Weekend Finds: Snowy St. Louis and Back! (What I Did and Didn't Buy)

Good afternoon!

How's everybody doing this Monday workday? It's slushy and rainy out, but I'm gonna tell you, the weather I experienced in the drive into town this morning has N-O-T-H-I-N-G on the weather I saw on the way back from St. Louis! I forget, being a born and bred Southerner, that 1) people in the Midwest get snow/ice/sleet/rain the likes of which we but rarely see in these climes and 2) have experience and thus knowledge of how to deal with this kind of weather. As we hit Illinois on our trek back from a visit to Matthew's Memaw, oh my sweet and dear LORD, there was snow and ice everywhere. I saw a state snow plow doing like sixty down the road as sparks flew from the front blade, and I counted SIXTEEN cars that had run off the road into the median or a ditch, including one tractor trailer. As Matthew piloted the Cube through the winter mix of ice and snow, I tried to read my Johnny Carson book, but mostly I was staring bleakly at the road in front of us, willing it to turn back into good old, solid, reliable asphalt from the ice skating rink it had become. But we made it! And, now that I have a crazy decent camera on my phone, let me show you some of the pictures we took during our voyages. Allons-y!

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Here are photos of Matthew and me from the very beginning of the trip on the way up. Note: the lack of a harried expression. This is due to the fact that the weather was completely reasonable the entire way up. Overcast, but easy breezy as we hurdled through the heartland and across most of of Kentucky and munched on healthy snacks Matthew picked up for us at the grocery pre-departure (note: I am now addicted to sw. I know you guys are used to seeing me in my de facto braided hairstyle, but here's what I look like with my hair hanging low!

A little flyway frizzy, but I'm on semi-vacation, who cares!

Matthew started out the door with just his Navy peacoat (my dad's from when he was in the service) on-- I told him he definitely would need gloves and a scarf. The best option? Red gloves and this matching Snowbird WSMV scarf! I found this for a dollar ninety nine at the Hendersonville Goodwill, and you'd better believe I was like "WHAT?! HOW COULD SOMEONE GIVE THIS AWAY?" If you're a Nashville native in my age group, you, too, grew up just begging the Snowbird report on channel 4 to list your schools among the ones shuttering its doors for inclement weather. I remember "DAVIDSON CHRISTIAN ACADEMY" came right before "DAVIDSON COUNTY SCHOOLS" and I would just direct all my grade-school energy towards making the letters of my school system appear next! Not to mention, you can't buy these scarves, you have to win them by being the fourth caller during one of the news broadcast giveaways. Some people don't even understand the value of what they have. ((shakes head)) Isn't he a cute-en-stein in this ensemble?

Here's the Arch! This was taken at like 3 pm, and that's exactly how overcast it stayed the entire time! Boooo.

We stayed at the Drury Inn Suites in Chesterfield, and I really think I should have thought about some kind of career in a business that would have me traveling. I lo-o-o-ove hotel rooms. I know, you go, "But what about the possible CSI like things that went down before you stayed there? What if there's a serial killer in like the next room? What if you forget your toothbrush?" I am oblivious to all these concerns as the love of being somewhere I do not have to do dishes, make beds, remember to do laundry, etc, etc, washes over me. Don't get me wrong, I love my house, and secretly, I love maintaining housewife like chores, but what a treat it is to stay not-in-my-house. Plus, hot tub and pool situation. YES. While we turned in around evening time to watch HBO and see how long past the recommended 10 minutes we could stay IN the hot tub (outcome: around 25 minutes), we spent most of the weekend at Memaw's retirement community visiting and catching up. We played some pretty high stakes, neck and neck games of Yahtzee and Mexican Train (Memaw is the only person I know whose fervor and skill at these games match my own), jawed on about what we've been up to since the wedding (working, working, WORKING), and had some very nice meals out on the town. I am so glad we got a chance to see her! 

On the way back home, Matthew was nice enough to detour to some antique stores on the way home on the pretense of "stretching our legs" (he knows my junking habit is in the bone!). We visited The Antique Mall of Perry County in Nashville, Illinois, and saw couple things I would rather have taken home with me than left in the store such as:

"Apollo Moon Shot Rifle"...um, yes? Look at the little Marvin the Martian character flying around in the lunar atmosphere near the score tally. I have so many questions! How will lack of gravity effect my rifle's accuracy?! What is my moon target?! What is our intergalactic policy regarding man-moon diplomatic relations?! If I had $699 to spend on a 1969 arcade machine, we could settle these matters once and for all!!

Williams' Bonanza is a 1970 shoot 'em up. I want to ride shotgun with Little Joe! ANOTHER three figure price tag. Another broken heart.

To round out the trio, this cigarette machine broke my heart. No, I don't smoke. Yes, I do want this hunka hunka gorgeous, old time pool hall memorabilia sitting in my living room. I've seen a few on Craiglist in town,  but never one with quite this much charm-- YES to the pistachio/mint green color. YES to the cursive "cigarettes" inset and chrome like an old Buick! You can see my open handbag as I clandestinely try to snap the photo before someone from the store tells me not to.

More things I had to not buy, in spite of myself:

Baby doll clothes a-aplooza! This doll has a better wardrobe than ME, and you know it hurts me to say words like that. The rickrack number on the on the left is a PLAYSUIT, are you KIDDING me. I could go Ginger Rogers for miles in that suit, just adult sized. Each piece was $15, so I passed, but I'm kind of regretting not getting that red and blue pinafore type dress for my 1900's doll.

There were A BOATLOAD of old photos I didn't buy:

Given my twenties' mania at the current moment, I'm so surprised I didn't buy this this portrait. The forty dollar price tag scared me away, but oh my GOSH that perfect bob, rouged cheek, embroidered collar! Weekend before last I tried some dumb Cosmo thing on how to do a fake flapper bob-- I'm still trying to get my hair to do what Barbara Kent's did in Lonesome! The pinning of my long hair I have down, it's the marcel waves I can't get a handle on. Give me time!

Ok, you guys are always talking about my creepy photos...this photo creeps me out! Again, I was shutterbuggin' on the fly, so the angle is poor, but look at these COMPLETELY WEIRD KIDS. Ugh. Again, I kind of wish I could have it, and I kind of wonder if it can see my soul.

This dapper little Dan is wearing a Little Lord Fauntleroy suit and sellin' S-A-S-S sass. "How's he supposed to be president when he's got extant pictures of himself like this?! This is what turned Ernest Hemingway into a raging misogynist, you know," I said to Amy at the nonfiction desk today.

At a Goodwill on the way home-- I'm trying to break myself of the habit of buying "just any" old photos, but I kind of feel bad I didn't get these for $1.99 apiece. Look at the one on the right! That dress!

And last but not least, the source of that popular phrase sweeping the nation as we speak, "More fun than a barrel of Santas!" No, seriously. This is how the person at the antique booth in Kentucky decided to display their Santas. "Go'on, pick you out one you like!" Chad McClarnon has one of these guys' brothers he uses for Christmas photos, if you recall!

What I did bring home:

This 1950's-does-1910's hat was IR-RE-SIS-T-ABLE. I wish I was wearing it on my head right now!

This cameo set was a gift from Matthew's Memaw. How lovely! Look how detailed the carving is on the brooch and how the faces on the earrings face different directions.

You know I cannot and will not pass up a Couroc tray-- this one was $1.99 at the Goodwill. SCORE.

A bunch of old keys at one of the antique stores, and two pairs of elbow length gloves (not shown). Matthew: "You could see if you could find the things that each of those keys go to!" Me: "I'm probably going to try to make a necklace or a charm bracelet out of these." Matthew: "That would probably take less time!"

And last but not least, this Nashville souvenir was at the St. Louis's Savers! Ha! I was like, "Back to Nashville with you!"

Sorry this is so late, I've been up to my nose in this, that, and the other this morning and early afternoon. But how about you? How was your weekend? When's the last time you had to practically mush a sled dog through crazy winter weather? Find anything good out at the sales? Which one of the things I didn't buy SHOULD I have bought? Let's talk!

That's all for today, but I'll see you back here tomorrow! Have a great Monday. Til then! :)