had I not

This week sped by way too quickly. 

I met a friend for lunch and then tagged along to a nearby antiques/thrift store as she searched for a farmhouse table.  We saw some great pieces and I took lots of pictures.  But the prices were quite high and neither of us got anything.

 
    
 

Then on my way home I stopped by a local thrift store and spotted this 14 piece glass dish set for $15 and I had to get it.  It was so cheery and sparkly and well priced.  And absolutely perfect for summer ice cream sundae parties.   I don't think I would have wanted it so had I not spent time in the pricey antiques store, but things happen for a reason and I am so glad that these dishes came home with me.

 

I played around with a pattern for the hundred-or-so triangle blocks that I pieced.  And I would have been happy with this zigzag pattern had I not come across this fun configuration on flickr.  Which would you choose?
   
 

And had I not entered Imene's hand dyed wool giveaway I wouldn't have won this awesome skein of yarn and these lovely hand crafted stitch markers.   Thanks so much Imene - I love them!

 
And now for the most round about had-I-not of all...  The other day I met a real estate agent to view a house that, judging from online photos, seemed perfect for our family but was put off by the long and muddy dirt road that led to the property.  I came home a bit disappointed and began perusing decorating blogs for some inspiration on how to make our kitchen function better. (Reading blogs always makes me feel better)  I clicked on some links and ended up on this great blog.  Then I read this post on their family's awesome portable chicken coop.  I followed the link, showed my husband, and we immediately agreed that building the Catawba coop would be the perfect way to keep chickens on our property.   We cannot wait for the instructions to arrive so that we can begin building our coop - and order our chicks! 

If you are still reading this had I not gone to view the house I may never have found the home and harmony blog.  Had I not found the blog I might not have come across these portable coop instructions and had we not found the portable coop we would not have gotten chickens because we don't want to clean out a traditional coop and we have too many animals out here in the country to allow chickens to free range.  Bottom line is that my kiddos are so very excited.

Oh yeah, and had I not met my friend for lunch in the city I would not have been by Trader Joe's and we wouldn't have this big bowl of yummy organic fruits to munch on.  I also got organic frozen berries for smoothies, naan bread, strawberry kefir, and chocolate orange sticks and spicy dried mango.  Yum.

 
 

Have a wonderful weekend full of adventure...you never know where your path will lead!

Comments

[dani@little fists]

That sounds like a most excellent day. Love the score you made thrifting. Those are beautiful glass dishes. That yarn is the bomb. And last, but not least, I'd love to live out and have some chickens. But alas, I'm in the middle of Houston. I'll live vicariously through you when you get your coop up and going.

[Meg Evans]

Awww, chickens! I'm so jealous! I'd love to get some chickens, but we have no yard...one of these days. In the meantime, I'll have to be content to visit my sister-in-law's chickens.

Great thrifting find and lucky you with the yarn! Have a great weekend.

[feather]

what a great post! i love how life just weaves in and out! your glass ware reminds me of a set my grandmother had when i was little...it brings back such lovely memories. 15 bucks is a steal. i wish i'd have been with you on your thrifting!
happy, happy chickening!

[Beth]

I love this post. I love your triangles, your new dishes and the chicken coop. What fun ! I'm going to have to head done to our local antique shops today !

[Nancy]

Wow, what great success you had! Love the dishes.

I'm partial to the zigzag you picked, first, maybe it's because there is less of a wide variation in the shades of color in the fabrics...but the other one is very beautiful, you really can't go wrong.

I wish we could have chickens, but our county is so urban that altho chickens are 'allowed,' they've figured out how to keep most people from having them. *sigh* We'd have to clean out a coop anyway (not enough land) so perhaps it's for the best!
;)

[Jenny]

Oooh - it's a tough call on the quilt configuration. I'm usually a "square" girl all the way, so I thought I'd prefer the Flickr option. But the more I looked, the more I really really like the look of your zig zags.

Yay for dishes and coops and yarn! I loved the gratitude tone of your post. Just what I needed this morning when I have been fighting off a case of the I-wish-I-hads.

Speaking of wish-I-hads, I have admired your white bowls (holding fruit above) in a few posts and was wondering if you got these at a retail store or if they were lucky finds like your charming new glassware. Thanks! And happy weekend.

[annri]

That was fun... traipsing around with you through your day! Such a nice one at that. :)

I like the quilt layout that you've got there.

[wishes, true and kind]

Well, I love your triangles arranged in zig zags, but I have also fallen in love with Rita's quilt and really want to try it.

I love the idea of someone else raising chickens for me to watch :)

[Anna in Atlanta]

Yay for the Catawba Coop! I've built 2 so far -- of completely reycyled/reclaimed materials, btw -- keep on the lookout for pallets (you can make the floor and ends from them) and long pieces of fence or decking board for the sides). You can also make 2x2s out of 2x4s, which are easy to scrounge from construction sites.

I've found that the Catawba iss fine for 3, maybe 4 hens, and you'll need to let them out into something much bigger to run around in during the day. The bottom enclosure is great so they can get out in the morning and still be safe, but it's just not big enough for everyday hen living.

Also, the directions don't include this, but I think it's really good to put a layer of vinyl sheet flooring or some other removable, scrubbable layer on the floor. Saves the wood floor from chicken poo and you can scrub it every so often if you need to.

Love my birdy girls! You will too.

[Lynnette]

Knock of wood has several designs for a farmhouse table. Take a minute to look, you won't be sorry. Well, you might need more than a minute...
http://www.knock-offwood.com/2009/12/plans-farmhouse-table-knock-off-of.html

[Stephanie]

I always love to look back at how an idea or things in life come about. It's usually not the first thing that was planned. Great post and can't wait to hear more about your new hobby...chickens!

[christina]

Sounds like a delightful day! I'm practically drooling over those lovely green dishes, and your thrifty find dishes are equally gorgeous. : ) Oh, and I think I like the zig-zags.

[Jodi]

Great glasswear finds! I always used to go the antique route when searching for treasures. Then, I found thrift stores -- such better prices.

And chickens? Wow -- I'm so jealous. I've been wanting to try my hand at that, but we can't in our village.

[Tayla B]

It is amazing how one thing can lead to another isn't it! I hate missing an opportunity because I know I'm missing all the other experiences that will go a long with it.
I think you should use the pattern from fickr for your quilt. I am a big fan of collage type patterns, though so that could be just me.
And, my husband and I want a coop like that one too! I have no idea when we will be able to build it though so we have never purchased the plans. And an already built one costs around $400 from what I've seen.

[Heather]

I have to check out that coop. Our neighborhood is really strict with how we could raise chickens, and that coop looks like it actually might work.

I love the last line of this post, where you walk about what you got at Trader Joe's. It all sounded so yummy, and it made me want to run out to the store right away

[Ximena]

Beautiful blog, I loved it!
Greetings.
Xime

[Ruth]

When we were looking for a home we saw many on the internet that looked just perfect for us but they were a disappointment when we saw them in person.

I love perusing blogs for inspiration. So many wonderful ideas and encouragement in blog land.

We love Trader Joe's here, too. Love those glasses, too.

Ruth

[SpiderWomanKnits]

so, i had these things i wanted to say about the other lovely images and thoughts in your post and then you said "chicken". we have an organic poultry farm with 60 chickens and a few bantams. i am just SO excited for you guys! chickens are the best! that tractor looks really cute and perfect for a backyard flock. i am chicken-crazy so if you ever have questions...

oh, do you know what breeds you'll order and where from? we have lots of experience with that too :)

[Karen]

It sounds like things are working out just the way they were meant to at your house!

[alyssa spring]

Now I'm craving kefir and i don't have any!!!! Thanks...
LOVE your dishes....what a great find!

[theresa/t does wool]

what a fabulous day...and that antiques shop looks like it has some real buys~yes...where do the days go?

[Rie]

I just found this! I am so excited that you are inspired by the chicken coop that we built! So neat. Blessings...Rie

[Nancy]

Love the dishes. They're so 70's. :)

[cheap jewelry]

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