Only Got Twenty Dollars in My Pocket

If you know me or have been reading for awhile, you know that I am a thrifter. Almost everything in our house? Second hand. It started out of necessity. I moved here to Arizona with two cars worth of stuff - and that did not include dining room furniture, a couch, chairs, or a bed (for the record, I would never buy a second-hand mattress. Just...no.).

I needed stuff and I was not exactly swimming in money. So I started shopping at Salvation Army and Goodwill. With my Subaru, I could haul everything. Seriously. You know. Everything.

When we bought the house, we needed to fill it. As I mentioned, nearly everything is second hand. And we like it. We like to think we make it look good. At least to us. Some pieces we refinish, some we just clean up, but it has been fun slowly adding things to our house over time, instead of getting everything all at once.

Friday a cool thing happened. YHL, a blog that I read, decided to have a thrift store challenge. It was based on this song by Macklemore & Ryan.



I love that Leona is in that video. She was also featured on the front cover of Martha Stuart's Living a few months ago. Everyone loves them some giraffe. You can read about how I found Leona the Giraffe here. And you really should. It is one of my favorite posts.

The challenge is this: Take twenty bucks, go to a thrift shop, see what you can get. Also, take a picture of yourself with something mentioned in the song.

So here goes:

 The first stop we made was the Salvation Army. It was raining in Phoenix, and while I generally like the rain, I've been fighting something (again.) and was not going to stand in the rain while Jeremiah perfected his shot. So here it is. From inside Hazel.

 My found object was this mustard yellow (or as my brother would call it - Felicia Brown) Samsonite ("Oh! Samsonite! We were waaaaay off!") piece of luggage. Mostly I thought - this is some ugly shit. But at the same time, I was like, "I could totally buy this and never have to grab the wrong piece of luggage at the airport carousel again."

I got a few stares while posing with the suitcase.

Salvation Army was having the one year anniversary of their store remodel, and it was freaking packed. Mostly because everything was fifty percent off, but also because they were grilling hot dogs in the rain. You don't really have a Plan B here in Phoenix in case of rain. You just don't.

Anyway, I bought three books at a quarter a piece. The bottom three on the pile above.

Remember my pig head that I have had for years?

I totally found his water-loving friend! He was only two bucks, and he is so ugly that I love him. One of his eyes is slightly darker than the other, which is endearing. If a fake white duck head can be endearing. And I think that they can be.

Total spent: $2:75

Our next step was Goodwill, and it was packed and everything was also fifty percent off. I scored a Jones New York 3/4 length grey boatneck shirt, a light grey dressy tee, and a pair of long navy sporty shorts. I would show pictures, but all clothes are being decontaminated at the moment. I also got the rest of the books in the above picture.

My total spent at Goodwill: About $12.00.

Jeremiah walked up to me while I was searching and said he had found a belt. Apparently he has been looking for a casual black belt (I am sure at one point I told him his black leather belt was too dressy for some of his pants/shorts. That totally sounds like something I would say. With love, of course.) Anyway, he strolls up and says he's found a belt and it looks brand new. Had I ever heard of this brand? Holds up the tag. It's a Patagonia belt. This one, actually. He was excited to learn that he could open a beer bottle with it. Thirty dollar belt. Jeremiah's total: $2.00.

I didn't have any huge or super exciting finds (besides my duck and books), but I still like seeing what's new and what bargains are available. I can't really narrow down any particular favorite or best find - Leona was definitely up there. I have also had some great clothing finds and some great furniture finds. Like the tables I got for $1.25 each and refinished. Jeremiah has had some incredible finds - including $100 pants and ties for just a couple of dollars.

So there is my response to the challenge. Anyone else do the challenge? Anyone have a favorite thrift shop find?

I Will NOT Be the Grinch.

I have not been blogging as much.

We have done stuff around the house.

Walls are painted. New lamps. Art on walls.

Here's the deal:
Both of my computers are completely full. Meaning, there is no memory space for me to upload pictures. I delete stuff, but somehow still no room. This makes it frustrating as I like to share the going-ons here.

So I am feeling grinchy because I just took pictures of our holiday decor. Quick and easy. Then I tried to load them onto my computer. For AN HOUR. I got rid of over 100 pictures. Plenty of space to upload twenty or so shots.

Just kidding.

So after much stress, here are some tree pictures. Which started out as fun, but now I am ticked.

Deep breath.

I am going to do what I usually do. Highlight some new favorites. And sometimes some old favorites.

 The theme on the small tree this year was blues, greens, pinks, and purples.

Crate and Barrel, Glass, Love!

Handmade by a friend of my mom.

Reminded me of Jeremiah. Crate and Barrel.

Crate and Barrel. Glass.

 While I like the star on my mantel, I am not loving the mantel decor itself. I think I need to move some things that are on the right. I've got some ideas.

Any extra ornaments always find a place in a container.

The bottom of this lamp from Salvation Army is open, so I slipped some ornaments in there, too.

Have you met the pig? I found him over a year ago. I love him. We don't eat pig or cow here, and I take an odd delight at having this little porker hanging around the kitchen. I have a bird that is the same style, but he has yet to find a home on the walls. 

 The front tree has the same theme as last year - metals. Golds, bronzes, silvers, whites, and ivories.

The little birdhouse is new. Clearance from Target.

I actually bought this at Jo-Ann's. Not on clearance, just liked it.

World Market, this year. He was just too cute to pass up.

Glass ball from Crate and Barrel.

Maddie has done her best to destroy Christmas this year. She only goes after the big tree, which is awesome, because most of the breakable ornaments hang on this beautiful beast. So far she has only destroyed the one bird, which was felt, not at all breakable. Odd. The tree looked better the first few days, before she began climbing it. There will be some rebending of branches come January.

I guess that's about it. Friends, I hope that you all have trees that are withstanding children and pets.

So I Bought a Giraffe This Weekend...

We went to Goodwill this weekend. Mainly because it was fifty percent off day, but also because I wanted to get out of the house a bit. And shopping for cheap books? Always fun.

When my arms were so full of books that I could carry/search no more, I walked over to Jeremiah, who was searching for records while standing next to A GIANT (stuffed) GIRAFFE. The giraffe was almost five feet tall, and it was wonderful.

Jeremiah: Find some books?
Me: Oh, yes. Who's your friend?
J: Huh?
Me: The giraffe! Are we going to take it home?
J: No.
Me: I want it!
J: No.
Me:Why not?
J: It's way over-priced.
Me: JEREMIAH. It is only twenty dollars and fifty percent off that. It would cost approximately two dollars a linear foot. That is NOT a bad price for a giraffe. Especially one of this quality.
J: Sighs
Me: I love it. I am going to buy it. I might even take it in to work. My students would LOVE a giraffe. Would you go get a cart?
J:No. I am looking at records.
Me: Okay then, you stay here with my giraffe and these books (dumping the books into his hands). Be right back! I get the cart, return, put the giraffe in the cart (making him well over six feet tall) and then this:
Me: So, watch the cart. I am going to go look at clothes.
J: Emily! No! Don't you DARE leave me here with this!
Me: Jeremiah. Yes. You know I can't drive a cart. This is true. When I lived alone I used to take two hand baskets instead of a cart. I hate carts.
J:Emily!
Me: Can't hear you! Take care of my giraffe!


Later when I was done shopping, I found Jeremiah because he was the only one driving a giant giraffe around in a shopping cart. And boy, he did not look happy.

Which is odd, because the giraffe made everyone else happy. Old people smiled. Little kids pointed and talked to it. Everyone loved it. Jeremiah, on the other hand, wouldn't even carry it out of the store. So I did. And as I did, a mom said to her son "The giraffe is leaving now. Say goodbye to the giraffe!" and the little boy waved and said "goodbye, giwaffe!"

I fought for a proper ride home for my giraffe friend, but Jeremiah insisted that it go in the trunk.

And now, pictures. Because you have to see the wonderfulness that is my giraffe.

"Helloooooo? Anyone home?"

No, the trim is not finished. Focus on the giraffe, people.

The dogs barked and growled. The cats ran upstairs. Maddie did some interesting crawling/running/escaping.

Right now Leona is upstairs in my studio. She matches beautifully and I am trying to decide if I am going to take her in or keep her home.

Oh, No. Not a Beer Snob At All.

We've got new neighbors.

Mary-Next-Door moved at the beginning of January and we were relishing the silence and lack of diesel vehicles next door.

Not that Mary was bad, she wasn't, not at all.

She sold me these bowls at her yard sale:

I was in my pajamas, in the dark, at her yard sale. I hadn't brushed my hair. Or my teeth. But I WANTED these bowls. They are much prettier mixing bowls than the set I inherited from a co-worker. Plus, these are easier for me to lift down from their spot. It's love, I tell you.

Anyway, so she moved out. This weekend, the new people moved in. Jeremiah and I were hoping for a couple similar to ourselves - quiet, thoughtful neighbors. Aged appropriately, like us. We were hoping for people down with listening to some music, playing some games, and just hanging out. We were hoping for some nerds like us.


We had our first "Danger, Will Robinson" moment when they rolled up in a cheap sports car tricked out with a spoiler so big it could have acted as the doorway to Narnia.

But we remained hopeful. Right up until they were hanging around with friends after moving everything out of the Uhaul. We were getting ready to head out ourselves, so as Jeremiah was unlocking and opening my door for me I was spying.

Jeremiah: What do you see?
Me: Well, I see an Orange County Choppers shirt. This causes me to shiver just a bit, as I am not a car* person. 
Jeremiah: No big deal. He's not swayed in the least.
Me: I see a guy wearing a shirt that says "F*CK Scottsdale" This gets smirks and snorts from both of us.
Jeremiah: In front of their kids? Not so cool, I guess.
Me: Um, and they are all smoking and...
Jeremiah: And what?
Me: No, I can't. You won't like it.
Jeremiah: Tell me. I can take it. He braces himself.
Me: They are drinking Miller Lite.
Jeremiah: Oh my god.
Me: Out of cans.
Jeremiah: Silence. Forget it. It would never work between us.

And we drive away.

It occurs to me. In all the years that I have known Jeremiah, I have never seen him drink a beer from a can. Not once. And when I call him a beer snob he gets all upset. I am sorry, but you gotta call a spade a spade, you know?

So I don't think our new neighbors will become our besties, but who knows. Never give up.




P.S. Let's re-examine the bowls. Because they are that beautiful. When I use them I will fondly remember the short little woman with teased bottle blonde hair who could have easily been called a cougar, who hit on Jeremiah and wore short shorts. Sigh. Those were the good old days.

* Believe it or not, I actually know that OC Choppers is about bikes. As in, motorcycles. Not because I ever watched the show, but because I did watch Miami Ink religiously while it was on and they did tats for the guys in the shop. So why did I say cars? I think I might have been using cars as an interchangeable word for "thing that moves and goes vroom and gets you from Point A to Point B". That's my only defense.

Mademoiselle

I'm pleased to introduce to you the newest (and apparently the last) member of our family.

 Meet Mademoiselle:

 Holy crap. She's beautiful, right?!

 It's NOT my fault. The Arizona Humane Society was having a kitty crisis and they were actually forced to start giving them away. I'd wanted two this time around anyway, and was planning on getting a second one after I got Mel.

 I got a kitty because I figured that way Mel might feel like she was still the Queen Bee.

So that's Maddie. She's a stinker, for sure. Spike thinks that kitty belongs to him (as in his baby, not as in his beeotch). Mel is finally adjusting and putting Maddie in her place. And Atticus...Atticus is confused, because he thought he was the baby.

p.s. Did I ever show you these chairs? I got a set of them at Goodwill for a super great price. I am not keeping the reversible cushions. I've already got new ones. The chairs are probably going to get a paint job. I can see Frank shaking his head now...

p.p.s. We had this conversation as I paid for Maddie (I gave a nice donation in lieu of buying her.):
J: So this is it. Last one.
E:Yep. I'm done.
J:Promise?
E:Promise....but what if -
J: No.
E:But -
J:No.
E:I mean, just -
J:No.
E:Ugh. All right.

Basket Update

This is more just me declaring that I get good stuff at a great price. A bragging session, if you will.

For $45 we got seven dozen tortillas (corn and flour, various sizes), five loaves of bread, coffee cakes, and our usual fruits and veggies basket. The tortillas are DELICIOUS. The flour ones we use to make wraps or burritos for lunch. The small corn tortillas we use to make our own taco shells. Fresh taco shells. I can't even believe it as I type it. I never thought that we would enjoy making so many of the meals that we've been making lately.

We've been getting some asparagus, which is nice. I love that there is some variety, so we don't get too much of a build-up or get tired of the same old stuff.

I've got a post on the way showing you Jeremiah's taco making skills, but for now...

Anyone else get some sweet deals on their produce? Anyone have a recipe that includes spinach? Or a good banana recipe? Please share!

Check Out My Booty

Ready steady?

It's story time.

So a month or so ago, I received a comment (yay, commenters!) from another Arizona dweller. I went and looked at her blog (Check it out here - Lacie Josephine) and discovered that she was getting lots of fruits and vegetables on the cheap through a program called Bountiful Basket.. She even had pictures of all the great stuff that she was getting. I immediately commented on her blog asking her to share more details. Turns out, you contribute fifteen dollars at the beginning of the week and then you pick up your basket (or baskets) of fruits and veggies. You don't get a say in what you get, it's just a big ol' surprise.

Jeremiah and I tried it out last Saturday, the day after I got back. I was nerdy excited because fruits and veggies? Yes, please. Saving money? Oh, yeah. All about that. Our first basket was three dollars more because you contribute that extra amount your first time. And here is what we got last week:

Ready?

• Bananas - 4
• Broccoli - 3 heads
• Cauliflower - 1 head
• Baby carrots - 2 bags
• Carton of mushrooms
• Bundle of spinach
• On the vine tomatoes - 5
• Carton of FIGS (more on these, later)
• Plums - 4
• Apricots - 5
• Red pears - 3
• Pineapple 

We are working our way through the basket still, but most of the fruit is gone and we've made quite a dent in the veggies.

Knowing that ordering a second basket might provide us with tons of different fruits and veggies, we ordered one on Monday and today we got this:

 Here we go:

• Kale?
• Romaine Lettuce
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli - 3 heads
• Green onions/chives
• Carton of blackberries
• Bananas - 5
• White Melon
• Tomatoes - 4
• Mangoes - 2
• Plums - 12 (yum.)
• Nectarines - 6 (I'm not even going to pretend to share these.)
• Cucumber - 1

Not a bad haul. One of the benefits to getting the variety is that there (so far) is something for each of us. For example, we'd never had fresh figs. Neither of us. Jeremiah and I both liked them, but did you know those little things are furry? Yeah, no. So Jeremiah got all the figs. I don't eat things that are furry. Here's my list of things that are delicious, but I shiver just thinking about the nasty fuzzies all over them:

1. apricots
2. peaches
3. and now - figs. 

Sigh.

I'm planning on bogarting the pineapple and the nectarines, though, so all is good. And the point of that whole furry story was that there hasn't been anything in the basket that at least one of us wouldn't eat. We're screwed if we ever get a pumpkin...or certain squashes. But until then, we're happy campers eaters.

So a big shout out to Lacie for introducing me to Bountiful Baskets and I urge you to check it out. It's a great deal and everything we've had so far has been super fresh and delicious.

p.s. You do have to volunteer at the co-op pick-up site once every six to eight visits. I'm sure you'll hear about that when my butt gets up at 4:45 on a Saturday. I'm not a super late sleeper, but that's pushing it on the weekend.

Sur La Table

Hey.

Remember when I used to post? Those were good times, weren't they?

Well, I am still in the midst of my travels. I'm cooking up some stories to share, complete with pictures.

For now, though, I have a table to share with you. For the life of me I can't find a before shot, so picture a table with this color wood:

Ooh, I just got the shivers. That's some ugly lighting. The table looked the exact same, wood-wise. Jeremiah bought it from the neighbor's yard sale for a couple bucks. I was so excited that I clapped. I clapped. I clap a lot. Because I knew that the table would start to look like this when I stained it:

That's after several coats. It started out looking really red and I was a bit nervous, but all is well.

Here's the finished product:

Not too shabby for a couple bucks and some Minwax. The dish was a buck from Salvation Army, and I love it.

What do you think? Anyone else traveling? Woodworking?

Dogs & Rugs

After getting the mega-deal on tile Saturday, we stopped at Lowe's. Before we go in, we review what we need so as to not be distracted by the other pretty things. On our list for Saturday was spray paint (and stay tuned for that barrel of fun), paint brushes, and a review of what would be needed to tile. And that was it.

But to get to the tile section we had to pass the rug section. What a stink.

They had a rug. 8 x 10. Just what we wanted. In fact, we had looked at it before. We've been moving our gorgeous green jute rug around and have been desperately needing an additional rug. The difference was that the shaggy cream and beige rug was on sale. Regularly $168. Clearance at $118. Jeremiah thinks he can get them to go lower. Asks for a manager. Gets the price knocked down to $85. Dollars. For an 8x10 rug. It would have been stupid to not get the rug. We would never find it cheaper.

So we got it.


Where do the dogs come in? They love the rug.

 Here's the Kisser, ready to start a fine game of Kong ball.

 He's really just a blur once he gets moving.

 And slightly cat-like. Notice that his back leg is jammed up under his front one. Doggy yoga.

 Good times until...

 Wait. Let's double check.

 Yup. The ball rolled under the entertainment center.

 Again.

 This is Atticus's "Please get my ball. Someone. Anyone. Please get my ball."

And there you go. A post about a bargain rug and the dogs.

P.S. I don't know what point Atters switched from his Kong to the tennis ball. He's a quick little bugger, I tell ya.

Tile. Because I Can't Think of a Cutesy Title.

I've been waiting to add a tile back splash since I painted the downstairs. You might remember that the living room and dining area are two shades of greenish greyish blue. One is slightly darker and was used to create a more in-depth feel in the hall, fireplace wall, and dining area. I wanted glass tile the same shade to be used for the back splash. I thought it would tie together the beige that is in the front room nicely with the blues in the back of the house. Plus, it would really make the white cabinets look crisp.

And then I saw a house that was professionally decorated (on the shores of Lake Michigan, what are the odds?) almost exactly the same. As what I wanted. And it sealed the deal. I began a search for these tiles. And guess what? Those little stinkers weren't cheap. And they weren't available anywhere except by special order.

Son.of.a.biscuit.

So the tile went on hold. Because we need a roof, as you know. And a furthered education. And cars.

And this is where we say, "Annnnywaaaays..."

We went to Goodwill on a whim. A whim, I tell you. And while I was contemplating the necessity of a giant mailbox as storage for a guestroom, I looked down. And right by my feet? Two boxes of wall tile. The exact.freakin.color.that.I.wanted.

For reals.

They aren't glass. But in reality, if I waited until I could afford hundreds of dollars for a kitchen back splash, I'd be waiting a long time. Like, grey hair and flying cars. That's how long I'd be waiting.

And to seal the deal? The tile was only ten bones a box. And they were having a fifty percent off sale. So we can tile our kitchen for a total of ten dollars, plus the cost of tile tools, mortar, seal, and grout. Most of which will be used again when we tile two bathroom floors.

Here's the tile. I propped it up so I could see how it looked with the beige paint and white cabinets. The color is slightly off in the pictures, but still give a general idea.

 I like to call this shot "Boxes of Victory". Indeed they are.

Close up of the victory tiles.

And if you look closely, you can see $9.99. Half off. Holy crap.

So next weekend I think we'll be tiling. And that's not the royal "we". I truly plan on partaking in the tiling fun. I'm going to have to wear my good girl pants, because I am not one for team activities. I'm much more a "go ahead, lock me up alone with a paintbrush and I'll be fine. Just don't forget my Ipod." type of girl. So wish us luck on our tiling endeavor. Thank goodness CLH has tiled before. Three cheers for useful boys!

Three Less Cheap Venetian Blinds in Our House

Yesterday while on yet another trip to Lowe's, we found more blinds on sale. Bamboo. Roman. Not just a lame sale, but a CLEARANCE sale.  We had been hoping to replace the venetian blinds (those cheap bendy plastic ones) and were simply waiting for a sale.

So we picked up three, one for each window. Here's Jeremiah measuring something. He was NOT super happy about me taking this picture. He may or may not have given me a dirty look and we may or may not have exchanged words.You can also see in this picture that we ran out of ceiling paint and need to do some touching up - all in good time.

So after he removed the second set of curtain rods (we had originally planned on sheers with heavier curtains, not blinds) and moved the rods lower; I entered the picture with some hemming and ironing of more sheers. And then we hung everything. Here's a picture with the flash:

And here is how it really looks. We are super happy with it. I plan on attaching a heavier fabric behind the roman blinds so they aren't semi-private when down during the day. They'll be completely blocking out the light.

  

We really like the look. What do you think?