Something you did not know about me....... Just a bit of REALITY, meet my assistant and some yard sale finds!

I have an adorable ShantyGirl Assistant, she is a true picker she talks antiques with estate sale organizers and enjoys and knows how to appreciate patina, She has told people that she loves old things because they have a story to tell.  she can sew a quilt with help and thread her own needle and understands the importance of a balance between rust and fru fru, she is my granddaughter Miss Abbigail that I am proud to be raising as my daughter whom I have been in the process of  officially adopting for the last two long years.....she calls me momma. She is my oldest son(29) Cole's  daughter.


No child labor here........she begged to paint this table and painted the whole thing herself!


Here is my pickin buddy standing in front of the 3 garage sale mirrors we purchased yesterday for 23.00 for all three, she said momma now that was a deal!


Now of course there were reasons why this sweet child was placed in our  home other than with the biological parents  and we pray about those things Abby does not know her mother and see's her father my son from time to time.  Hubby and I were just about finished raising our first set of blended family. We married each bringing 2  children to the family ranging in ages from 6-13 and my youngest son was a junior in high school, I had just turned 40 and was dreaming of relaxing romantic hot tub evenings in our new home, trips to Italy and Paris and Abbigail who was not planned came to be just months after we moved in to our "almost empty nest home".  Abbigail was 6 days old when she came to live with us, I at 40 became a mother again waking up several times in the middle of the night, taking an infant to daycare and driving 40 minutes to be in meetings all day.  Meeting's at the High School with my youngest Son would now mean taking an infant and looking at the school saying instead of this is my 4th child through and I am on the next phase of my life, I said I will be here again in 15 years.  Now don't get me wrong we were truly blessed by this little young lady gracing our lives and I finally got to play dolls after raising boys and my stepdaughter was past dolls when I met her.  Sewing dresses, brushing hair, having someone roll their eyes at you with hands on hips all the things little girls bring I would have missed.


Life with Abby is a joy!

Abby and Cole, her father my eldest son

Getting ready to be a flower girl for my lovely grown daughter Cassie at her wedding

Preschool Graduation Abby and I

My youngest son Frank now 23, was still at home and in High School when Abby came
He adores her

Abby is the life of every party we have!  The bride is my lovely daughter/step but daughter of my heart Cassie

All the guys at Poppa's work felt it was time to train the little hunter..........

My family (I need an org chart to explain how we are all connected but we blended well
and I feel so blessed)




We laugh about our very very blended family and we joke that we need an organizational chart to see in what way whom is related to whom....Abby has a hard time understanding that Cole is my dad but your son, frank and cole have same mom but different dad, Jason and cassie have same mom and dad but different than cole and Frankie......... Some were in your tummy and some were not...........you get the picture but we all love eachother, would die for eachother and I feel we succesfully blended our family. We have different nationalities, backgrounds, eye and hair colors and Abby has blue eyes and dark blonde hair like my husband I have very dark hair and green eyes, they are not blood related............

Now I was a young mother at 17 and blamed myself for alot of the reasons why my son was not ready to be a father........being raised by a teenager after all does not give one the best tools to conquer the world......So when abby goes to colledge I will be 59 and that will be having a little one in the home for 42 years......not sure if that is a record, we will not be empty nesters till we are just about ready to get social security......but this young lady will keep us young and we will just have to treat 60 like the new 40!!! She also makes me want to take care of myself better to make sure that I am healthy and here for her for a long time!

I had just turned 17 when Cole was born, Dropped out of school and waitressed for 13 years......A child
raised by a single teenage mother has a harder go of things for sure! I did work hard to go to night school while waitressing and eventually did get better jobs, and now I am the stay at home secretary for our very own tool business  and I have ShantyGirl.  MSH Tool sells  tools that my husband invented for the oil drilling industry he is a patented inventor.

At one time we live in an old 18 foot travel trailer and this shed was outside being painted to turn into a playroom with shelves for toys....I know what shanty is when I say shanty..........Been there done that from the heart and some of those memories are my best. have I always painted with the little ones?? I was 19 here and yes I had a bathing suit on under that tshirt!  We had a little garden and planted our own vegetables.  This was the Chatsworth lake resevoir area of California early 80's.



Do I grieve losing out on the 40's and 50's just running around with my hubby taking trips? ....to be honest I get a little tug every now and again,  Italy has turned to Disneyworld and my mother is close by to watch Abbigail so we can have the occasional margarita by the poolside with loud music dancing with no children to worry about, but I cannot even imagine life without this beautiful young lady.  Trips to CAnton are replaced with PTA responsibilites, cookie chairman for girl Scounts, two nights a week of going to gymnastics, playdates, Dr.'s Dentist and Eye Dr.'s and Allergists.......Miss Abbigail going to be 7 this month and everymorning when she wakes up she still  say's Mommy it is cuddle time, I go in and get back under the covers and we just hug, hugs turn into tickles a  couple conversations about one's breath and did a monster sleep in her mouth.......more gigles etc. then we start our day.  She is my antiquing, sewing, playing dolls, swimming buddy and a light in my life! She fishes with poppa and just recieved a pink rifle (from all the guys at poppa's work ) to learn how to hunt.........another whole story.......not my idea, she is fru fru but watches alligator shows with poppy...... she will probably go hunting in a pink dress and cowgirl boots, she cleans fish with no qualms while I want to go to target..........she baits her own pole


Sometime during the day I usually get a lovely piece of artwork sometimes with me as the subject or a present of a pretty stone or three d paper object she has made wrapped in one of my table napkins with a string. We love her so much I could not even imagine us not sharing our middle years with this beautiful young lady!


This is Abby and I  her original artwork

Abby drew this last night and said it was a picture of me and that I was the best mommy in the world.
she draws me so young!  Love it.



 When she was old enough to understand she was given the option to call me Granna or Momma and she chose momma and poppa, every now and then I will get a granna/momma . When we first told Abby she went to a counselor to help her to understand and to not feel different than the other children at school, she then felt the need to air it out just get it out to the world. . She would walk up to total strangers and say this is my Momma and this is my poppy and they sleep together and my daddy does not live at our house.....we got some looks........
Or when I take her and my son to eat she would say this is my momma and dad and I got the how dare you rob the cradle look.......I mean people staring me down as if I was with a 17 year younger man.......
Gotta laugh........



OH I forgot to share some of my finds.........

You saw the three mirrors for 23.00.......... carved wood mirrors not antiques but will compliment the look I am going for


Four wrought iron spring load outdoor chairs with several colors of paint wearing off 75.00 for 4


look at the yellow paint on the roses, love these, these were my husbands pick he got them down from 100-75

my 2.00 goddinger Silver Candlebara..........

2.00 shoe rack, don't laugh this baby will have burlap the bottoms will be covered as to hold bottle
collection and take clothes pins and put post cards and photo's on come see the reveal. This will be a 150.00 pb knock off!

Just a little 10.00 accent table with black leather on top

basket was 1.00 and will house lavender sachets and stalkls table has a drawer and was 10.00 will be roughed up a bit, not sure what color????

I got a Queen set of Rachel Ashwell Shabby chic bedding duvet, skirt and sheets for 5.00 cross was 50 cents. 

Duvet is on a chair and the bedskirt is on office chair, the globe above on top of desk was 50 cents, there was a stack of church hymn books dating from 1927  3.00 for stack.......

glass jar has the greenish sunglass it is a pier one jar I dumped out all the noodles and put some of the church hymns that I recognized wrapped in cord and slipped in the jar and put on top of desk for the tranquility room


Where can one buy a box of crystal glasses and liquor flutes for 5.00....................
whole box for 5.00..............................I love these and they are real crystal

Carved wood on one of the mirrors


Carved wood on second mirror

Carved wood on largest floor mirror

All three mirrors for 23.00
two beautiful wood boxes with hinges and one lined 2.50

the one on the right will house my husbands goodies the one on the left will have
a picture of my aunt annies farmhouse and be shabby chic'd and set on  my desk with stamps etc.




Hugs and a Wonderful Day to you and thanks for reading my little note,(longest post ever.....)!  Just remember life never turns out just as planned but if you ride along with some of Gods ideas even if you don't understand them.........well, you will find your blessings along the way!  And

Some of your mistakes will be the best ones you ever made! (quotes from a country song gotta love it!)

So Sincerely!
Sherry

Comments

  1. You are truly blessed to have this adorable little girl and she is blessed to have you. Thanks for sharing your story.
    Hugs,
    Sherry

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  2. Sherry,
    You are so amazing! What a fun time the 2 of you must have together!!
    xo,
    Monique

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  3. Lovely lovely post Sherry. Miss Abbigail is just sweet. I take my hat off to you. This is what family means. I have to say, hugs with little girls is very special, and it's a time I treasure. I know so many grandparents who are bringing up their grandchildren as their own. I can imagine the ones like yourself who truly make a success of it are the ones who don't dwell on what they've sacrificed, but what they've gained. Hugs to you,

    Cheers,
    Lisa x

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  4. Abby is one heck of a lucky girl to have you as a mother/grandmother. Despite the "dysfunction" we all encounter along the way, your family sounds amazing!

    Take care,
    Lisa

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  5. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful story. We are basically all crazy mixed up families knit toogether by love. You got some great deals, too - what fun to have such a sweet assistant! Linda

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  6. Sherry, Abby is lucky to have you in her life. Things may sound complicated, but to a child, not so much. Glad you are starting her off on the right foot with the "picking". I am 57 and 24 hours is all I can do babysitting . I had my daughter when I was 18. It was hard but she turned out so good. Her father has not been in her life. She is now 38 years old. I had a son later and he is 27. We all adapt. You are a saint. judy

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  7. Hi Sherry! Thank you for sharing. Abby certainly is a lucky girl! And fantastic finds! I'm sure they will all look lovely in your home!

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  8. Hi Sherry, Abbigail is such a beautiful little girl, and how nice to have such a great little antiquing partner! Love all of your gorgeous finds!
    hugs~~~ Daphne

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  9. Hello! I wanted to stop by and say "thank you" for visiting my blog! You certainly have a wonderful antiquing partner, and what a special story!

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  10. Abby is sure sweet, she looks like an old lady with her glasses on examining that vintage table.

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  11. Thanks for sharing! Enjoyed learning more about you and your family:) Great yard sale finds too! Can't wait to see the final products!
    Debbi @ the beach

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  12. You are so sweet and just an amazing woman to take her on as your own! Love how she likes to paint just like you :)
    Love your finds!
    XO

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  13. Sherry
    your post blessed my heart more than you will ever know. Thank you endless. Your greatest gift is your family and that sweet girl. Bless you & you second stage of being a mama.

    Lots of love
    Kate

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  14. Oh my goodness you sure did get some great finds,but your best one is Ms. Abigail! She looks as sweet as they come. You are wonderful for taking her in and making all the best for her. Don't worry about your age, there are so many women out there that are waiting to start their family at 40+ You will still be able to travel.

    God bless you for all the love and understanding that you allow to flow through you.

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  15. Sherry,
    Thanks for sharing your story and Abby with all of us...she is a doll and is so lucky to have you and your husband. Looks like you got a ton of treasures...love that table that Abby painted.

    Blessings,
    Linda

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  16. Abby is so adorable. You have a sweet love story. And you sound like such a great mother. I'll be 59 when my baby goes to college so I may have you beat on that one. I had him at 41. It's not so unheard of these days. Keeps us young for sure right?
    You got a pile of good finds! Love those mirrors!

    ReplyDelete

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