"Cheap" Thrills

I love getting a bargain! Tonight I had to run a few errands and I got good deals everywhere.

First stop was Albertson's (a grocery store). I spent $10.49 and walked out with the following:
--two containers of Earthbound Farms organic salad greens, $5.99 BOGO (the other grocery store sells 16 oz. of the same salad for $5.99 but my two containers added up to 22 oz.)
--three boxes of 100 calorie Pop Secret packs, retail $5.39 each and I got them for $1.00 each because I had a rain check
--a bottle of taco sauce, free (the checker asked if I wanted free taco sauce--it was $2.50 and she had a $2.50 off coupon for me to use)
--one lb. of strawberries, $1.50 (that's cheap around here, regular price would be at least double that)
So I figure I got more than $33 worth of groceries for $10.49. Not bad, especially since Albertson's tends to be on the pricey side for food.

Next stop was Office Max. I got a coupon in the mail for $10 off a $10 purchase. I bought an ink cartridge for my printer; I got the Office Max brand which was $10.49 so my total out of pocket cost was 53¢. I had another identical coupon that I used last week for the same deal. Plus, Office Max lets you bring in used cartridges for a $3 credit on your purchase, so I'll use one of those the next time I have to buy ink.

And last I went to Blockbuster, where I had a coupon for a free non-New Release movie. I picked out an Elmo movie that our library doesn't carry and I'll take that on our trip this weekend for Maren to watch. Cheap thrills, indeed!

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Thank you all so very much for your kind birthday wishes! DH and I went to a swanky Italian place in the happenin' part of downtown Denver. The food was delish and for dessert we walked around the corner to a gelato shop! He gave me the cutest purse from my favorite shop in Utah and I got other wonderful gifts from my family and a dear old friend. It was a perfect birthday--I couldn't have asked for more! Your comments only made it sweeter! :)

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday! I'm 29 this year. We started out the festivities this morning with strawberry pancakes at IHOP, I spent 3 hours of Maren's naptime on the couch with Harry Potter and now we're getting dressed up to go downtown to dinner. It has been a wonderful day!

Thrift Thursday

Last Saturday Maren and I packed up and headed out early to hit the yard sales before it got too darn hot. Our first stop was a church sale I'd seen advertised earlier in the week as starting at 8:00 am. We got there at 8:30 and they were still unloading boxes and furniture off of trucks and nothing was put out on tables--just piles and piles of boxes. Argh! Normally pawing through boxes doesn't bother me but that takes a lot of time and attention, something I don't have when Maren is in tow. I poked through a few boxes but got frustrated and made to leave, but not before Maren latched onto a little hard-shell Hello Kitty rolling suitcase. She dragged that thing the whole time we were there and I knew if I made her put it back she would throw a fit of epic proportions, and I really didn't want to start out my yard sale day on that note. Although I usually have a policy of NO NEGOTIATING WITH TERRORISTS, sometimes it's worth $1 and a little bend in the rules for some peace and quiet!

We only hit a few more sales after that, but I found enough goodies to feel like I'd had a productive day. All of the things pictured came from one sale. It was an older couple and they were selling off some of his mother's Christmas things. Yay for me! There was an old box of Shiny Brites with great graphics but it had a huge tear down the front so I passed it up. I bought the three German pressed paper bowls at the top for 50¢ each (there are two of the flowered design). The stuff at left came from the 25¢ box: an old box of ornament hangers, a sparkly bottlebrush tree, a bag with the three birdies and the plastic Made in Japan reindeer, the Hallmark ornament, and the MIJ Santa on Stork ornament.

Also from the depths of the 50¢ box were this vintage box of candles and crepe paper napkins (unused and in perfect condition, will probably end up on eBay this fall) and the antique flower frog. I've been looking for a flower frog like this forever, since I've seen them used to great effect as photo and card holders. This one is crescent-shaped and it must be made of lead or something because it weighs a ton! My only other buys were a Pyrex pie plate for my pie giveaway prize and a blue glass Ball jar with a zinc lid. The jar is an ugly 1976 repro so it will get tossed but the lid fits perfectly on a good blue lid-less jar that I already had. I didn't buy much but I love everything that I found, so in this case quality definitely won out over quantity!

Summer Swap Lovin'

I do believe that I should get some kind of award for showing restraint, as I've had my Summer Goodness swap package for well over a week now and I didn't open it until yesterday! Normally I am tearing into my packages before I even get in the door of the house, but this time I made myself wait until I'd sent my package off to my partner, Leigh Ann.

I'm telling you, that package was worth the wait! Leigh Ann absolutely knocked my socks off with her interpretation of the summer theme. All of the items she sent are for a summer picnic for Maren and me! Everything she sent was wrapped up with the cutest yellow & orange rickrack and twill tape and gingham ribbon. There was a little handmade album explaining the theme and how everything worked into it.

The first two steps were to make invitations for the picnic using the adorable vintage stationery (on the far left in the first photo) that is patterned with yellow butterflies. Second is to make the treats, using the YUMMY chocolate orange cake mix, and the darling orange and yellow tulip-shaped cupcake papers! Leigh Ann sent two vintage aprons for us to wear and a bright potholder to help us get them out of the oven.

Step 3 was to decorate the cupcakes using the orange and yellow sprinkles and to clean up using the cute bandanna-print Martha Stewart dishtowel. Step 4 is packing up the darling bucket to get ready for the picnic! Leigh Ann used a bright yellow metal pail and embellished the front with images from an old Richard Scarry book, buttons, and more ribbon, rickrack and ball fringe! It's absolutely adorable!

Step 5 is to head out for our picnic, but first we have to get properly fancied up! Leigh Ann sent a cute thrifted yellow and orange and pink floral scarf, two pairs of yellow and orange sunglasses (the yellow ones had already been swiped by You-Know-Who before I took the photo), candy jewelery, a sparkly butterfly pin and the cutest handmade yellow flower pin. Once we're dressed, we can do Step 6--get all set up and enjoy! Leigh Ann sent orange plates and cutlery, awesome bright cloth napkins, and two cool vintage mugs. For fun we can do bubbles (which Maren loves) and eat our yellow and orange pixie sticks.

So, can you see why I was totally in awe? I love everything that Leigh Ann sent and I am completely tickled at how she thought up the theme and found things to go with it! Thanks again, L.A.! :)

Thrift Thursday

I didn't actually thrift the items in this picture: they were thrifted for me. I love getting thrifted gifts! My mom found some of these goodies in the small town in Southern Colorado where my grandparents live. We've only had the opportunity to go yardsaling there a couple of times but it has always netted us good stuff! On the left is a very cool vintage coloring book about all of the different states. I love the way the mom is dressed! At the top right is a flag-shaped Jello mold from the only thrift store in town, and on the bottom are an old aluminum heart mold and a huge American flag-printed silk scarf, perfect for my patriotic decor.

Mom also found these goodies at a garage sale. On the left is a very old Loto game (it looks to be the same thing as bingo) and it has the neatest old game boards and wooden number tiles! They'll be great for an art project. The Loto box is falling apart so it was stored in a neat old vintage Christmas card box--bonus! The other item is a vintage jigsaw puzzle of the United States, with a map to show you where everything goes. It was packaged in a vintage box that held ladies' stockings.


When I was visiting in Utah a few weeks ago I went to an amazing yard sale. It was held by a woman who goes to my mom's church who was moving out of her home and needed to both downsize and make some extra money. She has some MS and some other health problems so some of the people from my mom's church helped her clean out her house to get ready for the sale. My mom tipped me off that there might be some neat things, but that I would have to dig, which is fine with me. That usually means there are treasures to be had.

Folks, this was one amazing yard sale. I have never been to a yard or estate sale for a single person where there was this much stuff. In fact, I'm not quite sure that the owner doesn't have a bit of a compulsive shopping thing going on, combined with obsessive hoarding. Whoa. When my dad told me they had filled 24 long folding tables with stuff for the sale and that was only scratching the surface, I knew it would have to be seen to be believed. Nearly everything was in multiples...2...3...12...20. Stacks and stacks of identical picture frames, still in their plastic with the prices on. Multiples of ceramic figures. Probably 20 hanging light fixtures and enough lamps to light up a mansion. Enormous piles of brand-new throw pillows. Boxes and boxes and boxes of unopened Christmas decorations. Most of the stuff still had tags from T.J. Maxx, Ross, and Big Lots. Unfortunately for me, there wasn't much vintage stuff, which is what I was really looking for.

I managed to spend $10 on the old Martha Stewart book, a box of reproduction vintage Christmas ornaments for my dad's tree, a sparkly rhinestone flag pin, a pewter trinket box engraved with an M (for Miss Maren's room) and 3 strands of vintage glass Christmas garland. I did see a huge Annalee Mrs. Santa but it was in pretty rough shape and it was so large it would have been a pain to ship, so I passed it up. One thing I missed that I'm still kicking myself for was an old photo of a little boy on a horse. It was in a large oval frame and had convex glass and the lady in front of me bought it for $5! Ack. Maybe that's my karma payback for the aluminum mold-snatching incident! The other thing in the photo is a set of vintage painted turkey salt and pepper shakers from another yard sale, along with an item for my Summer Fun swap partner.

Harry Potter countdown: T minus 2 days! Not that I'm counting or anything...

Harry Potter #7 review and thrift finds

I'm back with a movie review. I think a better title might have been "Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix: The Highlights" because that's what it felt like! I know it must have been a screenwriter's nightmare to try to condense an 800-page book about fantasy and magic into a two-hour movie that needed to be done on a budget. All the most vital plot points made it into the movie, but it felt a bit rushed and choppy--I wonder if you haven't read the book if you'd really understand what was going on! I think the Harry Potter movies are better viewed as companions to the books, not replacements for them.

At any rate, the new theater was an interesting experience. The theaters were small by normal standards but the chairs were big and comfy and they all had either a counter or a table in front. The servers took our orders and we got our food right as the movie was starting. The servers came and went during the movie but it wasn't really that distracting. What was distracting was the giant green line that kept showing up down the middle of the screen! For a movie that is less than a week old, I definitely expect the print to be in better shape than that! I complained to a server who said she'd talk to the manager. She really must have followed through, because not long after that the manager came through with free movie tickets for everyone to compensate for the poor screen quality. That was definitely the right thing for them to do!

We had one minor disaster--when we left, Maren and the babysitter were outside in the backyard. I opened the sliding glass door to say goodbye and then as I shut it I must have locked it out of habit! We left on our merry way and had just sat down in our seats at the theater when my neighbor called to tell us what was happening. The babysitter had gone over to their house when she found the doors locked and luckily her 8-year-old son was home. They have one of our spare keys for just such an occasion but since the new Maren-proof sliding lock at the top of the front door was engaged, they couldn't get in! The garage keypad doesn't work right now because it needs to be reprogrammed, so the neighbor called his mom, and she in turn called us. Luckily, the theater is only about 10 minutes away and so I rushed home and opened the door for them. Also luckily we had been really early to the theater so I was back before the movie even started. I was so embarrassed, and it does give me the impetus to get that garage keypad reprogrammed NOW!

I promised yard sale goodies, but I think I'll post them tomorrow so I can tell you more about the yard sale where I found them. What I do have for you are a couple of thrifted items from a while ago and some stuff that my mom found for me.

First is a set of vintage curtain valances with the most charming print! They are covered with tulips, windmills and little Dutch girls, all in red and yellow and gray. There are four panels and for valances they are quite long. I think they're handmade because the stitching is a little wonky on one of them but they are lined and the fabric is in really great shape. They are SO cute and I love them so much I want to string a ribbon through the casing and wear them as a skirt! If I really wanted to hang them I'd have to cut a bunch off the bottom and re-hem and I'm just not brave enough to do that right now.

This is a really sweet vintage cardigan. It is cream-colored wool and is lined so that it won't be scratchy. It is covered front and back with these beautiful embroidered roses in pink and yellow and it has pearl buttons all up the front. There is a tiny moth hole and some of the buttons need to be resewn but I thought it would be fun to wear this winter. I need some funky jewelry and boots or something so I don't look like too much of an old lady, though! I may have to get some fashion advice from Miss Jungle Dream Pagoda! She always knows what to do. :)

And one last photo for today, of the old windows I bought a few weekends ago. They're still sitting in the garage, all dirty and covered with spiderwebs, so I need to get them out and hose them off. If you look close you can see all the old chippy paint and the cool hardware up on the top. My grand plan is to hang these by chains from the ceiling but I'm going to need some engineering help to make it work so it may be a little while before that happens. I've got plenty to keep me busy in the meantime!

The Goblet of Fire has spoken #3

Wow! I am just tickled to death with the response the pie giveaway has gotten. I think that's a record number of comments for me! Many of you were first-time commenters and I had such fun going to visit your blogs. I do hope you'll stick around, I'd love to have you!

So, on to the winner. I put everybody's names into the Goblet of Fire (it is so convenient to have one's own Goblet handy) and had DH draw a winner:



Congratulations, Preppy Pink Crocodile! You are the winner of the fabulous pie giveaway. Email me your address to fraulein_h AT hotmail DOT com and a package of fun goodies will be on its way to you shortly. Do go visit Miss Crocodile's blog and see the super cute bag she made with grosgrain ribbon ruffles all over the sides--it's to die for! And again, thank you all so much for participating and commenting about your favorite pies!

Speaking of the Goblet of Fire, we're in full-on Harry Potter nerd-out mode around here. DH and I have a hot date tonight to go see the Order of the Phoenix movie at a new theater called the Movie Tavern. It's one of those combination theater/restaurant joints so we can do dinner and a show at the same time. Bonus: the nearest Baskin Robbins is right across the street, so I've got my fingers crossed for a scoop of Blue-Ribbon chocolate on a sugar cone after the movie is over.

Back tomorrow with yardsale goodies to share!

It's High Time for Pie Time!

I promised a giveaway, and a giveaway we shall have! Last October I entered a pie baking contest at my church and I won! I actually won both first and third place with the two pies I brought: Pumpkin Apple and Lemon Pecan. Both of the winning recipes came from a book I was reading at the time called American Pie, which I bought at a thrift last summer for 25¢. The book is all about the author's road trip across America in search of the perfect pie. It's a fun and entertaining read and includes a ton of great (prize-winning, apparently!) pie recipes as well. Unless it's contest time, I'm more of a cookie and cake girl myself, so I'd like to pass this on to someone else. I figure summer's a great time for pies, with all the beautiful fresh fruit and the outdoor gatherings and all.

So here's the giveaway: my copy of American Pie, a brand new Pampered Chef Slice n' Serve pie server, a cool vintage apron (to keep you clean when you bake your own prize-winning pie) and some other fun surprises to help you in your pie-making endeavors. If you want in on the action, just leave a comment on this post between now and 10 p.m. Sunday night. I'll put the names in the ol' Goblet of Fire and on Monday I'll draw the winner!

Birds of a Feather

Hello again, everybody! I know I did a little drop-off-the-face-of-the-earth maneuver there, didn't I? We went out of town for 11 days to visit family, spend the holiday and attend a funeral. I fully intended to keep up my blogging while I was gone, even going so far as to take along a CD full of pictures so I'd have photos to accompany my entries, but somehow I just never got around to it. I'm glad to be back!

I came home on Sunday night to find a surprise in the mail from the lovely Shara! It was a wonderful "just because" package of goodies with a birdie theme. I wish I had taken a picture of the way it was wrapped with blue feathers and all, but I was so curious to see what was inside that I forgot the camera.

The first things I pulled out of the box were a vintage 1950s bird identification book that has awesome illustrations, a piece of old bird wrapping paper, and a darling vintage birdie greeting card. Under that was this very cool box that is shaped like a book that Shara embellished with vintage Scrabble tiles. Nestled inside was a set of four darling vintage glass tea bag holders painted with little birdcages and the most beautiful Leo Ward "Bluebird of Happiness". Shara has a whole collection of the glass birds, which are made at studios near her home in Arkansas. I mentioned once to her that I had looked for one of these birds but haven't found any yet, so the little note she included said that NOW I have one! I absolutely adore him and I'm going to put him in my kitchen windowsill so the sunlight will shine through him in the mornings. Shara sent me one other thing that I forgot to photograph: a piece of vintage sheet music of a song from "Yankee Doodle Dandy". Shara thought it might go along with my patriotic decorations and she is right! It looks just perfect. Thanks, Shara! I love it all. :)

I'm thinking that it's about time for another giveaway--more info to come soon!