Hello! My name is....

So I got this invite from The Goodwill Geek  to participate in The League of Extraordinary Bloggers weekly topic. The Geek's proven to be a pretty solid guy, so I am happy to do so! And Miss M from Diary of Diary of a Dorkette also mentioned it to me, so it must be fate.....

Hello! My name is Laura.

What an exciting name, right?........

I started blogging a little over a year ago after being so inspired by other blogger's creativity and seeming zest for everyday life. Did my life become zesty after I started blogging, you ask?

Well, yeah. It kinda did. .......

Blogging made me more aware of the little comical moments in my Mayberry-esque Texas town, I  began to pay closer attention to the details in everyday life. The interests I had in all things kitsch, vintage, or just the plain ol' unusual finally had a platform that made sense. ........

A little about me......
I cannot resist an old Puppet, well unless it's over $5. I do have morals.

Nothin makes me happier than a vintage toy.....

Except this guy....

and oh yeah, these little people...

I have terrible photoshop skills. Wait, that's a lie.
I still use Microsoft Paint because I don't understand photoshop lingo...

I'm disturbed by a particular childhood toy, Puppy Surprise.

I have my dealer on speed dial (antiques, that is).

I'm saddened over the intolerance in our society toward's adults who still play with toys....

I can make all kinds of stuff. Just tell me what you want and I'll see it done.
 Even a felt Molses.....

Or a Slimer photo prop, if you're ever in need of one......

It's not all just fun and games, though. I sometime blog about the real and the raw, as my true passion in life is child advocacy and healing. Maybe that's what keeps me so childish ;)

I also sometimes get a wild hair up my butt and write about deeply personal matters that just need a release.
Just a warning.....
But for the most part it's all about the little treasures....

and the big ones...

I would wrap it up by saying that's about it but you know,
 it really isn't even a fraction  ;)
If you came by through way of the "League", welcome!
 Now I'm off to meet you, as well.
Here's some other folks with their juicy expose's, sooo worth a click!
Miss M over at Diary of a Dorkette, a totally rad chick who I would love to hang out with (until she caught me stealing her toys and kicked me out) ;) She is a She-Ra lovah!
The Trash Man, a cat lover who gives terrible advice and makes a Ramona and Beezus book reference (Kimmie Jones!)
The Goodwill Geek, if you've hung around my blog, this is my male counterpart (Sorry, Geek!)

The front room Pt. two

Hey ya'll! Before I do anything, I gotta say. I have really had a lot of fun in the blogging community this last month. I am lovin the kinship! It's a gift to meet other fully functioning, bill paying, responsible adults who also like toys. And if you aren't quite functioning, are irresponsible and don't pay your bills, I sure wouldn't know it from your awesome blogs ;) Thanks, guys!

Soooo, if you've been around for a little while you probably noticed that I am apt to leave you hangin quite a bit on here. If I say somethin like "I'll show you what I got later" or "Rest is comin soon" ,

don't ever believe it. 

I'm a most forgetful and flighty person, much to my own chagrin. It's a personal constraint for sure...

But today, I have woken with a shred of character shinin' through and I am gonna finish the front room post.

(I know. I'm accomplishing great things) 

 Superfluous crochet doilie obssession/collection sittin unused in closets and drawers? 

Just string em up!

 I got these ornaments off a lady at a yard sale for a quarter each. She had literally just thrown blankets out and dumped piles and piles of crap on them, all willy nilly. It was the kind of yard sale most people won't stop for. I call those "Competitive Sports". And I happen to be on the A team.

Tip: Spice racks make awesome toy shelves. And awesome toys are the only thing that make spice racks useful.

 Yes. Aren't they lovely? :)

 "Pom Pom chick" will be leavin us today.... off to bigger and better. A place where she can mingle with others of her kind..... 

 And my FAVORITE shelf in my house!!! It's strategically close to the front exit in case of fire ;)

Seriously, kids, wallet and Conga collection. Hope I'm properly dressed if it happens, cuz that's the plan.

 I'm smilin just lookin at him!

Oh my gosh! Right?! AND it's a puppet?! 

 One of my favorite things I own. My sister's old key chain that I just out and asked for back when we were mostly estranged and not talking. But I felt that this key chain was worth communication.

My priorities may be a little skelter... anyway, we became friends again and she gave it to me later :) Don't you just love a happy ending? 

 Artwork from Sarah <3 

 And that's it, folks. I'll be back later with some awesome news!

Did you believe me?

Just checkin ;)

I told ya'll Bloggers were the best folks!

So today was a most awesome day. So many random acts of kindness came my way, like the lady who I met once asking me on facebook if she could buy my girl's some lunch kits (yeah, she saw Ava's photo with the much outdated A.L.F. lunchbox) and the lady who bought our vintage bouncy horse right when we were wondering how long our cars were gonna keep runnin on E? 

But really the cream on top came floatin in on my porch.....

The kids were all like....

And I was all like......

And he was all like..... "What now?"

A fellow blogger who copied my whole life down to the details of how many kids I have, sent me a big box of heart-warming, shriek inducing goodness. It was like a Happy Meal exploded! And funny enough, I stumbled onto his blog in a "vintage Happy Meal toy" google search. The blog is called Goodwill Hunting 4 Geeks and you know if I'm prone to judge a book by it's cover, that title had me intrigued! And the "Geek" turns out to be an extremely gracious, intelligent, entertaining, well written blogger. The content is really funny, and I love how it feels like a conversation between a few slackers (highly intelligent ones) on the couch.   And because I can't go out and prowl like I used to, it's real good to live vicariously through his blog. Everything he buys, I would buy! So when he scores, it feels like I scored, too! 

We all sat around the table while I opened up the box. Yes, I made my guy!

But it didn't take much convincing, he was curious.....

And everybody sat around playing, pulling things out and going "AHHH!!" 

And then he found somethin that captured his imagination......

He started musing over a little car with Mayor McCheese at the wheel. I actually was jottin down what he wrote (because this is real, quality journalism goin on here, folks) ;) 

He started off kinda quiet "Man, I'm surprised he let up off that one...that's back when they made things right. Look, it says 1984 and it still works good, this little thing's awesome...."  

And then he got lost in appreciation, along with the rest of us..."See this stuff is cool to me cuz it brings me back to when toys were cool. Toys back then were cool, even the happy meal ones. This stuff now is lame, dude."

I mad a pile of my favorite stuff.....

Notice this journal says "For the stranger sides" .......

But out of it all, these two were tops :)

This E.T. really made me laugh because it's part of his Goodwill Hunting beginning.

 I feel mighty privileged to own it and do treasure it :)

 This pirate mug he sent got chipped when Ava opened the bag but he still fits right in on the built-in. And how appropriate that he's guarding a stack of "LGB" (a minor obsession of the Geek's).

So, thank you, thank you, thank you Goodwill Geek! You upped the atmosphere over here, man. 

It was a truly great time we had at our table, laughin and sharin in all that you're box had to offer. And you even managed to coax my guy into my "inner circle" for a brief but very meaningful moment.

And that, you gracious dude, is priceless.

May you reap what you sowed, and may you be highly favored in all your endeavors :)