Unexpected Snow Day

The weatherman kept threatening us with several Winter Weather Advisories over the past month. But, nothing came of any of them for may area. Earlier in the week they mentioned a "slight chance" of a "flurry" or maybe a "dusting". But, there wasn't much real mention of a snowstorm. I hadn't even bothered to mention it here!
This morning it started snowing lightly then it got heavier. DH and I made a made dash for the necessities - bread, TP, chocolate chips (yes, that IS a necessity in a winter storm) and milk. Then we heard school was letting out at 1:00, so we got DS, stopped by the library for a few movies then came home to hunker down. I popped popcorn in our new hot air popper (Bought at Walgreen's for $2.25 this weekend -Sorry, couldn't help divulging a deal...), made some hot chocolate and watched it snow. We haven't had any snow this year. It isn't that much yet - not anything like Heidi gets on a weekly basis in CO! But, for Arkansas - this is big. It's still coming down and will all night. They've already cancelled school for Thursday and I don't see them getting anything too cleared off for Friday so I am thinking we are about to get a four day weekend. Yahoooo!

It's Bird-y Doody Time!

Here's another "Guess Where I Am?" Photo.

Sadly, I am in yet another car wash for the second time in about as many days. Here's the story - we bought this big 25 lb. bag of wild bird seed and put it in a big blue enamel washtub in the front yard. We have had multitudes of Blue Jays, Cardinals, Doves and other very unusual and pretty birds in the front yard. We oooo'ed and aaah'ed out the window all weekend.

Then we walked out to the car.Eye-yi-yi. Little crapheads! So, I guess I will be visiting the local car washes a lot in my future.



I left my tall natural looking Christmas tree in the house and thought I would do a Monthly Holiday tree. Valentine's Day is my first holiday to try it out. I think it's cute and fun to do, but I bet I tire of it in the summer when there is nothing new to change it up. I thought the angel in the window looked Valentine-y - but with the "Christmas" tree - now I'm not so sure. I got the LOVE sign at the Dollar Tree (I heart the Dollar Tree), the little heart ornaments came from Wal-Mart NEW this year (much to my own chagrin) - but they were only $3.88, the framed vintage Valentine was at the thrift last week for 25¢, the red & white pompom garland was an after Christmas score at 99¢ and lastly, the little red cardinals were 5¢ each at the thrift after Christmas. The stuffed animals were won by DH in the claw machine at Wal-mart and promptly stuffed in the tree by him. There are red and whilte lights on it, but hard to photograph. At the top I have a plush red heart that says, "BE MINE."

All of this Valentine Talk reminds me of my first Valentine's Day as a young newlywed. I was working in a grocery store at the time. On each aisle they had these big six foot long signs that said, "HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY" with big red hearts on them. The night crew's job was to take all the signs down on Valentine's Day night. So, as I was leaving, I asked if I could take one home, since they were headed to the dumpser. When I got home, I hung it in the doorway leading from the living room to the dining room. DH had to walk through the doorway to get to the rest of the house. He walked in, pushed the giant sign aside and said, "Whatsup?" "Uh, didn't you see the sign?" I asked. "Yeah, I saw it," he responded. And, so began a marraige of fun filled romantic holdiays. Ha ha ha.

I had several comments on the Little People so here's a photo of them all lined up. I know the one on the back that is bigger is something else. But, are the rest Little People or not?

Oliveoyl's Goodie Box & Today's Thrift Finds

I spent a few days last week going through my endless supply of goodies to make oliveoyl up a box from my giveaway. She got it today and seemed to be very happy with what I chose for her. So, that makes me happy too! She is going to post photos on her blog, since I had a duh moment and forgot to take pictures. I do remember that I sent her the STRIPEY BAG,a vintage rose plate, a vintage rose covered apron, a silk holder for Ladies Hankies that says "HANKIES" on it wiht a Majorette to the side, a Campbell's Soup Bank, a Doiley and a little vintage sewing cabinet for buttons, thread and needles. It is funny, I had a hard time parting with the little cabinet, but I just really felt that it was something Oliveoyl would like. And I was right! And then, last Friday, I went to the thrift and they were putting out another little cabinet almost identical to the one I sent her - and it was only $1.00. So, now I have another one for my collection o' stuff.

I went thrifting today and only found a few things worth mentioning. This must be a slow time of the year for donations. Shirts were half price at the super thrift store so I bought a few to destoy - one is a black shirt with shell buttons that I will cut off and the other is a quilted handmade vest with hearts and hands on it - it is cute, but not wearable in my opinion. I plan on making tree ornaments or a stocking from the quilted appliques. I did get one shirt that I will keep intact and maybe even wear! I got a 1940's Norelco Sportsman razor for $1.50. I usually stay away from old electric razors, but this one had a cool leather carrying case with Tartan Plaid lining. It is make of bakelite too, I think - I will have to test it. It doesn't seem to sell for much, but I still think it is cool. I found a neat looking vintage Christmas Carol album (50¢) that I will display with my vintage Christmas stuff next year - I thought the cover was neat, but when I got home, I pulled out the album and was surprised to find a bright red transparent album. I bought two big plastic bags full of fat round little people - not weebles - but some sort of Fisher Price people. They were 75¢ each. I also bought a bag full of wooden buildings from a block set or a train set for 55¢. Stuff is so cheap at my thrift, I just gather up anything interesting and bring it home to check it out. I had three bags full for $8.25.

Whoopsie - No Duggars on Oprah Today!

I watched Oprah - but no Duggars on today's show though. Sorry for the false alarm. They did fly to Chicago on December 9th to film an Oprah show, so I know it is coming. DH works with Jim Bob's Uncle, so he will find out tomorrow if he knows the exact date. It's so funny that many of you are familiar with the Duggar family since I went to school with them and they live not too far from me, it still seems odd that other people have heard of them. Of course, I still freak out when I see a Wal-Mart in a movie or in a book. The first Wal-Mart was in my area too and I knew Sam Walton as a kid. I mean, when I was a kid - not him. That would make me rather old, wouldn't it?!! Anyway, this is rather short notice (!) but, the show when they go to CA to Disney World comes on in 10 minutes on TLC - so it is being shown again if anyone has missed it. They go to the place where the Cadillacs are buried nose down. That is worth the whole show - they guy in "charge" of the Cadillacs is a bit, er, whacked.

I sent DS to school this morning with a teeny bit of a runny nose. He got to school and the teacher saw him blowing his nose. She sent him to the nurse, who in turn, called me to come get him. He was not feeling 100% himself today, but he was close to 95%. I am a very overprotective Mom and I wouldn't have sent him if I didn't think he could handle it. I know they had his best interest in mind. But, I wish he could have just stayed. He would have been alright. Now there will be make up work, missed Art or Music which counts against his grade, etc. If he would have been really sick, he should have come home. (Of course, I wouldn't have sent him in the first place.) I dropped him off at 7:45 and had him picked up at 8:30. World's shortest school day!

I was randomly clicking on blogs last night when I came acros my name mentioned on Sweet Repeats! Lucy mentioned the fears I have about my neighbors watching me drag in fancy store bags when, in reality, they are really from the thrift store. If you aren't familiar with her blog, check it out - she's thrifty just like the rest of us. Thanks, Lucy!

The Duggar Family - 17 Children

I've mentioned the Duggar Family here a few times. This is the family with 16 (soon to be 17) kids that is debt free, super organized and live in a huge PAID for 7,000 sq. ft. home that they (all the kids too) helped build. If you aren't familiar with the Duggars, I strongly urge you to check out Discovery or The Learning Channel and look for their shows, "14 Kids & Pregnant Again", "16 Kids & Moving In" and "On the Road with 16 Childen". Now, I know a lot of people might think that having 17 kids is irresponsible or just plain crazy and I might have even been one of those people once. But, this is one of the happiest most well adjusted families that you will EVER meet. I would like to be one of the Duggars! Really!

So, my fascination with the Duggar's is not completely without foundation. You see, I went to 7th-12th grade with Michelle. She started dating Jim Bob in our Junior Year. He went to the private school across town, but he was at all of our school functions. Here you see my high school yearbook - I am in the upper left corner working on the school newspaper layout and there, in the lower right, are Jim Bob and Michelle at Homecoming.

This is the all steel home that the kids and Mom and Dad built themselves. It is not too far from my house. They really are fascinating and interesting people. Anyone could learn something - from their money management (no debt) to their organization skills which are just unbelievable. They buy all their clothes at thrift stores, shop at Aldi's and buy everything else at auctions. "Buy used and save the difference" is Michelle's motto. They have a complete commercial kitchen that would have cost over $100,000 and they paid only $11,000 for everything by buying it at auctions.

They eat and cook at home mostly, but they do know what area resturants have family specials and go there on those nights. A friend of mine took his family to Taco Tico one Sunday for 39¢ taco day, but left after seeing Jim Bob come in and order nearly 100 tacos!

There are two sets of Fraternal twins in the mix of the 16 kids. They are all beautiful healthy kids. Michelle has been lucky to have such healthy babies.

I am NOT a Duggar.

NOTE: There will be NO COMMENTS added to this post. Comments are now moderated. Notice the date on this post is from January 2007. It is not necesary to comment on this post. No one sees it so it is fruitless. And for those of you that have found it necesary to email me personally with your twisted views and calling ME names, you are really just wasting your time. Don't tell me what to think or how to think. This is America and this is my blog.  For you NICE people - thank you!

Photo Challenge

I took this picture yesterday - anyone care to venture a guess where I was???



I'm sure you can tell, I was at the car wash. We just got this new car wash in town and it scares the crap out of me. I get very claustrophobic in there. These giant foam mop thingys come at you from every direction and encompass the entire car, making the car shake and making it shudder.




These big jets of water come up from the bottom and make the car vibrate. It feels very violent in there. But, you do get a really clean car. Of course, it is spitting rain and snow this morning, so there's $7.00 I'll never see again....

I've started carrying my camera with me everywhere I go. I've always taken pictures at the holidays, birthdays, etc. But, I've discovered some of the best photos have come at the most regular times. Days at the park, a ride in the country, an impromptu ice cream cone or even just a walk around the block have given me some of the bet photo opportunities. I'm not some great photographer or anything - I just recommend taking your camera with you today on a normal everday outing and see what you come up with. Anyone ready for a challenge?

Smokin'

I'm not sure exactly what was going on this morning, but it was very smokey outside. Here at the house it wasn't smokey, but once we got to school, which is less than 1/2 mile away, the smoke was very thick and hanging low.



After I dropped off DS, I went home the back way through the curvy roads and dirt roads to see if I could find the fire. I never did find it. I imagine a farmer was burning off his fields. The smoke combined with the intense morning sun and the frosty trees and grass really made it a beautiful ride home. The morning sun hasn't shone in more than a week, so it was a welcome sight.



I normally take the busy highway home in the morning and pass the same parents in the same cars and do the same one handed wave to them as we pass. Although that is a nice morning ritual, I did enjoy my little country ride home this morning. I think I shall take the road less travelled a little more often.



But, don't fool yourself. Even though it was a beautiful morning - I would have traded all this for another hour or two (or three) of sleep!

In and Out in 11 Minutes

Yesterday, as I carried in my latest treasures from the thrift store, I wondered what my neighbors must think of my daily shopping sprees. I figure they think I am crazy going to the thrift stores and bringing so much stuff home. But, then I looked at my bags - Dillard's, JCPenney's, The Gap and Aeropostale - a store which I have NEVER heard of - then it occurred to me. Holy Moley, they probably think I go to the Mall and shop all day spending DH's hard earned money. Now I wish they KNEW I was shopping at the thrifts instead of the..ick...Mall. Speaking of the Mall, I actually did go to the Mall last Friday. I was in and out in 11 minutes. And I mean in the parking lot and out on the street in 11 minutes. I am not a Mall person. I do, however, wear Merle Norman Cosmetics and the Mall is the only place you can get it. Our local CBS Affiliate is in the Mall and they have a little door outside the studio that leads into the studio and into the Mall. I have figured out how to park right oustside the door, sneak in through that door and go straight up one of the short halls to Merle Norman. In and out in 11 minutes. Now, that's the way to shop. I was delayed a minute or two by a big rack of sweaters outside Dillard's that said, "75% Off." Even at 75% off, they were still $40.00. Eh, hem, not a deal, in my book. I could have been in and out in 9 minutes. Bad, Dillard's.


Back to my treasures from yesterday. I think my best find was this silver bowl with three votive candle cups attached to the edge. It still has the original price tag from the White Barn Candle Company for $35.00. I paid $1.50 for it. Although it truly isn't my everyday style, I think I can use it at the holidays with orange pomanders, cloves, cinnamon sticks and evergreens in the center or even some vintage glass ornaments. I can probably use it at my PTSA Teacher Appreciation lunches to hold candy or something too. But, truthfully, once I saw that $35.00 price tag versus the $1.50 price tag - I had to grab it. Right now it is housing my collection of marble eggs. I like it, but I don't think I will keep it out for now. I do need some new candles for it though. Some of my other finds were the two different sets of vintage metal trays. The larger red ones are a set of four and the smaller black ones are a set of seven. The smaller back ones actually have photographic images of flowers on them. The red ones are transfer printed. They were marked 50¢ and the ladies at the register couldn't decide if they should charge me 50¢ each or 50¢ a set. We decided on 50¢ each, even though 50¢ a set would have been the bomb. In the end, I paid $10.30 for everything which includes a little clock, a shirt for DS and a Glo-worm (my third in a week) that aren't in the picture. I an in love with the Blue Fairy Book. It is dated 1930 and in very good condition.
It has beautiful vividly colored plates inside. I have a set of fun bookends, so I suppose I need a small collection of old neat books. Like a hole in my head do I need a new collection. But, will that stop me? Oh, probably not.

How To (not) Be a Domestic Goddess

Lookee at what I found! On Yardsalequeen we have all been sharing our collections. Heidi posted a photo of her Utah souvenir collection displayed on a pair of yellow ruffled edge shadow boxes. Carol then posted that she, too, had a set of those shadow boxes, but in white. Later that day I went to the thrift and spotted these on the shelf! They had actually been there for about a month, but they had them in the kitchen section with a piece of Corning Wear sitting in them so I hadn't really paid much attention to them. But, when I saw them Friday I knew exactly what they were and what I could do with them. So, thank you Heidi and Carol - and now we are Twinkies!

This weekend I stayed home for two straight days. No makeup, I wore my comfy old clothes and did lots of piddling around the house. Oh, I did my usual laundry and vacuumming and picking up after DS and DH. But, I also painted a small folding table that I bought at a thrift last week and I baked an orange cake. I even make homemade buttercream icing for the cake. It was a bit lumpy, but still tasted fine to all of us. As I was getting down the powdered sugar for the icing, I managed to dump an entire bag of flour out of the counter and onto the stove. Luckily I had the burner covers on or it would have been a REAL mess. It was a pretty big mess already - but getting it out of those burner grooves would have been a nightmare. I thought I had it all cleaned up, but I noticed little flour dust cat prints going across the floor earlier this morning. Anyway, after I was finished cooking, I went to the bathroom to wash my hands before I ate and I noticed that I had a big smear of white paint on one shoulder and a perfect little teeny mountain of flour on the other shoulder. Geez, what a hottie I am.

Today I am finishing up the laundry until the boys come home, disrobe and yet again fill up my once empty basket. I also have to pay the mid-month bills. I always put that off a litle longer than I should - I like seeing a fatter bank balance for a day or two until I pay those dreaded bills. I have an ebay box to get ready (sold four Serta Sheep items for $34.00), my Pink and Brown Swap is ready to be boxed up and I have some coupon envies going out. I have spent a lot of my morning going through my tubs of flea market and ebay stuff looking for some treasures for Carol. I have found some things I hope she will like. But, while going through things, I keep finding things for other people that left comments - an apron for Heidi, a Haegar piece for Sveltestuff, etc.! I wish I could send everyone a box! Well, I could, but I'd be broke on shipping....

I've thought of a few more weird things about me. I knew I would have trouble narrowing it down to six!

1. I know the 1970's "Pearl Drops Tooth Polish" commerical word for word including all hand motions and tongue on teeth motions that the blonde spokesmodel used. I was only 5 or 6 years old when this commercial came out, but I still remember it. "Feel your teeth, (run tongue on top teeth) Mmmmm, mine feel great, I just polished them with Pearl Drops Tooth Polish. Pearl Drops helps keep your teeth their whitest, (pause) their brightest and it so soft and gentle you can use it every day and face the world with a dazzling smile. (Run tongue over top teeth) Mmmmm, it's a great feeling!" Now, that's weird.

2. Styofoam. Hate it. Can't stand it. Not allowed in the house. I hate items that come packaged in styrofoam. Must unpack and remove from house immediately. It cannot stay. Skreechy scratchy styrofoam. Ack. I have chills just typing this! (This stems from my childhood spent in the backseat of a VW Bug with my Dad's styrofoam beer cooler wedged in the little back storge area going skreech skreech, skreech as we went up and down the highway.)

3. I know all the made up words at the end of "We Go Together" from Grease. "Whop bop a loo bop, a whop bam boo". But, I know them all - and it goes on and on for like two straight minutes. "Ramma ramma lamma ding a ding a dong.....Shoe bop a shoe bop dippity dip do wop..."

And the Winner Is.....After A few Weird Things

I bought all these things at the thrifts on Friday (except for the Nosey Cat) for less than $10.00. I got six of the Calvin & Hobbes books for 25¢ each. I always loved Calvin so it is fun to have DS read them now. He has to read every night for 30 minutes. He loves books and is in the middle of reading several different books including the "Cirque Du Freak" series which is about vampires and I cannot go there. But sometimes he just wants to read comics or a magazine, so these are good for those occassions. I thought the albums with the Elvis-wannabe were funny due to the mask and the rather garrish polyester pants. I posted them on the Yardsalequeen boards and was suprised to find out that Orion is a rather famous Elvis impersonator. But,sadly, he was murdered in 1998. It doesn't seem right to poke fun at a dead guy. But, still, those pants are LOUD.

It seems that I have been tagged by Heidi (I cannot for the life of me get a link to show up on this darn thing) to share six weird thigs about me. When I read her initial post, I joked that I would be hard pressed to narrow my weirdness down to ONLY six. As, it turned out, some weird things are just too weird to share and I had trouble thinking of six appropriately weird things. Clear as mud? Anyway - here it goes.

1. Like Heidi with her lip balm - I must be able to access hand lotion at any time. And not just any hand lotion. Curel, Original Formula in the big blue bottle. There is a bottle by the bed, one by the computer, one by the sink (kitchen and bathroom), one by my end of the couch and one in my purse. If I go somewhere without my purse, my trial sized bottle is in my pocket. I never travel by plane, but fear I couldn't, what with the new "less than 3 ounces" rule for lotions and the like.

2. My food cannot touch the other food on the plate. I cannot eat anything runny or creamy that "might" run into my other food. I eat all of one thing before I eat the next thing. Condiments have to be in their own little vessel. If they weren't, the ketchup for the French Fries "might" get on the bun of my chicken sandwich and that would be deemed "unexceptable". While I am on the subject of food - I cannot and will not eat anything white and creamy - gravy, mayonaiss-y salads, alfredo sauces, etc. Uh-uh. Not me.

3. I know where the keys are on my keyboard, but I MUST look at the keys when I type. This stems from my 9th grade typing teacher standing behind me saying over and over, "Do NOT look at the keys, Do NOT look at the keys....SHARA! Do NOT look at the keys!!!!"

4. I carry a small resin bunny with no ears in my purse. My best friend gave it to me in high school when it was new and had ears. She got hit by a car while crossing the stret one day and I rushed to the hospital. As I was walking out the door, I saw that bunny that she gave me and I grabbed it and put it in my purse. She got well after a long recovery and I decided that bunny was my good luck charm and I have carried it ever since - hence the lost ears and crumbling tail.

5. I am an only child. I married an only child. I have an only child. Not a good way to carry on the old family name, eh? (I'm not so sure that this is totally "Weird" but I was having trouble thinking of another.

6. I eat sunflower seeds when I am on the computer and after dinner and when we sit outside in the summer and at the Drive-In and..... I think this means that I would be a smoker if I smoked.

Okay -on to the BIG NEWS OF THE DAY - The WINNER. Thanks for all the comments on the blog this week. I ended up with nearly a dozen names in the jar. DS stuck his hand in and drew out........Oliveoyl - Carol. This seems appropriate since she has left the most comments in the past year - but was strictly "luck of the draw". So, Carol, please email me with your address and I will put a few goodies in with the Stripey Bag and get them on the way to you. For those of you asking what a Stripey bag is - here is a photo. They are made of a nearly indestructable sort of plastic screen type mesh. I have filled them with books and drug them across parking lots. I take one to any rummage sale or church sale and fill it up. They are wonderful to have. I have five in the back of my VUE waiting for the next big sale. Hope you use it well, Carol! Congrats! Oh, yes, and I suppose I must tag Carol to do Six Weird Things next.

Snow, Snow, Go Away

The weatherman has in in for us. They are forecasting anywhere from 1/4" of snow to 8" of snow. Uh, that's a bit of a vague forecast, dontcha think? I had to go grocery shopping yesterday just for the normal weeks supply. The store was absolutlely packed with people stocking up for the snow. Actually, it's not such a bad idea as a lot of peole around here have discovered. Less than 45 minutes from me there are three areas that have not had power for the past week. I could deal with no cooking and no heat - but no computer??? Just kidding. We have an all electric house so without power we are pretty pathetic. And the temperatures have been in the teens and twentys all week. I imagine it has been terrible for them. I know we won't have anything like that to deal with - but it is still scary.

As I returned home from my frantic shopping spree, I read this sign my my front door - "Welcome Winter" - Bah Humbug! Actually I like Winter just fine. I prefer the cold to the heat. But, Winter is memories of fluffy snows and sledding and hot chocolate and no school. Now that I am, er, a "growed up" - I see that snow and ice can wreck havoc and missed snow days now means school in June when it is hotter that youknowwhat.

On to more fun things. Here's the wreath on my front door this month. I found the snow covered wreath at Target a year ago for 90% off (Do I even need to say that at this point in the ballgame?). I added a bunch of icicles, crystals and irredescent beads that were Christmas markdowns too. I found the blue jingle bells with snowflakes on them at Hobby Lobby a week ago for 80% off. And the bow is from a gianormous bag of very expensive ribon that I salvaged from someone's trash. I hope it looks Wintry and not too "Christmas-y".

Thanks for eveyone's comments. I'm enjoying reading them all. As I do, I mentally "shop" for things for your collections to put in your goodie box! It's going to be FUN!

Drumroll, please........

This my 200th post! When I first started this blog I called it, "Shara's Deal of the Day". I talked about my retail shopping adventures and online deals mostly. That was before I knew that I wasn't the only person on the planet that LOVES thrift stores and the wonderful things that lie within waiting to be discovered. I thought I was the only one that actually got a high from finding that perfect THING. My ebay ID has been monkeybox since day one, so I changed the name of this blog to "monkeybox" some time this past year. You can read at the top what a real monkeybox once was in my life.

I remember when I got my very first comment - I was so excited! Someone was reading MY blog! Unlike the time my so-called friend read my entire diary when I was 13, this was a definite moral booster. For someone with a love of writing, but hadn't had the outlet for it in several years, this blog has been a wonderful thing in my life. I don't get to deep or brainy in my posts, but I get it out of my head and off of my chest. So, now I can write about that fantastic thingamabob I found at the thrift, the great sale I made on ebay, the secret stash of 90% off candy I located at Target or even grumble about a certain man living in the house.

I'd like to thank Carol, Libby and Heidi for all their comments. Then there's the rest of the YSQ gals - Chrisx4, Annette, SophiesMom and everyone else. If I missed anyone else - I get some that are "Annonymous" and I don't know who they are! I have a Titan fan who wants me to post 3-4 times a day - I know they are kidding. Oh yes, a big "HOWDY" to my biggest fan - My MOM - aka Mumsie.

I've joined in on a few swaps lately. All the other lovely ladies involved with the swaps have been reading my blog and posting lately too. I appreciate them all.

I promised a GIVEAWAY in celebration of the big day. So, here it goes. Please leave a comment and don't forget to sign it with your name. I have a couple of questions for you to answer so I can send you something you might like. One thing the winner will receive is a genuine Stripey Bag which is a requirement for any yard saler or thrifter.

Questions:

1. What do you collect?
2. What are your hobbies?
3. What is your favorite color?
4. What is your favorite sweet?

This will help me find some goodies that you are sure to like!

I'll give everyone until Sunday to leave a comment. Then I will write down all the names and have DS draw a name. So, thanks again and leave your comment!

Talkin' Trash

I was coming home about 1:30 yesterday when I saw flashing lights around the bend at our newwest stoplight (we have two now). I assumed it was a minor fender bender as people aren't used to the new light yet. I turned on a side street and backroaded around to the other side of the highway and got home that way. Nearly an hour later I left to pick up DS from school and I could still see the flashing lights and traffic was really starting to stack up. I waited for DS and got him picked up. Now it was nearly 3:30 so I assummed that it would be all over buy then. But, as we headed out on the highway, traffic was terrible. I drove down the center lane to get to my turn off and we could still see the flashing lights up ahead. We turned on our street and circled through the housing addition and came out at the new light. I turned into the parking lot of our bank and we could see an entire semi laying across three lanes of traffic. We pulled in and parked and were really within feet of the whole thing. It was a sight!

The semi was one of those open top ones with a tarp over it. It was chock full to the top of garbage. Bags and bags of trash. And it had all but exploded all over the highway blocking all five lanes. They had brought in huge roll off dumpsters and backhoes to clean it up. Plus there were lots of people with shovels trying to clean up the muck. Really, it wasn't that mucky - it seemed to be all in trash bags and it looked like it had come from dumpsters - we saw towels and clothes going in there too. We were really close!

They brought in two big wreckers and tried to turn it upright, but it didn't work. They would get the trailer about a third of the way upright and it would start to screech and skid towards the fireman. They laid it back down and strapped the firehose around it then used the firehose as leverage to sit it upright. All the onlookers (we weren't the only people watching!) applauded and the wrecker driver waved his hat at us. Small town entertainment.

They had to reroute all the east bound traffic back through my housing adition and down this very skinny road that leads to the next highway over. My firends live on that road and before long the husband came to see what was going to since he had never seen so much traffic, let alone, semi's, buses and the like going down his very narrow road.

I read in the paper this morning that the driver was trying to change lanes to give clearance for an ambulance and it over corrected and jack-knived. The driver went to the hospital for minor injuries. It is a miraclet hat he wasn't hurt worse. It is even more of a miracle that there wasn't a car trapped under the trailer or some other worse thing. Traffic was stopped for nearly five hours while they cleaned it upa dn got the trailer and dumpsters moved out. The west bound traffic basically just had to sit there except for a few times they had one lane clear and could let a few cars through. I imagine they were blocked for miles and miles and even back onto the Interstate.

It was like watching, "World's Most Amazing Videos" right out my car windsheld! DS thought it was "super cool."

Winter Weather Whine

For four straight days we have been preparing for the ice, the snow, the sleet, the whatever we were supposed to get. Supposed to get, being the operative words. It rained for most of those four days, but the temperature only truly got cold (22 degrees) until late last night. We did have some freezing rain late last night that was freezing on the roads and the cars. I assumed there wouldn't be any school today so I stayed up a bit later than usual and watched some silly TV. I finally dozed off about 11:30 or so. Suddenly it's 1:30 AM and I hear DH telling me good-bye as he was on his way to work. A few minutes late I hear tires lurching and odd noises so I went to investigate.

Apparently the brake line had gotten wet and froze solid on his truck. He couldn't go forwards or backwards. He initailly thought he could go backwards because he was slowly going down the driveway. But, it turns out he was just rolling backwards slowly. He wound up in the middle of the street blocking traffic (as if there was any traffic at 1:45 am!). He kept turning the truck off as he decided what to do about it. I suggested that he leave it run for awhile and perhaps it might thaw out. "Oh, but he had a better idea. Get dressed and come help me push it out of the road." "Oh, I have a better idea, I'd rather stay on the couch in my P.J.'s under this blanket."

So, it's now 2:00 am and I am getting dressed, putting in my contacts (because I knew my 1980's retro glasses would frost ove), putting on my big winter coat, finding my gloves and lastly donning my earmuffs so that I can go out and push the genius's truck. (Sorry, it's been a long night).

Once I got outside, he decided that I should "drive" while he pushes. It's a standard and we've only had the truck a week so I havne't acutally learned how to do the whole stick thing yet. And, 2:15 am isn't the ideal time for my first tutorial. And, the radio is on REALLY LOUD and he hasn't figured out how to turn it off yet so I am yelling over REALLY LOUD country music (gack) trying to reach the clutch and the brake. The seat is too far away and I can reach the clutch or the brake, but not the clutch and the brake. So, that idea is shot down. DH gets behind the wheel all cranky (Hello? I'm the one with NO Sleep yet!) and starts reving it up. VROOM! VROOM! VROOM! DOn't forget - this is 2:30 AM and our neighbors all live thisclose to us. VROOM! VROOM! VROOM!

That's when I notice that the back left wheel is spinning wildly and the rest aren't moving at all. It is recycling day so the recycling bin was sitting by the driveway. I went and pulled out the Sunday paper and shoved it under his wheel to give him traction. Zoom - he pulled right back up into the driveway. He decided to go around the block and make sure everything was okay before he headed off to work. He drove up the block and decided to turn around in a neighbor's driveway. As he turned into their driveway I envisoned him getting stuck there. I would have shoved the Sunday paper somewhere ELSE if he had done THAT! Long story, well, longer - he made it to work and everything is fine.

I am the world's worst sleeper. After an event like that - I knew I would be wake for quite awhile. I ended up falling back to sleep a litle after 4:00 AM after watching various infommercials for the Micro-Grill, selling on ebay and some sort of fancy undergarment that makes you "appear" to have lost weight. I felt like I had only been asleep for a minute or two when the alarm went off at 6:00 AM. I staggered to the kitchen refusing to drink any coffee or even be half mentally alert because I KNEW there wouldn't be any school. One by one each school was listed on the cancellation list. Some weren't listed because they were off for MLK Day like they should be today. Anyway, one by one, every single school in my entire area EXCEPT ours was cancelled. By the time I decided school was actually going to be in session - it was nearly 7:00 and I hadn't had any coffee and DS was still zonked out in bed. Not to mention the fact that the car was encapsulated in a thick layer of ice that I would have to hack through.

I got DS up - he was in a MOOD as he thought there wouldn't be any school either. He got even crankier as he read the cancellations and realized it ws only HIS school having clases today. He gobbled up a bowl of cereal, got dressed and did his "HAT" (Hair, armpits and teeth) while I dethawed the car. I got him there on time and thankful that we had tinted windows as I had no time for grooming this morning. The roads were fine as it got so cold so fast that the water and ice practically freeze dried off the roads.

We were lucky. There are several towns less than 30 minutes from my house that have no power and everything is covered in ice. They are saying it will be at least a week before the power is restored. The hotels in my area are packed with people. The shelters are full too. So, we were very lucky.

Now it is nearly 10:00 and I drank so much coffee that I couldn't possibly take a nap right now. But, I need one. Bad. I will get waaay tired about the time I have to go pick up Mr. Cranky from school. He won't be cranky anymore. But, I will!

How Many Watermelon Shaped Potholders Do You Have?

I have 29. Only my fellow thrifters will appreciate my love of such an odd little item! At the thrift this week I bought another crocheted potholder in the shape of a watermelon. I see them at the thrifts and at yard sales from time to time and I always pick them up for 10¢ or 25¢. Lots of time they just give it to me because I suspect they remember that their Granny made it. I feel like I need to save them. I can picture a little old lady crocheting one or a young girl learning how to crochet and making one of these potholders. I decided to get them out today and see just how many I had "saved" over they years. I must admit, I was surprsed to learn that I have 29 of them! I have them in all shades of red, pinks and even a couple yellows! There is a tiny one and a whole round slice and one without seeds. I even found this huge one one day at a sale for $1.00. I think it is a rug, but it is slicker than snot on the linoleoum and I fear I would crack my head open like, well, like a watermelon!

It has been raining buckets for over 24 hours. It is an absolute mess out there. The street is flooded and the ditch is flooded. But, no ice.....yet. They still say it's coming. But, it's still above freezing so far tonight. Oklahoma has it really bad so I am thinking we will get it too. We've got candles and the flashlights out where we can get to them easily. But, we usually don't ever lose power. We have an all electric house, so if we do lose power we are...well...screwed.

Vanilla Ice Ain't Got Nothin' On Me

Baby, it's cold outside. Well, actually, it isn't cold outside. It is 55 degrees. But, it's supposed to be 30 degrees by 5:00 and then going, going, going down to 10 or 12. Holy Mackarolly. Oh, but wait, it gets better! I mean, worse. It's going to start raining this afternoon. And what happens to rain when it is 10 or 12 freaking degrees? Yeppers - ICE, ICE, baby. Slippin' and a slidin'. For pity's sake, I wore my capri jeans on Wednesday. Now I need some thermal undies! Now, this really doesn't even affect me as I will come straight home after school and stay home until the good old sun comes out wether that is in a day or a week. DH, on the other hand, will have to get out in that big old antiquated bread truck and go out to hillbilly hollar and deliver three loaves of bread so the hillfolk can "a have thems a sanwich". I went shopping on Wednesday and bought more than enough for a regular week, not to mention getting ready for an ice storm. So, DS and I will at home safe and warm looking for a cookie recipe or something fun and warm to do together.

Here's our forecast:

Friday - Heavy rain and falling temperatures
Saturday - Rain, Sleet and Ice
Sunday- Significant Ice accumulation (1" - 2")
Monday - Snow - just a little
Not above freezing until NEXT SATURDAY - High of about 21 all week.

Now, mind you, this is Arkansas and it is uphill either way you go around here. Snow is one thing, but ice is another. Downed power lines, broken trees, eh gads.

Stay safe and warm out there!

Volley - Spike - Lob - Point

Volleyball practice started yesterday for DS. He was on the volleyball team last year and his team won first place in the tournament. Sports have never really been anything that he has had much interest in. But, when he was offered a chance to be on the volleyball team, we decided to try it. He loved it and had a great time. This is the Special Olympics Unified Volleyball Team. That means that for every special needs child there is a teammate to help them, encourage them and praise them. DS is a team mate. The PE teacher chose only certain kids that are respectful, loyal, accountable and reliable to help out. So, it was an honor for him to be chosen.

After a few practies, the coach (aka - PE Teacher) will pair them up to work together before they form their team. It is really a great thing to be a part of and witness the kids cheering on the special needs kids. One little girl spiked it ove the net yesterday for the first time and everyone just went wild high fiving her and congratulating her. She just beamed.

Last year DH and I went to the first practice to see what all it entailed. Since we were there and the PE teacher knows me she asked if we would help lob the ball to the kids. Well, one week led to the other and now I am being called "Coach" at practice. Hello - I am a MOM. Not a coach. So, it is "Miss Shara" to them. I am not a sport-sy person at all. Not one bit. Not a teeny bit. The kids throw me the ball and it rolls right between my feet and clear across the gym floor. And me, all of 5'2", is trying to chase it down and not fall flat on my face in front of the kids. The kids took pity on me and threw me the ball under the net rather than over the net so I could get it on the first bounce instead of chasing that stinking ball. But, I am very proud to be a part of this team and see these kids do such a fantastic job.

Craftapalooza

I've got that crafty feeling. I haven't made a lot of crafts in the past
few years. I usually do make a new wreath for the front door as the
seasons and holidays change. But, other than that, I haven't done much.
I do like to buy old wooden furniture and paint it white and distress it.
And, there is my watermelon fascination. I have painted several things
to look like watermelons. I need to take a picture of the side table I
have in the living room. I don't like bright garrish green and pink
watermelons - I like older looking faded folk art looking watermelons. I
did make a sock monkey this past summer and have plans to make more of
those. On HGTV the other day I saw them making little food for
dollhouses and that looked fun. My favorite was little cherry pies made
in bottle caps. I found a big jar old little round red beasd at Hobby
Lobby yesterday that will be perfect for them. Now I just need to find
some bottlecaps. I know you can buy them at the craft store, but, HELLO?
they have got to be free somewhere.

Speaking of pie - I made a lot of these pies when DS was litle enough that he could still sit in the high chair and watch me. Looks good enough to eat, hmmmm? But, don't try it or you will break a tooth. This is salt and flour dough colored with Wilton food coloring. I hand rolled all those little cherries. I won a blue ribbon for it at the County Fair
that year. I took it to the crafts table and they told me to go to the
food area. Fooled them, I guess.

I went to Hobby Lobby on Monday. The Christmas merchandise was 80% off. I wandered through it but most of it was not my style, broken, still overly priced ($80.00 for a huge ornate wreath? - That would still be $16.00!) or just flat out ugly. I
went through four aisles and only put one thing in my cart! Yeah for me! And that was only a pair of mercury glass ice cream cones to clip on a tree that cost 78¢.

But, then, I came across the Christmas Craft Clearance aisle. Tons and tons of scrapbooking doodads, papers, embellishments and stickers. And all at 80% off. Uh-Oh. I wound up spending $30.00 which was $150.00 worth at retail prices. Retail - whazat?? I never thought I would be a scrapbooker - per say. But, I like to do it my way - no layouts from books or magazines. I just like raw basic "ingredients", so to speakSpongeBob had made an appearance at Wal-Mart on this day. DH heard that he would be making a surprise visit so we dressed DS up in his SpongeBob regalia and took him. Christopher (have I ever said his name?) was about three years old and this was like meeting a real celebrity. He was speechless.
I dresed DS up in Daddy's work uniform one night. He was so cute I couldn't resist a photo. The clothes about swallowed him up, but he was still just too cute. I made the mini loaf of Wonder Bread and colored dots out of regular colored paper.


DS loved the Hulk when it was popular a few years ago. He still has the *Crash* *Boom* noise-making fists. The shirt was a freebie from PopTarts. It was his face that was priceless. He WAS the HULK that day. I got him the movie, but it was way to violent for a little boy. Why do they promote violent characters to litle kids? Batman, The Hulk, etc....

When DS was very little he would ask to "Smooch". That meant go to his room, get on the bed, snuggle up and read a book followed by a kiss. I do remember one day he asked me for a French Kiss. Turns out a French Kiss to a four year old is a kiss on each check like they do in France. Whew.


I love the way the water is dripping off his head in the shower. My grandmother, a once professional photographer said this was a mistake and a bad photo. I disagree. It is a fabulous photo!

So, I have that crafty feeling and now I have the supplies. I just need to get motivated and DO IT! Happy crafting!

Back at 'Em

Monday January 8th - Back to School Day. DS has been off since December 22nd and actually only went to school for three hours on one day in the six days before that (stomach bug) - so he has basically been off for 23 days. I thought he would be difficult to get up this morning, but he knows the drill and got up just fine. He gets 30 minutes of couch, blanket and cartoon time before he has to eat and get dressed. So, when he gets there is usually wide awake enough to start his day. I see so many kids going in with squinty eyes and stick-up hair that haven't even had time to wake up yet.

I've started cleaning out closets and cupboards. I certainly have a very long way to go. But, I have been getting rid of a lot of things. But, even more fun, I have been finding things that I had forgotten about. It's like Christmas all over again! One thing that I was very pleasnatly suprised to put together was my collection of vintage matte white pottery. This collection came to be quite by accident. A few years ago, I went to a yard sale around the corner from my house. It was two older ladies and they had all this pottery sitting everywhere. Tons and tons of old vintage pottery in perfect condition. McCoy, Shawnee, Floraline, Haegar, etc. I gasped when I saw it on the tables because there was probably 50 pieces of pottery of all sorts. Normally I just see a piece here and a piece there at sales. But this was a LOT of pottery and all in one place. Then I started looking at the prices. 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, 10¢. Oh My God! I asked if they would just box it up for me and I would take it all. One of the ladies said, "You must have a lot of houseplants!" "I like plants, " I responded. Of course, I had no plans of putting any plants in these pots! (But, I do like plants!) Most of the pieces were 10¢ - I think I paid less than $10.00 for all of it. I have sold a lot of the pieces at the flea market and some of the no name pieces at my own yard sales. But, I still have a lot of the marked pieces. I love the look of the matte white pottery, so I have decided to keep those pieces. They have been in a storage tub and piling up on a shelf in the corner of my office over the past few years as I have found another piece here and there to add to it. I finally got it all out and put it in the living room. I had 24 pieces in all - I really didn't realize I had so many pieces! I want to put it in the bedroom eventually. These shelves are normally occupied by other items, but since I took the Christmas down and haven't put the regular stuff back up yet - I will leave the pottery out to enjoy for awhile. I don't dare tell DH that each piece is worth at least $25.00 or he would encourage me to sell it all.
Shhhhhh......;o)

I have this old cabinet in the kitchen where I stick old vintage and otherwise cool items for display. I was rooting around in there the other day and I unearthed this fabulous big old canning jar chuck full of old vintage miniature glass ornaments.

I remember buying them when I wasn't into stuff like that, but I still appreciated them for their "coolness". Now, I love stuff like that! I have them out on a shelf to enjoy for awhile, even though I know that Chrismtas is long over. But, it's a new find so I will enjoy it for a few weeks.

Random Rattlings....

My head is still reeling over my ebay sales yesterday. By 8:00 PM last night everyone had paid via PayPal. I packaged everything up and mialed it all out today. I mailed 4 boxes and it cost $55.00! I paid for insurance on the items that the buyers didn't. I can't beleive anyone would pay $500.00 for something and then not insure it. The paintings are going back to Hawaii and for some insane reason, I felt the need to wrap the box in plastic and make it water tight since it was going over the ocean. Like the plane is going to crash and some fisherman is going to pull the paintings out and go ahead and deliver them for me. Just because Tom Hanks did it in "Castaway"..... So, I am on pins and needles waiting for the "Got it - love it" email or the "Got it - hate it" email.

Today was my Step-Father's birthday and we went to eat at Golden Corral. The waiter asked him if he wanted coffee after dinner and he was counting on his fingers to see how many hours before bedtime to see if he could handle it or not. I laughed and made a remark about his birthday and getting older, etc. The waiter asked, "Is it his birthday, for real?" and got very excited. A few minutes later I noticed a gaggle of waiters and waitresses gathering behind him with a cupcake. I said to my step father, "I am SO sorry!" He had a confused look on his face until he heard them starting to sing. It was funny. I didn't think resturants did that much anymore. Everyone in the dining room sang and clapped. And the best part - he didn't even get mad at me!

I went to my super cheap thrift today to make a donation, so of course, I had to look around. I bought a few things - all for resell. I got a nice vintage pearl button western shirt with purple pearl buttons for 50¢, a handcrafted Arts & Crafts lamp for $3.00, a couple books for 25¢ each, a talking singing Strawberry Shortcake doll for 75¢, a glow worm from the 1980's for 75¢, a set of four wild and colorful 1970's placemats for $1.00 and three tims for me. Whoops - I did buy sonething to keep. I was doing so well. Darn! At least they were only 25¢ each!

This is my 192nd post. I am trying to think of something fun for my 200th post. Probably a give-away! Woo-Hoo! Free Stuff! I'll ask for everyone to comment and then have DS draw a name out of a hat and pick a winner. Sound good?

Holy Hawaiiana!

I just posted that the Hawaiian paintngs were about to end and they were $155.00. Imagine my SHOCK (!) when I went to "My ebay" to see the winner.
They ended at...............$480.00.
I paid 50¢ for them.
Holy crap!
Pardon my French.
But, HOLY CRAP!

It's January 3rd - And the Tree is STILL up!

But it is coming down today. I swear. I have my day all planned out. I have all new storage tubs fresh from Lowe's and big Ziploc storage bags with smaller ones inside to organize it all neatly. I just dread packing it all up for some reason this year. I am enjoying my new vintage (rather a redundant statement, eh?) goodies that I acquired this year at the thrifts.

I also have a hard time saying goodbye to my old favorites until next year. These are the Raggedy Ann and Andy ornaments that have been placed right at that spot on every tree since I was six years old. I don't have any other ornaments from my childhood - just these two. Every year my Mom and I would make flour and salt dough and color it with food coloring. Then we would all sit around the dining room table and make handmade ornaments. These weren't the tiny delicate heirlooms that today's bloggers make. These were huge heavy things that weighed the branches down to the floor and make instant snacks for the wasps and other insects that found them in the attic over the summer. I wish we would have taken pictures of them, because some of them were funny - self portraits, giant candy canes, etc.

We have all of these huge snowflakes hanging from the tree in the front yard. I found a few of them at the Dollar Tree last year and then found more this year. They are about 14" across and have frosted snowy tips. I think I will leave them up through January since I also have snowmen and wintry decorations for the front porch. Our house is white with a slate blue front door and garage door, so the wintry snow stuff seems right at home on the proch. I guess that helps me take down the Christmas since I know I can put up my wintry snowy stuff.

My auctions ended last night for the four MacKenzie Childs covered dishes. I paid $5.00 each for them and they ended up selling for a total of $303.50. Not a bad turnover. ;o) I also have a set of two Hale Pua Hawaiian Floral Paintings that are ending this morning. I bought those in November at a yard sale very late in the day. They were priced at $3.00 each, but when I paid, the lady only charged me 50¢ for the set. I started them at $12.50, thinking they might go as high as $40.00. Color me surprised when I woke up one morning to see them at $113.00. This morning they are $154.00 with time still left for some last minute bids. Well, I can always hope, right? Not a bad paycheck this week!

Happy New Year - Hope Your's Was Better Than Mine

My New Year's "resolution" for lack of a better word, is to get organized, de-clutter and find a place for eveything. I got up this morning and even though I have had a stomach ache the last day or two, I went straight to work in my closet. The clothes bar on DH's side had broken loose from the wall several weeks ago. Last night, about 6:00 after much grumbling and hinting from me, he finally put it up. So, this morning I was anxious to get all the clothes off the bed, the dresser drawer handles, the coat hooks on the closet door and every other creative place I hsd thought to hang clothes lately. I got right to work orgainzing and getting a large pile of clothes ready to be donated. I kept throwing things out onto the floor and ended up getting trapped on the closet. That's when "H" - (I shall not use DH on him today for I fear "Dear" isn't the "D" word I have in mind)- Anyway, he came in the bedroom and amnnounced the kitchen sink was stopped up. Then he goes further to say that he will go get Drain-O after the Capital One Bowl is over. Mind you, the Game wasn't even scheduled to start for an hour at this point plus the actual game time and half time and the countless time-outs and commercials. My much needed Drain-O wouldn't even be arriving until I needed to do supper and all other sorts of kitchen related items. So, I stopped what I was doing, climbed out of the closet and over the mountain of clothes, got dressed and went on a Drain-O hunt. I went to Lowe's first since it was first in line of stores that sell Drain-O. They didn't. So, on to Wal-Mart. Got the Drain-O (and almost $40.00 worth of impulse items!) and returned home to do the treatment. Treatment one did nothing, treatment two did nothing. I had bought an air pump plunger at Lowe's so I decided to try that bad boy out. I failed to mention that while I was gone, DH rather hurridely took the plumbing apart ('cause the GAME was coming on) and look for a clog. When he put the plumbing back together, it apparently wasn't very tight. So, when I tried out the new air pump plunger, apparently I blew water out through the pipes, onto the shelf in the cabinet and under the cabinet. (About five years ago we had a leaky sink and that ended up getting us - compliments of the insurance company - new cabinets, new countertops, new flooring, etc. But it was also a HUGE headache that lasted for nearly a month. I had flashbacks and thought this was all going to happen again. Particularly when I stepped on the linoleum and felt the water squish under it.)

Long story short (a little too late for that now, huh?), DH took the pipes apart again, snaked the drain and used the Drain-O one more time. Then he sopped up all the water and tried to dry it with a hairdryer until I said he was probably going to electrocute himself, so he quit. Everything is pretty much dry now and the sink made that lovely sucking noise when I let the dishwater out tonight. It only took about 8 hours total to get it done (time out for the entire Capital One Bowl included). Sheesh. Then I still had to deal with that closet. I had quite a mess in there. I ended up donating two industrial sized trash bags of clothes. Note to self and anyone reading this: It is probably not the best idea to clean out a closet when you are really P.O'ed. I may have to go naked this week - I think I gave most of my stuff away today!

This blog reminds me of my diary when I was so little! Gt it on paper and out of your head. Deal with it now so you can get a good night's sleep. Ahhhhhh.

On to better things. Friday I went to Wal-Mart after DH called to say all Christmas things were 75% off. They had Ziploc bags for 97¢ the day before so that made them 50¢ then. I had found 16 coupons for 40¢ off a box and sent them with DH to buy. I thought they would end up costing 57¢ a box, which is a good deal, but the ended up costing 10¢ each and that is an awesome deal! I have enough Ziplocs to last an eternity. And all for only $1.60. And, Oliveoyl, I bought another Cloche when I discovered they were $5.41. I bought it with the intention of reselling it. But, we'll see about that now won't we? This one has a house with a long porch on it.

Sunday I heard that Walgreen's was sitting at 75% off so we hit there too. We found three two packs of Sparkling Grape Juice for $1.25 a two pack. DS thinks he is getting his "party on" when he drinks that stuff. We toasted in the New Year with it last night and it was terrible. I realized later that I had just brushed my teeth and of course it tasted nasty. I had a glass today and it was good as usual. They also had Hershey's Kisses, Kisables and Nuggets for 62¢ a bag. I was going to resist until I reached in my "Coupon Queen" folder and found $1.00 off 2 bags of Hershey's bags. MOVE OUTTA MY WAY. We ended up buying 16 bags at 12¢ each. They will be shared and sent to school for Teacher Appreciation and various other uses. I have also put a "Kiss" in DS's lunch every day since Kindergarten, so Mom needs the Kisses!

I know that Target will go to 90% off on Wendesday. I shouldn't go. But, I know I will. I have no will power. But, at 90% off - it's hard to spend very much in the end after discounts anyway. But, it'sstillhard to find a home for all the clutter!