Saying Goodbye to OLD FRIENDS

     We all know there comes a time in a man's life where he has to say good bye to old friends, something that has been with him for many years, through the good times and the bad but none the less ready when called.  Well that happened to me today!!!!  I couldn't believe that after 6+ plus years it was time to move on but there was just no turning back.

THAT IS MY FINGER NOT MY TOE!!!!

Yep after 6 six years it was time for new shoes.  God they had been with me training for the Disney marathon, many work hours, lots of traveling but it was time to let them go.  I had done everything I could do to save them but when it is time to go you just have to let them go.  What a sad time but I shall carry on and make due.
      Speaking of making changes, my wife finally gave in and got a new Christmas tree this year.  When we first moved into this house some 12 years ago one of the things that came with it was a 12 foot Christmas tree!!  Imagine our excitement when we discovered it in the basement.  One problem was that the box that it was stored in had gotten wet and was practically useless.  I still remember that first time we put it up, we thought it would take weeks for us to get it together and on Halloween night we started putting it together!!  It wasn't as hard as we thought and it was done that night!   It has seen it's share of great joy and hard times.  As the years passed it became smaller and smaller because the base just was worn out.   Over the past few years we had to run guide wires from the ceiling and the walls just to keep it upright.  Many a cat has knocked over that tree and it too has made its last stand.  Lynn would spend hours upon hours putting on the lights and then calling for me when it began to lean over.  When we re-did the living room I even installed an extra hook in the ceiling to tie off the tree so that it wouldn't fall but even that couldn't save it in the end.  So today we took the big step and got a new tree!!  PRE-LIT even!!!  It was up in less than an  hour and it looks great.  Still no ornaments yet but that won't be long coming.  It has been a magical day around the Carter household, new shoes and a new Christmas tree!  How lucky can one man be.  I don't think I can stand anymore excitement!!!

NOW ISN'T THAT SOMETHING!!!

Also this weeks begins the countdown to the BIG game - the IRON BOWL and to show our support for the Auburn Tigers I made a little ornament to put out by the mailbox!

YEP - ORANGE AND BLUE FLAMINGOS!!!!!

It has been fun this week looking at all the posts on FB from games in the past on both sides.  Anyone not from this state or that didn't graduate or attend Auburn University or the University of Alabama just don't realize what this means to everyone.  Did you know that this Saturday Auburn will become one of the largest cities in the State of Alabama?  It is true, the population will grow by some 150,000 people, of course not all those will be at the game but who cares.  Many people come just to tail gate and hang out with friends and will watch the game on TV outside the stadium just to be able to say they were there.  There has not been a game of this magnitude in many years.   

     In my next post I will share some of my memories of this GIGANTIC series.  For now I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving, be safe and as always a special thanks to those men and women who will be working to keep us safe and not spending the day with their families!!!

WAR EAGLE!!!!!

     Well today was my last day at work until after Thanksgiving and we had a great day at Angel's Antiques.  I was actually able to get some maintenance work done and still managed to serve all our customers.  I am off for the next few days and will get back to work on some projects although I have been working on some furniture repairs for some friends and with those finished up I will be able to start working on some of the cooler orders I have for Christmas.  It is still not too late to put your order in!!!!
      My biggest worry now is that it is getting colder and I do all my work outside, well that is going to have to change so that means cleaning out the basement.  Crap, just something else to do around the house!!!!  I have been SLOWLY picking up things the last couple of days and have actually run across some tools I could have been using and a few things I will be putting in my booth at Angel's Antiques.  For those of you that don't know, the name of my main booth is called THE DOGHOUSE!!!!  Wonder how it got that name?  Figure it out!
     One of my sons has now gotten into using pallets to make projects around the house - a chip off the old block!!!!  Of course he drives a Lexus and can't really haul that many around so I guess I may be making a trip to haul some for him and hopefully getting some for me also!!!  Although to look at my back yard you would think I was running a lumber yard, but it is great fun and I enjoy it and plus it helps pay the bills - you can't beat that.
     The next BIG project on hand will be to get my wife to run the camera while I put a cooler together or build a piece of furniture, as you could tell with the frying of the turkey, trying to do both at the same time just don't cut it.  I am sure I will have to promise her that she won't be in the pictures!!!
     With Thanksgiving coming up I wish to remind everyone to embrace your loved ones, think of those that have gone home to heaven and especially think of our troops that are serving over seas.  A special word of thanks to our first responders, deputy sheriffs, police, fire, rescue personnel that will be working so that we can enjoy the day.  It seems that the only time they get noticed is when something goes wrong and that is just not right.  Of course I am biased but I have seen the other side and know what it is like.
      For those of you in the State of Alabama of course the big game is coming up and I just pray that the real Auburn team shows up!!!  

      This is my one contribution to the effort!!

WAR DAMN EAGLE!!!!!

Have a Great Thanksgiving Everyone!!!!!

Thanksgiving at the Carter household!!!

     Each Thanksgiving it is tradition to fry a turkey around the Carter household for the main course.  Well not really the day of Thanksgiving.  We usually gather the family together a week or so before the actual day.  We do this so that our children (5) won't have to choose where to go to on Thanksgiving Day.  These days it is getting harder and harder to get everyone together at one time without some kind of conflict so we have decided for the past several years to do our gatherings either before or after the actual holiday so our children won't have to choose where to go on that day or have to eat 4 or 5 meals on that day.  It is more important to us to have everyone together at one time than what day it actually is.  So this past Sunday was our THANKSGIVING and we had our whole family together with no pressure of having to leave to go the in-laws or girlfriends house and it makes it so much easier.  Now I have posted a few videos of the process leading up to the big day so please take a moment to watch them.
     The most important thing was that we had everyone together and were able to catch up a little bit and spend some time together.  That is what Thanksgiving is all about anyway, being thankful for what you have and in that sense I am truly blessed.  5 great children, 2 great daughter - n - laws and a wonderful wife.   Oh and don't let me forget the dogs the one devil of a cat we have!!!  It is truly a great life and I thank the Lord everyday for it.  Sure we have some bad times but the good far out weigh the good.
     This time we added a little twist!!!!  About a week before the BIG DAY we sent out a "group text message" to all our children telling them of the plans and that this year each one would be required to bring a different item.  It was amazing how fast they jumped on that!!!  The first to go was the rolls, then the dessert.  One of them volunteered to bring the oil for frying the turkey and he probably got the short end of the stick on that one since it takes about 5 gallons of peanut oil to fry a turkey and that stuff is not cheap and unless  you are going to use it again within a week it just goes in the trash ( or woods in our case ) but none the less they all came through so each had a part in our meal.  SEE WE ARE GETTING CHEAPER IN OUR OLD AGE!!  It is time for payback for all those years of providing for them!!  We have a great group of children and I wouldn't trade life itself for anyone of them.  They have all grown up in their own special way and perhaps learned a lesson or two from dear old mom and dad - even though they won't admit it, but WE see it!

     

See they even dressed up for the day!!!!

I wish you all great Thanksgiving and just remember what the day is for!!!!!  GOD Bless you and may GOD BLESS the USA!!!! (we sure could use it)

Here are a few of the projects we have completed over the last few weeks.  A lot of time has gone into these projects but several have already sold so that makes it all worth it.  We have several items in our booth at Angels's Antiques still for sell.

This is the latest cooler we have made.  I decided to add a little extra feature to it by actually burning the wood before I stained it.  As soon as I brought it in I had people swarming all over it.  Someone sent me a picture today from a flea market in Montgomery of this cooler that was listed at $299!!!  Some people are just stupid but what can you do.  Sure I need to make a profit but I don't plan on getting rich off one cooler!!!  Right now ANY cooler you want is $160.00.   For those of you that have already ordered from the price is what  was discussed before - so no worries.
     I did have an interesting conversation with a customer today that wanted me to call a vendor and ask to negotiate a particular price for an item.  The item was priced at $150 and they wanted to offer $50!  I told them I couldn't do that because it would be an insult and they got mad.  I called the manager and he concurred with my decision and they wound up paying the asking price.  Some people just amaze me.  I thing the next time I am in Wal-Mart I am going to ask for their best price on something I am buying and see what they say!!!
     Today we will be celebrating Thanksgiving with our family (our children).  We do this so that on the actual Thanksgiving day they won't have to choose where they are going to go.  We do not want them to have to choose between us and their other families.  It just makes it easier on everyone.  We will be frying a turkey as usual.  I will be posting a video of the process for those of you that have never tried it.  My first experience several years ago did not turn out so well but I have gotten better.  If you  have never fried a turkey before you are missing out on a treat.  The MOST important thing is making sure the turkey is fully thawed before you put it in the oil, otherwise you are going to have a problem.  As I learned a few years back!!!
      I got a call this week from a former co-worker of mine thanking me for what I had done for him and in believing in him.  That truly touched my heart.  You never know how your life may affect others and the decisions that they make and the successes that they may make because of a decision you made.  Never think for a second that your life doesn't touch others in a way you may never know.
      Check out our photo gallery for other projects we have been working on and look for our video of our annual turkey frying!!!  If you hear sirens in the back ground you will know that something went wrong!!!  Happy Thanks Giving to everyone!!

Well it has been a few days since I have had a chance to post anything, unfortunately I have been working the last few days and have not been able to get to the computer.  I am off tomorrow and should be posting pictures of a couple of projects I am currently working on.  Over the last several days I have sold a couple of coolers and the handmade coffee table, so it has been a good week.  To top it off AUBURN WON!!!  I must admit I had given up on them.  I was at work at Angel's Antiques while the game was on tv and had gone to the back to listen to the game even though we had it on tv.   The radio broadcast was about 30 seconds faster than the tv.  During the last drive for Auburn I had started walking up front and just as I arrived THE MIRACLE AT JORDAN HARE occurred!!!  God you should have heard that store erupt!!!  All the customers and employees were gathered together and cheering.  It was almost like being at Jordan Hare stadium!  We sweated through the last few seconds together.  Some of the customers were from out of state and obviously didn't understand the excitement but it didn't seem to matter to them, they were cheering just as loud as we were.
     That is one great thing about working at Angel's Antiques, we get customers from all over the country and it doesn't matter where they are from, they are family.  So many people come through that actually plan their vacations around a trip to Angel's it is amazing and to be able to share that kind of moment with them is priceless.
     Hopefully some pictures posted tomorrow of what has been accomplished.  Remember any time you want to request anything just let me know!!!!

Today was a very special day for me.  For one I was actually off of work and second I got to spend the day with my son Brian.  Brian is an US Army Veteran who served in Iraq during the second Gulf War and is currently full time Alabama National Guard serving as a recruiter in Birmingham.  We spent the day working on a rustic cooler, pictures of which I will post tomorrow.  It was great to spend time with my son and to actually spend Veterans Day with an actual Veteran.
      My dad was a veteran of WWII but he always had to work on Veterans Day so this is the first time that I can remember that I actually spent Veterans Day with a true veteran.  I am so proud of my son and his service to our country, no matter how screwed up it is at the present time.  The UNITED STATES OF AMERICA will ALWAYS be the greatest country in the world no matter who is trying to screw it up.  Our men and women that serve in our military deserve our greatest gratitude.  No more should a soldier be looked down upon for their service.
      Ours is the greatest country on earth and we have truly lost our way - our country was built upon the idea that JESUS is our Savior and GOD is the one true god.   Politicians have tried many times to dispel this truth but we have to believe that in the end that our belief in GOD will prevail.  Our men and women in our military put their lives on the line every day to protect us and there shouldn't be a day in our lives that we don't thank them.  We don't need a holiday to do this - it is our civic duty to shake the hand of EVERY man and woman that has served.  We certainly can't  shake the hands of those that never came back but we should always remember them in our prayers.
     I challenge each and everyone of you to shake the hand of anyone wearing the uniform of our military the next time you see one, I know I do.  Change begins with each of us, how about we begin changing our country one step at a time and bring it back to the country we once loved and cherished.  In a few years we will have that chance, LETS MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!!

Living in the Dog House!!

NO it is not like it sounds ( most of the time).  The Dog House is the name of one of our booths at Angel's Antiques.  We have really taken to this art of being pickers - DRIVE BY OUR HOUSE SOMETIME AND JUST LOOK IN THE BACK YARD!!!  God I need a work shop!  Now we are getting into making our own furniture, crafts and unique items.  We take special orders as well.  Take a look at just some of the things we have for sale.

This piece is one I am particularly proud of.  It is completely hand made - solid wood.  Now credit has to be given to the blog run by a young lady named Ana White.  She does these great pieces and puts the plans to every project on her blog.  If you have ever thought about building any kind of furniture she will show you how!!!  Or even better yet - go to her website - look around and let me know and I will BUILD IT FOR YOU!!!!

     I have seen many of the rustic coolers pictured above all over the internet and in most antique malls around the south and the prices they are charging is just unbelievable.  Each one I make is unique in some way although the basic design is the same.  Check out our photo gallery for different styles of ones I have made.  Most people tend to go for the stained ones and that is at no extra charge, just takes a little longer.  I recently completed an order for 10 coolers and I have to admit that about killed me so now I am back to just to making one at a time.  Each one is hand crafted and built to your specifications.

     We will be adding some of our projects in the near future so if you see something you like let us know and I am sure we can help you.  Christmas is not that far away!!!!

Hey Folks, I am still here!!!!

I know it has been awhile since we last talked and many things have been going on, most of all I have gone back to work - no not in Law Enforcement!!!!!  After taking a few months off and gaining about 30 pounds, the wife (mainly her) decided I needed to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AND LEAVE HER ALONE!!!  So I have found a new family at ANGEL'S ANTIQUES      in Opelika and I have fallen in love all over again.  I have met the most wonderful people there and now consider them to be part of our family.  Bill, Connie and Leo Brewer are the owners and have taken me under their wing and treated me with kindness and have given me a job (suckers!!!).  They are truly loving people and I have learned a great deal from them in the short period of time I have been there.  They started Angel's Antiques as a dream and made it into a very successful business and it is all in honor of their daughter ANGEL.  She is a very loving young woman that has DOWN SYNDROME but she immediately takes you into her heart.  Now I know most of you from this area know of or have been to ANGEL'S ANTIQUES and if you are one of the few that have not then you are really missing something.  If you are looking for that something unique, something not found ANYWHERE else, then this is the place! 
     I guess I have been employed there for about 4 months or so and I have lost the extra weight and then some!  I have meet some great people and some jerks but that comes with the territory.  Only problem now is that I can't put them in jail when they piss me off, well getting use to civilian life is tough but I am adjusting.  Sometimes I have to watch my language and I am getting better at it.  My wife and I have had several booths at Angels for almost a year now and now I am getting to see the behind the scene stuff to see how things work and it has been fascinating.  For those of you that are fans of the show AMERICAN PICKERS, well this is it in real life.   People finding old or new "junk" and turning it into treasures.  It has taken on a life of its own and it is fun as hell!  Do you ever pass by a trash pile and wonder what some people are throwing away?  Well you would be surprised and even more surprised at what some people will pay for it!  Just think of all that stuff you have laying around the house that you don't use anymore, that stuff that is just taking up space, that is gold and it is right under your noses!
     It is a life style that you have to love and understand because some things are just junk and others are real life treasures.  It is the excitement of the hunt and the thrill of finding that one elusive piece that brings the big bucks.  Imagine paying .99 cents for something at a yard sale and then turning around selling it for $100.00!  Does that happen all the time, of course not but it does happen often - if you know what you are looking for and that is where my wife comes in, she can sniff out a find in a pile of junk.  She is the brains behind the outfit, I am just the muscle.  She has the dream and I build or restore her dream.  Now this lifestyle is the farther est from law enforcement that you could get and I love it.  You know what I did today?  I mopped floors and repaired some light fixtures and loved every minute of it!!  I even spent part of the day cleaning the parking lot.  GOD I am so blessed!  No more late calls at night, no more wondering if everyone was alright ( except family of course ).  Do I miss it sometimes?  Of course I do but it quickly passes!
    So for a few posts we will get caught up on what I have been doing and yes I still do stupid things, that is just me and I can't help it but I think you will enjoy it.  Hopefully I can post some pictures of projects we have worked on and share our successes and failures along the way.  It is good to be back talking with you again, I have missed our time together and I know it is entirely my fault and no one to blame but myself.  So for now, I will leave you with this thought, don't be afraid to live your dream, if you don't you may regret it for the rest of your life.