Trying something new

Last week a new local friend of mine blessed me with some quail eggs.  They just started raising quail last fall, and they get about 3 dozen eggs a day.  So she had plenty to share!  It takes about 11 or 12 eggs to get the amount I would normally eat from 2 or 3 chicken eggs.  They taste just like chicken eggs, only lighter.  They are also extremely nutritious!  High in antioxidants, essential fatty acids, Vitamin B Riboflavin, Vitamin A and E.  They are also lower in bad cholesterol than chicken eggs.  Fantastic!  I hope to get more soon!  Be sure and try some if you ever find them in your area.

Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me!

One of the perks of my husband's job is being able to get free tickets and backstage passes to great concerts like Styx!!  I was able to get a friend to babysit at the last minute and we enjoyed a very fun date night with a few of his co-workers.  Here are a few pics that I took last Saturday night.

Great seats!  YES opened for Styx.

Me and hubby. :)

Styx jamming.

Renegade!!

Drummer Todd Sucherman.

Bass guitarist Ricky Phillips.

Lead guitar and vocals Tommy Shaw.

The latest creations

I thought I should probably share photos of the latest pieces I've made. :)

This piece is so fun!  And definitely a statement necklace!  It is a vintage 3-strand necklace that I embellished with a rosette and ribbon.  It is available for purchase on my Facebook page waiting for someone to take her home!

A vintage wooden bead necklace embellished with a couple rosettes.  I love the red with gray combo!  This one is also available on my Facebook page awaiting her new home.

Vintage choker embellished with pink/white polka dot rosette.

I LOVE this vintage yellow necklace!!  It is perfect just the way it is, so I will not be embellishing or upcycling this one.  I did, however, make the earrings from some vintage necklace beads.  They compliment the necklace nicely.

Smoothie pops!

I bought this cute popsicle mold at the Dollar Tree.  I have been meaning to buy a popsicle mold for a long time, but I would always forget when I was out shopping.  So when I spotted this cute umbrella one for only a $1 I grabbed it!  And now it has become a daily thing for me to make extra smoothie and then fill the mold up and pop it in the freezer.  Elise tasted it but only wanted to play with it and not eat it.  But Ronnie eats them up nearly every day.  He loves cold/icy stuff!

My goody basket from Authentica Classics!

I recently won a blog drawing that Authentica Classics participated in on Lucky 7 Design's blog.  It is a basket tote full of vintage goodies!  It just arrived last night and I have had so much fun going through everything and finding a place in my home for some of the decor items.

The milk glass vase, silver bowl, wooden box, and wooden spindle are already on my bookshelf. I plan to make some jewelry with the vintage keys and I just love the old tags!  They are dated 1944!  Also pictured is some old sheet music, a hymnal, an vintage doll, glass napkin holders, vintage buttons, and a hand sewn pillow.  So much fun!!  Thank you Martha!! :)

Porter Flea in East Nashville

Yesterday my wonderful husband watched the kids for me so I could head down to East Nashville to check out a brand new handmade indie flea market called Porter Flea.  I loved it!  I was inspired by seeing others handmade goods, I bought some vintage earrings to use in my jewelry making, and I met some fellow local crafters!  Plus, I also indulged in a cupcake and a yummy iced coffee. :)  It was nice to have a few hours by myself just soaking it all in.  I always come back inspired with a million ideas running through my head!

The Almond Tree is where I got my pistachio cupcake.  It was very tasty!

Handmade baked goods.

Adorable children's clothing.

Lots of fun, sweet hand sewn items.

Tons of awesome vintage stuff!  She had some great vintage clothes and a pair of shoes I would've loved  to buy for myself!  I grabbed many of the vendors business cards and plan to find their websites, blogs, and FB pages so I can become a fan and follower of each of them.  It is great to form a network with other local crafters for tips, ideas, and just to support one another.

Our mini vacation to Chattanooga

We drove down to Chattanooga and spent the night.  Its only a 2 hour drive from home, but it was nice to be able to get up and take our time getting ready before heading to the amusement park the next morning.  This was the first time we've taken the kids to an amusement park, and we all had fun!  So here are some photos from our mini vacation this week.

A neat little water fountain in front of the aquarium in downtown Chattanooga.

She loves water!

Walking across a glass bridge over to an old mansion in Chattanooga.

Walking across a pedestrian bridge in Chattanooga, that was fun!

Arriving at Lake Winnie!

Ronnie and daddy rode the parachute ride.  He was already hooked after that!

This was the only ride Elise went on without me.  That is a look of shear terror on her face.  Poor sweetheart!  She didn't cry, but she did not like it at all!

I remember these boats rides from amusement parks back when I was a kid!

She did enjoy the duck pond, and winning a stuffed animal. :)

The boys went on a paddle boat across the lake.

Of course they loved the splash pad area!

One of her favorite things to do, play in the water.

Riding on the carousel that was built in 1919.

Ronnie LOVED this little frog hopper ride!  He would just laugh and laugh the whole time.

And of course we rode the little train around the park a couple of times.  He just had to see the railroad crossing sign. :)

Ronnie and daddy coming off the tube ride.  Ronnie loved it so much that he and I rode it too.

Ronnie's first little roller coaster ride. He loved that too!

Ronnie and I coming down the boat chute.

It was fun and we got a little bit wet. :)

Elise actually did quite well waiting patiently in the stroller much of the day.  She grabbed her swimsuit in the hopes that we would go back to the splash pad area!

Daddy and Ronnie rode the chair lift ride across the lake.

That's me riding the big roller coaster.  I have not been on one in MANY years and I loved it!

Climbing to the top!

The boys did the sack slide.

Ronnie saying "all aboard!"

It sure was a fun day!  The kids passed out on the way home and slept great that night.