i stumbled....

 I never made it to my intended destination yesterday,

because on the way I stumbled upon a garage sale.

I couldn't resist these items.  So, with the trunk of my car raised

to accommodate the  large wooden box,

I decided it was best to return home.

And look what I stumbled on in the Thrifty Food Department!

I found these leg quarters reduced and well within the expiration date.

 I brought them home, stuck 'em in the crock pot with a tiny bit of water,
salt and pepper, and cooked slowly for 8 hours.

 I removed the skin and the meat fell off the bones.
I skimmed the fat off the broth and will cook noodles in it
and serve with some creamed chicken today.
Then I think I'll make a loaf of buttermilk/oatmeal bread
and enjoy some cold chicken sandwiches (which I love) tomorrow.
What have YOU stumbled on lately?

flowers in fabric

 I thought it might be fascinating to "collect" all the floral fabric patterns

 in the dining area of our kitchen/dining room.

 You'll probably agree it is "fascinating"!

(A polite word that can mean MANY things.)

 Pillows, hooked rugs,

 the upholstery on chair seats,

 curtains,

 and even a rag doll...

somehow it all works for me

though by looking at it here, I have NO idea how!

a tiny tweek

 I've been putting it off, but it desperately needed to be done...

 so I removed a few things...

 added a a few...

and changed out the faux flowers.

I can't say it's "perfect",

but it will have to do.

~Our white mantel tweeked a tiny bit with thrifted finds~

memorial day - keeping it simple

 Napkins purchased after a holiday last year...

 a hanging patriotic plaque - found in a free box at a garage sale...

 pasta salad made with tuna, veggies I had on hand (yellow peppers, peas, onioin),

 bound with mayo, and chilling in a thrifted vintage bowl...

a vintage canister that sits year 'round on my kitchen counter.

Memorial Day will be low key around here.

We spent some time Saturday with one of our daughters and her family,

had guests for dinner after church yesterday,

and made no plans for today.

So, when we woke up to rain this morning, 

I decided pasta salad would be just fine

(and hubby agreed).

There are plenty of projects to keep us busy, and if the rain stops

we may take a walk.... 

 I'm wearing a necklace & bracelet constructed from seed beads

in a summer camp "craft shack" over ten years ago.  

Every once in awhile I bring them out for the good memories...

outdoor thrift

 If you've visited my other blogs recently, this one may seem a little repetitious...

 but we've been spending a lot of time in our yard this spring!

My husband (alerted by my sister) picked up some picket fencing

that was trashed in her addition.

 For "free" - with some elbow grease, paint and creativity - we beautified 

 several spots in our lawn.

 The fence was a perfect place to hang this rusty wreath.

made from old, rusty bed springs.

 My husband repaired and re-hung this old, wooden swing we found at a garage sale

 or auction many years ago.  It will be ready for our youngest grandchild who will

 visit us this weekend!

One of my favorite projects was finding the "perfect place"

to hang this mirror which had been laying around

waiting to be purposed.  This, I believe, is where it belongs!

I'm a strong proponent of Outdoor Thrift - as you can see.

mug shots

From left to right:  My husband's current morning coffee mug, mine, the one I purchased at a garage sale today for $.25, and one I like to look at but seldom use.

I'm kind of particular about my mugs.  The first feature I require is that the mug have a √ "lip" on it.  I don't know another way to describe the rim that I look for.  The mug to the far right doesn't have a "lip", so I just look at it and offer it to guests now and then.  A √  blue and white color scheme is a second desirable feature.  Lately, I've realized a √ white interior is preferable since when I'm pouring my coffee into a mug in the morning, it is sometimes difficult to judge the amount of coffee in it if the inside is a dark color.  For that reason, my current mug is about to be changed out for the one I purchased today.

 Speaking of "mugs"....

Do you have a favorite mug - or do you grab a different one every day?
What makes a mug "work" for you?

how sweet it is!

 I recruited one of my white pitchers to hold the sweet-smelling

 lily-of-the-valley plucked from one of our flower beds this morning.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

I'm wearing my $1 (thrifted) "hot coffee" tee shirt 

and accessorizing with several brown bracelets (also thrifted).

 I'm wishing for an inexpensive record-player (an old fashioned one)

to play these vintage LPs...

 only a few of a stack of freebies I claimed from a curbside treasure trove!

How sweet it IS!

painting with "oops" paint

 SOOOOO excited to find "Oops" paint at one of our local hardware stores--

green to finish the potting bench, above...

and a great shade of blue for the vintage vanity table, below

After a second coat of paint and a little glass knob for the drawer, this will be darling!

By the way, "Oops" paint is what one of our local hardware stores labels paint that is returned -- for whatever reason not to a customer's liking. It is GREAT quality paint - sometimes strange colors but at a significantly lower price from its original. As my husband says, it's actually easier

 to pick from 3 shades of green "Oops" paint than the 40-50 shades or so of green 

on those little color strips!

speaking of several years....

 It's been awhile since I've photographed myself--

mainly because my new Smart Phone doesn't have a time delayed camera feature - 

at least none that I can figure out.

So I'm back to the old way.

This morning I wanted to show off the thrifted necklace I'm wearing.

After trying several shots of it, I decided that getting the green color

of the pendant to show properly is impossible with my equipment!

I'm wearing a favorite striped (thrifted) Ann Taylor top.

I've had it for several years and the colors never seem to fade!

Speaking of "several years"....

My husband has stored wood in his shed for several years.

A few days ago, he began to create a potting bench out of some of it.

I can't wait to see the final product!

Today I'll be rummanging around the garage to look for a few trim pieces

for him to apply before painting.

Stay tuned - and visit my Wonder-Working Man HERE.

stocking my (imaginary) shoppe

 Cleaning out a cupboard today,

 I ran across a small collection.

 

 Looking closely at these pieces, I understand why they caught my eye

in the thrift store a few years ago.

 I'm just not sure what to do with them.

In the past, I used to buy things as if I were stocking a shop.

(I think I would have called it a shoppe if it had ever materialized....)

Have YOU ever shopped for an imaginary shoppe????

aftermath

These two photos could be titled "Aftermath".

They show a little bit of what followed

a successful Ladies' Tea at our church last Saturday.

My tablecloths (above) were only a few of those incorporated in the table coverings.

And the snack trays & cups  (below) were what I loaned 

to help provide place settings for about 70 ladies.

Of course, all of these items were thrift store finds for me

so when I dropped a stack of the snack trays, I wasn't out too much $$$ when

four of them broke on our driveway...!

It isn't necessary to spend huge sums of money to set attractive tables

at home or for special events such as this was...

pairs

 All of these pairs in our yard were free or purchased in thrift stores

 or garage sales.

 Whether wood or rusted metal,

 red or blue,

pairs are EVERYWHERE

and pairs are FUN.

While odd numbers are usually a better way to go in decorating,

I broke the rules and photographed what caught my eye today.

How do YOU feel about pairs - inside or out?