Domestic Diva!

Today I was feeling more domestic than usual. For those who know me well, it is clear that domestic and Sondra are not often used in relation to one another unless describing opposites. However, today was different. I had a lot on my mind and I decided to burn off some steam by cleaning and cooking. Don't get me wrong, my house is most often clean, just not always hands and knees clean like it is today! Here is the homemade hot sauce, mexican chicken and raspberry pie that I made for tonight's dinner. I got the DELICIOUS recipe from Tina at Cherry Hill Cottage (also where I got my fabulous Poppy Seed Cake recipe that people insisted my Mother had made). I'll be sure to share one jar of the hot sauce with Dad as he cannot resist hot things, especially homemade hotness!

Priceless Books

Of all the old things that make me smile, books are one of my favorites. The older, the better! Normally I won't spend more than a dollar for an old book, regardless of how badly I believe I need it. However, here are two exceptions that I am proud to have made. Why? They have my last name in their titles. Yes - they are in German and No - I cannot read them. But...who cares? How fun is a book with your name on or in it? Especially one that is worn on the edges and shows true "aged essence"! (If it's tough to see, click on the image = it should enlarge for you.)

FIESTA Night!

So in order to make our week at the lake more interesting I planned a Fiesta Night for one of the dinners that we were responsible for since Josh and I really enjoy Mexican food. It was a ton of fun...despite my having to get creative about how to hang a pinata in a house that I can't put holes in to hang it from. Not that I would ever do that in my home either, but I was amazed at the lack of options at the cottage. If we wanted to break the pinata outside (in the rain) there would have been no problem, but for obvious reasons we opted not to do so. Check out the pics of my family (Mom, Brother Brett (above sitting) and Fiance Lindsay, Cousin Josh (above standing) and his Sweet Sarie, Cousin Kayla and My Josh) and I at our FIESTA!

Rainy Days don't have to be ALL Bad!

What do you do at a lake house for a week when it rains every day and your dog can't come inside? WELL....shopping, of course.

My mother and I decided to scout out some antique stores while at the lake to get both us and Dan Man out of the house or should I say off the deck (where my poor Dan had to spend his week).

We fell in love with Country Mall Antiques and here are some of my great buys. I have been inspired by freshvintage and the way that Colleen shows her finds and how much they cost. So I decided to show you Sondra's version. Granted - I still can't find the kind of steals that Colleen finds, but I am happy with my spree this week! Here you have it:

Sorry about the pics. I need to work on my staging. But up-close was difficult with all this stuff. Here is the rundown of prices and explanations of items wherever I felt it necessary to explain!

large canning jar pot - free

tiny green candle holder - free

3 miniature plates and oval picture frame - free

8 pc. tea and saucer set - free (an exuse to have a tea party I guess)

black and white plate - free (Why? Why not!).

2 blue books - free (One is the confessions of somebody Rosseau - sounds interesting!)

pink birdie candleholder - free (only cuz it matches my guest room)

2 Reader's Digest books - $1 each (Love their decorative covers and couldn't pass them up, but now I feel like a fool after reading how much Lilia from Flea Market Studio paid for her vintage Reader's Digest books... .20 a piece = it's almost painful!)

Muriel Cigar Box - $1 another booth had the same box for $8 = can you say rip off? (my GMA had a boyfriend once upon a time that liked to call her Muriel so she'll really get a kick out of this box. Hmm...maybe he was calling out for a cigar instead of her???)

green book - .40

Quaker oats tin and hot cocoa tin - 1.50 each

metal drying rack - .80 (To be turned into a picture display)

silver tray - .80

silver and wood serving tray - .80 (I plan to decopauge pics over the gaudy wood)

lazy susan - 3.00 (I have so many ideas and uses for these - I could not resist)

glass goblet - .80

spoon rest - .40 (my mother insisted I get this - "everyone should have one" and when you can make your mother happy for .40, I suggest you jump on it!)

Miller Lite mug - .90 (I am not an alcoholic; however my mother's maiden name is Miller and my brother and cousins eat that paraphanalia up! A belated gift for Brett's birthday!)

Miller Lite metal sign - 5.00 (from Public Market - not the antique store, but another "must have")

Miller Lite beer tap pull - 5.00 (Hemlock Flea Market find - what a place!)

2 Pyrex/Glasbake divider dishes - .65 and .75 (No need - just couldn't pass up the price)

Pyrex Pitcher - 3.00 (my other GMA - who is very ill right now - had this pitcher when I was young - no other explanation needed)

red and orange Pyrex bowl - 3.00

2 paper trays - 2.50 a piece

6 polka dessert bowls - .16 a piece

mailbox - 4.50

crock - 3.00 (without cactus' in it; they were left over from fiesta night - more to come on that!!)

Spanish style blanket - 4.78 (tablecloth for fiesta night)

level - 5.00 (another shelf in the guest room?)

small linen towel (with the recipe for "Sill Salad" whatever that is! = yuck!) - 3.75

floral vintage tablecloth - 3.75

other two vintage tablecloths - 6.75 a piece (I know these aren't necessarily deals, but I'm really into the vintage linens lately and can't seem to pass them up!!)

For a grand total of 72.54 - I think!

My Week So Far

So here it is Tuesday evening. I haven't written in a while because I have been away. Technically, I still am away but came home for a day to allow my dog some indoor time.

My family is at Honeyoye Lake for a week. We rented a cottage for the six of us. And what a week it has been already. Danny Boy is not allowed in the cottage by request of the owners. Now you're probably thinking I'm a fool for renting a cottage that doesn't allow dogs, but for your clarification NOBODY allows dogs. So we've had to make do. Making do has included a trip home so that Danny could get out of the rain and cold for a bit (I also had an interview). Do note that he sleeps in a tent with Josh (his dedicated hero of a Daddy) every night so he is not exactly "outside" and during the day he hangs out on the partially covered deck, so I guess things could be worse. I am now wishing with this unfortunate weather we are having that we had just gotten Dan a doggysitter. Oh well! We need our own cottage so he can come and go as he pleases - that's all there is to it! I'll add it to my "to-do" list asap!!

I'm trying to make the best of my time here and stay optimistic, which is difficult considering we are worrying about my Grandmother who is not doing well. I was hoping to come here and escape all my cares, but I haven't been successful so far. I keep looking back at my pictures of the sunrise the first morning we were here and hoping that it will come back before we leave. Until then...pray for good weather and the health of my Grandma.

Seize the Day

I woke up today all excited about my new blog. Me - a blogger - who woulda thunk it? I was conjuring up all sorts of fun stuff to write about when I realized I was running a bit behind. I needed to be at Central Office for a meeting with Human Resources regarding my certification. For those of you who don't know, I'm a teacher and in N.Y. teachers must acquire permanent certification within 5 years of earning their initial certification or they will lose their certification and ultimately their job. What this basically means is that you have to take a bunch of exams that cost $150 each and get a masters degree. All of which I've done.

So I went to my meeting and found out that apparently I haven't taken a test - a test, of course, that I was unaware existed! Gotta love NY, making it harder than hell to make a living! Who wouldn't want to live/work here? Ultimately, I was forced into a leave of absence before I left there and told that I will only have a postion in the district if and when I settle my certification crap.

There went all that excitement I woke up with! But I must say that I handled it well - I think! I'm still handling it, I guess. I definitely got the answer I was looking for on 'Blog Fear Question #2' (see below). I will certainly have plenty of time to maintain my blog since I won't be going back to work!

Here's the thing...I believe that everything happens for a reason. I also believe that this is God's way of getting me out of a job I shouldn't have been in to begin with. I wasn't happy and it was time for a change. Sometimes...when you can't bring yourself to make a change, someone else will do it for you. I know that this is a blessing in disguise and when all is said and done I'll be better off. I think this is my opportunity to get out there in the decorating world and make a name for myself. I'll seize the day! I mean, you've all seen what I'm capable of with the dirty birdies: http://www.kodakgallery.com/nicky/projects/dirtybirdies. Maybe I'll share some pics from my house in the next few days, too. Spread the word to all decor. gurus!!!

Gotta go. I hear a knock at the door. Is that you Mrs. Opportunity? Nope - just Danny Boy.

My Debut

Whew! Am I ever nervous about my blogging debut. Those who know me well also know that there is no place for me in the "techno" world... So I am rightly nervous about the "big plunge" I have acted so eradically in today. The concerns I have about taking this step are those that I would prefer to consider "normal". Fears like, "Will anybody care to ever read my blog?", "Will I be able to maintain a blog once the summer is over and I head back to work for ten months", "Will I forget that this blog is not a "virtual therapist" and I should not tell all when blogging?" and of course, "Will my life become soo boring that I will run out of things to talk about on the blog?"

I decided to put myself out there anyway, as I am under the influence of others. These others are: namely my friend Nicky who blogs almost daily and makes it seem easy and the plethera of blogs that I have been introduced to via the Junkmarket's Junk Club. I really only found one of the blogs I'm speaking of there; it is called freshvintage. But after I visited that blog and saw all the fun blogs that Colleen suggested and all the fun blogs that those blogs suggested and all the... Well, you get the drift don't you?! And now I can't get enough! I can't wait to share them all with you.

Bare with me as I find my way in the blogging world. I promise to post the fun blogs I've been reading as soon as I figure out how to create that handy-dandy list everyone else has down the side of their blog. Ohhhhp! Never mind - I just figured it out.

So salute to the blogging world and making a tiny corner in it for me!