Celebrating a Homecoming Twice. And, always!

All I wished for Christmas came true last weekend!

We celebrated the early return of our Ranger last Saturday! And, this

was not just any return... This was his fifth and his last return from a

deployment to Afghanistan! A distinction that didn't fully hit me until a

few days later, while I was back at work. I was sitting at my desk, working

away, when the Blue Star Flag hanging on the back of the white board in

my pod caught my eye. Immediately, I was overcome with emotion brought

on by the relief that comes with the certainty that I will never lose my son to

war. For me, this particular fear and often, crippling burden of worry is over!

These past five years have simultaneously been the longest and shortest five

years of my life. I have been both more afraid and more at peace than I ever

imagined possible. And, proud... Well, there simply are no words to adequately

express how proud I am of all our son accomplished and the work he's done! As

for the men who serve/d with him, the fellow Rangers he calls his brothers, I am

grateful for their protection and would be happy to claim any of them as my own!

We have our Ranger back. From a deployment that stole two more of his brothers,

as evidenced by the new KIA bracelet clamped tightly around his wrist. To all of

you that have so generously lent me your support, I send you thanks that has no

end. To other Army Moms, we are in this together until your sons come home too!

So if we welcomed Ranger home in Ft. Benning last weekend, why were

we back on the road to Atlanta this weekend? Well, because while I did

remember the care package sent by my sweet friend Angie and all of the

things Ranger ordered on-line, there were two things I didn't realize we

were supposed to bring along. And, since this was the last chance before

my trip home for Christmas, we packed up and met Ranger in Atlanta to

make the delivery. A second chance to squeeze him and do a little bit of

shopping along the way... Not a bad way to spend our anniversary weekend!

As always, our first stop was the Pottery Barn Outlet in Gaffney

where the duvet and pillowcase pickins' this time were slim;

however, I did manage to pick up this cute trio of cheese boards!

Saturday was our 28th anniversary, so instead of just spending the day driving

home we decided to break up the trip with a stop at Scott's Antique Market

For all the hype and hoopla about it, I must honestly warn my fellow

antique-hounds that with a few exceptions, it's not worth a special trip

to Atlanta... Especially since many of the dealers are the same people

we have run into many times at the Metrolina Expo in Charlotte!

But I did say there were a few exceptions, so I promise to tell you all

about them in a few minutes. What I've been hunting for a while now are

two things I had hoped to give my mom for Christmas this year... Sadly,

our trip to Scott's did not bring me any closer to finding them. There

were plenty of examples of what I'm looking for that were nearly right...

But when it comes to things for my mom, nearly right won't do!

As you can see from the prices, vendors at Scott's appeared to be very

attached to their not-quite-perfect treasures. There is no way a silver-

plated plateau with a mirror in such shabby condition demands $335!

This one for $125 was a contender... Until the vendor told me it had just sold!

By the way... I had a copper moment here!

And, I fell in love with more vintage linen here!

This vendor is one of those exceptions I was telling you about! Her

name is Margaret Meier and she's from Oakland Park Florida. She

has the largest collection of vintage fabrics in the business. Whites,

laces, homespuns, bark cloth, brocades, you name it, Margaret has

it. And, what sets her apart in this business is that Margaret cleans

and irons all the pieces she sells. She's also as picky about condition

as I am, which instantly made us best friends! Do you see what I saw?

It's a vintage German mail bag from the 1950's!

And, Margaret had two... The one above and this one, which is perfect!

Originally Margaret and I talked about cutting it down. Since it's

printed on both sides, I could easily get two pillows made from just

one sack. However, the more and more I thought about it, I think

leaving it whole and using it as a wall hanging is an even better idea!

I love the texture, look and feel of vintage linen!

Don't you?

The other vendor exception I met at Scott's yesterday is John Tomsyck of

both Charlotte North Carolina and Heidelberg Germany! You see John's wife

is a psychiatrist who joined the army at age 53 so she is currently stationed

in Germany. John shops the flea markets all over Germany and ships his

treasures back to the states for sale at antique shows like Scott's in Atlanta!

Talk about living the dream of picker!

I love vintage maps and John has one

of the best collections I have ever seen!

He also offers a collection of antique dough boards from Hungary!

These are virtually impossible to find...

Especially in such terrific condition! John has a booth at an antique mall

in Belmont North Carolina, which is now officially on my list! If you're in

the market for a dough board like this, to use as a cutting board or in your

dough-making, my dear friend David offers some exceptional examples

in his shop here. Buy one now and create your own vintage heirloom!

Although I didn't find the treasures on my list, there

were plenty of things worth taking note of at Scott's...

Like this pair of (sold) Tiffany-inspired dragonfly floor lamps...

And, this poor old lion!

And, this beautiful round dining table! In fact, now that the living room is done,

the formal dining room is next! One of us doesn't want a round dining table

but fortunately for me, that person doesn't mind letting me have my way!

The last things to catch my eye before we left Scott's

were these jellyfish vases set into driftwood pieces!

I love how the glass curves over and into the natural form of the wood!

The vendor happens to have a shop in High Point!

And, although I could have waited to get one there, I took this one with me!

After we walked both buildings at Scott's we

decided it was probably time to head home...

Besides, we needed to leave a little time for a stop on the way!

I fell in love with this vintage, hand-painted plate rack at one of

the Chamblee Antique Row. Unfortunately, the dealer and I

couldn't come to an agreement about the plates so it's still there!

If you find yourself shopping the Chamblee antique row shops, do not... I

repeat, do not miss the last shop on the row! We've been there twice and

both times I found amazing things at prices that could not be beat! My first

find during this visit was a set of eight, unused Lenox white dinner plates!

As you can see here, a set of six at Macy*s costs $120 (on sale)! At the

shop they were originally priced $60; however, everything discounts 10% for

each month it sits on the shelf. So by the time I got there, they were only $40!

Clearly, these plates were waiting for me to show up! Another thing that

popped out at me was this knitted lap blanket. Normally, I would never

buy soft goods second hand... However, I had a five hour car ride ahead

and since keeping the Jeep cold helps keep my driver awake, I needed

this! Besides, it was clean, didn't smell and the label indicated it was...

How could I let Norma down by allowing her beautiful work to hang in

the shop another month? It had already been discounted from $12 to $9!

After all, Li-Li Coconut and I appreciate the skill and

time Norma put into creating this piece especially for us!

The blanket aside... This is my favorite find from this weekend's treasure

hunt! And, I cannot help but think how fitting it is that I found it in one

of the first antique shops we stopped at following the visit we made just

before our Ranger deployed for the second time. I remember wandering

the shop feeling sick having just left him and like I was about to lose my

mind over the worry that had already begun to creep into every breath!

Not only is this beautiful holy water font a piece of vintage Belleek, the mark

indicates it was made between 1959-1980 and, it's in perfect condition!

But most of all, it signifies God's promise to me...

That He will always keep and protect my sons...

And, bring them home to me. No matter

how far they might wander from home!

It was the perfect find to bring our 16th and final trip

down to Atlanta and Fort Benning to visit our Ranger!

Let the holiday cheer begin!