Frugal Friday

So I have found a new little hobby. Quite by accident, really. I have a friend who likes to thrift shop, and I had been telling her for a long time that I was looking for 2 bedside tables that I could paint black for my guest bedroom. I told her to look for me when she was out and about thrifting. I have never been much of a thrift shopper. I started reading lots of decorating blogs with thrifty makeovers, though, and I thought "I could do that". Pair that with the fact that a new thrift store opened down the road from the house and it is a brand new building, it is super clean, not smelly and it is close to a bunch of rich neighborhoods. All of those things make a difference, trust me. I have gone into some other thrift stores...skeeved me out... sensitive nose. I have been periodically going in to check out the furniture and housewares for things that I could makeover. I had been looking for some kind of little table that I could put beside my jacuzzi tub to hold my drink, book and bathing supplies. I found this cute little two tiered table for $7.00...I will be spray painting it white. Notice how I staged it with a candle, bath salts, bottle of wine, wine glass and a beautiful book. I feel sure that I will not be reading "The Pleasure of your Company" hardback coffee table book in the bath, but the colors of the book looked pretty. When not in use next to the tub, I will store this little table in my closet as a shelf for some pocketbooks or some other girly neccessity.

In other thrify news, I found this great little fruit and veggie stand by the side of the road on my way home from work today. I got all of this beautiful, South Carolina grown produce for $15.00. Score!! What a rip-off grocery store produce is!!

Frugal Friday

I've done so much since my last Frugal Friday post, but telling you about all of that is just gonna have to wait. Here we are at Frugal Friday once again. I made another trip back to "The Target Graveyard", so I thought that you would want to see what I scored on this trip.

1) America license plate picture- I paid $2.50 In the store for $39.99
2) Boppy baby sling carrier- I paid $16.00 In the store for $39.99
3) Large glass canister- I paid $2.50 Had a tag on it for $24.90
4) Seagrass basket- I paid $2.50 Something like it in the store for $24.99
5) Making memories scrapbook paper set of 40 sheets- I paid $4.50 Something like it in the store for $14.99 and $19.99
6) Black birdcage- I paid $8.60 In the store for $24.99 (I think)
7) 5 piece drawer storage kit- I paid $3.50 In the store for $12.99 (I think)
8) Disney Princess and Cars dry erase activity boards- I paid $4.00 each Something like it in the store for $12.99
9) XOXO pewter letters- I paid $6.00
10) Cream bird plate stand- I paid $6.00
11) 5 air freshners- I paid $2.50 for all 5
12) Lint roller refill- I paid $2.00

Hope ya'll have a Happy 4th of July!! Be safe!!

Frugal Friday

A friend introduced me to this fabulous place that I have affectionately named "The Target Graveyard". If you like organized, non-digging shopping, then this is not the place for you. It's a bit like a thrift store, but the products are new. They buy stuff at pennies on the dollar and sell it in a warehouse setting. Most of what I have bought is Tar-jay stuff. They have it marked with the orange tags. If the item is under $10, then it is 50% off the tag. If the item is over $10, then it is 60% off the tag. Here's what I scored on my first visit:

1) Sandalwood potpourri with wicker balls I paid: $3.50 Currently in the store for $16.99
2) Eiffel Tower sculpture I paid: $2.50 Currently in the store for $39.99
3) Set of 2 Navy sailcloth window panels I paid: $2.50 Currently in the store for $29.99
4) Embroidered white window panel I paid: $2.50 Currently in the store for $19.99
5) Brown wrought iron branch candle holder I paid: $2.50 Currently in the store for $17.19
6) Leaves removable wall art I paid: $2.50 Something like it currently in the store for $24.99
7) Black wrought iron plant stand I paid: $5.00 Currently in the store for $15.99
8) Smooth away I paid: $5.00 (don't waste your money) Currently in the store for $9.99
9) Memory framed shadow box I paid: $2.50
10) Decorative bundle of sticks I paid: $2.50
11) Printer paper I paid: $1.60
12) Doggie tennis ball toy I paid: $2.44
13) Set of 18 bronze glittered bird ornaments (I will be making a bird's nest mini tree for Christmas) I paid: $2.16
14) Bamboo candle holder I paid: $5.00

These kind of bargains get me excited!! I have a use for each thing~ I didn't just buy things because they were inexpensive. I'll do a post later where I show you how I used each item. Have a good weekend!!

Doggie Surgery

My baby Ali had a cornea problem that was causing her lots of pain. Our vet thought she had been poked in the eye and scratched her cornea. After a month of treating her with drops, ointments and pain meds, our regular vet referred us to an opthamologist in Charlotte. As soon as the eye doc looked in her eye, he told us that she had an indolent ulcer and we had no choice but to operate~ the sooner the better since she could lose her sight. They took her into surgery right then.

Ashleigh didn't take her eyes off of the door where they took her sister.

She eventually laid down, but still had her eyes peeled on that door.

When they brought Ali out after surgery, she was so "drunk" that she sat down on top of my purse.

Check out her little catheter in her leg.

Daddy held Ali while she got bandaged up where the catheter had been. Like Father, like Daughter. He has a bandage too.

She was OUT on the drive home.

She started feeling better in a couple of days, and felt well enough to go on a car ride to Petsmart to get food and treats.

Look at that cute little thing riding in the buggy.

We just got home from her two week follow up appointment. The doctor thought she was doing great, and her vision is going to return to 100%. Hallelujah!!

Today was a better day!!

Thanks for all of the kind words that you wrote me after yesterday's post. Life goes on, and I appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Today was a better day. I was over at www.chic-critique.com today talking about Tweezerman...you can really tweeze some hair, man!! Go check it out and leave me a comment to let me know you were there!!

I also thought I'd share something that makes me happy~ our plants and flowers.

These pillows for our front porch were pretty plain...you know that plain pillows don't really work for me.

Adding a little ric-rac makes them so much more fun!!

Cool bottlebrush tree...it's not doing so well though.

These are some of the different colors of hostas that we planted under our back porch.

I love a hanging basket.

See what I mean

I bought another firecracker bush~ ours thrived last year and the hummingbirds loved it.

Our dwarf Japanese maple filled out overnight.

The dwarf gardenias have been beautiful.

I can't believe how fast our sweet potato vine is growing.

We will be planting these daylilies in front of the garage.

The wave petunias are growing like crazy.

How can you not love a Kimberly Queen fern?

I decided to get another diplandia because the one we had last year was absolutely beautiful and vined around the porch. Supposed they will last through the winter if you bring them in. I will try to put it in my basement this year {before it gets too cold}, and let you know how it makes it.

Plants + Flowers = Happiness for me

I'm mad today...it doesn't seem fair.

I told you a couple of weeks ago that I had a lot on my mind, and you told me that it was okay to share it. I might regret pushing publish post after I finish what I have to say, but I can't seem to move along with my day, concentrate on work or post about any of the fun things that we have been doing. So here you go...

My husband and I have been trying to start a family for the last 3 1/2 years. I suffer from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome {PCOS}, have miscarried, had an ectopic pregnancy {where I lost a tube} and have been seeing a reproductive endocrinologist {fertility specialist}. We have been keeping it quiet because I didn't want to have to explain anything, talk about it, or be disappointed when it didn't work out. What???? Like not talking about it was really going to keep me from being disappointed? I have prayed hard about this, but by talking about this maybe I can get other people to pray for us too? I don't know, maybe writing about it will make me feel better or maybe it will help someone else who is going through this? I might just be a mess because of all of the hormones they have pumped into my body. Another month with the big 'ole negative sign. I detest that negative sign. It is my nemesis.

Here's what I'm mad about. I went to get a PG test at CVS this morning because I thought that the ones that I took Friday night and Saturday morning just had to be wrong. In line in front of me were a young couple buying a box of PG tests who looked to be unmarried and unfit to be parents. Now, I know that I should not judge who should be parents, but they did not look like they had any business with a child. You just know that they went home and THEIR test was positive. I ,unfortunately, went home to a negative test. Bitter. Why does it seem that the people who have no business having children are the ones who can reproduce over and over again without any problems? It doesn't seem fair.

When I was talking to a friend about it this afternoon, she said that it seems like I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop. And it does. She's right. I have a lot of things that have happened to me through the years. Way too many things for one post, but maybe my therapy is going to be to get it all off my chest. Right now, though, "I'm mad today...it doesn't seem fair" is all I have to say.

Frugal Friday

I have always been a bargain shopper, but I have to admit that I only found out about the Dollar Tree a couple of years ago. Dollar Tree...where have you been all my life? Oh, I remember...my Mother doesn't do dollar stores. Nothing wrong with that (I love you Mom for teaching me to love the nice things in life). I do love to see what I can get for a great deal, though. I mean, look what you can get for $11.00 plus tax:

Their spray bleach cleaner is great

White-out, popcorn and Reynold's Wrap~ can't go wrong with those

Drop cloth, sandpaper, painter's tape, picture hanging kit~ all useful for all the the home decor projects that I have going on

3 energy drinks for my hubs~ I don't know if he really liked any of them, but Red Bulls are really expensive.

I would also recommend their gift boxes and bags, tissue paper, some of their greeting cards aren't bad, books, office supplies, little toys and books for children, some of their seasonal stuff, and crafting supplies. I would not, however, recommend buying pregnancy tests from there:) I'm just saying...

I'm back..maybe

Hello to any friends who might still be reading. Yes, I know I haven't posted since Easter. I am in a blog funk. I don't know the direction that I want my blog to go. I have so many ideas, but just not enough time to implement any of them. I have so many ideas swirling in my head. Do I want to be real and write about what is on my mind (there could be some REALLY long posts)? Do I want to write about my life's journey...I promise I could make you laugh and cry with everything that has happened to me along the way? Do I want to concentrate on my home and the decorating fun and challenges that I have faced trying to get our new home put together? Do I want to write about my love of cooking and share recipes? I read other blogs, and I feel so inadequate. I want my blog to be my place of joy, but right now it is not. It is just mocking me saying "You don't have enough time or energy to focus on me". There are so many things that I don't know how to do with my blog that I want to learn, but I just don't have the time to devote to learning. I feel sad when I realize that no one reads my blog anymore and no one comments if I do happen to post. The fact that you have readers and that they leave comments is what keeps you going. Blogging is kinda like a part time job, though, and I have just not had the time or energy to put into it. I am tired of my blog design...I want a more clean, streamlined look. I want a better camera that takes fabulous pictures that I can blow up big and they look like a professional photographer has taken them. I want to learn how to sew and post pictures of the fun things that I make. I want to rehab thrifty finds and post lots of before and after pictures. I want to sponsor some fabulous giveaways. I want to create a blog that has people looking forward to checking in every day to see what I have posted. I want to inspire people. If there is anyone reading, what would you like to read from me? I am going to try to implement some of these changes that I have been wanting to make to my blog. Stay tuned and hopefully I will get out of this funk and back into the groove.

Happy Easter from our home to yours...

Just a few things...

I LOVE these dogs!! They are so darn cute. They are very close, and like to be near each other. They're not supposed to be on top of the back sofa cushions like Ashleigh is...Ali is looking at her like "You better get down. You're gonna get in trouble." She didn't get in trouble. I had just watched Marley & Me and all I wanted to do was hug and kiss both of them. They are great dogs and I don't know what I will do without them!!

I LOVE this man!! He works so hard for us, and even though he doesn't love yardwork he still worked on the yard after working a 13 hour day. I can't do it...my allergies are REALLY bad!! The sod that we put down last year hasn't grown in, but the grass seed that we put down before the sod is growing like crazy. Looks pretty silly...maybe later this summer we will finally have a grassy backyard. Not too sure...our backyard has a long ways to go. I'll post some progress pics throughout the summer.
My girlfriend Margaret signed me up to teach Sunday school to grades 1-5. Without telling me ahead of time. Love ya girl. Mean it:) I was once again reminded that I was never meant to be a teacher.
Hopefully we will reach them in some small way, but I'm not sure. Like I said, I'm not meant to be a teacher. They mostly like the play time towards the end of class. We had 17 kids this past Sunday...2 teachers...candy and small little toy rewards work wonders. Bribery. It's a good thing.

I *Heart* Being a Greasy Bear!!

I am back at it again today. Nothing embarassing this time. Just chatting about *hearting* being a greasy bear!! Come check it out at www.chic-critique.com.