little happy list

so it has been quite a while since I've done a little happy list

and recently I've been feeling very happy about a lot of little things

so I figured it was time to make another one

here's what is making me happy right now

1. finding our vintage china in a thrift store for the very first time, nineteen more pieces were added to the collection for $18, very happy about that

2. hearing from many of my new classroom parents that their child loves my class, and after having some parent drama this last week, those positive comments were welcomed at Back to School Night

3. having a four day weekend, even though friday was technically a furlough day, I'm still going to enjoy the time off

4. sleeping in until 9, something I haven't done in months and months and months

5. a yogurt date with a great friend, talking about all the exciting things we have coming up in our lives in the next year or so

6. the past two days have been a little sneak peek into fall weather, and I could not be happier about that.  being "chilled" in the mornings and evenings is the best feeling after too many days over 100

7. getting crafty for little E

8. catching up with Boardwalk Empire, a t.v. show that has my name written all over it

9. knowing that Halloween is right around the corner, and even though decorating will be toned down this year [since E could arrive right around that time] I still can't wait to break out some spooky fun

10. sharing so many favorite things with the mr. - including our obsession with the show, The Walking Dead - so finding this yesterday while thrifting, made my day, and was something fun to text the husband while he was working all day

so yay for September, I'm pretty stoked your awesomeness is here

what's making you happy right now?

thrifted it thursday

well, typically the thrifting gods direct me to nothing but pyrex

however, when I stumbled on this orange beauty, I just had to get it

even though we have NO room in our little kitchen

I just couldn't resist

so this Beautyware Cake Carrier is

adorable, vintage, and pretty handy

thrifted it thursdays

these two little guys sat on the shelf at the thrift store for several weeks

I just kept waiting for those tag colors to get to 75% off

I think because the green one appeared to be a little beat up

but clearly it was just in need of a good scrub

and the blue wheat, being a promotional piece, most likely got passed up

I must admit, when I saw it at first I wasn't sure if it was Pyrex either

so now the lime green & blue wheat casserole have joined the rest of the family

thrifted it thursdays

now I have a hard time passing up little random pieces of pyrex when thrifting

especially when they are great deals

it you are in great shape - and under $1, you will be coming home with me

recently I was having to do a major pyrex re-arrange session

and these little guys just kept getting stacked

and it turns out - I'm pretty into it

what I'm not into right now - having a sore throat from teaching today

I was in quite the energetic/silly mood today

my kids quickly noticed

and I think they appreciated it

I guess strained vocal chords are worth it

and hey - tomorrow's friday!

friday friendship find

well, friday the 13th was a pretty lucky day for me

I have NEVER found one of my favorite patterns in a thrift store

until yesterday

and it wasn't just one bowl, but all four of these beauties

and lucky for me, the little lady who had them before me

took extremely good care of them

thrifted it thursdays

this year I've decided to try out a few more regular "weekly" postings

I've enjoyed my "so they said" on sundays

so why not add another day of the week for another passion of mine - thrifting

and more specifically, thrifting pyrex

this week I picked up this turquoise bowl from the  Hostess Oven and Table set

and the funny thing was I was in one of those thrift stores that have the "collectible" section

where they put ALL their pyrex, and it is almost ALWAYS overpriced

you just have to get lucky that you are there on the right "tag color" discount day

however, this bowl was in the regular kitchen section

maybe a fellow thrifter was hiding the piece until the discount day was even higher?

well, sorry, not going to chance it for my first piece of this kind

I'll take the 25% off gladly

oh, and it is hard to hide pyrex from a true collector hoarder of pyrex

now you may notice the interesting stacking I've chosen here

yes, I do actually love this combination with my set of Designs bowls

but truly, things are having to get very creative in my collection display

now while I'm on the topic of thrifting, I actually did thrift the large Designs bowl

at the very same store I found the Turquoise Hostess!

Just about five months apart from each other,

clearly they were meant to be together

Now the littlest guy was not thrifted, but found in an antique mall in Ohio

at a very thrifted price!

so there we go, enough about that - happy thrifting!

perfect saturday afternoon

It's been a while since I've had a day all to myself.  So, after some school work, house work, a trip to target, and an amazing discovery on pinterest, I rounded out the afternoon with some fall baking.  The husband has been asking for some pumpkin treats, so when I came upon a recipe too easy to resist - I just had to try it, and I will make a man very happy when he gets home from work.

All you need is a 15 oz. can of pumpkin & yellow cake mix (apparently spice cake mix can also be used for a little extra kick - it will be my next venture).  I did also add a little pumpkin pie spice to mine, but you don't need anything else, which makes these awesome!  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes and you are done.  I tried mine, pretty yummy.  Can't wait till they are all the way cool because pumpkin baked goods always taste even better completely chilled.

oh - and did you spy my newest pyrex find?  Yes, that is a 3qt. Designs bowl I picked up while thrifting after work this week.  I am SO in love with it, now I have the pair, and they rock.

So, a big thank you sweet verbena for this recipe - and to pinterest for allowing us to share all these wonderful little things.

it's the weekend!

because it is the weekend

and I haven't had one in 12 days

and because of notes like these

left on my desk from a student

and for $2 pyrex finds on my drive home

when I hadn't been thrifting in so long

and for dinners with groupons & the husband

mmm...Sandra Dee's

happy national thrift store day

And no, I didn't make that up.  It's actually a real thing.  So, to celebrate, I thrifted, and I thrifted with success.  What else was I to do after a day of staff development that left me a tad dizzy?  Changing schools can also mean re-doing staff training.  Especially in a large district like mine, all schools pilot programs at different times.  So this year, I will pilot the same program for the third time.  Well, at least I'll be able to focus on other things, like getting my masters, and thrifting.

And well, I thought having my pretty new little glasses wrapped in primary writing paper at the thrift store very fitting!

planning is progressing

and I'm not just talking about in the classroom!

well, as I had said earlier, the husband is turning thirty soon

and we are going to be celebrating with a mid century themed party

so thankfully I found this golden fondue pot while thrifting the other day

and it was never even used!

the rest of the dinner menu is coming together

thanks to a little inspiration from the photo below

I can't wait to pull out the pyrex & have some good birthday fun!

image & inspiration from the arugula files

tomorrow = more thrifting for party planning

 after some good hours spent in the classroom!

favorite find

Here is another one of my treasures from our trip to Long Beach

this adorable purse was practically drowning in a box of misfit bags

thankfully the husband eyed it for me & swooped it up

it came home for $10

Not a bad price since it has never been used

I believe that the purse dates back to the 60's

and I love that it originally sold for $7.95

so yeah, not bad for ten bucks!

not to mention that it is yellow & awesome

it won't be a daily user but I'll keep it for special days out

enjoy the weekend!

eighty cents!

Why yes, I did score these today for eighty cents!  They are pretty much in perfect condition and I just couldn't resist. I have been on the canister hunt for quite some time but just never could commit to a set.

Now, I'm not sure if I will keep them or eventually set up a lil' etsy shop of my own.

But for now I'll admire their bright & cheeriness.

On another note - we are nearing the end of July which means the end of summer is quickly approaching.  Now yes, that will mean that my daily thrifting will be cut out of my new routine, but I must say I am eager to get back into the classroom.  However, no, I'm still not hired back.  And yes, the daily "not hired" nightmares have begun!  Well, they actually started in June, but they are becoming more realistic and plausible as the months come and go.  Almost every night I am dreaming that I show up at one of the many schools that I have taught at on the first day of school and go around asking if anyone on campus has work for me.  No thank you.  So, if my district could just call me and put all this madness to an end, I would greatly appreciate it.  

But until then, I will avoid any teacher stores, back to school aisles, and educational supplies. They just make me frustrated that I have all the time in the world, and can't possible be do one stitch of planning or prepping!  

So, I'll thrift until that magical phone call comes.  Fingers crossed it comes next week - and yes, I am being pretty optimistic that I'll hear that early.  First day of school - August 22nd, please let me be ready!

I've been doing a lot of blogging on the two collectives I contribute to - check 'em out!

Pyrex Collective II & The Thrift Collective

and if you visited from one of these blogs - thanks for stopping by!

venice part II

well yesterday we took a stroll down the infamous venice beach

I must say my favorite part was the street art

we also enjoyed a nice lunch where we had a great spot for people watching

one of my favorite things to do

tomorrow we hit Long Beach's Fourth Street

seriously, from my research, my hopes are pretty high for this spot

so far thrifting & antiquing has been a bust

hopefully I will have some treasures to share!

thanks to The Thrift Collective for your city guide!  Check 'em out

hopefully I will be able to contribute soon to this collective!

lil' sis turns twenty-two

So of course, we took a trip to San Francisco to spend the day together as a family.  Here's a glimpse at our little Sunday.  Started with a little brunch at Squat & Gobble in the Castro.

 Obviously we had to have a serious bubble blowing contest with the husband's 

Hubba Bubba bubble gum.

 Nothing beats opening presents on the side of the road.

 Then we were off to the Mission District for some thrifting & antiquing.  

 While there checking out the Clarion Alley Mural Project is a must.

 And yes, even the street grates are pretty fun.

Happy Birthday Meg - I loved our weekend together!

pretty little things

Now for those of you who aren't that into pyrex, you may not know that this first set of bowls is pretty cool, collecting speaking.  I found them at a thrift store for not such a thrift store price.  However, when I went back their tag was the 50% off color, so I picked them up for $35.  I now just need to find the little blue bowl that this set is missing.  These bowls date back to the 1940's and are in really good condition considering they were around when FDR was president!

Primary Colors Set - 1940's

These guys are much newer and pretty easy to find.  However, they make great daily users.  Also, I have found them so cheap, currently this set has cost me $5!

Butterfly Gold Pattern - introduced 1972

With my new pieces I've added recently I had to do some creative re-arranging to make everything fit, without hiding any pieces.  I'm pretty happy with how they are displayed.  Also, I have room for my little blue, and the green new dots bowl I'm missing!

Head over to The Pyrex Collective II if you want to see more of my pyrex posts!

american tourister

Why yes, it is true.  Very soon the husband & I are going to be some american tourister's for our anniversary vacation.  So when I stumbled upon this complete little set,  I just couldn't say no.  Also, all three pieces were mine for $24.  Now I have more luggage than I know what to do with.  I'm thinking that cute Samsonite I found earlier for $7 will need to be re-purposed somehow.  The husband suggested turning it into an end table/storage unit, so if I get handy I'll post the results.  

Now, back to our little vacation that will be here before I know it - I would LOVE suggestions and things to see & places to eat.  We are spending our first night of our trip in Solvang, CA (the Danish capital of the United States, of course).

image here

Now, just the images I find when I google this place is making me giddy.  I'm thinking a rather large photo post will be up soon after our visit!  Once we spend a little time here, we are off to Manhattan Beach, and the Los Angeles area in general.

Here is where I would LOVE any advice you can give me.  If you have found some gems in that general area, I would love to frequent them myself.  Typically when we head down to the southern part of our state, I am visiting one of my happiest places on earth, Disneyland.  But, we decided since it is the peak of tourist season down there, maybe to pass on this location.  Which pretty much means, I have no idea what else to do!  Now yes, I will be having my iPhone lead me to as many thrift stores & antique stores as I can stand, but mixing up our days a bit would be nice.  Not to mention, my one bedroom flat is letting me know I need to start an Etsy account and start selling some things.  But, I chose not to listen, at least not yet.

But at least I know one thing for sure, my luggage will make me pretty happy.  Not to mention, spending a whole week with the hubs is pretty good too!

a week of thrifting

This summer I have been determined not to get "bored".  Last summer I was pretty antsy by week two, and that was even with jury duty!  So, to fill my time and give each day purpose I have been doing the following - jogging every morning, thrifting every day, and reading as much as possible.  Here are a few pictures of my finds, pretty good week if I say so myself!

my fifty cent pyrex find!

found a couple of plates for our china collection - first time in a thrift store!

and yes, that is a giant ashtray, and no, nobody smokes in our home

however, when I saw it I couldn't pass it up, so the husband got it as an early anniversary present

this amazing suitcase (that matches my train case) was only $7

not sure what I'll do with the Ice-O-Mat ice crusher but I couldn't pass it up for $2

I love it on my counter

and finally, not much new on this table

but I am so happy it finally came together

the top of this red dresser has posed to be quite the challenge for me

but now I am super pleased with the pieces

enjoy your weekend

oh, and tomorrow is ten on ten

if you are a fellow blogger you might want to check it out

It will be my first time participating in this photo project

pretty much you take one picture for ten consecutive hours of your day

on the tenth of the month

then you link your images posted on your blog & join in with others

I'll give it a whirl & let you know how it goes

to find out more check out a bit of sunshine here