Found this chair at the Salvation Army for $20.00. I knew the first thing I needed to do was get that cover and skirt off and in the trash!

Ahh! That’s a little bit better. The original upholstery was vinyl and kinda reminded me of an old vinyl tablecloth. It wasn’t horrible, but I knew it could be better. With the help of some Amy Butler fabric (on sale!) from fabric.com, I knew this could be an awesome chair!

I started by adding some batting to the chair….

Stapled on the fabric…..

Made some buttons and tufted the back with a little help from Jr.

I am thrilled with the results. Not too bad for my first ever upholstery job! With the cost of the chair, fabric and a few other supplies, the total came to around $65.00. Much cheaper than the chairs I was eying at Pier 1.

Found this one at a second hand shop here in town. Not only is it in near mint condition, it’s also a rocker! There is a stamp on the bottom that reads 62. Could that mean 1962?

I am looking for some fabric for this one. The color clashes with my other pieces, so it needs to be recovered.

This has to be the score of the year! Bought this set from the Salvation Army for $119.00!  The date stamped on the bottom of the chairs reads Nov 22 1971. Daystrom Furniture is written on the tag. They are in very good vintage condition. The set came with 6 chairs,  but we only really have room for 4.

Love the mid-century modern design and tulip base!

I decided one day that I wanted a wall of pine tongue and groove paneling painted white. I knew it would be a bit of a challenge for my dad considering our wall goes up to an almost 30 ft ceiling. My dad and his helper did most of the work, my mom, Jr and I painted the boards. Except the ones all the way at the top, my dad did those, thank goodness! I love the results. In fact, I want to do more! Maybe it can be our summer vacation project?

I participated in my first art show in February and actually won an honorable mention for my photograph, “Just the Beginning” (the kitten in my hand). I was shocked!!! A copy of this photo can be found in my etsy shop, here.

That night, after the art awards ceremony, it snowed!! It hardly ever snows here, and especially not 8″! It was really something to see!

Let’s see, what next? Oh yeah, we found a great forever home for our foster kitties, Sebastian and Reilly. They are very happy with their new family and I love reading updates about them on facebook. So happy they found a great home, this time it’s permanent.

Ok, I think that’s enough for one post. Be back soon with some awesome thrift store finds!

Paula named this one "Dana Girl"

Paula named this kitten "Fox." Great news for this girl.... one of the vet techs is going to tame and adopt her! Yay!

Yesterday afternoon, Paula and I did a little trapping to finish up a colony. Jr and I had been monitoring this small colony for a short time and noticed an adult cat and a juvenile that had not been spay/neutered yet. We caught the adult (female) in a metal trap right away. Then we brought in the “big boy,” the good ‘ol drop trap. Have I mentioned how awesome that thing is? It took only a minute to get two more kitties, a recapture and the very cute juvenile. We were feeling pretty good about getting exactly what we were after in such a short amount of time. Paula was saying some funny things about the drop trap, which inspired me to do a little LOL.

Paul arrived at the Atlantis Lodge  in Pine Knoll Shores around 6:25pm on Sunday, September 6, 2009. He had completed his 3,525 mile, 13 state, cross country trek. Paul started his journey in Newport, OR on August 2. Before embarking, he “captured a vial of sand” from Nye beach to donate to the Atlantic Beach re-nourishment project.

Paul crossed Oregon in 5 days, that alone is amazing to me! He probably averaged 115 miles per day to make it back to the Atlantic Ocean in only 32 days. I don’t know the total amount raised for the Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter, but it’s somewhere around $6500.00, which is amazing! You can read all about Paul’s incredible journey on his blog http://www.pedal4wildlifeblog.blogspot.com/

I’d highly recommend the Atlantis Lodge for anyone visiting Bogue Banks, it’s pet-friendly and the owners are great!

Here are some pictures of his arrival and ceremonial wheel dipping in the Atlantic Ocean.

Paul's arrival

The bike that has traveled across Canada and the US.

The Atlantis Lodge in Pine Knoll Shores

The dipping of the wheels

Paul, Paula and Lookout

Paula's Lookout

The beach

Way to go, Paul! We’re so glad to have you back!

Over the weekend,  BCCP volunteers trapped 11 cats for yesterday’s spay/neuter clinic. Paula and I trapped Friday night with no luck. On Saturday, I met up with Paula around 3:00pm and we trapped until 9:30pm. I have just two words…..DROP TRAP! Paula and Paul constructed the drop trap from parts of our old iguana cage and Paula’s scrap wainscoting. It has worked wonders for those cat who are metal trap savvy. It’s great to get multiple cats in one fell swoop.

Saturday had to have been the hottest day of the year, it was hot hot hot. The funniest part of our tapping adventure had to be when she and I were stuffed in the very back of a Honda Element holding the rope to the drop trap, sweat just a pourin’. We were back there for at least 8-10 minutes before we got the cat, but in that heat, it felt like an eternity. I would have loved to have gotten a picture of it, too funny!

My childhood photo.... I was around 3 years old in the photo.

1. Right after I was born, I lived in Mississippi for about 2 months while my father worked on a shad boat. Other than that, I have never lived outside of this county and I am just fine with that!

2. Jr and I have been together for 11 years and married for almost 5 years.

Our engagement photo taken at the Oceanna Pier in Atlantic Beach.

3. Jr is the greatest man I know. I love everything about him, especially his love for animals.

Jr and his Maiz

4. The only kids we have are the four-legged furry kind.

One of our furkids, Rambler, a former stray.

5. I have a traveling phobia, but I’m working on it. I am terrified by the thought of flying. I’ve never flown and there’s a good chance I never will.

6. I have never watched animal planet and cannot watch any movie or tv show about animals or pets. I can’t even read books about them! Much too tender-hearted.

I've heard the book and movie were both great, but very sad.

7. I stopped eating meat on January 30, 2008 and I haven’t missed it. Although, about once or twice a year, I will eat fish. So I guess that makes me a pescetarian?

I am tagging anyone who wants to play along…….Tag you’re it!

Welcome to Virginia, where the troopers are super serious. Never seen as many troopers as we did on the interstate. Jr was good and didn't go over the speed limit, which is good because I was nervous enough just being on the interstate.

We've arrived! Let the fun begin!

First things first..... the Big Bad Wolf. Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Not us! This ride was a great way to start off the day, with it's 100 foot drop toward the Rhine River at the "speed of fright!"

After leaving Oktoberfest, we headed over to Scotland to conquer the interlocking loops of the Loch Ness Monster.

This roller coaster features a 114 foot drop, lots of loops and a pitch black tunnel. Interesting fact....when it opened in 1978, it was the world's tallest roller coaster.

While walking the 100 acres of fun, we met some very cool furred and feathered friends, like this swan.

This beautiful Clydesdale....

Some bald eagles....

A couple of gray wolves....

And some very friendly and coloful lorikeets!

A little picture action.

Thanks to Tricia and Chris for making this such a fun trip and making us feel so welcome in their lovely new home.

Me and Tricia

While in Ireland, we visited the 3D simulated ride, Corksrew Hill. Loved it, but we all wished it lasted longer.

Apollo's Chariot was the favorite for me and Jr. They were all scary for me, but I believe this was the scariest. After the first drop of 210 feet at 73 mph, I saw stars, my vision started going black and my legs were tingling. But that didn't stop me from riding almost the entire ride with my arms in air and screaming. LOL! Somehow during all the speed and turns, Tricia spotted a family of deer on the ground below.

Tricia was the only one brave enough to ride Griffon. Not only was this the scariest looking roller coaster, but after my experience on Apollo's Chariot, I didn't think my body could handle the drop. The scariest thing to me was how the ride paused for 5 seconds 205 feet in the air before barreling down at a 90 degree angle at 71 mph. Yep, Tricia is my hero for doing this ride solo!

We saved Escape From Pompeii for last, thinking we would all get soaked on the 5 story drop into the water below. However, poor Chris, sitting on the outside, got most of the splash while Jr, Tricia and I came out pretty much dry.

 We had a blast! Next year we hope to go to Water Country USA!

On August 1st, our friend and local biologist, Paul Rudershausen will embark on a cross-country bike ride to benefit the Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter. Paul’s journey will begin in Coos Bay, Oregon and will take him through a dozen states and over 3000 miles to his final destination of Atlantic Beach, NC.

Paul has been a dedicated OWLS volunteer for three years. He’s taking this journey at his own expense and all donations will go directly to the Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter. His goal is set at $10,000 to help improve the facilities and to fund the construction of a large mammal cage.

There are several ways you can support Paul’s cause:

• Make a secure online donation at pedal4wildlife.org
• Follow Paul’s journey via his blog
• Join Paul’s cause on facebook
• Tell your friends about his incredible journey
• Volunteer at OWLS

Check out the media coverage:
Jacksonville Daily News
Carteret County News-Times

OWLS is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt charitable organization whose mission is to rehabilitate and release injured and orphaned animals and teach the public how to coexist peacefully with wildlife.