Primitive Bench

The primitive bench we bought last weekend fits comfortably behind the vintage rattan sofa in the living room (loving room). The sofa is covered in an old chenille spread because of our puppy. I have always been drawn to primitive benches and all primitive pieces. Perhaps it is because my dad bought me a primitive bench. I can count on one hand the items daddy bought me in my adult life. That is my own chippy chair from when I was a toddler. All sweet memories my friends.

Linking@Wow Us Wednesday

Be Inspired

Joy and Peace

Olive

Family Funerals

It has taken me a week to gain perspective on a family funeral I attended. 

My family requires months, even years of perspective. If you have read any of my Hold Everything Lightly series, above, you might understand. My great Aunt K. died, she was just shy of ninety. When I was much younger I used to spend time with her but I have not seen her recently. One of my aunts and her daughter have been faithful to visit and care for her. Unfortunately much of what they did for her will go without credit.

I almost walked out of the church because someone was there who hurt me terribly when my beloved daddy died. It took every fiber of my being and the grace of God to hold me in place. Then my Big Sister came in the door and I did not know what she might do because she is far more volatile than I and was involved with that whole incident. My sister did not recognize me.  I have grey hair, have lost weight, and had on heels. A vast difference than my former look when she saw me last year. Yes, it was at least a year since I have seen my sister. We do talk on the phone however. We sat together and she told me she nearly left when she saw the person who caused us so much pain when we were mourning our dad. We are united in that we are the two children left of our parents. Our brother, Fred, was killed by a drunk driver fifteen years ago. Mom had more children later. 

. It was dizzying for me to see friends from high school grown yet strangely the same. They did not recognize me(grey hair strikes again). We saw a vast array of first cousins, cousins thrice removed, aunts, and uncles. Upon reflection I noticed neither preacher who spoke mentioned my great uncle who married my aunt 58 years ago. I do not think that an accident. He was mean and hateful. He was my grandfather's brother.

Going to my hometown is too strenuous and intense for me.

I cannot do it with perspective or grace anymore. 

Too many ghosts of the past lurk there. 

The scary part is they have a pulse.

 joy and peace

Olive

Two Warm&Fuzzies

Do you feel more accomplished some days than others? 

Yesterday was a wash out. 

Today is a great improvement.

The good news is my Blogroll is up and running 

at the top of the blog under Daily Blog Reading.

I get a warm fuzzy feeling every time I manipulate HTML code

 and I do not crash the blog. 

If you do not find your site there let me 

know and I will add it. 

Two or three folks I know I follow are not appearing on the list.

I prefer a Blogroll to a Reader.

The second warm and fuzzy thing that happened today

 is that my house got a deep cleaning. 

 My little sister Terrible T (an old nickname) did it.

 She washes cabinets, cleans baseboards, and ceiling fans.

I paid her of course.

I cannot get the entire house clean at one time any more. 

Could it be because I am blogging?

No, that cannot be it.

Do you prefer a Blogroll or a Reader to find your favorite blogs?

Happy Christmas

Olive

I Broke My Blog , Please Help

I was fiddling with Olive Out yesterday afternoon and most of my sidebar disappeared.

It is gone, gone, gone.

Whilst I rant here is a gardenia from our hedge after a rain.

If you have not noticed I have been accepted to the BlogHer publishing network and now have an ad on my blog. It is absolutely true they accept blogs big and small as I am very small. I am honored they accepted this blog. Why did I go this way? I have a daughter in an extremely expensive college and I can use the money. It would have been ideal if I could have returned to work part time as an RN but my health has prevented that. So now I do what I can where I can and this is another avenue of revenue that I can essentially do from home. I also buy and resell vintage and more modern objects. 

It was while I was moving an ad around on the blog yesterday that my sidebar went bye bye. If any of you have any suggestions please let me know. I have sent an email to Blogher asking for help. When I go into the layout part of the blog it appears as if the sidebar is still there. 

That means I cannot add my gadgets back.

This week has heated up here at the yellow house suddenly. Joe's brother Bob and his wife Sue had a flood at their house and are having their hardwood floors replaced. They will arrive here this afternoon and are always welcome. Sue and I are thrifting buddies. On Friday night we are hosting our small group from True North Church for supper on the deck. That could be as many as fourteen people. I have not decided on the menu yet. It is getting crazy but Psalm 23 in The Message Bible

 reminded me this morning that my cup brims with blessing.

If you have any ideas about the sidebar please leave me a comment.

 I would really appreciate the help.

joy and peace

Olive 

 

It was a long MONTH yesterday

Some days feel like they never stop. 

They go on and on and you do not get a break, a rest, a respite from the next onslaught. 

Yesterday was like that. The hits just kept on coming.

Joe never really went to sleep and around three o' clock he was in severe neck pain. 

He had been treated for similar but far less severe pain two weeks before at our groups weekend office. He could not turn or pick up his head off the pillow.

Our doctor and friend (I was once her nurse at the University) is careful 

and sent him for spinal and cervical X-Rays and a carotid doppler study yesterday afternoon. We got home extremely late and oh so tired. It may well be muscle strain but he has had symptoms for a long time and jaw swelling.  A blocked carotid artery would not be good.

He is medicated and resting now. 

 I convinced him not to go back to work until Monday. 

The test results will be back Friday or Monday.

In the midst of all that CC had college summer school issues of huge proportions.

 She had a good old fashioned hissy fit too. If I were a drinking person I could of been doing just that in the early morning. But pray I did and we made it through the month, the day. I had legal documents to scan and email. Our scanner is broke and they had to be sent. We got that done at 8 PM at our  neighbors house.

Thank the Sweet Lord that today is sparkly shiny new day. 

It cannot be a MONTH long too.

♣

Today CC and I travel to our old house, for a day trip, to collect some medications for Joe.

 Shelley, Clovis and Joe will rest at the yellow house. 

Our dear friend and neighbor, Fancy, will look in on Joe for me.

I wish all of you a SPLENDID day.

joy and peace

Olive

The Puppy Report

Shelley traveled well yesterday and was a star. 

People stopped their cars to speak to him. 

College girls flocked to him.

 

Shelley flanked by Joe's size 14 shoes.

Images in Yesteryear Effect by Pic Monkey.

♣

Yesterday was long but filled with bitter sweet moments for CC as she said goodbye to her room mates. Sophia, an exchange student from China cried and cried as CC got into the truck. That started a river of tears all round for the four roommates. Between star Shelley and our weeping girls we had quite the drama going on.

happy puppies

from our family of FIVE

Olive 

Pottery and Life

March is nearly gone.

 Joe and I have had an eventful month. 

We are happy when the yellow house has guests and we have had guests.

We have one right now that has kept us vigilant all weekend.

I cannot really talk about this special guest but it has been fun. 

Nevertheless we still awoke at o'dark thirty and went garage salen.

 

 

This vintage hanging planter was Joe's mother's. 

It has been in one of our sheds covered in dirt. 

It needed to make it's way inside don't you think?

We picked up this Italian bowl this morning at a sale. 

It is signed by the artist and depicts a part of the Italian coast we have visited.

 Sweet hands in Pencil Sketch.

Now we are off to supper with friends who recently returned from a mission trip to Honduras for three weeks.

I fear I may never catch up in commenting, please forgive me.

joy and peace

Olive

Thrifty Finds and I Am Online

The portable internet device arrived at 4pm yesterday. 

I had it assembled in two minutes flat.

 I called the Verizon lady and she was impressed with my tech ability. 

I told her it was sheer desperation.
 I did not say I was slightly tipsy from shoulder pain medicine.
The shoulder is somewhat better today and I am resisting the garden but it is hard.
Thanks for all your well wishes yesterday.

CC has started her two English papers she is writing over spring break and had her 

uncle who is far sharper than I here late into the night helping her.

In other news here at Olive Out my sister-in-law and I went garage salen on Saturday and I have not shared her stellar finds with you.  I went sans coffee and walked right by several goodies like a complete nut.

How about this double headed concrete ram?

 It has fabulous patina and I walked right by it.

Sue did not.

 It was five dollars.

Sue bought this animal print ottoman also for five dollars.

 I never saw it. 

No Coffee.

About two hours into the morning I started to come around and bought this

 cheese dome on Dansk china.

It was four dollars.

I bought the William Rogers silver plated pitcher with decorative handle

 and spout for four dollars.

The top was bent just a little and Joe fixed it for me. 

The Reed and Barton pitcher behind it is another thrifty find. 

The mini silver cake dome, which makes me smile, 

came from Goodwill for $1.21 for goodness sakes.

Linking with:

Vintage Inspiration Friday

Potpourri Friday at 2805 

joy and peace

Olive

New Series A Departure For Olive

I am starting a series called Hold Everything Lightly on Olive Out that is a departure from the routine topics of vintage decor, thrifting and decorating. I am seeking to record, especially for my daughter and my sisters, the story of my early years and what happened prior to them coming on the scene. It will not be pretty or nice. There is death, violence, abandonment, drunkenness, and loss. Embracing, in writing, the dysfunctions I have known all my life is harder than I expected  I use a quote for the series from someone I have admired since I read her book the "The Hiding Place" when I was fourteen. Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch Christian, imprisoned by the Nazis in Ravensbruck concentration camp where her sister Betsie died. I make no claims to any analogy between Corrie Ten Boom and my life. I would never do that. I have not forgotten what she wrote about holding that which you love lightly. It has held true for me as so many close to me have been taken early in life or circumstances have drastically altered my path.

I hope you can stay with me despite the heavy content. I have written the first installment and cried the entire time. I venture to say that I will anger some or all of my family members at one time or another. As the installments unfold it will become apparent that as I grew older I was able to understand and forgive my parents for their mistakes. I do pray my cardiovascular system holds out. I also trust my sense of humor and faith, both of which were born of this story shine through.

The first installment will post on Wednesday 2/29/2012.
I am in the process of deciding how frequently to post in the series.
 This is real work for me while taking photographs, editing, and writing about estate sales and decor is pleasure most of the time.

"Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts, when God pries your fingers open." 

---Corrie Ten Boom 1892-1983

Olive

Visitors and Madness

In a moment of what can only be called Costco Madness I purchased ten pounds of old fashioned oats at our newly constructed store.

So I will be having this for breakfast.

Every day until next Halloween.

Today has been fun and awful. 

The fun part was my baby sister came over for lunch and I made salad with butter lettuce and grape tomatoes with grilled chicken.

It is lovely to have a home in close proximity to my little sis. 

She looks like me and is sixteen years younger than me.

The awful part is when she was here I discovered that we have a mouse in my recently cleaned pantry. 

I am sure it is after the oatmeal.

may joy and peace surround you

Olive

 

Sweet, Her Not Me

A new teapot centered on our dining table.

My sister-in-law, Sue, gave it to me.

She has a green one that I had admired.

I wanted to take it home with me.

 So she bought me one.

Sweet.

Her not me.

I

I really like the curvy basket the teapot rests in, at the moment, and am not inclined to take it out quite yet. 

We have a lot of items stored in the dining room as we moved a piano here the day after Christmas and the plants must come inside off the deck at some point.

Life is perfectly imperfect and we would not have it any other way. 

We want a jute rug in this room one day to neutralize the floor.

Look at the detail on this vintage table scarf.

Blanket stitch used to be one of my favorite stitches.

Linking with Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday.

may joy and peace surround you

Olive

Making Memories Last

When is an ornament more than the sum of it's parts? 

When it's old and well loved is one answer. 

When it's a vintage treasure is another.

Or when it's handmade from something so precious it is priceless to you.

  That is the case with these ornaments CC and I made with sheet music last night. 

Our Granny had asked me to donate our late Papa's music or keep some for CC. 

I kept a book of songs Papa sang in church.

We loved sitting next to Papa and hearing him sing.

He often performed solos and had a strong low voice.

The music inside these plastic bulbs {the glass ones were sold out} holds wonderful memories of Papa's voice for us.

I know you may be shocked I crafted but I can rise to the occasion when necessary. 

Thanks to the blogger  

who thought of using sheet music this way.

Linking with:

Table Top Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life 

Happy Christmas

Olive 

Gifted Antlers

Antlers and white pumpkins.

 

 

A family member gave us these antlers and we admire their natural texture and form, much as we admire the cute little form of the pumpkin. This is kind of a masculine and feminine mix.

The family member was puzzled as to what we were going to with them. We will send him a link to our blog so he will be puzzled no more. Thanks bunches M.L.

Joe and I picked up the vintage clock two weeks ago at a garage sale for one dollar. 

The color is just right.

The mini white pumpkins, in the cloches, are from the Tuesday Morning store this summer.

I am linking with:

Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday.

&

Sherry at No Minimalist Here for Open House Party.

may joy and peace surround you

Olive 

Joe and Cloches

Joe and I converged on the lighting section of the Habitat For Humanity Re-Store at about the same time and then we saw the pendant light.

 

Joe asked, "Could it work as a cloche?"

I replied, smiling, "definitely."

Joe is about eighty-eight kinds of wonderful at any given moment.

 &

He "gets" cloches.

 

 

The buffet is dressed for fall in white pumpkins.

The soup tureen is a recent thrifty find and was made in Italy.

The bell shape of the cloche works for us and our vintage cake stand.

Wonky little white pumpkins are so cute and they last a very long time (more about that later).

♥♥♥

A big thank you to my aunt and uncle for treating me to fish, grits, and hushpuppies on Friday night.

It was lovely to spend time with you and it means so much to me that you read and enjoy this blog.

Linking to Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday.

may joy and peace surround you always

Olive