Behold. The first garage sale haul of the year.

It was raining.  
We were armed with coffee, donuts and umbrellas. Rain?  Pish-posh.
It turned out to be our first good haul of the year.
One item is so fab, I have no choice but to tout it's fabulousness straight away.

                                        

A French bistro chair. 'tis true. 

aka: The Find Of The Day.

Linda scooped it up faster than the guy could say;

"i think it's French, I bought it from a lady who went to France."

She, (the chair - not the lady) is fabulously old and chippy. Aqua to boot.

The rest of the day was successful too.

Did you notice the wire fabulousness?

The silver? The cute area rug? Metal floral chandelier?

I'm sure you did.

The trays. 2 of 'em. 

We bought both.  sigh. swoon.

 Love at first industrial sight.

The day's weather was crazy. 

It went from the 50's to the 80's in just a few hours.

As we loaded up the truck we shed sweatshirts and raincoats.

We'd do it again!

Have a great week.

xo jeanne.

3 Floors. 3 Girls. Mall Of America. Bring it!!

My girls and I. Our first night away as 'grown ups', just us girls.  A super cool hotel for the night and the next day full of fun and shopping at the Mall of America. It was the kind of thing I'd looked forward to since they were in diapers. Shopping, coffee and just being silly.  It was a big job and someone had do to it. We were up to the task and the much needed break.

We began at the Radisson Blu in Bloomington, MN. A new super hip hotel attached to the Mall. We were shell shocked with its coolness factor. My girls swam in the pool, enjoyed the 'butt chair' (we could not pass this up) and basked in hip luxury.  In the morning we looked simply fabulous in the bathroom mirror. We were very impressed with our gorgeousness.
That fab lighting! I’m ten years younger!

     On Sunday, we hit the Mall. Comfortable walking shoes are a must. We walked, we shopped. One of our favorite things was SEA LIFE® Minnesota Aquarium, a giant aquatic attraction at the Mall.  I am so glad we did. It was gorgeous, a totally wonderful thing to do as a family and so amazing to see.  It was very relaxing and a great way to start our day.

      Next, we went through Nickelodeon Universe®. The Wha? Huh? Yes, if you didn't know it already, there is a full amusement park right in the middle of the Mall. It is a kid mega-happyland.  Log ride?  Yes. Roller coasters? Yes. Several. It's huge. It's fun. It is always a must-do if you have kids who like rides.  Just try to go to the mall and not take them.... I dare you.

I assure you, you will cave.  Most likely, you will hop on a few rides yourself.

 I also stumbled upon some new work clothes at New York & Co. (I dragged the girls in.)

We ate. Then ate some more.  We sat at the counter at Johnny Rocket's and had cheeseburgers, fries and malts. Simply Heaven.   We put nickels into the counter jukebox, sipped our malts and people watched.

Chocolate malt? Yes please.
We were mall-walking, ride-wristband-wearing, ice cream-coffee-drinking happy people.

     One of the places I love to visit is the American Girl store. Even if I didn't have daughters I would love it.   It takes me back to my own doll days and is like falling back into girlhood.   I walk around it wishing I was 12.   In my head Kit and I are best friends and my bitty babies come alive.

I can't help myself.

My daughters and I truly had a wonderful time. We are lucky enough to live a short drive to the Mall but no matter where you live, it's so worth the trip. It's a place we can go to feel we've gotten away from home and have a fun day out without stress.

And... did you know in Minnesota there's no tax on clothes?
'Tis true. I boast this to family in California to entice them to come!

Does your mall look like this?!

Thanks for taking a trip to MOA™ with my girls and me.

Proof that I can shop beyond garage sales and sometimes put down my paintbrush. 

There is so much to do that we truly did not do all we wanted to do.

We didn't even hit Archiver's or DSW, which is basically a shopping sin.

We'll be back for more. (and Auntie Anne's pretzels.)

If you were planning a trip to MOA (and you really should!) what would be on your list of "must-do" places? For the chance to win a $100 gift card to Mall of America, tell me in the comments.
Here are the rules:
Rules:
No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: ""#SweepstakesEntry""; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post"
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 5/13 - 6/9.
Be sure to visit the Mall of America page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

xo jeanne.

Old Hutch, Old Dresser, close to cuteness.

A hutch and a dresser made their way into my kitchen. 

So did two cans of paint. 

These two pieces are on their way to adorable.

I'm expecting good things from these two. 

I hope they behave. 

xo jeanne.

Her name is Endurance.

What is with the fountain Coke at McDonald's that makes it so good?
I'll drive out of my way to find a McD's just so I can have one. 
A large 1/2 Diet Coke and 1/2 Regular Coke = one happy caffeinated girl.
Achieving my cold caffeine happiness requires me to go inside to mix my own.

This past weekend, this is where I met Endurance.
Inside my local McDonald's, ordering my aforementioned large beverage.
She was the cashier. 'Endurance' was on her name tag.

I looked at her name tag, then looked at her and said; "Endurance? Really?"
She said; "Yes. Really."
I said;  "Wow. With a name like that, you need to write a book. I bet you have a great story." 
She said;  "Yes, I do.  It's good story.  You should hear it."
"I'd love to." I said.
"Your mother must be an incredible woman, to have survived what ever she went through -
And have the guts to name you Endurance."
"Yes, she is." She said.  "There are 6 of us."
Wow. I wondered.  'What are their names?
 Strength? Perseverance? Intelligence? Love?

How this darling girl named Endurance got to Minnesota from wherever it is she came from amazed me.  She is capable, has a thick accent, gorgeous long braids and has a big wise warm smile. 

I dispensed my large icy drink and headed back past the counter.
Endurance said; "Thank you for coming in today. I am going to write my story."
I said; "Good. I look forward to reading it."

With the changes in my own life right now, meeting Miss Endurance was a good reminder
in humility and grace.  Who knew such loveliness has was just inside my local McD's? 

Endure.

xo jeanne.

Thank you, People who give me free chairs.

They seem to find me, these free chairs.

I take them in. I can't help myself.

 They may sit around for a while or I may get to them right away.

Eventually we all end up sitting pretty.

First, this vintage cutie. 

She came home with Otto, the ottoman.

I couldn't just leave her there in the free pile, all lonely.

Not when B2.0 was begging for a pretty little chair.

 Duh.

Then there are the 'project chairs.'

A friend asked if I wanted this old folding chair a year ago. 

I said yes. I liked the flat back and bottom.

In my mind I saw it's paint potential. In reality, it sat in my basement.

A year later...

Finally, my vision came true. 

 (tape + paint + brush = adorable.)

It was worth waiting for the inspiration to hit.

This is why I take wayward chairs in.

Because they become as cute as can be.

Come sit a bit, will you? 

I have just the spot in a delightfully bright apartment.

xo jeanne.