The Libra balancing act

The past couple of months I have really been noticing my astrological sign in my words, deeds and actions.  I'm a Libra.  I'd say 75% Libra and 25% Sagittarius, my moon sign.   I am ruled by indecision and pleasure.  I'm happy as can be, smile at nearly everything and fall in love with anything from kittens to chandeliers.  I can't sleep because my mind is going 10 times the speed of light and when I do finally get tired I can fall asleep in a matter of seconds.  I can work on something for days straight and sleep the same number of days when the project is completed.  I used to curse my sun sign when I was a kid because my heart was always getting crushed.  It's taken years but I have come to love my sign and me, too!


Here's just a little bit about me as it relates to the balancing act that is Libra.

Source

If you were to ask me on the spur of the moment to pick which restaurant to have dinner that night, you have basically asked me to have a mini meltdown right on your doorstep.  I'd have to consider your feelings, who is driving, how much gas is in the gas tank, what I've had for dinner the past week, what you've had for dinner, etc.  My usual response is "Food.  I'd like food, please."  If you then pick a place I don't like, I will speak up and ask you to choose another, but I am not likely to decide.

My poor Libra scales have to balance everything with as much impartiality as possible and it becomes exhausting for some of the tiniest things.  I am truly amazed I get anything done.  The funny thing is that if I am asked to make a decision based on what we should do with the support group folks - I can answer in a New York Minute.  I know what they need and what would be best for them.  I've already hashed that out in my head a million times, so that's easy.  Just don't ask me where to take them for lunch!  (Actually we solved the lunch problem - we made a list of about 30 places and we are now just going in order, right down the list.  Whew!)

I am forever interested in how things work, how people think, what folks are thinking about right now, what could make that person's day or if what I just said was as acidic to the listener as it sounded when it came out?  I certainly didn't mean that, it just flew out of my mouth.  I want to know about relationships, how people met, their personal story, how it could possibly relate to mine (I like talking about me) and what funny stories they have.  I love to laugh.  I want as much information on any given subject so that I can put it into my rolodex of pros and cons the next time I need it.

Libra's are master manipulators.  I know I am.  I hadn't really thought about it much until it was pointed out to me recently and then examples of it just kept coming up.  Manipulation isn't always a bad thing, honest! When people ask me what I do in our transplant support group I say that I am a soother.  I can calm down even the most heated discussions and handle nearly any patient or caregiver meltdown.  A joke or a laugh is usually the easiest, but if not, then I carefully redirect the energy of the room to something less explosive.  Sometimes the redirecting is so easy it even amazes me!  I smile, I hug, I laugh and I can actually listen, despite how much I love to talk.  I give everyone my very carefully balanced advice and my phone number to call any time.  Soothing the hearts and minds of the transplant community is what I was born to do, it seems.

A friend of mine is on dialysis three times a week and I usually take him and pick him a majority of the time.  He takes a backpack with him that's not very heavy, but after 4 hours of dialysis he's totally wiped out and even that backpack is not as easy to carry.  The first couple of weeks I'd ask if I could take the backpack for him.  He always said no no, he had it.  Then I started packing up his backpack when he had a few minutes left on the machine and taking it with me to the other room while they got him disconnected.  When he came out, I just never gave it back to him until we got to the car.  Clearly, I manipulated the entire situation so that I could assist him without him having to give up his power.

They say that Libras love to have fabulous clothes, great smelling lotions, perfumes and potions.  Unfortunately that's one part of the Libra that I do not have.  I'm allergic to anything with a scent, so if the air is perfumed around me, it's someone else!  The fabulous, well tailored clothes also go to some other incredible person as I am a dresser of comfort.  Yoga pants and a pullover shirt is my daily uniform, although the summers are so hot here in FL that I do have to resort to shorts and capri pants during the very hottest days.  I do have a lovely home that when cleaned up is a lot of fun to see and be in.  Maybe that's where the fabulous dressing comes in.  I just need a maid.

I love to be loved.
I sure do.
I also need to hear it.
A lot.

When I first started going to the Liver Transplant Support Group I knew I had finally found my home.  I could give as much love as I wanted and I was given more than enough in return.  Who knew that a life threatening illness like my husband's liver disease could connect me with my heart's desire.

My Libra scales will never stay balanced for too long but I will always be closer to center with my friends by my side.

Happy Thanksgiving.
Kristin

Missing you

A cool window in Portland, ME, that I took with my phone.

I miss blogging.
I miss taking photos all the time.
I miss my blogging friends!

I am doing a lot of new creative things.
I am doing more with the transplant community.
I am attending auctions and having a ball.
I am staying home more.

The break has been needed.
I can feel it in my bones the relief of not making myself take a photo
a day or create a blog post each day.
I loved doing it, but I didn't realize the stress I heaped on myself
until it was gone.

I cannot deny that I miss you all.
I love writing and photographing things for you as well as for myself.

The break has been long and it will be longer still, but I find
myself wanting to come back.
Wanting to take photos.
It's a good feeling.
But I'm not there yet.

This is just a note to say that I'm doing well.  I love painting furniture, am enjoying buying for my antique booths and just as happy to see stuff sell.  I am no longer feeling sad and depressed.  I found my happy place!

See you around!
Kristin

French Fries and Blogging

My redo of a blah wooden telephone bench (gossip bench.)  

It now sports shiny black paint and a black and white upholstery fabric.  

One day my mother just decided that she didn't like french fries anymore.  To most people that would seem odd to eat fries one day and the next day declare that you didn't like them.  To me, a kid at the time,  and my Dad the General Manager of my Grandfather's Burger King Franchise, it just seemed unheard of to NOT eat something that we sold.  I later understood that she did it for health reasons and it had nothing to do with Burger King specifically - except that we were there a lot.  She was learning about the fat and calories from french fries and what they could potentially do to her body, so she cut them out of her diet.  Smart lady!

Well, for health reasons, mental health reasons, I took a very long, very extended break from photography and blogging.   I don't think that I will ever be able to understand why I had to stop writing or why I had to stop taking pictures, I just had to do something completely different.  You know the saying "If you continue to do the same things, you will continue to get the same results" or is that the definition of insanity ...is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results?!!  Well, I'd been doing the same thing over and over again and I wasn't getting anywhere near the results I was hoping to achieve after 5 years or so.  When Mocha passed away it started a whole new chapter of my life and it's been a doozy.

No moss is growing under my feet though.  I've been incredibly busy the past few months now that I'm done sulking.  In February I rented a 6 x6 booth space in an antique mall and shared that space with a friend of mine.  It was an easy way to take some of the treasures that I have and put them in the booth for sale.  The idea of course, is to make some money.  Well, I spent more than I made, that's for sure, but I was having a great time doing it.  Next thing you know I'd been to a dozen auctions and found myself with a garage full of furniture!  There's no way that a 6 x 6 shared booth space is big enough to showcase and sell all of this furniture that I have, so I went looking for a second location and I found it.

This weekend is the Grand Opening of Emily's Antiques and Design in Jacksonville, FL although they have officially been open since April 1st.  I rent a 10 x 11 booth at Emily's and I'm all by myself on that one.  It was quite scary to think about paying the rent and hoping that the customers would come to a new place and buy my stuff - but thankfully they did arrive and they have purchased a lot of my furniture.  The very first weekend Emily's was open I sold all the furniture in my booth except for a patio table and chairs.   I came home from a trip to Alabama to a nearly empty booth!  I was elated!!

This is the booth as of a few days ago, but 

if the patio table hasn't sold yet, it's getting yanked out today.

Just a few months into my antique booth business and I found myself overwhelmed with going literally in two directions.  One booth was near the beach and the other was 25 miles away from that one.  I wasn't balancing the two very well, so I decided to give up the little booth and let my friend have the space all to herself.  (She wanted her own booth by this time, too, so it worked out perfectly!)  As of 24 hours ago, I'm back down to one location, but that won't last too long I'm sure.  I'll figure out how to have multiple places, it's just going to take some organization.  (I may have to hire that part out! haha!)

I have discovered the JOY of painting furniture and I have also discovered that I do have an eye for the types of pieces that people like to purchase (with the exception of that patio table and chairs.)  I don't want to price myself out of a sale, so I really research what my furniture sells for locally and online and I price it just a little below that.  If I got a great deal on that piece of furniture at auction, I pass along that great deal to the customer.  I rarely get anything that very common, so it's not like I'm selling Pier One furniture for a hundred dollars less than Pier One, I'm usually selling 20 - 50 year old pieces that have seen their better days.  HOWEVER!  I just discovered a new paint and I'm taking a class in two weeks on how to use it.  I already love it and I think it is going to be my next true love.

I will absolutely write about the furniture painting class.  I'm so excited about it!

Have a wonderful day.
Kristin


To see what I've got for sale and what I've recently purchased you can LIKE my FB page "Look what we found. Items destined for sale."

Friday Fragments

Welcome to Friday Fragments!  This is the place where we're able to put little snippets of fun or interesting things together without having to stretch that idea into an entire blog post.

Mrs. 4444 is our lovely host and I am so grateful for her continued hosting of this fun carnival.  For more Friday Fragments finds, please head on over to Half-Past Kissin' Time.  Thanks!

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Excuse me while I have a Twilight moment.... I do not believe that Jessica could have ever been the Valedictorian at Forks High School.  It just isn't possible.  I know, that movie came out years ago but it still bugs me.

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I got all the laundry done today, even a few rugs.  It really feels weird not to have a pile lurking in the corner taunting me.

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I've brought home many pieces of derelict furniture from the side of the road, but this one was a hard one to leave behind.  My car was empty and I was in the right place at the right time to pick this puppy up.  I took out the drawers to see the condition of the piece and roaches seemed to come out from nowhere!  I banged on it, stomped on them and banged on the pieces some more.  When I thought I had gotten them all, there were more.  I couldn't do it.  I couldn't take home a roach motel, so I left it behind.

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Our new guest bed arrives in the morning and the old one is leaving.  I am so excited I can hardly stand it.  The old one has been passed around so many times and now sports a large donut hole in the middle.  No matter where you start off on the bed, you end up in the hole.  Good riddance!

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I've started listing all of the fun stuff I've found at auction and have for sale at "Look what we've found" on Facebook.  Go ahead and LIKE us to get the updates.  The more the merrier!  Right now I kinda feel like I'm talking to myself!

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I just got notification that I can start moving my furniture into my booth space starting Monday.  There is a new antique mall opening up and I secured a booth a few weeks ago.  Unfortunately I'm going to be out of town the week of the grand opening and I was starting to get nervous that I wouldn't be able to get all of my stuff in my booth before I left town.  I certainly didn't want to leave that to my husband.  He's got plenty to do without doing my job!

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Oh my goodness, I'm so happy I can start moving furniture on Monday!  I know I just said that, but I'm just jumping with JOY!  I've got a whole painting party going on downstairs in a neighbors garage, so far nothing is completed, but now that I know I can move in on Monday -- YAY!  I can get finished and know it's being moved out.

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Hope you have a wonderful weekend and Happy St. Patrick's Day!  If I were in Lansing, MI, I'd be going to the McNamara's party.  That party used to be held in their business warehouse but the many hundreds who came just spilled out into the parking lot when the building got full.  Finally they had to move it to a larger location.  I'm happy that I attended the original, though.  That was cool.

Kristin

Friday Fragments

Welcome to Friday Fragments!  This is the place where we're able to put little snippets of fun or interesting things together without having to stretch that idea into an entire blog post.

Mrs. 4444 is our lovely host and I am so grateful for her continued hosting of this fun carnival.  For more Friday Fragments finds, please head on over to Half-Past Kissin' Time.  Thanks!

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I liked this idea the first week I was on Pinterest.  It has taken me many weeks to find the jars I want to use.  It took me another week or two to wash the jars I wanted to use.  It has taken me two weeks to get the salad ingredients to put in the jars.  It took me several days to actually make the salad to have for dinner and then fill the jars.  So this picture took me about three months to accomplish and it's just a salad!

(by the way - I heard that you shouldn't put mushrooms into the jar, if you are going to store them for many days, because of mold spores or something.  I don't know if it's true, but that's what I heard)

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I spotted this photo on pinterest and asked if anyone wanted to make it for our next potluck?  I got a volunteer and yesterday, this beautiful creation came to potluck.

I have no idea what the creamy marshmallow dip was, but it went fast!

Thanks Deborah!

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My husband did something funny a few weeks ago, but I forgot what it was.

OH!  I finally remembered (hours later, I might add)

I made up some homemade maple syrup for french toast and the remaining syrup I put into a jar and put it in the fridge.  A few days later I made a pot roast.  My husband wasn't home that day, so I packaged most of it up (I ate some for my dinner!) and put it in the fridge.  I saved the liquid in a jar and put that in the fridge so that when my husband did get a chance to eat this wonderful dinner, he could make some gravy with the liquid.

I come home the next evening to the smell of breakfast in the air!  Hot syrup sure has a distinctive smell.  Yep, you guessed it - he used the syrup to make gravy.  Then when he smelled breakfast, he realized his mistake.  When I got home he was just in the middle of dumping out the flour and syrup mess that he had created.   It's hard wanting pot roast after smelling french toast!

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I purchased a box of something or other at auction a while back - in that box was a 45 record case with a bunch of 45s.  My husband and I were going through the records and discovered that quite a few of the records were quite collectable.  A Chuck Berry record that we found was quite rare and last sold on eBay for $40.  Whoo hooo ohhhh ours is broken nearly in half.  Guess that makes it worth zilch.

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Well, it's taken me nearly two days to get this written, but even though it's Saturday, I'm still joining up with Friday Fragment.  If you get a chance, go see what everyone has been doing this week.

Have a Great Weekend!
Kristin

The Realomatic

I purchased several boxes of  slides at an estate sale awhile back.  All of them say "Realomatic" on the top and sides.  I may have to disassemble one of those box tops and frame the darned thing because I have got to get real.  There is just no way at this point, that I'm going to be able to blog every day or even post a photo a day.  I tried, I really did, but I'm in way over my head.  It seems like every time I start to think about something fun or start editing photos I burst into tears.  This is not a way to write a blog!  Well, not the type of blog that "I" want to write or read.

...and it's not every time, but it sure feels like it.

I called a friend of mine who lost her dog years ago.  I knew she had a hard time with his death and my Mom even suggested that I might like to give her a call - well, she didn't tell me anything that I didn't know already, but it was good to know that I wasn't totally off my rocker.  It was also great to talk to another Mom figure without it being mine.  She suggested that I talk to my Dr and that it took her six months or a bit more to get over the daily sadness over the loss.  I'm into month three.  My antiquing is certainly a distraction, but given the slightest chance to get emotional about anything, I fall off the deep end.  It's not always just about my dear Mocha.

Yes, yes, I have an appt. to see my Doctor.
We'll see what he has to say about all this.

On a brighter note - I am having a lot of fun with the antique booth.  There is no question about that.  I even rented a second space in a brand new mall and I may even rent a third.  The second space isn't open yet, but should be by the first of April.  I sure hope so because I have totally run out of space to store all of this stuff.  I'm also needing a place to sand and paint, but I've filled my garages so full that I have to haul the stuff outside of the garage and I'm not so sure the condo association is too keen on that type of activity.  I have two dressers to refinish, a shelving unit and several night stands to also redo.  OH and that telephone bench that I showed you all last week.  I have to do that one.  I even have a rotary dial phone to put on it - for sale of course.  

My first booth that I share with my friend Bettyann is 6' wide by 6' deep.  It's teeny tiny, but boy can we pack a lot in there.  The second booth I've rented all alone (biting my nails!) is a 10 x 11.  I can put large pieces of furniture in there, but goodness, it is going to be a challenge to keep it looking "decorated."  I'm going to have my photos for sale, too, so I'm grateful for a nice big space for those.   The ideas I have for that 10x11 are vast.  I think I have redecorated it in my mind a few million times.  I want the Grand Opening to be a smash and I want my booth to look fabulous.  Fabulous enough that everyone wants to buy everything in it!   When that happens, then I can go back to the auctions and buy more nifty stuff!


So that's the short list of what I've been doing...crying and buying.  I just hope that leads to happiness and a paycheck.

Have a wonderful week and I'll see you soon!

Kristin

POTD - Strength

POTD - Strength

©2012 Kristin Corlett

This is just one of the finds that I got at auction in the past week or two - a table top foosball table.  It's actually in great shape and all of the guys are intact and everything.    I have a Facebook page set up just for the items that I'm selling in my antique booths, it's called "Look what we found! Items destined for sale."  I didn't think that last sentence was going to end up as part of the title, but I clicked the submit button or something too quickly!  If you'd like to LIKE that page while you're there, you can see all of the goodies that my friend Bettyann and I are finding.  No pressure of course :)

Enjoy!
Kristin

Chairs and more chairs by Doris Salcedo

"1550 Chairs Stacked Between Two City Buildings" location based installation by artist Doris Salcedo (2003) for the Istanbul Biennial. 

I have been asking for bread bag tags from friends and family and I routinely get little bundles in the mail.  Sometimes I get 4 or 5 tags and sometimes, like at the restaurant the other night with friends, I am handed a bag stuffed to the gills with them.  The joy of receiving things in the mail is incredible!  I hope to start sending out more snail mail this year to spread the JOY of real physical mail.

Back to the bread bag tags.

My requests for the tags is always followed by, "What are you going to do with them?"

Well, I can now tell you what I'm NOT going to do.  I will not toss them all between two buildings to make an art installation.  I cannot even begin to imagine how many chairs it would take to make a pile that size**, but what I can tell you, is that the number of bread bags tags to make a pile that size would be in the hundreds of millions if not hundreds of trillions.

I have several hundred tags now, so I'm really pleased that at some point in the very near future I can start using them in art projects.  I'm thinking the first project will be fairly small - maybe filling an art canvas.  If you are saving bread bag tags for me, don't stop!  My ultimate goal is to be able to fill an entire wall in my house with the tags.  I still need thousands more tags and I, personally, only come across one or two a month.  I'm finding that it takes a village to collect bread bag tags.  I bet it took more than a village for Doris Salcedo to collect all of those chairs!

**I guess I didn't even read the photo caption - there are 1550 chairs in this installation!  (where is that V8 when you need it?)

More on Doris Salcedo here

Have a wonderful day!!
Kristin

POTD - Vintage Lighting

POTD - Vintage Lighting

©2012 Kristin Corlett

Please enjoy another view of the Tampa, FL Amtrak station.  The other day I used the train stops as my photo of the day and today it's the lighting.  I cannot determine if the lighting is original.  The steel poles probably are, but I'm assuming the glass globes are not, or at least not all of them.  What intrigues me about this specific viewpoint are all of the different shapes you can see.  Round, square, triangle, semi-circle, and rectangles just to name a few.  You'd think with all that going on that it would look cluttered and busy, like my livingroom, but it doesn't.  My livingroom is a totally different story.

The history of the Tampa Amtrak station is glorious, sad and glorious once again!
You can use the Amtrak station history as a jumping off point to read more - here.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Straight from the auction block

I've got a new adventure going in my life right now - I'm part owner in a 6' x 6' booth space at an antique mall.  Since that space is pretty small to display furniture, I've been looking for another place to rent.  I found a really cool spot, but I'm not sure.  It's just a corner of someone else's business and sigh.  It just seems wonderful, but they've never done this type of renting before.  I'm not sure I want to be the guinea pig!

However, I keep buying furniture! and I keep seeing the FABULOUS things I can do with it!

For Example --

I purchased this yesterday at auction.

It's little bench with two shelves.  In the olden days when we had telephones that actually attached to the wall and cords that were famously short, people actually sat in chair or on a bench when they talked on the phone.  I had a vision for this little sad piece of furniture, so I bought it.


Then when I came home to see if I could find some good ideas on paint colors or fabrics, I found this...

Do you think my homely little bench will be transformed to look something like the inspiration piece??(The inspiration photo is from here -- Kanibal Home)


I think it can, I think it can, I think it can, I think it can...




For more Sundays in my City and around the world, please visit Unknown Mami and all the other participants.

Have a wonderful day!
Kristin

POTD - Saint

POTD - Saint

©2012 Kristin Corlett

I've been going to nearly every thrift market, antique shop, and resale shop in a 30 mile radius of my house.  I'm trying to learn what's for sale, for how much and what really is selling.  I'm making it known that I have a booth at a local antique mall and I'm trying to make sure that I'm realistic with my buying and pricing strategies.

So I walk into this brand new antique place - they'd been open a week.  A 10-12 year old girl comes bounding out from the other room and asks if I need any help.  Nope, I'm just walking around.  I get to the gorgeous deep oval frame and I don't see a price.  I ask the girl if she could find out the price on it.  I decide that the frame is indeed the bees knees, but that saint is spectacular too.  It was just a great pairing.  The Dad comes out and sighs.  His wife didn't price this before she left.  Another big sigh.  He's beginning to sound like my husband!  He calls the wife.  No answer.  Finally he says - $25 for the frame and $40 on the saint.   Good for him, they had a lot of carved saints and they were all $40, so he didn't have to guess on that.

If you know anything at all about picture frames - the oval ones are the most prized and the deep ones are prized even more.  This photo was taken at my house where the oval frame and the saint are happily living on a dark burgundy wall in my living room.

A few hours later I saw that same man at an auction.  He said that his wife was not at all pleased that he had given away the frame.  I told him I knew he was going to get into trouble, but I couldn't help myself.  I wasn't at all sure on the going rate for a 17" x 14" x 4.5"  vintage oval frame but I knew that $25 was a steal.  I have since learned that the oval frame could have fetched a hundred dollars or more.

Not everything that I discover goes into my booth.  Some stuff just has to be mine.

Enjoy!
Kristin

POTD - Track Five

POTD - Track Five

©2012 Kristin Corlett

The Tampa Amtrak Station was so much fun to photograph.  I spent nearly the entire layover time wandering around looking for more shots.  These are the train stops, emergency stops, in case the train doesn't come to a complete stop before this time.  They are giant concrete slabs and from the looks of them and the undamaged building behind them, they have done their job well!

Bob, I photographed this just for you - the number five :)

Enjoy!
Kristin

POTD - Sparty

POTD - Sparty 

©2012 Kristin Corlett

On January 2nd I was fortunate enough to be able to go tp the Outback Bowl at the Tampa Bay Buccaneer's stadium.  Michigan State v Georgia.   At one point the mascot for MSU, our very own Sparty, was seen hanging out with the Cheerleaders.  He had some pretty great moves!  I just wish he would have had some pom poms!  Michigan State ended up winning that game in triple overtime.  I was elated!

Enjoy!
Kristin

POTD - Sing!

POTD - Sing!

©2012 Kristin Corlett

I gathered up all the animals in my house one day for a little sing along.  The entire group was a little too much to photograph, but the cow and the bisque head worked perfectly together.  Can you hear them?  They are perfectly in tune.  My friend Bob said that they are singing "Pop Goes My Heart" by the movie band, POP.  (Movie - Music and Lyrics)

Enjoy!
Kristin

Yawn, Stretch!

Goodness, that was quite a sleep.
I certainly did need it.
Of course I didn't sleep for the entire month, but boy oh boy, that really might have been nice!

Actually I could probably use another month or two off, but I have really missed my blogging friends and I've missed posting every day!  It's like exercising, or so I'm told.  You miss it when you don't do it for awhile!   I have decided to come back on a limited basis this week.  I will post a Photo of the Day each day and then hopefully by next week I'll be back into the swing of things enough to start writing real blog posts.

I've been in a depressed mood for the past few months according to my self diagnosis and when I finally realized it, I kicked myself in the ass and got with the program.  (If only it were that simple!)  I'm feeling MUCH better the past two weeks, but I'm also keeping my eyes open for that malaise that crept over me before.  I'm sure that's the reason why I got so overwhelmed and had to put my blogging on pause.  And to think, it all started because my kitty passed away.  That's the day I can pinpoint, but I'm sure that not having all of that abundant sunshine helped the Sunlight Affectedness Disorder (SAD) come over me.  I used to feel that when I lived in Michigan but geez, never like I felt the past few months.  I may talk more about this at a later date or not.  I haven't yet decided but I did want to mention it at least.

Anyway -- the photo of the day is coming up in about three hours (or is already posted if you aren't an early riser that lives on the East Coast.)  I'm feeling much better.  I am excited to find new and interesting things to photograph and talk about, so let's get the show on the road!

Have a wonderful day!
Kristin

Blah Blah Blah

I'm not really sure what happened, but a few months ago I became overwhelmed.

Then a month ago I lost my kitty, Mocha.  (I'm still having trouble with that one)

I've gone on a cruise, went to a bowl game and hung out with my Dad for a week in the past month.

It seems like just those last three events would have perked me up and had me blogging for days,

but they didn't.

I've just got the Blog Blahs.


I haven't even been excited about picking my Photo of the Day.

That's usually my favorite thing to do each day.


I've decided I'm going to take a month off.


I'll come back around Valentines Day (or next week, if saying that I don't want to blog for awhile means that I can't think about anything else I'd rather be doing.)

I'm not going to quit blogging and I'm not going to shut down my blog.
I'm not going to fade into the sunset and I'm not going to stop visiting your blogs.
Honestly though, I've hardly visited anyone in months.
I just need a rest.

Oh and I've rented that booth space in an antique mall, so trying to prepare for that is really occupying my mind, too.  I've been gathering, shopping, spray painting, evaluating and going over that 6 x 6 space a million times.  It's exciting, but exhausting and I won't be moving into the space until Feb 1st.

I'll see you in a few weeks with Photos of the Day and lots to talk about.

Have a wonderful day!
Kristin

POTD - Giant Bag Tags

POTD - Giant Bag Tags

©2012 Kristin Corlett

So many people are collecting bread bag tags for me and I appreciate it so much!  My ultimate goal is to be able to cover an entire wall with the tags as well as do some other crafts with them.  A friend of mine saw these bag tags on some kind of a chicken meal from Walmart and she knew the second she saw the hearts on the tag and the size of them, that I was going to flip.  She was right.  I was so excited that I took a photo immediately.  I put the tags on my passenger side seat in my car and took this shot.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with these, but I'm sure thinking about it.

Enjoy!
Kristin

POTD - Engaged

POTD - Engaged

©2012 Kristin Corlett

A picture of a craft project in the works.  I've been cutting out circles and hearts from vintage dictionary pages to eventually sew together.  Tonight I was pleasantly pleased when I realized that I inadvertently captured the word engaged in one of my hearts.  I stacked the hearts on one of my photographs, as a representation of all of the circles I'd been cutting, and really liked the way it all worked together.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Friday Fragments

Welcome to Friday Fragments!  This is the place where we're able to put little snippets of fun or interesting things together without having to stretch that idea into an entire blog post.

Mrs. 4444 is our lovely host and I am so grateful for her continued hosting of this fun carnival.  For more Friday Fragments finds, please head on over to Half-Past Kissin' Time.  Thanks!

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These fragments are weeks in the making!  I've been writing down funny things because I have no brain these days.  I hope you enjoy my Saturday morning Fragments!

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When I was on my Christmas Cruise with my husband we were seated for dinner with a group of people that we hadn't met yet.  At one point everyone left the table and just this guy and I were at the table.  I laughed and said - "Well, do you have something exciting to share real quick while everyone is gone?"  He said, "Sure!  My step-sister is now my step brother and she used to live in Jacksonville."  You could have knocked me over with a feather.  He laughed and said he couldn't believe he blurted that out!

My husband proclaimed one day that people who live in Charleston, SC called the city Chuck.  As in, "I live in Chuck."  My friends Matt and Patti had just driven by Charleston a few days earlier and noticed the exit for North Charleston.  Matt asked my husband if the people in North Charleston called it Up Chuck?

We laughed a long time.

My friend and I are going into business together.  We're taking on a 6x6 booth space in an antiques mall.  That's a pretty small space if we don't get along!  Good thing we are pretty compatible.  Actually, all we have to do is maintain the booth space, we don't actually have to be there all the time.  They are fully staffed with folks who know what they are doing.  That's good news for us!!

I heard on the radio that James Taylor is giving guitar lessons on his website, here.  I don't know if they are free or not, because I don't play guitar so I didn't follow through with the enrollment, but how cool to have lessons from James Taylor.  I really enjoy his music.

I took my car in because the windshield washer fluid wasn't pumping at all.  We had just taken it in moments before it hit the 100K mile, end of the warranty mileage.  We put a few hundred miles on the car since then so we were now over that magic number.  It seems they found a lot more problems with the car and my "I'm just taking it in to unclog the pump" ended up costing me $505.  Almost all of it would have been covered under the warranty if if had died, leaked, been discovered before that 100K.  Sigh sigh.  At least the car is paid off!

I found this poster at a thrift store in Punta Gorda.  I didn't buy it, but I remember seeing it for sale in the 80s.  Gooooooo State!  (you can click to enlarge)

I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but I went to the Outback Bowl in Tampa, FL and watched my Michigan State Spartans come home with a win!  The first half was boring, the second half and the three overtimes were spectacular!  I'm so proud of my Spartans!!

Have a wonderful weekend and please head on over to Mrs. 4444's place to see more Friday Fragments if you haven't already.

The photos of the cactus are in a neighbors yard.  Not my neighbor, but my Dad's.  :)

Kristin

POTD - Turning in Fog

POTD - Turning in Fog

©2012 Kristin Corlett

Driving along the highway the other morning I noticed the most beautiful foggy area with the palm trees looking over everything.  By the time the camera in my phone finally engaged, I was having to turn the corner from the ramp to the main road.  Just on the other side of the overpass, there wasn't even a hint of the fog.  Amazing how different the weather can be just feet apart.

Enjoy!
Kristin

POTD - Royal Palm Tree

POTD - Royal Palm Tree

©2012 Kristin Corlett

This is by far my most very favorite type of palm tree. The palm tree trunk is silky smooth, the top has a beautiful bright green band and the bushy palm fronds remind me more of a bottle brush than a palm frond.  The streets of Punta Gorda were lined with the Royal Palm, the side streets, too.  I had a permanent grin looking out the window of the car.  Just imagine what it could have been like if it was 11:11 and I was standing next to one of these beauties?!!  Oh, that's just too much to even comprehend!!   If you'd like more information on the Royal Palm, just click this link - Pristine Landscape Inc.

Enjoy!
Kristin

My Dad's Place

I really had no idea what to expect when I went to see where my Dad was now living.  He just kept telling me that he looked at the place one day, bought it the next and wasn't planning on coming back for a few months.  So when I asked about the house he'd say, I don't know or I don't remember.  He's been down in Punta Gorda for a few months now and living in the house, but he still was mum about it's condition.  He did tell me the place was pink.  I thought it was going to be as pink as this flower, I found on his back patio, but actually it's a dusty rose that pretty much looks like a rosy tan. 

Tom, my Dad and I arrived fairly late and after dark.  My heart was beating pretty fast as I was so nervous about what I'd find when he opened the door to the inside.

Oh heck!  He was pulling my leg, as it is a real nice place.  The problem for my Dad was that he purchased the place furnished and still with a lot of the former owners things - so it was a little overwhelming for him.  That's why he was so vague about the place.

The outside is nice, if not a typical looking Florida style modular home.  Everyone in his community has a house like this, but interestingly, they are all different.  Some are bigger, some smaller, different colors, landscaping and driveways, the patio's are different or the homes are higher off the ground.  When you look down the street you don't feel as though you are seeing the same image.  I like that. 

Here is my Dad's carport.  Lots of light comes into the house because of the lack of walls.   It bothers me in my place that two sides of my condo are windowless.  He doesn't have that problem at all.

The back patio needs some love, but I can see my Dad entertaining friends back here in the near future. 

He even has a storage area where the former kitchen cabinets now reside.  The two gray bins are going back with me to Jacksonville the next time I come down. We gathered up all as many items as possible that my Dad either didn't like or wasn't needed in his place.  The house was full of lighthouses, in the form of little statues, plaques, wall decor, dishtowels, etc.  He wasn't too keep on keeping all of that.  The decorations in the house were also pretty girly.  Tea cups and saucers and tons of items with flowers.  We deflowered the place :)

By the time I left I had gone through every nook and cranny and divided everything we found into piles - Humane Society (towels and blankets),  Habitat for Humanity Resale store (unwanted items that I didn't want),  trash, keep and the Gray Bins.  I will have a booth in an antique mall in a few weeks, so all of the items that I thought I could sell there, I put in the bins. 

I haven't edited the inside photos yet, so I hope to have that finished for tomorrows post.

I really think my Dad is going to be happy there.  Especially now that the decorations are more to his liking!  I don't know if he is going to be a year round resident or just a winter resident.  I don't even think he knows.  He'll figure it out.

Until then - he's got a great place.

Thanks for stopping by!
Kristin

The Boy the Monkey and Batman

I was updating my Facebook status today while I was making my way home.  My first mode of transportation was the car.  My Dad took me to my first stop, the bus.  I took a photo of the bus when it arrived and updated my status - I'm on the bus!

Then a few hours later when I transfered from the bus to the train, I took a quick shot of some folks getting on the train and updated my status - I'm getting on the train!

Then an hour or two later I witnessed something interesting.

A young kid sitting across the aisle from me asked the train conductor when the next "smoke break" was coming up.  The conductor said that it would be about 15 minutes.  The kid then picked up his bag and walked down the aisle.  It was then that I saw it...

The boy was putting on his Batman backpack and the head of a stuffed animal, a monkey, was peeking out the top.  It was kind of sad and kind of sweet all at the same time.  I imagined all sorts of scenarios for the reason he was on the train.  I also imagined all kinds of ages for the boy.  I also couldn't imagine a young boy who carries a stuffed animal would be hanging out with the smokers outside the train.

It intrigued me enough that I mentioned the boy, the monkey and the Batman on Facebook.

Awhile after I posted the comment I went back to my earlier picture and realized that I had inadvertently photographed the kid with backpack!   I enlarged the photo, as I just took a quicky shot with my phone and it wasn't a large file, but you can clearly see the little monkey face peeking out of the backpack.

My seatmate and I ended up talking to the boy for a few minutes before my stop and found out a few things.  He's 18 and had been visiting with his girlfriend for a few weeks.  He's now on his way back home.  He seems like a really nice kid, but he is still such a little boy.  Everything he said just told me that he may have more to learn than a lot of kids his age.  I wish him well.  I'm glad the monkey and Batman were on this trip with him.

Have a great day!
Kristin

Scenes from Punta Gorda

A painted flower above a shop in Fisherman's Village

I'm sitting in a Mexican restaurant - Dean's Tex-Mex to be exact - and they have pretty fast internet service here.  However, the exception is uploading my photos to Photobucket.  It's being pretty sloggy.  So, I thought I'd post just the few that I've managed to load and leave the rest for next week when I return home.

One of the only cool, vintage items we found in the cupboards - 

a 1964-65 New York World's Fair tray.

I'm having a real nice time down here with my Dad.  We've cleaned out nearly every closet, under bed, around the corner and way-back space in his place.  We dropped off three large trash bags of towels and blankets to the humane society (they always appreciate towels and blankets for the animals)  and a huge trunk load of stuff to the Habitat for Humanity Restore store.  I had piled so much stuff into my Dad's livingroom for so many days I was afraid one of us might trip on the stuff.  I'm glad to finally get it out of there.

These were tiny butternut squash that I saw at the Farmer's Market.

He didn't invite me down to clean, but I did it anyway.  It seems easier somehow to clean someone elses place than my own - I've cleaned out the kitchen cupboards inside and out, sprayed the oven and got that wiped down.  I'm going to be relining the shelves in the bathroom with contact paper later today - I'm actually looking less forward to that, than I was the oven.  I can never seem to get contact paper to stick, but those shelves just can't be left bare.

My Dad's place was full of lighthouses, so I had to laugh when one of the first displays of snowglobes I found were lighthouses.  We have de-lighthoused his space and it feels so much better.  He chose three or four of the lighthouse items to keep.  The place is looking more and more like him each day.  He's going to really enjoy the place after I leave, I can just feel it.

I've been sitting here for over an hour, so I'd better scoot.
Have a wonderful day!

Kristin

Hanging out with Dad

Hey
Have you wondered what in the heck happened to me? Well my husband and I went to the outback bowl on monday with my dad and then we headed south to punta gorda.  my dad moved into a house down there a few months ago and i was anxious to see the place.  my dad purchased the house with most of the household contents.  about the only things that were taken as far as i could tell were photos and clothing.  it is a little overwhelming to move into someone elses place and try to make it yours, so im here to help sort through and help my dad feel more comfortable here.  the house is full of lighthouse knick knacks, towls, pictures, paintings, plates, etc.  we are currently delighthousing the place.ive taken my dad shopping a few times to try to find items that are more his style, but so far we javent had a whole lot of luck.  i will be back home late sunday.  my husband has already gone home as he had work to do.  my phone is not blogger savvy and i cant seem to capitalize or create a paragraph, so i thank you for slogging through this.  my dad doesnt have internet and i havent found an internet cafe yet.  have a great day.   kristin

POTD - Toast! Cheers!

POTD - Toast!  Cheers!

©2011 Kristin Corlett

Happy New Year!!  A few hours before that clock struck midnight some friends and I gathered together with glasses of sparkling grape juice and toasted to the new year.  We also gave thanks for those that were gathered together and those that couldn't be there.  We said things about love and friendship, too.  They were going on a bit too long so I suggested we have a sip and toast again!

I wish you all a Happy New Year!  and I wish you only the best in the upcoming year.

Enjoy!
Kristin