Reflected Light

I love the light reflected in these mirrors.  It was very late afternoon today when I took this picture but the light reflected in the mirrors is much brighter than the room they're in.  Wouldn't you love to live in the bright rooms on the other side?

Winter is not my season.  I guess I'm ready for Spring and Summer, especially in Montana.  I will never again have to endure the humid scorching Summer temperatures in Texas.

Loot from Helena, Montana's Antique Show

Today, my husband, son and I drove to Helena's Cabin Fever (appropriately named for this time of year) Antique Show and Sale.  Being new to Montana, we've obviously never been.  It wasn't very big.  We were there for two hours and I circled the place probably 5 times, but always saw new stuff.  The antique show was much different from those you would see in Texas.  There wasn't much shabby chic but I haven't seen much of that in Montana.  Still, I managed to find some pretty cool stuff. 

I've been working to get my 8-year-old son involved in antiques by starting him off with vintage toys.  He gets to have a mission now when I drag him to antique stores and gets to put the profit into his savings account.  Today, he managed to buy two really amazing vintage vehicles and a great pocket knife.  He'll keep the knife for himself.  He got both vehicles for $45.00 total.  The Tonka Truck alone from 1959 (purchased for $20.00) is listed on Ebay for $139.00 but my son's model is in much better shape!  The Ebay model is a rusted disaster.

The 1953 Irwin Ford friction car he bought for $25.00 is listed on Ebay for $69.00.  Score!  He'll make a hefty profit with these two.

My favorite purchase of all was this 1870 edition of Websters Dictionary for $20.00.  It is BEAUTIFUL.  It goes with my decor perfectly!  Look at the patina!

I also found a really cool old leather doctor's bag.

I found a really unique old Stanley two-way level (bubbles are still there and working).  Hey, I think of the men, too.  Half of the customers I've seen in the antique malls are men!

So, all in all, it was a successful day.  We had a lot of fun and I noticed that my son did not complain at all.  He was so happy to be involved AND about his knife of course.

Amazing Find On A Drive Through the Mountains

My husband, son and I took another one of our many drives through the mountains today.  We always head a different direction.  Today was no different.  About 45 minutes into our circle of a route we ended up in a tiny town and found an antique store with the "Open" sign lit!  You never know in these places if they are closed during the week or only open when you call the number on the door.

We met a guy inside named Chuck in his late 60s that had sold antiques since 1975 in Florida but moved to Montana soon after.  He has some truely incredible stuff.  I found an amazing large oval frame with a plaster of Paris design on the top of the wood that was to die for.  It has a few chips but it was in pretty good shape and I like things with "patina" anyway.  There is even some blue "patina" here and there in the delicate design.  I asked him what he wanted for it.  He said $25.  I thought that was an awfully good price but he only took cash or check and I only had a twenty in my purse so that's what I offered.  So now he said it was $30.  He was a mess!  Every time I came back with the $20 offer, his price went up $5.00.  Then I explained to him that $20 was all I had but he still wouldn't budge.  I asked my husband if he had any money.  Between what he scrounged up from his pocket, the car and the bottom of my purse, we wound up with $25.04. I wasn't leaving without that frame!

We hung out for a while and talked to Chuck.  He was such an interesting guy.  He wouldn't hesitate to run someone out of his store if pushed so I'm glad my $20 offer didn't offend him too much.  He started talking about what he collects and I offered to keep my eyes open.  I showed him pictures of some of my stuff and it turns out we have the same old office chair.  I asked him if he did trades.  He said yes.  There are some things I have my eye on in there.  This guy has no Internet, email address or cellphone, doesn't advertise and prefers it that way.  He said he prefers personal contact instead.  I don't blame him.  We chatted for close to an hour and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!  That's what he loves about his business.  Now, I'm on a mission to find this guy the things he collects, not only so I can trade with him, but also so we can chat again. 

I don't know if he has grand kids of his own but he would be just the right level of cranky to be a perfect "local" grandpa to my son.   That's going to come up during our next chat. :-)  Eva

Dreaming of Summer

I was going through photos of my old house in Texas and came across one I took of a little shell vignette I did on my dining room table.  I found every one of these shells at beaches around the country.  It makes me dream of Summer.  Although I know that the Montana winter is far from over, I can dream, can't I?!  Eva

My Shabby House...The One I Sold in Texas

So, I'm feeling a little lost.  It's not that I don't love Montana.  It's that I RENT a house here right now and I don't OWN it so I can't do anything to it.  That's hard for me.  It has hardwood floors but not the color I prefer. The kitchen is blah and has formica countertops, not marble or granite.  It has carpet upstairs.  I could go on and on.  I love to change things and make them my own.  We'll have to find a place to buy and love back to health before I can scratch that itch.  If it has 20 acres, a mountain view and a barn, that would be even better.

Our house in Texas was a labor of love.  It was an absolute mess and very tiny when we bought it.  We restored it to its old glory, made it larger and stayed true to the style of the house, even used reclaimed flooring to match the original rooms.  It looks tiny from the front but it was a two-story and about 2400 square feet.  it wasn't big by Texas standards but had plenty of room for my family of three.  The Historic District restricted changes to the elevation that faced the street so we had to go up and back.  I thought I would show you what my house in Texas looked like.  I chose some photos of my favorite rooms.  I pulled them off of the web so I hope the quality is ok.  Thanks for looking!  Eva

Huge old oak trees in the front yard.

Backyard with large covered porch with fireplace.

Closer view of the back porch.

View of the detached garage and one of the huge trees.  The garage has two stained-glass windows.

One of the patios we built.

My "white" living room.

My white kitchen.

The Den - See, it wasn't ALL white...

Dining room with stained glass.

The stairs that did not exist before the renovation.

Curved corners down the hallway.

Master bathroom vanity...Yes, I kept the mirrors.

Master bathtub and white painted floors.

Master Bedroom

Upstairs Bathroom

What a difference a day makes...

After pouring my heart out on this blog last night and praying for better luck for my husband on the job front, he got the offer he had been waiting for today.  I'm so happy for him!  I haven't seen him stress-free in months and it's a welcome change.  We celebrated with champagne (mountain dew for my son).  He also bought me some beautiful pink roses with baby's breath.  Is it just me, or is baby's breath under-rated?  What a sweetheart.  Thank you to everyone who read my post and said a prayer for us.  Here's to a prosperous new year and beyond!

Fear, Faith and Anticipation

I came to Montana with a dream, a dream of hope and positive change.  I'm trying to maintain that hope in the midst of struggle and I have faith that it will work out as planned. 

My family and I have been here for a little over three months.  Even though it's the middle of winter (eerily mild this year so far for Montana), I know what the beautiful summer here is like and I'm wanting and needing that summer like you can't imagine!  I worked here during the summer 10 years ago and that's what brought me back.  My husband is having a difficult time adjusting.  It's a huge change for him.  He was born and raised in Dallas and his expectations have not yet been met.  He wants a fulfilling job and finding one has not been easy.  My son is young and open and it's easier for him to bend.  He loves it here so far and has met some great friends.  He loves the snow, the little we've gotten.  He'll be fine.

I have been fortunate enough to have been able to pursue my creative outlet and my love for shabby chic and antiques by opening an antique booth and by starting a blog, where I can share my thoughts and dreams.  I really love it and crave time at my booth where I can play, rearrange and hope.   My son even wants to get involved by learning about and selling antique toys.  I can't wait to help him get started.  Learning young will be great for him and making him a part of it will be fun for us both.

I've been fortunate enough to have met some great friends that share similar interests.  It's so fulfulling, and I'm grateful. (Jamie at Rem-nants.blogspot.com is one of them). 

Time will tell if my husband finds his place here.  I hope he can and I hope he loves it as much as I think he will.  I'll wait and see and in the meantime I'll try not to be fearful, but instead, faithful and full of anticipation. 

Here is a photo of my family from a couple of years ago.

And another from this year at Christmas

Happy New Year to my friends, old and new!

Eva