a thrifting i will go...

I miss the days when thrift shopping meant I came home with an enormous black trash bag fuller than full of vintage dresses, slips  and sweater sets that cost me no more than $2 apiece. Still, I guess I cannot argue the value of a huge pile of goodness for under $70. Let's just chock it all up to inflation shall we?

A few days after my brother's return home from the hospital we hit up a pair of pretty fantastic thrifts (and then I checked out for a quick spin through one other). I was on the hunt for vintage linens, as always, the mister was looking for a cast iron skillet, and the brother was looking for a specific bike. It goes without saying that I needed a little bit more time than they did so I felt a wee bit rushed and thus probably spent more than I should have.

The first thrift turned up some awesome crocheted throws, a tablecloth and spiffy brand basics I have been hunting for to put towards my "new" wardrobe vision (think linen, pantaloons and petticoats). The next thrift scored me some pretty linens, pajama bottoms to turn into pantaloons, a pretty linen jacket from J. Jill and more. My final solo spin (I claimed I was heading out for a coke due to crazy asthma and sugar craving and I did pick up said coke, I did. I also nipped up to the thrift. Sniff) scored me a bag full of vintage bias tapes and trim, some funky teal shorts from Thailand and a few other things I probably tucked away for safe keeping and now will probably never find.

I do have a thing for the thrift. Blame my mother, she started it all what with us being um...poor and all that. She had such a way of turning a necessity into something fun and I will forever be grateful that she passed it on to me. The thrifting up here in happy town isn't as vintagey as I would prefer but I suppose at this point I am up to my elbows in vintage and well, the mister is over his limit, methinks. It's also probably a good thing as we are officially broker than broke (but with new wheels) and I really don't need anything other than a smaller cast iron skillet, some more closet staples and vintage queen sized linens. I really need some queen sized linens. We tried making the bed yesterday and not one of the five (FIVE) pretty floral fitted beauties cut the mustard. Drats! The good thing about that is now I can cut up those pretty linens without feeling like I am sacrificing any future pretty bed making supplies. It's time to get to crafting...until I run out of supplies and need to dash off to the thrift...just to see...

and suddenly there were new wheels...

the last shot

farewell, Rodney

finding myself weepy

chunkier keys

meet Dr. Eleanor Teeth

It took two and a half hours from final test drive to key exchange to add Eleanor to the family. It took less than twenty minutes to say farewell to Rodney. It was bittersweet indeed. Rodney my friend, for thirteen years you did me proud and took me and the mister all over this fine country. Thank you. Here's to new adventures!

memories

This past Saturday we said goodbye to our faithful car. Rodney was my first new car and did me well these past thirteen years. If the mister and I were a two car household, we would have kept him. Alas, we weren't certain Rodney would get us around the country again in his rickety old age. Farewells were said, weepiness ensued and new wheels were brought into our little family. Sigh.

oh, the snootiness inside me

Yesterday at the thrift store I watched a very young mother scold her very young child (about four) for spilling his crackly bag of red hot cheetohs all over the floor. He apologized and said it was "a accident" and she continued to scold as she swept the glaringly red snack food under the clothing rack with her right foot. I was flabbergasted. I probably shouldn't have been but I was. In my snoot, snoot, snooty head I glared and reprimanded. There were too many things I thought wrong with the whole scene and I thought what good is she teaching this child?

I thought back to my preschool years and I remember knocking over products at the grocery store much to my mother's chagrin and then picking up said products under her watchful yet unscolding eye. I remember accompanying her to the fabric sore (which I abhorred) and running around and hiding in the fabric racks until she'd yank me out by the arm, sit me down at the pattern book table and ask me to pick out a new dress pattern. I know how difficult it can be shopping with children. How taxing, really. Grocery shopping about did me in so I am not so snooty that I judge her for sitting the kiddo down in the back of the cart with a crackly bag of processed snack food (I myself am quite partial to the orange puffs). I do however hold it against her for sweeping those red crunchy bits slightly under the racks so that others can stomp on them. One, it shows no accountability, two, it loses out on a teachable moment and three, it leaves a mess for the staff to pick up...then again...the mister and I once stumbled upon something much more awful sitting on the floor in the middle of an aisle at a thrift store we will never frequent again.

*I want things like this not to be acceptable or shrugged off. In a nutshell it might not seem like a big deal but in the bigger picture it simply leads to more sloppiness.It lends itself to the many things that are wrong with the world (think about not picking up the wrapper you just walked by because YOU didn't drop it there). Bad examples are set, a lack of caring is put forth and I think it goes hand in hand with morals and all that jazz. Where does it go before others think it is a BIG deal. Why not begin with an internal measure of how you want to be perceived or how you want the world to work? Sure, there are exceptions (lots of exceptions) and things don't always work out the way you want them to but to show a lack in caring or an obliviousness that the behavior is not normal is sad and startling. I liken this to the "good job" debate and children expecting gold stars at every turn, to employees expecting the highest rating on their reviews for simply doing their job and for internet sales people expecting 5 stars for sending you their product as they should. It's about treating people with kindness because you are kind. My thoughts are coming out very clear here and I understand that many of you will think me most snooty but these are the things I think about as I observe the discontent of the world around me.

seven years (hitched) and counting

 Happy Read Across America Day! When the mister and I were planning our shindig, we delighted in the coincidence that our first date was on Dr. Seuss' birthday. When it came time to pick a date for the shindig, it was a no brainer. We got hitched on our second anniversary and will be tied to Dr. Seuss each year. This year being no exception, we drove on down to Los Angeles to visit with friends and revisited the fountain. We also stopped off and made a deal for new wheels and now we're going to plan a road trip! Happy Anniversary!

 

 

it's time for another leap

 This year marks seven years hitched to the mister. We're heading down to L.A. for fountain jumping and a wee bit o visiting. We're hoping to return with a new set of wheels as well. Wish us luck!