Jumping Bail

Before y'all get to thinking I've lost my head and run off to join the pirate's life with Johnny, I thought I'd better stick my tangled mess out and let you know...don't pay the ransom...I escaped.

I've been running myself ragged getting ready for our big reveal at Winnie & Tulula's Christmas Open House.  So much so, that in my haste...I've hot glued my left hand to my hair and I'm really typing this with one hand tied glued behind my back.

All the vendors are working on bringing y'all a splendific eye-feast fit for a king...or in W&T Land...a queen and what a queen I might add.  Oh mylanta...Marie Antoinette no less!  Sorry Louie...you just don't cut the mustard and speaking of cutting...here at W&T's, we don't believe in cutting corners when it comes to good taste...only cake...and occasionally a rug!

The windows are being covered to heighten the anticipation (kinda like Christmas morning for grown-ups)...so sorry y'all...no peeking allowed.

SQUIRREL ALERT!

This is the one of the few times when I crawl into that window where my classic ass-et isn't ogled and my ten-point stance for getting up offa the floor isn't shared by all who happen by!

Ooohh...and did someone mention squirrels?  Just wait 'til you see what I got planned for y'all in the near future.  All I'm gonna say right now is sometimes you feel like a nut!

Now on with our Marie Christmas commercial before it's off with my head!

Me being me, I got to thinking about how Marie might spend her time...and money...if she were around now.  Something tells me that rather than lying around on a chaise nibbling pastries, she'd be hitting the streets of Paris for shopping on the Avenue Montaigne and stopping by Laduree's for macarons, BUT if she were in Athens...(Texas, not Greece y'all)...she'd definitely be stopping by W&T's for a heaping helping of je ne sais quoi and popping into Sweet Pea's Bistro for the same sweet little nosh.  Heck...at Sweet Pea's you can make it a full-on nosh-up. The menu is 2die4 delish, delectable, decadent, and divine!

Mes amies...you too can be a queen for a day...or night.  Just make plans to join us on the evening of the 25th or all day on the 26th.  We know how to treat you like royalty down here at the North Texas Pole.

Marie would say "Let them eat cake!"...and you see where that got her!

I say "What are you waiting for...an invitation?".

OK...in that case...consider this your hand engraved invitation.

Now...what do y'all say?

Trying To Jump Up Off The Floor

I thought there couldn't be anything sadder than the sight of a slightly (ahem) mature, chubby lady crawling around on the floor; ripping her knuckles a new one, all the while pulling up old carpet tacking and muttering to herself..."I am a girl...dadgummit...I am a girl!"

Maybe the sight of a shall remain clueless nameless slightly (ahem) mature coupla chubbies lassoing the old carpet and tying it to the back of a pickup to drag it outta the house is funnier...but not sadder.

Y'all...it was one for the record books!  Me in the driver's seat, heading that raggedy rug to the brush pile and Cat Daddy doing the heeling!  That's rodeo talk y'all for we're lazy, old and too stoved up to carry it.

No y'all.  Sadder was my face when I sat down to post about our monkeyshine adventure in DIY'ing and seeing that Blogger had disabled my blog!

My first thought was really...ya gotta be kidding me?

My second thought was gone...all my words gone.

I was beside myself.  I took the necessary steps to try and restore, but after reading the Help section, I had a sinking feeling I might not get it back.

Three years of posts...words I would never be able to rewrite...Bella's story...Cat Daddy tall tales...gone.  Comments I could never reread when I was feeling blue or lost or hurt...gone.  My sidebar with all the wonderful folks I have met...all gone, leaving me with a hole in my heart and a colorless world of black and white.

The photos I wasn't worried about.  Those were stored in my own folders and not just in Picasa, but again...the words...the tears...the love...gone.

(BTW...thank you Anne for your sweet post. I'm betting you wish you hadn't picked a disabled blog!  Oh...and if you see any misspelled words...spellcheck ain't working this morning either...grr!)

Thankfully...this morning all was right again.  I received an e-mail my account had been restored and an apology for the inconvenience it had caused me.

Inconvenience...really?  This wasn't an inconvenience.  An inconvenience is all my dining room stuff piled in every room of the house.  This was just a heap of frustration and one sleepless night.

It's not that I'm addicted to blogging (she says with her tongue in her cheek), only that there are posts I want my Trashettes to have.  You better believe this old gal when she says (with no tongue in cheek) I will be printing out certain posts with comments to begin scrapbooks for them and I will be backing everything up on hard drive.

Oh Roby...have I got a project for you!

This old heart just couldn't take going through that again!

Bella's photo was taken by photographer extraordinaire, Melissa at Foto Fabulous.  If you are in need of a superb people-person and are in the DFW area...Melissa is your gal!  Give her a call and you can thank me later.

Ahhh...it feels good to have color back in my world again!

Is Flitting and Jumping The Same Thing?

Never...and I do mean never...have I ever had such a hard time getting a post up.  It's not like it's bad news or I'm ill...on the contrary.  I spent last Saturday with all my girls at the Dallas Arboretum and had a wonderful day beginning with lunch at the Olive Garden.

The day was gorgeous, the temp perfect and I was with my precious Trashettes.  So what seems to be the problem you ask?

Ummm...the answer would be ME!

Since coming back from the Greatest Show On Dirt, I have been all over the place, running around like a chicken with her head cut off.

There are so many things to do with the holidays just around the corner and my SADD* is in full throttle.

I'll start one project...then run to the next room to work on something else...then remember I need to pay bills...etc., etc., etc.  I know I'm not alone here.  C'mon y'all...give.  How do you manage it all?

(*Squirrel Attention Deficiency Disease)

There has got to be a light at the end of this tunnel...or at least an "off" switch to stop this crazy merry-go-round I'm on.

I feel like things are piling up on me in my effort to get about a gazillion things done in just a few short weeks 'cause y'all know how fast Thanksgiving and Christmas will get here once the days get to rolling.

The worst of it...I'm temporarily, creatively depleted!  I'm trying to plan my window at Winnie & Tulula's for our Christmas Open House (the Friday after Thanksgiving...more info to come) and nothing is suiting my fancy.  Heck...even my space is in need of something...anything...besides dust for decor!

The last thing I needed to do was take a day off, but you know what?  I'm not sorry...nope...not one iota.  In fact...spending time with the ones I love is the only thing I am certain about these days.  This, I'm willing to bet a dollar to a donut on, we All agree on.  Am I right or am I right? 

Sometimes finding the perfect piece of junk isn't as important as finding a butterfly...or shutter bug!

If Grayzilla isn't in a photo...it's 'cause she was behind the lens...thank goodness and not me!  Y'all know the camera is in the purse on my shoulder, but never taken out for use.  Also...pay no attention to the date on the photos.  Seems like Kitten #1 is like her Mama Cat when it comes to techno-gear!

I really do wonder how some of y'all manage it all.  I know you have to-do lists as long as mine.  I just wish someone would do a post sharing how to get it all done...and not look like one hot mess at day's end 'cause right now...chaos is running amuk, amuk, amuk at the Casita de Trash!

Do you make lists?  I make lists...then forget where I put them.

Do you plan your day out the night before.  I tend to fall asleep right after I find a pen to write with.

Do you fly by the seat of your pants?  'Cause I gotta tell ya...I've been using that method and so far the only thing flying around here is fur...between me, myself and I!

Is it all make believe and you're really not as put together as I think you are?  You can tell me...I won't tell anyone.

Just between us girls...do you ever feel overwhelmed and burned burnt (aw...forget it) burned out?  I need to know!  I hate thinking I'm the only one out there who just isn't up to the tasks at hand.

Psst...I gotta tell ya...in addition to not being able to focus on creating anything but a disaster...I'm also at a loss for words.  Talk about running on empty.  I have nothing remotely funny, clever or witty to say or write.  This rarely happens to me...'cause talking is my middle name. (Actually...it's my first...but like in everything else I'm trying to do...I digress!)

I'm trying to read y'alls' posts early in the mornings, but short of leaving a "it's so pretty" comment, I have nothing to say.  Understand...it's not because I don't want to...it's just that I can't find the right words to make a coherent statement.  I guess it's finally happened.  Someone has hit my mute button.  I knew it was just a matter of time, but gosh...without my words I feel so nekkid...and that my friends is not a pretty sight. 

Help a girl out y'all.  Tell me how to recharge (and don't say rest 'cause we all know that ain't gonna happen until 'round about January) and refocus on blogging and junking.  Is it time to go a different direction...change my layout...get a haircut...take up yoga, hang gliding...what?  The suggestion box is open for comment, but hurry.  Something's bound to give around here and it just may be more than my Spanx can handle.

~Now...bring on that horizon!~

Jumpin' Outta My Skin!

If any of y'all have ever been to the Big Shows, you know first hand how hard it is to find decent accommodations.  We have stayed for years at what I lovingly refer to as the La Grange Hilton.  It's clean, has a microwave, fridge, running water and it's relatively cheap....all things I hold dear.

Trust me...not every motel is clean!  Oh the horror stories I could tell!

This time I needed and wanted more.  With our children coming with their families for Cat Daddy's birthday bash, I wanted us to all stay together.

Now as much as I love my kids...there is such a thing as too much togetherness.  I knew our motel room would never work...not unless we threw down a coupla Baptist pallets and hung the two little Trashettes from some nails on the walls.

So I just did what I always do when I need help...I prayed.

I started by looking online for cabins or cottages to rent.  I found one I just loved and thought would be perfect for us, but it was already booked.  No surprise there.  Things book six months in advance...even the La Grange Hilton.

Shelley suggested I contact the Round Top Chamber of Commerce.  (BTW...if you're looking for a cottage/cabin/B&B to rent in the spring...this is a great place to start.)

E-mails started coming in, but unfortunately...my pocket book had gone out.  We decided it wasn't going to happen...at least not for this show.

Why would anyone ever question the power of God...including me?

The evening before we were set to leave, I received an e-mail.

Are you waiting for it?

Yeppers!

The e-mail was from Sue...the first cabin I had inquired about.

Amazing?

Yeppers!

They had received a cancellation and the cabin was ours for the full two weeks if we wanted it.  Did we still want it?

Did we?

Not just yeppers...but Heck Yeah Yeppers!

The best part?

The cost for two weeks was the same as one week at the LGH!





He knew my heart's desire and He fulfilled it...just as He does every day.  God never ceases to amaze me His wonders to perform...down to the smallest of details like our budget.

This cabin was perfect.  A cozy living room, two bedrooms,a complete kitchen...and indoor plumbing!  The only thing missing was a television and while I thought that might be a deal breaker for Cat Daddy....turned out...he couldn't have cared less.  He knew we were being given a gift and he was not about to thumb his nose at such a blessing.

Sue and Al were wonderful and so was their little cabin.  Charming is the only word to describe it.

Rustic, cozy and sitting in the middle of silence...just what we needed to unwind.  After a hot, hard day at the fields, it was so nice to come home to.

All the kids got to stay at least one night with us and loved it...although they were a little taken aback when we first led them to the back of the woods with only the light of the silvery moon to guide us.  I'm pretty sure I saw Misty leaving a trail of bread crumbs to find her way back to the real world!  I ain't gonna lie...it was a tad spooky at night.

Under different circumstances, it could have been like a second honeymoon.  Fact is...we were so tired by the end of each day...moonin' and spoonin' was the last thought on our minds...or at least mine anyways!  Him...he was so busy snoring, I'm not sure he had a thought or if he did...he fell asleep before he had a chance to give it a second one.

We did have a couple of stray kittens (the two-legged kind) come and stay a night with us....again complete with...ahem...redundant witty remarks about serial killers, Lost, Salem's Lot, etc. etc.

  The back deck overlooks a very wooded creek bank.  'Course there was no water in this branch, but it still was a gorgeous view during the day.  At night...let's just say it was more than just a scoch scary.

Kristi (my first little hobo-ette) and I were sitting out on the deck late one night and the subject of Sasquatch sitings came up.  Now while I did see a huge raccoon the size of a Chow dog one night (and may I add...I scurried inside quickly upon said siting!) and a possum who made a habit of a regular nightly stroll...Big Foot had not been seen....not that I was lookin' mind ya.

We kept laughing and talking about ol' Mr. Sasquatch when I swear up and down...we saw yellow eyes in the woods.  All of a sudden...we were really tired and thought we better take ourselves on indoors where the light...and Cat Daddy, our big ol' he-man...was! 

Not that we scared ourselves silly...by no means.  We really were tired.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

See...not scary at all!

Then a certain little red-headed Red.Neck (my second little hobo-ette) came and stayed on Friday night.  She and I were sitting out on the deck talking...'cause that's what we do ya know and I was telling her about how goofy Kristi and I had been about Sasquatch.

(I just love saying Sasquatch.  Has a nice ring to it...wouldn't you agree?)

Anyhoo...she starts talking about Yeti.  Now I know for certain there are no Yetis in Texas.

 (Yettas, yes...Yetis, no...it's too dang hot!)

I thoughtlessly mentioned I didn't know if there were any Jasons or Smoke Monsters running around in the woods.

Oh yeah...one thing led to another...when suddenly...she and I decided we were really tired and needed to go indoors where the light...and C.D...was.

I'd like to add if (and I'm only saying if) I needed to change my britches after either of these nights, it was from all the laughing you understand...not that I was scared pea green.

And again...that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Somehow two attack cats didn't seem like quite enough protection against things that go bump in the night.  We needed our resident big, strong, manly-man to go out and see if there was anything or anyone lurking just beyond the light.  Plus we figured if IT got him...he would keep IT busy just long enough for us to make a fast get-a-way...and double plus...I knew IT would let him go as soon as daylight hit!

In spite of the heat and being bone dead tired at the end of each day, we were happy for two weeks in our cool, little cabin...even with Sasquatch breathing down our necks.

I want to say thank you to Sue and Al for sharing their "Little Hut In The Woods" with us.  Having it made our show more endurable and certainly more memorable.  It provided not only shelter, but the opportunity to be with dear friends and family, to create memories that will keep us warm and laughing for a long time...all without having to sleep like stacked cord wood.

Before I close this fish tale, I would like to thank Robelyn for sharing her photos and allowing me to share them with y'all.

(Aren't her photography skills Fab U Lous?)

Now I think I better go check the trailer to make sure no hoboes in the form of Sasquatch followed us home!

Jumping Outta My Seat Saying Encore, Encore!

Y'all know how much I love my Zapp Hall family and you also know how much I love talking.  Seems like the two are a match made in heaven, so I thought it only fittin' to share a coupla made in heaven marriages with y'all today.  Let's call it a fairy tale within a fairy tale...what'd ya say?

Once upon a time (as legend has it), a handsome, little, long-legged boy from Arkansas met a pretty, little, curly-headed girl from Texas.  The years pass and the little boy and girl get married.  From this union, they produced two offsprings that were the light of their lives.  Little did they know, these two baby girls would grow up to be famous or that the celebrity these little girls would achieve would be a result of the best kind of upbringing.  All the values they held as naturally as breathing would be instilled in their daughters with their positive outlook on life, love, and work being the compass to the little girls' adult lives.  To dream big, believe in yourself, have faith, laugh, and work hard...really hard...really, really hard...would be the traits they passed on...not just curly hair or long legs. 

(I could put "and they lived happily ever after" in right about now, but that would be just half the story...besides...I ain't outta words...yet!)

The years continue to pass and what starts out as a small family business in junking, keeps getting bigger and bigger, eclipsing even Janie and the girls' dreams of what could be.  Their name and look becomes synonymous with rowdiness while tapping into the secret yearning residing  in all of us to be gypsies.  Wild, untamed and totally rebels with a cause...'cause the Gypsys said we could fly if we dared!  In going about their business while minding their own, they redefined style while defying the rules.

(HGTV tent at Zapp Hall)

It was only a matter of time before the powers-that-be realized this family was a goldmine tailored made for television.  Lucky HGTV for spotting this opportunity and grabbing it...and smart.

This union between HGTV and The Junk Gypsys will be a new reality series debuting in March 2012.

I KNOW!

Finally...a real show about real junkers doing it for real...complete with dirt, bruises, and heart!

(Please make a note of how one is supposed to wear shorts with boots when junking.  Also pay close attention to the work gloves.  These two aren't sissies or fools.)

SQUIRREL ALERT!!!

I've known this family a long, long time.  I've seen first hand the work and hours they put in.  I've seen 'em clean and dolled up...and I've seen 'em dirty, sweaty and looking like the rest of us...only somehow much prettier.  I know they work from sun-up 'til sundown.  Whatever it takes to get it done...they do.  If one is down for the count, someone in the family is there to pick up the slack. 

Nothing worth having in this life comes easy and if you're thinking it did for them...wrong!  They've been busy plowing their fields to be ready when God said it's time to plant...and now they are about to enjoy a bountiful harvest from the fruits of their labors.

If you're also thinking I'm guilty of name dropping...you are so right.  Junk Gypsy is a name I'll gladly drop over and over...not because of the fame attached to it...but because of  the friendship we share.  I want everyone to know of their new success because it represents the success of every one who takes pride in what they do, having the faith to dream, and for not sitting on one's duff waiting for things to happen.

It's for never stepping on others to reach a goal, but mainly it's for never forgetting what matters most in life...family.

As Jolie so aptly put it...for never losing your soul in the process and for knowing that it and family are the two most prized (and sometimes coveted) possessions.

To my way of thinking...this is gonna be a landmark show.  Real people doing real work and smiling not at the cameras, but at life...theirs.

They will be taking all the lessons learned at their mom and dad's knees and passing it on to their own little ones...continuing the family tradition.  How on earth could America not fall in love with this family?

(In the interest of full disclosure...I shamelessly stole borrowed all but one of these photos from the Gypsyville blog....with their kind permission...of course!)

There's nothing contrived about this family.  They do love junk...they do love each other...and they do love what they do.  In doing so honestly and humbly...life has no choice but to love them back...abundantly!

Janie and Phillip proudly own the bragging rights to their girls, but heck...we at Zapp are pretty darn proud of 'em too!  In fact...most of us at the greatest show on dirt think of them as our girls as well.

I've We at Zapp have been privileged to have a front row seat to watch as the legend grew, beginning in 1987 and with that first prom way back in 2004.

We've seen the crowd go from a few to thousands.  We've seen the Today show filming it.  We've seen the press and magazine articles.  We've seen 'em go from 0 to 60 in the blink of an eye...never losing their passion or drive. 

We've seen them add to the family tree and to think it all started with a little, long-legged, Arkansas boy and a little, curly headed Texas girl!

WHEW!

So I think I need to say thank you to HGTV for seeing what we've been saying all along.  These girls were born to be stars...big ol' Texas stars!

Is this marriage of the century?  It may just be!

Will y'all have to wait until March 2012 to find out?

No...just set your DVR (or yourself in a comfy chair) for a sneak peek November 27th and then let me know.

One thing I already know.

And they lived happily ever after!

JOLIE and AMIE proving...

"WELL BEHAVED WOMEN RARELY MAKE HISTORY!"

The End?

Not hardly!!!