Yard sale of my dreams (literally)

On Friday afternoon I was out running errands with the Li'l Monster when I drove past a sign advertising a "BIG SALE". Normally those garage sales end up being 2 tables of overpriced cassette tapes and dirty stuffed animals, but as I drove past I could see that indeed there did look to be quite a lot of stuff out. I turned around and as soon as I stepped out of the car, I knew that I had hit a good 'un. I could tell that the people were collectors or something, because everything for sale was vintage or antique. I started talking to the man running the sale and he told me that he & his girlfriend have a little side business going to auctions. They often have to buy box lots, but they are usually very inexpensive--a couple dollars at most. He said that he had boxes and boxes and boxes of STUFF in the basement--most of it the remnants of the box lots, after they'd gone through and taken when they really wanted. He knew that many of the things he was selling could be sold on eBay, but he just didn't have the time or inclination because there was just so darn much of it. So this weekend he was just trying to get things cleaned out and make some room, and he had things definitely priced to move.

• old wooden chinese checkerboard
• vintage Kenner Star Wars toy, still sealed in box
• 1950s movie titler set (that's what you see on the right in this photo)
• vintage canister with strawberries
• 1963 metal lunchbox Thermos with space images
• very cool old wooden spindles made into a pipe stand
• Western Stoneware pottery jug
• silver baby cup

The owner was really great--he and I had a good time talking about collectibles and such. My stuff actually totaled $13.50 but he rounded it down to $10. He said they had been bringing boxes out all day as the tables emptied, and that they would be bringing lots more out on Saturday morning. I was so excited about my finds and determined to go over there first thing in the morning to beat any dealers that might get the good stuff first that I actually dreamed about yard sales all night long! I slept terribly and woke up early because I was so anxious about it. Obsess much, Heidi? Sheesh.

eyeball update

Went to Target yesterday to get a couple of bags of the squishy eyeballs to make a wreath (I ctown is reading my blog (Ha!) or Martha showed something else using the eyeballs. Last year they had them in stock almost until Halloween. I'll have to check another Target store and hope for the best. Pooh!

Here's looking at you

For Friday the 13th, another creepy Halloween craft/decoration! This is from Martha Stewart's show last year. You spray paint a twig or grapevine wreath black and then stick the eyeballs on the ends of the twigs--super simple! The eyeballs are squishy and gummy so you just poke them right onto the sticks. Target sells the eyeballs in bags with the other Halloween favors--I think they're around three or four bucks for a bag. I think they come individually wrapped because of their sticky texture. I don't know how well they'd hold up in storage because of the stickiness--you might have to remove them and do new ones next year, just buy an extra bag of eyeballs this year, I guess. I'd love to make one of these but I really don't have anywhere to put another wreath! Last year I bought 3 on clearance after Halloween (a black one to make, a black feather wreath and a small black one with little mirrors all over it) so I'm kind of maxed out in the wreath department. Thought I'd share though, in case it inspires anyone to do something similarly creepy!

Vulture Culture

Just wanted to share a picture of one of my favorite new Halloween decorations for this year. I got the feathered buzzard at Michael's crafts for about $6, which isn't bad--I've seen them in catalogs for much more. He's not very tall, but he'll do. I put floral foam in this old (thrifted) champagne bucket and the covered the top with dried Spanish moss (also from the craft store). The buzzard has two long wire prongs coming out of his feet so I poked those down into the foam, tied on a bow of black tulle that I bought on clearance after last Halloween, and there you have it! He's up on top of my china cabinet right now, peering down on passersby with a hungry look in his beady little eyes!

Today I had another LASIK consultation at a new place. They actually gave me 2 pair of soft contact lenses to start wearing. I put in the first pair at the office and wore them home and to Target and Joann's, but by the time I got home they were driving me nuts and I had to change back into my hard lenses! My vision was horrible and I kept feeling like I couldn't focus my eyes. I will have to get used to them, I suppose. I am still hoping to visit one other clinic before I make my final decision as to who gets my money, so I may hold off wearing them for a little while longer until I decide that. I can't put it off forever, though. Ugh.

Weekend thrifting

Saturday morning I got up early, determined to hit what were probably the last garage sales of the season. I may have been a week too late--I hardly saw any signs, and didn't want to drive far to reach the ones advertised in the paper. The weather was actually quite nice if a little on the windy side, but I think that for the most part, the garage sale season here is over. I was forced--forced, I tell you--to hit a couple of thrift stores to get my fix. Since Maren was home with Daddy I was able to spend a little more time looking at things than I usually do. I found a few goodies.



Green multi-strand necklace, 4.99. I love this necklace! Some of the beads are glass and some are plastic and it has really pretty clasps. It's big and chunky and definitely makes a statement. I actually started out today wearing it but it's actually quite heavy and was making my neck feel funny, so I had to take it off! Maybe I need to build up my neck muscles or something, LOL. The necklace at the right is turquoise and was 2.99. I really don't need another turquoise necklace but it was pretty and the stones look real. Figured I could restring it or add a pendant to fancy it up. The necklace on the bottom is choker length and looks like moonglow lucite. It's pretty! I'm wearing that right now instead of the heavy necklace.

A closeup of the pin. This was 1.99 and I think it's rather old. It has an old-style pin on the back which is more like a safety pin as opposed to having the little round locking catch. It looks like it was some sort of name tag because on the side there's a slot where you could slide a tag into that rectangular area. It refers to the "Rushmore Memorial," rather than today's common name of Mount Rushmore. There is a manufacturer's name on the back but I can't find much information about the company. This will probably go on eBay, but I'd like to find out a little more about it first.

Vintage rickrack, trim and buttons, 1.50. I bought this mainly for the rickrack (there's some great mini-rickrack in yellow and brown) but the other stuff was in the bag too. Love the needle paper--it opens and it's still got quite a few of the old needles inside.








This was actually from a garage sale I stopped at on Friday. I'd gone to a sale at that same house earlier this summer and bought my two Tupperware cupcake keepers for a quarter apiece. There was tons of Tupperware at that last sale but they must have sold it all the last time. I did buy 10 various Tupperware gadget-things for Maren to play with in the tub for a dime each, a clipboard for a nickle, a South Beach Diet book for a dollar, a cooking magazine for free, and this cute juice pitcher for a nickel as well. the colors are perfect for Halloween! If I can scrounge up some flowers it will make a cute vase. The little Halloween sign is mine from last year; the pitcher just looked so lonely there that I added it at the last minute.

The weather here has been ugly for the past few days. Last night the Denver Broncos played the Baltimore Ravens for Monday Night Football. My grandpa (who lives about 4 hours south of here) has season tickets and invited Quin to join him at the game. Although the weather was iffy, he and my grandma drove up yesterday morning with the hope that maybe the weather would improve enough that they could still go to the game. Well, it didn't--in fact it got worse by gametime. I think temps were in the 30s and it drizzled rain all day and all during the game. They decided not to go (smart) and instead we went to an early dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Maggiano's. We dressed Maren in her little Broncos cheerleader outfit and got so many smiles and nice comments--she really did look adorable! And she behaved remarkably well. After dinner we went home and got our warm jammies on and watched the game. By the end of the game Quin was having regrets about not going--even though the weather was obviously miserable, it was a good game and it probably was pretty fun, plus my grandpa's seats are Club Level and you can go inside and watch the game on huge screens while you're sipping hot chocolate and eating nachos. Ah, well. We had fun anyway and it was nice to spend time with my grandparents. We're lucky to live so close to them.

Friday night

Taken off our back deck on Tuesday evening after a rainstorm.
Busy today, I ran lots of errands. Quin had the day off so I was able to be baby-less for about 3 hours, which was nice. I mostly ran errands (Wal-Mart, bank, grocery store) but I did squeeze in a pedicure (the salon is inside WM) and a trip to the new Ulta store. They were having their grand opening this weekend and I got some fun free samples. I actually bought some Bare Escentuals make up at the other Ulta store earlier in the week. I can see now why so many people buy all their BE off of QVC--that stuff is ridiculously expensive! It's a WAY better deal off of QVC, plus you can usually buy great kits that come with brushes and stuff. Even with their expensive shipping, it's still a much better deal. I know that's what I'll be doing next time.

I went to a fun home party the same night I took this photo. It was for a new company called Uppercase Living. They sell vinyl lettering to be used in home decor. I'm no stranger to the whole vinyl lettering trend--I'm from Utah, where it has exploded in popularity in the past couple of years and where Uppercase Living is based. If you're familiar with WallWords or Wonderful Graffiti then you'll know what I'm talking about. I LOVE the way it looks on walls! It's such a cool, personalized way to decorate your house with words that are meaningful to you. I'd have it on every wall if Quin would agree to it (which he won't). I know I want to get a large quote to hang over the large opening between our front room and kitchen, something about families or home. If you know of any great quotes/scriptures/song lyrics that fit that theme, please share!

The vinyl lettering stuff is very cool, looks very professional and is SUPER easy to put up. It's great for apartment-dwellers who can't paint their walls because it is completely removeable (although you can't reuse it once removed). It can also be used on containers and windows and mirrors and just about any hard surface that you can think of. So cool! I have a little wall space in my downstairs powder room that I've been unable to fill and now I'm toying with the idea of ordering a new seasonal message to put in that spot every couple of months. The lettering is pretty affordable, so it wouldn't break the bank and it would be fun and different! Listen to me, I sound like I should be selling the stuff! Anyway, if you haven't heard of this stuff before, check out one of the links above! I think you'll love it.

Tonight is the season premiere for "Battlestar Galactica" so Quin and I are going to get our nerd on and just hang out. Depending on if the weather holds (rain is predicted) I may actually haul my behind out of bed early tomorrow morning and go yard-saling. Before too long it will be too cold to yard-sale and tomrrow Quin will be home so I can leave Maren and we don't have anything planned, two things that haven't happened on many Saturdays this summer. I love fall, but I hate the end of yard-sale season!

TP &Thrift finds

Yesterday morning I was awakened when the phone rang at 6:15 in the morning, well before my usual wake-up time. It was my father-in-law, who had been at our house the evening before. He drives trucks and had a load to drop off here in town Tuesday morning. He called to tell me that when his truck was being unloaded, three of the cases had been damaged and the receiver rejected them. The cases were filled with toilet paper and were going to just be trashed, so my FIL called to see if I wanted them. We can always use more TP, so I said yes and later that morning I packed the baby up and set out.

The truck yard was quite a ways away--it took me about 45 minutes to drive there. I loaded up the back of the Pathfinder with 3 huge boxes of toilet paper--80 rolls each--and realized that we were near a Salvation Army store that I've seen several times from the Interstate but never had the opportunity to stop at. From the outside it looked like it would be huge, but I found out that is because it's a big sorting center where they also do the training for the people who work there. The thrift store itself wasn't actually very large and was pretty disorganized. I did manage to find a few goodies however. The two candlesticks are by a pottery in Colorado Springs (about an hour from here) called Van Briggle. I vaguely remembered reading that name in a Kovel's Pottery book I checked out from the library a couple weeks ago and they were only .50 apiece. They are not very fancy, but they should sell. I'm sure I'll at least make back my dollar! The other stuff is to keep. The 4 yellow Pyrex hostess bowls, the books and the teacup were all .50 each as well. The teacup isn't marked but I just love the shape of the little handle! Plus it's the aqua color I love so much right now. The Mary Poppins is a hardcover of the movie and is just for decoration in the guest room upstairs. The other little book is a newer book made to look vintage. It's cute and clever and made me giggle. Maren hijacked that one as soon as I put it in the cart. I had a similar book (same size, same cover material, prob. same publisher) that she took some inexplicable liking to and carried it around for weeks. She loved this little book as well and insisted on holding it the whole drive home. She managed to gnaw a place out of the top already, so I'm going to have to keep this one put up lest it meet the same fate as the other book (ripped into shreds all over the living room floor.)

The necklace is kooky and kitschy and made of clear plastic or Lucite beads in yellow, orange and green. It was 1.75 and it just makes me smile! I don't have a single thing to wear with it so it may have to wait until next spring or summer when I bring out my yellow shirt and kelly green knit skirt again.

In other news, Monday morning I went in for a LASIK consultation to see if I'm a candidate for the surgery. I am, but I did hear some news I wasn't prepared for. I wear hard gas permeable contact lenses and have for about 14 years now. All contact lenses (but especially gas perms) can actually cause your cornea to warp slightly from wearing them. Because it's important for your cornea to be it's true shape when you have LASIK surgery, you have to go without contact lenses for a minimum of 2 weeks before the surgery to let your corneas relax. For me, I would have to probably be in soft lenses for a while and then glasses for that last 2 weeks. That would be fine--annoying, but fine--except for the fact that I have no glasses. The last time I had glasses that I could see through was 9 years ago, when I broke one of my contact lenses right in the middle of finals and right before Christmas break. I think I wore them for as long as it took for my new lens to come in and then shoved them in the back of a drawer. So now I find out I'm going to have to spend $200 on glasses so I can wear them for 2 weeks, and then never again? You have got to be kidding me. I don't think there's any way around it, though. Heck, what' s another $200 when it's already going to cost me something like $3000 to get the LASIK done? Drop in the bucket, I guess. I did find my old frames this morning and so maybe I can just use those and get new lenses, so it won't be quite as expensive.

I have another appointment with another LASIK place next week, and I may try to set up at least one or two more. When we got the front room painted I got 3 estimates, and that was just for walls. These are my EYES we're talking about, people! I want to be sure I'm going with somebody I feel comfortable with. I'm hoping to get it done by the end of the year but if I have to wear soft contacts for 6 weeks and glasses for another 2, I need to get that started ASAP. Time is a' wasting, and I'm ready to just get it over with, already!

Making a case for pillowcases

While it's true that I was on a pillowcase-dress-making kick for a few weeks this summer, the weather has cooled and it won't be suitable for Maren to wear a sundress for about another 9 months. So why, WHY, can't I stop buying pillowcases? I have one daughter to sew for, not six, and I live in Colorado, not Florida! What is wrong with me? I just can't resist them, especially when they're hand-embroidered like those on the top row or brightly colored like that on the far left, or made of linen like the green one, or just printed with pretty sprays of roses in a rainbow of colors, like the yellows and purple? I've been buying them and stashing them in the dresser in the spare room, and when I went to put these away I discovered one more that I recently bought but didn't photograph. Really, it's getting a bit ridiculous. I've long since run out of pillows in this house that need covering. I may have to use the winter months perfecting my pillowcase-dress sewing technique, then list them on eBay next spring, because I just don't think I can go cold turkey and quit buying them!

The weather here this weekend was just beautiful--warm and sunny and decidedly un-autumn-like. I think it hit 85 on Saturday, actually. Quin's office had a family party so we went to a park and had a cookout. Maren loved being outside at the park! She LOVES going on slides--the higher, the better! She's just so fearless, a quality I hope she keeps as she grows. She climbs straight to the top of the slides all by her self--no help from mommy or daddy needed--and stands at the top of the slide with absolutely no apprehension. She launches herself down the slide, secure in the knowledge that someone will be there to catch her. It's so fun to watch her play and laugh and explore the world. Makes up for the times she ruins my carpet, that's for sure.

I love this picture of Maren and Quin. Look how far in front of him she is! He had to hustle to keep up. That's just her personality--she has an agenda; an idea in her head of what she's going to do next, and the rest of us are welcome to keep up if we want. Hard to believe she's only 18 months old and already so very independent.

Red & Aqua Swap goodies!

I recently participated in the Red & Aqua swap and had the good fortune to have Lauren M. send to me (Lauren doesn't have a blog right now, unfortunately!). Oh my goodness, did she take good care of me! I truly love everything she sent and can tell that she spent a lot of time choosing things that she thought that I, specifically, would like. Who wouldn't want a box full of goodies chosen just for YOU? Everything was even wrapped to coordinate with the theme. I stopped and made myself take a picture, even though I was dying to rip into all those little paper packets! Don't your fingers get itchy just looking at the photo?


As adorable as all the little packages were, the insides were even better! Lauren had me so pegged! LOL I absolutely adore the H that she painted and embellished for me. I have been trying to collect initials for the members of our family (H, Q, and M) to display but so far I only have two Qs and an M. I'm just thrilled to finally have an H to add! She also sent me some very cool rub-ons for scrapbooking that are very much in the flourish-y style that's so IN right now. There is the most beautiful set of cloth napkins, wrapped with a cute red polka-dot ribbon and the most darling little toadstools and velvet leaves! I positively squealed when I saw those! Lauren also included a little red book, perfect for all of the LISTS I am constantly making, yummy vintage aqua-colored rickrack, cute little tissues, pretty red and white woven ribbon, vintage cake decorations, cool polka-dot brads, sweets, and last but not least the most adorable little pale blue pitcher. I am completely in love with it! It will look sweet on my kitchen windowsill next to the aqua Lu-Ray creamer. I think it would make the cutest vase and may have to pick up a few flowers at the store today to confirm my suspicions. :)

Lauren's package was an absolute delight to receive and to open. Thank you, Lauren, for making my first swap experience so WONDERFUL!!

What I'm loving right now, Thursday

Decorating for Halloween. I haven't actually started yet--I've managed to hold off this long, which is impressive for me especially since I've been feeling the itch since about August 31st. Halloween is my favorite holiday to decorate the house for, and I'm so excited to bring up the orange and black plastic tubs from the basement and reacquaint myself with all of my lovelies. I've still got my patriotic stuff up from July (although my house is mostly done in red/white/blue so it matches) and I'm SO ready for a change. I have a few new things to add this Halloween. You've already seen the ribbon topiary, but I also treated myself to these cuties (although I got mine from a different source). I can't wait to plunk a punkin on the big one! I think maybe one of those white Boo varieties would look so very cool. I've also gotten a feathered buzzard that I need to find a place for, and I have the makings for a cool wreath that I bought last year on clearance but still need to put together. I've never made a wreath before but I can't imagine it's too difficult. We'll see.

If you're looking for a cute and easy Halloween craft, check out these adorable jack o' lanterns made out of a paperback book. This was featured in the October issue of Country Home magazine, which I just received last week. I immediately noticed the book pumpkins and was tickled to see on Teresa's blog that she actually made one! They are too darn cute, sound super easy and cost just pennies to make. Paperback books can be had at thrift stores and garage sales for less than a buck. You can even use hardback books as Teresa did and cut off the covers. Wouldn't a whole row of these little guys in varying heights be cute? Yet another reason to lament the lack of a mantel in my house.

Another cute autumn craft idea is this pumpkin topiary. Several people over at Two Peas have made them, including this cute variation using an apple basket. I don't really have a large enough porch to warrant making one of these, but I think they're just darling! I don't usually do 'fall' decorations until November, after I take down the Halloween stuff. Even though I'm rabidly excited to put it all up, by the end of October I'm sick of seeing it!

We're talking about having a Halloween party again this year--that would make it the 2nd annual Halloween bash. We did it last year and it was great fun, even though it was a TON of work. Last year we invited parents and kids, thinking that we'd get a better turnout if parents didn't have to get babysitters. I still think that was true, but it was a zoo. This year, it's adults only and if people are too lazy to get a sitter then they're lame and I don't want them at my party anyway! I need to start thinking of invitations because I need to get them out in the next 2 weeks, so people can hopefully mark their calendars and have plenty of time to find someone to watch their kids. I love party planning. I've always said I'd rather plan a party than go to one!

Clipboard in action

Here's another clipboard I made to use as a photo frame. I chose papers and ribbons to match the outfit Maren is wearing in her One-year-old portraits. Check out how messy her hair is--I didn't have a comb on me (bad mommy) and it was impossible to finger-comb. Learning experience, for sure.

Altered clipboards

For lack of anything more interesting to post, these are some altered clipboards I did for a class I was supposed to teach last night. I say supposed to teach because only one person signed up and then she called to cancel on me yesterday afternoon. Honestly, I could feel hurt that no one signed up and maybe they thought my stuff was ugly and they don't like me and I smell funny, but truly I was just RELIEVED! I needed the break.

Here are the clipboards, anyway. They're super easy to make--you use Mod Podge to stick the papers down to the clipboard. When that's dry, you paint on another coat of Mod Podge to seal the papers. After that coat is dry you add embellishments like ribbons, flowers, etc. They can be used like a photo frame or you can use them as an actual clipboard. I did one with Christmas paper with the idea that you could keep your master holiday To-Do list on the clipboard along with gift lists, receipts, recipes for goodies, etc. You can also attach a pen on a ribbon to make it even handier.

These make good teacher or coach gifts if you intend them to be used as a clipboard. You can paint the backside if you want to make it a little fancier. The designs I did here were purposely simple as I anticipated teaching it to a group, so simple is key. For my own use I'd probably use more papers, more embellishments and ribbon--the 'more is more' philosophy for sure. Thanks for looking!

The good news

The carpet cleaner guy just left. He was able to get the toilet cleaner stain out, although he was initially skeptical because there was so much and it was so blue. I don't care what kind of voodoo he had to perform up there, all I know is that I could have kissed him when I saw that it came clean! (Don't worry dear, I refrained.) So the good news is that Maren doesn't get sold to the gypsies.

Not this week, anyway.

Having kids is great because....why, again?

This afternoon while I was reading the mail, Maren went upstairs, got hold of a bottle of toilet cleaner, and squeezed about half of it onto the carpet in my bedroom. The carpet that I just had cleaned last week, to the tune of $130. I tried and I can't get it out, so I just had to call the carpet cleaner AGAIN and schedule him to come out tomorrow to (hopefully) fix it.

I think I'm going to go cry now.

Ribbon topiary

I found the instructions for this in the Making Memories book called Ribbonrie and couldn't resist making one, since I love ribbon! It was really easy--you just cut the ribbon/trims to 4" lengths and make loops, sticking them to a styrofoam ball with a straight pin. When the ball is covered, you stick a painted dowel rod into the bottom the ball and into a piece of floral foam that is wedged into your container. Then you hot glue moss to the top of the floral foam to hide it. I tied a ribbon around my pot and later added a little metal charm that said "Happy Halloween."

I made mine for Halloween (since it's my favorite holiday) but you could do any colors/container you want. I found these cute black flowerpots at JoAnn's on clearance and I already had a lot orange/black/white ribbon. I found that wider ribbon/trim is the best because it fills up more space and you need less, but using some skinny ones for a varation in texture is good too. They do take a lot of ribbon, but you can watch and get it on sale or Michael's usually has a big bin of $1 ribbon spools. Cute and easy!

This should have been added to yesterday's thrift report but I couldn't get Blogger to upload my photo. Blogger may be free, but it may be one of those "you get what you pay for" cases. Maybe I'll bite the bullet and switch to TypePad.

Anyway, this bracelet was the absolute SCORE of that thrifting trip! It's vintage Coro and it is in perfect condition. The stones are all there and they are red with an aurora borealis coating. This bracelet is just gorgeous! I wore it yesterday and had to keep looking at my wrist to admire it, LOL! The best part? It was only $4.95!! That, my friends, is an absolute steal!

In just about 40 minutes I'm going to pack up Maren and head to the airport to pick up my Mom, who's coming to visit for the weekend. We're headed down to southern Colorado tomorrow to visit my grandparents for a few days. I'm hoping to squeeze in a little trip to the junk shop in their small town. The junk is deep and the prices are cheap--just the way I like it!

Tuesday Thrift finds

Ran to my fave thrift yesterday. I was actually looking for a few things for the guest room, but found these goodies instead!

Big Bowl o' Buttons, $3.95. These are new, not vintage--oh, there may be few, but for the most part they are modern and they are all in pastels: pale shell pink, seafoam green, butter yellow, pearly white. There were several other similar bags of buttons, all divided up by color but I thought this bag was definitely the prettiest. Wonder who donated all those buttons? Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of them.

Vintage printed tablecloth, $2.95. The colors on this one are still very vivid and the grey hasn't disappeared, so this must not have seen much use. This cloth is rectangular which I think is a little more unusual; most of the printed tablecloths I come across are 40" squares. This will fit on my table, and the red will look great in my kitchen. There are some stains so I'll do the Oxyclean trick, but if they don't come out at least I won't feel bad if I spill something on it! One of these days I'm going to get a book on vintage tablecloths so maybe I can identify the makers. Some of them have labels but the majority do not, it seems.


Vintage Vera linen tablecloth, $2.95. This is so cute! From the picture it's hard to get an idea of scale, but each strawberry is about the size of a salad plate. There are some pretty bad yellow stains on this cloth so I'll soak it and then I think I'll hang it in the sun tomorrow and hope for the best. I bought it with the idea of resale but I may just keep it for myself.

Hot Pants!

As you may surmise from my previous post, we had quite the eventful trip to the grocery store this afternoon. In Sunday's paper there were several coupons for the things that are on sale at Albertson's right now and I still had a $2.00 off coupon for cereal, so I decided to go back. With my extra coupons, I got 7 boxes of cereal (yes...more Cinnamon Toast Crunch & Cheerios), a box of brownie mix, a cake mix and a tube of crescent rolls for $7.25. Take that, suckas! I always feel like I'm Sticking It To The Man when I get a really great deal like that.

Speaking of REALLY GREAT DEALS, prior to our trip to Albertson's, Maren and I went to a clothing store with the initials O.N. to pick up some jeans for her to wear this fall. It's been quite chilly here lately and she has nothing but sundresses and one pair of denim capris, so it's time to go shopping. As I was paying for my purchases, I noticed the woman being rung up next to me had an enormous pile of black yoga pants. Then I saw the price tags--$.17! I must have done a double take because she laughed and said, "Yes, they really are just 17 cents each! I'm going to buy them to donate." Wha??? Pants for seventeen cents? Out of my way!

For some strange reason my particular store has piles and piles of these pants that they've been storing since last year and they finally can clearance them out. They originally retailed for $16.50. Why they'd even go to the trouble for $.17 is beyond me--they'd probably be better off donating them and writing them off--but whatever! The manager was enforcing a limit of 10 pair per transaction, but he was allowing multiple transactions so I ended up buying 3 transactions' worth, or 30 pair. I'll keep some for me, gift them, sell them, or if nothing else I can just donate them. Heck, for 17 cents, I can just wear a pair once and throw them away--to heck with doing laundry!

So that was the excitement for the day. Maren took a pathetic 1 hour nap so she was more than ready to go to bed, and I'm headed upstairs to work on the guest room so my Mom has a place to sleep when she visits later this week. Good night!

Do you know what it sounds like when an entire box of Honey Nut Cheerios is poured on the floor in the middle of a grocery store aisle?


I do.