper all alone at 2 years old, she was very vulnerable to something bad happening to her. When I am with her I can help protect her from most things. ( i know I cannot protect her from everything )

I am grateful today that all is well, and Ava and I were both given a learning opportunity yesterday. Ava got a lesson on why not to lock doors, and I was reminded of the provision of protection from sin that Christ gives us when we are walking with him. Praise God!

Today is Ava's B-day!

I can't believe our sweet Ava Joy is TWO today! It has been such a blessing to our hearts to be parents to this sweet little girl.

Ava,
We love you so very much! We hope you have a very special day.

Words cannot describe the amount of JOY you have brought to me and daddy!

You make parenting easy! You have such a sweet and sensitive spirit, it does not take much to show you the error of your ways.

Our prayer is that you will grow into a God fearing, God loving and God serving woman.

Today we are remembering holding you as a tiny little baby!

We love you!

Love,
Momma and Daddy