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busy busy

I’m in a tight spot again.  It’s that time of year.  Last year at this time, I thought, “I need to remember this and gear up early next year.”  But that’s easier said than done and here I am.  Mini Mustard Seed and I are glittering and gluing just about every spare minute.  Today we turned our attention to shopping.  I need stuff to fill my entire room at Lucketts to the brim, so we set out today to hit an antique mall I’ve never been to.  Success.  We found four shopping carts full of stuff and a great old farm table. 
We found some of my favorites…a fan, scales, ironstone…

…and wire baskets, galvanized bins and cool architectural pieces.  (I have really cool plans for that wagon.)

…and I also found a lot of one specific thing I was looking for… 
…silver. 
I want my entire room to sparkle and shine, so I was hoping to find lots of silver bowls, compotes, goblets, pitchers, plates and trays.  We hit the mother load of inexpensive silver and poor Mini was polishing silver for..well…a long time.  She did an amazing job. 
All of this business has really made my healthy eating and exercise efforts suffer.  I just ate chicken and dumplings and a Drumstick ice cream cone.  Yes.  I did.  And I hang my head in shame. 
Maybe one of these days I’ll have it all balanced out perfectly.  Right now, I’ll settle for just getting through the next three weeks. 

Marian Parsons 

Paint Enthusiast | Writer | Artist | Designer

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55 Responses

  1. Oh, honey. Bless your heart. Balance is over-rated, really. Right?

    My boys used to watch an animated movie (Atlantis, maybe?) in which the cook says, "We got your four basic food groups: beans, bacon, whiskey, and lard." As long as I'm doing better than that, I figure I'm okay!

    Good luck with all your silvery work!

  2. WE CANNOT HAVE IT ALL!!!! Give yourself a break! Do you have any idea how HUGE you are in the blog world??? I never meet anyone who doesn't know who you are and I cannot say that about any other blogger. It takes a ton of work to get to that level. I can tell you are an amazing wife and mother and daughter. So….you ate Chicken and Dumplings and a drumstick ice cream cone. FOCUS on the positive. You only live once. ONCE! At 47 years old, I have learned that it is impossible to balance it all. When I am fit and my life is rocking along, I have probably not been flossing my teeth enough, or my legs are hairy!!! lol

  3. Please remind all of us that we need to be working on this as the year goes on. Last night's sleep was about four hours. This weekend is our big fall shindig.

    I found scales too! Brass and marble for $2!!!! A marble and copper lamp was sitting alongside for $1. Fifty or more quilt blocks for $10.

    yeehawww! I hope we all have our booths, rooms, shops, etc cleaned out this weekend.

  4. That is some great loot Marian. I wish I could buy that fan. Chicken and dumplings sound really good to me, yum and a drumstick for desert…heaven! You deserve a treat, hope you enjoyed every bite. Tomorrows another day.

  5. Well I laughed about the drumsticks, because Mr. Maison Decor has an addiction to them and was dismayed I hadn't stocked up! Are you able to shop antique shops and find stuff that you can still mark up and make it worth your time? That surprised me the most, that you had 4 carts of stuff from the shops.

  6. What you have pictured will look great in your space..The silver will definetly make it sparkle..Can't wait to see it all put together..
    Janet

  7. balance is doing what you love, with who you love. strive for balancing your week (food wise) and don't worry about an off night. all busy moms (and i don't say that lightly) have off days. i've struggled with this as well, and have added dr. oz green drinks into my daily diet to fight off the shame of dinners that sound just like yours… can't hurt. might help. they take a whole 5 minutes to make.

    don't be ashamed! you can only do so much!

  8. I can relate – I have a booth at a local flea market that opens in a week and a half. I have already moved my kitchen table out of the dining room so I have a "flea market" prep room (yep – really), but unfortunately, it is beginning to look more like the garage! Tonight while trying to find my glue gun and modge podge, I came across a little stash of chocolate- opened one and ate it right there! Luckily, I found the glue gun and modge podge in with other supplies (not the same place as the chocolate)! Here's to hanging in there… not hanging our heads, and looking forward to having a great time at our respective events! Jen – livelygrace@me.com

  9. How fun! Can't wait to see all the bling!
    I wouldn't get half of the things I want to get done if it weren't for my mini-me(s).
    Blessings at Lucketts!
    Hugs, Leslie

  10. Just found your blog this weekend searching for slipcovered dining chairs. Bought some grain sacks from your favorite Esty seller.

    The finds sound great. I am so mpressed that you found so much. Love those wire baskets. Can you show the ironstone so I can drool?

  11. Sounds familiar! 😀
    But wouldn't it be just have of the fun? Don't we just need this? ;P

    Much strength and energy to get over this time of the year and a loud and cheering "go Mini Mustardseed"!!

  12. Balance is something to strive for…but so hard to achieve consistently. So nice that Mini Mustardseed is helping you. Love those wire baskets.

  13. Love all the bins and baskets you found – especially love the wagon and that fan! Can't wait to see everything in your booth after you get all the glitter cleaned off your hands. I'm off to add drumsticks to the grocery list… I'm having a craving now for some reason. 🙂

  14. Do you look for any specific kind os silver? I found a beautiful pitcher,but wasn't sure if it was siver.Ya know what I mean.I actually thought of you when I found it.But didn't know if it would clean up well.
    Mary
    RENONFK@YAHOO.COM

  15. It's easy to get off track with eating and exercise – esp during a busy time. So maybe relax your standards a little bit, but still try to make the healthiest choice available. That's what I do and it's worked for me because there is no guilt. If I have to do fast food, I pick the healthiest thing there is (iced tea, a salad with half the dressing, a chicken sandwich no mayo,a baked potato at Wendy's etc.) and call it a day.
    Your work is so beautiful, by the way. Very, very inspiring. Thank you so much for sharing all you do to make your home (and the homes of others) beautiful. I look forward to your posts everyday:)

  16. chicken and dumplings…mmmmmmmmm. i did cardio for you yesterday at the gym so no worries. omg. the instructor is a secret sadist.

    michele

  17. The key is to make meals for the week, lots of chicken and veggies. This way you always have something to grab. Guaranteed to work :). A good site to check out for meal ideas and workout plans is bodybuilding.com. Now, I know what you're thinking….'I dont want to be a body builder!'. This has a womens section and gives meals plans to help guide you and stay motivated! Seriously good stuff and I promise you don't have to be a body builder….Unless you really want to? Anyways I love the old fan you found! Score!

  18. Oh! I think I know what you might be doing with that wagon from following you on pinterest! I could be totally wrong, but I'm excited to see it when it's done. 🙂 Hang in there – in my opinion, balance ALL the time is boring! 🙂

  19. Would you share w/us what your favorite product is for polishing silver? We have a punch bowl and 14 cups that need to be cleaned and I'm not sure which one to buy! We plan on using it at a Halloween Tea we're hosting next week!

  20. Feast or Famine – no, your always pretty darn busy. Great Job! You are now reaping the rewards of working so hard – now your ultra busy busy busy. As far as the dumplings are concerned, it's really really hard to concentrate on eating right when you have so much going on in your life. All the people that really count love you just the way you are, I'm sure. Congrats on all that success!

  21. Marian:
    I love your finds especially the wagon. Went to Lucketts last year and definitely would visit again. Hope all is well….BTW – chicken and dumplings sound awesome right now…..

  22. Quick question for you… I have one of those very typical wood and metal porch benches from Walmart or Lowe's or somewhere. It has seen its better days, quite a long time ago, actually. Any ideas to fix it up, add some style and make it fabulous rather than so very sad?? I'm hoping to replace it someday, but until then I'd rather not look at it in its current state. HELP!!! Oh, I've never re-finished furniture before. :0) Aren't you so glad I wrote??

  23. I hope you show us a picture of your booth space once you work your magic, and get it all glittery and shiny! Can't wait to see what you do with that wagon!

  24. I wish I lived closer to your store – it looks like it's going to be amazing! What kind of silver polish did you use? Did you get "real" silver or silver plated stuff? I have picked up a bunch of great silver plated stuff, but I haven't found a good polish/tarnish remover. Best of luck!

  25. LOL! Don't you know that these antique shop owners begin to drool and hyperventilate when they see you pull into the parking lot. That is quite the haul, how do you find such great stuff or is that why the shelves seem empty when I go to an antique mall, all the dealers got there first 🙂

  26. In the South that is a perfect dinner! At least mine! Question do you sell anything on etsy? At least your crafts? Not trying to make your life busier, but you have an awesome talent! At lucketts is just out of reach!
    My name is Beth. bethvogt1@yahoo.com

  27. not to be an enabler but….think of all the calories you burned with that rev'd up metabolism brought on by the excitement of the "find"! Don't beat yourself up, just get back on the healthy horse and ride 🙂

  28. My goodness, I am jealous of Mini Mustard Seed. What a lucky little ducky to learn from you!! (Ok, so she's not so lucky to polish all that silver. lol)

  29. Great finds! I was wondering if you might be willing to sell and ship internationally. I love the wire baskets that you have there. I’ve been looking out for some for sometime now. If you’re willing to, please email me. =)

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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