Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Blah Blah Blah



I'm not really sure what happened, but a few months ago I became overwhelmed.

Then a month ago I lost my kitty, Mocha.  (I'm still having trouble with that one)

I've gone on a cruise, went to a bowl game and hung out with my Dad for a week in the past month.

It seems like just those last three events would have perked me up and had me blogging for days,

but they didn't.

I've just got the Blog Blahs.


I haven't even been excited about picking my Photo of the Day.

That's usually my favorite thing to do each day.


I've decided I'm going to take a month off.


I'll come back around Valentines Day (or next week, if saying that I don't want to blog for awhile means that I can't think about anything else I'd rather be doing.)




I'm not going to quit blogging and I'm not going to shut down my blog.
I'm not going to fade into the sunset and I'm not going to stop visiting your blogs.
Honestly though, I've hardly visited anyone in months.
I just need a rest.

Oh and I've rented that booth space in an antique mall, so trying to prepare for that is really occupying my mind, too.  I've been gathering, shopping, spray painting, evaluating and going over that 6 x 6 space a million times.  It's exciting, but exhausting and I won't be moving into the space until Feb 1st.

I'll see you in a few weeks with Photos of the Day and lots to talk about.

Have a wonderful day!
Kristin




Sunday, January 15, 2012

POTD - Giant Bag Tags




POTD - Giant Bag Tags
©2012 Kristin Corlett

So many people are collecting bread bag tags for me and I appreciate it so much!  My ultimate goal is to be able to cover an entire wall with the tags as well as do some other crafts with them.  A friend of mine saw these bag tags on some kind of a chicken meal from Walmart and she knew the second she saw the hearts on the tag and the size of them, that I was going to flip.  She was right.  I was so excited that I took a photo immediately.  I put the tags on my passenger side seat in my car and took this shot.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with these, but I'm sure thinking about it.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Saturday, January 14, 2012

POTD - Engaged



POTD - Engaged
©2012 Kristin Corlett

A picture of a craft project in the works.  I've been cutting out circles and hearts from vintage dictionary pages to eventually sew together.  Tonight I was pleasantly pleased when I realized that I inadvertently captured the word engaged in one of my hearts.  I stacked the hearts on one of my photographs, as a representation of all of the circles I'd been cutting, and really liked the way it all worked together.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Friday, January 13, 2012

Friday Fragments



Welcome to Friday Fragments!  This is the place where we're able to put little snippets of fun or interesting things together without having to stretch that idea into an entire blog post.

Mrs. 4444 is our lovely host and I am so grateful for her continued hosting of this fun carnival.  For more Friday Fragments finds, please head on over to Half-Past Kissin' Time.  Thanks!

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These fragments are weeks in the making!  I've been writing down funny things because I have no brain these days.  I hope you enjoy my Saturday morning Fragments!

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When I was on my Christmas Cruise with my husband we were seated for dinner with a group of people that we hadn't met yet.  At one point everyone left the table and just this guy and I were at the table.  I laughed and said - "Well, do you have something exciting to share real quick while everyone is gone?"  He said, "Sure!  My step-sister is now my step brother and she used to live in Jacksonville."  You could have knocked me over with a feather.  He laughed and said he couldn't believe he blurted that out!



My husband proclaimed one day that people who live in Charleston, SC called the city Chuck.  As in, "I live in Chuck."  My friends Matt and Patti had just driven by Charleston a few days earlier and noticed the exit for North Charleston.  Matt asked my husband if the people in North Charleston called it Up Chuck?

We laughed a long time.



My friend and I are going into business together.  We're taking on a 6x6 booth space in an antiques mall.  That's a pretty small space if we don't get along!  Good thing we are pretty compatible.  Actually, all we have to do is maintain the booth space, we don't actually have to be there all the time.  They are fully staffed with folks who know what they are doing.  That's good news for us!!



I heard on the radio that James Taylor is giving guitar lessons on his website, here.  I don't know if they are free or not, because I don't play guitar so I didn't follow through with the enrollment, but how cool to have lessons from James Taylor.  I really enjoy his music.



I took my car in because the windshield washer fluid wasn't pumping at all.  We had just taken it in moments before it hit the 100K mile, end of the warranty mileage.  We put a few hundred miles on the car since then so we were now over that magic number.  It seems they found a lot more problems with the car and my "I'm just taking it in to unclog the pump" ended up costing me $505.  Almost all of it would have been covered under the warranty if if had died, leaked, been discovered before that 100K.  Sigh sigh.  At least the car is paid off!

I found this poster at a thrift store in Punta Gorda.  I didn't buy it, but I remember seeing it for sale in the 80s.  Gooooooo State!  (you can click to enlarge)


I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but I went to the Outback Bowl in Tampa, FL and watched my Michigan State Spartans come home with a win!  The first half was boring, the second half and the three overtimes were spectacular!  I'm so proud of my Spartans!!

Have a wonderful weekend and please head on over to Mrs. 4444's place to see more Friday Fragments if you haven't already.

The photos of the cactus are in a neighbors yard.  Not my neighbor, but my Dad's.  :)

Kristin



Wednesday, January 11, 2012

POTD - Turning in Fog


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POTD - Turning in Fog
©2012 Kristin Corlett

Driving along the highway the other morning I noticed the most beautiful foggy area with the palm trees looking over everything.  By the time the camera in my phone finally engaged, I was having to turn the corner from the ramp to the main road.  Just on the other side of the overpass, there wasn't even a hint of the fog.  Amazing how different the weather can be just feet apart.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

POTD - Royal Palm Tree


POTD - Royal Palm Tree
©2012 Kristin Corlett

This is by far my most very favorite type of palm tree. The palm tree trunk is silky smooth, the top has a beautiful bright green band and the bushy palm fronds remind me more of a bottle brush than a palm frond.  The streets of Punta Gorda were lined with the Royal Palm, the side streets, too.  I had a permanent grin looking out the window of the car.  Just imagine what it could have been like if it was 11:11 and I was standing next to one of these beauties?!!  Oh, that's just too much to even comprehend!!   If you'd like more information on the Royal Palm, just click this link - Pristine Landscape Inc.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Monday, January 09, 2012

My Dad's Place

I really had no idea what to expect when I went to see where my Dad was now living.  He just kept telling me that he looked at the place one day, bought it the next and wasn't planning on coming back for a few months.  So when I asked about the house he'd say, I don't know or I don't remember.  He's been down in Punta Gorda for a few months now and living in the house, but he still was mum about it's condition.  He did tell me the place was pink.  I thought it was going to be as pink as this flower, I found on his back patio, but actually it's a dusty rose that pretty much looks like a rosy tan. 

Tom, my Dad and I arrived fairly late and after dark.  My heart was beating pretty fast as I was so nervous about what I'd find when he opened the door to the inside.

Oh heck!  He was pulling my leg, as it is a real nice place.  The problem for my Dad was that he purchased the place furnished and still with a lot of the former owners things - so it was a little overwhelming for him.  That's why he was so vague about the place.


The outside is nice, if not a typical looking Florida style modular home.  Everyone in his community has a house like this, but interestingly, they are all different.  Some are bigger, some smaller, different colors, landscaping and driveways, the patio's are different or the homes are higher off the ground.  When you look down the street you don't feel as though you are seeing the same image.  I like that. 


Here is my Dad's carport.  Lots of light comes into the house because of the lack of walls.   It bothers me in my place that two sides of my condo are windowless.  He doesn't have that problem at all.


The back patio needs some love, but I can see my Dad entertaining friends back here in the near future. 


He even has a storage area where the former kitchen cabinets now reside.  The two gray bins are going back with me to Jacksonville the next time I come down. We gathered up all as many items as possible that my Dad either didn't like or wasn't needed in his place.  The house was full of lighthouses, in the form of little statues, plaques, wall decor, dishtowels, etc.  He wasn't too keep on keeping all of that.  The decorations in the house were also pretty girly.  Tea cups and saucers and tons of items with flowers.  We deflowered the place :)

By the time I left I had gone through every nook and cranny and divided everything we found into piles - Humane Society (towels and blankets),  Habitat for Humanity Resale store (unwanted items that I didn't want),  trash, keep and the Gray Bins.  I will have a booth in an antique mall in a few weeks, so all of the items that I thought I could sell there, I put in the bins. 

I haven't edited the inside photos yet, so I hope to have that finished for tomorrows post.

I really think my Dad is going to be happy there.  Especially now that the decorations are more to his liking!  I don't know if he is going to be a year round resident or just a winter resident.  I don't even think he knows.  He'll figure it out.

Until then - he's got a great place.

Thanks for stopping by!
Kristin

Sunday, January 08, 2012

The Boy the Monkey and Batman



I was updating my Facebook status today while I was making my way home.  My first mode of transportation was the car.  My Dad took me to my first stop, the bus.  I took a photo of the bus when it arrived and updated my status - I'm on the bus!

Then a few hours later when I transfered from the bus to the train, I took a quick shot of some folks getting on the train and updated my status - I'm getting on the train!

Then an hour or two later I witnessed something interesting.

A young kid sitting across the aisle from me asked the train conductor when the next "smoke break" was coming up.  The conductor said that it would be about 15 minutes.  The kid then picked up his bag and walked down the aisle.  It was then that I saw it...

The boy was putting on his Batman backpack and the head of a stuffed animal, a monkey, was peeking out the top.  It was kind of sad and kind of sweet all at the same time.  I imagined all sorts of scenarios for the reason he was on the train.  I also imagined all kinds of ages for the boy.  I also couldn't imagine a young boy who carries a stuffed animal would be hanging out with the smokers outside the train.

It intrigued me enough that I mentioned the boy, the monkey and the Batman on Facebook.

Awhile after I posted the comment I went back to my earlier picture and realized that I had inadvertently photographed the kid with backpack!   I enlarged the photo, as I just took a quicky shot with my phone and it wasn't a large file, but you can clearly see the little monkey face peeking out of the backpack.



My seatmate and I ended up talking to the boy for a few minutes before my stop and found out a few things.  He's 18 and had been visiting with his girlfriend for a few weeks.  He's now on his way back home.  He seems like a really nice kid, but he is still such a little boy.  Everything he said just told me that he may have more to learn than a lot of kids his age.  I wish him well.  I'm glad the monkey and Batman were on this trip with him.

Have a great day!
Kristin

Friday, January 06, 2012

Scenes from Punta Gorda

A painted flower above a shop in Fisherman's Village


I'm sitting in a Mexican restaurant - Dean's Tex-Mex to be exact - and they have pretty fast internet service here.  However, the exception is uploading my photos to Photobucket.  It's being pretty sloggy.  So, I thought I'd post just the few that I've managed to load and leave the rest for next week when I return home.


One of the only cool, vintage items we found in the cupboards - 
a 1964-65 New York World's Fair tray.

I'm having a real nice time down here with my Dad.  We've cleaned out nearly every closet, under bed, around the corner and way-back space in his place.  We dropped off three large trash bags of towels and blankets to the humane society (they always appreciate towels and blankets for the animals)  and a huge trunk load of stuff to the Habitat for Humanity Restore store.  I had piled so much stuff into my Dad's livingroom for so many days I was afraid one of us might trip on the stuff.  I'm glad to finally get it out of there.

These were tiny butternut squash that I saw at the Farmer's Market.


He didn't invite me down to clean, but I did it anyway.  It seems easier somehow to clean someone elses place than my own - I've cleaned out the kitchen cupboards inside and out, sprayed the oven and got that wiped down.  I'm going to be relining the shelves in the bathroom with contact paper later today - I'm actually looking less forward to that, than I was the oven.  I can never seem to get contact paper to stick, but those shelves just can't be left bare.


My Dad's place was full of lighthouses, so I had to laugh when one of the first displays of snowglobes I found were lighthouses.  We have de-lighthoused his space and it feels so much better.  He chose three or four of the lighthouse items to keep.  The place is looking more and more like him each day.  He's going to really enjoy the place after I leave, I can just feel it.

I've been sitting here for over an hour, so I'd better scoot.
Have a wonderful day!

Kristin

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Hanging out with Dad

Hey
Have you wondered what in the heck happened to me? Well my husband and I went to the outback bowl on monday with my dad and then we headed south to punta gorda.  my dad moved into a house down there a few months ago and i was anxious to see the place.  my dad purchased the house with most of the household contents.  about the only things that were taken as far as i could tell were photos and clothing.  it is a little overwhelming to move into someone elses place and try to make it yours, so im here to help sort through and help my dad feel more comfortable here.  the house is full of lighthouse knick knacks, towls, pictures, paintings, plates, etc.  we are currently delighthousing the place.ive taken my dad shopping a few times to try to find items that are more his style, but so far we javent had a whole lot of luck.  i will be back home late sunday.  my husband has already gone home as he had work to do.  my phone is not blogger savvy and i cant seem to capitalize or create a paragraph, so i thank you for slogging through this.  my dad doesnt have internet and i havent found an internet cafe yet.  have a great day.   kristin

Sunday, January 01, 2012

POTD - Toast! Cheers!


POTD - Toast!  Cheers!
©2011 Kristin Corlett

Happy New Year!!  A few hours before that clock struck midnight some friends and I gathered together with glasses of sparkling grape juice and toasted to the new year.  We also gave thanks for those that were gathered together and those that couldn't be there.  We said things about love and friendship, too.  They were going on a bit too long so I suggested we have a sip and toast again!

I wish you all a Happy New Year!  and I wish you only the best in the upcoming year.

Enjoy!
Kristin