Amber Waves of Grain

Happy Halloween from our ladybug, skeleton, and cupcake!

This week's thrifty adventure takes us to Sam's Club first.  I should start by saying I drink a lot of Crystal Light ( a little aspartame never hurt anybody, right? ).  I found 3-packs for $1.91 on their clearance rack (normally at Meijer, one canister is $2.69).  Boom .  Next stop, City Thift.   I found this super cute Old Navy corduroy dress ($3), maroon Gap boy's pants ($2), a Genuine Kid's/Osh Kosh dress ($1), a cute denim top ($1.50), and an Usborne book (75 cents).   And, it must have been my lucky day.  Lucky brand jeans that fit me, $4.   Next stop, Goodwill. A Talbot Kid's winter coat  ( this picture does not do it justice) , $4.  A 4th of July top for Savannah $1.   Nothing too exciting this week.  Maybe you found something better!?!  Happy thrifting!!

Merry Christmas in October!!  Here is this month's gift idea list ( new readers- I post a list each month! ). 1. LL Bean Fresh Wreath s ( LINK ).  I mentioned these last year too.  Order now and they can be delivered Thanksgiving weekend as an early Christmas gift!  They are fresh wreaths that smell wonderful and come with a door hanger.  We've received them from Nathan's client the past few years and just love them.  Great gift for a family.  ($40-50 depending on which one you order- there are several to choose from). 2.  A Partridge in a Pear Tree Salt/Pepper Shakers.  These are so cute.  $35.50 from Pottery Barn . ( LINK ).       3.  Personalized Golf Club Links ( LINK ) from Red Envelope.  $60, silver or gold. 4.  Custom Coasters .   These are a good grandparent gift ( I got these for my dad last year ). At Walgreens ( LINK ), you'll receive 6 coasters using your ow...

In case you're wondering how many people it takes to handle one flat tire , the answer is 11 . That's right . That's me, 3 small kids, a husband via cell phone, 2 tow truck companies, 2 in-laws, a police officer, and "Brian" from Sears.  And, 10 lessons learned.  1.  If your car's steering is tight, it might not be low on power steering fluid.  It might be a flat tire. 2.  Unknowingly driving on a flat tire ruins the tire & makes it even more flat.  Really flat . 3.  Being s tranded in the car with 3 small children on a busy highway with little to no shoulder isn't as fun as it sounds. 4.  Learn your crossroads coming home from the gym out in the country.  Telling a tow truck that you don't know where you are doesn't actually help. 5.  Pack pants in the car, in case when you get stranded you are wearing shorts & a t-shirt and it's 44 degrees and raining. 6.  Don't drink a very large water before being strande...

It's Thursday already! Here are this week's thrifty finds: First stop, garage sale.   Children's Place sleeper and Children's Place dress.  75 cents each. Boom . Next stops, Goodwill & City Thrift ( formally DAV Thrift Store): Here are all of my $2 finds.  A Carter's shirt, Gap dress, boy's corduroy blazer, Target dress, Crocs, and a Disney movie (Kronk's New Grove... I've never seen it so I hope it's OK!). And, for $3.99 .  A Step 2 Disc Swing for the kid's swingset.  The package claims it's "Super Cool" . And, here's my $1 pile .  A John Deere girl's shirt ( for any farm-theme days at school during spirit week ), generic demin-like leggings, Gap beige baby girl pants, black & silver striped leggings, and Crocs.  The Crocs will go in the dishwasher and will look like new. That's it for this week.  Happy thrifting!!

Because my 35th birthday was during my blogcation.... you missed my birthday !  For every birthday I provide a new list of things ALL. ABOUT. ME.  I must say, this is getting harder to come up with new things each year!  Here it goes:  1.  I can easily remember my middle school locker combination but I have to think for a minute when asked what year(s) my kids were born. 2.  I wish I liked olives because I think it would be fun to put them on all of my fingers.   3.  I'm pretending I don't need glasses . (please don't ask me to read the far end of the menu at Qdoba) 4. I vividly remember playing with a flashlight as a child and making a helicopter hover over my house at night.  No one else saw it .  No one believed me . 5.  I had a very large collection of clip-on animals as a child, like probably 150-200.  ( In the 80's you could buy them everywhere ). 6.  I would do spool knitting as a child and...

Here are my latest inventions.   1.   Glow in the dark tattoos!  Real ones, of course .  I'm not a tattoo girl but think tattoo-wearing people might enjoy this concept.   Wouldn't it be fun to have some stars that you can only see in the dark?  I think so. 2.   Fridge Door Inserts.    Kennedy recently drew a picture on her Magna Doodle and was disappointed that I couldn't hang it on the fridge.  So, imagine your fridge door having large panel inserts that you can swap out with interchangeable panels.  Inserts could include a chalkboard, a magnetic panel, a Magna Doodle, an Etch-a-Sketch panel, a dry erase board, and so forth.  Or, if you're having company you'd also have a regular insert that matched your fridge.   Who's in?? 3.  Mailbox Bell.  Sort of like a doorbell. When your mailbox door opens, a bell or song plays inside your house so that you know to get the mail.  4....

I found the perfect chair for Keegan's Goodwill desk that I posted about yesterday.  It's hard to tell in this photo but it's wooden with a leather-ish seat and also folds up. Target clearance rack.     I was so pleased I threw in a magazine rack for Keegan's folders and papers. *Happy Dance*

Here are some highlights from this week's fabulous thrifty finds ! This find is my favorite. A sturdy but lightweight desk for Keegan's room which I had been looking for.  Goodwill, $9.99:   Here it is in his room after I hauled it inside, lifted it over a baby gate, and carried it upstairs all by myself ("Hercules! Hercules!") .  I need to find him a cheap desk chair. I added some Walmart crates (75 cents each) to the shelves and they are perfect for books! I also bought some kid's clothes , of course.   A new (with tags- Circo/Target brand) winter coat for Kennedy ($4), a Gymboree dress with cute horses ($2), a polka dot shirt ($1), striped Children's Place dress ($2), and Carter's brand shoes ($1.50).    I also found myself a fleece-lined jacket for $2, a Mossimo (Target brand), new with tags jacket for myself for $3, and jeans for Nathan if they fit ($4).   Score . I love to hear about your fabulous finds too!  Happy th...

I took my own advice from my last Christmas gift idea post ( LINK ) and ordered myself a family tree print !  Again, they are from the seller InvitingMoments on Etsy.com.  Click HERE to visit her shop. She has a variety of prints and they can all be customized with different colors, words, and so forth.  She makes neat wedding and baby prints also. Here's mine (I blackened out my last name for you stalkers):     Our downstairs is yellow so I went with greys and yellows.  It will be an 8x10. Fun, right? A great gift for the person with everything.  Or, be like me and just get one for yourself!

Last week was school picture day .  It's pretty much a crapshoot with what pictures you get back on those dull, gray backgrounds that they provide.   Eyes shut, goofy smiles, hair unbrushed .   So, I drove my kids to an empty subdivision lot where I found beauty in the field of yellow weeds behind them .  And, away I clicked with my camera, all while chasing Savannah.  Oh, and providing bribes for cooperative kids.   Trust me, it wasn't easy . Here's what I got: Savannah wanted in on 'school pictures' too: An attempt at all three in the same photo. I wish I could photoshop Keegan's head to be closer but we'll take it.  While I may still order the portraits from school ( who doesn't love looking back at their old school pictures!? ), these individual shots are the ones that will go on my walls.... turning school pictures from crapshoot to photoshoot!

I LOVED finding notes in my lunchbox as a child.  I remember one in particular that I kept for the longest time ( I wish I still had it ).  My dad drew a lion and wrote a note about how I needed to eat my lunch before the lion did. I'm no artist, but I've had fun making a collection of special notes to put inside Keegan's lunchbox. It gives me something to do at the table when Kennedy's coloring. Here are just a few of my notes.               I'm either a super fun mom or I'm getting my son teased at the lunch table. I'm not sure which . But, it's just my way of sending a little LUNCHBOX LOVE!

You thought I forgot, didn't you?  How could I forget Thrifty Thursday ?!  This is where I show you my fabulous thrifty finds for the week.  By thrifty we're talkin' garage sales and the *best* thrift stores in town. This week I found 5 pairs of new or like new shoes for our girls ($1-3/pair).  We apparently have a lot of feet in this house to cover .  And, a 2-piece dress for $2, a shirt for $2 (more than usual but it was new with tags & I really liked it). And, some kid's clothes .  Old Navy pajamas ($2), Target skirt ($1), Gymboree pants ($1 each), and a Gymboree dress ($2).  You too can be a tightwad like me! And, my favorite find would be the 10 vintage books that I had to have (69 cents each). I just love the covers, especially the one on the left with the kid and his super stack of pancakes . I was excited to read the books with Keegan but found myself laughing hysterically half-way through the first one.  Apparently in th...