Red Shoes blog

Today's Musings....

  I like to think that out of the bad sometimes can come the good.
  For example,  when you are down and out people send you B.E.A.U.TIFUL flowers!

I absolutely LOVE flowers but am too cheap to buy them for myself.  oh on occasion I will splurge,  but for the most part I just admire them and hold tight to my wallet. 
It's especially tough during these months when the ranunculous and anemones are in bloom.
  they honestly have to be some of my MOST favorite flowers,  along with the lilacs and lily of the valley that are in bloom now too. miraculously I have controlled myself, and not purchased any.
  So imagine my excitement over getting this lovely treat from a friend!

so the bad part was being in the E.R.,  but gosh darn it,  look at the good side!  love those flowers!
  I truly do try to remain positive about things,  choosing to look on the sunny side of things,  life's too short not to.
  Now that's not to say that I am always Mrs. Sunshine.
I have a negative side,  I am a HUGE worrier.
  Always thinking about the worst case scenario.
most of my furniture have rounded corners because I always envisioned my children's eyeballs stuck to something and so on.
  I will also admit to how shallow I can be too,  when they first mentioned the word "cancer" to me the first thing that popped into my mind was "ohmigosh I don't want to lose my hair"
  not ~what about my family? or the fact that maybe I might die
it was all about my hair.  how pathetic is that?
  So don't think I am all that perfect,  I am totally NOT.....but I do try to be positive.
  I will also say that i do laugh and poke fun at myself because I am so absurd and deep down I really do try to remain hopeful that everything will be allright.
  loads to be thankful for!
My birthday is this coming Sunday and I am really excited to be turning 43.
I've had some FUNNNNN cards coming in,
this one's my favorite so far.

i'm glad to know that someone thinks I'm funky.
  I will admit that I am at a happier place in my 40's.
Gone are the insecurities that come in your 20's.
~don't think that I didn't worry about that fine husband of mine in the 80's.
  now that I am 40 I realize how silly I was,  really it was in my 30's that I realized THAT,  but now I can reflect on things a little bit differently and realize all of that time and energy I wasted over thinking those dumb thoughts.
  It's funny how thoughts and ideas shift when you get older and how you really come to see what the important things are in life.
So the past few days of course have been about some self reflection,  getting back into the groove of things and knuckling down and getting to WORK!
  I have been totally obsessed over clay lately,  doing all sorts of things,  revisiting past projects but looking at them in a different light and developing new ideas...
  so heres a tiny sneek peek at what's in the works....
all to be revealed soon....





  I am also cooking up some other stuff too,  when my A.D.D. isn't flaring.
  now speaking of cooking,  since I can't eat much,  but still have to feed my family I of course have to grocery shop, so these were my fun finds this week...
at KROGER,  yes,  the GROCERY STORE,  I found these adorable tea towels!

fun, fresh, vibrant patterns of fruit! 
because gosh darn it,  if I can't eat,  at least I can buy cute things with food on them right?  ;)
  now moving on over to Plum market,  they have this ice cream that I stumbled upon....
oh MY!

speaking of how shallow I am,  I originally was drawn to it because of the cute gingham check on the outside thinking how cute it would look in my cart,  because yes,  I think about those things.  i'm weird.
  but upon closer inspection I knew this was going to be
so much more than good looks,  it was COFFEE FLAVORED!
YUM!!!!!!
I have been totally addicted to coffee flavored ice-cream.  i literally was eating a cone a day from the Washtenaw dairy,  but started to become embarrassed at my frequency there, so now I can eat my ice cream in the privacy of my own home,  and yes,  it IS delicious!
oink.
  now on to other good things of the week....
as you all know I am a HUGE dog lover.  we have all sorts of dogs come to visit us at the shop.
pearl has her "boyfriend" stop by on occasion,a HUGE bull mastiff/rhodesian ridgeback mix named Beau, who belongs to my friend Sarah from the burnt toast inn.
  we also have McGuyver, a little French bull puppy that I  A.D.O.R.E. stop by regularly...
and next door we have some new people who moved in that have two of the MOST precious little dogs I know!
  I get SO excited when they stop by....it's like a puppy-palooza!
here's Stella and I think "sparky'?  i get so excited about seeing them i forget these important details...

  So with that being said, it's safe to say we simply are just NUTS about dogs......
  So since Ann works for me 4 out of the 6 days we are open it was only Natural that she should be able to bring in her newest addition to her family with her to work.
  meet Jake.

oh my!
if you're a dog lover like us,  stop by and see him,  he's there Monday through thursday,  but you'll have to beg to see him,  Ann is very good at keeping him on a schedule and doesn't like to wake him up.
me,  well,  I would do it in a heart beat because you know how I like to be distracted!
  So on that note,  I better get back to doing SOMETHING
even though it;s so much fun to do all the things you're not supposed to!  hee hee.
hope you all have a great day!
xoxoxo
c.

Happy Mother's Day! and a whole lot of rambling...

  Hello!  I wanted to pop in and wish ALL of you mom's out there,  (even the ones of you out there without kids but with pets), a big Happy Mother's day!
  Because ALL of you people deserve to enjoy the day no matter what.
  Being a mom is such a nice and rewarding experience no matter what you choose to "mother".
Just the simple act of caring for another living creature  makes your heart swell.
  I have been thinking all day today about what to write....my mind a twirl with thoughts and Ideas as usual.
  I had the luxury of having the day off today,  being lazy and kind of not really doing much of anything.
(well, except for breaking up a few fights, doing some laundry,  dishes, vacuuming and feeding people) in between THOSE things I played around on the computer and watched a movie in the DAYTIME with my sweetpea Ian.
  Now with the way I operate,  one idea or experience seems to spur another,  so today while we were watching the movie "Resurrecting the Champ" with Samuel Jackson, and the very cute actor josh  Hartnett,  it got me to thinking how much that josh looks like My Ian did when he was in his 20's......so I had to go dig through some old photos to double check.
here's josh

here's Ian

(maybe I am wacko,  but He reminds me of him)
   So I started scanning and uploading old photos onto my computer and it got me to thinking of all sorts of things,   SO I APOLOGIZE in advance for the incredibly long post to follow.
  I found an old photo of my sister and me,  back when I was 5 and she was just a little baby.....my mom was right around the same age as I was when I had my kids,
(....Much older,  in her late 30's)

I don't know if I have ever talked about my sister Elizabeth,

(these are old photos, but  at least you can see her.)


she's my only sibling, 5 years younger than me.  She lives out in Reno and is a lounge singer.
She has a great voice,  (I certainly didn't inherit THAT trait.)  She's also pretty cute, and skinny, and changes her look like the weather,  completely confident with herself, (unlike ME)  and sports those tattoos I wish I had the courage to get but won't.
  We are very different.
but I love her, and she cracks me up.
  My Mom, (here with baby Fiona)

was able to parent the both of us,
two completely different individuals, with LOVE, and compassion, and incredible tolerance for us even though I know we tested her patience like nobody's business.
  My Mom was a single, divorced mom who completely supported us on her own.
  We never felt like we lacked for ANYTHING,  our life was rich with experience, and fun.  she gave us a Ton of freedom, took us on trips all over the country,   driving 2 young girls across the states to Texas by herself.  To me, that's an amazing, strong woman of courage to be able to do that.
  We always had private lessons, went to the best schools, summer camps and the best restaurants....even though I know for a fact she worked so hard just to be able to pay all of our bills.
  My Mom has always been someone I was the closest to, always calling her with any sort of news, or drama, or silly thing I needed to share.  She was always the first person, even to this day,  that I tell things to...I was always seeking her approval and opinion no matter what.  Thankfully she was always fair and kind in her responses.
Now that's not to say that we didn't, and don't have our fair share of disagreements, but at least we respect eachother and are able to  have our own opinions without judgement.    I really feel that she raised me well.
So today has to be about wishing HER a Happy Mothers day too.  because without HER,  there would be no ME.
and I am so thankful to be here.
  Now on that note I also feel that today's day has to also be shared with my HUSBAND,  because without Him,
I would not be a MOM. 
  So my mother's day has been a trip down memory lane for me.......going through old photos of Ian and myself from 20+ years ago.....seeing the photos of the man I adore and have adored for so many years.
  Sometimes you have to revisit these things to see just how lucky you really are,  because after being with someone for over 22 years,  well, you know the deal....
things can seem to get a little boring, or routine, or whatever.
  thankfully we still have a strong and happy marriage, & laugh with each other daily. seeing those pictures just reaffirms my love for the man that gave me two beautiful children.
So come along with me won't you? and tell me what you think......
this is Ian in the 80's Isn't he just the cutest darn thing?!

he's on the jet ski to the right!  oh my.

just out of the army in his fine vintage car.

on the right,  surfing with a buddy in california...

here we are just babies, in our 20's in the 80's,
you like my big earrings??  thanks to those, my earlobes are sagging down to my kneecaps, (along with other body parts)

back when it was o.k. to smoke in the house,  can you BELIEVE THAT?  crazy!

here we are up north,  do you like the truck and the coon dog in back?   you know,  back in the days when my husband hunted and did all of those macho type of things with friends,  thankfully he's out grown those things.
  (that wasn't our coon dog either.)

here we are camping,  I bet I have one of our sleeping bags tucked up inside one of my nostrils.  GEEZ louise that's a big nose!

doing what we do best,  laughing all the time,  probably about nothing.

getting married in Las Vegas....seriously.
is it bad I'm wearing a RED dress? 

my mama cass photo, 

here he is all handsome in a tux, the late 80's mullet really pulls it off nicely!  ;)

again, cleans up nicely in a suit ...with childhood friends in the 1980's.  next to him my old boyfriend Kip, i've been very lucky to date cute boys.  hee hee.

fast forward a few years to our first "baby"
our  my pet bird  "nigel"  and the start of him learning to accept the fact that I LOVE ANIMALS,  and would have a zoo if I could.

...him not so much. 
 
Too Many pictures????
I know a lot of you like all of my photos,  but I would hate to be a bother,  so I will wrap it up with the last few....
fast forward to the past few years with my love,
and how life has rewarded me with two sweet kids....

because I truly can't celebrate today without HIM.
because if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be a good mom,
he compliments me,  he's the yin to my yang.  when I'm off he's on, and so on.
so today my sweet Ian let me relax and have my "day"
a nice and relaxing, cozy, comforting day re-visiting the past and thinking about the future.....

because when you are in the hospital for several days and they mention the word "cancer" several times you tend to think about those things.
  Now to wrap this up I will give you a tiny run down on this weeks medical issues.
  I do not want this blog to become "catherine's medical journal" instead of the craft/shop blog I want it to be, but I also wanted to let you know where I was so you didn't think I was off somewhere slacking.
  What I have is some sort of VERY RARE disease called
achalasia.....only about 2000 people in the country per year get this,  aren't I UNIQUE?!
basically I have been telling people it's like I got that Al Roker Lap band around my stomach for free! 
   in layman's terms My esophagus stopped working, and there is a tight band around the opening to my stomach where the muscles have become weak and no longer work,  they can't tell me why, or how,  but that it's there,
I had an attack on tuesday while I was out walking and felt this intense pain in my stomach that radiated up into my chest and neck that landed me in the E.R.
  when a "mass" showed up on the ct scan they started throwing out the "c" word,  so more tests were done and biopsies, etc, keeping me hooked up for days on i.v's and monitors ,  but thankfully I have no cancer.
  I just have a body that has decided to stop working,
so in addition to my stomach problem, I can now add the esophagus.  I am now officially on a LIQUID diet, until they can fix me.  I have become my worst nightmare,  HIGH MAINTENANCE.
  So this week I have to have more procedures done,  then eventually some sort of surgery to help something that will never truly go away.
  Now why am I mad about all of this?  let's see...
  when I repeatedly asked my doctor about my weight loss, and the fact that it was getting increasingly harder for me to eat anything,  shouldn't I get some more tests done?  shouldn't I have another endoscopy?
he replies "no,  it's pretty common with your illness for people to feel this way, I'll have you see a nutrionist!"
trust me, I asked him more than once about those tests.
So when I spent the past 4 days in the hospital, that's probably going to cost me a $1,000 deductible on my insurance, you can imagine why I am a little angry that i didn't get that $20 test.
not to mention the $1,000 to fix my teeth.
  I could be depressed about all of it,  but I am choosing to remain thankful that I am
A.) not dying
B.) lost weight and can wear cute clothes
c.) get to drink lots of MILKSHAKES  whoo-hoo
so,  with that being said, today was a great day for me to reflect on being a MOM,  my role here with my family,  and the fact that they clearly need me to take care of them because when you are away for 4 days,  sheesh!  you should have seen the house!
So I may or may not have time to do all of the things I'd like to do this summer, but I am going to try try try to be the most productive I can.
  Tomorrow I will be placing orders in the A.M.
and getting down to crafting in the p.M.
so unless you have a pressing question or urgent matter I probably can't get back to you with email, just know I appreciate all of your kind words and well wishes,  but I gotta get working to make up for all of this SLACKING i have been doing!  ;)  hope you understand.
SO here's a tiny peek at what I am working on,
the rest will be revealed soon,  I promise!





AS always thanks So much for checking in,  being kind and supportive, and most of all just LIKING what I am doing, you really are all the best!
So here's to having a good week to all!  and to all you MOMS out there,  give yourself one big old pat on the back,  because doggonit you deserve it!
xoxoxoxoxo
catherine

will return shortly......

 

I've been in the hospital for the past week,  (and no it wasn't from a heart attack due to my fitness regimen!)
  it was a flare up that landed me in the E.R. along with new complications and  new ilnesses,  or should I say DIAGNOSIS revealed due to my stomach issues.
  I was just released today and am playing catch up.
So,  if i'm not around that's why,  but I will be back,
soon,  and with good stuff,  I am just trying to get my groove on,  get better, and get some stuff settled.
let's just say,  I am no longer mrs. nice guy when it comes to my health care,  I am angry and fed up.
  So along with trying to catch up on things I will be dealing with insurance companies and doctors who don;t listen.
  I am a VERY HAPPY AND HEALTHY PERSON, don't worry. I will be back soon I promise,  hope you understand
I am dying to be creative!
  talk soon!
xoxoxoxoxo
catherine

Spring Commitment to fitness 08!

  O.k.,  what the heck have I gotten myself into?
I hate exercising! 
  On my SECOND ride down to the shop the ride home was WAY more memorable,  it was all uphill and I am thinking to myself "this stinks!"
  (the first ride home was at night on a friday after my
usual pit stop at the pub for my vodka-tonic,  so the ride home didn't seem so bad) though I don't recommend THAT technique!
  The ride To the shop is easy,  the UPHILL way home I could feel it in my muscles,  and I wanted to cry.
  I suppose it's for the greater good.  I want to get healthy and firm up the flab.
  But in all honesty I am not liking it, nope, not one bit, cute bike or not.
  So yesterday I had to return some clothes to the local sports shop and they only would do a credit,  so I ended up buying some fitness pants,  and a top along with some tennis shoes,  I thought "hey,  in addition to biking,  why not start RUNNING"
  I used to do it along time ago,  was on the track team
in highschool.  (along with swim team) believe it or not.
  SO sure,  let's add running to the mix,   maybe i'll start training for triathalons! totally kidding of course but,
  ......i've clearly lost my mind.

  So I come home,  strap on my new gear and start off running with Pearl racing ahead of me.  not 10 steps into it,  I am DYING,  and Pearl is running while looking back at me constantly,  even she,  you can tell,  is thinking
"woman,  what are you DOING?  you don't do that!"
  She probably was terrified I might have a heart attack and trip and fall on her crushing her on the way down.
  SO in between running and walking I think by the end of next year I might be able to make it around the block.
  Today I did a very fast RACE-walk downtown through the streets of ann arbor,  that felt MUCH better!
  In fact,  my cute new work out gear makes EXCELLENT
LOUNGE-wear,  it was Very comfortable laying on my bed
last night in my stretchy pants!
  i'll keep you posted,  i'm really not going to give up that easily,   I WILL keep trying and am on a mission to work out,  but i'm not out to set any world records yet either.
  Anyone care to join me in my commitment to fitness 2008?  because if I can do it,  you know you can!  ;)
  The one positive thing about all of this is that it's So wonderful to be outside,  soaking up all of the springiness!
  everything is in bloom everywhere you look.

gorgeous bulbs and tulips,

flowering crabs and apple trees

we walked along this path near our school that has a little woods where you can see native plants growing.
it's so nice to see the beautiful jack in the pulpits and wild trillium blooming
along with wild violets and other pretty things












  looking at all of that nature influences other areas of my life,  and it starts to filter in here and there



because it's those little things in life that honestly make me happy!
  I look at everything around me constantly,  I am a very visual person.  I soak it all up like a sponge.
  I look and notice the most simple of things and am awed.
in fact they had these art projects made by the kindergartners hanging in the window of the school that I found inspiring.

with their long bodies and colorful skinny arms,  my mind started to twirl with ideas!
  you might just see a doll in that form one of these days!
  in fact I am twitching to get something done soon,
it's really been ridiculous lately trying to get anything done,  I am still trying to figure out a schedule for myself,  because I am all over the place mentally and physically.  any great tips out there to help an old gal with great ideas,  but big-time a.d.d.?
hmmmmmm.  let me know.
  maybe all of that excercise will kick start that area of my brain and something miraculous will happen.
you never know.
  well,  I am off to wait for my family,  my husband is meeting me at the shop to help me install new lights for out front.
  I would have done it myself,  but it required reading directions,  so that was the deal-breaker.
so instead he will do it,  and I will buy dinner downtown,  YAY!  I don't have to cook!
O.k.,  tomorrow is Midnight Madness downtown,  wish us luck,  should be fun!
  I am hoping to cook up something sweet for it,  and as always we'll have a fresh pot of coffee on and loads to look at!
  hope to see you there!
xoxoxo
c.



 


 

Thinking Green

  WOW!  thanks for all of the bike love!   I can't believe how many comments I received about my sweet new ride!  also many thanks for not thinking I'm TOO dorky!
(you didn't see me in my helmet however!)
Oh well,  I'm seriously just trying in my own simple little way to be green.  curbing my car for at least 2 days a week if I can, riding my bike to the shop.
  it's a tiny little commute (15 minutes),  but I figure every little bit helps!
Every where you turn they talk about "living Green", and being healthier...I spent the past few days working in the yard trying to weed out my garden beds, another way i was surrounded by the "green"
well,  really it was yellow, because unfortunately it's dandelion season,  we bagged up about 11 sacs full of weeds.
  Even you know who was eager to poke her nose in and help.
she was busy sniffing everything, including that cute little mound of green moss I have growing.

in case you can't figure out what on earth that picture is,  it's pearl's head,  (in extreme close up.)
here's a diagram.   

  Aren't I helpful?
So as you can see Everyone was enjoying the sunny weather!
It's so exciting to see all of the perennials doing their jobs and poking their heads out seeking out the warm sun.  the yard is starting to green up and we are spending more and more time outdoors.
  Unfortunately the weather is slated to take a turn for the worse...back to colder weather in the next few days.
SO in response to that bad news I bought some more little green plants from the greenhouse and have a new batch of baby tears down at the shop, 

along with some sweet little geraniums and a few tiny pansies.

So even though it's cold and yucky outside we can surround ourselves with lovely little green growing things and know in our hearts warm weather will be back soon!
  We also have some great new metal pieces in the store,
these beautiful Bluish-green candelabras that make me SO happy!  I absolutely LOVE their color and their
faux-antique patina.





  Now with all of this talk about green I had to laugh a what I actually had for lunch today.

  I didn't plan on eating all green stuff,  it just kind of happened that way.

Cream of spinach soup, veggie crisps, "green casserole" from Arbor Farms market, (DELICIOUS!) and a nice protein shake that is supposed to be Vanilla flavored, but is actually mint green in color.  hmmm.
do have have green on my mind or what?
oh well,  green is GOOD for you!  :)
  So for the rest of this week I am going to continue to celebrate the green and offer you some ways to SAVE some green!
we will be open late this Friday Night (MAY 2nd)
for Midnight madness.
You can save 15% off of ONE item in the shop this weekend (may 2nd and 3rd ONLY) this excludes my art work sorry.
  also if you spend $50 or more you will receive a little Gift!   YAY!
I will also be offering some little sweets and coffee.
now I will be off for the rest of the week working on some other projects that I will share with you soon.
  I will be back to work On Thursday (riding my bike of course) I am happy to report that I actually made it to work successfully on Friday.... (my maiden voyage)....packed to the brim with all of my office gear and Pearl of course.
  THAT was a bit of a challenge.  in the future I will be leaving all of my work at the shop and only riding with dog in tow. 
  I should probably be doing that in the first place ....leaving my work AT WORK.
but when you run a business it's kind of hard to do that.
Now lately I have been having some thought shifts about what I am really doing with my life, and the store  so
This summer I will be spending more time with the little people in my life.
  Life goes by WAY too fast.
My little Fiona just learned to ride HER bike this week without training wheels,  with ONE push, I'm not kidding,  ONE quick release of the hand and she was gone!  never once looking back she was off and riding!
I wish I had that kind of spirit!
She also lost 2 teeth this weekend.  her very first!
(NO, it wasn't from a bike crash)
  She'll be starting Kindergarten this Fall too.
Time is indeed flying by,  so with that being said I am going to pull her from her pre-school this summer and actually be a mom full-time with my kids.
(Hopefully you won't be reading about me in the paper,  "mom strangles children")
  Now I will still be at the shop on Thursday, Friday and Saturday but the other days I will be with my kids.
we re-joined our little country club and will be spending time at the pool with swim lessons , swim team and baseball.
  So needless to say I am going to have to be ULTRA creative and disciplined with my time to keep things running smoothly at the shop.
  I may not be as prolific as I'd like to be,  but I am also super motivated to get as much done before school lets out to compensate for that!  I hope you understand.
life only comes at you once,  So I am doing what my heart is telling me to do.
  So on that Note,
I am off to pick up Jackson from the green soccer fields and look forward to chatting with you all soon!
thanks for checking in!
xoxo
catherine
 

Riding on my Bicycle, my Bicycle.......

  I just want to sing that happy little tune every time I hop onto the seat of my new wheels!
  So as promised here are the pictures of my new love.
I read about this bike in a magazine,  or on line several years ago,  So when I went into the bike shop the day before yesterday and saw a couple of them parked out front I knew it was fate.
Now mind you the sales girl tried to talk me out of it saying it was limited,  only had 3 gears,  would be tough and virtually impossible to ride uphill on and tried to steer me towards another model,  more on the mountain bike side of things,  but I was strong and persevered.
  this is an accomplishment in itself, because I am usually very easily swayed and well,  a push-over.
  I usually buckle under pressure and will sometimes go with the flow.  but not this time.  I was determined,  not to mention head over heals in L.O.V.E.
   So Here she is.....

My  Electra Amsterdam Bike.
It's a retro modern style bike that is based on the dutch utility bike,  the very type that the Europeans use to travel around their cities to ride to work on,  or a short trip to the market for fresh flowers and cheese...because you know how I love those old school types of things I felt this was PERFECT for me!
  And since I plan on riding my bike to work it had all of the basic stuff I needed.
  It had a simple gear shift,  nice LARGE comfortable seat for my rear end.

  Comfy handle bars,

a bike bell

(though I guarantee you that I will never use that,  just like I would never use a horn on my car!  I hate to be that LOUD!)
  It also has a nice bike rack to hold my laptop bag,
and fender flares and mud flaps to protect my clothes from the splatter!

  not to mention a sweet little light for all of that Night riding I might be doing!  ;)

  so all in all I think it's just perfect!

But wait!  there's more!
now because I bring sweet little ole pearl with me to work every day you know she needed to have HER own spot,  not to mention I needed an extra space for all of that bread, flowers and cheese I might be buying! 
so I of course HAD to buy a basket!
My friend's Alice shop was the perfect place to go!
So if you're local, you can find this basket at the downtown pet shop dogmacatmantoo

Doesn't she just look so darn cute?



That leopard print just kills me!  she even has a little cushion in there to protect her fuzzy little bee-hind.
now don't worry she's buckled in so she won't jump out.

  She's actually pretty good in there,  I just hope she doesn't see a squirrel and flip out and make ME in turn WIPE out.  but I bought a HELMET just in case.
  So there you have it.  My nerdly little new get-up.
  My family thinks I'm nuts,  and my husband feels sorry for me.  but I could NOT be happier!
  So what do YOU think?
just don't laugh and point at me should you see me tooling by!  ;)
o.k.,  I am off to wake up kids for school,  it's all good until the screaming starts!
talk soon, and have a GREAT day!
xoxoxo
c.

the kick off!

  O.k.,  so when I say I'll post "tomorrow",  you can figure on "tomorrow" translating into a week!  sheesh.
  Time flies though when your having fun now doesn't it?!
There has been so much happening lately I don't even know where to begin,  so I will start with the fact that the weather here is absolutely phenomenal,  sunny, warm, gorgeous.
  Been spending a lot of time outdoors,  working in the garden doing the spring clean up,  spending time downtown with friends at outdoor pubs, visiting the antiques market, riding my new BICYCLE!  and of course re-finishing furniture!
  So here are some of the pieces I have been working on.

these are of course the "befores"
I found this nice old mission style oak desk and chair set,  but certainly no fun in that shade of BROWN.
so hello blue marine paint!

I also found this cute old yellow bookshelf that I painted a nice vibrant sunny yellow!
makes your eyeballs just sing when you look at that intensity of color!  (well at least mine do)

  I also have this cute little simple white dresser that I am working on,  pretty soon it will be covered in a nice floral pattern,  (or something like that),  my brain's wheel are a-churning folks!
  So both the blue set and the bookcase are now down at the shop.
  I am also working on some beautiful wicker pieces,


  but they will arrive a little bit later,
I'm working on some cushions for them.
but In the meantime I have a special little project that I am working feverishly on that is a surprise,  so I can't show you anything about that YET,  but soon I promise!
  so For now We have some new sweet little pottery pieces that just arrived last week at the shop from the sweet Farmer Julie!

they come in two colors, white or a lovely greenish blue color!



  These Gorgeous little petite handmade vases are perfect for  tiny bouquets, holding pencils, paintbrushes.
or simply standing alone, they just look so cute!
Now you know how I love that greenish color patina....
well I found a wonderful old coffee table at the antiques market..
it's also now down at the shop...

it's already been worked into a new display along with the vintage sap buckets I found that now hold some sweet paper wrapped dried lavender bunches for sale!




along with the table and sap buckets I found a great old zinc potting table that I LOVE.
first off,  give me anything with zinc and I will do a backflip.  love that stuff!

Also give me anything with vintage graphics, and I will swoon.
~found this cute little vintage manicurists table, with matching chair......it had me at hello.




  So all in all the market was good for me, it was a great kick off to the season!  I managed to find some cute goods that I will in turn share with you,
and have a head full of ideas that are ready to burst out soon!
  So on that note,  I am off to work on some things and will try and post again soon.
  I will share photos next time of my new bike I bought myself yesterday.
  let's just say that when I rode it to school yesterday to pick up my son,  he wanted to run and hide, and pretended I wasn't his mom.
He will be ready for the therapist's couch when he see's me ride up today......bought a cute little market basket with a leopard print liner for Pearl.
gotta be able to take my dog to work with me!  ;)
  So look forward to some great pictures of me being a giant dork.
  but honestly,  I wouldn't have it any other way!
xoxoxo
catherine

Home Sweet Home

  Got home from our trip Saturday night and hit the ground running as usual! 
Loads to catch up at the shop and the home front.
  We have had some phenomenally beautiful weather these past few days that of course I had to capitalize on, which means IT'S PAINTING FURNITURE TIME!
  Spent the past few days painting loads of goodies that I will be bringing down to the shop in the next few days.
  here's a little peek.  I will share more on that tomorrow.
 
As usual I will be bringing you goods that are saturated in color that will make your heart sing (or at least Mine!)
pure lovely vibrant colors that just scream
warmer spring and summer days sipping lemonade on the front porch!
   Something that's in complete contrast from our vacation!   the majority of the trip was  cold, rainy and gloomy!    We could only laugh at the irony of it all.....because as soon as we left gloomy Ann Arbor for what we thought would be sunny North Carolina,  our home
weather turned sunny and 70 degrees while carolina was rainy and 60's!  Go figure!
  But we didn't let it get us down,  we did lots of touristy activities.
  First off,  the State is absolutely Gorgeous!
I have never been to a state that is covered in so much greenery and lush forests.  I mean, My town is very woody and "green" as far as towns are concerned,  but nothing like this place!


You can barely see some of the houses and businesses because they are neatly tucked behind thick woods.
  North Carolina is also steeped in so much history!  every where we turned there was some sort of plaque recognizing some sort of historical something that happened there.
  Even the homes wore some sort of sign that told of a famous person that lived there.
for example,  here's the famous pirate Blackbeard's house.

and here's a PALACE!...literally.

  The houses all seemed so unique and HUGE!  with beautiful landscaped yards and lovely fences.
some with quirky little pathways....

  I only managed to take a few photos of the houses because most of the time my husband was flying past these places in the car!

we Spent most of the time driving around because from where our rented condo was located that's all you could do!  we would spend on average 2 hours a day driving.
ridiculous,  but the places we ended up in more than made up for that!
  Now traveling with GUYS of course means you have to do
manly site-seeing.   (if it were up to me,  we would have hit boutiques, cute little cafes and vintage stores,  but that would have only been met with groans so I didn't even try.)
  So the first trip we took was to Wilmington and the U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship.
  There is nothing like crawling around in the bowels of a massive ship to make me feel a tad claustrophobic and sick.  but I took one for the team and tried to enjoy myself.















I mean the place WAS cool,  it was like a small city enclosed in the deep huge space similar to a submarine.
  they had huge kitchens and a general store, an ice cream shop,  a post office, laboratory, hospital, and
many other things....
  and how could I NOT indulge my sweet husband who is like a kid himself,  so excited to see this place,  looking in every nook and cranny and opening drawers with the wonder and amazement of a child?
So I managed to keep it together for the grueling HOUR and a half that we were in there.
you will also be happy to know I flew on the plane without the help of ANY drugs!   I think I conquered my fear of flying!  it wasn't too bad at all!
  Now also in the quaint little town of Wilmington,  they had this FANTASTIC little deli called the Capitol Grill.  if you have a chance,  go eat there. it's WONDERFUL,  and the setting is charming with some cute little pieces of art of reclaimed wood.





  So moving on,  we did one more man-style trip and visited Fort Macon.  an old fortress built to protect the inlet and surrounding shores from invasions.
  again,  not high on my list of things to do,  especially when you have a 5 year old wild child who runs everywhere she goes and you're immediately greeted with a sign that says "WARNING,  proceed with caution,  this place was built for WAR, not sight seeing, it has many steep drop-offs and stairs"
  GREAT! 
So of course I became the maniacal mom I am known to be and held on to her hand with the death grip.
The place was enormous,  with several levels and built in rooms with these incredibly scary looking mannequins.
 







now if I were the curator of this place I would be RUNNING and i mean running for the door once I turned the light off in this place,  those creepy figures alone would freak me out,  not to mention I bet there's some "ghostly" activity going on there,  'cause you know how I like to think about those things!
  Now happily my family obliged when it was my turn, and I asked if I could go to the town of Beaufort to see their ghost tour.  evidently it's one of the towns biggest attractions,  but sadly it started late at night and ian wasn't into being out that late,  so we just toured the town and the cemetary where part of the tour takes place.
ooooh scary!
now even other parts of this quaint little town seemed scary all on it's own.  take for example this random house I managed to catch on film,  isn't it spooky?

now back to the grave yard.....
  the cemetary has some of the oldest graves I have ever seen.  some dating back to the 1700's.
  as soon as I set foot in the place i felt the temperature drop significantly.
but it was gorgeous.
075





there was one grave in particular that was very sad to me,  and evidently to many others as well because they has turned it into a sort of shrine.... it was the grave of a little unknown girl.  the thought of some child who had no one to claim her broke my heart.



090



o.k.  time to get THAT out of my mind!  on to happier things.  I don't want you to think I am all about the macabre and sadness.
  We also visited an aquarium that was pretty neat.
they had some adorable baby sea turtles....since they are a protected and endangered species they had them in these special tanks for breeding and observation and when they  felt sleepy they would simply  float there motionless with their eyes closed.  one of them preferred to sleep (like me) in the fetal position with his arms curled to his chest.  i thought that was adorable!

look at his little pigeon-toes!  ooh!
they had a bunch of tanks with fish and strange things.
I thought these jelly fish were fascinating, in an ethereal kind of way, even though I think they are gross.

they also had a part of a sunken ship in this HUGE tank with sharks and other things swimming around in there that of course my husband thought was an AMAZING opportunity to be funny.
here he is pretending to be drowning underwater.

...and here he is pretending to be attacked by an
alligator


you see we have fun in the most simplest of settings,  proving that as a family we are indeed a bunch of wackos.  but we like it this way.
  They also had this little fish that I was completely smitten with!

remind you of anyone?

if you haven't seen this old movie from the 1960's starring Don knotts,  well,  it's a classic.  great for the kids.  they totally enjoy it.
you can see the trailer HERE.
  Now where this aquarium is located is also the same place we spent the last 2 days of our trip when the sun finally came out!
  It was right on the Atlantic ocean in a town called (appropriately) Atlantic Beach
we visited a couple of surf shops for the boy...

  The first day we came here in street clothes,  totally not expecting it to get nice,  so we sat on the beach and rolled up our sleeves and pant legs while the kids played in the sand...totally forgetting about sunscreen like complete idiots. an hour and a half later when we were on fire and all beat red when we headed home.
  It was embarrassing the next day,  i felt like EVERYONE could tell we were from out of town! 
So the next day we came prepared,  with suits and sunscreen.
  My son had a ball riding his skim board along the shore.  my daughter happy to be running wild and free.



in fact my daughter had some fun with the board,  pretending she was a surfer.  you can obviously tell her big brother has some influence over her.
do you like those hand symbols?  geez.  we're in trouble.



here she is flashing her gang signs and ninja moves,  you like that?




not that my son is into those types of things,  in fact he's a really good kid except for the surly phase he is going through right now.  pre-teen stuff I suppose.
in fact most of the trip We were breaking up fights between these 2 clowns.
  but there were some short windows of where they would actually get along and APPEAR to be having some fun!





At our condo (which over looked the harbor)

they had this tire swing that they thoroughly enjoyed.
we also found some little critters scooting about here.

we even saw a deer directly below our balcony.
amazing.
  So all in all i feel like we had a nice well-rounded family vacation.  it was nice to explore the state of North Carolina.
now I can tell you, because it's NOT going to happen
(at least anytime soon) but not ruling it out in the future.
but the reason we went there in the first place to check it out was because my husband's job might have relocated us there!
  At first I was very sad about leaving my home town,  a town I grew up in, where i know people, and have my business.  but then I got to thinking an adventure might be nice for us.   we have never left or lived any where else before.  well at least I haven't,  my husband lived in other places when he was in the military.  he even lived in the Sinai desert for awhile.  but not me,  nope.  I'm a nest builder and don't fly far from home.
so thankfully for now I will remain in my safe cozy home
happy that I will be staying put in a place where I can honestly say I am deeply rooted.
  So on that note,  I am off to unpack and move the massive shipment of boxes that we just got in.
I hope to show you all sorts of red shoes goodness tomorrow!
xoxox
c.

Bon Voyage!