YOOOOHOOOO

hey. ya'll...

things have been awfully hectic around here & thus my disappearing act...but I'll get it together here shortly...

I have managed to fit in a little Blog Reading Action but I know I'm waaaayyyyy behind in that area...

Thanks to Miss Beaufort Belle for the Christmas Award...I have got Christmas on the Brain right now, like every one else I imagine...

I keep thinking of GGIs (Great Gift Ideas) that I promptly forget since I don't write them down...it may be a Socks-and-Underwear kind of Christmas around here this year if I don't get it together...

TIE & I'll be back soon :)

A Beautiful Thing...

I found this old crib at one of our few local thrift stores...for only $32...can ya'll believe it?! there were a couple of women circling it while I stood considering...
so I hefted it up (it is very light, considering the overall dimensions) and walked around the store totin' it until a nice man asked if he could sit it up by the register for me...I think he had Visions of Me Wreakin' Havoc in the place...and I would say his visions were probably correct...



its intended purpose is to be a place for the cats to hang out so they don't all try to sleep on me, beside me, on the nightstand next to me when the weather cools down...any time I sit still for more than a couple of minutes, I become a Multiple Cat Magnet...

this is why I no longer wear Black...



so far, I've only seen 1 cat at a time in there...I think this is a case of King of the Mountain-cum- Crib...whoever gets into the crib first defends it against all comers...



(close up of the pretty detailing on the legs)
and here is a shot of the beautiful Man Chair DH discovered at the same shop... ummmmmmm, boyyyyyyy...mighty fine, mighty fine...sigh...this is one of those times I had to browbeat myself into graciously acquiescing as DH's name is on the mortgage too...

"TIMBER!"

so do lumberjacks (or Tree Guys as we call them around here) actually yell "timber" when they're about to topple a tree? or is that just a Piece of Myth?

I expect here in Georgia it might go something more like "Iffin I wuz you, I reckon I'd be thinkin' about movin' some time here shortly"...HEY! it is part of our charm :)

just askin' because this Friday, we're having 2 of our Big Georgia Pines (loblolly, accordin' to the Tree Guy) taken down due to Ips Beetles... and their tag-a-longs, the Ambrosia Beetles...

apparently, that munching sound that I had been hearing for the past week or so wasn't a squirrel havin' a High Ol' Time with some pine cones...I kid ya'll not...you can hear them (the beetles) from Y-A-R-D-S away...and, apparently, by the time you realize that white stuff that looks like sawdust around the bottom of the tree probably isn't from squirrels and their raging pine cone habit, the tree's death warrant has been writ...fin-ay...kaput...

discussions waxed and waned around #17 since we moved in about havin' a goodly portion of the pines removed from the back anyway...after one fast movin' thunderstorm when I stood at the back door and watched the tops of the pines flailing back and forth like the Flying Dutchman theme-park ride at Six Flags over Georgia...but I just couldn't bring myself to give the go-ahead to takin' down healthy trees...even 80-foot high ones that could easily wind up in our attic during a wind storm or a hurricane...

so I'm a little sad to see them go...but a little relieved too...

only about a dozen or so more to worry about all of the 2008 Hurricane Season...

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Hey, Miss Pat...Your box went to be mailed this morning, but I'm afraid the postal service took a holiday today...so it'll be mailed out tomorrow :)

and The Clock Struck 12...

this is the really cool clock DH & I picked up this past weekend at a little shop in Black Mountain...love it (it is double-faced)...and since I was trying to not rack up a lot of $ on the Visa, we had to go back to Bramblewood (the shop's name) on Saturday after I made sure this was what I liked best...after I dragged Hubby to all of the Biltmore's shops to make sure this was what he liked best...

actually, I really wanted a pair of ceramic Pekingese dogs at the Bookbinder's shop on the estate, but Hub took a distinct disliking to them...

actually, I wanted the dogs and the clock...

I did buy this little wreath holder at one of the Biltmore's shops...maybe the garden shop? anyhoo...it was only $8 and I haven't seen the little ones like this before & it is the Perfect Countertop Size...bought the orange dried flowers from a little lady's booth at the WNC Farmer's Market...love that place & make sure I get there each time we head to Asheville...

On the Home Front...finished painting the mantel piece black & the interior bricks a soft white...thought about black for the brickwork but decided that would probably look like a Big Gaping Maw...

and this is the piece of tin after I rubbed it with Antique Gold craft paint...I was outta Copper Paint and no way was I driving allllll the way to H/M for a dollar tube of paint...I'm not happy with this but since technically I got to mark off it The List I'll live with it until I finish up other projects and can revisit this...actually, I'm thinking Brick Red with Black rubbing or Gold Rubbing...we'll see...the wonderful thing about craft paint is it is so Darn Cheap...

enough of all that...

Congratulations to Miss Pat of Back Porch Musings! I used a random number generator and Miss Pat's assigned number came up :) as the winner of my Fall Give-A-Way...