I'll give you the biggest key

I was  a little down yesterday.

Today has been tremendously better.

Maybe it's because I'm dressed like a highschooler at the moment (my knees can see the sun but the rest of my legs are covered by denim).

It's mostly because the hubs is too good for me, but stays with me anyway.

I read Anne Lamott sometimes and she talks about how learning to love back is one of the hardest things about being alive.

I'm just glad that love is a thing.

Ok, San Diego Parking. You won.

Both the hubs and I have gotten tickets for parking places where the street sweeper needs to be.
Damn you every other Monday.

This blow is particularly low because I am still currently unemployed and my general cautiousness is making me nervous nervous nervous.

Anyway,

Ladies and gents I have finally gotten the Opal Collection (and some other pieces) up in my shop.

What is the Opal Collection you ask?

Well, let me share with you a story.

Opal and LaMoyne Peters (their picture is below in a previous post) are a couple of 90 going on 70 plus years of marriage who are still blissfully and completely in love.  They have lived in the same house for their entire marriage (still sleeping on the bed they bought the day they were married).

I met Opal through church.  This sweet, tiny lady with a flare for fashion.  I finally confessed my love for her true vintage clothing (to which she just laughed as if I was being ridiculous) and asked if I could come and hear some stories and possibly pick up a few pieces that she no longer wears.

A few nights later I was ushered into the loveliest, vintage Western house I had ever seen.

I think that Opal and LaMoyne's generation was taught that history was important.  It was to be savored, remembered and shared.  These two drip history, telling story after story and showing album after album of the past.  

They met when they were 4 and lived in the same area and of course came together under the sweetest conditions.  They had been together for a while and one day LaMoyne walks up to Opal and says "let's go get married today" and they did.  

When I asked Opal about her style she commented, "We are Western people and we wear Western clothes".  She wears Western clothes, but so much more. 

I have put up the items I have received under the Opal Collection in my store and would love it if you had a chance to peruse them.  Many of these items I saw on Opal in pictures from the 40's in one of her many albums.  

I also want to give all of my friends a chance to get them at a discount.  So if you enter INTHEWEEDS you will save 25% on all of your purchases.

I will do some posts that feature actual pieces, but I hope you love them.

It's Monday.  I have gotten one parking ticket,  I am on the job hunt and drinking an apricot soda.  If any of you have connections in San Diego, please share :)

Happy Monday.

Check out the Opal Collection

-weeds and whimsy-

Excuse Me, While I Try to be an Adult

Dear Friends,

Sometimes I wish we were still on the barter system.

Me: "I would like a wool sweater, would you like some eggs in exchange for that?"

Farmer Fashionista: "Eggs for breakfast sounds delicious"

I would give her eggs and she would give me a sweater.


What I'm trying to say is I've never been quite good with money.


I don't spend like crazy.  I'm not in debt, but I've also not chosen the best, most profitable careers (I don't think career is quite the right word for what I've done).

I'm completely happy with that 99% of the time, but geez I wish I could just not have to worry about being able to make it for a while.

Be able to go see friends and family whenever I want.  Blah Blah Blah

I'm not starving, or anywhere near it, but I'm going to be better with using what I have and not wanting what I don't.

PROMISE

This dress is part of the upcoming "Opal Collection".

I'm hoping to have it up in the next few days.

See, my adult days are starting.

It's going to be effin' grand.

I'm giving January a punch in the face

We made it to San Diego!!!

I know

I know

my first sentence in a month should be apologetic for my absence, but this sentence trumps that one.

trumps it all over the place

Our apartment (meager and small as it is) is glorious

We have a fenced in front yard, a lovely old lady owns our place and it's been warm and sunny every day we've been here.

Driving with the windows down
Walking around the beach
Skirts with no tights

It's all happening here.

I promise that I have big ideas for this blog and my shop and I'll get going on that for real now that we're settled... I may have even found a job already...

Just wait you guys, this blog is going to be all you think about soon... I actually really hope that won't ever be true...

but I do hope that I get to spend some time checking up on it and being creative and finding fantastic vintage treasures and so many so many things that I can't even tell you.

I love San Diego

I love it

take that January

I'm going to leave you with some images of my last month

Me and JillyBean (check out her blog and shop if you haven't--she's so sweet) at the Eve of Eve party

The Family in the snow

My niece Joy and I at a family wedding on NYE

They Used to Own the World

Opal and LaMoyne Peters are in their 90s.

They are gorgeous, full of love and history and brimming with laughter.

I went over to their house two nights ago.

The house they have lived in and loved for 70 years.

I couldn't stop taking pictures of the curtains, couches, tables, clocks...

I listened and listened to the history that they lived.  It was glorious.

Opal also gave me a treasure of vintage clothes.

My heart will be happy from this night for months, years...forever?

I am going to do a post soon showing the clothes and hopefully sharing how great they are.

I mean, these guys are the best.

They are still ranching and they are 90.  90!!

Meet Opal and LaMoyne

Opal and LaMoyne.  Married for 70 years.

Tiptoe through our shiny city

**This is an artist's work from the Owl Barn Calender I told you about a few posts ago**

2010 is about to go out the door

It’s hard to believe that it’s December.  I’ve been looking forward to this month for over 2 years now.  In 17 days we will be traveling to Illinois for Christmas and then the hubs and I will be coming back here to New Mexico, packing the moving truck and going to San Diego.  

Really, my heart is about to burst with excitement

A lot of me completely loves where we are, but I'm kind of suffocating at the same time.

For the past few months we’ve been living mainly out of boxes so we don’t have too much packing to do, but there is so much other things that we have to get done.

The things that top the list is

1. Find a place to live that is cheap and hopefully close to some beach

2. Find a job that I don’t hate that pays reasonably

Any help on either number would be much appreciated

I’ve been applying to multiple jobs every day (yesterday I was talking to a retreat leader and instead of telling him I would give him the receipt I used the word resume) and it’s hard not to get frustrated with the whole situation.  

I promise you that I’m a gem of an employee ( yes indeed ) but I also don’t think that I can express it through a paper document.

Oh well, things work out.

To another subject

I have actually made sales this week in my etsy store

When I started last week I was trying to fortify myself to wait for weeks (((months))) for the first one.  I just have to say thanks to all my friends who are supporting me on this venture.  I just got back from visiting an old friend in town with a few pieces and she ended up buying my navy, sailor dress.  Sharing these loves I've find with other loves in my life have made me really happy.

Brad actually told me yesterday that I would have to go get more things to put in the store.  Craziness.

To yet another subject

We’ve decided to buy as many secondhand, vintage and handmade Christmas gifts as possible.

It’s kind of been kicking my ass

I love supporting friends on Etsy, but my 20 dollar budget per person tends to come up short.  I also have no idea what to get the men on my list. 

Any suggestions???

Overall though I’m so glad that we’re doing it.  When we get settled in to San Diego I plan on putting a lot more types of things in my store and make myself be crafty crafty crafty.

My heart is so ready for this to happen ssssoooooonnnnnnnn

*Twin Time*
Which one is me?

nephew time

Niece time (I've got 4!)

Sad news in the Animal Room front

R.I.P. Granny and Pa (our mediocre ring neck doves)

I'm sorry this guy and his friend Brandi Alexander (the other ferret) 

got out and literally ripped your necks open.

Apologies

Well Dearies,

Happy December

who knew it came after Novermber?

Goo Goo G'joob

The title of this post is dedicated to the Beatles being on iTunes.  

Hip Hip Hooray

Hip Hip Hooray

Hip Hip Hooray

My hubs has been trying to find their music on vinyl, but now we can finally have them.  The adventure for vinyl won't stop though.  Don't worry.

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My etsy shop is now open.  I have started small, but it will get bigger and better and more everything good.

I have way more to put on.  When I do, be on the lookout for a giveaway ;)

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It is getting super cold here.  When I was in Illinois (long before I met my husband, or anyone from here) I thought New Mexico was a desert like state with hardly any inhabitants.  To the contrary, lots of the state is gorgeous and mountainous.  The other parts are more scrub like than desert.  Anyway, being up 7000 feet in any state means super cold temperatures.  The cabin we're at (only for around 20 more days) is the epitome of a mountain cabin, along with the lack of actual heat.  Needless to say, it is quite cold inside and out now.

Don't pity me too much (I'll take a little) because it's the holiday season, we're moving to sunny CA after the New Year and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger (or something).

Last week was full of happy things: food, friends, family and my birthday.  Honestly, it's always hard to be away from the twin on our day of birth.  This year we had lunch with B's parents and afterwards I suggested we just head home, but my wonderful husband decided that we would check out all of our local thrift stores.  It ended up to be a great, lovely, thrifting fantastic day.  

The sun was also lovingly bright.

This belt is lovely and bold, but it tends to slip up a bit.  B isn't the best at spotting little details like that to fix.  He's still great for just taking the picture in the first place.

I'm 26 and 26 starts with a 2

And ends with a 6.  I'm not a huge fan of the look of these tights, but they are lined with micro-fleece, which is amazing on blustery, cold days

The Fire Lady

Thrift stores can't heal everything, but it helps on days when everything is going quite your way.  They are magical places in many ways.

Tomorrow is December (one hour away here in Mountain time).  I love that and I hate it.  My family continues to grow and each year we have more and more to buy for.  I really love giving things to people I love.  It's a delicious feeling.

I hope everyone is bundled up and smiling.  

Let's hear it for the best December ever.