HaVE i mentioned that we’re all a little under the weather? and janie’s making us drink this….

{cruel and unusual punishment...}

as DaD, amie, and I were choking (translation: gagging) it down…dad asked if it was alfalfa. MoM was highly offended that we didn’t appreciate her culinary delight. AmiE read the ingredients…and yep, 2nd on the list..ALFaLFA. BoTTomS up.

ThiS weekend…while our good friends, OLLy & RiCHARD, of FLaT EaRTH DeSiGNS were here…

{sent to us via OLLy...chillin' in the FLOriDA KEYS}

{ahhh....gotta love the AuGUST TeXAS heat}

gearin up for our BiGGO, GaLACTIC JuNK-A-PaLOOZA!

AnD we received a JaMES BoNd-esque phone tip of a TV set selling off EVERYTHING deep in the heART of TeXAS that got us all frantic with excitement…from pearl snaps to HoT doG StanDS, BaND uniforms to tufted chairs…we bought all we could pile in….HoNEY HuSH!

{janie pricin' tha goods}

we’ve got a long ways to go and a short time to get there….it’s time to ShaKE ‘n BaKE, BABY!

coming soooooon….LaRGE MArGE’s extreme makeover….

and oh yeah…this is what ArCHIE looked like today…

{she's starting a new trend...FLasHDANCE CoWgiRL}

ToDAY…

{BrYAN the frog whisperer}

• amy allen (aka ArCHIE) showed up with PinK and PuRPLe stripes in her hair
• HiLARY brought PauLA DEEN buttttttah pound cake
• BryAN (aka CrAZY LEGS, IcEPICK, EaRL, SnAKE BiTE) strongly feels the DiSCOVERY channel should be doing a documentary on all the critters around the warehouse
• MeGAN got all giddy ’bout our new ChiLLin’ LiKE a VILLAin cold cups
• JaNIE proclaimed it was 5 o’clock somewhere
• and AMiE felt violated by her first experience getting a spray tan (yes, this is her glamorous preparation for HoLLYwood)

AnD very importantly….we called in the QUEENS o’ the MESS HALL – our good friends, MeLiSSA & PatriCIA from THE BaKE SHOPPE & CaFE in CYPReSS, TX- and ordered up allllll kinds o’ home cookin’ to carry us through the next few weeks. i’m talkin chicken pot pie, ChiCKEN enchiladas, ChiCKEN spaghetti, oh-my-goodness-makes-ya-wanna-slap-yo-mama PuLLED porK, MEATLoAF, homemade rolls (come to mama), annnnnnnd sparkly, frosty, whimsically-beautiful CupCAKES!!!!

{oh yeah.....go on wit yer bad self!}

…our new ChiLLIN’ LiKE a ViLLAIN cups have MeGAN all giddy inside…

{oh-so-cool! double-walled, insulated, BPA-free, dishwasher-saFE...and only $12! yeah, baby!}

aND our new SaVE THE PLAnET tee design just came in…hot off the press…and we’re loooooovin’ it! can’t wait to show ya!!!

ThE COUNTDoWN is on…the film crew arrives in 10 DaYS!

JuNK-A-PALOOZA in 16 days!

yep, it’s true. we’re bonafide, for sure, certifiably muyyyy loco. (that’s crazy for the spanish-challenged)

and here’s just a few reasons why…

1. we’re gearin up for a BiGGO, GaLACTIC JuNK-A-PaLOOZA WaREHOUSE SaLE to be held in just a few short weeks
2. we’re trying to complete amie’s soon-to-be new casa…her completely landworthy, land-yacht airstream
3. we’re makin plans for gypsy-fyin MirANDA LaMBERT & BLaKE SHeLTON’S tyin’ the knot shindig
4. with RouND ToP ANTiQUES WEEK and the JuNK GypSY JUNK-O-RaMA prom in just over a month
5. with AuSTIN CITY LiMITs artist lounge the weekend after antiques week
6. with the film crew rolling into town in barely over a week to begin shooting the JuNK GypSY pilot
7. throw in the fact that i’m homeless, amie’s sleepless, and janie’s losing her mind…it’s a crazzzzy kind o’ time!

why you ask? why attempt this crazy feat? 2 words.

CarpE. DiEM.

sooooo here’s a quick rundown of numero UnO… our BiGGO, GALaCTIC, JuNK-A-PALooZA…a SaLE that you just can’t miss!

JuNK-A-PaLOOZA began as a way to kinda ‘clear out tha junk’…to get rid of tonz of stuff at really low prices. soooo several years ago, we decided to have a little sale here at our warehouse…with realllly cheap tees, realllllly discounted jewelry (lots of stuff below cost!), and looooots of great junk!

{twilight @ our last JuNK-A-PaLoozA}

 there’s always somethin for everyone…boys, girls, young & old…it’s a hodge-podge calamity of organized chaos!

KiDS have a good time….

{serenadin' the ladies}

 while mamas shop…

from DonKEYS in trucks…

{joe PeTE with a hairy friend}

to PorT-a-PoTTIES…

it’s all here!

AnD this JuNK-A-PALOOZA…we’ll be filming for an OFFiCIAL JuNK GypSY TV pilot on FriDAY! we invite y’all to come out and share with us this sooooo super exciting day!

 CLiCK HERE for MaP!

LiVE muSIC by JoHN EvANS and OWEN TiNER! $8 SouVENIR TEES! $12 tees! lots of GOOD juNK! wooo-hooo!

more updates soon y’all…..in the meantime…

CaRPE DiEM.

i’d heard about the legendary RouND ToP 4th of JuLY parade for years, the oldest 4th of JuLY parade this side of the MiSSiSSiPPi. i’d read about it & seen pictures. i’d been told about the tractors, the longhorns, the floats…

{a great day for pictures...blue sky, AmeriCAN FLaG, spectators dressed up in their patriotic-finery}

but nothing could have prepared me for the feeling of actually being there…standing amongst all the thousands of PaTRioTiCALLY PRouD people in the middle of the SqUARE in RouND ToP, TeXAS on the 4th of JuLY. feeling like i was an extra in a scene straight outta HoPE FLoaTS or like i’d gotten lost somewhere between MayBERRY & HaZZARd CounTY.

 pride. excitement. happiness. freedom.

get ready y’all, this is how we do it in texas…

GoVERNOR RiCK pERRY, the STar-Spangled BaNNER, a prayer, and a BLaST of the OFFiCiAL war cannon kick off the parade…

{GoVERNOR RiCK pERRY giving the kick-off speech...(this was right after he told me he liked my boots :))}

and speakin’ of boots…here’s me, T-SmiTTY, and CB pre-parade…

amie & InDIE GuS (aka…my doodleBuG)

LeT the parade begin!!!  from FaiR QUeeNS…

TiJUANA TaXIS,

and BoRN on the 4th of JuLY FLoATS…

to roDEO quEENS,

ReDNECK KinGS…or something…actually, i’m really not sure what to say about this next one, except maybe apologize to you, the reader…

and HaPPY dAYS at the RaNCH…

to the GrAND priZE winner, RoYERS CaFE FLoat…complete with a ‘larger-than-life’ image of BuD RoyER on the front of the truck and GiANT-size pies!

and just a few more of my teXAS-style favES…

FARMaLL tractors… 

sweet little angels on HOrSEBACK,

PoLitiCIANS on stilts,

and of course ridin’ LonGHOrNS bareback-style…

{a whole herd of longhorns...only in TeXAS, y'all}

spectators drinkin’ mint juleps southern-style,

{actually, i think they're drinking bottled water but in my mind they're drinking mint juleps and saying "it's a mighty fine aftanoon for ah pahrade...why don't y'all come on (pronounced 'own') up an' sit uh spell?"}

and does it get any better than this….

i think not.

GoD BLeSS y’all. and GoD BleSS AmERiCA.