Our Groovy Living Room for $50.50

When I first saw our living room I was overwhelmed...I've always had a square living room but this one was long and narrow, really long.

This is looking at it from the outside door, the other side is the kitchen.

Since the boys share a room and both are very easily distracted, we like to keep their room simple, no toys, they sleep so much better that way. So I decided to try to break the living room up into a play area and a sitting area. If you remember from this post, we ended up with some groovy furniture so we are kinda doing a retro look. In time I can repaint and recover everything if I want a more modern look but for right now it works for us.

We spent a lot on our living room because bigger items are harder to attain on freecycle - they go fast. But we were able to find what we needed at thrift stores and yard sales.

Our awesome couch from the Restore. If it doesn't blind you, you'll find out it's really comfy! The pillows I got at a free yard sale/swap a town nearby had. (You bring what you don't need and take what you do need - amazing concept!)

$20






I found this table, glass top, tablecloth, and basket at the Salvation Army. Matches the couch perfect, in a scary way. $1 for each item. We filled the basket with shells from the beaches we visited in N. Ireland.

$4







I got this chair along with the couch at the Restore. It matches the green in the couch, the pillow I got at the free yard sale.

$3







This coffee table I got the thrift store for $4 and the lamp at a yard sale for $1.

$5






This yellow bucket chair I found at the salvation army for $3, I covered it with an afghan I got in a dollar a bag sale, and threw a pillow on it that I also got at the bag sale.

$3.50







I wanted a really, super, perfect, comfortable chair for ME. I came across this one when our car broke down and I had an hour to kill while Jason got it running again. (Fun day....) Found it at a second hand store for $15. I LOVE it and it swirls around so I can keep an eye on Alex in his play area or talk the Rebecca reading on the couch, or make sure Jarod isn't eating everything in the kitchen. lol The pillow my mom gave me and the scarf is from the free sale.

$15







Total for our living room - $50.50!
More than I would have liked to spend BUT cheaper than most people spend for one chair so it will do.

I'm standing in the play area here - looking into the kitchen, I've rearranged everything a million times so far but I'm really liking this set up right now. Oh that little table the phone is on is from freecycle. In time I will get a shag run for in front of the couch, some wall hangings, and some curtains etc.

It's a great room to hang out in and relax, Rebecca and I can read while the boys play crazy games in the play area. If things were to get out of hand and something got broken....we'll no worries as it's not like we paid hundreds of dollars for anything. You're not going to walk into our living room and be blown over by how beautiful it is...but you'll have a comfy chair to sit upon and there will be lots of interesting chats and tea....and that's all a living room really needs - expensive furniture can't change that. 

And this is the playarea, all these items were either free from my MIL (their house used to be a daycare and lots of toys were left there when she moved it) or from freecycle so there was no cost as it was all items we already had. I'll repaint all the shelves and get curtains sometime. All the kids have fun in the playarea and since it's so big they are really good at keeping it clean - when there is a spot for everything it's easier to keep things picked-up. I'm standing in the living room, looking at the outside door.

And in the corner will be the kids computer area, right now the computer is sitting on a microwave cart but we'll find a computer desk for it in time.

So this is looking at the livingroom/playarea from the kitchen.
What do you think, is the 2 room thing working? Any other ideas for breaking up such a looooong room?

                                                                                                  

 

A kitchen for free - how's that for thrifty?!

I've very pleased to say that we spent absolutely nothing on the kitchen after moving in...because freecycle was so generous! I had so many people offer us kitchen items that after the first few I had to tell them we had enough and they could offer their stuff to someone else who had a need! I think I have more kitchen items now than I ever have - in fact I've been setting aside some items that I haven't used yet to offer back up on freecycle - if i haven't used it in a month there is no need for me to keep it.

I love my kitchen as it's so homey and warm! I spend a lot of time in there cooking or baking while the older kids do homework at the table and Alex runs back and forth between everyone "helping". The table was given to us by Jason's aunt, you can read more about way I love having an old table here. In time I plan on repainting it and the chairs.

Lots of room to bake and create!

We were given so much off freecycle, dishes, utensils, tuberware, pots, pans, small appliances, rugs, and so much more! Whenever I cook I get a nice feeling knowing that I'm able to do so because of the kindness of others. (Lovely avocado green inside of the cabinets, we rent so I can't repaint but it's nice because it makes me crave salads more. lol)

 

Feel free to stop by for a treat, we bake every Sunday, on a mismatched plate that was given out of love, upon a table that has heard many secrets, in a kitchen that I hope we can fill with sweet memories.

Second Hand Basement Hide-a-way for $24.50

When the kids first learned that there was a basement in our house they were so excited and asked if they could have it. Since I think basements are dark and creepy I said it was all theirs...I wanted nothing to do with it. *shudders*

The basement has 3 empty corners, the 4th is where the furnace lives, so they each have their own space. Alex won't go down there unless one of the older kids is down there but he has his play area upstairs to hang out in during the day.

Rebecca asked for a low craft table, a bean bag, and some shelves.
Jarod asked for a TV, DVD player, and a big comfy chair.
Alex asked for a sandbox but once we did find one for him he wanted it outside so instead we did a reading tent instead.

*Rebecca's Crafty Spot

I found the table at the thrift store for $6.
The shelves and totes I got off freecycle, she filled them with board games, puzzles, and all her craft supplies.
I found a bean bag, not pictured here, at a yard sale for $3.
Right now she's working on a scrapbook and some designer watches.  She really enjoys having her own spot to work and is always creating neat crafts.

 
*Jarod's Movie Hide-a-way
The TV I got off freecycle, the dvd player was given to him by the in-laws when they got a new one, and the chair he picked out himself from a second hand store for $15. He keeps his movies in the cabinet which we got off freecycle.
The table was already there.
He also put a little blue chair next to his for Alex, so he could watch movies with him. :-)

*Alex's peek a boo tent
Alex only goes down in the basement to play if Rebecca or Jarod are down there as he gets a bit scared qll alone so I knew he wouldn't want to be inside a tent if he couldn't see them. However, I was digging around in the box of fabric I had gotten of freecycle and found a whole roll of some sturdy lace/net looking stuff!
It was perfect, it allows him to see big sis and bro but still has all the fun of a hide-a-way! Alex LOVES it! We put some rugs I found at a yard sale for 50 cents, pillow and blanket (gifts),  and some books (freecycle),  inside and he was so excited!

So to recap.
Rebecca's: $9
Jarod's: $15
Alex's: .50
Total: $24.50!!

Is it all super cute and matching and modern and could be found at an upscale daycare? NO....but it was affordable and it's fun and I don't have to worry about them messing new things up.  They LOVE it and have so much fun down there!

A freecycle home - more thrift and less spent

I will be doing a few posts this year on furnishing a house using only second hand items, most of which comes from freecycle, something I'm really passionate about. There is so much waste in the world, so much thrown away, lots of money wasted on new items when used works just as well.

Around 10 years ago Jason and I moved into our first home and did what we thought we had to do....spend, send, spend. That first week we spent thousand of dollars on new items we "had" to have for our home, we'd run to Wal-Mart every day with a list of items we "needed". We spent the next 10 year filling up that house with stuff, stuff we thought we just had to have. But of course we didn't, it did nothing for us - didn't make us happier and just ended up tying us down and played host to lots of dust.

When we found out we were moving overseas I was tired of stuff and on the whim decided to get rid of it all, I wasn't going to spend hundreds of dollars a month renting a huge storage shed for all our junk. We just rented a tiny closet to store our photo albums etc in and gave everything else away on Freecycle. It was hard. I panic a little when I saw it being carted all off, (10 truckloads of stuff!) what if I need all this stuff later?!
(Now....2 years later I can't even remember what all I gave away? There is not a single item that I've thought "Man, I wish I still had that." 10 truckloads of items, thousands of dollars, and I didn't need one single items of it.)

But then in Belfast, we found out that you don't need stuff and it was soooo freeing! We had no funds for household items so if we wanted a nice soup pot....we'll we laughed at the thought and cooked our potatoes in the shallow pan that was left in the house by previous renters. We were able to get the basics off the local Freecycle, and lived a wonderful year not caring about matching furniture, or wall hangings, or modern decor. If it did it's job, it was fine. A couch is to sit upon - nothing more, who cares if it is an "eyesore". We could buy one.... or use our money to go see another castle. Adventure always won.The Belfast freecycle was so kind to us, and we even found 2 wonderful friends there, wonderful women who we are still in contact with to this day.

Anyways, now that we are back in the states and have a home again - we decided that we would fix up the whole house use using only second hand items. Even though Jason gets a decent paycheck and we could afford to buy all new, fancy items...why would we?  Working for the sole purpose of accumulating material items....no point in it, use your money for adventure instead. Sure we could go out and get a brand new kitchen table with coordinating chairs...a table I'd feel the need to be worried about if the kids scratched it up because I paid so much for it. Nah. Instead we have a sturdy table Jason's Aunt Charlotte gave us, it's years old and had no chairs so she gave us some bright blue ones instead - and we love it! We gather around it every night for dinner, the kids can relax and know I'm not going to get upset if they accidentally make a mess, on weekends we can sit there and paint or draw and not be bothered if the table gets scratched or stained, we don't have to cover it with an annoying tablecloth as it needs no protection. Our table is loved...and in no way a showcase. We'll use that money to take the kids to a trip to Canada instead.
And if we decide to move across county at any time, we'd have no problem getting rid of it, or anything in our house, so we wouldn't have to drag it along with us - nice to have no ties or investments to what you own.

I went to a swap yard sale this weekend (it was next door to Jason's Aunt Midge, a very sweet woman) and it confirmed what I've always said..."There is so much stuff out there that I bet you could live your whole life never buying anything new."

The whole town took stuff they didn't need to the city hall for a free yard sale, you offer your items and in return can take whatever you do need. What a beautiful concept. And the hall was FILLED with items, tables and tables and table of items. People were able to come in with their children's clothes that had been outgrown and walk away with the next size up - awesome.

Anyways....in the month we've spent in our new house I have been diligently keeping an eye on freecycle and second hand stores and we now have everything we need. We all have beds, bedding, dressers, and a year's worth of clothes. The kitchen cabinets are filled with dishes, tubberware, and small appliances. we have a table and chairs, we have a couch, coffee table, and arm chairs, in the bathroom we have rugs and towels. We even have extras, in the office we have a desk, chair, and exercise bike. Alex has a play area, and in the basement the kids each have a hide-a-way corner. Most of these items came from the awesome freecycle and some came from second hand places for a total of around $200 - if even that much.

Would you walk into my house and say "Oh wow, this looks like it should be pictured in a magazine!"?
Ahah, no, nope. But you would walk in and feel right at home and not worry about spilling your wine on my couch....in fact the wine would probably improve the fabric on said couch.

As I finish repainting second hand furniture and sewing curtains from freecycled fabric I will be doing posts of each room in out house and how much it cost- to give others an idea of how you can afford to furnish a home no matter what your budget AND keep items from the landfill AND not support consumerism at the same time!

No time

There are always posts in the back of my mind but I just never find the time to sit down and type them out. The days run together without ceasing, I fall into bed exhausted each night without waking a single time before morning - a rarity for me.

Weekdays are up at 7 to make breakfast for Jason and the kids, shoo them off to work/school with hugs and lunches, Alex and I play, teach, walks, fix up the house, dishes, phone calls, errands, paperwork sing, laugh, romp outside, dance, eat, laundry, menu, groceries, dishes, paint, blow bubbles, scrub, clean, snacks for Jason and the kids who get home around 3:30. The walks to the park, teaching Rebecca to bake, watching movies with Jarod, homework, art projects, workout at the gym, decide which piece of furniture to repaint next, fix supper, eat around the table, cleanup, baths, storybooks, hide and seek, preparing next days lunches, bedtime for kids at 9:30, an hour or so for Jason and I to talk/snuggle/watch a show before I pass out before 11 like an old woman. :-P

Weekends are yard sales, thrift stores, bargain hunting, redoing furniture, researching how to repaint or fix up an old piece, any errands that require the car since Jason is off work so I can drive, kids to the library, Alex to playgroup, community events....

Loving every minute of it. So nice to be a whole family, all on the same schedule for once, with our own space.

But...that doesn't leave me much time to update everyone else.

For now though - that's ok.

Woot!

Found Alex a sandbox! :-P

Days

Time is going by so fast, I can't believe we've been in the house for 2 weeks already! We really love having our own space but there seems to be too much space, after our small place in Belfast and our tiny nook at the in-laws....we are just uneasy with all this room. We usually all end up together in one room all night because we get lonely. lol

The weather has warmed up a little so Alex and I have been walking a lot around town. We go to the grocery store each day to find marked down meat and veggies (and a "lolly" for Alex - he still uses the UK term for popsicles), we can walk to the park or to the in-laws, and he loves to go to the hardware store to get a free bag of popcorn.

Today we had an almost tragic event though....his beloved buggy broke! This is the buggy my mom and I found for him the day after I moved to N. Ireland. Alex had never been in a stroller before as I had always worn him but he was 2 and getting heavy and as we had no car there I knew we'd need one. I guess because he had never been in one it was this new, fun experience for him and he just adored his buggy so of course we brought it with us when we moved back to the states. But after over two years of constant use (we bought it used)...it was starting to wear out. I found him a nicer stroller at a yard sale here but he refused to use it "No! I want MY BUGGY!".

Today he sat in the buggy and....it collapsed! 'Ahhhhhh! MY BUGGY OH NO!"

I looked it over and saw that one of the screws had broken in half (wtf....how is that even possible?). So I told him we could walk it to the hardware store and see if they could fix it. "An get popcorn mommy?!" lol
 They were able to replace the bolt/screw thingy for....$0.14 and a bag of popcorn. Can't beat that! Alex now thinks the hardware store is the best place ever. The whole time they were trying to find the right size screw he was petting his buggy and saying "All better, don't worry we fix you."

The older kids will be home in a minute and we are going to make monkey bread. Both Jason and I have been craving it without knowing why because I've never made it before (I think my mom might have made something like it but called it sticky buns or something) and he hadn't had it since he was a kid. Then we figured it out...there is a recipe for it on one of our wall calendars this month. LOL Subliminal messaging works well on us it seems. So Alex and I got the stuff to make it at the store today. It's also taco night so we can't wait, yum!

My quiet spot

While in Belfast we learned that it won't kill you to hang your own laundry nor to walk to get where you need to go. We've tried to keep this alive here by owning only one car and putting up a clothes line. We live in the middle of tiny town and can walk to to store, bank etc. so the car is only used to drive Jason to work in the big town.

I've really in love with line drying for several reasons.

*The kids don't bother me while I'm hanging up clothes because they are afraid I'll make them help me.
"Moooommmm! Where are you? MOM? Mooo- oh" *runs away*
Muhahaha!

*SO not only do I get some peace and quiet but the sun shines down on me, the birds are chirping, and the laundry smells so fresh and clean. We hung the line up on our privacy fence so it's hidden, a little hide-a-way spot for me. It's not a chore I rush through, in fact it can take me quite a long time to hang up a load of laundry. :-P

*It costs way less and uses less energy too.

You don't get all that using a dryer now do you? :-P

Our house

As promised....a video of our house!

As you will see we got a table! Jason's sweet aunt gave us one along with some cool blue chairs.

I also went back to the thrift stores and got the bucket chair and old coffee table for our living room, which is looking really 70ish now! In total I spent less than $40 for everything in it, for that price I can totally dig the 1970s! When I get tired of living in the past I can reupholster everything. lol

I still can't believe that a few days ago this house was totally empty and we now have everything we need and more! Thank you Freecycle - the best concept, ever - for taking our house and turning it into a home!

My next step is to strip and repaint all the dressers, tables etc. I have some great ideas...just have to get the supplies and get to work on them. Keep an eye on this blog for before & after posts. :-)

I'm also keeping an eye out on freecycle for desks and bookshelves so we can get all our books out of boxes, set up the office, and put the computer on a desk in the living room instead of the coffee table. I'm also looking for an old table to put in the basement for Rebecca as she has all her craft supplies down there, she wants a low table and a bean bag chair. And need to find a TV and loveseat for Jarod to put in the basement. But for right now we are all set!

Keep in mind I have sever allergies (previous residents had lots of pets so I've been having to deep clean everything which is stirring up tons of dust and dander) so my voice sounds funny.

Whew!

The past couple days have been intense!

I saw the ad in the paper for the house and a few days later it was ours! Perfect timing though as Jason and the kids were off for Easter break so we were able to move in on Friday!

Thursday I packed everything up, I have no idea where we got so much stuff! We came back to the states 5 months ago with 2 suitcases each but somehow ended up with 6 van loads of items! Clothes and toys mostly. Jason has a bad back, it goes out if he so much as picks up a sock, so I did all the moving while he took care of the kids and kept us fed -which worked out perfect.

Then I hauled it all over to the house, which was pretty dirty so first Rebecca and I cleaned it, she was a huge help! Now we had a nice, big, clean house...full of boxes and nothing else. lol

So I made a post of freecycle and had a massive response! Freecycle is the best concept, ever.

I took the van and made several trips to the big town picking up items and between freecycle, the in-laws, and Jason's aunt our house now had beds, dressers, little tables, bedding, dishes, pots, tupperware, and so much more. Lots of people also said they would have more items for us after Easter because they would be spring cleaning. Thank you everyone! How wonderful it is that a totally empty house can be filled in 2 days because of kindness and a desire not to support consumerism.

Our first night in the house was exciting, so much room! The had fun running around and around. lol

But soon tired out and complained that there was no living room furniture to sit on. heh

So I ran to a store in the big town that I had been told had really good second hand furniture at great prices. I was also hoping to find a kitchen table as sitting on the floor to eat is fun, but only for awhile.

They did have a lot of living room furniture but "great prices" must mean something totally different to me as the recliners and couches were over $100...and I had brought $25 in cash. lol The couches were pretty faded and worn too, some of them has little holes or stains.

But...then I saw it. At first glance I dismissed it as too hideous but then I took a second glance and thought "Hmmm". It was in PERFECT condition. Looked like it had just came off the sale room floor....about 40 years ago. It just screamed "Proud to be from 1970!". I'm guessing that some old lady had it sitting in her back parlor covered in one of those plastic covers. I sat down on it and it was soooo very comfortable. And then I saw that there was a matching avocado green chair that went with it. And I remembered that one of the thrift stores in town had an old coffee table that looked like it was also from the 70s and at the other thrift store there was one of those plastic bucket seats from the 70s..."Dude!" I said "You can totally rock a 70s living room!" The price cinched this idea...$20 for the couch and $3 for the chair. The clerk gave me a lot of funny looks when I said I'd take it and said "Are you sure...you really like it?" heh

I'll also have to find one of those huge ugly paintings to hang on the wall and a lava lamp. Perhaps shag carpet and wood paneling? lol The kids were happy to have a place to sit and all said it's very comfy. Which is all a couch needs to be. I didn't find a table but Dorothy let us borrow her card table until I come across one.

Saturday the kids had an Easter egg hunt at the school, inside because it's so cold of course. They were separated into age groups so Alex lucked out because he was the oldest in his group and he found 22 eggs!
He left those 2 year olds in the dust!

Then I ran back to town to get stuff for our Easter breakfast and their baskets. Then later ran back to pick up more freecycle items. I was soooo tied but the house was looking good!

This morning the kids hunted for their baskets while Jason and I cooked a huge breakfast, it took Rebecca a long time to find hers because Jason stuck it up in the rafters down in the basement. hah! After breakfast Rebecca hid eggs all over the house for Alex to find and then he hid them for her....all in one spot. lol

Now, I've got 5 boxes of freecycle kitchen items to wash and then....tackle the oven. I don't know what the previous owners did to it but it's bad. Really bad. Need proof? Yay, fun for me!

I will try to upload a video of the house on Tuesday, when the kids go back to school and I find some batteries for my camera. :-P

We LOVE having our own space again!

Update

The house is all ours on Thursday!
The kids think we are joking because that's on April 1st. haha
"Sorry kids, just kidding. We don't really have a house. You don't get your own room and a huge basement. hahaha April Fools!" (Like we would be that mean...) (Actually it's a great idea....I wonder if we could still pull it off...)

I called all the utility companies today and good news...in MN there are no deposits!! I was so shocked as in AR you have to pay hundreds of dollars to get things turned on. Guess there are some good things here. (Joking...only joking. I know there are pros to go along with the cons, as in any state. But the cold man...the cold. It's so harsh.)

Saturday we went to the Spring Carnival at the kids school and had a great time! The whole school was set up with games and booths, Rebecca went off by herself, Jason took Jarod around, and I took Alex. I saw Rebecca every once in a while...with a snow cone....with cotton candy....winning at the cakewalk 3 different times. lol Jarod wasn't really into the games so he spent most of his time jumping in the bouncy castle with one of his friends, at one point he came up like this and said he had broke his arm jumping.

Relax. Turns out the nurse was letting the kids have fake owies. :-P

Alex had a ball! He just loved the whole concept and played every.single.game....twice! He would walk up, hand them his ticket, listen as they showed him how to play, try his hardest, and proudly collect his prize! He was so cute. Until he screamed when it was time to go...

 
 I'll probably take photos of the empty house on Thursday for ya all. I'm looking forward to finding items to go inside, have huge plans for fixing up old junk I've been collecting off freecycle. (And lots of non-junk items too because freecycle rocks! The nicest people I've ever met were on freecycle..all over the world! I need to write a book about it...) I've been reading upcycle blogs like crazy! Jason really thinks I'm going insane as I shout "Hey look you can take a door and turn it into a cool table! Ohh and old ladders make great book shelves! And did you know there is such a thing as blackboard paint? You can turn any surface into a chalkboard! A chalkboard Jason! Chalkboard dressers, chalkboard cabinets, chalkboard walls! Are you sleeping? Why? Why aren't you excited about blackboard paint at 3am like I am?! " :-P

We found a house!

We've been trying to find a house here for months but there are just not very many for rent in this area for some reason. We really wanted to live in the big town (8000 population) but could not find one in our price range, rent is hundreds of dollars more there.

So when I saw in the paper that there was a 4 bedroom house up for rent in our tiny town (population of 900) we decided to go check it out. We loved the house but hated the location. It's smack dab in the middle of the commercial part of town, it's weird. Beside it is the grocery store, across the street is the high school, and on the other side is the veteran's pub. However the 4 large bedrooms, big living room, spacious dinning room, and massive finished basement pleased us. Oh and the gym I go to is 2 steps away! The kids are already planning how they are going to turn the basement into a huge play area. lol

Cons are the location, no bathtub, and small yard.

But we will be able to walk to the store and the post office and any other place in town...you know since we will live in the very middle of it all. And the kids are happy they get to stay in the same school. Rebecca has made a BFF here so didn't want to move and we really didn't want to switch Jarod to a different school because he's doing such an amazing job here. Plus the big town is still close by to drive to for events and such.

But I can't believe we'll be officially living in tinytown...tiny tiny tiny town.

Oh and my car insurance called me today...I am out of time and have to switch my AR driver's license over to a MN one, I've been putting it off for two reasons.

1. To do so I have to take a written driving test. Blah.
2. It's so official...if I have a MN license it means I really am a permanent resident here. As long as I have my AR one I can pretend I'm just visiting.

Now...I just have to come up with some furniture and stuff to put in the house since we have NOTHING!  (Gave everything away 2 years ago when we moved overseas.) The house has a shed with windows so I'm going to find items that people don't want, fix them up in my shed, repaint them, make them pretty, and put them back to use in our house. It's kinda fun starting over!

And yes, if I turn out to be any good at redoing furniture...I'll blog each item as I go. lol

Cheap Hat

I will be trying to do a lot more of my cheap thrifty posts, because all my life getting good deals has always made me happy and I know it makes you happy too.

Most of everything I own I've found at second hand stores because I feel like if I'm buying something that the first owner doesn't want...I'm keeping items out of the landfills and boycotting consumerism a tiny bit. However, if I find a good enough deal on a new item...saving a lot of money sometimes takes first priority. :-P

Today I took Rebecca and her BFF to Clarie's so they could get their ears pierced. *sniff sniff* Every time I turn around she's aged about 3 years, I need a child remote with a pause button.

While we were browsing the items I saw there was a clearance rack and of course made a beeline straight for it. Most of the items were not of use to me seeing as how I'm so totally lame drab classic and don't wear a lot of jewelry, make-up, or accessories but stuck in the back I did see a pretty hat. Now, I've never worn a hat unless it was one for cold but for some reason I just loved it, reminded me of a hat from the 1920's.

Since it was marked down from $34 to $2...I bought it! AND even wore it for the rest of the day without feeling like a fool, so it's a keeper. :-P
Plus it matches my favorite pair of boots. 

Welcome

Yes, it's true...after 5 years over at livejournal I've finally decided to make the big switch over to blogger. I know you're in shock but I hope you'll still stick around as I try to get used to the new setup.

I won't be blogging quite as much now that I'm working again, going to the gym everyday, running around outside with Alex, and trying to find us a new home but I'll try to post the highlights.

The big news right now is that the snow has all melted! After months and months and months of seeing nothing but white...it's so weird to see the ground! Granted everything is one large mud puddle but at least we can go outside more. Alex has been loving his sandbox and jumping in puddles.

 Of course everyone tells us not to get too excited because more snow will come, but we'll just enjoy it while it lasts. At first we were annoyed by the mud, it gets everywhere and in everything but we're learning how to deal with it. Seems like there it a lot of "yuck" in each season here...winters are cold and harsh, spring is one large mud swamp, and summer is full of swarms of mosquitoes. Weee.

About Us

The ups and downs and screams and thrills, our life is one long, fast and furious, roller coaster.

At first we sat in the cart while it rolled slowly up the hill, "putt", "putt", "putt" as it slowly squeaked up the track. This was our time in Arkansas - where we were  raised, married, and had our three children. Nothing too exciting but we felt safe and secure as we leaned over the edge to see how high we were getting as we "putted" along.

One day we hit a bump when Jason decided to go back to school and for the next four years we barley hung on as our cart rocked back and forth and tried to buck us out. He was leaving the house at 7am for the hour and a half drive to school which he attended until 3pm, then left school straight for work until 10:30, and another hour and a half drive home arriving at midnight to study, catch a few hours of sleep and start it all again in the morning...5 days a week. I was working 16 hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday as a CNA, from 6am until 10pm. He watched the kids on the weekends while I home-schooled them during the week. We never saw each other and we ate a whole lot of beans...but we made it! We reached the top of that hill! He graduated...

...and found out that he had been accepted into grad school in BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND!!! Our roller cart went racing down that hill with us laughing and crying out in terror "Slow this ride down". It was the ride of our life, a wonderful adventure full of more ups and downs. We gave away everything we owned on Freecycle and moved overseas. Our whole year there we spent together 24/7 having amazing discoveries one after another while Jason worked on his master's degree. We fell in love with Belfast and the friends we made there (most of them we found on the Belfast Freecycle!). It's a complicated but endearing city. Having completed his degree he was accepted into the PHD program there and we we excited at the thought of spending 4-5 more years in Belfast but he was unable to secure funding.

Our ride came to a screeching halt as we tried to figure out what to do next, finally we realized that we would have to move to...Minnesota. Oh the horror! All I knew about the place was that it was cold, cold, and more cold. But his parents were there and job options were better. So here we are...he did find a wonderful job as a mental health professional helping troubled children and we did make it through our first winter here but to us it's still just a temporary pit stop. We plan on relocating in about a year or two, to a location more suited to us, there's still a lot more roller coaster riding left in us - soon as we get this cart fixed up again.

Thrifty Fun

Remember a few months back when the thrift store had the dollar grab bag sale and I bought a few things because I had recently lost some weight and nothing fit? And I didn't have time to post any photos of the outfits and ya'll got mad at me? Yeah, so the weight has kept coming off and I found myself in the same situation...nothing fit. (Stress diet people...lose inches while you lose your mind!) So, back to the thrift store I went because I refuse to waste money on new clothes - as long as they do what clothes are supposed to do (protect your body from the elements and cover your naughty bits)then who cares about fashion or name brands or whatever...it's just pieces of cloth!

This time I wasn't so lucky price wise as the only sale going on was $1 per item on some clothes - ugh! I had hoped to find a pair of jeans or two and a few nice shirts...but I've never been able to find a good pair of jeans at a thrift store, it's the one thing I just can't seem to score. So I had a look around and saw that there were tons of wee skirts and button up shirts - most of which were sale items. Seeing as you can't be too picky when you are trying to prove a point and save money - I decided to see if I could find 5 nice outfits from said skirts and shirts. (I never really wore little skirts before Belfast, but most of the UK women wore them so I got used to them in my time there.)

I was surprised by how much I love my new outfits! Are they in style or the latest fashion? I have no freaking idea! But I do know that they fit me, look good, match, keep me warm, and were affordable - and that's all that matters to me!

THIS time I made sure to take some photos for you...so you wouldn't smother me in my sleep or something. :-P

I spent about $20, a little less in fact, for all 5! Not bad huh?
(Excuse the horrible photos as I had to use the self-timer and the only spot to put the camera is in front of the window/mirror. lol)

 See? Wasn't that fun? Now it's your turn to go give your thrift store a chance!

Thrift Store Score!

Earthshoes boots - which retail for $150!!

I found these for $3!!!

Aren't they awesome!! I am so in love with them!

True Vintage

While I was in Arkansas my mother gave me my great-grandma's petticoat! She hand sewed it herself, it's breathtaking.

Admit it. You're so jealous.

:-P

It actually fits me perfectly though I'm afraid to wear it because it has lots of worn spots that could tear if I lean over too far. I think I can reinforce them though. It's also pretty dingy...more grayish than white but if I was going to start wearing it I'd consider dying it, a light purple perhaps.

As I mentioned it fits perfect as a hip skirt but I was also looking around online for ideas and came across a fashion site where chicks were wearing old slips as dresses by cinching them under the chest area and adding leggings and high heels.

I played around with that idea. Not sure of what occasion would warrant such an outfit but was fun nonetheless.

 The necklace is a piece of my grandma's costume jewelry.

Wonder if my great-grandkids will ever wear anything of mine? I better hang onto my tie dye...:-P