Busy Times and Fun Finds

These last few weeks and the next few coming are my busiest weeks of the year. Being a high school registrar is definitely not fitting into my simple seaside lifestyle. I haven't made it to the beach even one single time this summer, and I live right around the corner! Nope, not living the simple life at all lately ::sigh::

It's ok, I'm not really complaining (not too much anyway). There is a method to my madness. I took this job to up my future retirement checks which will be based on my highest paid five years in the Florida Retirement System. If I can stick with it for the five years I can then bounce back into a less stressful position and hopefully back to an eleven month or even better a ten month contract with lots of time off. By then my kids will all be out of school, and my home will be paid off. It will be a stressful five years, but will be worth it in the end - hopefully, if the long hours and stress don't kill me first!

It took me two whole paragraphs to make my excuses for why I haven't been around much - all true but I know you don't want to hear all the complaining or learn about my retirement planing. Of course working all these long hours (with tons of unpaid overtime to boot) I haven't even been doing much as far as cooking goes either, so if you showed up here for a recipe you are out of luck.

All I have to offer is more junkin', diggin', pickin', treasure hunting, and fun finds. If that's what you're here for it's all good.

I'm finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel going through my mother's stuff. All the mystery boxes have been unpacked. What I will do with it all is still unknown, but at least I'm finally to the point to knowing what I'm dealing with. Now it's a matter of deciding what I want to keep, and what I want to let go of. My mother gave me instant collections of all kinds of things!

I'll get around to showing you some of those collections sometime in the near future, but for today it's my own fun finds from this mornings yard sales and thrift shops...

Some of you may remember the trunk I am displaying my fun finds on was my very first yard sale find for $10 just a few short months ago. I've been totally hooked on junkin' ever since!

Let's take a closer look at today's finds...

Is the "Junque" sign the best or what? Perfectly fitting for me lately. The little vintage suitcase isn't as old as the few others I have, but still 60's kind of cool and for $1 why not? The pretty little birdcage doesn't appear to be very old at all. It was a curbside shopping find - free! Since I've been on the lookout for an antique birdcage I thought maybe this one would tame my feelings of desperation until the perfect one comes along at the perfect fun find price.

Next is this great old Myer's Rum picnic basket, a couple of old books for my collection, and three little old matching jars. As you know, junkers can always use extra matching old jars...

Next up is this cute metal star basket all dressed up in twigs and fun wire wrap and springy things on the handle. Maybe it's just me, but springy things are just fun. It's filled with old wooden spoons (and a wooden fork thrown in), more for my own collection...

More old books, a beautiful wooden jewelry box (that one was from mom's stuff), gorgeous old rustic silver plated wire Gorham bowls, and a set of four old wooden bowls. Love, love, love!

Here's the last of the finds that I almost forgot to show you. My little vintage wooden toy that went straight to the kitchen to corral some of the bigger items that always seem to stay on the counter...

And last but not least is this adorable Homestead depression glass Snack Set. When did you last have a snack on dishes like these? Can't say I ever have. This set brought back a very distant memory. I think my mother had a set like this at one time. I just couldn't pass up this set at $3. It will eventually be a resale item, so adorable!

Here's one of the snack settings on top of the picnic basket, not that these two things go together, but then again who knows what those stay at home moms were up to back in the old days? They might go together perfectly (and all this time we thought it was tea in those dainty little cups ;)

Thanks for stopping by to oooh and ahhh over my fun finds this week, and I can't thank you enough for sticking with me during this time of few and far between posts and visits to your blogs. Things will start to slow down for me a bit within the next few weeks - hopefully.

Until next time - cheers!