Bucket List Alert!

So excited to finally see JT in concert!  It did not disappoint.  I have been a fan since 1970's "Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon".  Yep. I was 10 and my sister had the album.  Like many things they thought were gone, I've managed to squirrel it away for over 40 years.  I still remember all of the lyrics, even though I haven't heard the album in at least 35 years, probably longer. 

This was definitely a bucket list item.  It seems fairly simple, but I have never been in the habit of treating myself to a lot of things that I actually should.  My daughter knows how much I love JT and bought me tickets to see him at Wrigley Field (he's doing a ball field tour) on June 30.  I don't know many people who love the music as much as I do, so I was hard-pressed to decide who to share the other ticket with.  To my surprise and delight, my 18-year old baby boy said he'd go with me and I didn't even ask.  I know he knows the music.  You don't grow up with me as a mom and not know the James Taylor songbook.  But I didn't think he'd be interested in going.  Best decision ever.  We had a great time and he discovered Jackson Browne.  He recognized a few of the more popular songs but really loved some of the lesser-known ballads.  I love that my children are open-minded enough to explore, discover and enjoy a lot of things that may not on the surface seem "cool".  It also makes car rides a lot easier when they share my great taste in music!  

I almost crossed off another little item last weekend, but decided against six hours of driving to visit a lavender farm.  I promise (myself) that I will get to it in the next couple of weeks but first I have to finish packing up the store.  After that, a full-on house cleaning so that I can enjoy two weeks off (Mom is going to Iowa), maybe putting Gizmo in the kennel for a few days of boarding, and a much-needed massage.  As far as that list goes, who knows what's next!  I'm pretty committed to knocking off at least five items by the end of summer.  If you're interested in joining me, just let me know.

Bringing the Color Back

Getting back to myself means letting my wacky ideas take hold.  Case in point:  I have this little lunchbox that is the cutest combination of bright color and pattern.  My niece gave me a ton of shirts after she lost a ton of weight and I always gravitate towards tshirtish tops. When I saw this one in black and green, I had an idea.  Not only did I have the idea, it's been in my plans to actually do it for about a month now.  Finally today, all the components met with the opportunity, and I used my awesome lunch box for my Sunday fashion inspiration.

I think this is hilarious, and since I rarely take myself seriously, you can expect more of my brand of silliness.  But it is a cute outfit too, right?  I would absolutely wear this, sans the lunchbox.  

I actually pinned my staff photographer daughter down this week!  She obliged me even though she had papers to reread and rewrite, and repeat.  She does this with every assignment--revising until 11:59p when the paper is due at midnight.  I hope to get her again next Sunday so I can get back to my Super Sunday outfits.  In the meantime, I made some pretty things happen:

These flowers and this vase found each other this week and I was so happy with the result that I filled it again later in the week and gave it away!

These grilling shrimp and my new grill found each other too.  Mmmmmmmmmm......how many mmmmmmmmm's can I type?

A very nice customer gave this Jayne Mansfield hot water bottle to me.  But I wouldn't suggest putting hot water into this plastic bottle.  Put something drinkable in it.  After you buy it of course.  From me...For now, she inhabits my vintage peacock chair.  

And a busy week is ahead, as I close up my pop-up store after seven months (5 months longer than planned).  My store is beautiful, but with so much going on right now, I have to let it go in order to keep my sanity.  I'll be back though, maybe not bigger, but definitely better!  Here's to a great summer, full of shopping, fashion, writing, DIY and most of all, color!

Back to the Basics.

So this is my first 2016 post.  I used to blog every day, but it got to be less fun and more of a chore.  Initially thinking that I was just running out of things to say, I now realize that I just ran out of things that I was willing to talk about.  Things like hurt feelings, which I hate to say have been taking up a great deal of space in my heart for longer than I'd like.  Not longer than it should, because I feel what I feel.  I do realize though, that even if I were the "transparent" type, who was honest with everyone about how they make me feel, I certainly can't ensure that the outcome of such conversation would leave me feeling any better.

I don't have a personal Amen Corner of people to tell me that what I'm doing is right.  I just have to know for myself.  I'm seeing the true meaning of "sharing the load" and just how stressful it can be when you're carrying more than your share.  But then, I realize that my share is probably just meant to be greater.  I don't need a lot of "me" time.  I'd love to have it, but I'm not going to shut down if I don't.  Just yesterday, my brother told me that he thinks highly successful people, at least society's general definition of such, require a high degree of selfishness.  His example:  the pro athletes that are at the top of their game and making the most money are there because they've spent a lot of years focusing solely on themselves.  I've made a few small attempts, but it just isn't me.  So, it's very likely that the world won't ever see me as successful, but I'm sure that if I were, I wouldn't be happy with that kind of success.  I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, it's just wrong for me.

Recently, with my sister's passing, my mom has become primarily my responsibility. Most of the help that I was promised, or assumed (or hoped) would be there has not been.  That's just the facts.  Some absences can't be helped due to distance, or accessibility or work, but some are just because people aren't prioritizing the same things that I do.  I don't prioritize my mom's needs just because she lives with me, but because that's what I'm supposed to do. I. Again, focusing more strongly on other things isn't necessarily wrong, it's just wrong for me.

I've been carrying a huge load of hurt over a few specific things that I'm not "transparent" enough to share.  Honestly, I hate that word.  To me being transparent is just being honest.  Deciding to keep your business, your feelings, your opinions or your hurts to yourself is in no way dishonest.  Sometimes it's tough, but I've learned the hard way that an arrogant response to my sharing is far tougher.  It means to me that the person really doesn't get it, and worse, doesn't care to.  So 90% of the time, I just keep it to myself.

I started to rename this blog, or just start a new one because this has nothing to do with shopping, fashion, DIY or nostalgia.  It does speak to why I haven't been writing or sharing the things that I typically enjoy.  But every day isn't peaches and cream, peachy keen, or peach cobbler.  Some days just suck.  Some days people make me sad.  Most days these same people don't really care, don't agree, or can't prioritize me.  But each day is a day I've lived, however it turns out.  I may find something amazing at a thrift store.  I may cook an amazing meal or sew a 30-minute skirt.  Or I may just spend the whole day watching the game shows with my mom.  Or...I might just feel a boatload of hurt.  The circle of people I'm comfortable sharing my feelings with is pretty small and even within that small circle I've heard "Oh Bettie's all sad again..."  Would it be better if I broadcast my feelings to the general public?  Neither option is more honest than the other.  You still feel what you feel and others will care or not care, respond or not respond, hurt with you or say you need to get over it.  Fortunately for me, I can still function whether I have an empathizer or not.  It's probably not the healthiest, but it's what God has for me right now.  He's teaching me that I'm stronger and better than I, or anyone else has ever given me credit for.  Totally fixable.  In fact, I'm giving myself a huge pat on the back right now.  You can do that when you're flexible! :)

My social calendar isn't full, but if it were, who would take care of this 90+ year old lady who has spent nearly her whole life taking care of us?  There'd be no 14th Street Stories if she hadn't moved to Chicago at the age of 17. Or if she and my dad  hadn't bought the little bungalow on 14th Street back in the 50's. No stories to share if we hadn't made so many memories.  Heck, there'd be no me if she had decided to stop at five kids.  Picking up behind her, doing her laundry, helping her get dressed, taking her for car rides, making sure she eats and gets her meds, helping her into the shower and watching her slow down, both physically and cognitively isn't something that I always enjoy, but I do recognize the blessing of having her and I also recognize that my ability and willingness to take care of her is a gift that not everyone has, and most don't want. So maybe my lack of popularity (and success) was made for such a day as this. I don't feel like I'm missing anything, or sacrificing unnecessarily. My sister's gone, and she was far more sacrificing than me.  I can only do my best to pick up where she left off.  So I will start writing again, about whatever I care to share.  I love to laugh, I think I'm pretty funny, and most often, this blog will reflect that.  But today, I think I need to start with this.  And so it goes...14th Street Stories.

So Much to Do, So Little Time.

I made up my mind a couple of months ago that Christmas would not sneak up on me and leave before I was ready.  I started decorating the house the day after Thanksgiving.  A week later, the tree was up.  Still, here I am in the wee hours of December 19 wondering where the time went.

Spending so much time in my shop, I haven't been home much during the day.  Baking and movie watching have to be squeezed into the evenings and I haven't been doing well.  My son came home from school today and I was glad that he wanted to immediately dive into #traditions.  He asked about the gingerbread house and I directed him to the "A-Frame" kit I bought at Trader Joe's a few weeks ago.  It was so much easier to put together than the ones we've been doing for years.  It was quick and easy and not nearly as ornate as usual, but it was fun, it's done, and my 18 and 24 year olds sat at the dining room table with me and we talked while we built, just like old times.  

Business was ridiculously slow today, but I did get a sweet comment from a customer on Facebook, which totally made my day.  Baby steps...only for the most patient among us.  I guess that means me.  

So with bedtime typically around 2:30a, rising at 6:30a, maybe an hour and a half back in bed before I'm up for the day, and I'm then at it again.  I squeezed a lot into today.  Travel plans, emails and phone calls, rearranging the shop window, repairing those old tables and grocery shopping (if Walgreen's counts) and I'm dreading how tired I'm going to be again tomorrow.  It's almost 1a and I have a 9:00 appointment, an estate sale that I really want to get to, and the shop from 10-5 for a final Christmas push.  I'm feeling apprehensive, yet hopeful.  Overwhelmed, but supercharged.  Sleepy, but...sleepy.  I need this cycle be over soon.

No cookies yet, but I did make a few things this week!

This same piece of wood has been about three different signs over the past two years.  Now it says "Be Merry".

Wine Crate Manger Scene!  I never have a creche.  I'm always improvising.

My niece found these beat up tables on the side of the road.  Some nails, some wood glue, some soap and water...I'm going to use these display tables a lot.

Goodwill bags.  I knew they'd come in handy for something.  Love the color!

And the Gingerbread house.  It smells really good.  Pictures tomorrow...I'm so tired, I don't think I can hold the camera right now.  I'm going to bed y'all!

Another Late Night Post!

It's getting worse.  It's after 3:30a and I'm still up!  The internet is a really dangerous thing for a person who actually needs to sleep.  

Just when I was about to scold myself for getting absolutely nothing done in terms of holiday projects, I remembered that I did find a nice branch in the back yard and painted it silver.  Big deal.  Big Deal!  I needed it to display ornaments in the shop, so I will allow myself this small win.  While the silver spray paint was out, I painted a vintage wooden bench.  I can't wait to see it in the daylight.  It crossed my mind a few days ago, but I said absolutely not.  Not on a country style bench with heart cut-outs in each end.  Too much mixing of styles...no way this is going to work.  BUT, I couldn't stop thinking about it.  And I was in the garage.  And the paint can was in my hand.  Pictures tomorrow.  I really was painting at night in a dimly lit garage.  This should be interesting.

I also made a trip to the city at 10p to pick up a couple of glass topped end tables that my niece "rescued" for me several months ago.  Nothing special about the style, but the glass tops are hinged and boy oh boy, the things that I can put in there.  I dropped them off at the store, just so they'll be there and ready for me tomorrow.  I have my work cut out for me, as they need a little repair, a lot of cleaning, and a place to be.  I'm pretty confident that I will make good use of them.

Add to that an evening meeting/reception that I actually put on "real" pants for, filing the papers and mail that was piling up on the dining room table, picking up yet another official birth certificate (I'm sure there are about 10 of them somewhere around here), and doing laundry, which I do every day, and I'd say that it was a productive day.  Had I not overslept until 10a, I would probably be in bed by now.  That said, I'm on my way.  I'll be up in less than 3 hours...

Another really bad health habit that I need to break.  I'm trying.  

Happy, Healthy, Holidays!

How can you tell that a Christmas tree is nervous?
It's on "pines and needles" all the time!

Happy Holidays!

I've fallen completely off the wagon and can no longer consider myself a blogger...I'm just someone who likes to write sometimes and I'm okay with that!  October 29 was my last post...

I've been too busy to write.  That's a good and a bad thing.  Since this is something that I do because I enjoy it, it's absolutely awful that I don't make time for it.  On the flip side, I have been busy doing other things that I enjoy and while I really want to tell my readers about it, I can't seem to get around to it.  I'm not going to do one of my "catch up" posts because that would be about 10 pages and I accept that I'm not clever enough to keep anyone's attention for 10 pages.  Rather, I promise (to myself) that I'll write a lot during these final two weeks leading up to Christmas, and after that we'll just see.  

What have I been doing, you ask?  (Did you ask?)  I have been travelling a little, working on my music management business and opening a holiday pop-up shop.  My brother told me today that I have too many hobbies and need to try turning one of them into a business.  SIDE EYE!  A small business is still a business.  Two tiny ones qualify as well.  I think he means that I need to focus on one thing but that would be extremely difficult for me, and not nearly as much fun. 

The pop up is gorgeous!



But that's just one woman's opinion.  One very important woman...I'm loving it.  Business has been slow, but I'm enjoying it as a workspace as well.  I have a huge table in the back and I use it for everything from checking emails, packing, wrapping and mailing, crafts, fixing broken ornaments to making fresh batches of Foot Beer.  I'm going to miss this little pop up when it's gone...it's clean, the bathroom is clean, bright and highly functional (you may recall that the space I rented/shared last year had a modified furnace room with a big laundry tub and a toilet that didn't work most of the time.)  It's all mine and I don't have to deal with the workplace bullies and worse.  Worth every penny.

I've done a wee bit of travelling, including a one-night trip to Memphis.  The weather was amazingly warm for December, and I was there long enough to know that I want to go back.  

There was this limo ride:

I'm not so sure that I believe the whole "lonely at the top" bit.
I was all alone in this little slice of luxury and I wasn't lonely
at all.  

So it's 2:40a and I think it's time to start the bedtime ritual.  Happy Holidays to all and I'll be back soon, I promise.  Let's count this thing down together!

The Ant Mob!

How funny that this popped up in my Facebook feed tonight, just when I was thinking about a blog post about cleaning.  Yes, cleaning.  I don't mind cleaning...I sometimes actually like it.  More importantly, I love a clean house so cleaning is kind of necessary.  To aid in my quest for an always "company clean" house, I treated myself to a new broom, dustpan and mop today.  Weird, huh?  

Okay, backtrack a week.  After spending a lot of time in my yard during a week of warm, sunny October, I stepped onto my front stoop just to pull a few dead leaves off of some otherwise thriving flowers.  When I turned to go back inside, I was horrified at the sight of what had to be hundreds of flying ants.  I have no idea what happened there.  They weren't there earlier, and I had never seen anything like it before.  They were all over the front of the house, hanging out on the brick.  It was frightening.  I screamed and my kids came running slowly and reluctantly to see what I was freaking out about.  The college man looked out the door, but stayed inside.  The girl-child was a little more helpful.  She started swinging wildly when she saw that a few ants had gotten under the screen door and started to "invade" (a little dramatic) the foyer.  I was apparently going to have to handle this by myself so I sucked it up and got to work.  A can of raid and two teapots of boiling water later, the ant mob was ready to be swept and mopped away.  And I added my mop, broom and dustpan to the trash pile.  No way those things were coming back in the house.  And this led to my "treat" today.  New stuff to clean with.  The little things. 

I have to admit, as an avid barefooter, that my floors feel amazing.  Smooth and clean and cool.  My feet are appreciative.  I can relax, watch my cop shows, and write about the simple things that sometimes make my day special...and clean!