[love] Junk Finds

One of my favorite pastimes is "junkin'", or the act of going through antique stores and garage/yard sales for new-to-me, prized possessions. And I LOVE the hunt of finding an amazing deal! Over the past three weeks, I've had a couple of opportunities to go junkin': one in Fredericksburg with Sam, and the other in my current town and the surrounding areas with my BFF gals Jen, Sam (different Sam), and Kelli. Here are my finds!

[Fredericksburg]

This is an old, ballot box! How neat is that?! $13. Still has the original markings, warning labels, and is in pretty good condition. I'm just using it as a chotch-kie (is that how you spell it? ha!) for decoration.

Scrabble tiles: who doesn't love scrabble tiles?! I found the letters to spell our last name, along with a stand to hold the letters. .25 for each letter, $1.50 for the stand. It's currently sitting on our piano.

Sheet music: I am a sucker for old sheet music! Since Nate is a music genius, I try to pick up old sheets of music whenever I can so he can analyze it :) Hopefully, I will get enough sheets to frame in matching frames and make a grid gallery wall above our piano. These sheets were around $4 each. One isn't marked and I don't remember the price.

 [Garage/Consignment Stores]

This ottoman was $12: a little pricey for a consignment store, but I've got big plans for it! I'm going to spray paint the wicker white and recover the seat. Plus, the seat opens up for more storage! Win.

I love me a good, ol' hymnal project! These babies were $1 and .50. I have found some CUTE projects that incorporate hymnal pages, so stay tuned for that. We were both raised Southern Baptist, and although we are now at a non-denominational church, we love us a classic hymn. Worship songs today are still well-written, but the text and lyrics in hymns are beautiful.

I've been recently on the hunt for old clipboards. I've seen some quirky projects completed with these, so I hope to re-create something of my own. I'm thinking of spray-painting the middle with chalkboard spray paint, leaving some brown around the edge as a border. I want to hang it on the wall in our guest bedroom as a welcome sign (or something: we will see)!

Isn't this dish adorable? $1. I'm going to put it on my nightstand or by our sink to hold my jewelry. Love the gold and white together!

These jars. Wow oh wow. Bargain of the day! They are HUGE, probably at least a foot tall. I paid .50 FOR ALL THREE OF THEM. What?! People have been raising the prices of glass jars since Mason jars are "all the rage" now. I was pumped to find these large jars at such a cheap price! I'm planning on using them as centerpieces for our farmhouse table. Stay tuned for that as well!

Mirrors. Another thing I'm on the hunt for. I don't think I've shown you all, but I am creating a mirror gallery wall in our front entry. So far, I have 5 mirrors of varying sizes. This $2 beauty is the newest addition, making it mirror #6. When I hang it, I'll post about my mirror gallery wall :) An idea I found on Pinterest, of course!

These embroidery hoops were .25 each, making my total $1.25. Again, on Pinterest, I have seen some cute ideas incorporating embroidery hoops into home decor. I saw one wall that had varying styles of lace inside each hoop: it was beautiful! Not sure how I will incorporate them yet, but I'm sure I will think of something (or borrow an idea on Pinterest).

The last find: a $3 vintage Scrabble board game! WHAT! I just spent $$$ on spelling out "Johnson" with scrabble tiles, but HELLOOOO, this game comes with all sorts of tiles plus their little stands! I haven't checked how many of each letter came with the game, but the pieces are in great condition. Pumped!

Okay, okay. Surely I am not the only one who loves a good deal, one-of-a-kind pieces, and digging through some questionable items in order to find the treasures. Do you? Share with me! I love hearing these kinds of stories!


Happy Wednesday! On Wednesdays, I teach a K-5th grade bible study at our church: tonight's story is on Job. Even after everything he loved and depended on was taken away, Job was still praising God's name. Read the verse below and know that even in the midst of suffering and trials, God is still sovereign, powerful, and good:

"And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.'" Job 1:21

[love] 10 Random Things

I am borrowing Brittany's (from Fun with the Fullwoods) idea on posting 10 Random Things about myself! Like Brittany, I enjoy reading these types of posts from other bloggers because it allows us to get to know one another as a blogging community. So if you are reading, feel free to join the fun and create your own 10 Random Things post!

1. Nathan and I LOVE to travel! We haven't gone anywhere crazy, like to Europe or Asia, but small road trips or even exploring our own state is enjoyable to us. Our favorite way to travel is by ship, via a cruise!

2. Which leads me to point #2, we are AVID cruisers! Nate has been on 6, and I have been on 7 (and we are only in our twenties: we are going to be those little old people on cruises who are "Diamond" members because we've been on so many!)

3. When I was two, I broke my left arm by jumping on my bed. When I jumped off, I landed on the frame of the bed. Whoops! Because I was still developing my bones as a toddler, my arm did not straighten out. Therefore, my left arm is majorly crooked! It looks broken, but it's not :)

4. Our friends mean the world to us: when we first moved to South Texas, it was hard getting to build meaningful friendships simply because there weren't that many people our age or in the same season of life as us. We have been so blessed to get to form a close-knit bond with three other couples from our church. Now we all do everything together! We call ourselves "MNG" because we used to get together every Monday night for dinner at our homes, but now that it's summer, it's a free for all and we get together all the time! So, so thankful for these friends.

5. I am about the pickiest eater you can imagine: I don't like vegetables or seafood, which are two major ingredients in many dishes. Since marrying Nathan, I have embraced guacamole and onions... some seasoned squash is okay... but other than that, I'm still pretty picky! I only drink water (I don't like the way carbonated soda feels running down my throat), and I'm pretty picky about what type of alcoholic beverages I like (I've never tasted beer and never will: if it's not fruity and frozen, I probably won't like it).

6. I am a Pastor's Wife! Nathan is the Senior Pastor at our small church. He has been the pastor for about two and a half years, which before that he worked with the music and youth at the various churches we attended. God speaks through him and Nathan is so blessed with the gift of preaching and teaching. I could never do what he does, but he makes it looks so easy! I'll have to try to post a sermon of his sometime: they are online! Below, he is about to baptize a church member and he is leading our Christian Seder Meal (the Thursday before Easter).

7. I have just completed my fifth year of teaching in TX! What?! I beat the statistic! Most teachers resign from teaching within the first five years because it is so daunting, and believe me- I have thought about it! But I will be continuing to teach, Lord willing, in the fall at my same school as the Kindergarten teacher. I LOVE Kindergarten because it is so fun, interactive, and the kids are precious (most of them, anyways!).

8. My parents have been happily married for almost 33 years. I have a big brother named Michael, who married a sweet gal named Claire. Neither of us have had children yet, but between all of our families, we have five dogs and two cats!

9. My favorite hobbies are: sleeping, taking photographs, spending time with my friends and family, staying in (vs. going out), wearing PJs, being crafty and having the "Psh, I can make that!" attitude, shopping, and planning parties/events.

10. We are the proud owners parents of two fur-babies, Chloe (Jack Russell Terrier) and Oliver (Shih-Tzu) (which, if you've been reading my blog for a while, you are quite aware of these two)!

There you have it! I hope that gives you a bit more of an insight as to who I am. If you have any other questions for me, feel free to ask and we can have a Q&A blog series too! Have a great week!


"I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live." Psalm 116: 2

[What is God trying to tell you today? Call on Him and He will reply!]