~*BEAUTIFUL GEMS of THOUGHT AND SENTIMENT*~

~*BEAUTIFUL GEMS*~

My Father had a passion for books.  Didn't matter what kind...he loved them all. 

~*FRONT PAGE of BEAUTIFUL GEMS*~

I hope someday to own one or two of his most favorite...he had an amazing collection.

~*My FATHER...about 1993*~

Early this past Summer my Mother and I attended an amazing estate sale here in my town.  It was a family-run-sale (my favorite kind) and the contents of the home were incredible.  I scored a vintage Remington Typewriter, two amazing handmade vintage evening dresses (all hand stitched and dyed) and one of those large copper pots with perfectly placed patina.  I also snagged a ton of old books...about thirty or so.  Most of them had been stored away for at least fifty years or more and just seeing them made me think about my Dad.  He would have loved a sale like this one, and no doubt would have bought the same pick of books I had if given the chance.

 

~*BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK*~

As thrilled as I was over the Typewriter, clothing and old boiling pot, it was the books I was the most excited about.

~*1890 LONGFELLOW POETRY BOOK*~

Books.

Dusty.

Dirty.

Old.

 

 ~BEAUTIFUL VERSES*~

Anyway, I purchased all of them for about $25.  It wasn't until I lugged them home (and had time to flip through them) that I realized the rarity of my find.

 ~*TINY BOOK - THE BOY'S STORY BOOK*~

All the books are wonderful...my favorite is the BEAUTIFUL GEMS BOOK and the one you see above...THE BOY'S STORY BOOK from 1853.

~*BY THEODORE THINKER*~

It is so precious...

 ~*BEAUTIFUL DRAWINGS*~

Lots of lovely black and white etchings, too.

BEAUTIFUL GEMS is about 120 years old and as crazy as it sounds I just love the smell of it.  The spine has some damage and some of the pictures inside are loose.  So, I'm planning on scanning a few of them and framing them up for my La Chaumière de Briarwood.

 My Father would have loved it best, too.

Hoping your day is wonderful and filled with lots of good things.

Only good things.

Blessings...

~KITCHEN REMODEL....YES IT'S STILL GOING ON!~

If someone had told me when we first started our kitchen renovation that we would STILL be working on it after several years I would NEVAHHHHH have believed it!  I know I keep harping on it, but the entire process has become a pain-in-the-grommet (my dad use to say that and I have no idea what it really means!) and we can't wait for it to be done.  Although we are still working in temp-mode (make-shift sink and island and no countertops/cabinets), we are finally seeing LIGHT at the end of a long, long, dark tunnel!

  Today I'm sharing with you some pics that were taken a few days ago.  As I said the other day...trim-work is now finished and my Mr. AGPMan is working on the cabinet plans.  Look at the two photos above....I'm really happy the UGLEEEEEE air vent is gone (2nd photo upper right on wall) as I always hated it

 

This vintage French door will replace the temporary one you see that leads to our new laundry room and full bath!

I've TRIED my best to enjoy the process...and sometimes I do.  But, the work has been grueling and slow-going.  Extensive plumbing work and electrical work proved to be more involved that we ever imagined it would be.  Renovation work is tough.

I'm thankful we've been able to do what we have done given my Mr. AGPMan's 2013 layoff from the Big Red "X".  That tossed a big fat wrench into our budget and our plans.  Everything ground to a halt for nearly 8 months!

It's only when I review the photo diary I'm able to keep my perspective in check.  We've saved many, many thousands of dollars doing the work ourselves...  I'm thankful for that and grateful my guy is so talented and able to do so much on his own.

I've finally settled on the style of cabinets I want.  I found these French themed cabinets while perusing Pinterest...LOVE THEM!

I don't want all the cabinets to have glass doors and I don't want this type of counter-top or back-splash.  But, I do love the idea of it all.  We hope our kitchen island will look something like this...

The space next to one of the pocket door that leads into my Mr. AGPMan's office we hope will look something like this...

At least the really hard grunt work and tear-out work is done.  Things are almost put back together and I'm actually looking forward to the next phase.  I'm hoping it will be a lot more fun!

More soon!  Hope your Friday is awesome.

Blessings~

Rebecca

~*SPEAK ONLY KIND THINGS...*~

I spent the afternoon with my beautiful Momma today and that always puts me in the best of moods!  I love it when she's able to come over (she still drives!) and we are able to enjoy lunch out and just sit and chat.  After some good-eats at a favorite local Café we returned back to my La Chaumière de Briarwood where I showed her how to navigate the pattern for the Tattered Pumpkin Pillow you see above.  She's wanting to make a few for her friends and for some reason she thinks I can teach her, well, something.  That is soooo funny to me as this woman has taught me ALL I KNOW!

Everything.

My Mother lives life with a grateful spirit.

She always has.

Never a whiner or complainer,

she accepts each day as it comes

with more grace and dignity

than I will ever hope to have.

She is my hero.

"Speak only kind things," she says.

(I.Forget.That.A Lot.)

In just a week she'll reach a birthday milestone and at present I've been super busy planning her party.  Her invite is above (still so thankful for learning Photo Shop and Paint Shop Pro all those years ago!).  This birthday is a very a special one....

NUMBER #80!

She's so excited as family members are coming in for the big day!  We are working at keeping it positive and fun...a tad bit of a challenge as we are still marking many "FIRSTS" without my Father.  Makes having my Mother still here so very, very special...

With the scent of Autumn in the Air we've planned the celebration using a Fall theme.  Makes decorating and choosing the menu/food a little easier...and sooo delish!

More to share soon!    

Blessings...

~HAPPY HARVEST DAYS...And So Much More~

 

HAPPY FALL, Peeps!

The official FIRST DAY of AUTUMN isn't until September 23rd, but who's counting, right?  I love the mild weather we've been having and so enjoy having cooler days.  I'm also eager to share new thoughts with you...that is, if any of my old readers are still around and care to tag along.

 

So many changes this year and many more to come.  

 

I still have my Booth at Serendipity Market (Edmond, OK) and loving it more than ever.

 

I still JUNK with a passion and suppose I always will.

 

And...when I FEEL like it, I add something new to my REBECCA VINTAGE - A Gathering Place website.

My home continues along a path of metamorphic change.

I'll be sharing more about it soon...especially our never-ending kitchen and downstairs renovation...

(Our Achilles Heel!)

The kitchen portion of it has been ongoing for way too long now and we are BEYOND sick of it.  We do have our new fridge, sink, window, faucet, etc.  All the plumbing, wiring is done (huge, huge job) and the walls are now textured and painted and doors trimmed out.

 

But, our cabinets came in and then were sent back because of damage, poor painting and glazing and missing parts.

(Silent Scream Goes Here!)

At this point we are moving towards Plan B on the cabinets.  We found a style we LOVE, but they are so OUT of our BUDGET (like THOUSANDS OVER!!!) that my hubby is going to custom make them.  Am I totally on board with this?  Ummm...NO!  He's already overworked (and underpaid!) and making custom cabinets will take months given his available time.  But, convincing a do-it-yourselfer to NOT do-it-himself will take a miracle.

The one thing he's opted NOT TO DO HIMESELF are the cabinets.  The company we chose dropped the ball (big time) and the quality was simply terrible.  They were expensive too...

(Totally bummed out!)

I'm sure my hubby's returning to school, his job loss in the middle of last year and the death of both of our fathers only eight weeks apart has played a huge part in the delay.  Not to mention landing a new job and getting settled into a new career... 

It's all been overwhelming.

My guy works a full time job and has done ALL the work alone.  That means only a couple of hours a night and Saturdays to work on everything...and little rest. :(

So...the beat (and work) goes on!!!  More pics to share with you soon!

For those of you who are wondering about my Miss K...  Well, she will be TWELVE in November and is no longer a wee little girl.  She'll pass me up in height this year (Boo!) and can no longer 'borrow' my cool shoes as her feet are bigger than mine.  I suspect she'll one day reach at least 5'8...she's going to be a tall girl.  She's grown up to be so precious~  Oh, and she LOVES her newly refashioned turquoise bedroom.

So, there you have it...where I am today.  Busy as ever and loving life so much.  I'm grateful for my health and so much more.

God is good.

All the time.

Blessings...