Two Weeks

Only two weeks until the Amish Auction.  I've been working furiously trying to finish up the crafts I've started.  I really should have worked harder earlier in the year!  Funny thing….my husband told me that if we had known about the show sooner, I could have been working on it all along instead of the two weeks before its here.  Hmmmm….what a good idea!  I've only wanted to go to this for the past 15 to 20 years.

Some time back in the 90's I took my crafts to the Amish Auction.  However, I never had enough items to have a full booth.  I always shared a booth with another person (or two)  This is a huge step for me!  I still need to complete my booth design, create my brand and think of all the essentials I need to have on hand for the day.  All this, in addition to the items I need to finish!  Yup….  working all year long would have been so much easier.  It's no wonder I woke up with a headache this morning.  Its a really good thing that we live one mile down the dirt road from the location!

Well, the colors for my craft items have turned out to be baby blue, turquoise,  gold, black and purple.  I only have beige curtains to use, but maybe that will be a great backdrop to all the vivid colors in my crafts.  I've had so much fun working on these vases.  I really want to bring more than the amount I have, but time is ticking and I have to move on to other items!

The lineup includes stuffed pumpkins, painted vases & jars, reworked frames, refurbished furniture and vintage items.  This week, I'm going to try making a specialty item for my booth.  It will be a first try for me and not in the colors I have picked for my other items.  It will tone everything down and hopefully pull everything together.  We'll see if I can make them first, though.  So many things to do…such little time to do it.  

Love Blue!

Here are some things I've been working on earlier this month.  

I really need to get busy because, before you know it, the Amish Auction will be here.  It's the second week in September.  A lot of the items I've been working on have a spring look to them, so I think it's about time to work on something for fall.  I believe I can work these colors into a display, but I really need to hit it hard with something in Autumn colors.

My plans are to make an assortment of pumpkins in a variety of colors.  Yeah...I know, been there done that, but maybe there will be some young women there that need a few pumpkins.  I know I used to collect them when I was young!  It was fun to pick up a new and different pumpkin every year.  

I have a used chest of drawers that needs to be redone, so I need to get started on that too.  I'll try to get some pictures of the school desk and the rocking horse that's ready to go also.  

I'm really enjoying myself so much!  Now, if I could just keep posting regularly!  I wonder if I should do a 30 day challenge or something!  haha  nah, I don't think so!  LOL

Maybe I Don't!

It's Monday and I'm pooped!  It was my first day back to work after a week-long vacation.  I thought about my blog all day long, but just couldn't get things going after work.  I did however, find the picture of my Grand Mother that inspires me.


She was one exciting lady.  She was content with life and always had something going on!  I saw some photos of her sisters and they looked so serious.  Not my Grandma!  

She wrote letters to my Grand Father, Frank Smith, after she split up with her first husband.  I think this must have come with one of the letters....  What do you think?

Hope you enjoy this photo as much as I do.

I Still Got It!

Well, it took me a few days to get going.  I guess I'm getting slower in my old age!  Today was Sunday School and Church and then a birthday party for my little Lexi Rae!  She turned six this week, but we waited for her Daddy to come home from work to celebrate with a cake.  She got an iPad today!  Geeze!  I don't even have one of those!  These kids are so computer savvy these days!




After all that, I finally got started with my first project.  I picked something easy; a simple box.  I love boxes and collected them at one time.  But since I'm pairing everything down in my home now, I decided to redo some of them to put in a booth or take to a show.  I think this one will be perfect for the Amish Auction in September.  That particular craft show is perfect for items with fall colors!

Hopefully tomorrow I'll keep this trend going and work on another project!  Finishing one item makes me feel like..."I still got it!"  haha  I do like this blogging.  It makes me more accountable!  I feel obligated now to actually do the things I say I'm going to do!  I suppose this is why all of this is a big deal to me.  

House Work Gets in the Way!

HA!  I just thought I was going to work on some crafts yesterday, but the house work got in the way.  However, I feel really good about my kitchen!  I actually made some progress in there.  My plan is to get rid of everything I really don't want, use or need.  Lately I've been noticing how many bags enter into our house.  I would really love to see just as many or more bags of items leave!

This is our organizing station.  For some reason, the hubby's tools seemed to be overtaking this station, so I gave him more room.  The cookbooks were in the middle bins, so I moved them up and gave him the three middle bins for tools, flashlights and whatever else he needs to keep this mansion running.  He also has one basket for gloves and protective gear.  The other one is for paperwork that seems to float around the room.  I transferred all to the filing cabinet finally!  Now we have a place to throw all those loose papers that we are not ready to get rid of...you know, important stuff.

I've been working on this old kitchen lately.  The latest (best) thing I've done is repaint it blue.  It was a buttery yellow for about 15 years.  It's amazing what a difference a color can make!  The blue is very refreshing and actually makes me feel happier.  My hubby took the little chandelier down and reworked it for me.  I actually think he had fun with it!  It had a glass and wooden frame around the lights and looked so 1990's!  With one can of spray paint, it looks brand new!  I love how it looks with the new lettering we put up on the same day.

Well, today I'm off to the Magnolia Festival in Durant.  I'm going to see Shell's Vintage Charm, a motivation for me!  I went to school with Shelly and her husband Frankie!  I just love what she's doing with her crafts, blog and website!   She works full time like me and still finds the time to do what she loves.  She makes my dreams seem doable!  Hope she's having a great weekend!  I think they have been set up since Thursday evening and won't be taking things down until Sunday afternoon!  

Maybe this afternoon, I'll get started.  I think I'm a slow starter!

Time for What I Love!

Time....the one thing you just can't replace.


It seems like all we do is work.  I don't mean to sound lazy, but it just seems like there's not much time to do the things we really love to do.  For me cleaning house is a struggle when that time is after the 8-hour work day.  Add on the time to get ready, drive to work and run an errand or a kids activity after hours and now we're talking about a 12 to 14-hour day and quite frankly I'm usually tired when I get home.  On Saturday, I usually rationalize that I need to do something fun with the hubby or family.  And, Sunday is devoted to the Lord, rest and visiting my kids and relatives.

I'm so glad I get to see my lovely Grand Babies, but it's regrettable for me that I haven't spent more time "working" on things I love....crafts, scrapbooking, refurbishing, creating, blogging, genealogy and auctions.  So, now I'm going to try to squeeze that time out before it slips by!  After all, the kids are grown and our little redneck mansion is all mine and my husband's (mostly mine). 

My name is Mary Riley and I'm married to Jim Riley, the nicest husband around and the Love of my life!  I'm the proud Mother of six children (James, Nick, Jaymin, Jaydin, Brooke and Jaylee) and six beautiful Grand Babies (Annie, Brylee, Gage, Natalie, Lexius and Mattox)!  So.... I have been a really fulfilled Mother and now a fulfilled Grandma Mary!  I miss my little kids so much, not so much the grown-up versions, but I really miss my babies!  They were so cute and we were always doing something together.  I just cherish the moments with the Grand Kids and often remember all the fun I had with my own kids!

I love my husband, I love my job, I love my family and I love my home.  I'm ready for the next chapter of my life, so I hope you join me in the new adventures to come.  You see....the plans are all up here in my head....craft shows, craft booth in town, blog, website, etsy and just expressing what's inside me!  This is step one....   it's scary, but it's time!