I just ran out of pistachios

I just ran out of pistachios and now I'm pretty sad on the inside. I just thought you all should know.

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Today, me and the family were supposed to go to Washington, AR for the 46th annual Jonquil Festival.  The Jonquil Festival is an American Civil War themed festival with 19th century demonstrations and crafts and music. I don't really care that much for Civil War history but going to the festival would have been a great opportunity for me to go out and find more vendors to join my faire in October BUT the dang thing is being rained out right now as I type. So POO.

Oh, well. I'm not even sure if black people are allowed into the festival anyways.

That was a joke... get it? Black chick going to a Civil War festival... get it? Hm?? Do ya?!?!

I wonder if they have a separate festival for the descendants of slaves...

Oh, yeah. I totally went there.

So instead today I've been relaxing on the couch, neglecting my housework and fiddling around on the internet - mostly looking for ideas for fun interactive games and activities for the faire. We already have a blacksmith, archery lessons, kid's craft booth, pony rides, petting zoo and "Dunk the Monk" dunking booth game... but I want more!! Any suggestions??

 And here's the great bump reveal. I'm only 4 months pregnant right now. Women usually show sooner with their second pregnancy because the uterus is worn out - but in my case it's mostly just my fat getting pushed outwards. 

Outfit under $20

Plaid dress (well, it WAS a dress. It shrank) - online store

Blue striped dress - Ross

Socks & studded wrist cuff- The Dollar Tree

Chucks - Salvation Army

Peace necklace - made by me

 Bonus:

So a few days ago I was vacuuming and...

Yeah, I'm totally guilty but... how did I not see a pair of earbuds on the floor?!?!

Hot Springs, AR Mini Vacation: 2/2

 Here are some pics from our last day in Hot Springs.

For those of you just tuning in, me and the rest of the Ramsey Clan went to Hot Springs, AR for a mini post-Christmas vacation.

We went downtown and did a bit of strolling around. We decided to take a tour of one of Hot Springs many bathhouses. Many of the bathhouses were built in the early 1900s and now some of them just serve as street decor, some are now cafes, some have been converted into modern spas, but the one we visited has been kept intact for history's sake.

 In my last post I mentioned that Hot Springs is best known for its hot springs.

Well, as you can see here this decorative fountain is squirting toasty warm natural water right from underground.

 In fact pretty much every business had a fountain in front of it. There are even huge public drinking fountains around so you can fill up your water bottles and jugs and take home as much clean pure water as you want.

The tour of the bathhouse was actually pretty boring. Not because there weren't cool and interesting things to see but because the tour guide was a total windbag.

It took him foooooorever to explain each room and everything in it.

 This amazing stained glass ceiling art can be found in the men's bath room.  

 I bet that in 1916 if the men's wives knew what was looking down at them from the ceiling, they would never be allowed to set foot in Arkansas again.

 So here's a bit of the fancy equipment used back in the 1900s and beyond for hydrotherapy. I wasn't really listening to what the tour guide was saying because he was sooooo boring. I only caught a wee bit of what he said about these contraptions.

#1. "The Spray You Raw"

Step into this head to toe shower and have the living hell blasted right out of your body though violent jets of pulsating water.

#2. "The Bendover"

A device that's waist high and could possibly be used for self administered aqua enema... or just a nice pleasant spritzing.

#3. "The Don't Ask Don't Tell"

Get inside one of these cozy metal boxes, peek your head out the top and wait for a surprise. Could be something nice... could be something more than nice... perhaps- pleasurable?

If you see a man with a look of ecstasy plastered about his face whilst in his metal box, never bother him to share what he has received. You wouldn't want to ruin the surprise would you?

Don't ask. Don't tell.

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Ok, yeah. Those aren't entirely accurate descriptions...I should probably pay better attention next time.

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pretty young thing

Last weekend I finally had the chance to do something I've always wanted to do:

Hit up a post-Halloween sale.

Since I host a lot of events and parties I need costuming stuff. Lots of it. And now that I have a husband and a baby to dress for these events as well, I need triple the amount of costuming accessories.

The Halloween shop's prices weren't as low as I expected, (only 50% off) so I didn't score the haul I was expecting. I did, however, manage to find some heart shaped sun glasses and pilots cap. Two things I've always wanted. Not just for costuming but for everyday kind of of wear. I got some other doodads but nothing that compares to the awesomeness of hearties and a pilots cap.

The pilot cap has been begging me to dress up as Bessie Coleman, the first black female pilot who just so happens to be from one of my hometowns, Atlanta, TX.

 

I think I could pull it off!

This post is about to get a bit random so bear with me.

Here's another one of my .99 cent eBay finds. Isn't it lovely?

For the past week I've been making fascinators and other headpieces for myself and also to sell in my Etsy shop for a little Christmas shopping money. What do you think?

This one with the colorful feathers is still in the making.

And a lace tiara! Would be great for a wedding, no?

All aboard the Random Express! Next stop: pumpkin cornbread!

I've never cooked with pumpkin before until recently when I tried a recipe for pumpkin cornbread dressing with sage and country sausage. It was STUPID AWESOME! My husband bought too much pumpkin so I've been trying to find ways to get rid of it. Ladies and gents: pumpkin cornbread. 

Prepare two packages of sweet cornbread mix (I used Jiffy) and then add a can of pureed pumpkin and cinnamon and nutmeg to the mix. Eat with honey and butter or just by itself... er after you bake it of course. It's like and autumn party in your mouth! (And it's the start of making aforementioned pumpkin dressing)

So that's what I've been up to! How are ya'll doing?

Er, I mean "you all". Not "ya'll".

You.... All.

Sorry.

Watch this video. You wont regret it and it's River approved.

where is my mind? waaay out in the water... see it swimmin'...

 I forgot today was Wednesday... so you know what that means? No Wacky Fashion Wednesday today.

 Whoopsiedoodles!

I'm a wee bit ashamed to admit that I haven't really done anything productive today.

Well I dropped off a package at the post office and listed some stuff on Etsy... that's about it. Oh yeah, me and the hubs met up with our pastor today to discuss River's upcoming baptism. If it wasn't for that, I'd probably still be in my favorite ratty basketball shorts and oversized El Chico's Mexican Restaurant tee shirt.... bra-less of course.

The office overhaul is going er, ok I guess. Eh, let's face it. I really didn't get much done. I tried though, I really did.

While I was moving things onto this new shelf here I spilled a ton of sequins on the floor and that was actually pretty awesome. 

I know it doesn't look like much here in the photo but it was everywhere.

I really wanted to leave it there and spread it around the carpet and leave it there until time for the next vacuuming. Who doesn't want sparkly carpet?!?!

So this is as far as I got on the office. Just moving crap up on a shelf... ppsshhh....

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Here's someone you guys haven't seen in a while. My littler River! He'll be 5 months old tomorrow. Nice. He's almost old enough to get a job and help out with the bills.

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And lastly for this weird post that's going nowhere: here's a new find. 

I got this 1930s farmers ledger online last week for my own personal collection of vintage ephemera and it was in worse shape than I thought it was going to be.

The seller didn't explain that it wasn't all in tact. Poo.

  In good condition, a farmers ledger like this can go for around $8-$9 but this ain't in good condition. 

Hee hee! I said "ain't".

 I think I'll resell it in my Etsy store for super cheap. I'm just not crazy about it anymore. But what I am crazy about are the 12 vintage postcards the buyer sent along with the ledger for free. Some of the postcards are from the early 1900s featuring a boarding house called Floral Home in Moores Mill, NY.

I did quite a bit of research about Floral Home and not much came up. All I found out is that it was a popular boarding house/vacation spot that was turned into a spa named Parkway Health Resort in the 50s(?). I doubt that it's still open but the postcards from this place are rare and are selling for a pretty decent price... so Etsy, here we come!

I haven't researched the other postcards just yet, but I'll be sure to share with you all the boring facts and figures when I do.

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Do you research the history behind your antiques before you sell them or give them away... (or heaven forbid) throw them away?