There's a Mouse in my House!

There's a mouse in my house.....and it's making me scream!.....in delight. 

Are you an animal person?  I am not talking the kind of person who frequents zoos or gives money to causes like saving the African butter bee....if there really is such a thing?? - Probably not. -  Anyway, I am talking about the animals that live in your house.  Do you have so many creatures living underfoot that your neighbors have contemplated calling local law enforcement?  Well.....over the last decade I have had, 3 dogs, a cat, two gerbils, two hamsters, a bass, one canary, 8 finches and numerous tank-fulls of salt water and fresh water fish....oh, did I mention two water gardens with goldfish darting around? Can I stop right now and calculate the pet food bill??  No time now for that.  Luckily, many of these 'friends' have not been in my house all at once!  Although, I recall a two year period of time when I think they might have.....  

I have also twice had the 'unwanted' kind of creatures in my home....eek!  Ya know, the one that makes you call the exterminator?  Rats are a way of life if you live near water like I do.....  Oh, the drama!  The traps......the tears.....the rants, "I'm moving out of this house if we don't get these mice outta here!"   So why, of why would I WANT a mouse in my house??? Why on earth would I subject myself to this??  (We are back to that mouse in my house thing again.......)

But, I love my mouse!  It makes me smile.  It doesn't live in a cage, but I frequently put it back in it's box.  Have you guessed that I am not talking about a living creature yet?  No?  Well, then, your slow.  Real slow.  Or....maybe.....you aren't the crazy DIY person I thought you might be.  Here is my mouse!

This handy little Black and Decker Mouse is an amazing animal.  If you don't have one of these.....well....you just must get one!  It cuts the sanding time down by gazillions of hours.  So.....me and mousy have been spending time together this weekend working on my latest project.  Remember, the secretary's desk?

If you missed the post about this project and you want the back story.....go back to April 1.  So....anyway.....  I have been busy, in between catering to my family's needs, sanding, patching and getting set to prime and paint this monster.  So excited!  I have removed the knobs because I am keeping them 'as is.' I don't want to reveal what color I am going to use, but I will let you know that my goal is to have this completed by Thursday and I am going to merge my 'art' life with it!  Yep.  I am going to include something decorative that has inspirations from a previous painting of mine.  Stay tuned. 

So this Mouse of mine has been raging havoc on a cat!  Yep, you read that correct.....We gotta regular "Tom and Gerry" episode running at my house..... Well....not really, but I have finally removed all the scratches on this desk that my wonderful, long lost Silver Point Siamese cat, Sushi, left behind as a reminder of days with purrs and hairballs.  Did I tell you that I love my Mouse?!!

The drawers are ready for priming......

So..... I'm off!! Gotta get going to make my deadline.......  Can't wait to show you the results.  Hey....and remember to love your pets today.  Give them an extra scrub or kiss.  Let them know you love them.  It's Sunday!  Heck......take them on a walk, or the dog park, or the shopping mall..........

It's Saturday! Yard Sales!! Yippee!

I awoke this morning and peered out on a clear blue morning and smiled, "It's Saturday!  Not a cloud in the sky! It's cool!"  Rubbing my crusty little 'ole sleepy eyes I thought about all my friends who don't live in a sunny, tropical location.  They will probably not be going to any tag sales in their neighborhood this morning.  "Ahhh, oh well.  They like where they live for some reason." 

Had to slam down my first cup of coffee of the day, check emails and give advice on where to buy a contemporary set of mirrors for a bathroom to someone who works with my hubby.  I know that I am headed out soon in the hunt for treasures, but experience has taught me some important strategies.  The early bird might get the worm, but they will pay top price for it as well.   I'm gonna let those tag sale, garage sale, yard sale, charity fund raising people get a little seasoned this morning.  I know that there will be plenty of goodies left that started the day priced too high.  I gotta wait until they are getting a little anxious about all that stuff they dragged out and don't want to drag back. 

I don't check the newspaper anymore.  I don't drive to far off locations anymore.  I live in a neighborhood filled with people who supply me with amazing free stuff on their bulk trash piles on a regular basis. So imagine the yard sales. Imagine a neighborhood filled with people who are blessed to have so much that they discard great stuff on a regular basis.  Okay.  I will quit bragging.  Believe me, living with these folks is not easy task.  I know they have seen me picking off their trash piles and they think I am the weirdest neighbor ever.  I see bulk trash piles and yard sales as my way of contributing to a 'recycle' program.  I am 'keeping the local dumps from needless waste!' 

So off I go.....go-cup of coffee in hand, my camera and my wallet.  The first sign I see has the address of one of the wealthiest streets in my little town.  "NO WAY!"  I scream out loud, almost passing the turn and swinging back around, running over the grass on the corner.  You see.....there is NEVER a yard sale on that street!  There is never a bulk trash pile either. (Except for the occasional discards from a lawn person.)  I don't know what these people do with their discards....probably Goodwill comes and takes it away.....  I drive down the street in the direction of the cars parked like someone is having a huge party.  I huge party alright, and I have been invited!!  My heart starts to race in anticipation.  I KNOW that there is going to be something here for me.  I know it. 

The sale is mainly children's and babies things.  Heart sinks.  "Okay. Get it together.  You felt it.  It is going to be there.  Get out of the car and go look."  (I actually say this stuff out loud in the car to myself.)  So glad that I got out of my car.......TADA!

"You are kidding me right?!"  I ponder in my quiet thoughts so not to tip off any of the hoards of people shopping and not noticing this amazing comforter.  It looks like it was never used.-- Okay. So, I am in the middle of a master bedroom redo.  This picture above will give you a little sneak peek into the direction the project is taking.  Story and photographs at some point. -- I ask how much to the guy with the large mustashe, wearing a safari hat.  He says, "30 dollars."  I have already calculated that I have saved hundreds of dollars.  But, it's a yard sale.....I must dicker.  I say, "Will you take 20?"  He tells me that he has to ask his mother (a cute little 80-something looking grandma sitting right over there helping her grand daughter sell lemonade and cookies.) He tells me that she said the comforter was too heavy for her to make the bed everyday.  I wonder why she just didn't return the thing.  She never used it.  Two seconds go by, "Deal."  At this point, two woman come over to accost me because, as they put it, "I was going to give her full price!"  "Oh well lady, I got it and you didn't," I think to myself. (Yard Sale Rule: Never engage in word wars with other shoppers.) The safari-hat-wearing guy assures me that the comforter is mine.  Oh!  Did I mention that somewhere in this he included matching shams and a dust ruffle?! 

I'm shaking.....I have to calm myself down.  If I get the money out of my wallet, my shaky hands will surely tip him off that I believe I just stole something. (Another Yard Sale Rule:  Never let them see your excitement.)  I say, "I'm gonna look around a little more, K?"  Breathe, Lesley, breathe.  I look over at the lemonade stand and think, "Well, I must give grandma and her little blond, soon-to-be-bombshell of a grand daughter a little business.  After all, they just bestowed on me such a treasure."   Walking over I notice they are selling a glass of lemonade and a baggy with two chocolate chip cookies for 50 cents.  They tell me all about the fun they had baking together and the little girl informs me that her 'Meemaw" sure does know how to spill things in the kitchen!  I give them a dollar and told them to keep the change because, after all, the lemonade sign reads: "Proceeds to benefit children who lost their homes in the Japan earthquake disaster."  So nice to see people teaching their little people to take care of others.

So I pay the mustashe-laden guy for the cover and a few other things I picked up and move on.  There were other sales, I was sure of it.  Well.....there were two other sales.  I found a few little treasures, including a little wicker wine rack for 50 cents at a tag sale benefiting our local Humane's Society.  Ahh....giving back never felt so good!  All in all, the morning was a productive one.  I will feature some of my finds on another day.....new projects to follow!  Happy Saturday everyone!!!

Some pics of my little treasures:

The afghan in the foreground....2 bucks!  Never used.  Hand-made.  What's not to like?! ......Also....

Wicker soon-to-be-wine or towel-rack.  Still thinking on this one.....50 cents!  Another pic:

Humane Society Tag Sale.  I got the wicker piece pictured before at this sale along with a little silver ladle and a Cracker Barrel-style over sized checkers set. 

 -End-

I Wanna Conquer the World!

I DO want to conquer the world!  But, hey, a few projects will do for now....

I have this uncanny knack of taking on the world, getting overwhelmed and retreating back into my little cocoon having done nothing.  I have a sneaking suspicion that it could be a 'woman' thing.  Ya know?.....taking on too much?  Crumbling at the daunting task of it all?  I mean, come on.....can we possibly brush our teeth twice a day, floss, keep our legs perfectly-shaven, avoid all blemishes on our face, keep our homes pristine clean, raise amazingly perfect children, kill it in our careers, slay it in the kitchen every night and be the most amazing wife ever created on this earth every damn day of our lives?!!  (Let's not even address the weight and fitness issues here.)  Well.....the answer is obvious.  So why do we strive for just that?  Why do we push ourselves to such levels?  Where is the time in that equation to actually be productive on worthwhile projects and enjoy the process along with way? 

So, with that....I will admit, I haven't shaved my legs in two days (nothing that a pair of jeans won't cover), I am probably going to call for pizza tonight and my house....well.....no one's coming over, so a little mess here and there will have to wait.  I have a 1940's Secretary's desk to re-finish.   Posted here are the "before" pictures. 

This is a Secretary's Desk built in the 1940's that has been in my possession since I set up my first apartment after college.  It belonged to my paternal grandmother, Deedee. I have distinct memories of it in her home during my childhood years.  I can almost smell Deedee's Crisco-topped, Southern biscuits baking.  I can also hear her telling me some tall tale about this desk.  Yep....tall tales existed on that side of my family.....typical Southerners.  Always stretching the truth to fit their colorful stories.  If I recall correctly, and I believe I have an excellent memory, she said that this piece came into her family when she was young and was made in the late 1800's.  "Wow!"  I thought,  "Must be worth something!"  It wasn't until this past month, yep that long down the road, that I decided to investigate the value of this little charmer.  I thought I had a real treasure here. 

Ahhh........snagged!  If she were still alive, she would be well over 100 years old.  She almost "made it onto Willard Scott's segment" as she use to put it.  (I will assume here that you know all about Willard Scott and the Today Show.  If not, do a Google search and figure it out.)  Anyway, she isn't here and I cannot call her on her bull. So, I must move on hoping that she knows I caught her and her rosy pink little lipstick in another fib!

On with the project.....    I am going to paint this desk.  Yes, that's right.  Paint it.  I have some ideas on what I want to do and I will update you as the process continues.   Before all you "but I love that flame mahogany wood" defenders speak, let me remind you.  I own this little gem of a desk....it is in my home and is way way too dark for my tastes.  Color....oh, color.....what do you have in store for this little girl.

More images below.

A little detail shot.  Yes, Karla, that is your little "curly" pitcher right there, along with a Jack Troy cup.  I think I want to do something here with color that helps my pottery collection pop!

I think I want to leave some of the original wood untouched..  So I will remove these drawer pulls and keep them the same.  If you look at the top part of this image above, you will see evidence left from my long lost Sushi.  Sushi was the most wonderful Silver Point Siamese Cat.  I had to adopt her to a new home a few years back because my son's allergies to cats had reached epic proportions.  I miss her, but it is time to do something about the damage that she inflicted on this piece of furniture.  Stay tuned.  Oh, and.......go brush those teeth! Sheesh!