Happy New Year!!

Hm, so I guess I haven't posted since Christmas!! Has it actually been that long? Dang. And I only have one week left of vay-cay. *waaaah*

Happy New Year, everyone. Hope you all make it out alive.



I wonder when this lil card will get annoying??? I may replace it with another eventually.

Sis and her bf have a "Come Celebrate New Year's Eve Dressed Like Your Favorite Washed-Up Celebrity" Party and

1) I'm working on a beehive
2) The black hair CERTAINLY is long enough
3) Yes, I DO indeed have scruffy scuffed up pink ballet slippers
4) I may need to borrow eyeliner for the cat eyes!!!
5) I can't decide between a dress or the hinky denim cutoffs
6) Unfortunately, no authentic tattoos, but maybe that eyeliner can do double duty.

Y'all guessed who I'll be, right??? I DOUBT I will permit ANY photographs of this incriminating evidence. But maybe. If the new year finds me in an appeased and mollified mood.

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I think this happens every year. The two people who work the earliest (hint: one of those people is me. Other hint: the other person is not female) are actually up at the butt-crack of dawn waiting for the rest of the lazy loafers to get their bubbas outta bed and start the holiday stuff.

PRESENTS! Fun.

EATING! Fun.

PICTURES! Fun.

It's okay.

I was up at 7am, though.

AND there are huge blustery gusting winds outside!! I love it. Totally not Christmas weather, but much preferred to the frost on Saturday.

Hoy!! I have been sneezing like a maniac since I got back here, these huge explosive Mach 20 expectorations.

Have I ever mentioned how I have a COMPLETE AND UTTER SNEEZING PHOBIA?? I've been trying to find out the technical medical term for it but I haven't yet.

Also, I am bored outta my cotton-pickin' gourdy skull and I had really, really, weird dreams last night - and one was very disturbing as well. Maybe I semi-consciously accidentally saw Santa doing something he shouldn't have been doing, like picking his nose or summat like that, and repressed it into a weird dream about people I haven't seen for a long time.

:)

I hope everyone has a wonderful day today!!

And I am just ITCHING to hear my favorite Christmas song of all time, The Christmas Waltz by Barry Manilow.

I haven't heard it yet!

I've heard Burl Ives' "Have A Holly, Jolly, Christmas" (such an old classic standard, and I love the hokeyness of it!), and only heard part of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Mariah ... that might be a tie with Barry.

BARRY MANILOW IS MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SINGER EVER!! EVER EVER EVER.

And I love that "Believe" Josh Groban song, but I wish Barry Manilow would sing it.

Mariah Carey also has decent Christmas music.

Anyhoo, sis needs to get up to make me some quiche and I promise I will help her with the chili and pigs in blankets, because that's what I feel like eating today!!!!!!

And I woke myself up with a tangerine-peel-infused facial sauna this morning, just because I felt like it and spied my mom's $6.99 SPA VENETIA Made-in-China from Big Lots, and my skin is so soft!

Alright, enough random hunger-driven rambling now.

Wait! One last little thing.

I wish to express my deep, undying, and utter gratitude that I am not entrenched and embroiled in a horrid, friction-laden relationship as described by some people that I "know" "online" when they post about their problems and frustrations and I start to feel bad for them. As much as my family is probably dysfunctional, and irritating, and exceptionally uncomfortable when taken in large doses, everyone is settling down nicely as we aaaaaaall age, and I know everyone means well.

And we are still family.

And it's sad to hear about women whose husbands BUY THEM NOTHING for Christmas and birthdays and Valentine's Day, and I'm sorry, but that is totally uncalled for and not to be allowed! Horrible. I could never stand for that. Not that I expect to be spoiled, or anything, but a little recognition on special occasions is always in order.

I intend on being a VERY thoughtful and VERY generous person/partner when it's my time, or not, but hints and reminders would work for me. I wonder why they appear not to work for other people? :(

Well, I try to make it a point to be grateful for everything that I have, and I know that I am a very lucky and blessed person, especially if I compare myself to so many others in this vast, encompassing world.

Life is full of good things and it could be so much entirely super duper horrifically worse!!!

"You have everything you need, if you just believe ..." [in JESUS]!!!!!

:P

ByE nOw!

My FAMILY drives me completely UP THE WALL

Merry frickin' Christmas to you TOO!!!

How's everybody doing today. :)

I've been very productive this past weekend, in my own somewhat-humble opinion.

I sure haven't cleaned nearly enough, though, knowing that I have someone coming to stay with me in less than two weeks!! :O

However, I did clear out some trash and organize half of the closet and then proceeded to run quickly out of room to put all my various precious junx.

Washing the front porch/balcony was also slightly less successful than I had hoped, but at least it is now done and I did the best I could. Boy, white paint gets dirty in dusty, polluted, Southern California, eh??

So FIRST of all, last night was the first night I was home at the parental palace (hee) for the Christmas holidays.

After church (which was pretty fun!), I came home, and the parents came home, and then they left to go listen to some random violinist at another church, and I ended up passing out on the couch for a good 4 or so hours.

I woke up soooooooooo hungry and baby sis was laid up in bed with a horrible nasal congestion thingy and nobody else was home. So that was like, 4pm. And then I dozed and napped some more waiting for people to come the heck home already and the first person to come home was middle sis, loaded with groceries for the office party today and Christmas dinner and stuff.

Then mom and dad came home fully laden with the goods two hours later, just as I was preparing to lose my mind!! Yum yum, special Taiwanese food that I loooooooooooove.

Till we all sat down and thus ensued the massive piss party.

Ugh, horribly unpleasant.

See, my view of things is ... if we sit down to have a family dinner, EVERYONE is sitting together, and we have COMMUNAL CONVERSATION.

BUT NO.

According to SOME people, if TWO OTHER PEOPLE are already having a conversation about what the youngest will be doing after graduation, and the advisability of taking a graduate research assistant position in the Caribbean ... uh, I'm not allowed to BUTT INTO the conversation. Because, apparently, you have to be invited first, at least at THIS family table.

Oh, and if I ask questions to try to find out details about the situation and what A CERTAIN SOMEONE'S exact plans are, I better stop, because she DOESN'T APPRECIATING BEING INTERROGATED.

Can you tell I am still steamed? I think she is a tart and a horrid little b!tch sometimes, but I will get over it. We talked when I got up to clear the table and do the dishes immediately after everyone finished eating (HELLO! Also I put everything else and all the leftovers away, so there!), and basically it was resolved, I think, and she did apologize also, but sheesh!!

I was so disappointed that the first family get together was so obnoxiously unpleasant. Then again, that's what makes them FAMILY, RIGHT??

BECAUSE YOU GET TO CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS BUT FAMILY MEMBERS ARE PEOPLE YOU WOULD NEVER VOLUNTARILY CHOOSE TO ASSOCIATE WITH GIVEN FREE REIGN, AND YET THEY ARE FOISTED UPON YOU.

'Course I don't REALLY mean that.

Hah. :D

So, actually, the MOST depressing thing was putting up the d@mn Christmas tree, which I love anyway.

Guess what? I did the entire Christmas tree BY MYSELF last year TOO while the rest of the family was sleeping. Oh boy, that was not nice, though I think it turned out marvelously!! I think I did it Christmas morning, no less. I guess I'm used to getting up early. I just remembered that last year, our last day of school was DECEMBER 23, anyway, so it's not as if that much time had passed before Christmas was upon us.

This year, after I finished clearing the table and cleaning up after dinner, both sisters went straight up to bed, since one is suffering the physical repercussions of her horrible relational habits (:P) and and the other had to work in the morning. And daddoo was tired from work also so he went to bed early. And mom wandered off somewhere, don't know where.

So I lugged the Christmas tree set (I like to do three!) by myself, got out all the decorations myself (I don't think anybody else owns any Christmas decorations, anyway, it's all compulsive-shopper-hoarder me), and decorated BY MYSELF.

THAT IS DEPRESSING. IF I EVER HAVE MY OWN FAMILY WHERE I AM THE BOSS, THIS SHALL NOT COME TO PASS AGAIN. UNACCEPTABLE!!

Still, I turned the radio on to the Christmas music, and had a pretty good time throwing all the stuff up on the tree.

It always takes me a little while to decide what I want to have on the tree, and the colors and the decorations. I went completely loco-nuts buying decorations this year at Target, the pink and candy stuff that I posted earlier, but all that was at my apartment, and all I had was my regular older stuff at my parents' place. So I went with a white/brown/light green rustic kind of Christmas tree. I remember 2 years ago it was all white and glass and tin and gold (I probably have a picture somewhere), and last year was red and very countryish, and this year ended up being countryish too, but mostly white. I LOVE IT!!

And once I had nearly finished and I turned on the lights on the tree, it was like, seriously magical. That's my favorite moment so far. I said, "Oh, woooooow, that is sooooo pretty." And my mom, who was sitting at the dining table watching her own weird opera woman sing annoying songs, agreed with me. Wanna know why she didn't help me with the tree? Because she thought the Christmas music I had on from the radio was too noisy. CHRISTMAS! MUSIC! TOO! NOISY!

That's called "you-have-a-problem."

Anyway, the tree looked nice, but a little cold, and off, and missing something, till I put in a few teeny touches of red (little red wooden hearts!) and that was PERFECT. Now I am fully satisfied, but I don't have a pic yet.

Today I put up the stockings, too.

That was after I dragged both parents out to The Original Pancake House, which, if you'll check out the link, HAPPENS TO BE CLOSED ON MONDAYS.

Didn't I feel like the fool, especially since it's 20+minutes away. Darn it!

But both parents were patient and gracious and we ended up going to a Chinese supermarket where we had dimsum stuff instead and shopped for dinner tonight. I think we're having some church friends over - just the dad and the older daughter, since (don't ask me why) the mom bopped off to China with the younger daughter for I-don't-know-how-long.

And now my kvetching about my dear sainted family is over and I will concentrate on enjoying the Christmas season. Whee!!

I'll save the complaining about one of the most horrible, agonizing, cruel and terrible experiences I have had in recent memory for later. This was probably 3 weeks ago already, or something. Boy, was it awful. Even though it ended up being okay. Eye-opening experience.

Anyway, I am now going to enjoy Christmas and go wrap presents while [nosy] [ungrateful] mom is out of the house. I bought her the most presents because she needs them the most :P.

Will have pics up of the tree later.

Productivity.

Dang, it's 4pm already??? Argh.

Today was the day I was meant to CLEAN! CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN!

It's official - Jenny: (hi there, Jenny at Denny's in Auckland, New Zealand!)

will be coming to stay with me for 3 weeks in January!!! I like hosting people. Whee. Which is why I simply MUST move into a bigger place with a guest bedroom, dagnabbit. Also a storage room.

Because this place is a pigsty!! Look up "compulsive hoarding" in wikipedia and you will get an idea as to the very state of affairs in my now ever-so-humble abode. Grr.

So I have to do something about it.

1. Gonna sweep and clean the front porch because it's disgusting and needs it.

2. Need to clean and organize the bedroom closet so I can put stuff away and tidy the frick up.

3. Something MUST be done about the damn living room. There's like, only a little walkway, and stuff is all piled up! Makes me SAD.

4. Kitchen needs major help and work too. I just have stuff out everywhere. Too much stuff!!

5. Need to clean out the car and put my goods away.

6. I do believe I will take a SIGNIFICANT shopping break for the next week or so, though even MY FATHER (after whom I take quite a lot) asked me today if I was "shopping" when he called me and he also offered to go shopping with me on Christmas Day, though I think he meant the day after Christmas, and I just might take him up on it, if he doesn't have to work. We went shopping together on Black Friday this year, I hope you know. That was nice and fun. He likes buying stuff and collecting stuff as well, and that's probably where I get it from, so as far as he is concerned, it probably does not take much to convince him how WORTHWHILE it can be to go at the right time to the right place to get the right goods for the right price!

So all that needs to get a serious dent put into it and dang I just now remembered I forgot a couple Christmas cards and another letter of recommendation I need to send for a friend so she can work at a hospice (how altruistic and community-minded of her! I don't do productive things like that in my spare time, really) and I also need to wrap the presents I bought for family before I leave to go stay at the parental house for the next 3 days Merry Christmas.

The sun is setting now and it's'a'gonna get chilly and I feel my wilting drive withering already.

This morning was FREEZING COLD and I WORE FOUR LAYERS. There was frost on the car next to mine, frost on the grass of the lawn at the yard sale I hit this morning (only one! I was good! Also, there were not that many since it's only 3 days to Christmas), as well as the roof of another ... um, yard sale that I stayed 1 minute at since I'd forgotten about it - I saw the sign last minute and stopped by.

I did hit a few thrift stores today and it was nice.

The first one I got there a bit before it opened, and dang, people really DO wait outside for it to open! It was a bit of a dud, though I perused, and then picked up, a set of 3 pillowcases that looked prettyish with the flowers and looked like they might match the purple rosey Rachel Ashwell Treasures fitted sheet I got at the same store a few weeks back. So that was pretty much all I saw at that place, and it was a bit disappointing, since how often do I get to arrive as it opens??? But then I thought, well, I might as well check the tags of the pillowcases in case it's something nice AND WHADDYA KNOW, THOSE PILLOWCASES ARE RACHEL ASHWELL TREASURES LINE AS WELL!! I would REALLY like to know who is donating this Rachel Ashwell business, because HONESTLY.

Then I found a few books and that was good.

I hit another thrift store, they had 30% off today as a Christmas special, and I only got a set of votives that will replace the set with one missing from my Halloween candle holder, and I got a white shabby chic-style candlestick missing some pendants, from what it looks like, and the Country Living Cottage Style decorating book in hardcover.

I was all set to head home and hit the weekend farmer's market with my downstairs neighbors, but I stopped by a Goodwill, decided to ask them about the last chance store, since Apron Thrift Girl first mentioned an outlet, and I DID end up driving all the way out there. THEY WERE CLOSED ON WEEKENDS!! But I was able to walk inside and take a look since they were there working. So that was the plan, that I'd take a look at that thing this break since I have time over the holidays. Finding that place was a production, I tell you, because I first tried looking it up in the Yellow Pages that took a long time to be found at this one thrift store, then I drove to the Goodwill, then ended up backtracking to get gas and head onto the freeway to go to the place.

And then I came home and bonded with my computer since I love to do that.

OK, promising myself to sweep and be productive now. Because it will look nice and I will feel proud of myself and then all shall be presentable again sometime in the near future.

I still want to post about my most exceedingly horrible experience at one of these thrift stores about 2 weeks ago. IT. WAS. AGONY.

Oh yeah, and last Sunday I hit Vet's Stadium again and it was brilliant. Hee. Funny story also.

BUT FIRST I MUST ATTEND TO MY BURGEONING PRIORITIES! Ta-ta and hasta la pasta.

Tacky Christmas Yards ... (d0t) com

OK, so my homepage is Yahoo. I like it, I love yahoo mail, and it has the news articles, which I read compulsively every day.

Today they had a featured article on the excesses of Christmas decorating. Considering the eyesore junk that I see being electrified and promulgated in modern American commercial and retail corporations ... ick. Tres ugly.

So I read the article and apparently SOMEONE is SO OFFENDED she started a site/blog about it ... hilarious.

I took a look at Tacky Christmas Yards and just about blew a gasket. So, stinkin', funny.

Have a look, and here are my top 3 favorites:

1. Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Angels and their heavenly urine


Violations: None. Just funny.
Anonymous said...
lolol....soo funny!...looks like tapeworms dangling out of angels...


2. Thursday, December 20, 2007
Mr & Mrs C - chillin in the yard


Santa and friends appear to be passed out cold? A little too much egg nog?
(Fallen Figurines/Drive-by Shooting Victims Violation)


3. Thursday, December 20, 2007
Hunting Season

Submitted by Ed
Two of Santa's Reindeer, shot and hung from a tree, blood oozing. Anonymous said...
so thats how Rudolph got a red nose
Anonymous said...
Okay, horrible, but hilarious.

Hurrah!!! Merry Christmas.

LOVING GOODWILL, redux!

OK, so this is one of my loooooooooooooooong overdue ones. this didn't happen LAST weekend, but the weekend before!! So I guess that would make it ... Sunday, December 9. Dang. (Does December really go by that fast??? I guess it does.)

I have been SEARCHING for these darn plates for over a month now ... these darn big black and white damask plates:

I went ahead and got the salad plates when they were on sale in the weekly circular a few weeks back, because I do totally love them, but those big dinner plates have been impossible to find for the past month.

And of course, guess where I found them!!!!!!! Yarr, Goodwill.

But there's the thing - ONE of the plates was BROKEN!! I honestly was nearly gonna buy ANOTHER in-store set that had one dish broken just because I was so desperate to own them.

Anyway, when I saw the plates in Goodwill, I nearly screamed. I was thinking about miraculously find a set no more than 10 seconds before I actually spied them. Man, it was unduly exciting. I love the hunt.

However, upon closer inspection, I realized the very back plate was cracked exactly in half.

AGONY!!!!!

:(

So, so, very sad.

So, I looked at all the rest of them, and they looked fine ... and so I put the broken one on top, hoping to show it to them so maybe I could get a mark down. I think they were marked $11.99.

I bring it up there, ask about the damage/markdown, and the chick ringing me up (hee, she's a nice, albeit goofy, and slightly clumsy gal) says, "OOOOOOOOOH, they were NOT like that before. They've been sitting there for WEEKS and they weren't like that yesterday."

Inside, I died a little. Yesterday? Yesterday? I'd missed them because of one day?? Because I was too tired to drag myself outta my parent's house to hit the sainted GOODWILL????

Awful. Awful awful awful. I was like mentally beating myself up for not going to Goodwill just a day earlier to get these darn plates that have been totally on my mind since I first laid eyes on them!

So as I got into the car, and drove to the other Target, finger crossed, and wishing and hoping that a set would be there ... I realized something.

I realized that *I* had moved the broken plate up from the back of the set. And if no one had taken a closer inspection, they would not have known. And despite the Goodwill employees ASSURING me that they were not broken before, and they must have been broken some time during the day before ... perhaps they had not realized the rear plate was jacked up. Hmm!!! Maybe THAT'S why the set was sent to Goodwill!!

Anyway, that's the idea that I held on to and have been reiterating, since it pacifies my inner anxious curmudgeon. It does make me feel better. And now I have the big dinner plates!!! So I will keep hunting at and looking for the plates at Goodwill even AFTER Christmas because I can use these other times of the year. And they go SO well with the beaded chargers I got last year that look SO much better than the weird ugly ones they have this year.

Eek.

And you know what else I got for $14.99 at this Goodwill?

And this lil baby is regularly $129.99 at Target.

Yippee!!

December is ending

And so is 2007.

Can't believe it! I remember talking with a guy last year (don't talk to him no mo no mo!! GOOD) who predicted this would be a good year for me. There were some good things, but overall ... hm, I'm not sure it's gonna be entirely memorable.

Like, honestly? Can't remember what I did when I was 27.

I guess if I go back over the years and try to fit the pieces in with like, memorable events, it's doable ... but the best parts of life are the trips to Europe. So far. OK, New Zealand counts kinda, too.

I STILL am not thinking I will be able to afford a backpacking trip to Europe this upcoming summer with the deplorable condition of the U.S. currency in the international marketplace BUT - I was so, so, SO sure that it was a sign when I found the 1998 Let's Go Europe guidebook at the thrift store earlier this year. Urgh.

*insert sidenote tangent as to the complete and utter relevance of a 1998 Let's Go Europe guidebook*

(Ok, so, like, 1998 was the first time I ever went to Europe. I went with a school group, kinda, with some school friends, and basically 4 of us traveled around together. We divvied up the tasks, and one of the guys was in charge of the money - we had a budget - the other guy was in charge of getting us around, with the maps, and timetables and stuff, I booked hostels and made phone calls and talked to information people, and the other chick was in charge of food. Now that I think about it, it was a pretty awesome division of labor.

Anyway, it was my first time to Rome ... and overall I HATED IT UBER DECIDEDLY ... but one evening we ate out and decided to look in the guidebook for recommendations on places to eat. Seriously, I have decided that Let's Go has absolutely THE BEST dining recommendations for Europe. Sorry, but that's my diehard opinion.

So, we looked for a cheap place to eat, I remember the mappy guy led us around to this little non-touristy quaint back alley area, wherein I feasted on the MOST INCREDIBLY UNFORGETTABLE MOUTH-WATERING OBNOXIOUSLY DELICIOUS SALAD I'VE EVER HAD IN MY WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE. And I really like salads.

I remember it was an insalata tonnato - yes, I DO have an awesome memory!! - and it was totally different than what I was expecting. I don't know why veal in Rome is always so weird and gross, but it is. This was a romaine lettuce salad, with the poached/blanched thin-sliced pieces of whitey veal, and a SIMPLY GARGANTUAN EPIPHANY of a salad dressing. It was a tuna salad dressing. I had no idea how they made it and I'd never heard of such a thing in my life but seriously??? I happen to have strangely good luck with ordering things off a menu. That other Roman veal mishap in 2004 notwithstanding ....

Anyway, I've never forgotten that salad. That salad was SO. INREDIBLY. GOOD. I've never tried to replicate it, but I should. What I certainly WON'T replicate was my friend's white macaroni and cheese which ended up being SPICY. Um, weird, and gross. It's not even orange mac and cheese - hee, Americano - and it tasted of jalapenos??? Nasty.

So, like, great, we had a wonderful salad at the little cute joint, but WHAT happened at the end of the summer? And WHY do I not remember or have a clue in Hades as to where this little dive was??

BECAUSE - at one of our last hostels, we checked it and I left the guidebook on my bunkbed in the hostel. And I did not discover until hours later, when I went back, and noticed ... that ... the book? like, looked a little different? somehow? that SOME STUPID REPULSIVE I-HOPE-YOU-GET-A-THOUSAND-AND-ONE-PAPERCUTS-ALL-OVER-YOUR-BODY-INCLUDING-ON-YOUR-EYEBALLS-AND-THEN-HAVE-A-LEMON-JUICE-BATH JerkFace had switched our nice, new, 1998 Let's Go guidebook with a manky jacked up 1997.

I cannot even begin to describe to you the flooding angst that appeared on the furious horizon.

Anyway, so our precious Let's Go - which we had irreverently considered calling "Satan" but ended up affectionately nicknaming Sklep, in commemoration of a truly horrendous hostelling experience in Prague ... YACK - was gone ... and I did end up getting my hands on a spare copy when we got back to school and I was cleaning out the office desk when I did the school program again ... but then I totally discarded it when I was moving out after graduation, not realizing how desperately I would pine for the information on the joint which introduced me to the joys of a freaking INSALATA TONNATO.

I honestly had NO idea how I was gonna find a 1998 Let's Go - I mean, random, right??? - in 2004, or 2005. Or 2007. Cuz I seriously did look on eBay and even considered posting a Want It Now.

And then I found one in the thrift store a couple months ago and KNEW it was confirmation that I was supposed to go to Europe this year, because I believe in signs like that.)

*end typically long-winded and overly-detailed tangent*

I found another one yesterday and didn't think that it was a sign. But at the thrift store yesterday it was not 50% off but it was tagged a color that was supposed to be 50% off today ... so I took it as a sign that I was supposed to buy it when I went back today and did indeed see it again.

Would you consider that a sign that I am meant to go?? There are other very very important things I could be doing this next dadgum summer but the trips to Europe have all been terribly PRICELESS.

Maybe I'll try to swing it with my youngest sister this time. Dunno how I will be able to afford it, really, but boy, was my middle sister smart to take up my invite to go with me in 2004.

*brag time* I paid for EVERYTHING.

I cringe now to think of how much money I had in da BANK that year. And how much I had LEFT OVER EVEN AFTER WE GOT BACK.

Sadly, that was just about the last dregs of my frugal days.

Anyhoo, I am glad I have some catch-up time on the blog! I need to be all caught up or else it's gonna drive me crazy. I'm still thinking of posting stuff from EUROPE 2006. Shup.

Exhaustia

I have waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more I want to post but I ran out of time and energy!! And my Christmas cards STILL are not done! Oy. Will have to post tomorrow, then. Hope I can finish!

Book-a-Rama

So, LAST Saturday the 7th, I hit one of the biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig Scholastic customer appreciation sales, like, from the big publisher of children's books. I went with Jen.

Actually, I'd called her earlier in the week, like Thursday, or something, and hadn't heard back from her (no fault of hers, I think), so I had actually gotten up to go to the sale (after clearing my car out of heavyish stuff since the sale was a bit far away) and was THERE when I got a call from her!

She ended up meeting me there with her two kids, and that was fine, since I love to see them.

I just remember that this scene was CRAZY. I left the house a little later than I wanted, I wanted to get there about 10 minutes early. Usually on the first day, especially first thing, the lines are pretty long. It started at 9, and I got there at 9:05, there were cars parked on both sides of the street already, and I went ahead and parked in a close spot that had a Reserved sign. Pretty sure that's only for when they are working during the week, and I didn't care too much.

So the line was about 30 people deep, with people streaming in from off the street the entire time, and honestly, I've never had to wait that line, it was moving at a pretty fast clip. Till I realized that I forgot my "Fast Cart" pass - some lil doohickey I can print out to skip the computer check-in process. Well, I've been to so many of these that the check-in thing doesn't take me more than literally 30 seconds, so I decide to just go ahead and do that.

And then I wait.

And wait.

And wait.

I swear, like, nearly 15 minutes goes by?? I have no idea what is going on. There's a bank of 3 computers, and seriously, all 3 people up there are taking FOREVER. The line just gets all jammed up with 2 people waiting for each computer, and then all of a sudden, the chick over at the furthest left computer does something and accidentally logs out of the check-in system so nobody can use it anymore. The two women in front of me decide to go and investigate, and they are feeling all fretty, judging by their conversations and repeated assertions that they "should've checked email again" and la di di. I tell them that I've NEVER had to wait THIS long in the FIVE years I've been coming to these sales ... and the one chick goes over because she's starting to get all impatient and stuff. And when she goes to get back in line, she tries to step in front of this other lady, who inches over and doesn't let her, and there's this like, silent confrontration, and the lady who left the line starts with the whole "ExCUSE me ..." when the other lady in line says, "I was here ..." and "Excuuuuuuse me" lady says "Oh! Were you already in line? Oh, I'm so SORRY!!" and tries to laugh it off and pat the other lady on the arm all friendly-like.

I might be shallow, but I admit I took a bit of a dislike to this Miss Bleached-Blonde Smarmy fakey chick.

Man, I'm so judgmental!

So, the OTHER two people on the OTHER two computers are ALSO having major problems and I'm feeling like I've stepped into a village completely populated by inept DUMBASSES, and I decide to take off.

I storm for the entrance, and the woman in charge asks me if I have my fastcart pass, and I tell her that I'd already signed up online (which I had), but I didn't get a chance to print it out, and asked if I really needed it to get inside. She told me it wasn't necessary unless I wanted that $10-off-$50 purchase coupon, and I said I didn't need it, so I got to go in!

Yay! Joy from the circumvention of FOLLOWING THE CATTLE CROWD.

So that was the first mini-victory. Then I get inside, go around a few of the aisles, and finally find the $1 section where they are opening up boxes and still labeling value-packs of 2 shrink-wrapped books for $1. I dig around, find a few odds and ends, nothing overly exciting, then I see a big crowd form and apparently they have found packs of these little hardcover non-fiction books with the clear overlays and stuff. These books usually sell for $12.99 EACH, and they had the 2-packs for $1 each. This stuff is usually Scholastic Book Fair overstock, and stuff returned from schools.

So, this stuff turns out to be a bit hit, and I swear, there was this one woman who parked herself in front of the people marking the books and proceeded to HOG everything they were digging out - hardcover picture books, all of the clear overlay flip books, and nobody else is getting a chance at those. Partly it should also have been the people marking and handing out the stuff to disperse it evenly ... I was just sad that when I'd first asked if they were going to open up any more boxes, the woman there at the time said she had noooooooo idea, she was just a volunteer who was supposed to mark the books $1.

Anyway, that sort of environment is so not my style and I had just about enough of that annoying obnoxious rudeness, so at that point I wandered away and then Jen came and I met up with her and browsed some more.

I did head back to that area later, and got a couple picture book sets, but that was all.

And the point to this story??? When I was making one last round, I actually found an entire STACK of these little hardcover books that someone had just dumped on a random shelf - and they weren't marked. Since I knew they had been marking them there, I grabbed the ones I wanted, separated those, and brought them over so they could slap the sticker on.

HA HA FRICKIN' HA! I hate it when people are all greedy and rude, and I felt vindicated that I was able to get some after all.

I did feel bad, though, because I recognized a lady that I'd spoken to before at one of these sales - she seriously has like, 7 or 8 kids, and homeschools, and all that jazz, so we chatted for a bit - last time I remember she was nursing a kid with one arm while digging through the big ole boxes of cheap books. Heh. AND I think she was pregnant then with the one she was holding in her arms that day!!! She said she got smart this time and left the other kids at home with her husband. He was a nice husband, too, from what I remembered last time, corralling the kids all patiently and stuff and reading to them.

Anyway, I didn't end up discarding any of those books at the end so I didn't have any to give to her :(. I gave a couple other books away, books I already had but had picked up randomly in case Jennifer or someone else wanted them ...

The most outrightly RUDE experience was when we were walking to the line to check out, and I saw a cart of books that had been discarded and were probably going to be reshelved - I looked at the top one, and then saw one that I TOTALLY knew and loved and wanted at the bottom, and reached for it at the same time as this other chick did, so then I stopped myself, BECAUSE I WAS NOT FREAKING RAISED TO BE A RUDE, SNATCHING, IMPOLITE BITCH, and this other young, also Asian, chick, snatches it up. All I said was, "Oh, that's a good one ..." and she goes ... "Yeah, it is!" and walks off with it.

I swear, next time something like that happens, I WILL DO SOMETHING. And it will not be beyond me to snatch it right out of her filthy paws.

I'm so aggressive now!

But I'm starting not to care as I get older. You know that Kathy Bates character in Fried Green Tomatoes, or whatever it is? "Yeah, but I have more insurance"?? It's like that. What do I have to lose? I don't think I'm going to see that person again. Heh. And they have a lesson to learn! And I volunteer to teach it!

I just feel very sad and disappointed in people when they act like that. Honestly? There is enough to go around. People don't need to act like that, especially over children's books in America.

If this other gargoyle had the proper upbringing to see me reaching for it, and stop herself also, I probably would have asked her if she already had a copy or not, and if she didn't, just go ahead and let her have it.

Because, I admit, I already had a copy of that book in my cart. But I wanted another one! Because it's always a hit in the classroom and the books in the library get all chewed up.

Grrrrrrrrrr. What an ugly, ugly encounter.

I called her a stupid biznatch and other choice epithets in my head, and quite possibly muttered a few other choice words after her, and next time something like that happens I FER SHUR will go and have a confrontation, because it is going to BE AWWN, and then I decided to just get over it 10 minutes after that. And 10 minutes after that, I found another discarded copy of that book, so haha. Sucks to be a low-class guttersnipe. I mean her.

:(

This is the book, btw:

We ended up getting into line - the LONGEST LINE I HAVE EVER SEEN there, or just about anywhere, except like, Disneyland, and it took an hour and a half to stand through line. Yeesh. I talked a nice lady ahead of us, recommended a few books, chatted with her a bit, envied her the hardcover picture books she got after I told her about the $1 section, and then we went to lunch. And it was fun.

I think I hit TJMaxx after that, too.

Heh.

Souplantation.

Okay, before I backtrack all the way to last Saturday (I've been very busy these past two weekends!!), I just wanted to say that tonight I had Souplantation for dinner again.

This makes the 3rd time in like, barely over a week.

I had Souplantation for a late lunch with Jen last Saturday, Dec. 8.

It was so good (albondigas!!) that I decided to have it for dinner again after I left my parents' house last Sunday, Dec. 9. I sat by myself and horfed down so much food my stomach freaking HURT, while reading "A History of Taiwan in Comics." Stinkin' hilarious.

Anyway, so I had it tonight, too. And wonder of wonders, they had Cream of Mushroom soup!! Boy, that is just about my favorite there, I think. I believe it was a tad too salty by the end of my dining experience there, but it was quite enjoyable. I took a thrift store find of a little paperback of vintage children's book covers to keep me company.

The most memorable event was ... well, a guy who uncannily reminded me of FOOLIO:

Like, HELLO.

Okay, so the guy at Souplantation tonight ... had darker hair. And darker eyes. And a smaller nose.

But SERIOUSLY. He talked JUST as loud and obnoxiously as this guy. And just as overemphatically.

Whoa!

I was finishing up my dinner, perusing through my book, and I hear this guy talking loudly on a cellphone, and he walks by. I'm like, alright, maybe he's about to leave.

Oh noooooooo. He stands about 2 tables away from me, where his table was, and proceeds to talk for at least 10 minutes - loud, histrionic, overdramatic, theatrics.

Grating. Annoying. Making of the hackles be rising.

So I sigh deeply, and decide to get one more small plate of salad and a last cup of Cream of Mushroom. As I'm getting up and walking back to the salad bar, I give the guy a mild, stare-y, evil-eye. I'm sure he has no idea why I was staring him down. I was hoping he would be gone by the time I got back.

No such luck.

He was talking to his mother, or something? "Ma, Ma, MA - can I even TELL you how many times - really, the number is innumerable - how many TIMES I have received these FRANTIC PHONE CALLS from you - for what? I mean, FOR. WHAT. I ASSURE you that TOMORROW she will be IN. NEW JERSEY. TOMORROW, Ma. In New Jersey. Tomorrow night, she will be IN New Jersey, I will put her on the plane MYSELF, and could you PLEASE just make sure that when she gets there, that's she nice to me. How come you always do this, Ma? She's gonne be IN NEW JERSEY TOMORROW NIGHT and I AM GONNA MAKE IT HAPPEN."

*itching strangulation fingers*

So seriously, after another 10 minutes of this, I start looking at him - he's facing away from me. I check out the other guests that are around, and they all seem to be just eating quietly, minding their own business.

I consider my options: do I make eye contact with him again? Do I give him the "SHHH!!" finger to my lips? Do I get up and walk over to him and kindly ask him to take it outside? Or should I ask for a manager, or one of the bussers, to go and talk to him? I remember hearing him when I was IN the salad line 15 feet away, and I remember looking around for a manager because I was starting to get IRKED.

And in the end, as I looked desperately for a passing Souplantationed employee, with none passing by, I see a sudden flurry of activity RUSHING up and all of a sudden I hear a woman bellowing "WOULD YOU TAKE IT OUTSIDE! We've all been sitting here listening to your conversation and I paid money for dinner NOT TO LISTEN TO YOU TALK, so TAKE IT! OUTSIDE!" with a stalk-stalk-stalking away for final emphasis.

Have you ever seen a bird like, totally flip-out in hysterics with the wings all flapping and the bird bouncing everywhere and feathers flying all over and all that? Cuz it was a bit like that.

Oh my. Talk about drama. I mean, by the time this woman - who I initially thought was one of the hostesses or something, but turned out to be a fellow patron(ess) - walked away, he was off the phone, had turned it off, and was starting to walk away. Yee-ouch. That had to be embarrassing for him, complete oblivion to others' irritation notwithstanding. I'm glad I thought of calling for an employee to take care of it.

I mean, she was effective, but her whole presentation was like, so entirely hostile!

Still, there were scattered patches of applause after what she did. I looked over to where she sat down and she was with a man, ostensibly her husband, and two teenage/young adult-looking children. I wondered if they were embarrassed. I wondered why the man wasn't the one to get up and confront Mr. Loud Easterner Cellphone Talker.

Hmm. This is how people solve their problems, I guess.

But honestly, loud cellphone talkers DO annoy me. I don't WANT to hear other people's conversations when I'm in a restaurant or out shopping. And I try to talk quiet and not for too long when I'm out shopping also, but quiet has all sorts of subjective interpretations so maybe I shouldn't do it at all.

But seriously, dude's inane, asinine, mother-insulting conversation bordered on the unbearable. So I'm glad he got a chastening talking-to, even if it was a bit overreactive.

Now if we can only manage to get a similar message across to obnoxious, aggressive, self-absorbed, inconsiderate, jackass drivers.

Long overdue.

I hate went I get stuck in these like, ruts of fatigue. Does it run in the family or something?? I seem to remember my mom going through these bouts when I was a kid.

Anyhoo, it's MONDAY! And I MADE IT! And TOMORROW!! I'm being observed in my regrettably messy classroom by my new principal. Oy. At least I got the lesson plan typed out and sent to her this afternoon.

But seriously, sometimes after work - or after a busy weekend, I wander around in this hazy, funky, miasma of intolerable unproductivity.

Is this normal?? I have no idea. I am starting to think that I just don't really get a lot of things DONE.

However, that might be remedied if I "relaxed" and "took a break" a lot less than I maybe do now.

Hee.

But that's totally so much the fun of being a grown-up, single, adult. Down time.

I had soooooooooooo much that I wanted to post starting from last WEEKEND and then this past WEEK just about did me in and bowled me over ... so I'll parcel this out piecemeal-like.

Overwhelmed by eBay

Ok, so as some/all of you might know, I LOVE TO BUY STUFF.

It's probably a sickness and a compulsion. But it's also fun.

Anyway.

Guess what!! I'm so glad that tonight I got good food in me (seriously, is there ANYTHING like CRAVING a certain something and then sitting down and actually PUTTING IT IN YOUR MOUTH AND SWALLOWING??? - I'm all about life's simple pleasures and had a veritable out-of-body experience tonight just from drinking PEPSI!!!!), got some time here on the computer, which I've been missing all day, I love my bed, I love my cute flowery sheets, I love living all by myself, I seriously don't get lonely, I hate the stupid neighbors that park right smack in the driveway in front of the garages that they don't even use when there's clearly a "no parking or we will tow you" sign, I love how cozy my little place is - especially in the wintertime, I'm mildly perturbed by the frigid nature of the climate 'round here lately, and I'm glad I get a chance to catch up on this bloggedy bloggadoo.

So, long overdue - I've been meaning to go through my eBay/PayPal transactions to SEE if I actually GOT everything because I admit I've been buying kind of a lot lately. And it was a stunning eye-opener, to see what I've been spending and be reminded of several items I don't even remember seeing the packages for. However, I've been getting stuff delivered to the school so it might be getting all mishmashy.

Anyway, I'll have to look up and down and hunt all around to see if I am missing any packages. And it sure is helpful when the seller sends stuff through PayPal shipping with delivery confirmation so then I don't go crazy thinking it hasn't even been sent or anything.

I actually sat down and went through everything, though, that's honestly a marvel. Two months' worth of stuff!!!

Man, sometimes I'm sure I could be categorized as officially, crazy, yet, functional.

A couple more posts are on their way tonight.

And lastly - can I say, while I despise the fact that I have a few TV shows that I'm really into watching that are detrimentally impacted by the current writers' strike, I'm glad nothing is on tonight (like, you know, Heroes, which I watch very, very casually) so I can get caught up on other things. It really is true, you can get so much accomplished when you DON'T WATCH TV.

That's if you don't replace it, however, with stuff like watching youtube videos and playing addictive online games.

Random bedding, linens, and fabric tips that I would like to share.

In my brief stints of dilly-dallying around with my linens and bedding and spending ALL. AFTERNOON. AND. EVENING. YESTERDAY. after church washing, and drying, and folding, and ironing, bed linens etc., I thought it was about time I share some tips that I think would be potentially quite useful for anyone that does the little things I do.

1. Fold quilts inside out when storing. Remember those baby quilts I bought and showed a few posts ago?? Here's what I noticed, and learned. The fabric and threads get all stretched out when you fold them. On the inside, thin and brittle fabric can just totally split like it was cut with scissors if you fold it like that. And on the outside, it's stretched out so when you unfold it, it's slightly raised and sticks out. Especially after years and years and years. No good!! The ones I have have noticeable folds where you can see how it was folded. I suppose ideally you would gently roll the quilts and store them that way. Currently, mine are folded inside out. It'll minimize sun damage and fading and potential random spills on the pretty side, and the less important side can take the stretching outing.

2. It's a pretty cool idea to iron flat linens RIGHT after they are washed, instead of even putting them in the dryer. Dunno why I never heard of this before. That's IF you bother ironing at all, which I don't often do, but like doing with the bedding so it's nice and flat and stiff and crisp. I THINK I thought of this myself, but I am certain I wouldn't be the first person to think of it. I just wondered why I would hang things up to dry, or throw them in the dryer, and THEN try to iron out the wrinkles that have basically already been set. This is ideal to do with pillowcases, and flat sheets ... though that GIANT king-size pink Nautica flat sheet took way too freaking long to do. It would work really nicely with handkerchiefs, and napkins, and tablecloths too, probably. Just unroll or unfold, and stretch and pull the fabric out a bit before you iron, and you don't have to use the steam function (it's already damp!) and you dry and iron out wrinkles AT THE SAME TIME. Whoo. This worked wonderfully with an embroidered and cut-out pillowcase that had shrunken a bit within the embroidered part so the pillowcase was all warped at the end there. Now it is nice and flat and smooth! I also try (if I remember) to gently straighten and finger-iron wet clothes from the washer when I hang them up the dry. How you hang them up is how they dry all stiffish-like, so save yourself the extra ironing step and do it while it's wet!!

3. Featherbeds can sometimes suck. My king size Woolrich one that I got for 75% off at Target ($17.48!!) is on the bed and the feathers are sticking out EVERYWHERE. Horrible. I know it's just that the weave on the cover is probably not fine enough, but feathers also get all flattened in the middle where the big ole body lays so you end up sleeping in a ditch, basically. If the feathers pile up around the outside enough, it's almost like a grave. Ick.

4. Old, garish, yet serviceable comforters make awesome mattress toppers. So, Target sells "mattress toppers" - basically like the foam toppers, or feather toppers, or down-free toppers, etc. They basically provide more cushion atop the mattress/bed. (I swear the next mattress I get is going to be a Tempur-pedic, though. Cousin got one AND I LOVE IT!) I love myself a firm mattress so I never thought I needed one, but I reaaaaaally wanted to sleep on feathers and try it and I kinda did not totally care for it. So then I got a cute Tommy Hilfiger reversible Hawaiian print comforter for $7 at the thrift store. And I folded it in half and used it on the bed and it totally kept the feathers from poking out through the sheet into me!! Just now I remembered that I forgot to put the gorgeous VELOUR (fuzzy, and soft like velvet!) mattress cover on ... but last night I fixed up the feather mattress, and threw the comforter over it for extra padding, AND THEN put on the Woolrich down-free comforter on top of THAT before I put the sheets on. And this bed is now like sinking into a cloud. A flower-covered, Laura Ashley/Rachel Ashewell cloud.

5. Shower curtains make perfectly acceptable and serviceable curtains for the bedroom windows. My little apartment has drapery pull hardware so it already comes with the kind of hooks that pin into the drapes. I just used shower curtain hooks and shower curtains and what with the collection I have, I can change the curtains however often I want. Also, it is MUCH MUCH MUCH cheaper to buy the shower curtain in RACHEL ASHWELL BRITISH ROSE FABRIC than it is to buy the window panels. $60, for 2, on eBay? People are craaaaaaaazyyyyyyyyyy.

Clue - Master Detective

Ok, how many people know this game??

See, I have a little sad story about this game. I LOVE it.

Some time in the early 90's, I think, I took some of my own money and bought a couple games. LOVE Clue. So this Master Detective game came out - more suspects, more rooms, more weapons! More more more. More everything. Pretty sure I bought it at the Toys R Us on South Street in Cerritos, before they redid the inside ... ah, memories.

I got this game for $20 and the Clue Master Detective VHS video game as well.

So this one random time, we have family friends that came over ... and my mom, as the hostess, felt that we should give them (the kids of the family friends) a present, to be hospitable. So, basically - and it's a Chinese thing - she doesn't have anything of her own likely appropriate for kids, so she asks ME what I HAVE that I could give them ...

And did I offer up this game? I have no idea. I know sometimes she would say (because it certainly happened more than once!!!), "Let's just give it to them now and I'll buy you a new one later."

Oh, guess how often I actually ended up with "a new one later"??? :)

Anyhoo, Master Detective was given away, it was never replaced, even when I (think) went back to Toys R Us to try to get another one ...

I've been bitter about it ever since. I'm talkin' years, people!! And it might not be completely off the wall to blame my somewhat compulsive spending habits on things like this that have happened.

Thusly, I think I'd been checking eBay over the past year or so to try to get another one in decent shape. I wasn't willing to pay more than $20 for it, even with inflation adjusted and everything.

Seriously, folks, any of you that thrift, or go to garage sales, or whatever? BUY THIS GAME.

This game sells for beaucoup bucks!!! I just did a quick search and the cheapest that sold in the last month was $15, with $15 shipping. That was missing the knife weapon piece, as well as having only photocopied detective sheets. There were several sets that sold for $45. Eeps!!

So the thing is, in my thrifting adventures in the last few months I actually DID come across this game, in semi-decent condition ... for $3.95. I was ecstatic the first time I found one, since it was a childhood trauma that needed not-a-little amelioration.

Since then, I've found a couple more, and it's worth it to open it up and check to see if it has all the cards and pieces and green dice and stuff. In general, the game board is pristine, sometime the pieces are missing, and sometimes there aren't that many pads of detective sheets left. But it's okay!! Spend $3.95 (potentially half price!) and sell it for $45+shipping on eBay???

Ugh. I also collected a couple other vintage Clue games in my thrifting hunts (for CHEAP - like, $2), and managed to snag a first edition Clue game off eBay too.

But you wanna know my HOLY GRAIL OF ALL CLUE GAMES???

It is freaking Clue on a ca. 1920's TRAIN. Do you see Istanbul/Constantinople in the distant scenery??

Heh. This is CLUEDO because that is the name of it in the U.K. ... limited run, generally goes for like, $70 or $90 ... and they have versions in French and Italian as well.

Ooh, greed.

But go out and buy Master Detective if you can. :) I just love that this one thrift store has gotten them in REGULARLY!!!!!!!!

Amy Winehouse

Ok, so I totally have mixed feelings about this chick.

I first saw her, and heard her, on her premiere on Dave Letterman.


Had no clue who she was, thought she was dressed WEIRDLY with that hair and makeup, and didn't quite get why she was singing such a retro song in that weird semi-ska register.

So, I was profoundly unimpressed with and disinterested in her.

Then, lately, especially this past week, there's been such a steady media stream of her well-nigh-unto-Britney-esque slow implosion. I've seen pics of her massive weight loss, attributed to her newfound addiction to working out ... but I kinda think all the drugs have a lot to do with it??

I think she looked really good and nice, about 4 years ago, without all those inky tats and before the chemical addictions. I certainly prefer her arms embellishment-free.

Anyway, so I just had the one experience with hearing that Rehab song (arrogant! geez) ... and thought I'd look her up on youtube and see what the big deal was, since her concerts were selling well and now they were all cancelled because she basically was stumbling around, unable to perform.

And I am in LOVE with her sultry singing style, such a great soulful sound! Some of her songs have whack lyrics, but for this week at least, it's been an all-Amy soundtrack and she is now one of my favorites. I can totally picture myself listening to her and dancing around during the day while I'm in Europe!! It's the kind of music I'd like to have with me, walking around, or soaking in the sights.

So here's what I've been listening to non-stop for the last two days. That's how I get, in obsessive spurts - listen to a song compulsively for a week or so and then find something else. It happened with Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I Am" (in essence, the Old Navy sweater song) and Cansei Ser Sexy's "Music is My Hot Hot Sex." (Dang, but they are kinda weird people, yo.)

Enjoy!

You Know That I'm No Good - I LOVE THIS REMIX!!!!!

And for some reason, I don't know WHY, I am SO totally mesmerized by Linda Ronstadt's background singer with the huge pile of hair, in the high-waisted yellow pantsuit. Her cute little pumpkin face caught my eye, then I kept watching the video, and seeing her rock out is totally hilarious. I want to know who this woman is!!

Stronger Than Me - Live

I think she looks completely awesome here, and this rendition is all sassy and fulfilling. Too bad I get occasional irate fits of irritation when I happen to think abot how completely grammatically INcorrect "stronger than ME" totally is.

He Can Only Hold Her/That Thing (Lauren Hill)

This one looks so fun. I especially like how she quickly leans down to get a drink before the first line of the song and half stumblers/staggers but makes it on cue. It's just stinkin' hilarious.

And her backup singers!!! Oh my. They are pretty awesome. The hug at the end is cute also. :)

In case you are interested, other nice cuts are Back to Black and Valerie, a cover of the Zutons (sooooo many covers on youtube ... and most not that good, hmm). She has exceptional vocals on Valerie, in my opinion. I also think her studio versions in general sound the best, but she has had some seriously awesome live performances also.

It's too bad she seems to be taking the rock'n'roll fast-track to accelerated self-destruction. I hope she's okay, but she sounds like she has moooondo problems.

In the meantime ... dang. What talent at such a young age.

Rachel Ashwell

I guess the universe is also dispensing of some Rachel Ashwell goods, along with Classic Winnie from Target (I can't STAND those "popping" brightly colored Winnie things, I find them garish. Actually, the use of the word "pop" in describing colors and elements in interior design sorta chafes on my last throbbing nerve ALSO. It seems ... gauche ... unwieldy ... trying too hard?? "Tap-tap-tappin' on mah last NURVE 'bouta BREAKIT!" ~ Michaela, age 8.)

So, twice in the past week, I have found Rachel Ashwell TREASURES stuff (her super duper expensive designer line). At the thrift store. Um, who buys this stuff and then gives it away to the thrift store??? Weird.

Since I actually only know her Target stuff, I don't know any of her other patterns, yet both times it was the colors/patterns (yes, roses on striped ticking - hm) that caught my eye and made me fumble around for that TAG.

Yay!!

So one was a darkish blue stripe, with little pink roses scattered all over it, and it was a flat sheet. Yesterday I found a full fitted sheet - purple ticking stripes with purple roses on it. I have a feeling these were her early patterns or something, because I can't find anything close to these on the net now. The longer I held the fitted sheet, the nicer it felt - it was some really nice soft cotton.

I'll take pics later today to show the pattern. The flat sheet I got mostly for quilting, and the fitted sheet ... well, I like fitted sheets. :)

I honestly think flat sheets are a great thrift store find for making quilts. It's bedding, it's cheap fabric, and you can get some awesome patterns. It's just a matter of having enough fabric to make whatever pattern you have in mind.

At the same thrift store, at the same time, I found a little decorator pillow in this old-time pattern:

I mean, I like it okay, but don't much care for brown. Was debating for a while before I took a closer look and found a bleached yellow spot on it. Uck, gross. It was only $1.95 though.

So then, a couple weeks ago, also found Ashwell's book The Shabby Chic Home sitting on top of a pile of other books at the thrift store - $1.91.

I am also ASTOUNDED that THIS: can be found on eBay as a Buy It Now for $49.99!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's ridiculous. It was $19.99 at most last year at Target, sheesh. The most I paid for mine (I might even have two!) was $4.98. It's possible I even managed to snag one at $1.99. Christmas stuff goes 90% off! They didn't have many stockings, I think, last year, and they have loads of Shabby Chic stockings this year, but no skirt! At least, that I have seen. Anyone who would care to correct me may do so freely.

Baby quilts!

I've been having some pretty decent luck in the last month with quilts, and this past week or so especially with Classic Winnie!!!! I love Winnie the Pooh - Classic Winnie, especially from Target. I love pale, muted, pastel colors; it's so soothing! So I sort of have a little collection going on just because I like the stuff, but should the ticking time bomb of my dessicating, shuddering, shriveling ovaries *le gasp* suddenly go off, I suppose I could give a great big basket o' goodies to my sister. Who might be married by next year. But we'll see. It was nice to find out that she would choose me as her maid of honor (I was kinda doubting that, yo, since she has SUCH good friends, but then I was pleased as punch! Good thing for her I am also SO creative and generous and at this point VICARIOUS).

Thrift store find!!!!!! Winnie the Pooh crib quilt:

Price: $1.92+ tax

Headboard and crib bumper:

Price: $1.92 for the two.

Earlier this week I ended up getting another of the Pooh quilts for $2.95 just because it was so soft and cute after I washed it. This second one might need a bit of bleaching - can't tell if it's part of the print or not, how weird is that? - but it's always nice to have a spare. Especially a dumpy one that can get messed up. The store also had TWO of the headboard bumpers and another crib bumper, and EACH was $2.95 (this was a different thrift store, not the nice $1.92 one!), but I passed on those.

On eBay these used sets are selling for over $20 before shipping. I've seen some crib sheets and things too, but I'm gonna hold off on getting those for now. Honestly, though, I was thinking - even if I don't use it as a bumper, the fabric would be nice to play around with somehow, with my NEW SEWING MACHINE (that I haven't tried yet ...)!!!

And on eBay!!
Embroidered baby quilt, blue redwork, aka bluework, with pictures of nursery rhymes. Each patch is also outlined in a pink featherstitch. The only damage is a faded spot at the upper right, but I thought the colors and embroidery were so charming!!

Price: $22.75 after shipping.

Vets Stadium find!!!! And you guys wonder why this is so addictive ....

This is also hand-embroidered, appliqued, and hand-quilted. The lady said "Somebody really loved a lot," meaning - old, worn, faded. But that's what drew me to it! The colors are totally faded, and the binding is certainly threadbare, but there's nothing like old, worn, soft, washed cotton! It's so sweet. I also don't generally care for ANYTHING circus-related, such as dang elephants, but I got over it. I wonder if it originally had much brighter colors and faded like this. It looks like it's been bleached before. I don't care, it's supersoft!

Price: Half off of $6 - $3. Whee!!!!

Honesty.

Dang, it tries my patience sometimes.

On Wednesday, I went to the thrift store that seems to have severely overpriced furniture, but also has cool stuff like the blue glass cake plate and the aqua Pyrex, with weekly markdowns.

So I got this:

I remember when I first saw it for $29.92. I loved it, picked it up, tapped it, and it sounded great. Yay. But not for $30.

I think last week it was down to the $14.91 price. However, I saw the $6.96 on Wednesday and HAD to get it! No chips or anything on the lid, but the gold has worn a bit around the rim of the lid. AND it's Austrian. Pretty. (I tried to find the pattern on Replacements.com, and think I found it - $117.95. A same dish by this maker, just with a different floral pattern, is $155.95!!!! Yikes. I'll have to investigate further.)

So, I go to pay, and had also gotten a book about Victorian customs $2.92, I believe), a 60¢ Mary Engelbreit mug, and was thinking about this aqua vase. I asked the lady to ring up everything except the vase first because all I had on me was $10 and they only take cash.

I get frustrated with this place because it's at the end of my thrift store "rounds" and it closes at 6 - SO early, and they only take cash. So half the time I'm all rushed there.

Anyway, I ask her if she knows what color tag will go 50% off ... they do that on Fridays. There was a neato Grandma's Flower Garden quilt top I was looking at $14.xx, so I wanted to wait for 50% off. Actually, it wasn't there anymore when I checked on Wednesday (it was there Saturday, maybe), but I just wanted to know.

She says she thinks it will be 50% off, she's wrapping the dish in newspaper, and she goes to give me the total, and I'm like - "Did you ring it up?" She totally didn't!! Dang. I could have afforded the the vase if I'd let her do that. Ha! So she realizes she didn't, thinks about unwrapping it to check the price, then asks me, and I tell her, and she says "I trust you!"

So she puts it in and gives me the total, and it's $11.34 after tax. Crud. I ask her to take off the Engelbreit mug, then. She's looking at the register, then starts digging in her pocket, and I'm like, what? Is she going for a key to the register or something?

She ends up throwing in the extra buck for me (I had 34¢) just to not have to do an override. She asked if I was there often, and I said at least once a week, and I thanked her and told her I'd pay her back next time I was in.

So there it is. An Austrian covered dish for $7, A TOTALLY REPRESENTATIVE SYMBOL of my unquenchable habit of being honest. Urgh. I think that's worth at least $7.

That's what I'm gonna think about every time I look at it. That's not so bad.

I also stopped by last night on my way home from work to try to give her $1 (even though I only had $20 coming straight from the ATM!), but they had just closed, the door was shut, they didn't want to let me in, and couldn't understand what I was yelling through the glass door since they didn't feel like opening it!! So I left. Will try again next time.

While I was taking pics, though, I found a HUGE chip on the bottom of the dish, another with another smaller chip on the inside lip of the bottom. Boo hoo. I will have to be careful because the big chip flaked a little bit, too.

I think it's a pretty good deal, though, and at least the chips are where I can't see them.

That's the bummer about that place, they have nice stuff, but sometimes when you wait for it to go lower, it's been all dinged up and whacked about in the meantime. Like that set of Japanese teacups and saucers, with the teacups all broken now, in the bad! Tragedy.

But hey! I'm honest.

1,000! Whee, attention.

Yay, a milestone. I woke up yesterday to see "1,001" and that was nice. Thank you all for coming and I hope I'm not boring the dreck out of you!! And thank you to all who have left comments. :)

Cupcake frenzy!!!

I am totally on a cupcake kick because I am apparently a huge follower. I see other bloggers' posts on adorableness thingies and I seem to develop a hankering as well.

So lately, it's cupcakes. And candy. It all started with a picture of a cupcake candle, and then I found one at Target. And now ...

Like, look here, at this Christmas display I took a picture of in Target:

I saw it and decided it was going to be my new favorite Christmas theme for the tree. Even though I already have tons of decorations, actually.

I decided I totally loved these gumdrop ornaments AND THE LITTLE KNITTED SWEATERS!!! The blue is my favorite because it has the most sequins, but the pink is nice too. If the tree is green I think there is no need for green ORNAMENTS. I say that because they have the knitted sweaters in a lime green.

Here are the cupcake ornaments that I was SALIVATING over and finally got a few of!!! I'm pretty sure they are all sold out in the stores now, actually. I think I got 2 of the white and a half dozen of the pink. Mmm, pink. Pink pink pink.

So the new tree theme I have is white/glass, light blue/aqua, pink, and GLITTERY!! Will take pictures of the tree when I put it up. Dang, I'm behind on a lot of decorating stuff.

In my hunt to FINALLY find a picture of the darn stuffed cupcake from Target, along with the PINK cupcake candle (that I missed out on!!!), I found THIS from Hallmark:

It was pretty pricey, probably something like $24.99. Oy. I will look, but not touch.

However!! Since I got the sewing machine from Target for $65 over the weekend, I can now indulge my craftiness and start in on the quilting stuffs (been buying up old flat sheets at the thrift store for nice, worn in, recyclable material!!) as well as the cupcaking creating.

I found gorgeous pictures and ideas on other sites so here they are!

This is from eBay. I can TOTALLY make this.

Betz White is apparently totally famous, with her own book, and on Martha Stewart, and she makes stuff like this:

She also sells kits where she has coordinated the sweaters and fabrics and you put it together. They are so sweet and adorable!! There are several sites with directions for how to knit your own cupcake pincushion but I love the idea of recycling sweaters into something adorablemente like this.

Lastly, these girls are totally diehard!! I am swooning over their Gymboree find of cupcake-themed children's clothing and accessories. So! Stinking! Cute!!

Sugar high - over.

I got a bit lucky, Pt. the 2nd

1. The Estate Sale.

Here are some pics of the craigstlist listing that got me hooked. I still have some of the Christmas ornaments that I've been meaning to take pictures of ... bummer I didn't pick those up the other pink ones that were at this sale, because they are selling like hotcakes on eBay - just regular, pink, vintage, Shiny Brite glass ornaments! I did see another lady swoop down on those things and grab a half dozen boxes, though. However, I like my clear glass with white and silver glitter, etc. ones better. I picked out all the more fancy pink ones that I could find, too.

We walked through the driveway which was lined with the bigger furniture pieces, to the garage which had the bulk of the stuff. This was the view into the back of the garage. Lots of people were just digging through the piles of Christmas storage on the floor - in the middle here. All the boxes at the bottom of the picture, in the middle, were full of Christmas things. The umbrellas I neglected to look through were on one of the back shelves! The also had some vintage fruit crates with original labels, but they were in such sad, horrible condition - totally grease-stained and everything, and looked like they had been stacked up in the garage for makeshift shelves of greasy greasecans.

Here, they had set up a row of shelves about in the middle of the garage. Can you see the Pfaltzgraff canisters in the upper right??? :) There was some Pyrex, too, but I passed on that and a lady walked off with it shortly thereafter.

Here is the covered patio area that had the more "valuable" small stuff. I just picked up 4 Glasbake mugs, though they did have some pretty, white, milk glass.
The Glasbake mugs were on the table on the left, though I know you can't hardly see what's on these tables here. It was nice browsing, though, and much less crowded in here.

And here is the beautiful picture from The Hunt for Vintage which inspired my eye for vintage Christmas ornaments. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite blogs, and I love her pictures, and she has SUCH a good eye AND gets amazing prices!!!

I love this display and think it's such a good idea. I've been collecting quite a lot of candy jars, and covered jars - from England and Italy, incidentally. Mini-ornaments in a jar or glass bowl would look nice. I also got a GIANT Italian blown glass jar filled to the brim with various old wine corks (no way on earth I would EVER drink that much wine, sheesh) which I have been playing around with for display. There has to be over 200 corks in there.

Christmas and other catchy-uppy posts next. :)

I got a bit lucky.

I ran into a spot of what I would call "luck" last week out hitting the estate sales, and thrift stores, and the Vets Stadium Antique Market!! I am so addicted. It'd be nice to have a hunting buddy but it's cool to also just wander by myself.

Alright, I'll keep it to 3 excursions:

1. Estate Sale.
This one was from craigslist, I believe, and there were lots of people there bright and early!! I got lost on the way there, even though I had looked up the directions. (That is why I will be looking for a dang GPS on Black Friday!!!) They advertised it as an 80-year-old collection of items. While I was there, I believe I heard that it was a couple of spinster aunties that lived there!!! Never married, and they kept EVERYTHING.

I love love love love love the vintage glass Christmas ornaments that I got, thanks to inspiration from another blogger (link to be added, and pics, when I get back to my apartment and computer!), but I was MOST pleased with this set of canisters:

I saw the set, liked the country feel, and noticed that they were Pfaltzgraff. I asked about them, the nice, nice, nice jolly man running the front said $15 for the set of 5 (I actually have a salt one instead of the Cookies one in this picture), though I wanted $10, and he went to go ask his associates to run it by them!! The sugar one even had a big old bag of sugar in it! In the end, after I dug through 4 boxes of old ornaments, I went to another more supervised area - got 4 Glasbake mugs (one green, one blue, two pink - all pastels!) for $4 - to check out, and she counted the set of canisters as $7. Um, I didn't correct her.

It was at the end of this sale that I walked out and saw a young teenage girl with a red umbrella WITH A STRIPED CANDYCANE HANDLE. I was suffused, awash, with regret, because I remember seeing a stack of a half-dozen umbrellas in the garage when I had been digging through, and ignored them. It is the HANDLE that did it for me. Yowza. It honestly even looked like Bakelite, darn it. However, despite its cuteness, the pattern of stripeyness was a bit smushed and marred around the curve and bend of the umbrella, making it look like a measled zebra. It would have been $1. I asked the guy. So I keep telling myself about its perceived flaws because I'm a bit sad I missed out on it. I did get another browny and pink vintage umbrella fro 50¢ later at another sale, though.

2. Thrift store.
I have a mad obsession with Pyrex. It started out with the clear glass stuff, like what I used in chem class, and especially what I prefer to use for storing leftovers in the fridge. Also, Anne's nice mommy gave Jen a pink gooseberry mixing bowl for her wedding shower, which I've seen Jen using, and now I absolutely love pink glass. I've been fortunate enough to find a few sets of cups, and bowls, too, in the pink. So I definitely keep an eye out for this stuff when I'm out and about, and on Friday, I found this:

It was not sold as a set, but they were priced individually. It is not my favorite patern, but I love the color because it will go with my strawberry stuff!! (whee, aqua and red, just like in this picture, incidentally!) The large was marked $8.98, the medium $6.98 or $4.98, and the smallest was $2.98. Not great prices, by any means, but cheaper than eBay, in good condition, and it was okay.

When I got up to the counter to check out, I had them stacked together so that I could carry them properly. The lady took a look and only entered the price for the large one. Yikes! Stuff like this has happened before at this place so I should watch it. I pointed out to her that the other bowls had prices too, so she picked up the smallest one, rang in the price, thanked me for being very honest, and then wrapped it up.

She never did enter the price for the medium one. Oops. So it was a good deal (at least, in this area) for that set.

3. Vets Stadium.
This one is sooooooooo cool. I had to rush to church so I didn't even go through half of it, this time, when I usually do prefer to browse as long as possible, and there were some really awesome things and deals this month. (I still am meaning to post about last month, when it was completely surreal with the Santa Ana winds blowing through like the dang Sahara desert ... it was sad and pitiful to see all the broken and smashed glass and pottery all over the lot! I fully regretted not having my camera with me.)

I found a wonderful linens seller that I don't recall seeing before ... her aprons are what caught my eye (Nov. 21 was National "Tie One 'Round" Day, did you know?). Then I saw her table runners, and hand embroidered napkins, handkerchiefs, and pillowcase. THE PRICES ARE GREAT!! $4 for a tablerunner, $10 for matching pair of pillowcases. Everything clearly washed.

The most amazing thing I found was a giant, like, king-size, redwork embroidered flat sheet. I really must take a picture of it, it is just stunning and compelling. It was tagged $25, which I thought was a steal for the sheer effort.

Well, I was digging through the table runners, to make sure I had a good look at everything, and the lady running the booth saw me with this sheet, which I had set on the table, and she picked it up and it looked like she was going to take it away. I told her that I did want it, and she asked if I knew how much it was. Her nice, nice, nice, NICE husband said that we had just been chatting and the price hadn't even come up yet. I said, "Well, I saw the tag for $25." She stopped, looked at me, and said, "Oh no, no no, this is $35. You go anywhere else here and they will charge you at least $65, $70, this is all hand done." I felt very very mild irritation but told her I still wanted it anyway, while I continued looking.

I'd found a gorgeous delicate appliqued table runner (pic coming as well), along with another embroidered table runner that was ALL FRENCH KNOTS. She told me her table runners were all $4, "even all this, look at this, mija, this is all hand done! for you - $4," but I did notice that the french knot table runner was marked $12.

Anyway, I got everything together, folded it nicely (folded the $12 price tag inside the runner), and told myself that I would just let her have a look at the pile and if she saw the price tag and wanted to charge me that price, I'd probably go along with it because they were JUST that nice. She looked through everything, didn't open anything up, charged me $4 for each price tag, went down on the price of the pillowcase pair, threw in a free apron, basically ... but still said the embroidered flat sheet was $35.

So I bought it. And honestly, when I post a picture, you will seeeeeeeeeeee ... stinkin' price tag was CHANGED! From $25 to $35, I think it's pretty obvious. Grrr. Anyway, I think I don't care because it is definitely worth at least $35. Totally. And the table runners themselves are beautemous. She said there were originally pillowcases to go with the sheet, but we never found them, and then she said she thought she was arranging at home and they were shams, and she had pulled all the shams out. I said I was definitely interested in the shams, for the set, and asked if she could call me if she did find it, just so I would know to come the next month. "Oh, no, I can't, I'm so busy, I'm working 40 hours a week ..." Hmm. I guess she does this as a hobby???

The husband was nice enough to inform me that they got all the items from a rag distributor, and they are usually in sad, horrible, awful condition, but she washes and bleaches them and spruces them up. I CANNOT BELIEVE what some people use for rags. Yeesh. She also had a nice pink tulip quilt but wanted $75 or $65 for it. Le sigh. Quilts are dang expensive.

I hope they have the shams next month!! And I am GLAD I hid that stupid price tag, what with her changing the price on me.

Pics to come when I get back, and once again, happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving - and Black Friday.

Hello, peeps.

Happy Thanksgiving!! It's such a nice holiday. I have been looking forward to it all month, and especially, WEEK. It's been hectic having parent conferences, the kids have been totally wired, and I just need a break!!! We had a good day, though, I had the kids bring soups, veggies, crackers, chips, drinks, etc., for our "Thanksgiving Feast" and we made "Friendship Stew" for lunch. They all seemed to really like it, and I admit it didn't taste too bad. Basically we dumped everything in the crockpot and stirred it together. I tied in themes of hygiene (washing hands, preparing food, cleaning up after a meal), nutrition (veggies, portions, balanced diet), table manners and etiquette (table settings, waiting until everyone has been served, saying "please" and "thank you"), and social studies - celebrating Thanksgiving. I have pics, and I will post this weekend!!

What I REALLY wanted to do after school today was to go home, relax, turn on the computer, and post about all my latest forays into the secondhand business. I have a billion crazy things going on upstairs all jumbled up.

But no. After a fairly wonderful day - and it was quite fun, even if I spend SO much of the majority of my time coralling these dang heathens - I decided to hit the shops. I hit a couple little thrift stores that I usually love, and only got a bag of about 6 big candles (including a sweet pea scented White Barn Candle Co. jar - new!!!, a flowered glass candle, cinnamon, etc.) for $1.91 and a set of 3 shot glasses, also for $1.91. They go with the other set I bought at an antique dealer's yard sale a few weeks back. Oh yes, I also wandered into two "antique/furniture" stores in little dumpy places ... I might go back, might not, but you never know what you can find!!! And before I went to Target (2, and it was nearly 3!!), I hit another thrift store that I usually don't find much at, and spied some very pretty blue and white plates - they were Pier 1, and I ended up passing on them for $1.51 each - but looooooove the red plates that just jumped out at me from the shelf. They were red, and look stoneware, and when I turned them over, they are German, but produced in Spain. They just have this LOOK. They are a bit too bricky/slight tinge of orange to go with the aqua/red theme I'd like to get going some time, but they would work for Christmas. I'll have to pull them out and put them next to some other pieces to see how they go.

And then!! Mad Target shopping! Pretty much all I got were Christmas ornaments. There is a new line of ornaments out (perhaps it was around last year, and I did not notice, since I was focused on other things) that I love - pink, and sugarplum-themed, and all that goodness. I looked at the stuff when it first came out, after the big Halloween clearance, and loved it!! And they have pink stuffed cupcakes! I admit I took pictures in the store because I loved the display so much. Anyway, I anticipate that after Black Friday they will have their typical 15% off Christmas things this next week and I will just go get a price adjustment. Hee.

I am looking forward to Black Friday and should have prepared more, since I could have gotten the things at Target and just gone in Friday or Saturday to have the price adjusted, but I kind of like the feeling of walking into the store very early and joining in the fray. Last year was fairly calm in Target, and they were very well-stocked. Circuit City was another crazy store, and I mistakenly let a 2G SD card slip through my hands ... $2!!! I haven't seen anything like that this year, I'm afraid.

Anyhoo, I then REALLY need to clean because my stuffs are taking up my LIFE!

Tomorrow we are having dinner with middle sis' bf's family who flew in from Texas, up at the apartment in El Segundo that he shares with our cousin. I met his sister last Saturday and think it will be fun to meet the rest of the family. It's interesting to hear what she has to say about his family dynamics and compare it with our own. It's also quite likely that they will be engaged soon and possibly get married next year, so we need to all meet and see where this is going! I think it was very nice of them to fly out for Thanksgiving. And his mom already has the tree up at their home because they won't be back until next week.

Food!! Sis was making cheesecake brownies earlier and will make a few other dishes in the morning. I am in charge of salad and drinks so those will be quite easy to whip up. I should make my lists of what to bring, Miss Scatterbrained!!

Ok, and because Miss Wendy requested it, I will cut this long post off now because I'd like to talk about something else and am switching topics. :)