Treasure Finding

A busy and satisfying day.

We awoke early and it all began. Errands, which I never mind but take some coaxing on my part to get Maddie as motivated, started the morning. My new favorite hair mousse, a return at Marshall's, grocery shopping, a couple of new smoke detectors. Then the real fun began.

A few weeks ago I admired a cool wooden bucket at my friend Stephanie's house and she told me she got it at an antique market in St. Charles. Would I like to go some weekend? Would I? You bet I would!

We, along with our four combined children, spent several hours perusing everything from incredibly restored wood armoirs to mounds of junk. But the very first thing I did at the very first stand was to purchase a beautiful, large, full-color wooden roster in perfect condition for a mere $15.00. After I was quoted the price I generously informed the kind vendor that he was way underpriced. He said he knew and was just fine with that. Well, so am I. And my new fowl looks lovely perched upon my kitchen counter near the deck door.

For the last three years, since we've lived here, I've been looking for the perfect piece to hang on our giant kitchen wall above the table. And I finally found it! A man at the flea market mounts wonderful tin relief ceiling panels on wooden frames. I chose one that he painted in some way or other so that it is very rustic in off-white with a reddish tint. It's fabulous and I cannot wait to see it on my wall!

And I found a most elegant and curvy yellow wooden bird which is now sitting prettily on my foyer table. She is calm and proper and positively genteel - all this from a lucky piece of lumber!

I can't wait to go back again. The trip is an hour each way, but well worth twice the distance. If I keep this up, I'll need a new house just for my all of my new treasures!