Amber Waves of Grain

Here are a few of my thrifty finds from this week... A closet organizer (garage sale).  $1.  I was wanting one of these .   My Little Ponies. (garage sale)   25 cents for 2 ponies and a brush.  Cheap little garage sale toys make great prizes for the kids .  I try to reward them when I catch them doing something extra nice or showing super great behavior. Barbies, Barbies, Barbies. I bought the girls 7 Barbies (50 cents each) and a Barbie scooter (50 cents).  They're in good shape and modestly dressed.   It's been fun watching Kennedy play with them.  And, two adorable dresses for Kennedy which I'm too tired to take photos of and upload.  Trust me, they're cute.   That's it for this week! Happy thrifting!!

I love spending time with my grandpa who is 95 years old.  He's a walking piece of history .   Plus, he's just a lot of fun.  He has the gift of gab. Yesterday we took the kids to see him.  They love his Lazy-Boy chair with a hidden compartment in the armrest. He keeps cheese snack crackers there.  That's my kind of thinking .  Why don't I have a snack compartment in my chairs?   He shared lots of stories. Like how he recently scared off a would-be burglar who tried kicking in his front door.  That's a brave 95 year old man . Or, how he went to Disney World the day it opened but Disney World was full and couldn't let him in. Or, how he successfully changed careers at age 45 to become a sales rep and follow his heart. Or, all about living in the 1930s .  And, I loved seeing him with the kids.   The photo above reminded me of this old one below. Here was my grandpa holding me in 1977 (and my brother, Jeff). I als...

Today was Kennedy's first day of preschool!   It was a big day for her.   She requested 2 braids..... a "pretty dress".....painted fingernails. ....   and a pink, sparkly princess backpack .    Today we added the raincoat because it was pouring down rain: We all walked her to her classroom.  S omeday her daddy will be walking her down a different kind of aisle (*sniff sniff*).  Her teacher is great and drop-off went smoothly.  She didn't mind being left at all! (I was the one getting choked up...... as usual).   And, then it was just Savannah and me!  Being down to only one child feels really funny.  I had this sort of empty pit feeling in my stomach like something was missing.  But, it's great to have some Savannah time.    We have just enough time to go to the gym and to take a quick shower (and play Matchbox cars and ball, of course) .   Then it's time to pick Kennedy up again. H...

Only 4 more months of Christmas shopping!!!  Here are this month's 5 gift ideas! 1.   Meat .  YES, I really did say MEAT .  I think this is a great gift for the family or couple who 'has everything.'   You can order meat from a local farmer and they will deliver it frozen. We met someone from The Engleking's Country Beef Shop at our local farmer's market and they have great, all-natural, high quality meat ( LINK ).  Just make sure you order an amount that will fit in the recipient's freezer!  I know some dads who would love an assortment of steaks!   2. Silhouette Necklace.   You just send a profile photo to the seller and they will make the charms.  $8 per charm.  This is from Etsy shop Imblessed ( LINK ).   3. Personalized Recipe Cards.   These could stand alone... OR put them together with a cute apron.  These are from Etsy shop Vohomade ( LINK ) and this set runs $30. 4.  Charm b...

Here are this week's thrifty finds! My favorite find...... A nice camera tripod with carrying case .  I've been wanting a nice tripod!  This particular one runs $50-70.   I got it for $5 at a garage sale.   Tupperware ! I love finding gently-used Tupperware.   I found their classic round container for 50 cents at a garage sale.  The Tupperware website lists it for $21.00.  I even love that it has "Millie Hill's" name written in black Sharpie on the bottom.   Kid's clothes.   Everything here ( from a garage sale ) is from the Children's Place except for the jeans which are Osh Kosh.   50 cents each.  Yes, that's a classy FUR pink vest you see!     A girl's western costume skirt (50 cents) for spirit week at school.  They always have a western theme day!  A girl's winter jacket .  $1, garage sale find.  This is a super cute velvet-type material with an adorable liner. I also g...

We have ourselves a first grader!! (more importantly, I survived summer break with all 3 kids).   Today was Keegan's first day of school.  He was ready with his new dinosaur shoes, backpack, and Mario lunchbox.     He looked so grown up. Love. This. Boy. The whole family walked him to his classroom.  The room is frog-themed and there's a reading loft that you can see on the far left.   "First grade is better than Kindergarten because you get a desk."  Very proud of his desk. The teacher placed him in the front corner by her own desk..... which is perfect since he's smaller and left-handed.... and can be easily distracted.      One more picture on my way out the door.  I'm pretty sure he's thinking, " Mom, just leave already! ":   I'm doing better at holding the bigger tears back until I get all the way to the car.  My little boy is growing up.  Here's to first grade!!!!!

Unless it involves the Wienermobile or Bass Pro Shops, we simply don't have any family photos of the 5 of us.    I'm not sure why it never occurred to me to just turn on the camera timer..... until today . We only took 3 photos and got 2 worth sharing (impressive with 3 small children!).  Look !  An actual decent family photo!!  I see a Christmas card in the making!   The kids live for 'silly face' photos.  This is how we really feel:   Beautiful if I do say so myself.  The magic of a timer!!!!!!!!!!  

I found a tip on Pinterest for cleaning the inside of an oven, so I took one for the team & tried it.   They suggested sprinkling baking soda inside the oven, then pouring vinegar on top.  Let it work for 20 minutes then use paper towels or rags to wipe it up.  Sounds easy, right? So.... here's how it went. Here's the BEFORE photo.   I've owned this oven for roughly 7 years and have never cleaned it ( *holds her head in shame* ).    That's a lot of frozen pizza baked directly on the oven rack....  I found this very angry smiley face french fry.   Step 1 :   Get past the shame of never cleaning your oven.  Then, sprinkle on the baking soda.   Step 2:   Pour on the vinegar and enjoy the chemical reaction.  *fizz*  Step 3:  Let them do their job for about 20 minutes while you try not to finish off the raw cookie dough in the fridge.  I did the same test on the inside of t...

Oops!  I've lost my 'blog list' along the right hand column.  If you blog, feel free to give me the link so I can reconnect with you!  Thanks! 

While the DAV Thrift Store is in the process of moving, I haven't got as much thrifting to do! Just one find this week besides a few 'Step Into Reading' books which I always pick up......  A Prince Lionheart booster-pod seat .   I've been looking for a soft booster seat and have never seen a nice one like this at a thrift store. These sell new for $39.99. At Goodwill?  $5.99.    Score !!!!!!!!!!!!!!