Sunday, September 19, 2010

How I Spent My Birthday.....

You guys will understand, right?

Sometimes just getting something done can be a special treat, right?

Okay.........

this might sound kind of pathetic.............

but for my birthday...........

(drum roll here)...............

we cleaned out the garage.  

Hallelujah!

You won't believe some of the treasures I found.

Great garden tool caddy.....

Once upon a time it lived in our bathroom and it had jars filled with cotton balls, q-tips, toothpaste, etc.   But when Baby Bee came along it was moved out in favor of putting all the things she could get into in a secure place.  And it has languished in the garage now for several years.
Two - yes two - wooden Pepsi crates.  When my grandparents passed 20 years ago these were some of the things I snagged.  My mom was surprised these were Pepsi because I guess she had an uncle who worked for Ne-Hi and they always drank Ne-Hi.  Can you see how one of this is a lot taller than the other?  Too bad I didn't find these when Pottery Barn was selling them for quite a bit of $.  
Love these lawn chairs.  They bring back such memories.  My grandparents had four of these.  One of my cousins wanted them and so did I.  So we split them in half!  She has two (I hope she still has them.) and I have the other two.  
Had to take a close up.  I have no idea how old these are, but I would guess from sometime in the 1960s.  I can remember them from at least 1970 and I would guess anything from the 70s would have been plastic.  

Edited to add:  My mom remembers these lawn chairs from when Grandma and Grandpa still lived in the country.  They didn't move to town until 1956 or '57 so they are at least 50 years old.  And Grateful Gramma is right - they sure did pinch your legs!

One of my favorite things at Grandma and Grandpa F's were these kid sized lawn rakes.  There were four of us grandkids and we each had one in a different color.  I don't know what happened to them, but I wish we'd each gotten to take ours home with us.
This vase is from the White Pottery Co.  From what research I've done, it doesn't seem to be very well known so I guess this will not be financing Baby Bee's college fund.  I cleaned it up and brought it back inside.  I've had it for about 20 years too.  It belonged to my aunt's (by marriage) mom, Mrs. C.  Her home was filled with beautiful vintage things and my aunt was kind of enough to offer us a few.  She's all cleaned up now and living in the living room.
Now this little cherry canister is not vintage, but isn't it cute?  
I also got this from my grandparents.  It was unframed and very fragile so I had a custom mat cut for it.  Have you ever seen anything like it?  I would love to find out more about the artist but I can't see a signature anywhere.  

We started as soon as I got home from school - around 4:00 and worked until 11:00.
(There's everything on the driveway.  What a mess!)

The back of my car was filled with donations and I found quite a few things I hope to sell on ebay.

Also long forgotten treasures are now back with the family, never to be banished again.
There it is!  We can actually walk in it!  I'm so proud of us!


Our shipping station for all those things I found to sell on ebay!


Paint can central!

Worker Bee worked his stinger off!  


Thank you Worker Bee!


This was a wonderful birthday gift!

And speaking of birthday gifts.....

I'm celebrating my first blogthday and my birthday with a giveaway for you!

Here's a sneak peek.....

I know!  I know!  I am SUCH a tease.  

I'll be linking up today with 
for
in honor of the Great Garage Clean-Up!

Thank you so much for all the sweet birthday wishes!  You made my day!


Thanks for buzzin' by!  It's always a treat to visit with you.  C'mon, let's go have a nice iced latte together!  Do you want it sweetened?  I can add a little homemade simple syrup for you.  We could even sit in the cleaned up garage and enjoy our beverages! 

27 comments:

  1. What a great birthday! That's my idea of a great gift.

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  2. You were rewarded for cleaning out your garage with found treasures! So glad you found some of those items from your grandparents. They seem really special. Happy Birthday!

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  3. Janelle...If you were happy with that birthday celebration..who are we to judge!! Sometimes unpacking something is as exciting to me as getting a new item! lol

    I think I saw a ME item..lol

    Hugs..Cindy from Rick-Rack and Gingham

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  4. What a great way to spend your birthday! Wishing you many more happy birthdays :-)

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  5. Okay! Everybody sing with me now:

    "Happy, happy birthday, Babyyyyyyy!"

    (Next week I tackle my basement -- and it's NOT my birthday!)

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  6. Oh I understand :) What a wonderful birthday gift :D Have a great week sweetie!

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  7. happy bday!! well a clean area is always a great gift:) i love those old chairs!!!

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  8. I just found your blog - and love it. All those famiy treasures are so wonderful and you did a great job on the garage.

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  9. Happy Birthday! I love all your treasures you found in your garage! I could find some myself if I just cleaned my basement :)
    Hugs,
    Donna

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  10. How fun to find forgotten treasures in your own garage! I know it's a lot of work, but how great it feels when it's done-enjoy:@)

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  11. How exciting to find all of these wonderful treasures. I'm sure you're feeling wonderful with everything all organized now! Looks good.
    Happy Birthday and how sweet to have a giveaway!
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  12. First of all, Happy birthday!!! I know what you mean about getting a project completed being a real gift!!
    My favorite thing of all is that green caddy! Love it and love the color!!!

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  13. That is a much better birthday present than anything just bought on the spur of the moment...you got his time!!! Happy birthday lucky lady!!!

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  14. Happy Belated Birthday Janelle!! Sounds like it was a productive one. Of course, I had to click on the driveway pic to get a good close-up look at the your furniture -- looks like some very pretty pieces there!! :-)

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  15. I love those lawn chairs too...happy birthday!

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  16. It feels just like Christmas to me when I find old things I had forgotten about. Good job!

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  17. seriously... that is my kind of birthday! love the chairs and caddy!

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  18. Now, this would be my kind of birthday too! I love cleaning up a space, finding forgotten treasure, and the satisfaction of a job well done. Happy Birthday to you!

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  19. I'm with you, on that being a great birthday gift. Those fabulous wooden lawn chairs...definitely from the 60's. I know because I had a child's small version, just like the ones you have. Delightful, sturdy chairs. Never let them go! I wish I still had my mini chair. I spent heaps of hours sitting and dreaming on mine. Have a fabulous week.
    Maureen

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  20. Thanks for visiting. Happy Birthday! What a neat birthday present! A tidy garage and great finds, all for free. Love the garden tool caddy!

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  21. Happy
    Birthday.
    A good feeling is a good gift.

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  22. Hi Janelle! What a great way to spend your birthday! There's nothing better than that feeling of being neat and organized and decluttered! And even better yet that you'll be making some $$ off all your hard work! Good for you! It's so nice that you can keep your grandparent's treasures close to you now....

    Happy Belated Birthday to you - and Happy MM!

    xoxo laurie@heavens-walk

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  23. I tell you - only sick people like us think of organizing a garage as a treat! Sounds like fun - glad you enjoyed your birthday. I love the white vase and the illustration is just precious - it reminds me of some prints my mom had squirreled away for years. I finally had them framed for her and she hung them up in her bedroom.

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  24. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY! I am a little behind in reading my blogs! Isn't it great to "shop at home" every once in awhile. Sounds like you found some great BARGAINS! I often put things in the attic that I'm tired of but don't want to part with. Later down the road I discover them and by then I am ready to pull them out again! With the economy the way it is, I think it's a great idea! Hope school is going well. I miss teaching so much but have observed several times with my new teachers. Some are doing well...others, well, we gotta pump it up some! Tell Mr. Bee that I hope he didn't work his "stinger" completely off cause I'm sure Mama Bee will have other projects in the near future!

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  25. We had those lawn chairs too. It sure did hurt if you pinched your leg between the slats!!!

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  26. Happy Birthday! I think that your four little men might be some variation of 'Kewpie Dolls.' See: Rose O'Neil, "Ladies Home Journal," 1909. She used them in comic strip type illustrations...they later became dolls, originally made in Germany, I think. Cherry Kay

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  27. Your framed illustrations are Kewpies! Done by Rose O'Neil. You can tour her home and see her drawings near Branson, MO. The Kewpie was very popular through the mid 70's/

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