We Moved and So Did Our Blog!

Soooo.... we moved about a month ago, and we're still getting settled in but I'm getting back to a somewhat normal routine.

Since we do not live in the Pink House anymore, we decided to change our name and line it up with the Etsy Shop.

We are now at:

AllAboutVintageChic.blogspot.com

YES! The Lake House It Is!

   Although I lost faith along the way, God knew in my heart that I trusted him.  And boy did he come through!  I am so Thankful To my Lord and Savior for finding us, and guiding us to this House on The Lake that we will easily be able to call home.


     Our Landlord is a great woman, lots of fun, and down to earth.  To top it off, she has Fibro too, so we understand each other very well.  We spent the weekend helping her prime and paint the whole house.  It gave us a chance to really get to know each other, and is helping us move in quicker! I smile from ear to ear as I walk through the house.  Maryanne mentioned in passing that this is a healing house; how profound.

     All of the kids and grandkids have had a chance to come and see our new home, and they all approve...lol  Here are some pics #1 took for us...check out her other great photos at AngieMariePhotography2011.blogspot.com

Steps down to the lake - deck half way down

Backyard

Steps from back yard to deck /lake steps

Papa taking kids onto frozen ice

They were so excited to experience this

    So many new adventures await us at our new home.  Living on a lake is a whole new way of life.  What an amazing adventure and time of healing await us!


     Still packing and will start to move tonight - our goal is to be sleeping there by Saturday.

Please Please Please Please Please ... Lake House?

   Well here we go, we're plunging into "The Lake House".  We've decided on the house by a lake - definitely, we've been spoiled over the past 20 years, but for taking a step back ??.....This is a pretty damn good step back.

      
     So say a few prayers and keep your fingers crossed that this works out .... I've got our first daughter's wedding coming up in 6 Months!  That's where I want my mind to be.

Keep you posted!

Selling, Renting, Packing, Moving - Chaos

Obviously this whole ordeal, along with the holidays, Fibro, and family life, have kept me from blogging.

Why?

Reality hits - Fibromyalgia severely impacted my ability to work; listening to my body, to avoid the cycle of push, crash, burn, meant I called out sick and had to limit my hours.  Two years ago, I left my job.  To keep this "short story" short, aside from many other details, we have to sell our house - Our Pink House :(  Boooooo, and Rent a house till we get back on track.

      Of course, that just means another adventure which my ADD has a love / hate relationship with - love adventure and change, but it also leaves me a bit apprehensive.

House showings - clean house - start to pack - holidays - pack some more - no more auctions ( boooo  :( ) / buying because we don't want to have to pack and move extra stuff.  I have PLENTY of my Stuff to pack.

      So now the search for a new home that fits our multi-generational, large family, has become a bit of a challenge.  We are limited with $$$ to pay for rent, need 5 BRs, a place to keep our business going (and growing!), preferably with some land so we can have some peace and seclusion.  Am I in Dream World?  Yeah, I think so.  Oh Did I Mention We Have 3 Dogs???


        In one of my blogs, I said I'd keep you posted as we went on this journey, and until now, I was reluctant to share, as this "reality" is a tough one to share.  It's a bit disappointing, depressing, and challenging.        

        As a family, we are all trying to adjust to what is happening.  We LOVE our Pink House; as #5 said "This is the first house I felt "At Home"".  

So, these are the houses we've checked out.  One house that sits on 9 acres has been for sale for a while, but they will not rent; another house on the lake is very tempting, but we'd be a little cramped and that can create tension amongst my clan; another one that fits Everything our family needs, but it's a bit farther away.  WHAT TO DO, WHAT TO DO, WACK A DO, WACK A DO.

Yes, I am going insane.  Wish Us Luck!

What's The Next Best Thing To Going To Auction?

UPDATE:  1/18/2013.  I did enjoy this auction, comfortable place to go, nice items, somewhat reasonable prices.  I was $5.13 short, and I was going to mail them a check - no problem.  The next day I realized I left my "lot" of salt and pepper shakers about $40 worth.  Although I was emailed back to call and set up a time, between Fibro, holidays, selling house, it took a while for me to call.  Left two messages - no response.  So even though I'm out $40'ish, I still feel bad about not sending the $5.13 check.  Anyway....hence no further pictures or blogs on this Auction House.

Go to an Auction House you've never been to before!

I cannot wait to go tomorrow morning to the preview, and hopefully, if what I'm interested in looks good, I'll be bidding.


Swinging Bridge Auction House, Here I Come!

http://swingingbridgeauctions.com/

Hopefully we'll have some pictures of our

 treasures by Sunday Evening!

As Promised - Our Decorated Tree

Great Day!  Grandkids decorated the tree, while the Nanna, mom and aunties enjoy watching them, and eachother's company.

Very Careful Placement

This is Serious Work

No grabbing your own...Nanna has to hand it to you

Beautiful Job!  Many of the decorations are ones the kids
made over the years, or those given to us by their grandparents.

I am truly blessed to have the family I have!

A Horse Drawn Carriage, The Whole Family, & One Tree

     WOW!  We haven't gone looking for our tree like this in a long time.  It was usually going down to a farm stand, all the kids standing by the tree they felt was best, tie it to the roof, and head home. Along with the typical arguing about whose tree was best and/or got chosen.


     All Five Kids and Two Grandkids on a horse drawn carriage through the field, singing Christmas Carols.

For some reason, they trusted me with
the saw...you'll see why down the page

Our Escorts Luke and ?

Our Resident Photographer who was graciously taking
pictures, so she wasn't in them

Check out her Amazing Photos!

Angie Marie Photography

They're Off and Running ... Another First, in a long time, if ever ...

There was more laughter, and no arguing ...















 




And THIS is why they let me get the saw ...
Notice she's laughing... 

  

Last but not least .... our Tree Waterer

After we decorate it, I'll post some pics...this sucker is HUGE!

Repurposed Paper Flower Pen

At the doctor's office today, I went to borrow a pen, and noticed that the flower on the end of the pen was made from scrap paper.

What a GREAT way to re-use scrap paper.

I asked the receptionist if I could take a picture of it with my phone, and she said I could have it!  Made my day.  LOL  (P.S. I think my daughter was a little embarassed, but laughed with me)

I am going to try this with music sheet paper, book pages, and whatever ephemera I can find in my stash.  I'll use green floral tape to wrap the flower on the end of the pen. 

As soon as I do one, I'll post!

A Lesson Learned From My Mother-In-Law

     At the time, I didn't realize this was even a "lesson" or that it would be one of the most important things that I learned. 

And Who'd a Thought It Would Be From "a" Mother-In-Law!

(P.S. I Love My In-Laws, especially my MIL)

     The very first time I met my in-laws was when I went to California for my sister-in-law's wedding.  At the time, I had only been dating my husband for 3 months.

     When we got back to my MIL's home, many family members were there, buzzing around comfortably, helping get food ready, chatting, and feeling very comfortable in her home.

Out of the blue, my MIL asked me to sort through her mail that was on the side table.

I thought this was an odd request; I mean, mail is a personal thing, isn't it?  (That's my puritanical East Coast thinking)but I did  it anyway; who was I to object?

     I can't remember who I asked, but the answer to my question of "Why did she ask me to sort her mail?"  was:  "Because she wanted to give me something to do (anything!), so I would feel like I belonged" - 

courtesy of http://markwestman.blogspot.com/2010/05/belonging.html

          I later learned from a business group, they not only had a Pres, VP, Treas, and Sec., they had a greeter, a time keeper, and a few other "jobs" depending on how big the group was.  For the same reason, when you get people involved, they feel like they belong. 

So it amazes me today, that certain groups/organizations don't use this simple

concept in their group, especially 

if they're looking to add members.  It makes for a pleasant experience for everyone.

     So, during your Thanksgiving Celebration this week, make sure you ask your guests to "help" you.  It not only lightens your load, but it helps people feel like they belong at your home.

Lots of Goodies To Process!

     Even with help from my lovely assistant, Beckie, sorting, researching, writing up a description, measuring, weighing .... yikes it still takes forever!  Trying to keep the house somewhat clean for house showings and other inconveniences keep getting in the way.

1950s era Doe & Fawn Table Lamp
So Peaceful

     Part of the problem is that some of our stuff is on the 3rd floor and some is on the first - no room to have it all in one place, and there's better atmosphere on the first floor for pictures.

Gorgeous 1900s Wrought Iron Lamp

As you can tell from our listings, we're into lamps and light fixtures.  Working on changing it up.

One of My Favorite Items To Find
Reverse Painted Foil Art

Soon to come, a somewhat large selection of vintage Indian Souvenir Dolls.  Brings back memories of the dolls I got as souvenirs.  What a feeling, to have memories come back, just from holding/seeing something you had as a child.

Still A Favorite Through the Ages - Charlie Brown

Also waiting to be listed from our Auction adventure  vintage signed and unsigned costume jewelry; great designs!

Vintage books, a salt glaze salt crock, and a Flip Wilson / Geraldine Doll.

Still no luck on finding a good place to live and properly run our business, but I know God has a special place in mind for us.  We just need to Trust, Be Patient, and Wait for His Time.

Checking out some upcoming auctions, and estate sales so we can keep bringing you  vintage Treasures!

     

     

Ahhh Finally I'm able to get you a sneak peak of the treasures we got at the Wintergarden Auction http://wintergardenauction.com/ Saturday!  Between the Fibro and a large, busy family, it's a bit challenging to blog and run a small business. But me and Beckie are working out the kinks....without further adou ....

A view of the few items left near the end of the auction.
I forgot to take pictures earlier in the auction.

"Some" of our stash; but you'll have to wait to see the wrought iron chandeliers,
the 1920's Acme Doll and other goodies.

  I like to sit in the back of the auction so I can see who is bidding on what.  I took careful notes of what we wanted to get and the highest I wanted to bid.  Chuck raised the paddle for me because his reflexes are in better shape than mine. 

      The funniest part was we had a signal - I would "jab" him if I wanted him to go higher on something.  The auctioneer held up three vintage black dolls, pictured above, and he kept saying black dolls, and no one wants the black dolls; Chuck says "That's bad" or something like that so I "Jabbed" him, and we won the bid!  Actually the baby in the leopard pj's is adorable (a Dee Bee Doll from 1929) and who dosn't remember Flip Wilson and Geraldine! Don't worry ... he raised the paddle on a few things HE wanted, even when I said no...all good fun!

Coming very soon are the Ebay and Etsy Postings.  Stay tuned....

What To Do Without A Pink House?

    Somewhat unexpectedly, we are selling our Pink House and looking for a new home, with a little bit of space to run our business more smoothly and offer a wider array of vintage goodies.



   Beckie, my co-conspirator, has been brainstorming like crazy and researching the best vintage finds we'll be able to bring our customers.  She has a great sense of style and has an eye for finding some beauties.  Without her, I wouldn't be able to take this next step.

Vintage Hollywood Regency Turquoise Lamps

     So,in the near future, will be a sad day as I say goodbye to my "Pink House".  I'll keep you posted on our search for a new home, AND a new name.  I'm toying with "All About Vintage Off The Beaten Path" since we're looking primarily for a place on the "country" side.  Thoughts on a name?

Do You See Her Beauty?

She was found, on the side of the road; a tag sale discard. As soon as I saw her laying on top of a box of books, I saw her beauty. On the way home, I thought “Uh Oh....was she really worth picking up”? Her hair is crumpled, her dress is torn, there are big holes in her veil. And yet, for some unknown reason, I still thought she was beautiful.

Once home, I shared my new treasure with the family explaining “I know she's not in good condition, but for some reason I really like her”. Thank goodness they know who I really am, and they have come to understand and accept (and sometimes see the beauty) in the eclectic treasures I find. Sadly, she was put on a table and left laying there for a few weeks. Every time I caught a glimpse of her, I thought “What am I going to do with her”? “Why did I pick her up”? I thought maybe I could use her as a decoration for Angie's Bridal Shower, but then wondered what people would think about the disarray she was in. Yet, I was still drawn to her. Eventually she made it up the two flights of stairs to our “attic suite”, and stood on a chair by the window, for another few weeks.

Today, I sat in the chair by the window, put “her” on the side table and looked out the window. I was thankful for the beautiful summer day we were blessed with. Mindfully in this beautiful moment, I turned and saw “her”; I picked her up. Her dress was buttoned crookedly, there are gaping holes in her veil, the lace trim is coming apart on the sleeves, the “under netting” of the dress is safety pinned in the back to hold it up, the necklace she is wearing is definitely not original or wedding appropriate, her hair is crumpled.

Then, mindfully, I examined “her” a little more closely. “Her” eyes are a beautiful, sparkling blue; her lipstick and rouge are stately, but subtle. “Her” earrings dangle delicately beneath her lobes. I hold “her” wedding gown out to the side, as if playing and imagining me in this gown. Then I realized what “her” beauty is and why I have been so drawn to “her”, why “she” “spoke” to me. A smile came to my lips.

Once upon a time, a little girl held this Bride in her tiny little hands and imagined herself in this gown. “She” was played with apparently a lot, as shown by her condition. I turned her over, fixed her buttons, and saw where the button holes were torn a bit. Again, I smiled because I thought of a little girl unbuttoning and buttoning this dress many times over as she dreamed of her own wedding day. I started to realize why I saw “Her” as beautiful. While writing this story, she lies here beside me, and I wondered what I would have named her when I was little; June came to my mind immediately (funny thing, Angie's wedding is in June!). Here is June, a well-loved Bride (doll) who's beauty shines from love.

Back Home Again

I just love goin' back home again (to the tune of "On the Road Again").....Long Island, NY, that is!  I grew up on Long Island, and moved up North when I was 16, when my dad retired to "Upstate New York".  As my brother reminded me, when we moved to the "middle of the Island", it was country; we had a dirt road and rural mailboxes.  

Soooo many great memories live inside my mind, and I love to go back to the Island to visit my brother, and to revisit where some of these memories took place.  I did not take pictures of them this time, and I cannot find good ones on the web. 

We took a visit back to the house we grew up in, and drove around the neighborhood.  Of course so much has changed.  "The Corner" which used to be woods, where many games were played; hide and seek, war, where the "guys" "hung out".  My friend's house where we sold minnows we caught at Lake Ronkonkoma, and then sold them to the neighborhood kids, and no trip would be complete without driving down the HUGE Hill on Grassy Pond Drive!  It really is BIG as you drive towards it, you cannot see over the nose of your car!

Lake Ronkonkoma

Grassy Pond Drive HILL Sattelite view from Google

I miss the days of playing kickball in the street, curb ball, flipping for baseball cards, pocket knives, chicken, riding your bike all day long in the summer where ever you wanted to go.  Walking to Weld's Lake with some bread and string, and "making a fishing pole" with a stick and string, and mushing the bread to the end of the string for bait.  We thought we were fishing.  LOL.  So many Adventures!  

Going to the beaches - Little Africa, Long Beach, Short Beach.  And on the way to one of them, up on a hill was an old house, and we called it the witch's house....  Cannot find pictures of the beaches either!  Yikes!

I DO however, have a picture of the Smithtown Bull.  It is Ginormous!  Short story of the bull is that John Smith Saved a Squaw, and as a thank you, the Chief told John he would give him whatever land he could cover while riding a bull.  You can look this up on line and get the full story.  For some reason my older girls get a kick out of this bull, so as we drove by, the camera was clicking!

And last but not least, my brother Tommy gave me a ride in his 1950 (?) Ford Pick Up.  LOVE IT!  He even burned rubber for me (and the grand kids)

We are due back in September, just because, and we'll be reminiscing (and taking photos!)

The Washington DC / Virginia Trip - In Photos

Last Friday, we drove home from our DC / Virginia Trip.  I was hoping to Blog and share these pictures while we were there, but between enjoying the visit and being tired (Fibromyalgia?), it just didn't happen.  Surprisingly enough, this past week, I realized that as much as I want to keep this Blog going on a more regular basis, Life Is For Living, Enjoying Your Loved Ones, and Honoring Where Your Body Is.  So finally, without further ado, here's the photo's!

Believe it or not, the steps from the gate twisted and turned
to get to the house that you can see in the upper left corner.

Another Georgetown Beauty!

I love this Look!

I have heard so much about how quaint Georgetown is, and about the Georgetown Flea Market, I had to make this a priority visit.  It is quaint, unfortunately, we were there during the extreme heat (heat index 112!), and this day was no exception.  I forgot to take a picture of the Flea Market.

Magnolia Tree - My Favorite
Can you believe how big the flower is?

Did I mention how hot it was?  We walked and walked looking for a Johnny Rockets.  This is the first thing I ordered:

2, 2A, and 2-1 When we first got to Johnny Rockets.
Tired and Extremely Hot - you can see 2 saying What
are you doing?  Taking my picture??

Look how they bring you a dish to hold your ketchup!  It's the little things in life, and my dad always said "Presentation makes a difference"








Me, Colleen, and 2A sitting on a COW BENCH outside Ben and Jerrys!  Colleen is my long time friend with whom I have the "Cow" joke going on, so this was a MUST HAVE Picture.

DC Cupcakes!  The line was looooonnnnnng.  I was happy with this picture.

My name is Anne, or Annie, after my Grandma Annie Smith who came over to America with 5 kids, one of whom was my mother.  So of course, anything "Annie" is a draw for me.  Thank Goodness #2 found this.  When I went into the door, and peaked downstairs, all I saw were clothes, and because it was hot, I just wanted to keep walking.  Thank Goodness, again, for Colleen, because she got me to go all the way down stairs and look what we found! 




Love the vintage look!  And 2 tried on this Pink Dress.  She looked like a 1950's school girl going to a dance!

            2A's choice was this:  











 I Love this store, and the young ladies working at the boutique were Lovely!
http://www.anniecreamcheese.com/


Down through Georgetown we saw:

See Marilyn in the upper right window?

Look what they do for dogs - a water dish
(and seats for humans).  Several shops offered this respite.

And Back home we went - up the hill in the heat







But once at home (back at Col's) we relaxed with:

SANGRIA!!!!

2A with Ray and Charlie

   And




















Thank you to my Friend Colleen and her hubby for allowing us to room at their place!  Love you!