my chat with an over-sharer at target

Today, Duke and I took one of our weekly trips to Target.  Many days, I fit the stay-at-home-mom-in-yoga-pants-who-goes-to-Target-often bill perfectly.  Although we don't always purchase things on every trip, it's a good place to look around.  We do this so often that Duke even requested today that we "go look around at Target."  Raisin' this kid up right.

We leisurely grabbed what we needed and then headed to the check out line.  A nice, 60ish year old lady in front of us began talking to Duke.  She was really into him - like patting his back and getting really close into him.  But she wasn't creepy, so I didn't mind.

But then came the over-sharing.

"My daughter and her husband waited 16 years to have a baby and it wasn't because they weren't trying.  It just wasn't happening.  We all think it's because he was an avid bicycler."

Mmmkay.

Her purchases were now taken care of and it was my turn.  I figured she'd head out to her car and get on with her day.  However, she stuck around until I paid for my things.  So here we are, walking out of Target together.  And I should mention, this lady had a very interesting way of talking.  Her eyes blinked over and over non-stop, and her mouth constantly chewed her gum with every word she spoke.  Her voice also had this weird pulsating, glottal-attack thing going on too.  Anyway, that's what we're dealing with here.

She somehow transitioned from her son-in-law's supposed inability to have children to the topic of her height.

"I would always get made fun of as a child for my height.  In fact, one time a police officer stopped me and tried to have me arrested because he thought I was a gay man.  He didn't believe I was a woman until I showed him my license."

At this point, you can imagine what's going on in my head.  Also, what am I supposed to say?  What could I possibly respond with?  So I stuck with the tall thing.

"Well, I'm a tall girl too so I can see where you're coming from."

"Oh, well you're not as tall as me!"

I was confused by this comment since I am literally looking her straight in the eyes.  We are both the exact same height and maybe, just maybe, she could be a half of an inch taller.  Maybe.

I start to move my cart in the direction of the exit.  She walks with me and continues on.

"And it didn't help that I never really had any breasts until I became a mother.  See, I breastfed both of my children.  But I don't know why I never really had breasts because my mom had very large breasts."

My response generator was broken at this point.

Thankfully, we were finally at a point where it made sense for me to say, "Well, it was nice talking with you.  Have a great rest of the day!"  And off she went.

She was a sweet lady who was also quite the character.  You all would have thought so too.  And while I was weirded out, I was glad to be a listener for her today.  Maybe she just needed to bounce some stories off of someone.  Maybe it'd been awhile since someone had given her a few minutes of their time.  Who knows?

Also, isn't it wonderful/annoying how pregnant bellies and kids alike bring us mothers into the oddest of situations?  I believe it's a unique phase in life in which everyone just automatically opens up to us about who-knows-what and feels totally comfortable doing it.  While it can be strange at times, it's kind of neat.  I'm not trying over-spiritualize this whole deal, but I think it's sweet that the God-given gifts of mothering and child-carrying almost force us to wear this "talk to me about anything" sign on our forehead.  You never know what kinds of conversations you may end up in.  And you never know whose day you may make.

introducing swing low vintage - guest post and giveaway

My lovely friend, Ashli, has taken over the blog today.  I'm excited for you guys to read about what she's doing, what you can do to help, and how you can look cute while doing it.  Read on to find out how you can win a $15 credit to her fun vintage shop!

-----------------------

Hello Internet friends! My name is Ashli. I love Jesus and have a sick obsession with all things vintage. So sick, that I have opened an online shop on Facebook and Instagram called Swing Low Vintage.

It all began when I was sixteen. I loved hunting for unique thrift finds and checking out estate sales.  All through high school I would find a special joy in seeing my mom and my friends’ faces in reaction to my “unique” thrift store style. There was just something so cool to me about wearing an item from another era, even if none of my friends understood why.  I loved wearing styles from times past, especially because it left my mom always worrying and guessing as to what I would wear the next day.

Eventually, my interest/sickness grew as I got older.  I began buying, in addition to clothing and accessories, vintage furniture, vintage cookware, and vintage home décor…  And I always thought it would be fun to own a venue/coffee/vintage shop. My sweet husband has always encouraged me to go after what I’m passionate about, but I’ve been scared to really put myself, and what I think is cool, out there.

A few months ago, my church shared with me that they would be taking a mission trip to Thailand in June of 2013. On this trip they were planning to teach English to grade school students and build relationships with teachers and administrators. Honestly, at first I didn’t think much of it, due to having multiple financial setbacks as a young, married adult. It took some time, but after sorting through all my silly excuses, I realized that the Lord was calling me and opening doors for me to go.

I brainstormed for ways to raise funds and I immediately thought of my idea/dream to set up a vintage shop.  It was perfect! Finally my obsession with vintage items and my desire to have my own shop came together for the purpose of sending me on mission to Thailand. So, setting my anxiousness aside, I decided to go for it and opened up shop on Instagram in early February.  The first few items I posted were ones I was willing to part with from my own closet.   I was completely surprised and overwhelmed by the positive attention and support from my family, friends, and even a few strangers! I quickly realized that I needed to offer more items, which was great because I love shopping for them!  Since then, I’ve posted many more items and ventured into having a Facebook page for my shop, which I named Swing Low Vintage.  I love that other people love what I love! It’s really great to see how God uses the things I’m passionate about for His Kingdom.

The inventory of Swing Low Vintage is constantly expanding and includes vintage items such as: dresses, sweaters, cardigans, skirts, t-shirts, shoes, and accessories (with men’s items coming soon.)

All proceeds from now until June 5^th will go directly to my Thailand mission trip.  So as a way to encourage you to check out my shop, I’d like to offer you a chance to win a $15 credit towards your first or next purchase from Swing Low Vintage!

Here’s how to enter:
·      Leave a comment on this post and let me know which item is your favorite from Swing Low Vintage.

You may also have additional entries by:
·      Liking Swing Low Vintage on Facebook. (Leave a comment on this post letting me know you’ve done this.)
·      Sharing Swing Low Vintage on Facebook.
·      Following Swing Low Vintage on Instagram. (Leave a comment on this post letting me know you’ve done this.)

This giveaway will run until Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at 11:59 p.m.  The winner will be announced here sometime on Wednesday, March 20, 2013.  Enter away!

i'm gonna pop some tags

The folks over at Young House Love had the brilliant idea of having a little unofficial Macklemore Thrift Shop Challenge.  As you all know, I love a good thrift store visit.  We live within 10 minutes of at least 8 different ones and they see me probably way too often.  In addition to that, I think Macklemore is really cool.  And he reminds me of my brother-in-law.

So when I saw this challenge, I had no choice but to accept.

I'm gonna pop some tags, only got 5 dollars in my budget ...

I could only imagine Colt's joy when coming home to $20 worth of thrift store purchases at the excuse of, "But the song says $20 and all the other bloggers are doing it!!"  So I stuck with $5.

There were definitely some big, uh, large coats, none of which I needed.  And none of which I wanted to try on during a quick 10 minute shopping spree with my 15 month old.  No time for photo shoots.  Things will be broken.

But this is what $4.88 bought me:

I gave my brother some identical glasses like this for Christmas a couple of years ago and I thought he needed 2 more.  As for the metal tin, I wasn't for sure where or how I'd use it.  But for now, it's holding our coffee and coffee filters.

Happy thrift shopping to you!

weekend review - pizza rolls, earth tones, and july

This weekend I hung out at my parents' house with Duke because Colt played music at a camp with my siblings.  I was planning on going, but at the last minute I backed out.  Our plan was to head straight from camp to Minnesota with Colt's parents to see family.  I decided it was just going to be too much for Duke and me.

Okay, just too much for me.

I didn't want to stress out about him sleeping in new places and I wanted to be fresh for Minnesota.  So Duke and I are driving up to camp today, grabbing Colt, and heading there.

(Side Note:  I told a couple of my piano students last week that I was going to Minnesota.  One said, "Are you going to drink lots of soda??" followed by lots of laughter.  The other said, "Is that in Tennessee?"  Teaching 2nd graders is really fun.)

So what did I do this weekend?  On Saturday, Megan and company came over to my parents' house to swim.  And you know how swimming with babies/toddlers goes.  It takes 30 minutes to get everyone ready.  Then, after about 45 minutes in the pool, everyone is over it.  After you're out, it takes another 30 minutes to get everyone back into their dry clothes.  (Or maybe it didn't really take 30 minutes.  It sure felt like it though.)

We enjoyed a few healthy Totinos Pizza Rolls and then Megan and the kids headed back home.

On Sunday afternoon, I decided it was finally time to spend those Forever 21 gift cards I got for Christmas.  I ended up with some things I'd really been wanting.

1.  Colored Pants - They didn't have the colors I loved the most in my size.  But I ended up with a white pair and dark blue-green pair.  At $15.80, I'd love to just buy every color.

(source)

2.  Striped Top - You can't go wrong with a plain navy and white striped top.

(source)

3.  Necklace - I'm not really a jewelry person, but I've found that necklaces are the one thing I can get myself to wear without feeling gaudy.

Sara met me at the mall to offer moral support and to get a few things for herself.  While trying on clothes, we noticed that our dressing rooms have always looked the same.  Mine - browns, grays, greens.  Sara's - muted pinks, corals, salmons.  But I honestly did try to branch out.  There was a really cute coral top that I thought would be nice.  I looked ridiculous.  So, earth tones it is I guess.

As for Duke, here's where he spent a lot of his weekend:

(If the kid leaves the sippy cup behind, you know he means business.)

Oh, and can you believe it's July?  I mean, you can believe it when you walk outside because your body starts melting.  But other than that, it's crazy to me.  July means fireworks and my birthday.  And this year, it also means 4 years of blogging!

In summary, it was a very relaxing weekend which is what I needed to pump me up for this road trip.  I started my morning off with the breakfast of champions, so I should be good to go.

(Eggs, bacon, toast, coffee, and breastmilk.  And no, I didn't drink the breastmilk.  Just thought it'd be fun to have in the picture.)

I may or may not get around to blogging this week.  We shall see.  Just in case I don't, Happy 4th of July!

cell phones, little dogs, and bad directions

(photo credit here)

The other day, my mom and I were in Ross.  I had something to return and was tired of it weighing down on me.  (Is that silly to let it weigh down on me?  Sometimes I feel like after I have this baby I can do nothing but sit in my home ... no cleaning, cooking, no errands, no bank deposits, no nothing.  I'm just a little anxious ... just a little.)  Anyway, the amount of weirdness that we soaked up in such a small time was ridiculous.

First, this older lady, who needed to be in the same part of the store as us at all times, was on her cell phone.  She was so loud.  I found out that she was talking to her 'sis' who was evidently coming to visit soon.  They laughed, they talked, they reminisced, they told stories ... on the phone in Ross.

Naturally, we pulled into the check-out line and cell phone lady pulled up right behind us.  At this point, my mom and I are just about to die laughing.  We can't hide it very well and in most locations, we would need to separate to where we couldn't see each other; but this was not option.  We must hold it together.

It didn't take long for something else to snag my attention.  The lady currently checking out asked the cashier where the nearest TJ Maxx was.  (This lady looked like the kind of lady that carried around a little dog and sipped on martinis throughout the day in a fur coat.)  The cashier answered her correctly, saying that it was just down NW Expressway, past Council Road.  She included that it would maybe take her 5-10 minutes to get there.  The lady continued asking questions on how to get out of the Ross parking lot, onto NW Expressway, and ... a bunch of other questions that probably made more of my hair turn grey.

The lady in front of me was just as fed up.  She said, "Ma'am, where are you trying to go?"  She totally wasn't trying to be helpful.  She was totally informing the little dog lady, in a passive way, that there is a line and she needs to be done.  The little dog lady told her that she was trying to get to TJ Maxx.  The fed up lady said, "Oh, well that's practically out of town!"

I wanted to melt into the ground.  Anyone who has lived in or is familiar with NW OKC knows that the distance between Ross and TJ Maxx on NW Expressway is not only a short one, but NW Expressway and Council is CERTAINLY not "out of town."  I stood there, looking at the little dog lady, passively putting in my two cents by shaking my head deliberately at what the fed up lady said.  Hopefully she got my drift.

Finally, we got up to the counter.  Then, we heard something absolutely unbelievable.  Cell phone lady (behind us) said, "Hey, are you still there?" and continued talking.

She had someone on hold the entire time she was talking with 'sis.'

Welcome to 2011.  You don't put people on hold on your cell phone.  At most, she could have said, "Hey, my sis is calling.  Can I call you back when I'm done talking to her?"  Bam.  It's done.  Easy Peasy.

(And yes, I'm just as annoyed typing 'sis' as I was hearing her say it.)

Anyway, we finally got through the line and made it out of there alive.

Cell phone lady - I hope you learn cell phone etiquette one day.
Little dog lady - I hope you made it to TJ Maxx without crossing the Oklahoma County line.
Fed up lady - I hope you cross the Oklahoma County line on NW Expressway one day and feel really silly.

The End

cheapies at old navy and gap

Last week/weekend, I found some really great things at Old Navy and Gap.  They were all cheap and I had some birthday money to spend ... so no guilt here!

At Old Navy, I bought ...

              $3.99                                 $4.99


 

                   $3.99                                  $3.49         

 

                  $12.49                                $4.49

At Gap, I bought ...

           $8.98                                                                             $4.93

(Notice the flowy, loose, breezy theme?  Yes, I'm pregnant and getting pregnant-er.)

(If you like these things, most of them are still on sale online, although some of their prices are bumped up a bit.)

Why am I telling you?  Well, I have this thing about being cheap.  I get it from my mama.  Good deals don't follow me, but I certainly don't remember the last time I bought something that wasn't on sale.  

Here are my rules I follow:

1.  Look at the price tag first.  If it's reasonable, look at the item.  If it's not, don't even start a relationship with it.

2.  If the sales are usually in the back, walk straight there.  Don't even let your eyes wander in the front of the store.  

3.  Imagine thrift store/goodwill prices.  All of my items (with the exception of the dress and maybe the long, draped cardigan) were priced like goodwill prices would be.

4.  Ask yourself, "Am I going to feel accomplished and proud or scared and shameful when I tell my husband what I spent our money on?"  That's always a good one to keep rolling through your head.  When both parties are doing that, it makes the budget happy.

5.  Give yourself a limit.  Walk into the store knowing how much you'll allow yourself to spend.  If you try a million things on and they're all cute, then you have to have a draft.  Lay them all out and pick the ones you just can't live without.

I'm probably preaching to the choir, but I just have a thing on spending lots of money on clothes.  It just makes me feel funny.  Everyone has their own thing that they just can't fork out the money for ... what's yours?

garage sale finds

My mom and I hit up a neighborhood garage sale last weekend and found some lovely items.  I wanted to share them with you!

Lantern ($1) - I love lanterns, but I was also looking for one for Katie's baby shower the other day, so it worked out perfectly.

Alice in Wonderland book (.25) - I love all things Alice so I just had to get it for my Wonderland themed dining room.

Pack of Envelopes (.25) - It's kind of an old lady thing to buy, but with some new budget adjustments coming soon, making my own cards is going to be one very small way I can save a few bucks.  I figured this could help me get started.

Nightstand ($3) - I really loved this and thought it could go somewhere in our nursery, regardless of gender. :)

So, for a total of $4.50, I'd say I got some pretty good deals!

P.S.  We're getting ready to have our garage sale in a couple of weeks and let me just say, it will be HUGE.  I'll keep you posted!

just half a cup

I've mentioned my obsession with "Alice in Wonderland" here.  I can't possibly explain my love for the story in one thorough writing session, so I'm sure to offer bits and pieces along the way.  Here is one ...

My charming thrift store find yesterday ...

.99 cents and hey, my mom bought it for me!

I saw this little guy sitting on the shelf facing me and immediately played this scene in my head:

Alice: I was sitting on the riverbank with uh... with you know who... 
Mad Hatter: I DO? 
Alice: I mean my C-A-T. 
Mad Hatter: Tea? 
March Hare: [slices a tea cup in half] Just half a cup, if you don't mind. 

Ah, isn't it just perfect!?  It was waiting for me to find it a home.  A home in a dining room where all things Alice are welcome.  So, here it sits. :)

black friday

(photo credit here)

Not your conventional day of Black Friday shopping. Sure, I had a few things in mind that I wanted, but no big screen tvs, washer/dryer, wii, etc. Sara and I met at about 7:15, got some coffee at Starbucks, and we were on our way.

We hit a few places in the mall, Hobby Lobby, Old Navy, and then headed to our favorite thrift stores. We got some great things but we also heard/thought about some great things along the way.

First, most stores have tape or a series of dots that direct you to where the check-out line is and how it should flow in the store. This is funny to me. On no other day is this a problem. Black Friday hits and BAM, we're all 5 years old and can't stay in our place in line and use our logic. "He cut!" "No, she cut first!!" I mean, people get killed on Black Friday. It's ridiculous.

Second, one store had an employee take those security things off of the clothes you're purchasing while you're waiting in line to check out. Good thing I don't like to steal things. It would have been very easy.

Third, while Sara was trying on a very cute pair of shoes, a sales lady came up to us. Now, I'm not a fan of sales people in shoe stores. Please don't look at my feet and make whole conversations about them. Anyway, her comment on the shoes was, "I love those shoes. They're not ones you want to wear to the club, but they're great for church!" Thank you, sales lady, thank you.

And fourth, this is the last interesting convo of the day ...

Cashier: "Uh, sir, you can't be in here."

Customer: "Why..."

Cashier: "Because you were in here the other day and you stole something."

(Customer slowly walks out.)

That's how you know you're in a thrift store.

Welp, hope you all had a lovely Friday after Thanksgiving!

being thrifty is nifty

I love a good deal. I never understood my mom when I was a little girl, but now I get it. I get why she would stand at the register in the grocery store for 5 minutes just to find a .50 cent off coupon. I get why she taught me to look at the price tag first before I tried it on or even considered it. I get why she went straight to the back of stores to the clearance section. Her favorite thing to do is respond to a friend's compliment on a cute shirt or pair of shoes by saying, "Thanks! I got it at _____ for only $__!" And now, I do the same thing. :)

My adventures to thrift stores began when I started attending Super Summer, a camp for churches in Oklahoma. We would always go and find clothes in our school color. It was during those visits that I realized I actually found some pretty cute t-shirts. And not just t-shirts.... cute clothes, purses, accessories, shoes, furniture, etc.

Why spend $100 on a chair when you can find a $5 chair in almost perfect condition?

Why spend $70 on jcrew or banana republic pants when you can find those exact brands at thrift stores for only $4?

Why spend $15 on a target frame when you can find one for $1 that has much more character?

It's rewarding to achieve a cute outfit or decorate a room with so little money.

Now, I'm not saying I've taken a vow to only shop at thrift stores. There are rare moments when I may be looking for something specific and might choose to shop at old navy, target, or ross. However, as much as I can stick to the thrift stores, the better.

My friends and I have the best time going to thrift stores in our area. Most of the time we meet some great people, stumble upon some weird and memorable items, and laugh a lot along the way. You should try it. You scurred? Don't be...

Why people don't go to thrift stores/goodwill stores:

-it's dirty

-you have to go through so many clothes to find things you like

-the clothes smell

-you feel weird and cheap

My solutions:

-wash your hands

-you would do this anywhere you shopped... so block out some time and have patience

-wash, wash, wash, and wash

-being weird and cheap is cool

Where to start? Here are my favorite thrifting locations in order of preference:

1. goodwill - 50th and macarthur (excellent selection of clothing and fun items for your home)

2. community thrift - 23rd and macarthur

3. uptown thrift - midwest city (a tad bit pricier than the others... but still thrifty!)

4. goodwill - nw expressway and council

5. heart and hand thrift store - 23rd and council (they usually have a good furniture selection)

6. bargain thrift - 16th and meridian (con: no dressing rooms)

.... there are several others, but those are my personal favorites.

So go visit your local thrift stores/goodwill stores this week! And remember....

Being thrifty is nifty.

things that start with the letter 'f'

Thrifty Finds

The great things I purchased in Canton...

it's a christmas tree, not a wizard hat

tissue paper, bows, stationary

blue basket, books

broaches, hair pins, things i'm going to make into broaches/hair pins (p.s. if you happen to click on the picture and see the price tags... everything was actually 1/2 off. AND the lady gave us a deal. :))

owl potholder, napkins

decorative bird, s&p shakers, jack-o-lantern

See? All very useful things. And cheap things.

Fun

I mean, look how fun we are. You don't even have to be cute when you go on vacations with us! Buuut you have to be funny.

Food

preparing a glorious meal

spinach salad w/ garlic chips (thanks to pioneer woman)

mmm... it was yummy

That's all for now. I'm off to go on a date with my man. :)