The countdown to Bama has officially begun! I am getting so excited about my trip (although not so excited about my 11-hour travel time) and dreaming of all the wonderful Clanton peaches, southern comfort foods, great junking spots, and of course, time with my family whom I miss SO dearly.

(aerial view of Lake Guntersville)

I am from a small town. Guntersville. Population? Small. But, I have come to realize in the past few years how much that really doesn't matter at all. In fact, I truly consider it a blessing that I come from such a small town. A small town where, for the most part, people matter and where your word is your bond. People don't mind small talk, enjoy having "nothing" to do and life is a little........... bit............slower............ than most places.

(creek near Lake Guntersville State Park)

Funny how just moving away from home could make me appreciate my roots, my upbringing and the place I called home for the first 18 years of my life more than ever before.

So, I reflect on that time. I think of summers on the lake, the biggest and grandest 4th of July celebrations the South has seen (maybe a bit of an exaggeration but it always felt HUGE to me), 4-H camps, hanging out with friends, and sippin' on some sweet Southern tea (there's NOTHING like it!) while we waved at the strangers passing by.

This is MY South. This is MY sweet home, Alabama. I'm coming home...

In an effort to leave everything in it's place and keep things organized on the homefront for my upcoming trip to Bama (whoot, whoot!), I have begun nesting, pruning, and clearing out some of the clutter we I have collected in the past few months since our move to Oahu...

I realize that I am nowhere near as organized as I used to be (three kids and five years later) and since I have lots of JUNK lying around, I thought I should put it to good use, eventually, and use it to try and organize my home. With bags to pack, clothes to iron (huh?) and hair to manage (leaving my baby girl with the hubs) I am up to my eyeballs in the "Things to Do" area.

Soooo, I decided to dream about all of the things I could use around my home to organize our lives and make a list of all the things that need to be organized and what I would like to use to organize them. Oh, joys of the A-Type...

I overthink just about everything which is why I must have THE PERFECT place for all of my STUFF and THE PERFECT piece to place and display all of my STUFF! I love the unconventional and THAT makes it even tougher...

How's this one for unconventional? Sweetness!

(Photo courtesy of HGTV)

Of course, for me, I would have painted some funky color and banged it up really good!

Now this one is a keeper! Let's see...old photos, sewing notions, love letters from the hubs...the list goes on. This is an old metal file drawer. The possibilities are endless here. See more cool revamps from Old Ohio Farm Finds here.

I just love all things old, chippy and grungy...I just can't figure out where to use them in my home just yet. Any ideas for this? Check out this cool shoppe to see more of their vintage finds.

This lovely salvaged coat/towel rack I found with Michelle over at From House to Home. Hop on over to her spot to see more great stuff and to get an OH-SO-YUMMY Butterscotch-Banana Cream Pie recipe!

My New Love. Mmmmm, hmmm and just because I heart them so much...here'so one more for ya'll. This aweseom cubby is from the girls over at WhiteFlower FARMHOUSE. You can check them out here and trust me, you want to check. them. out.

Oh, there are so many great things to be found! But, I wonder if you find all the great finds and buy ALL the great finds, how's that effect the whole organzing thing? Looks like I've got myself into a little predicament, dearies.

So, what do you have to share? Any unconventional (and maybe not so unconventional) organizing tips? What are some things that you do to save time, space and money? Come on...give it to us straight!

Waiting to hear from ya...

Okay, someone sent me a message today and I KNOW I am not crazy...I think it went into my personal e-mail account. I am sure that I somehow inadvertently deleted it in all my hurry to get the kids out of the house this morning so if you e-mailed me and you didn't get a response, that's why...I can't find it to respond! I just remember it saying something about me and the other person having the "same brain" when I glanced at it...can somebody help me???

I am normally really good with responding to e-mail...kind of a personal thing, so this is really buggin' me! Ugh! Soooooo, I'm not ignoring you...I just don't know who to respond to! Okay, pray you all are having a great night's rest as most of you are in the bed right now! LOL! Thanks for letting me get that one off of my chest!

Please welcome our first guest blogger over here at Me & My House...Mrs. Rhoda. I have absolutely fallen in love with this charming lady and I think you all will too. She is an entertaining, decorating, and blogging maven in her own right and although I have never met her in person, I am looking forward to visiting my home state of AL and having some junkin' fun with her one day. Rhoda is definitely not new to the blogging world as her blog, Southern Hospitality, has been around for over two years now.

She never ceases to amaze me with her multiple talents and warm, cheerful personality. I was initially drawn to her blog since it was so addictively titled "Southern Hospitality" and since I miss home SO much...I wanted to know more about this new place I had found. Boy, was I in for a treat! I never imagined that, week after week, I would be delighted to and would actually anticipate visiting her warm, virtual home.

Would you all please join me in welcoming, Rhoda...

An Introduction: The Inspiration Behind it All...

I’ve been blogging for almost 2 ½ years now. It started as a whim (when my friend, Kim from Daisy Cottage started blogging and encouraged me to start my own) and I had NO idea whatsoever that it would grow to where it is now. I really started my blog because I have enjoyed getting to know some other girls from many years on a decorating board and blogging seemed like the next thing that was going to take the place of those old boards. So, I jumped in there and started a blog. It grew slowly the first year, but I met SO many sweet and wonderful ladies out there in blogland who I made friends with and we shared a special love of creating a beautiful home. Since I don’t have that many real life friends who get into decorating and home stuff as much as I do, those blog friends really became like real friends to me and it’s been such a wonderful and fulfilling journey. As I would do projects around my house (and I always have something going on), I would share those on my blog. And I always get a great response to projects. I think every woman really wants to have a pretty home and I hope that I’ve encouraged all my readers to just get out there and try something new, even if you have no idea what you’re doing. I’ve had to teach myself all sorts of new tricks and usually it just all works out fine. So, that’s my biggest message. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Don’t wait on your husband to do it for you. We women are a smart bunch and can do a lot of things on our own! And I’m proof of that, being married to a non-handy man.

So, blogging for me is all about the sharing and camaraderie of blog friends, even though most of us will never meet in person, we have that bond of homemaking and creativity. And that’s just been a blast for me! I hope to keep on blogging for years to come and hopefully I won’t run out of things to talk about. I haven’t so far!

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Many years ago, I decided to use an old antique china cabinet as an entertainment center for my bedroom. I found an old beat up piece with broken glass in the doors and my ex at the time, rebuilt the doors with solid wood and added shelves to make it work as an entertainment center. I painted the whole thing and added wallpaper samples with flowers and scrolly things. Gave it a Frenchy look and I was happy with it for several years.

Before (quite the beast)

After (a tamed beauty)

When I moved to Alabama with my new husband, the master bedroom changed colors and styles and it was definitely time to give that old piece yet another new look. So off came the wallpaper and a new coat of paint was added to go with the vibe of our master bedroom. So, this shabby cabinet has gone through 2 transformations to work in a new way. Just goes to show that these old pieces are very long-lived if you just have some imagination to change them for a new space or look.

What I did with the new look was paint it all out with a color called Vintage Blue (at Lowes). I used striped fabric from my bedding for the door inserts and trimmed that out with some ribbon. Painted the trim with a dark chocolate brown that I had on hand and completely transformed this piece for our new bedroom. It looks right at home in there now.

I hope this will inspire you to look at old furniture in a new way. How can I use it to meet my needs? How can I paint it to work for me at this time of my life? I love looking at old things in a new way and have no plans to go out and buy a new entertainment center. This one has worked well for me and will continue to work. And if this look gets out of date, I’ll give it another facelift.

Thanks so much, Rhoda, for such great inspiration! When you get time, head on over to Rhoda's and show her some love and hang around for a while. You won't be disappointed! Have a great Wednesday!

(and Rhoda )

Gracias to my new friend over at Whisperwood Cottage for naming my blog FABULOUS among others. I am so blessed to have blogger friends who support me and who enjoy what we do over here at Me & My House. So, Amy, thank you. Thank you! Thank you! You are awesome!

In fabulous blog fashion, I am passing this award on to 5 others that I have (had a hard time with this since there are so many great ones) deemed faaaaab-ulous!

Kayleen @ This Old Chair

Ember @ The Painted Chair

Kathy @ Sylvia's Vintage Daughter

Fawn @ Patina Soul

Mrs. Cherrylicious @ Cherry's Jubilee

Ugh! That was hard! Now scoot on over to these blogs and show these ladies some LOVE! Happy Tuesday!

Blessed #45!!!! Whoot, whooooot! The beautiful, talented, "junk has met it's match" chick over at This Old Chair is our winner for the Junk Party Giveaway. And since you guys were so great at spreading the word (take a look below), we now have over 100 followers! Don't you think that's cause for even more giveaways and celebration? I do...hold on, let's pull another random number out...(do-do, doo-doo, dooo-doo, doooooo: the Jeopardy tune). And the second winner is.....#56!!!Come on down, Tina! Can I get another whoot, whoot...the party train is riding out over here at Me & My House.

I am so thankful for all of you and want to say thanks for making this Junk Party THE best ever! I am thinking of making this a monthly event (each last Thursday of every month). What say you? Give me some feedback...I am kind of thinking you guys won't mind and I may even throw in a giveaway each month to one random person! You guys absolutely ROCK! I loved seeing all of your great junk finds and what you did with them/what you plan to do with them. I love you, I love you, I love you...Happy Father's Day and have an awesome Sunday!

Hana Hou (encore! in Hawaiian and yes, let's do this again!),

Okay, it's that time! Are you guys ready? I am! I can't wait to see all of the creative things you all have come up with and all the great junk you have found! Let's link up and show everyone all of your cool junk!

Please be sure that when you copy and paste your URL into Mr. Linky that it is the link to the post of your junk (your junk party post URL) and not the main page of your blog.

To get the ball rolling...here's a few pics of my junk finds and some before and afters to whet your palate! Enjoy!

BTW, I have posted MY before and afters since I didn't have any new pics of junk uploaded on my laptop (sorry no time and a bit lazy) but you feel free to post whatever you like: your finds, your recreations, whatever. We're ready!

And heeeeerrrrrrreeee we go!

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

This little bench came just as you see it for $2!!! I know, I know...it should have been FREE! At least, that's what I thought...but then again, $2 bucks is like free, isn't it?

AFTER

It was hard to let go...just love the way the red ticking fabric added that country touch with the red paint. I distressed a bit but you can't really see it in the pic. This was my first bench redo...pretty darn good if I do say so myself....and I do! *wink*

DRESSER BEFORE

The infamous oak dresser that I just couldn't decide what color(s) to paint.

DRESSER AFTER

And then it HIT me...voila! I think this is one of my favorite junkin' finds yet and at $10 it's close to the best deal too!

I also loved the way this piece turned out. A Salvation Army find for little to nothing. With a bit of hard work and elbow grease it became a great conversational piece.

And a little more detail for ya....

Alright, let's link up...let's see whatcha got! I am SO excited! Hence, the early start!

***ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION!***

p.s. Please, please, please be sure to add a link back to this post (the junk party post and NOT my MAIN blog URL) from your blog post about all of your good stuff! Be sure to add your party post URL and NOT your blog URL in Mr. Linky down below also. Again, in your post, there should be a hyperlink back to Me & My House in your text or a mention of the Junk Party. Thank ya, thank ya!

It's the party of all parties over here next week...yup, a Junk Party! Right here in this very place Me & My House will host its first party with the best theme ever-JUNK!

I want to see all of your finds, what you did with them, hear what you want to do with them, your dreams, your aspirations...wait, maybe not dreams and aspirations unless, of course, you really want to share those with me. Then, of course, I am all ears! *wink*

So, here's how it will go down:

STEP 1: Just grab this button and place it on your blog so that all your friends and family will know to join us for this event!

Just in case you need help, here's how you can make this badge active on your blog.

STEP 2: Once you have the button up on your blog, come back here and leave me a comment and let me know you've got it up. From those who leave comments and attach the badge to their blog, I will randomly select someone for a free surprise from the Me & My House stash! Ummmm,hmmm...some goodies are in store for you wonderful people!

STEP 3: Join me on June 18 to show all of your good stuff. It's that easy! I am SO excited!

p.s. it won't hurt to blog about it too...I'm all about kudos, you know.Follow me? More kudos...you get it!

Okay, so you remember my "Random Junk Thoughts", right? (Of course you do, it's JUST one post down!) Well, one thing that I can't stop thinking and dreaming about is barns. Not only are they just lovely to look at and photograph, but now because of many of you...I want to USE one for monthly shows for Me & My House. I have had barn on the brain....literally.

I am now bent on and convinced that instead of just waiting for someone else to organize shows and try to find them on someone's schedule, that I am going to have my own. (At least, that's the plan) The perfect place for that? A barn. The problem? I live in Hawaii. Just in case you didn't know, there aren't a lot of those around here on the island of Oahu so I must get creative.

There's this place. I love it. It's over 100 years old, has a ton of character and is begging to host an event of this nature. The only problem is that it's not in a central location here on the island so for those coming from Honolulu (East Oahu) or West Oahu, it wouldn't be the easiest location to access.

This gorgeous industrial building is the Wailua Sugar Mill and is located near North Shore. Do you see the backdrop here? It is absolutely beautiful but, again, kind of far away from everything and I wonder how well the venue would be received. Not to mention, I have talked to NO ONE who actually has the power to give me the opportunity to use it as a location for my sales.

So, my search continues...I dream of barns like this

And this...a barn off of Hwy. 79 just south of my hometown of Lake Guntersville, AL.

Aaaaah, and of course THIS ONE! How I miss home...lovely.

Got any out of the box ideas for venues that would be cool for a Hawaiian Junk Sale? At the moment, my brain's stuck on barns...

• I want a t-shirt that says, "I'd Rather be Thriftin...'" 
  

• And a bumper sticker that goes along with it to say something like, " I Brake for Junk..." That way, when I am driving down the street, those behind me can take it as a warning so that when they have to SCREEECCCHHH on their brakes to keep from hitting me AFTER I brake for junk, I don't have to say, "I tried to tell ya.." My bumper sticker will speak for me. 

• Why is it that when I have a lot on my plate, I wish I didn't and when I don't I wish I did? What's up with that?

• Sometimes I think I may be losing it. I dream of junk. Serisouly. The past two weeks my night time thoughts have been filled with all things cottage, shabby, distressed, low VOC, high VOC, to distress or not to distress...is this normal? Someone?

• Hmmmm....Crafty. Sassy. Funky. Does that really describe Me & My House? Or, does that describe me. Am I Me & My House?  Hmmm...

 Random thoughts brought to you today by Me & My House (me). What's on your mind?

Happy Monday! We're doing it again...with Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality and Today's Thrifty Treasures. Here are just a few finds from this past weekend that I fell in love with...aaaahhhh.

So, these are my finds.  Absolutely lovely.

The breakdown:

Small side table: $8.00

Bentwood chair: FREE

Small vintage drawer with crystal knob: $5.00

Vintage Frame: FREE

Tri-fold Frame: FREE

Plate Rack: $2.99

Tiered Tray: $5.00

TOTAL COST: $20.99

TOTAL ELATION: Priceless.

I shopped all around the island this weekend from Manoa Valley(one of my new favorite spots here on the island that I will be blogging about soon) to Mililani. The treasures were lovely as you can see

So, here's the plan. I want to take this tri-fold frame and sew some burlap panel curtains to fit the inside. To add a little bit of an extra layer and so it's not so blah, I will take some more vintage frames (one per panel) and hang with ribbon from the top of each panel to showcase the family photos we are supposed to be taking soon! Make sense...any other ideas?

I am not sure if I want to change much on this table. It is so cute and already antiqued but quite dingy and dirty. It also has a small laminate panel on top so I will have to paint that part for sure. 

During my "travels" this weekend, I stumbled upon a vintage sale in Manoa at the Wailoi Tea Room. I immediately knew when I saw the shabby (and I mean shabby) sign who was hosting. There are a group of women here on the island (about 5 of them) that travel to the Mainland, shop thrifts and online to bring their collections to the masses and they do it well. My pictures don't really do their quaint little set up any justice but just wanted to share some of the pics. 

I knew this would be fun...I was just too excited to get inside and take a look at all the wonderful pieces these women had discovered. 

This is Joy-and rightfully named. She was definitely pleasant and a "joy" to be around. She and her mother sell vintage tablecloths,hankies,napkins and sell them. They also turn them into fabulous cardigans, jackets and dresses. She is sporting one in this pic...yup, this is one of their handmade dresses made out of vintage curtains! Amazing. I didn't get a lot of pics of her stuff but it was gorgeous! 

A cute vintage vanity. I think it was $125.00.

Cute wire baskets. There were three of them for $16 ea. The enamelware ran from $5 to $12 bucks...a good deal but I didn't need any of it. The baskets I am actually looking for but just a wee bit smaller. If you have some, let me know...I would love to get my hands on some...preferrably more than one.

This was a really nice piece that caught my eye. An old grocery scale. $129.00 Too much for something I don't need but worth it to someone.

Okay, so those are my finds and outings from this weekend. Have a great week and don't forget to head on over to Rhoda's to share YOUR junk journey with all of us!

Megan over at Shabby Blogs (yeah, you know her, the cool chic with all the FREE stuff) is having one of the MOST AWESOME giveaways out there! 

She's giving away a custom header and matching grab button to one lucky person. You can check out some of her "shabulous" designs here. And just in case you didn't catch it the first time, you can enter this aweseom giveaway here.

Did I mention that all of her stuff is FREE!!!!! Now get on over there! 

Best to you,