Wasn't It Just Yesterday

Wasn't it just yesterday...

 I was rocking you to sleep as a baby in my arms...

and swinging you on the playground after Sunday School?

Wasn't it just yesterday...

that you thought every character at Disney World was your very best friend?

Your zest for life and sweet spirit

 made the toddler and preschool years pure joy.

Remember when you dressed up as Laura Ingalls

for one of our many homeschool events? 

I cannot believe how fast those twelve years flew by!

What a precious little ballerina you were. 

Wasn't it just yesterday you were taking lessons?

Then at the blink of an eye,

 the teen years we upon us.

And I found myself taking lots of

deep breaths and praying—even more—

especially when you got your first car...

and went to your first dance alone with a guy—in his car.

Wasn't it just yesterday that you were

sitting on your dad's lap as he read to you? 

By the time your prom came around, you were as tall as him.

The day of your graduation,

I could not contain all the emotions welling up within me. 

My baby was graduating,

and our homeschool days would be no more.

As I have watched you blossom into

a beautiful young woman...

my heart has yearned for days of old,

when I would hold you in my arms and sing silly, childish songs with you.

But those days will never be again.

Now, you have given me a precious granddaughter...

who in many ways helps me to see you...

as you once were.

In my heart, you will always be my little girl,

and now...

you are also my special friend!

I love you Asheley Elizabeth!  Happy 23rd Birthday! 

Sharing at Beverly's Pink Saturday.

Be sure to visit Jeanette at Good Mornin' Beautiful and let her know you found her by way of the Brambleberry Cottage.

Digging for Diamonds

There is a common thread connecting each of the items in the mosaic above.  Actually, there are several common threads:  

• They're all past projects for the Yankee and me.  
• I've shared a bit about them in previous posts. 
• Each of them was once a diamond in the rough, discovered while digging around the treasure mine pictured below.

 

When I shared the results of the therapy we administered to the Victorian lady–found here at Cline's–I also gave you a few glimpses of this fun place.

Your comments indicated that you were as excited to catch those few glimpses–of one of my very favorite stomping grounds–as you were to see the project transformation.

So, I thought I would make all you treasure hunters drool a tad bit more.  ; )

In many ways, this place looks pretty much the same way it did when the Yankee and I stumbled upon it almost fifteen years ago...

with the exception of the addition of a number of longbed-trailers filled with the overflow of all sorts of goodies...

and a selection of imported "new" items given a faux-aged finish.

If you enjoy a good hunt, and you love digging for unique treasure, you would be totally thrilled to visit this antique lover's / junker's haven.

The goods are in a constant state of change–almost daily–with buyers moving it out and pickers bringing new treasures in. 

And it's not unusual to bump into the owner, Don Cline, at various local auctions, adding to this already bursting-at-the-seams inventory.

What once was a very large family owned and operated farm–until 1973–is now host to such a mine of unusual, unique objects that movie studios even shop this haunt looking for props.

Barns that once housed 12,000 laying hens are now packed to the rafters with wonderful antique, vintage, and, often, one-of-a-kind treasures.

And if you can't find that special something inside, just take a gander outside, around the barns...

where you're likely to encounter loads of old farm equipment...

and

unique collectibles.

In need of a door?

A barnful awaits you–antique, vintage, and new.

Looking for an old window or two?

Cline's has a few.

How about an antique iron bed...

or two...

or three?

Is rusty, chippy metal your passion? 

Whether vintage or new...

or new made to look vintage...

you can find everything from the whimsical...

to the standard garden-variety at this one-stop junker's paradise.

Diamonds in the rough abound in this jumble of junk, if you are willing to dig them out.

And, you're sure to meet the master of ceremonies of this little show whenever you visit.

By the way, don't let his old-country-boy exterior fool you. 

This guy holds an MBA and was,

for years, 

 a college professor of economics...

before the junkin' bug bit him.  ; )

You'll most often find him lounging in the cool shade of this sixty-year-old Ash tree or tooling around the grounds in his green Kawasaki.

On colder days, he'll be perched in one of his favorite spots–

his old barber's chair, next to the vintage woodstove.

Once you've visited this fun junkin' spot, you'll want to hurry back to see what new finds await you. 

It will be difficult not to spend the entire day rummaging through every little nook and cranny–each and every time you visit–because the inventory changes so frequently...

and there are sooo many tempting treasures yet to be discovered.

Just come prepared ladies...'cause there's no indoor plumbing!

Cline's Country Antiques

11839 Highway 49 N

Mt Pleasant, NC 28124

I think I'll share my magical makeovers mosaic @ Mary's

See if you can spy with your little eye the bounty of blues to share @ Sally's

There's a vintage thing or two I'd like to share @

Simple Country Pleasures

Aah...the country life. I love everything about it. 

Around our quaint little farmstead, every season serves up its own special delights.

Like the divinely fragrant plum trees scattered near the edge of our forest...

and beside the log barn...

and now—much to my pleasure—in front of the silo, as well.

Whether viewed against the backdrop of the heavenly Carolina blue sky, or the other bucolic settings pictured above, they bring such simple joy.

Not only in their natural environment...

but, as one of the many simple country pleasures inside my charming cottage farmhouse, also.