where to begin?

...here, I guess.  This black top (one of 2), linen capris and black sandals were each $.25 at the Curiosity Shop in Auburn yesterday!  I spilled coffee on the other black shirt already - so it is drying as I write!  Yes, it was $.25 Day and I picked up several useful pieces of clothing for grandchildren and a pair of slacks for my husband. 

I found a few treasures at garage sales, too.  Several from the "free boxes"!  I'll try to get it together enough to show some of them early next week.

same and simple

Thrifted earlier this week, we basically kept it the SAME.  Didn't change the color, but hubby sanded, primed and painted this nifty little metal cupboard. 

There's something to be said for sameness...(I'm just not sure WHAT.)

I've added the brooch to dress it up a bit (and also to cover a bit of cleavage that tends to show itself.  This simple outfit is comfortable and suitable for several activities I have planned today --

• leading a hymn sing at a local nursing home,
• accompanying my husband as he visits a person in a different nursing home later in the day,
• checking out a thrift store in that town,
• and enjoying lunch/dinner at a favorite restaurant.

All clothing and shoes were thrifted years ago!  The brooch was obtained in an exchange at our (then) Red Hats luncheon.

i wear aprons

Earlier this week, hubby and I visited our favorite Thrift Store - St. Vincent de Paul.

I purchased three aprons and a picture frame decorated with baseball bat, glove & ball (perfect for one of the grandsons).  Total price was just over $2.  (I can't remember exact amount.)

Here is one of the aprons  - complete with a pocket!  All it needed was a bit of ironing.  And, yes, I DO wear aprons.
Occasionally.

the sun porch

 I SHOULD have been "on" this job early in the spring.  But I wasn't.  And the sun porch was buried under the layers of items placed there "until later" during the winter.  Then, it got too hot to enjoy.  It cooled enough yesterday for me to clean and arrange it so that we can actually enjoy the space again!  My husband assembled the crib that had been stored in the garage.  I placed a thrifted comforter and pillows covered with fabric I have thrifted over the years.  Now it is an inviting spot on which to curl up and read.  The vintage floral carpet strip, both rocking chairs, the wood chest under the bed, and any toys you see were all purchased at garage sales or thrifted.  We've owned the chest for over 30 years and it was old when we bought it!

I'm looking forward to a cooler day tomorrow and good times to come on our back sun porch.

frugality

Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying. The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things. ~Elise Boulding

This morning I was pleased to find so many items that I can use on the "Buy 10 for $10 and Get 11th Free" special.  The items I buy on this sale are those that are normally more than $1.50.  (I've found they usually slip in a few that are not that much more than the sale price regularly.)

I bought some packages of cookie mix that I'll make for our annual Porch Hospitality during the Harlan Day Parade in a couple of weeks.  Not bad for $.30/dozen (plus the price of 2 eggs)!

When I got home, I  cut up some carrots* and sliced some potatoes ($1.99/10 pounds) and onions and crumbled some lean hamburger over them in the crock pot.  It will make a good, inexpensive dinner for us this evening.

*Though I like the convenience of bagged, baby carrots, I usually buy the $.75/pound whole carrots and cut slice them for snacking.  I have found that those smaller in circumference are usually more tender and tasty.

mix and match

 Above:  How I take my photos...then I crop and edit them in Picassa.

 Sometimes they're a little goofy and I delete them.  I SHOULD have deleted THESE!  Especially the one below.  I seem just a little too happy showing off my legs...

 I'm real happy if I get one that's kind of normal looking - like below.

It's no secret that I gave away a lot of clothes when I lost weight last year.  I THOUGHT this would be a good incentive to keep the weight off.  Now, when I've put on some pounds, I find myself struggling to find clothes to wear.  This morning, I'm using the jacket from a dress that is way too tight and wearing it with a looser fitting dress.  This is only a temporary "fix", but mixing and matching makes it possible to work with my existing wardrobe without buying larger clothes -- which I'm determined NOT to do!

some pitfalls of the thrift store shopper

You know you are buying mindlessly if you:

• Buy on a whim.
• Buy to impress others.
• Buy because you feel you deserve it.
• Buy when you can’t afford it.
• Buy just to update something that still works or looks fine.
• Buy because someone else has it and you want it too.
• Buy because the advertisement seduced you.
• Buy because you are bored.
• It’s purchased because buying soothes you.

This is only a small part of an article about simplicity that I found here.   Lover of thrift store shopping that I am, I frequently find myself "camped" on the fine line that separates buying mindlessly from buying wisely!  Buying on a whim and buying because I'm bored (above) are particularly traps for me.  I could add, "buying because the price is too good to pass up". 

I showed SOME restraint last week when I purchased the book and pot above!  There were tons of "wonderful stuff" at the barn sale I passed on the way home from the lake but for $1.25, this is what I brought through my front door.

bring on the rain!

Found last week at a thrift store for $1.  I have a "thing" for umbrellas...Wonder if this is Bakelite with a sterling band????

a no-frills summer dress-up outfit

I wore a basic black skirt with white tank top this morning topped with a brown, linen shirt worn as a jacket.

Accessories:  gold necklace, gold belt, and tan, open-toed heels.  I like the lines on the jacket's pocket.

(In air-conditioned public places, I find myself frequently needing a sweater or light jacket.)

simple strokes for simple folks

Multiple strands of pearls fill in the neckline of this simple white top.  A typical, conservative outfit for me today.  On the schedule after a few hours of study and writing?  Reading for pleasure (a Mavis Cheek book I'm determined to finish in spite of the awkward and unfamiliar style), a lunch of fruit and egg salad roll-ups, an appointment with a tree specialist to get estimates on on the downing and removal of a couple of trees, a visit to a new farmers' market just a block away from us, and a trek into the city to relax at Borders. 



"Quietness is not only the opposite of noise.  It is the absence of excitement, haste, and consequent confusion.  These dissipate strength, while calmness and deliberateness conserve it...."  from Streams in the Desert, Volume 2, July 9.

This statement soothes me and calls to me.  I guess that may explain the reason I dress so plainly....

(I DID polish my nails--bright red!)

accessorizing the familiar

This morning I selected silver jewelry (3 chain necklaces and silver earrings) to accessorize an all-too-familiar shirt.  I will be enjoying the company of friends today - one for early morning coffee and another for lunch.  I look forward to both and am gearing up for accomplishing chores left untended in the hours in-between and after....

A Mid-Week-Get-Away

I've gotten into some pretty unique poses in order to photograph my outfits with my cell phone...but this one required some maneuvering!  The only mirror in this hotel room is in the bathroom, so the shower curtain was my backdrop! UPDATE:   I decided to delete the picture since the more I looked at it, the stranger it got!

Comfortable knit capris teamed with a tan shirt were my apparel for the 24 hour get-away I'm enjoying while my husband is in a meeting here.  In just a few minutes, I'll be diving into the pool and then sunning outdoors for 15 or 20 minutes....

It's A New Day!

A new day with a

• New computer
• New programs (Windows 7)
• New inspiration to lose weight and get into some clothes I wanted to be wearing this summer
• New determinations

I have NO excuse to be lazy and unproductive.  The past few days have been very, very beautiful!  I can still fit into my denim skirt and with the red belt and off-white top, I am indicating my appreciation of the freedoms and blessings I enjoy as a citizen of my country.