Thrift Share Monday: On the Road Again

I am on the road again this week-this time in "sunny" (yeah, that is tongue-in-cheek) Detroit. The roads were treacherous driving up and I wanted so badly to be in Miami or Phoenix. Sigh.

The best part of the drive was listening to a pet talk show out of Windsor, ON. The host was reading bits and pieces from a book about the Koehler Method of Dog Training. I'd add a link, but no point in connecting you with it (read on). The radio host said, with a voice of amazement after reading excerpts, this book was the "authority" on dog handling/training just 20 years ago. Let me tell you, the book was nothing but a training manual for animal abuse. I about bawled my eyes out thinking of all the poor animals subjected to this Ass and his methods. He claimed that anyone afraid of using his methods were "spineless". If you find a book out thrifting, check it out if you are into horror reading. If I ever subscribed to the thought a book should be destroyed, it would definitely be this guide to pain and torture.

After spending the weekend emptying a playroom and handling thousands of tiny toy parts (e.g. Legos, game pieces, little men and cars), I am now a full blown fan of Giant Toys. The carpet in the playroom is old and nasty (I am just not a fan of carpet) and I decided on a whim to rip it out and install laminate flooring. We will probably be moving the older boy into this room as he is in the habit of waking his younger brother who needs his sleep. We'll see, though, because they are close and I don't want them to stress. Meanwhile, we need to get the house in order anyway, so out with the gross and in with the easy to clean!


I took a driving break on my way to Detroit (to regroup as driving in snow and ice is just plain exhausting). I stopped at a Goodwill and did a five minute walk through the store. I found these giant dinosaurs to add to Littlest's collection of monsters. They had many, many more, but this seemed like a good selection of prehistoric beasts. I also bought a box of screwdrivers and other tools for $3. I haven't had time to look them over, but I can always use tools. All in all I spent $6 (as cheap as fast food!)

I am sharing this with the other thrifters out there both at Apron Thrift Girl and the great blog Her Library Adventures who is also sponsoring a giveaway for one of her handmade and very cute I heart Thrifting (or Flea markets) brooches!! She is in Australia, but her giveaway is open worldwide. I have been on a roll for giveaway of late so maybe, maybe another win for me (or you!!) :)

Speaking of rolls, I also received a blogging award!! The wonderful cook (check out her orange cranberry cake and the Indian inspired Sheppard's pie) Laura at Hey What's for Dinner, Mom passed to me

The rules are I need to share 7 random things about myself and then pass it along to 7 others.

OK, so here it goes...

1. I also have eyes that change colors; usually green, but often blue, sometimes golden and, if truth be told, sometimes red! ;)

2. I have had complete strangers tell me I look like Angelina Jolie (which I take as a compliment, but do not believe); I think it is my long dark Bettie Page haircut.

3. I am an entomologist (Yes, I studied bugs!)

4. In 5 months I have been in 15 major cities in 10 different states. It is exhausting.

5. I have multiple tattoos and am going to be adding a new one soon to my upper back and shoulders (vintage swallows with heart and ribbons with the names of my sons and beloved late dog, in case you were wondering).

6. I have lived in five states (IN, KY, CA, MD, AZ).

7. I am an outgoing Introvert!

I am passing this along to any of my 7 readers (LOL!!!) I'd love to know 7 random things about you too!

Thrifty Monday: Blue Christmas Rendition

(Complete and unused bridge set)

Sigh. It is 9:18 already and I feel like I have done nothing at all today. OK, so I went to work today, finished last minutes gift-buying at the Liquor Barn (can't go wrong with Kentucky bourbon), and spent way too much money at the Goodwill across from the L-Barn, but, really, where does the time go?

This time of year is so hard for me. I can't stand the race of Christmas and the darkness gets to me. It is one of the reasons I celebrate Winter Solstice is that I so welcome the return of the light and feeling like my day has some length to it. Yes, the hours are the same (and in fact we "Fall back" right?), but the darkness makes me yearn for my (thrifted) gnome pajama bottoms and a warm bed starting at 5:30 pm!

And, back to the holiday race, why do we not gift all year long? I can't sit on gifts and it is why I am never organized enough to space my Xmas shopping out all year long. It is always on the resolution list, but never happens. I was stressing because three stores were out of something that goes with a gift for my mother, but then I thought how ridiculous my panic was considering the piece is not a "sale" item and will be available in the weeks following the holiday.

Both my husband and I received work bonuses this year (something that has not happened in three years). We indulged partly because we had this unbudgeted money and partly because I feel so much guilt at being away from my boys during the week (I will be so happy when we are together this again...hopefully this spring/early summer). I miss my kids so much. It was stupid, I know, but the sad thing is I feel we got so much less than when we used a smaller budget (is it me or is everything more expensive this year???)

So, with the New Year goal list making season almost on top of us (suffocating us, no doubt), I plan to tighten the belt, be more organized and get my family moved down to KY as soon as humanly possible. I'll post the list next week with the specifics. Sadly, one of the items will be less thrifting for me (with a side goal of selling off lots of my "junk") at least until some of the bills are paid off. It will be good to purge since we plan to rent a smaller place while we try to sell the Northern house and land. We will buy a new house only when the bills are tidy and manageable.

OK, enough with the downer talk. Seems a lot of us out there are thinking about new years and new goals. Here is some thrifty fluff from tonight's scores:

(Cheese plate and dome)

(Set of 8 7 Tab glasses...dropped one in parking lot)

(Ok, so the Spotted Dick Pudding wasn't a thrifty find [container under it was], but I had to snatch it up for a friend last week at a Irish gift shop. It's a long story, but suffice to say it will have meaning to my dear friend...hopefully shared with a sense of humor! ;)

The Stuff of Sales

(Franciscan Earthenware--Madeira)

I normally avoid all shopping the weekend after our Thanksgiving holiday. I am not particularly fond of crowds, DH works (which means dragging my young sons around) and i love the idea of lounging around the house for a change. This latter bit was feeling especially tempting considering since September I have been driving back and forth between Indiana and Kentucky* and everything feels so rushed and busy.

We spent Thanksgiving at both sets of parents and both sent us home with leftover turkey. I decided to make a tortilla soup (with the turkey) and then discovered we were completely out of tortillas. Sigh. This meant I had to go to town (it was the part of the soup that sounded the best!)

Well, I am going to say it was purely coincidental I chose to go to the market that happens to share a strip mall with a Goodwill. So, after buying tortillas and milk (the store's receipts often have coupons for Goodwill printed on the back), the boys and I ventured into the crazy, busy thrift store for just a teeny peak at the merchandise.

Almost immediately my eyes spied the gorgeous green and chocolate brown stoneware dishes. Like many of you, I have a long-term addiction love affair with dishware. I have had/have many sets and my ideal dishes range from stoneware variety to the fragile and beautiful china sets. I have no alliance to any one type (my favorite set is a gorgeous blue transferware set of Wedgewood, but I love, love, love all of my stoneware for it's durability!) Anyway, back to the weekend, I turned the beautiful and heavy dishes over and learned they were Franciscan Earthenware. With a little further research, I discovered the pattern is called Madeira and were manufactured in the early 1970's. I gathered up the available pieces (a large oval platter, dinner and bread plates, and a creamer). I shuddered to think I would be paying Goodwill prices for them (creamer was cheap at .75, but the plates would be $1each and the platter was marked $2. I was looking at paying roughly $18 for the set, but I loved them so!)

(Orange Stuff)
Earlier I had put a set of orange (USA) leaf-shaped dishware in the cart. I ended up putting it all back in order to buy (yet another) set of dishes. The orange items were marked quite high (two-tiered stand ($3), ashtray ($1) and bowl ($8); in fact, I only had the first two items in the cart since the bowl was marked so f-ing high! I also put the bread plate (depicting the Last Supper) back on the shelf because it was marked $5. i just didn't want to spend too much.

I found a few more items like several blazers (vintage-like, but newer), a couple of skirts, Shiny Bright ornaments and the boys had each found an item or two. I went up to the check-out and told the sweet cashier I had a coupon. She replied, "You can't use your coupons on 50% day..." WHAT? I had neglected to notice the fliers posted all over the register.

Years ago, as a vintage clothing-loving, punk-rockish, oddball of a girl (back when the 50's style had just come around again for the first time and bands like Dead Kennedys and The Smiths were considered cutting edge), my best friend and I would head to the Goodwills in the area for their monthly 50% off day (the third Saturday of each and every month). We would bring home bags of clothes and things for pennies. Now, the Goodwills in the area rarely have 50% off day (apparently on Black Friday), so I was truly surprised! Since the Internet made re-selling easier, the prices in the thrifts have slowly climbed to (sometimes) ridiculous prices. Some items I pay the price because I know if I buy it on Ebay or similar site , I will pay more with the S & H; however, I have seem chipped and damaged items priced amazingly high. And the clothing, I think, is not cheap (I've seen faded, shrunk t-shirts priced $4!) Of course the money goes to a good cause, but I miss those days of youth when I could spend my weekly $20 allowance on a whole plethrea of outfits (and most of it vintage!)

Oh, I also found this great set of red stemware (goblets? candle holders?):

(Blood Orange Red Goblets)

They are very heavy and a beautiful blood orange color. The bottoms are irregular in shape and they have no markings at all. They seem really familiar to me, but I have no idea why (maybe something from childhood). Anyway, with the half-off, I paid $1 for all four.

*Another post, another time...but I transfered to another position within my employment a few months ago; I have basically moved to Kentucky from Northern Indiana. I love it there and will be extremely happy when the houses are sold and family is moved down there with me. For now, I drive home every weekend...)