Hoo, looky what I found today.

I found a couple new blogs that I think are adorable, and one that is jaw-dropping.

This chickie at Romantic Home HAS A GORGEOUS HOUSE! AND SHE'S JUST RENTING!! My place surely don't look like that. Heh. She says she's gotten nearly everything at flea markets and thrift stores, and she has a wonderful eye and beautiful design sense. Check out the flickr page of stuff around her house!!! Her place LOOKS LIKE I imagine my place looking one day. Heh. She also makes me want to start a subscription for Country Living. I just started a new subscription to Southern Accents, and I let my Cottage Living subscription expire. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for, I think. And I DON'T want any more dang recipes! What I REALLY WANT is for the JUNKMARKET Style magazine to come back!! I remember seeing it in Target after I got back from my backpacking trip to Europe in 2006, and I freaking LOVED it. Read it from cover to cover, but was slightly broke, and busy getting ready for a new school year with a new classroom and grade level change, and told myself I'd reward myself for my first paycheck of the school year by buying the magazine ... and then I went back and hunted for it and it was all GONE!! Le crushed spirit. So apparently, only one issue has ever come out, and they go quickly on eBay. Grrr. But the editors/authors now have a couple books out, so I suppose that is okay. I LOVE info and pics about flea markets, though! I find it addictive.

I found Cynthia's Cottage Design through one of the pictures posted on the Home Goods blog, and I like her ideas. It's all maybe a bit too busy for me, but she puts things together very nicely. Granny Smith Green is going on my blogroll as well.

So, in wandering relatively aimlessly around the internet, I heard about the ADORABLE Free Hugs campaign (that's ancient history, though, I am so behind the times!), and then - Trash the Dress.

Seriously, it is frickin' awesome, and visual eye CRACK to me. There are some great pictures over on this blog. I guess it started at http://trashthedress.wordpress.com/.


Some more gorgeous pictures are here, and seriously? It is so something I would want to do. A great photographer with great shots, to capture that one moment in time ... that's kinda priceless.

Especially when gravity starts pullin' and tuggin' and things just AREN'T THE SAME ANYMORE. I forget where I read it, but I agree with having a few lovely, wonderful shots of yourself when you are younger, to keep for when you are older, to remember your glory days.

Is that vain??

I think a TTD (Trash the Dress :P) session with my sister would be something we could totally do too!! Maybe I will do it for her for her first wedding anniversary/birthday or something.

When she was shopping for dresses earlier in the year, she found a thrift store with sample wedding and prom dresses ... oh my gosh, GORGEOUS ones for only $50 each. There was one dress I loooooooved, but I was like - what am I gonna do with it???

This is the dress she first showed me, btw.


She took a pic on her cell phone and then texted it to me, and we went that weekend to take a closer look, and so I could give my opinion on it, as well as shop around for other dresses.

I seriously totally LOVE this picture I took of her, and kind of wish the stupid chair was not there. Oh well.

She ultimately ended up going with this one, though:

Ah, memories. I can't believe she's been married for two months now!

I am STILL trying to track down pics from her shower; I was genuinely so proud of that. I should go and organize the stuff that I used for the shower, really; some of it is still piled in the corner of the dining room. Hee.

Home Goods

OK, quickie post, because I just can't resist!

I typed in "Rachel Ashwell" (you know, I swear, I just made the same darn typo as I did before - HA!) "blog," just to see what would come up.

And I found another blog that mentioned the Home Goods blog ... whee!!!

I love Home Goods now. Earlier in the year, I was on a MAD hunt for a pink medallion-decorated teapot that I first saw at TJ Maxx, and passed on. WHY! DID! I! DO THAT! Anyway, I was thinking about it that whole week, still obsessing, and when I went back, it was gone. And I posted on the wonderful fishing site, and they recommended I check out Home Goods.

I was HOOKED.

I've gotten quite a bit there since then ... hee. Beautiful. I do remember a fellow teacher talking about it a couple years ago at a staff party, where the person in charge got the napkins or whatever from there, but I just wasn't into all that at the time, I think. Actually, a couple weeks ago, I ran INTO this teacher at the Kohl's next door to Home Goods ... she lives in the area and I had not seen her since the summer!

Anyhoo.

While I never did get the teapot, I did find the matching cake stand for 75% off at Marshalls ... $5. LOVE IT. Used it for sister's bridal shower. Will throw up a pic of it some other time. Still wish I'd gotten the matching platter! You win some, you lose some. :)

The one thing I REALLY regret not buying was a tall glass cloche for only $10. It was summer, I was NOT having all that extra bobbly money to throw around, and I had to choose. I KNOW the cloche I could use around Christmas (imitative creative blogger that I am ;) ), so I figured I could always get one later. And I probably will. But now that I am ready to buy one, of course they have none! But geez. $10 for a foot-tall cloche. That's a good deal.

So, the Home Goods blog has several different contributors, and I think one of them has her own beautiful blog too. She's down here in Southern California, but inland, I think.

WELL - this Thankgsiving them and table setting has me drooling. I LOVE aqua and that color blue. I want my bedroom in that color. With white and black accents in wood.

I also poked around their reader-submitted finds/pictures, and found this:

which is TOTALLy the color palette I have in my head for my eventual decked out living room. I am not sure about the floral/chintz couch, I kind of prefer more understated, neutral big pieces, and I KNOW I don't do white wicker furniture (only have a little thrifted wastebasket in the bedroom!), but the red, black, and goldish yellow?? I'm all about that. I have a rusty red rug, and a little tan sofa, and plenty of pillows, and black furniture. From Target! Yayness. I guess the overall feel is quite Italianate, I suppose?

Now to just pull it all together and not have it covered with yards of Target shopping bags.

Then again, I seriously think this season is the trend for Christmas ornaments made from Target bags. Have you seen these?

I saw them on The Hunt for Vintage first (she has more here),


and then a feature in a crafting magazine with Betz White.

:)

Just wondering ...

If anyone who happens to pop by (randomly, or regularly!) has any opinion on the new look for the blog? I've had a few different palettes percolating in the upper regions lately. I love me some fall colors, but found myself thinking of these current colors most often. Probably because I found some ADORABLE red kitchenware last week at the estate sale, and I love my little red, black, and white kitchen. Which (ahem), needs cleaning.

Any thoughts or feedback would be welcome and appreciated! I like the colors, but maybe the header is a bit busy. And yes, I DID spend way too much time putzing around with all of this this afternoon ... but I felt like it.

It seems most people end up here via google pics ... of diaper cakes, the Eiffel tower, and RACHEL ASSHELL.

Whoa. That was totally a typo, but I kind of want to leave it. My poor brain.

Try #2: RACHEL ASHWELL! and her blog. (I just checked it out today ... boy, it is cute. And hosted on blogger too. I love her pictures. I giggle inside a bit at some of her spelling, because that is just not the impression that I have of her ... but I like the authentic voice that it lends.)

Well, Cath Kidston gets a fair number of hits too, actually.

:)

I have also been thinking of hosting a giveaway, since apparently that is a pretty popular thing to do over in bloggyland, and there was recently that big bloggy giveaway/carnival. It was interesting to see that many blogs (um, seriously, like, 1500, no exaggeration) in one week, and see what was being given away. I know stuff I LIKE, and have been looking around for a swap, but quite frankly, I should clean first so I have goodies to give! And, considering the regular readership of this blog, I reaaaaally think it should be quite easy (read: non-competitive) to win. Ha! Maybe even so few people that everyone might as well get something. Hrm. :/

Being the Target addict that I am, I kind of want to host a "Target clearance" swap. Man, that would be kind of awesome. Hee. Maybe I will do that over in Fishieville.

I'm gonna turn this thing off for the night now.

So many pics to take, and finds to share, and gigantic messes of my own making, to clean. Grr.

The ugly truth.

OK, so today was going to be my DAY to CLEAN this place up before I have a houseguest in two weeks, or before I even seriously begin to entertain the idea of hosting a small Christmas/tree-decorating party ...

take a wild guess as to how much I have gotten done.

*le cry*

However, I DID clean my sink (whee, did the dishes! I should have taken before pictures. No, I shouldn't have. Oh my goodness, just the memory of the mental imagery freaks me the heck out.) earlier this week and, more importantly, I duly scrubbed my STOVE! Peeps, it was BAD.

My stove is so, so, SO clean. Shining and pristine. I feel the irresistible urge to touch it, and stroke it, and lay down on it. I know, I know, I have issues. However! Thank you, Bar Keeper's Friend. Thank you, Method Frosted Cranberry Countertop Spray. And lastly, thank you, Chipotle napkins.

And back to the brief interruptus of the ugly truth:

As much as I looooooove to decorate, and pretty things up, and my sister's bridal shower was probably fifty shades of awesome in terms of transforming the ambiance of her fiance's bachelor pad...

my hovel is currently, and totally, tricked out in the style of ... DIRTY, at this present juncture.

:(

Very very shabby, not very Chic, and certainly not SIMPLE. Oy. Pictures would just be damning, incriminating, collateral for shame-faced future blackmail!!!

Rain.

Oh, argh.

I was taking a nap and trying to rest, because that is what I need weekends for. Several weekends in succession, actually ... but I digress.

I woke up because the dang RAIN was pattering inordinately LOUDLY. And then my brain screamed "OH CRAP!!!"

Because the huge heavy boxes that I bought were way too heavy :(. And I knew I had to move them. BECAUSE THEY WERE IN THE BACKYARD AND GETTING RAINED ON!!!

I haven't had a chance to move them to the storage yet. They are soooooooooo heavy. So they were by the corner, and I wanted to at least move them under the balcony on the second floor. There is a good grading of the foundation away from the side of the building.

I got sooooooooooo wet. Dripping, wet, drowned, rat. Plundering deluge streaming into my eyes. Blech.

I hope the boxes are okay, because I love my furniture.

How could you not??

I bought this piece last year and I think my dad helped me carry it up the stairs. I knew as soon as I was putting it together, that moving it out would be a gigantic pain in the rear. I still don't know how we are going to move it ... I will probably have to take it apart ... but I love it so, so, so-so-so much, though. I seriously wish I had five. That would just look freaking awesome. It looks much better than "giant box in the corner of the bedroom posing as an inflated side table".

I got two of these last week:
and I figured out that while they are quite heavy, even in slickery drenching rain, if you clutch it close to your chest and hug the heck out of it, it is actually relatively easy to move if you are by yourself.

Two of these:

FYI? Estimated Ship Weight: 120.00 pounds. Ridiculous. That, I cannot move by myself. No way. That is why I bought a $20 dolly at Home Depot. Just for that. Yay, dolly.

And one of these:
I so stopped by Target last night and saw that they had it tagged 75% off at $37.24 ... and none left on the shelf OR in the bag. Le crying jag. Then I went back this afternoon and one was there! With ANOTHER dresser!!

All for 75% off.

So, where is the house where I will put them in?????

That's the next ... indeterminate ... step. I should work on that. I did see some surprisingly LOVELY-looking homes on my impromptu walk to a yard sale, early this morning though. I will take some pics and throw them up. They had Halloween decorations out, I wonder if they were all messed-up and ruined with the rain.

I am so sick of my apartment. 1, I have made it into a giant mess by not cleaning for weeks. :( 2, it feels crowded to me, but I refuse to stop buying stuff. 3) Rent is going up (okay, only $25, but still - why??? :((((((( ) as of next month. I can live with an extra $25 through the nose for six months, but dang it, I was planning on travelling next year. I think I will try and plan to move next summer instead! I WAS going to do that THIS summer until I got "laid off" from my old school and ended up having to pack and JUNK. So maybe instead of backpacking for TWO months (it did get quite long, actually), I will backpack for 1!! or 1.5!! And that should give me plenty of time to rest and relax and get into the classroom and clean again. Geez, planning.

What if I die tomorrow?? My mother would firstly have a heart attack, and then after she recovered, would have another one at the thought of cleaning out all my stuffs. :)

I would not have a fun house to clean out if I kicked the can. The ensuing sale (which would take months to prepare for, I assure you) would be kick arse awesome, but still. I have a LOT of stuff.

But still no cat!! Yay.

Hope those boxes dry out. :(

I want this for Christmas!!!

I was bidding on this item. The start was $9.99. I think I bid $10. It went for $10.50 while I was away from the computer.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Poops. When I first saw that it sold for only 50¢ above my bid, I was a bit gutted. Then I got over it. After all, shipping was $9. So it wasn't SO great a deal.

What a pretty design, though! Jeannette Cherry Blossom. I'm used to seeing it in pink, clear pink, but I love the delphite. :(

Maybe there will be another one. I just think $10.50 is a very nice price.

It is $35.99 on replacements.com, and the picture shows an interesting shade:


I think, given the right accent pieces, it could work with this:

Yeah! Another Jeannette Harp pattern cake plate, in PINK milk glass! Whee. I think it was $25 at Gum's Antique Mall. Gosh, that place is neat. Apparently it was built to teach children about rain forests? No wonder it gets so hot and muggy all up in there.

I still pine for the oak dresser that was only $50, including mirror. :( I had no where to put it, though.

And the big long shelf at the thrift store ... only $15. I could have very easily painted it. It would have made an honestly lovely display piece for my dishes, etc. I am glad that at least I took a picture of it, to remember it by.

At any rate, I still find this picture:

to be very inspirational, and I just LOVE that pattern. Not so fond of the butterflies on the inside rim of the bowl, and on the big dinner plates, but I love the floral pattern. I think the blue tray might have gone well with that. With some red gingham flatware.

I have so many cute things I want to put together to take pictures of, but my actual productivity level is like, dipping into the negative.

Anyhoo.

Speaking of Christmas, I hit another one of Tom's estate sales on Thursday. Thursday. One of those long, drawn-out, take a number affairs. I happened to have had a training that day, so I was able to head over there relatively quickly. It was in the neighborhood. Because I CONSTANTLY seem to have this picture

in my head, I really sat up and took notice when a guy came out with a basket of boxed Christmas ornaments. Some people call them ornies?? Oy.

Anyway, after half an hour's wait, I was ready to charge down the door. The guy stopped to chat to another lady waiting in line to get in, and he said he bought 2 boxes for $20. I think he is a dealer/re-saler. He said those sold well. I think they do. I don't know WHY people are so frickin' addicted to pink Shinybrite, but they are!!

So, the plain colored glass balls were 20 for $1. I think I got 25, and they only charged me $1. Actually, though the price tag seemed a bit steep, if I'd added everything up and paid what it was listed, it'd be a lot more.

I ultimately put down a twin size quilt. Giant star in the middle, and it was backed on peach fabric. Cute. $30. But no border. $30?? :(

I was tempted to go back today to see if it was still there, since last days are often half-price. I didn't feel like getting up and wasting the gas, though. I did call the number I had from an email, but it went to voicemail.

I guess I will just have to be happy with the 3 quilts I bought on Sunday that were only $15 each!! Hee. I like talking people down. If they're okay with it, I'm okay with it. Nobody's twisting their arm to sell it to me for the price I offer! :P

Off take do a little photo shoot of my Thursday goodies, and maybe some Sunday goodies, before it gets too dark.

Random stuff. Whee, disgusting.

OK, this first part's not disgusting.

Also, those that know me, well, know I have a full on horrifying streak about a billion beeching miles wide. That's how it is. Grotesque, and a little macabre and warped.

Happy Halloween!!!

:)

So, I visited the lovely Olive, and saw she had a quiz up on there. So I took it too.

You Belong in 1954

You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

What Year Do You Belong In?

OK, first of all, well, of course, I like diners. (Check the quiz.) Also, I TOTALLY grew up on oldies music (thanks, Dad!), and find it the most consistenly INoffensive type of music.

And my all-time favorite song in the whole entire world (I would consider playing it at my wedding but it is SUCH a lovely song that it has been totally scavenged and chewed up into a predictable trite cliche by movie after freaking Hollywood movie) is most definitely an oldie.

Anyways, how cute is that chick?? And look! The background of the picture totally matches the background of MY blog! It also reminds me of my costume for the New Year's "Washed-Up Celebrities"-themed party - Amy Winehouse. Ha!!

I have never, ever, ever considered myself a freaking romantic, though. What the heck. OK, maybe I'm in denial. A chick? Who loves Shabby Chic? And doesn't consider herself ROMANTIC? :)

Also, it was probably no small coincidence that I got a hankering for Pyrex eye candy and was trolling some sites and looking up random Pyrex phrases and pictures on google this afternoon.

:) Go, 1954!!

I have actually not yet taken inventory of my Pyrex stash, but I know the pieces I am looking for, and I know what pieces I am considering getting rid of. Facing facts, I HAVE PLENTY OF STUFF. Maybe I should share it with someone who would love it better!!

If you love something, let it go ... but this should not apply to people, unless previously agreed upon by mutual consent!!!

>:@

On to the disgusting. OK, so exactly a week ago, I woke up with a sore throat. Blech. It's been hot, heat-wave-ish, then the Santa Ana winds came gusting around, and we also had wildfires. I gargled immediately, and HALLELUJAH! Never came down with anything. I love having a full-on wicked immune system, which I believe I do have. Maybe I'll get into that another time. Also, it's convenient, since I work with (literally) snotty little germ buckets.

However, this morning, I woke up, laid in bed too lazy to bust a move, and came to the gradual realization that my nose felt stuffy.

I sniffed, and holy moly!! Bolus of mucus. Blech.

I won't tell you what I did with it. Proper disposal, let's just say. But it totally reminded me of this stuff:

I bought it on Target clearance, of course, along with this:

Now, the scrub? Is awesome. Must be the mint. After a long day's work in the 90-degree classroom, my footses are generally NOT minty fresh. Short of a white vinegar soak, this stuff is amazing!!! But still, a vinegar soak is GUARANTEED nast-destroying. :)

Anyhoo, I am not particularly fond of the body wash, because it smells too strongly like honey. There is a weird, tickly smell to honey (sometimes) that I just loathe and abhor. I hate the indistinct stench. To be honest, it smells like sneeze. Nasty, dried, putrid, didn't-cover-the-mouth aerial-spray sneeze.

Le gag.

Interesting enough, sometimes I catch a whiff of the same odor on money. NOT THAT I WALK AROUND SNIFFING AND INHALING THE SCENT OF MONEY, OR ANYTHING. Gross.

I mean, this stuff also has overtones of citrus, so it also reminds me of lemon tea. WHAT A HORRIFIC COMBINATION! So, I've been trying to use the stuff up in the shower just so I can get rid of it. I feel good about using what I have before buying more, and lemme tell you, that is not habitual for me. But I have finished off the Rusk purifying shampoo (nice stuff! I was crazy and washed my face with it, for a little while - tired of THE GREASE!) and the Victoria's Secret Love Spell creamy body wash that doubled for shampoo, too. Looooooooove that Love Spell.

However, every STINKING time I squeeze this citrus honey concoction out into my hand, it quite literally looks like a gob of snot that I'm about to smear all over myself. Sooooo unpretty.

And it's not the first bath item to remind me of URI sputum!!! This stuff did, too:

Once I discovered this brand, I fell in love. I used the blue Curls Rock stuff, mostly because I thought it smelled nicely of grapefruit, and that was nice. I got a great deal on this stuff, then I noticed what the shampoo looked like. Well, it was semi-clear, so that was okay, and at least it smells like pineapples - or pineapple flavouring. The thick, opaque, conditioner though????

Gobby loogie, AGAIN.

OMG, so disgusting. So, I actually held on to the two GIANT bottles I got on sale, for like, years. I ended up being freaking lazy, and bringing the ENTIRE giant bottle of shampoo with me to New Zealand last year, even though I was only staying a week and am not a fastidious, OCD shower-taker to begin with - useless! Uncalled-for! But at least I could share some with my pastor and his wife, because they ran out during our trip there.

Earlier in the year, I finally gave them to my friend Wendy (looooooooooooooove her), because she needed some. And it's not like I was going to use it. I have more hair stuff than you could stuff into the trunk of a car, overly-long hair notwithstanding.

I will say, however, that I LOVE the Bath and Body Works 3-in-1 Temptations that I use basically as shampoo. The Peach one is my all-time favorite, and I never thought I was going to like it that much.

I actually pretty much love and adore anything apple-scented, and was ecstatic to find this stuff:

But I actually don't like it that much. The peach smells more like what I thought the apple would smell like. I also have iced tea. Jenny from New Zealand loved this stuff. Hee!

Anyway, late last year, I saw that Target had the TIGI Bedhead shampoos and things! I think they may have even clearanced. I missed all of them on the shelf, until ONE DAY:

I found that, and it rang up $0.00. Oh, that's generally a very good sign. I ended up getting it for $2.00. She made up the price. I didn't argue. Wasn't it at least $19.99, full price??

So now, that is my shampoo of choice. It is seriously the nicest stuff I have used in a very long time. Maybe the moisture thing is the key. I don't even hardly have to use conditioner afterwards. My hair tends to get greasy, anyway (and I don't mind, to be honest - at least I know it'll deter the freaking LICE that I get exposed to on a regular basis, teaching little kids). It has turned out to be a nice discovery, and I will keep my eye out for it in the future.

Nothing beats the KMS I got at Target for another Christmas clearance, though. Wow. The straightening stuff is seriously mindblowing.


Today I also dug into my hearty Burt's Bees stash, and tried some stuff that I have been loathe to use, because for some inexplicable reason, I felt like saving it. No way! I have enough Burt's Bees (all 75% off clearance at Target!) to last 3 years. I have enough lip balm for the entire nation of India, probably. Savannah Bee Company tinted ones are my freaking favorite right now, though in a state of mild desperation earlier this week I opened up an ancient pack of Lipsmackers to get the cherry cola. Who does not love cherry cola flavored lips?? Dear Hillary also gave me TWO tubes of the C.O. Bigelow Black Cherry Soda lip gloss for part of the bridesmaids gifts.

Anyway, I apologize right this second for my completely out-of-control ADD right now!

Moral of the story: I think Burt's Bees is a little overrated. I don't LOVE the stuff. I love the idea, and I love the packaging. Man, do I love the packaging. I don't even know why! But I haven't tried anything yet that I am IN LOVE WITH. It would make nice presents, though, I suppose. I tried a couple lotions today, and they are okay. Good enough to keep in the purse, in the little bottles, for emergencies.

I had a Domino's Pizza again, today. I think I have had it at least 12 times in the last 2 months. I love their thin crust. And it happens to be across the street from the thrift store, so I ended up getting an ADORABLE Christmas plaque (hand-carved, and SO vintage and kitschy! Can't wait to use it) and some Shabby Chic window valances. And YES, they ARE the pink quilted ones that were selling briskly on eBay! They actually are way cuter than I thought they were. I thought they had the ugly pink chenille on them like the quilt does, but they do not. So a set of 4 valances was $12. It was just OKAY. With the extra clearance at the Target that was closing, I could have gotten them for less, but that store only had one, anyway. And I scored MAJORLY on other stuff, so that's okay.

It was quite scary to drive off afterwards, though, because my mind was all over the place. I decided I absolutely HAD to have some Pepsi, I'd denied myself quite long enough. I thought the Smart and Final was just up the street, but it was closed! I headed to the left-turn lane, when I spotted the new location, just up the street! Whoo, then I pulled out into traffic (non-existent, I mean), and finally made it over there.

It was a bit of a hectic afternoon. That's what happens when the thrift store only takes cash but all you have on you is 2 dollars and change, and you plead with the cashier to hold the items for you for just five minutes so you can run up to the Washington Mutual up the street for some cash, and you get out of the car and try to go in the foyer, only to realize that your debit card is not there.

Oh, it's in your PURSE at your HOUSE and all you HAVE is you WALLET with you because ... the day before you bought some lovely salads at the lovely Elephant Bar with some seriously attractive young bartenders, and a silly, goofy young hostess who laughs when you call the onion soup "bar-made" after she calls it "home-made," because that is what they call it on the menu ... and after hemming and hawing about why the price on the receipt is different than the price on the menu, but receiving an essentially acceptable answer, you throw your debit card into the side pocket of the purse instead of putting it right back in the wallet where it belongs because ... no rhyme or reason, but perhaps a twinge of laziness.

I need to go to bed :P.

Goodwill and Shabby Chic

Goodwill has been blessing me with lovely Target cast-off Simply Shabby Chic-ness lately.

Today, I found a Simply Shabby Chic table lamp (no shade) with little porcelain roses in three tiers. I have two already, which I madly hunted for at various Targets when they clearanced, and I love having an extra. It is honestly one of the most gorgeous, pretty lamps I have ever seen. Along with it, I bought a Simply Shabby Chic damask lace curtain sheer for $4.99. I think regularly they were at least $24.99; maybe even $29.99. Whee!

Last week, I also found this lamp (sans shade):
for $4.99. It had no price, so I had to ask about it. The cashier had to ask her boss, who replied "$4.99. It's probably more, but she can have it for $4.99!" Hooray. I did end up getting a matching one for $9.98 at another Target a couple days ago. I think I'm kinda set on lamps, now, though some are just SO dang irresistible!

In other news, I still totally loooooooooove my Chelsea dishes from Target, and remember being SO excited when it came out over a year ago. I noticed that this set was clearancing a few weeks back, so I kept my eye on it.
I found it for 30% off, bought it and kept it, and kept hunting around - last I saw, it was 50% off. I can live with $20 instead of $40. So now I have a FULL dot set, 3 large serving bowls, 2 sets of serving spoons, 2 extra dinner plates (random Goodwill finds, always $1 each), maybe 5 or 6 of the lovely, adorable, mixy-matchy place settings/flatware, and my various Chelsea floral dishes. Soooooo cute! I also got some adorable blue floral napkins on clearance at Marshalls, but darn it, I could only find three. Four would have been perfect. :(

LASTLY! SUCCESS!! 2 Simply Shabby Chic bookcases (love those things!!!) for 75% off - $49.98, on Friday. That plain and simply ROCKED. What did not rock was not having any help to move them out of the car earlier today. I had to drag and maneuver them to my neighbor's back patio by myself, since she busted up her neck and froze it up again, and he just had freaking hernia surgery 3 weeks ago.

I need to get to the storage and clean.

Hooray for Shabby Chic! Dang, this stuff is addictive. And I pretty much only shop for her cheaporama stuff from Target, not even any of her other lines. I found lots of great stuff for 75% off recently - mostly curtains, and valances (yay for the green ones! I've been looking for some more for the bathroom), and some curtain rod rings.

Now I just want to sneak out some of those lovely pastel-striped curtain samples hanging in the stores, because they would be completely PERFECT table runners. So pretty, SO gorgeous, and perfect for a pastel cupcake party. They have the ruffle all around. I am in love with that.

And ultimately ... TJ Maxx is providing no little inspiration these days. After staying at the General Warren Inne for Hillary's wedding in Pennsylvania exactly a month ago, I am in looooooooooove with the look. The place was gorgeous, the service was genuinely lovely, and I was treated so well - including getting such a deal on a massive suite upstairs - the one with the cathedral window and leather sitting room!! The bedding from the gorgeous inne? From TJ Maxx. I RECOGNIZED it. The throw in my neighbor bridesmaid's room? I HAVE IT. And just bought some pillow shams to match it during their extra 25% off clearance sale this weekend.

OK, so I don't have all the nice FURNITURE and four poster BEDS ...

But considering the prices at TJ Maxx and Marshalls, I have to give props to this eBay seller who sells $19.99 quilted cotton throws (or $15.00, with an additional 25% off, if she's lucky and hits the sales like I did) for $79.99. Without shipping. $79.99? For a quilted cotton throw??? Is it because people just do not know where to buy this stuff themselves, for way cheaper? And even bedding sets - Q to K, usually are max $79.99 at TJ Maxx/Marshall's, and go for $179.99 in her store. Granted, she has some very lovely things that I have never seen in the stores, personally, but I haven't been looking for this stuff for too long, really.

Now I wish I'd bought up more of the Simply Shabby Chic patchwork valances. I had no idea they were selling on eBay for 4 to 5 times what Target was clearancing them for!

If I ever open up a store or have a yard sale (which my neighbor keeps hinting at me to do), I would have Shabby Chic stuff out the wazoo.

ANYWAYS. Bravo to making moolah on eBay in these sour economic times.

:)

Happy Friday!

I cannot being to describe how incredible RELIEVED (not technically "happy") that it was Friday. It has been the longest week. Yesterday was brutally, repulsively, obnoxiously hot and I alternated between wanting to crumple into a heap and cry out of sheer misery, or blow through a rampaging, screeching temper tantrum. :( Grr, unbridled aggression.

Most people know how I feel about the ambient temperature situation in the classrooms, I think.

:)

So I actually have not checked this blog for AGES!! This last month has kicked my behind. I last posted on the 18th?? Ugh. I think sometimes I try to at least start, save, and bookmark posts, even if I can't finish them right away, but the last month as gotten away from me in a major way.

At least I have an excuse, though! I tend to think that there are basically two ways of going about it: going out and DOING things (called living life) or blogging it. Um, blogging about it takes way more time than actually doing it, I think. At least, it does for me, because I can be such a detail-obsessed anal-retentive self-EDITOR.

At any rate, in the last month, I have been subjected to the following overwhelming (though mostly rather fun) experiences:

August: packing up my massive, massive, massive classroom with boxes and boxes and boxes. I think it is a good thing that I ended up with more boxes, and not more stuff than boxes. Sometimes that happens. My nice neighbor helped me. So I bought her Chipotle. I also laughed my darn fool head off silly because her crazy kid was drooling relentlessly, and gnawing everything in sight, including staples on the floor (oops) though we tried to contain her in a ramshackle cardboard box, i.e., playpen. The corner of that box lost the battle with that child's teeth.

August: getting an initial TEMPORARY placement for teaching. It was at a wonnnnnnnderful school, but it was a temporary substitute assignment while the regular teacher was out recovering from surgery. I love the principal at that school. I would love to work for him. I have never heard a principal speak like him. I won't say how he sounds, even though the very thought kind of cracks me up, but he definitely sounds way younger on the phone than he looks in person. He called himself "an old man" on the phone, and I didn't believe him until I met his wonderfully chipper, balding, grey-headed, slightly tubby, roly-poly old-man self. How cute is it that he went to KINDERGARTEN at the school of which he is now principal??? He is just an adorable little man. I have major fondness for this person and hope to work with him sometime.

August: working like a darn fool and KILLING myself making all the food and getting all the preps for my sister's bridal shower. I heard nothing but compliments, though, and I hope people had a nice time. I have decided my two favorite wedding shower games of all time and I hope to play them always. They are some of the funniest things I have ever heard in my LIFE. :D What household chore do YOU hate doing, and why?? And what DID she say when she opened that gift?? Ah, the gifts. Such beautiful wrapping. Why am I such a wrapping paper FREAK?

And? That chicken salad recipe was awesome and amazing. I LOVE me some AMAZING CHICKEN SALAD. Yum. Also, it was easy. I should make it more often. I added halved grapes to mine. Whee!

August: delaying the inevitable, and then spending the entire morning in that temp assignment teacher's classroom going through first grade materials and organizing stuff. Then getting a call in the middle of the day and finding out I was actually going to be offered a permanent position (also first grade!) at another school. No, I wasn't angry about having WASTED MY TIME, essentially, at this other school.

Wanna know the freaky thing? I'd actually been to that school AND THAT CLASSROOM before, several years ago. A very good friend I'd met when I previously taught kindergarten and had district trainings invited me over to her school to take a look and everything. I could NOT believe I was in her old classroom. We'd both been bumped (read: laid off) and moved to other schools the same year, as well. So basically, in the last 8 years, I have taught at schools in Lakewood (off of Candlewood!) - East Long Beach (off of Bellflower!) - Lakewood (off of Candlewood!) - East Long Beach (off of Bellflower!). Each school has been less than 5 minutes from the other school in the same city. Blah. What a waste of time, and energy, moving like that!

Oh, you know what else was fun?? Getting to move all my own stuff from the old classroom to the new classroom, even though technically I am supposed to have district help with that. But being told 3 days before school starts that you are moving, and then having two holidays (a Friday and a Monday, no less, when we start on Tuesday!) right away kind of means you end up having to do it yourself. It was RIDICULOUS. But sis and her bf were GREAT help! Whee. Would you believe I was working in the classroom until 10:45pm the night before school started? Yeah. Apparently, nobody believed that I could put ALL of that stuff (four rows of boxes 6 feet high, in the middle of the room) away in 2 days to get ready for the first day. I SHOWED THEM ALL! Frankly, I'd much rather not ever have to do that again. And the main reason why I didn't freak and stress about it all? BECAUSE I'VE ALREADY HAD TO DO THAT ONCE IN MY COTTON-PICKIN' RIDICULOUS LIFE ALREADY. So, whatever needs to happen, will happen, cuz that's my version of hard-working, ethical responsibility, I guess. And that stupid, useless, annoying woman is NOT welcome to come into my classroom ANYMORE, when she practically ignores me, proceeds to search out her friend (who very generously volunteered to help me), and then starts TALKING about me WHILE I am in the ROOM, and asking the most frivolously UNhelpful, pedantic, redundant questions. "How are you going to get all this put away?" "Does she know that school starts tomorrow?" "But school starts tomorrow!!" And when I inform her that I've had to do this once before, already (boxes piled UP in the corner, nothing put away, the DAY before school starts, because the lousy, ridiculous, obnoxious custodian preferred to schedule ALL his other custodians to help HIS 2 pet favorite teachers move their things from the storage room NEXT TO THEIR CLASSROOMS the week before, instead of already HAVING all my boxes moved from ONE SIDE of the school to the OTHER anytime throughout the summer, since I busted my hump to have EVERYTHING packed away 2 days after the previous school year ENDED), she then informs me MOST irrelevantly that she HAS been an aide for 20 years and KNOWS how much work it is to get ready for a new year. THEN WHY DON'T YOU SHUT YOUR YAP AND OFFER TO HELP ALREADY, THEN, RANDOM ANNOYING MENTALLY INDIGENT STRANGER LADY, AND QUIT ASKING USELESS QUESTIONS AND AGGRAVATING THE CRAP OUT OF ME!!!

As if I needed more stress!

:)

I seriously was 2 seconds away from unceremoniously kicking her out of my room (yes, MY room) before she wandered off. I am GLAD I have not seen her since! Seriously, I have never even had to CONSIDER asking an adult to leave, before. She was just beyond the pale.

September: Oh yes, my first staff meeting at the new school and the first day of school!! Somehow, I made it through. DANG, it is hot all up in there!

September: Oh, 3 days after school starts? My sister is getting married? Yeah? Family coming in from all over the country? Oh, OK. Actually, it was lovely and fun to have my cousins and aunt and uncle come and help me in the classroom for a bit. Every time I see the lovely bulletin board (with paper donated by yet another cousin!), and the giant gouge in the ceiling tile from the unsuccessful attempt to close the transom - I feel smiley.

The wedding - and rehearsal/dinner/weekend - was fun and busy!! However, it was one of the most stressful, unnerving, and downright cursed, fiasco-laden experiences I have ever gone through. It deserves its own post. ARGH!

September: Oh, best friend from high school? You are getting married too, five days after my sister? And on the other side of the country?? OF COURSE I'LL BE THERE!!!

:/

Couldn't be helped. :)

I'm sure it's interesting for the sub to take over a class when they've only had 5 days together, and with you. Haha!!

The flights were fine. The inn was gorgeous and amazing and inspiring. It was a lovely everything, that area is cute. I will save additional details for later.

September: Oh, the week after you get back, we get to have Back to School night, TOO??? Yay!!!

And then I FINALLY made it to a friend's kid's birthday party. The kid is 3. I was invited to the two previous parties ... and somehow never got the evite invitations until AFTER the fact. Oops. But man, busy busy busy! And there's another kid b-day party tomorrow. The downstairs neighbors' daughter is turning one. Hee.

Anyhoo. Somehow, I survived. And September is now almost over!! Yikes. I hope I can make it through the year with my lovely, wonderful, special "screams-and-cries-every-day" little friend in the classroom.

Like, freaking, food, again.

I don't usually eat breakfast. I know it's good to, and I'm supposed to, but most times I don't at all feel hungry in the morning, and more often than not, even feel vaguely nauseated for no reason.

Plus, I have discovered that when I eat in the morning, it really DOES jumpstart my system, and I end up being hungry 3 hours later, to the point of ravenous obsession.

My schedule is SO not conducive to working that in. Actually, considering the more recent push for health/exercise/nutrition in the schools, I should probably just plan that into my day and MAKE time for good healthy eating habits, and being a good example. I'll have to consider that. BAD habits are hard to break, though very fulfilling when I indulge in them.

So today, I had some water that I finally remembered to throw in the fridge so it would be cold. I went for a good 3 weeks without even any drinking water in the house. I haven't used my Brita in ages, I can't find my extra filters, and it is SO overdue for a change it is not even funny. After seeing all the ads promoting the drinking of tap water as economical and environmentally friendly - bad plastic water bottles! Bad! - lately, I gave my tap a go.

Oh, H3LL no. I am SOrry, but sometimes I can't even rationalize how my place is not dumpy. These pipes are AWFUL. Water comes out in the tub orange, initially. Any water from the kitchen that dries on the pots and pans that I didn't wipe down end up with white crust. I know it's not necessarily the fault of the pipes, since our prolonged drought has greatly exacerbated the already hard, dodgy quality of Southern California water.

I always did wonder why my hair and skin didn't dry out like a frickin desert when I was in Europe, but I think it's because the water is softer there!

Anyhoo.

I finally hit Stater Brothers and stocked up on some water. I am STILL waiting for my neighbor to take me with her when she goes to the Aquateria (or whateverelse they may call it, I think that's close enough!), because the icy cold water she gets from that, from her fridge, is delicioso. I think it's a little bit dumb to pay for water, really, when you can drink tap, but I did try for a week, and it was gross. Just gross. Metallic, and .... it comes out orange from the sink faucet for a full minute. You can't always tell just by looking at it, but hold up a glass of it next to the WHIT sink and you can SEE. Hork. Le gag. So, I'd much rather buy a big 5 gal. and get the water for 20¢ a gallon, but I did buy several of the Smart Water bottles because I LOVE THE BOTTLES. And I plan on using them for some science explorations in the classroom, regarding density and viscosity. Of course. :)

So then, I wanted to finish up my peaches in the fridge. I bought them like 2 weeks ago, and good thing I threw'em in the fridge, because they would have rotted outside. Yuck. I ate one already, last week, and decided I'd polish off all three of them today. Washed them up, they felt okay, and I took a bite of the first one. Yuck! Tasteless! Mealy! I tried the next one. SAME THING. I was soooooo disappointed.

Then I picked up the smallest one, and it was good. What a waste, though. Blech. So only two good peaches out of the four. And the smaller ones were better. I don't think I want to buy Stater Brothers fruit anymore.

The grapes that I never finished either, were good, though.

Also, I had a HUGE hankering for pizza AGAIN! I think this shall be known as the summer of Dominos pizza. I got a craving about a month ago, looked through my coupons, and found out Dominos is just down the street, about 5 min away.

I swear I have had pizza at least a dozen times in the last month. The Gotham City is a good deal, but I just LOVE their thin crust. And chicken. And I love mushroom.

And Miss Claudia who answers the phone totally already knows me. She doesn't even take down my number anymore; as soon as she hears the name, she just takes the order. Ha! Besides, I always pick up the orders, never deliver.

So that's what I had for lunch, and will probably have for dinner.

I did pass the local farmer's market down the street - first time I ever saw it, because they have it on MONDAYS at 9. So, that's generally impossible for me to go to. Then, as I picked up the pizza, I figured, why not, I'd hit the thrift store across the street, because that is where I found the pink Pyrex last week! It was a bust. I walked out with nothing. That's a good feeling, though, because I spent a BRICK at Vets Stadium and my wallet is now nearly empty.

At the farmer's market on the way home, I took a look, and found the juice people! I have been LOOKING for orange carrot FOREVER. That is my FAVORITE. I ended up getting the orange passionfruit, and some apple. I have been craving awesome apple juice this year, since I went with Jen to Oak Glen. The apple juice I got there was frickin amazing. Like nectar, I swear. Mott's, you lose!

Anyway, I haven't tried it yet, but the orange passionfruit was decent. Decent, and not going to spend $7 on it again. :P

All. Shopded. Out

Well, I went to the Antique Market today. Just got back, and I am POOPED. Hopped in for a cold shower (which I NEVER take); it was blistering hot today.

It was a pretty good day! I was severely disappointed to only find ONE teacup stand from this one dealer ... when all I needed was two. Just. Two. Bugger. I like symmetry, you know? They hold 10 each, so it would have been perfect, I think. I even asked if I could get one from her sometime this week, but she lives in Northridge! They only brought the one today, and it was not even in new condition. So she knocked off $2. I met other people coming from Moreno Valley and all sorts of place. So I'll have to figure out what's going to work for this darn shower.

My feet got SO dark. :( I am glad I brough the umbrella, even though it has now basically fallen apart. ARGH! I wore my Tevas so I wouldn't get WORSE tan lines on the feet ... but I swear I am now an additional 4 different colors.

Then, the backs of my knees started itching after the shower, and I thought that was weird - and then I realized I should probably stop scratching, because it was sunburn. Yowza!! I remember standing in the sun at the very end, last rummagey (as opposed to "final call") booth, trying to tan my legs ... good thing I put sunscreen on my arms (ouch) and face today. But still!! I always overdo it! :(

Anyhoo, feet were aching, the bag was SO heavy, but I got some things that I am really happy with. I did not, however, get the darn shams I have been looking for for practically a year now. I am very annoyed with that wife person, geez. No pics, either, I didn't get around to it, and I was feeling miffed!

NOW TO CLEAN AND SORT AND ORGANIZE ALL THEM THINGS, PLEASE.

I changed the batteries in the camera so I'll take some pics tomorrow and slap'em up. Now to start matching stuff and seeing what works! :)

A reply

The first blog on my blogroll is a thrifting INSPIRATION. She gets deals I only dream about. So do other people. People who buy $20 1940's dresses off the Halloween rack at Goodwill and sell them on eBay for $1,360. I am not even kidding.

Anyway, I'm still learning. :)

So, Selena posted about changes in thrifting. I started to add a comment to her post, realized it was 3402978192872937 words long, and reconsidered. I frickin' EDITED myself (nearly impossible for a verbose, detail-oriented perfectionist like me), and figured I better just post it in my own space. So, go read her post there and then stick around here if you want to subject yourself to my garrulous and loquacious and waxing commentary!!

And, can I just say??? Editing oneself is HARD. "EVERYTHING'S important!" :P

*******************************************************************

Selena! Girl, that is SO funny. I was just thinking that ["it's not what it used to be"] today! I'm working on a post on my blog about what a complete and useless WASTE of time the garage sales were today. Blech. I had a decent day, overall, and did get something that *I* considered a good value to me, though it is not a "steal."

But, yeah. I thrifted very intermittently when I was younger, like in high school. In college, I was fortunate enough to have a FREE college thrift store - and what I mostly got were clothes - J. Crew leather boots, London Fog down coat, Levis jeans, a bookshelf for my dorm room ... free, free, free. The nice volunteer ladies (all professors' wives) were BEGGING me to take things off their hands, every week. I felt guilty, but they always said they had more than they knew what to do with. They originally started taking donations because they had so many international students (especially from Africa) who just about maxed themselves out paying for tuition, and they didn't want these poor families with kids to freeze their tooties off in the lovely, inviting, Chicago winters. :P Isn't that nice???? I loved that place. They had free baby clothes and baby furniture, even - and toys! Plus, the local neighborhood/community was VERY well off - there was really nice stuff donated.

I spent a pretty penny at the local thrifts, too, and loooooooooved my camel wool coat for $7 ... but those days are gone!!

I hit 4 garage sales today (decided not to stop by several, though I saw signs), and you know what? I didn't buy a SINGLE thing. I was thinking of you, too, wondering what you do when you ARE hunting and chasing and deciding whether to drive that extra two miles to another random sale. You also often cross my mind when I walk by the shoes at thrift stores, because I HIGHLY DOUBT that I will ever find Borns for $8, or freaking $400 boots ... but shoes are honestly not my thing. I just don't know how! But you are very inspiring!

Today, I think I am glad I passed on the run-of-the-mill garage sales, since it was all old, dumb, nasty junk. Dumb toys (not even anything good), manky old clothes, stained burp cloths, used foot spas ... and overpriced!

Also, I do not appreciate being misled by an advert of a "great, overflowing" yard sale to find only 6 3x3 piles of stuff in the front yard.

I really have only been thrifting in earnest, regularly, for about a year or so, but the two things I notice are THE PRICES, and the selection. Old stuff - vintage, I mean, not just OLD - just is not that common. It's not terribly common here, anyway, being in California, as compared with other parts of the country, I suppose. That is why I am SUPER DUPER excited to spend a weekend in Philadelphia this September, and I'm planning my thrift list, etc. for that Saturday! Hee.

Even the estate sales - I remember going to one a long time ago, with my mom, and I guess we only went because it was in the neighborhood, not because we needed anything. Um, how about finding $300 worth of signed traveler's checks in a book I picked up?? We turned that in, of course. Earlier in the year, I also found a wad of $72 on the floor of the garage at another estate sale, but that was because the guy dropped his change envelope, and he never even knew! I wonder if it was bad that I actually did sit there and count the money first, instead of just handing the stack back? :P.

At the organized, professional estate sale that I'm on the mailing list of, prices are at least double what I think would be a steal, or good price, and SOMETIMES they mark it down half price on Saturdays. Mostly, though, as you said, it's just a wholesale dumping of the contents of a house, including half-used kitchen cleansers and laundry detergent, cans of soup, clothes and shoes right out of the closet ... :(. I guess a lot of the better stuff gets bought up the first day.

I would say there is a combination of two things that impacts what is available at thrift stores now, and maybe impacting the garage sale market. Firstly, I honestly think the internet, and craigslist, and ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, have changed how knowledgeable people are about pricing things. Especially Antiques Roadshow, and maybe magazines like MS and such. People know more - people know what to look for - it's easier to research (even a know-nothing like me has learned a few things!). So prices go up since people can check eBay to see what used old junk is going for.

Also, retail stores have amazing sales - I never realized until a couple years ago that some stores have REGULAR (several times a year) 75% off and 90% off sales. It's too tempting to resist. Some stuff is great to buy new. I know of many moms who stop thrifting and hitting garage sales because they can get brand new children's clothing for the same prices. The internet has helped to disseminate this information collectively - there is so much I would NEVER have learned on my own. The sharing and communication aspect is a monumental shift for me. And, since this stuff is so cheap, and people prefer buying new, they probably don't bother with trying to resell for pennies on their original nickels and dimes. I think this post-modern, not boomer, generation is the "disposable" generation. We haven't lived through rationing or deprivation, we were raised on consumable, disposable goods, and we do buy cheap and replace often. It's a change of mindset. This is a big contrast to my grandfather's generation - going through war shortages, he was a monumental hoarder. I think I get this gene from him - then again, I didn't go through a war!

Anyway, today was just a bummer with lame junk at garage sales, and limited, nasty selection at the thrift stores.

Honestly, though? I talked with one guy, and it's like - when I talk with people about what I find, I mentioned the goods and the times that I DID get something worthy - nothing is mentioned of all the FRUITLESS searching and unsuccessful attempts. People who don't' thrift like this might not understand. Thrifting, and shopping in general, is basically a matter of statistics - going more often, especially at the right time, once you figure out the schedules, even, and you'll hit pay dirt (or plenty of dust!) eventually. Not $35,000-a-year-in-book-resales, necessarily, but still saving quite a bit of money for nice, good, or even just limited availability stuff.

There are times when I don't find anything, and that's okay. There are times when I am only looking for one thing - or when I DO find it, it's about 5 times more than I want to pay for it. Suddenly I start seeing it everywhere. Yes, full 4-pc sets of the pink Gooseberry Pyrex mixing bowls!! But NOT for $75 or $60. :(

The gas is okay, because I don't make special trips - everything is basically on the way, in a loop, otherwise I go only on weekends, or if I'm in the area. It's worth it to check, especially now that I've figured out which stores have commonly had the old stuff I'm looking for.

Thrifting is always going to be around, but it's shifting to REsale, i.e., Target salvage, damaged goods, returns, etc., and not necessarily so much vintage goods.

Long Beach Antique Market, finally!!!

It's the third Sunday of the month, once again! And it has been so, so, super long, since I visited this place. I just had Sunday School to teach every. single. Sunday. Not that I mind it, really - I've been MUCH better about getting up on Sunday, even though I am shamefully and routinely late to my parents' place in order for us to carpool. And I do like the kids. And it probably is considered "tiring," but dang, them kids is so cute! It's been a leeeeeeetle more challenging lately, transitioning from one crop of kids to another, since the 3 eldest (sometimes 5 eldest) just graduated up to the regular, non Pre-K group, and these younger ones needed a little bit of training.

BUT SERIOUSLY, they are so super awesome and cute about making a line! All. Seven. Male. Toddlers. Of them.

:)

Anyhoo, I begged off teaching Sunday School tomorrow, and thankfully the other teacher will take over for the week. I hope everyone survives! I guess I hear sometimes it's a little different when I am not there. Not to say it does not ever get crazy when I am there ... but compared with MY PUBLIC SCHOOL CLASS OF KIDS, it's a cakewalk. These little guys just dart real fast sometimes, chanting "No! No! No!" as they are running away in dizzying circles around the room the entire time, or, as with last week - wailing and shrieking "Mom? Mom? MOM? WHERE ARE YOU, MOM?!? WHEREDIDYOUGOMOMMYMOMMYMOMMYMOMMY!!!!!" while courageously and doggedly avoiding my labored scurrying after them. And yes, I have to run and snag them because I jus' can't be havin' that.

Thusly, I am taking a day off, and I plan to spend a good several hours at this Long. Beach. Antique. Market.

I have no idea where my hat is, and I hope I don't get burned again, like I have been, several times previously. Duh, I guess the back of the neck reaaaaaaaaaaaaally catches all that sun when you are leaning over with your head bent, checking out the piles and piles upon the tables for ... six straight hours. :|

Maybe I can get rid of the tan lines on my feet, too - they will show in my sandals that I'm supposed to wear for the next two weddings I'm in. OK, the ONLY two weddings to which I have ever been invited to participate.

:)

Yay, I'm so excited! I would like to visit my little fabric peeps (maybe I'll take a picture!) and what I think I really want to get are the teacup display stands that I saw last time. They were going fast. White-painted metal, and darn if they weren't in the shape of a giant teacup ANYWAY. I remember that the lady who was selling them had a distinctly European accent. Maybe German. Maybe Dutch. Maybe something like that. Maybe I should wear my Amsterdam shirt again (that I got at Old Navy, not even in Amsterdam itself!) because I found myself involved in many more interesting conversations with the Dutchie peeps last time. And I enjoy having random conversations with both vaguely, and genuinely, interesting people! Especially foreigners.

Anyway, the teacup display stands were only $5 each, and they were certainly hot items. Several people (all women, of course!) bought them. There were bigger ones that displayed 10 teacups and saucers each, as well. What I'd like to do is set them up as a display for Judy's tea party bridal shower this next Saturday. It's gonna be 20 people all crowded into Dave's place ... and I hope it is not HOT!

I am soooooo looking forward to it. I have spent soooo much money on this. But I like doing stuff like this for people! And, I suppose it's an excuse to buy stuff, and spend money on things I'd LIKE to get, but can't always justify.

I know I spend too much money. I know I have way too much stuff. But it's a free country. And how's my not spending money going to help the starving children in Africa? Oh, yeah, maybe if I send it to them.

Anyways! Like my dear former colleague once mentioned, our hearty Christian guilt complexes are well and thriving.

:/

I would just love it if my family would quit worrying and complaining about how I spend money ... and graciously and gratefully accept what I would like to do for them.

Hope to have pics of the Market for you tomorrow! Once I find some new batteries for that dang camera ... ooh. Maybe I will bring my big one, instead! Yes.

And pics of the bridal shower will certainly be up, because I will be so proud of that event. I hope harsh and brutal reality does not dash the quixotic imaginings of my hopes and dreams, because I would be soundly mortified on that occasion.

Also, ashamed of my under-achieving self.

Goodnight!

What I Had to Eat Today,

a.k.a. - unbridled self-indulgence.

:(


Alright, so I was all proud of myself because I wasn't going crazy with the food today, even though I'd been to the Farmer's Market at Cerritos Towne Center. Then again, I don't tend to eat a lot in the mornings. I'm a DINNER person. Dinner at 4pm sounds fantastic, along with a LATE 9pm dinner. Where in the world is that culturally common, again?

Here's the unfortunate breakdown for the day:


2 chicken tamales with overflowing amazing favorite mild green tomatillo sauce: $6
Amazing, sublime, indescribable jasmine green tea with milk, blended:$3.13

That was all up until about 2pm. Then I continued on from my morning garage sale rounds (stupid, stupid, and useless, until I hit a semi-decent clearance/liquidation of a real estate staging business! ) to the bakeries, where I was interested in placing an order for some cream puffs for my sister's shower

Honey Bakery cream puff: $0.75

Micasa Bakery blueberry cheesecake: $3.50
Micasa cream layer cake: $3.50
Micasa ham and egg omelette sandwich, 2: $2.30
Micasa "club" sandwich (sliced hardboiled egg, ham, and cucumber): $1.75

Tea Station Seaweed Chicken Rolls: $5.41

Pho Saigon plain large pho, BBQ chicken, and Thai iced tea: $10.39

DANG, THAT'S A LOT OF FOOD!!!!

Seriously, what happened there? I guess I ordered when I was HUNGRY?? Plus, that plaza had a ton of food places and I was just looking and I'd already ready reviews on yelp and I love to try new things and new places ...

Overall total for food for the day?? About $36. For one person. :( It makes me think of all those senior citizens, or young families, that are trying to eat on like, $200 a MONTH. OY. I know I am spoiled from being a single person. And it's not like I INSIST on being single, flying in the face of all other options.

Anyway, in a minor defense, I ate the Micasa sandwiches pretty much as soon as I got them (I loooooove that stuff, but it's not CHEAP for what you get, sandwich-wise!), I didn't end up having the chicken rolls until later, like, 8pm, for dinner.

And I'll have the cakes for breakfast or lunch tomorrow (mm! cheesecake for brekkie! ha), and the pho for Sunday dinner.

So then it's only like, $11 for food on Saturday, and the rest spreads out to Sunday.

Anything to pacify my hearty Christian guilt-complex with a heavy-handed veneer of rationalization, I guess.

Gooseberry days

Whoa! Yesterday was a GREAT thrifting day. It's been weeeeeeeeeeks since I hit the thrifts, and I missed it and needed a reason!!! Good thing I stopped by, because I fooooooooooound stuff I'd been looooooooooking for for a while!!!!!

My first finds - two pink gooseberry Pyrex mixing bowls!!! Small one was $3.93+tax, and large was $5.95+ tax. I think that's a great way to mark things. They use grease pencil, so sometimes people rub off the dollar amount - this way, the one-cent digit is the same as the dollar amount so people CAN'T STEAL.

And I certainly don't NEED any more glasses, but I couldn't really pass them up ... I don't know if they are Pyrex. I don't think they are Pyrex. But the pattern is so strikingly similar!! They maybe be the flamingo pink color?? But for a set of four gooseberry (type) pattern glasses, I thought $1.91 just JUST FINE. This was at the other thrift store in scary North Long Beach, where it smells inside, but the deals are AMAZING. Like the "madonna blue" COMPLETE place settings FOR FOUR reproduction Madrid, for only $9.09. I loooooove glass. I'll get a pic up, soon, especially since I will bring these out for my sister's bridal shower next week!! I plan to have lots of pics of that.

So, now I have a trio set of the pink gooseberry. I do think I like the pink-colored bowl better than the white. To be honest, I probably only started liking Pyrex because I saw my friend Jen use hers to make some scones. I totally did not even remember where she got it, and when I asked, she said she received it at her bridal shower from the mother of her/our friend Anne. I soooooo don't remember that. But Anne's mom's house is one of my favorites to go to because there are such lovely antiques, and her gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous collections of glass - Depression glass, and elegant glass.

Anyways, I KNEW I already had a larger, white gooseberry bowl. It took some huntin' to find, in my demolished chaos of a kitchen, but I finally found it! And I think the set looks very nice together. It didn't have a price on it, so I don't believe I got it at a thrift store. I'm at the point now where I can't remember where, or what I paid, for stuff - that's a scary thought for me. But I'm pretty sure I got several pieces for $5 each at a stall at the Long Beach Antique Market. I remember those guys, because the weekend before, they'd run an estate sale that I visited. I remembered the dude named Dale. Hee.

I looooooove that pretty picture. These pics were taken on my back porch/balcony, btw. It's nice and quiet, since my apartment only has residential houses behind it. I also saw and looooooooooooved the chair and table set - TJ Maxx! I think the chair and table were $20 each. I thought they went so well with the paint job at this apartment. Too bad they painted out front a HORRIBLE scheme, so super ugly. I'll get pics of that up some time as well. The back looks nicer, for now, especially since there is a nice large tree right there, and a lovely patch of grass.

So here are my kicky rain boots and the umbrella!! Don't know why the duck looks so demented.


Boots: $10 clearance at Marshalls. I looooooooove polka dots!!!
Umbrella: $2.99 at Goodwill. I love cool umbrella handles, and RED. I still kinda kick myself for not getting the big red candy-cane handled umbrella for $1, at that one estate sale.

Anyways! The combo of black/white polka dots, with the red umbrella ... I love it. Singin' in the rain!!

Thankfully, our summer has not been TERRIBLY hot so far, it's already mid-August. This week in particular has been FANTASTIC. Nice and cool. Yippee!

Oh. My. Gosh.

"Becky, look at her butt."

HA!

Yes, I'm up late. Yes, I should be asleep. Yes, I should feel proud that I actually got SO much done this week.

But no, I don't feel that way, because my mother has a nagging problem. *hiss*

So I'm online looking up all these random things because cleaning out my old bedroom FOR THE FINAL TIME!!! meant that I found all these old pictures and souvenirs and such from my college days (so young! so leetle! so twee!). I toooootally starting reminiscing about a very good friend I had, and wanted to look her up on hotmail to see if she was still around.

On the msn.com site, instead, well, I admit my interest was piqued by the article about a Mormon missionary calendar. As in, a calendar composed of Mormon missionaries - male - AND NOT EVEN FULLY CLOTHED.

It's no Calendar Girls, but goodness. It's WEIRD. As in - are those two things even supposed to go together??

What is TOTALLY EVEN WEIRDER IN THAT STUPID ARTICLE is all the other random flirty calendars that are out there. (Check out the article, since I don't feel like linking to the kinking!)

Now, for those of you with a more delicate constitution, I do believe the next portion is rather PG. Just warning you!

APPARENTLY.

THERE IS.

A CALENDAR.

OF PICTURES.

OF CATHOLIC PRIESTS.

Oh yes indeed. I guess they tried to pick the better-looking ones. And all of them are wearing appropriate attire, I believe.

I dunno, doesn't something like this fly in the face of ... what is generally expected?? I don't think TOO many "religious institutions," including the Catholic church, are totally way too out of touch with reality and the world at large. I'm sure many would disagree with me, on multiple levels on many points - but it just seems freaking WEIRD to put these people/men who have dedicated their lives to serving the Lord in a position where it is OBVIOUS the INTENT is NOT exactly HOLY. You know? I'll be honest, there was some nice eye sugar that I wouldn't mind looking at every day, but actually, I just wouldn't. IT'S ICKY. Also, I am not like that and I would get bored. Appreciation is one thing, and glued eyes are another.

It's so very ... Thorn Birds. Yes, even with Richard Chamberlain!

So, if you must, you can find the gallery of previous years, and a comments section. Good glory.

ALSO!! THESE HORRENDOUS COMMENTS squick me out. Since apparently little innocent ole me never knew there was a gay fascination with priests? Where was THAT particular personage from The Village People, then? Because we all know what song they were singing, apropos enough. :P

OK, enough of the weirdness. I looked up stats for this little blog on google analytics and found some weird referrals again. Yikes.

Admittedly, "Rachel Ashwell" with various accoutrements is a HUGE hit referral. But "a eiffel tower down the middle on a comforter"?? (#24. ) And "cute butt"???? Really? Really?? I don't recall blogging about that!!! (#53.) Maybe I did mention something about a "fabic oy," (#62) or "hyena comforters" (#74). "Octopusmania" (#84).

But the primary referral is still "Goodwill finds." I kind of like that. :)

D-d-d-d, D-d-d-d, TJ Maxx!

Anybody remember that jingle??

I was out running some errands today and decided to make my OC Goodwill rounds. Whee. Bought a kids' toy, and a duck-headed red umbrella. It goes with my black and white polka dotted rubber boots I bought at Marshalls. I fully intend on taking a pic and throwing it up here because it is seriously just that cute. Red, white, and black. Great palette. Also -

Marshalls is my favorite store.

Maybe Home Goods is tied with it. Home Goods blows my mind. I find the stuff there A-ma-Zing.

That is because I have a sick fascination and uncontrolled compulsion for buying dishes and other breakables.

So, I hit the Goodwills, and TJMaxx is next door to one of them.

Why the post??

1) I'm sliiiiiiiightly frustrated at not finding shoes that FIT my FAT FEET for the two weddings I'll be in, in the second week of September, which also happens to be ... my first week of school! Oh, yay. Such good planning, sis and best friend. :P
(Update: I did go on a little shoe-specific shopping trip with my mom late this afternoon, and actually found TWO pairs of gold shoes that will work for Hillary's wedding - I will bring them with me to her shower in Santa Barbara on Saturday, for her approval! Go, mom.)

2) This little girl was JUST too FUNNY. I think she was about 5 or 6. In the entire time I was there, including two trips to the dressing room, she was just spouting stuff. I am sure she is a hoot at home. Also, her voice carries. Very easily. She's a doll. Blond hair.

So, the first thing I overheard - I was perusing and browsing the shoe aisles, and I hear the little girl's voice exclaim loudly, "Well if you wear that, your peepee will show!!" I believe they were by swimsuits/juniors.

And, I mean, who doesn't love to hear the word "peepee" loudly broadcast across the store whilst you are shopping?? Good times.

She seemed to be on a "peepee" fixation, making several subsequent comments involving the showing of the pee+pee with certain articles of clothing that were under scrutiny.

I find it cute, what some parents teach their kids to call things.

"Peepee" is preferable to the anatomically correct label, I suppose, when one is out in public, and surrounded by strangers.

"Put that on and I'll be able to see your peepee!"

Great. I heard the mom shush her and say, "Alright, that's enough peepee talk!"

So then, the next thing I overheard was in the dressing room. Trying on clothes. I think the mom had an older daughter, and the little one. I first hear anxious worrying over toys - "Mommy!! Mommy! You forgot our toys!!"

I guess they were left in the cart with stuff they weren't trying on, because that's the explanation I heard. This little girl was very worried, though.

So the older one was trying something on, and the mom as well, and the littler one was in the same dressing room as the mother. I hear "Mom, look at this, I love it ..." from the older daughter.

Mom: "But you already have so many ..."
Older Daughter: "No, I don't! I only have that one, and this one is different ..."

Mom shushes the younger daughter, who is making some noise.

A bit of quiet ensues, with faint sounds of rustling clothing and personal adjustments being made.

And then, out of the blue - "I CAN SEE YOUR CRACK BUTT! I CAN SEE YOUR CRACK BUTT!!", followed by some nervous giggling. I don't know if she was feeling embarrassed, or utterly amused by her own hilarity.

Yeah, your "crack butt," mommy. As opposed to your clean-and-sober, or even merely-drunk, butt. Which shows.

You know what this girl makes me wish?? That I could just haul off and holler every little thing that pops into MY head with the running commentary on life's observations, yo.

Mom shushes her abruptly and in earnest, this time, and basically tells her to pipe down, because "That's ENOUGH". I get the distinct impression that mommy is feeling embarrassed. Not mad, just shy of thorough mortification.

I walked out, at that point, and was SO tempted to comment in passing, "I bet she gives you an earful every day, doesn't she?" but I thought that might be a trifle interefering.

And then, just as I was about to leave the store, they were looking at socks, or belts, or purses, or something, in that general vicinity, and I took a quick swing around jewelry.

I do remember edging past them, when they wandered over towards the bath and beauty products, and as I round the corner of the jewelry display, out of the blue, with only silence preceding it, I heard "You're the best mommy in the world."

At least, that's what I thought I heard. It was sweet. It was unprompted. And it also sounded a bit like "You're the Pest mommy in the world."

I mean, I didn't expect a lil Caucasian blonde kindergartener to use the word "pimpest," did I?

Mom, to Little One: "What? *laughs* Where did you learn that? Who taught you that?"
To Older Daughter: "Did you hear what she just said??"
Older Daughter: "No, what?"
Mom: "Say it again!"
Little One: "YOU'RE THE PIMPEST MOMMY IN THE WORLD!!!"

Oh, yes, she did.

I sort of love that kid.

I wonder what the family's holidays and barbecues are like.

More laughs than a barrel of monkeys, I'd imagine.

Have YOU shown your "pimpest peepee crack butt" to the world today?? :)