Bittersweet

Today is a bittersweet day for me.

2 years ago today, on my birthday, I attended my

grandmother's funeral. She meant the world to me and

her absence left a void that is still at times unbearable. 

She was the woman that raised me and embraced me

when others failed me. She was my best friend, my

confidant, my everything.  I miss her so much.

But even through my moments of sorrow I praise

God for blessing me with 46 years of her love

and for giving me such a wonderful husband who

loves me and cares for me the same way she did.

My abuelita left happy knowing I am in good hands,

not only with my husband but because she knew I had

come to know the Lord and that my faith in Him 

will get me through whatever life throws my way.

I have my moments, but they are getting to be less

frequent. I don't mourn her death, for she lived a

very healthy 83 years and I know she's in a better

place, what I mourn is her absence from those of

us who still long for her presence.

I found this video by my favorite artist ever.

I've seen her several times in concert, she is so amazing.

So I am dedicating this song to me, on my birthday.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Take care,

Missed you much!

Hi everyone, it's good to be back!

These past three months away from blogland have been pretty tough to say the least.

In July I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.  I had a strong feeling that that's what it was but it was a relief to finally have a rheumatologist confirm that it was not "all in my head" which is what my GP was telling me. Since then I have been feeling worse, having only a few "good days" in between all the bad.

Like everything else that life has put on my plate, I'll work on trying to manage it, with God's help. Life sometimes feels unmanageable when you're body doesn't want to cooperate with your minds schedule, and on the days when I also feel mentally exhausted and all I want to do is sleep...well, you can just imagine why blogging has taken a back seat.  I will do my best to post more often.

I've been working on a few ways to try to keep this "beast" under control and I've been given other ideas that I have yet to try.  Thank you all for being patient and still stopping by for a visit, even after the long absence.  I appreciate every single one of you with all my heart.

Now, let me show you a few pics I took recently as I was packing up this collection of silver (SP) salt shakers I have collected throughout the years. They might not be the best or the prettiest shakers I've ever seen but, since I'm only a collector of frugal finds and I only paid a couple of  $s each, they make me smile :o) 

Try as I may to fit all my goodies into this tiny apartment I realize that, for now, I have neither the room to display nor the energy to polish them so I must pack them up for a while until we can get a house someday. 

So, goodbye for now my tiny shakers...till we meet again.

Have a great week,

Linking up to Silver Sunday @ The Gypsy Fish
 and Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage 

White Wednesday

Well, I'm patiently awaiting my appointment with the specialist. It's scheduled for mid July(the soonest they could get me in) and I'm sure they're going to require more blood work before they can start figuring out what's wrong with me.

I don't want to self diagnose but I have a good idea of what they're going to tell me.  This month it effected the muscles in my eyes making me very nauseous and causing sensory overload like you couldn't imagine.  Fortunately I had a pretty good weekend and I was able to shop my little heart out both Saturday and Sunday.  On Sat I spent the whole day(12 hours) with my GF  going to the swap meet and then hitting every thrift store in town.  Then on Sunday after hitting The Jamestown Flea Market with my husband, we headed to Country Roads to restock my booth.

 Below are some pics from Sunday.

This is Blanca's space, always beautiful!

This is Aide's space, her displays are equally as beautiful.

This is Jeanette and Jackie's space, the two awesome sisters known better in Blogland as Annie Louise.

Ken and I love chatting with these wonderful ladies, they make our hearts smile :o)

This is Debbie and her beautiful daughter, she is a newcomer to Jamestown and will be selling at the Irvine Valley College Flea this coming Sunday.

Debbie has the best displays and is going to do great!

This is Debbie's husband just kickin' it.

OMG, Lady Kate and Lady Debra are setting up for the day, you know they're space will be a hit!

Ken purchased this great candelabra, it's going  to look great in somebody's patio!

Lady Kate posed low so that Deb and I

wouldn't look so vertically challenged. lol

So here is my booth with all the yummy finds.

I painted this trio in white

Handmade birdhouses. I LOVE them!!!

My favorite piece is the sewing machine top but I didn't take any close up pictures, maybe I'll show you those next.

I hope everyone's having a great week.

Linking up with Kathleen @ Faded Charm

for some White Wednesday fun!

Blessings to you all,

New Booth at Country Roads

I love these paper roses made out of vintage

dictionary pages!  I would make them all

day long if I had the time.

Last week I said I would tell you all what kept me
from blogging for 3 weeks. One is a health issue
that is still to be properly diagnosed, I'll keep you posted. And then there is the following. 
Remember back in January I took on a small space at Country Roads Antiques?
(this was it on day one)

Well this month I moved to a new space that is
over twice the size of the first one.

So as you can imagine I was super busy hunting for goodies to fill my new space.

I accented with my favorite color

Something about aqua makes me happy

I purchased this wooden tool box at the flea.
Two thirds of the lid flips open and makes for
a wonderful display prop.

This past weekend, while shopping at the Jamestown Flea Market in Old Tustin, I 
bought this beautiful birdhouse from my good
friend Blanca of Casa Blanca.

You can't tell from the picture but it has four
large drawers that open where you can store
all kinds of goodies. The possibilities are endless,
it all depends on what room of your home you choose to display it in.

I am soooo loving all the neutral colors,
especially the French grays that are so IN.

I met a man who makes these wonderful wooden
toolboxes out of scrap wood and vintage hardware.
Notice how he re-purposes the handles.

And, of course, I had to bring in some birds
and nests that bring a smile to anyone's face

I'm sure some of you can guess where this little
trio came from.  I didn't like the bright colors they
originally came in, some paint and a touch of 
glitter gave them a fresh, new look!

I had to replace the eggs in this pot, apparently
a customer found them...irresistible.

I put this petite basket together in
hues of browns and blues

And finally I want to introduce the newest addition
to the Cosas Bellas booth...Ken's Korner!
Yes ladies! My wonderful husband who is always
sweet enough to join me in my hunts through flea
markets, garage sales, auctions and even holds me by the ankles as I dive into dumpsters (lol) has decided he needs a place to display his finds too.

He truly shares the love of buying and selling treasures. Look at this great vintage coal bin he found on Sunday.  As you can see, his look is a
tad more...rugged.

I feel so blessed to have a husband who believes
in me more than I believe in myself.
He was the one who pushed encouraged me into
getting the bigger space and setting higher goals.
He truly is the wind in my sails, and I know he will
always be there to help and support me through my endeavors.  He has always said that he wants me to be happy, doing what I love to do. I appreciate him
so, so much.
I also want to thank Kate from Salvage Dior
for being my cheerleader and a wonderful friend.
Your help and words of encouragement mean so much to me and you were so instrumental in me
getting started and moving  forward.
Love you lots Lady Kate!

Blessings,

Don't forget to visit Kathleen @ Faded Charm

for her weekly White Wednesday Party.