last week i enjoyed some lazy days soaking up mega doses of vitamin D in puerto rico!  go ahead, feel sorry for me.

just about as soon as i got there i saw this sign…

okay.  when in rome…

i thought about building a sand castle.  nah, the sign didn’t say anything about that…

or snorkeling.  but that has nothing to do with “sitting”.

or even taking a swim to that cute little island i could see (while i was seated) from underneath my hat.  although tempting, my fear of the ”remain seated” police got the best of me…

so i did what any good, law-abiding, rule following girl would do…

sometimes in the shade…

this counts.  just sayin’…

and, yes, this photo was taken while seated…

mission accomplished!  *sigh*

~ happy heart friday!  do some serious sittin’ today…it’s good for the soul!

so, as of five days before the opening of Marburger, i had no plan for the walls coming into my room…hmmm…

it’s kind of a big deal.  it’s a first impression.  but it was nice that i’ve been doing this long enough that i was not one bit panicked!  although one more day and i might have been singing a different tune!

this is what i came up with…

crazy or creative?  it’s a fine line!

it did make my heart happy!  and it made lots of other hearts happy too!  wish i had a dime for every time a pic was snapped.  (rude.)

~ it’s friday…have an outstanding day! 

it’s hard to believe another Round Top has come and gone.  this week has been super busy catching up from my week away including a day tweaking my space at Curiosities. 

as i made the drive to Dallas the other day i started thinking…uh-oh…

you know, i’ve been setting up/shopping Round Top for a lot of years.  i’ve waded through mud in my PINK rain boots, endured sunburns and blisters, tolerated icky sweat rolling down my back, layers of dirt piled on top of my ears (yes), fire ants crawling up my legs, ankle deep water, i’ve locked my keys in my car, survived record heat, loaded out in rain, snow, sleet and pitch dark….shall i continue?

but what happened this time takes the cake!

i now affectionately refer to it as “freaky friday”!  i had stayed up too late the night before hanging out in the VIP tent at Zapp with my favorite trash talkin’ talker Debbie, the bestest of red.neck gurls Robelyn and my super fun shoppin’ bud Kristi.  plus a host of other folks (and a few characters) who stopped by for a visit and a few laughs.

i was a bit tired friday morning so i perched myself on my stool as i observed half a dozen shoppers circle my room.  for what remains an unknown reason, i glanced down at the floor…here comes the “freaky” part…my precious room had been INVADED by termites.

i won’t say 1000’s because even i know that’s an exaggeration, but i will say HUNDREDS because that is simply a fact.  i completely freaked out…on the inside…and remained cool-as-a-cucumber on the outside.

here’s a fun-fact about me…i don’t do bugs.  if it moves and it’s smaller than a cat, i’m out.  i’m not a camper.  camping = bugs.  i don’t even want to talk about camping, it’s a waste of time.  my idea of roughing it is a bad motel.  if it flies, crawls, stings, wriggles, jumps, bites, slithers and overall creeps me out, i will (gladly) kill it with a newspaper, shoe, a can of hair spray or whatever is handy!

back to my dilemna…in an attempt to not freak out everyone in the room, i calmly removed myself from my stool first killing the termites that had dared to crawl on my feet…are you itchy yet?…and then i began the “termite shuffle”!

i scooted my feet across the floor killing as many as i could as i smiled and chatted with my customers.  by the grace of God most of them stayed on the floor…what would i have done had they taken flight?  

after i killed the (i repeat) hundreds crawling on the floor, i turned my attention to the windows and began the endless job of taking a paper towel and pane by pane, termite by termite, killing all of those. 

with my eyes as big as saucers and my heart thud-thud-thudding in my throat, my sweet neighbor came to see what was going on and said “oh, they won’t hurt you.”  to which i replied “they can carry me away!  i just don’t want them to eat the legs off my PINK farm table before i can get back here in the Fall!”

boy.  i thought i was tired before.  i was totally worn out.  and then i spent the rest of the day on termite patrol…

other than THAT, it was an amazing week!  sold tons of JUNK, that is the idea after all!  hugged lots of necks!  and laughed til my tummy hurt!

on this happy-heart friday my heart is smiling…no pesky termite is gonna to take that away from me!

~ it’s friday the 13th…may it not be ”freaky”!

by definition: The term as-is gives notice to buyers that they are taking a risk on the quality of the goods. The buyer is free to inspect the goods before purchase; but if any hidden defects are discovered after purchase, the buyer has no recourse against the seller. Any implied or express warranties that usually accompany goods for sale are excluded in an “as-is” sale.

the other day i was out scratchin’ my shoppin’ itch and i came across this amazing ironstone bowl…

it took my breath away.  to me, IT IS perfection.  with one eye shut and the other half open i slowly turned it over and looked at the price tag knowing, that if i were selling this bowl, it would have a big price. 

to my surprise, it was practically free.  *sigh*  i also noticed that the price tag said “as-is”.  hmpf.

it got me thinking…which, as you know, is never a good thing…what’s so as-is about it?

could it be because it’s discolored…

or because the glaze is chipped…

don’t tell me it’s because of the crazing…

it’s not “perfect” like it was the day it was made.  nor is it free of the dents and dings that come from use and age.  so.

when i choose ironstone for my personal collection it has to be special.  a piece i don’t think i’ll ever see again.  this bowl fits right in!

i adore wondering about its history.  visualizing it being passed around a dinner table of a family gathering while holding something delicious.  the stories it’s heard.  the laughter and tears that it witnessed.  secrets that were told as it sat quietly.

on this my fifty-first birthday, i do believe that i have a lot in common with this as-is bowl!

the beauty of time.  the wisdom of years passing.  the dings of living.

like this bowl, i am no longer the “perfect” baby that i was when i was born.  and boy am i ever glad the doctor didn’t attach a tag to my toe that said “as-is”!  what if my parents had peeked over the side of the crib and said: i don’t know, she’s awfully cute, but she’s as-is!

there has been a bit of chipping of the glaze over the years.  i share the dents and dings from “use” as i’ve waded through the realities of life.  i’m kinda discolored from times of heartache i don’t think are possible to ever overcome.  i’ve got my fair share of crazing around my eyes that i prefer to call laugh lines!

is it important?  i mean, the bowl still serves its purpose.  and every morning when, by the sheer grace of God, i open my eyes, it can only mean one thing…that the wheels of God’s perfect plan for my life are still turning.  and i have a purpose.

in the curious sort of way that i see life, the as-is signs of years past make a person…and a bowl…so much more beautiful.  because when the “perfect” looks of youth are gone, what you have left…for all the world to see…is your soul.  and the luxury of aging, for me, was finding the courage to look at my soul and love what i saw looking back at me.

THIS.  is my life.

and i gotta tell ya…i wouldn’t want it any other way!

~it’s friday!   ~it’s my birthday (bonus)!  ~what’s my wish?  ~that all YOUR wishes come true!

so the other day i was out running errands…which is pretty much the sum total of my uber glamorous life when i’m not digging for JUNK or thinking about my favorite WORDS…and i popped in this particular store…which shall remain unnamed…and ran smack dab into HIM…

holy toledo!  what-the-heck is HE doing HERE?  about that time i hear a lady asking if i need help.  uh yeah, i ask if HE is for sale?  “sure” she responds and then she tells me…hold on…she has four more!  get out!

i couldn’t say “SOLD” fast enough!  *grin*

is my heart ever happy!  ~ it’s friday…do something FUN!

a few weeks ago, at the Dolly Johnson show, i was wearing one
of my butterpat necklaces.  a guy walks up to me and says
“that is bleeping hysterical!”

and we both doubled over laughing!  he was quite a character and quickly became intrigued with my bling.  really?  huh.  okay, it happens to be rather large and possibly (one might say) over-the-top.  so.

turns out, he (Malcolm Mayhew) is a reporter with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram!  here is his published interview with little ’ol me:

“Janet Romine,
Austin
SweetTalk/Rubbish
One look at Romine and all of a sudden, Eye Spy was hungry.
Is that an invitation to have lunch on your neck?
Ha, ha, it’s an old butter pat.

I would have just called it “small dish.” And your rings?
This one is a designer piece made by Joan Slifka.
The other’s one not.
It’s an ironstone lid, probably from a child’s tea cup.

You walk around town, people look at you funny?
Heck, yeah. But you know what, I live in Austin, so I fit right in.

That explains it — keeping Austin weird, huh?
Actually, I lived in Fort Worth for a while, too.

Further explanation! So you make jewelry out of antique pieces?
If it lends itself to it. I also make custom tags for people — postcards, gift tags. TalkSweetTalk.com is my website, and I also sell out of a place in Dallas called Curiosities.

You’re in an appropriate spot.
Some people think I’m crazy, but what I do is a lot of fun. I find a lot of great stuff in my travels — it’s the thrill of the hunt.”

a few hours later his photographer showed up, oh boy…

me and my bling…silly girl!

what’s not to love about a good stack?  of something, anything!  it’s a great way to get a lot JUNK in a little bit of space…plus, for me…the simplicity makes it quite pleasing to my eye!

a good stack makes me smile and definitely makes my
heart happy!

last…but hardly least…

it’s friday…go stack something!

from the Dolly Johnson Antique & Art Show!  it was a superfun time and a really great show!  an impressive eclectic mix of JUNK…everything from authentic, fine antiques to, well, me!

i loved being sandwiched between my sweet friends Ann and Stephanie!  there was much giggling!  imagine.

and in a complete stroke of luck, i actually got to hug the neck of my favorite red.neck gurl, Robelyn!  turns out she was doing a handmade show, with her amazing creations, just across the street!  bonus!

while my load was not so easy, my space came together beautifully!  phew!

she makes me happy…

i was kinda sad when the heart yoke sold…

what’s not to love about a mop bucket?  when these restaurant coffee cups went poof!

i filled the mop bucket with silver goblets….

tah-dah!

i know you thought i was kidding when i said in my last post that there was not room for a “sheet of paper” in Mighty…as i got situated to make the drive to ft. worth i was looking for a place to keep my chapstick (a must!) and there was only one possibility…thank goodness for the a/c vent!

there you have it!  i look forward to participating in this show next year!

now i’m neck deep in JUNK getting ready for Marburger Farm!  i can hardly wait!

wednesday was load day…starting with a hunting expedition in my storage unit and then back home to combine those treasures with the stack of JUNK waiting its turn in the garage.  it wasn’t such an easy load this time.  possibly because i have too much JUNK!

everytime i get to the loading part, i’m so thankful for my pop who showed me how to pack!  as a kid, i could not have imagined that a) i was paying attention and b) that i would actually ever need those skills.  after all, i’ve never once needed chemistry, trig or all those fascinating facts i learned when i dissected “spot” the fetal pig!

who knew!  it’s the days i load when i know my pop is smiling down on me and urging me to try it this way and that…it will fit!

and like him, i’m so very visual!  as he loaded the car time after time, i can remember him saying “bring everything out”.  he needed to see it all in order to make it work.  after that, it’s nothing but a puzzle!

my heart is so happy that i managed to pull off this load.  phew!

trust me when i tell you that there is not room for a sheet of paper!

uh, yeah, this is the front seat where i normally put my suitcase…hmmm…there’s always the dashboard!

by the time you see this post i will have miraculously managed to turn this load of JUNK into a creative masterpiece!  i hope.

it’s Friday…get creative!

am i ready?  heck no!  i’ve still got a wee bit of time and more buckets of JUNK to pack before Mighty and I hit the road!

would so love to see you there!