Rain = Rainboots!

We finally have RAIN!! To my friends in the area, this has been a long-awaited answer to prayer. We've had record-breaking DRY weather, and went something like 80 days without rain, which is basically unheard of around here! We had a wildfire very, VERY close to town, threatening homes and businesses, but PRAISE the LORD, we're all alive and well!

So anyway, you can imagine my disappointment when I found a sale on rainboots, and was able to use a referral credit I had earned from the website, and purchased rainboots for $3.83 SHIPPED!!  I know, right?? .....And then we had nothing but pure, wonderful sunshine :) I do love sunshine, but I was bummed that my cute, pink, polka dotted rainboots weren't getting any use :( They looked so lonely sitting by the door.... My hubby told me the weather report last week, like he always does, and when he said, "Rain Thursday", my first thought was excitement and anticipation of getting to wear my very cute rainboots!! Hey, when you live in an area that gets an enormous amount of rain each year, you have to decide to look cute in the rain, even if your hair doesn't. So today was the first day for these cute rainboots to get out and see some rain. I went to the store. Not the most exciting outing, but a woman in the parking lot did say she liked my boots. Thank you, nice lady, you don't know how much you just made my day... Now, I'm looking forward to the trip to the Pumpkin Patch with the kiddos, when I get to sink these beautiful boots into the mud.. :)

If you want to check out the site I use to get cheap things, even cheaper.... it's called zulily and it's amazing. When you buy something, post it on Facebook, which gives your friends a special code that's linked to your account, and when those friends buy something and it ships, you get $20 credited to your account that you get to spend like free money!! I like free money... Also, go buy scarves at Wal-Mart. This one was $3.77  <----That's free advice. You're welcome :)

 

How To Shop Goodwill.

First things, first: Scope out the store. I've mentioned before how much I love the color coded rows of clothing. If you want something in a certain color, you always know just where to find it! I needed some cute fall-ish shirts, so I went looking in the Women's shirt section first, then moved over to the Junior's section next. I always look for patterns or textures that jump out at me within the rows. If it's something I think I would like, I put it in the cart! And then you end up with a cart that is rather full...

Then, you can laugh at some of the random things you will find. This shirt was, I'm sure, beautiful to someone, at some point in time. But I think for now, we'll enter it into the Goodwill's Ugliest Hall of Shame. But as my optimistic friend, Crystal, pointed out: "It's so stretchy that you can buy it for your daughter, and it will just keep growing with her..." True, Crystal, very true...but why..??? :)

 Liz found a very colorful and somewhat frightening shirt in Juniors. Someone forgot poor Mickey's ears when applique-ing him on this bright yellow frock... Goodwill's Ugliest? Perhaps so!

I didn't get a picture, but Crystal noticed a very lovingly knit, multicolor sweater that was probably painstakingly put together by a grandma and given to someone at Christmas.

Now it's at Goodwill.

Ouch.

 Just in case you're in the market for matching clothing, Goodwill's your store! We found these "beautiful" green tie-dye-esque shirts, that still had on it's brand new Target tags! We also found several look-a-like dresses.

Just in case...

 

 Ok, enough laughing... let's get down to it!

It's time to try on all those things in the cart :)

 



 











Crystal found a REALLY cute purse for $3.99! She almost didn't get it, but we talked her into it... What are friends for??

Check out time!! I'm so happy because I found some really, really cute clothes :) None of my finds were specials, though, which was kind of a bummer, but really, you can't complain when you are buying a dress for under $8... Hopefully this checker doesn't mind being on my blog. I sensed her getting irritated with my 20 questions on the ins and outs of Goodwill... Plus, we were taking a million pictures. Now that I think about it, we may have been a little annoying. Sorry about that...

Ah, glorious!! I did "splurge" a little more than normal for some of my things. I still think $7.99 for a dress that I LOVE isn't too shabby, though :)

Here's the breakdown:

$4.99 - Black, Champion workout shirt
$4.99 - Black patterned Xhilaration short dress {to be worn with leggings and boots...I cannot wait for cooler weather!!!!}
$3.99 - Blue and white striped Hollister top
$4.99 - Brown distressed zip up sweatshirt {with very cute bird appliques and sweet accents!}
$7.99 - Gray and white patterned cotton Merona dress. {Absolutely my new favorite!}

Oops, and I JUST found out that I did not get charged for a gray, converse lace tank... Sorry Goodwill. How 'bout I give you $1.99 next time I'm in??

Here's a pic of my $7.99 dress. You should feel this dress. It's like the most comfortable, soft, stretchy t-shirt you've ever had.   Times 100. LOVE!!

Thank you friends for joining in my cheapskate shopping with me!! Liz found a steal on an electronic drumset for her son! Paying $7.99 on something that is going to get pounded on by a little kid, and provide hours of entertainment is definitely a good investment. Good find, Liz!!

Until next time, Goodwill! Thanks for your stellar prices and color coded rows. I love you!



Sausage Kale Soup Recipe!! For Liz...

I like food blogs *almost* as much as I like getting a good deal... And when I find a good deal on an ingredient in something I like to cook....WOO HOOOO!! So here's how it all started:

It was on sale!!! How can you resist a 50% OFF sticker on meat?! {That's how I shop... What's that?? Meat on sale? Little markdown sticker?? YES PLEASE!!} I've also used plain, pork breakfast sausage. Both types are yummy! So, that's how it happened. Sausage on sale...Sausage Kale Soup. Plus...Liz asked me for the recipe. How convenient! :]

First things first...Brown it. Chop it.

 

 

Pour it in a large pot... terribly fatting fat drippings and all! {It gives it lots of flavor!}

Crank up the heat to medium high.

 

 

Add 6 cups of water. And get that baby boiling!

{Hubby likes thick soup. I just like soup. If you like a thinner soup, add in a little more water...}

 

 

Then add in 1 1/2 tablespoons {or so} of this:

{you can also use regular chicken bouillon}

 

 

Chop up about 1/2 of an onion and toss it in, along with 2 potatoes...

 

 

Let it SIMMER!!! {sizzle, sizzle...}

 

 

Grab some milk and half and half, and measure out 1 cup of each into the same measuring cup.

 

 

 

Then, take some of the milk/half and half mixture and put it in a small bowl and pour in 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.... And mix...

 

 

 

Slowly whisk it into the boiling pot. It'll thicken pretty quickly. Once it thickens, pour in the rest of the milk/half and half and heat through. When it's nice and warm, turn down the heat. Milk gets offended if you boil it...

 

 

KALE! Here are some facts about this superfood...

• Kale is packed with antioxidants, which help neutralize harmful free radicals in the body. Some research suggests kale helps reduce the risk of certain cancers.
• One cup of chopped raw kale provides more than 100% of the daily value of vitamins A, C, and K.
• Kale contains lutein, a type of carotenoid (an organic pigment) responsible for the plant’s color and nutrients. Lutein helps keep eyes and vision healthy.

{http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/eight-healthy-facts-about-kale}

 

I like knowing this about kale, because it makes me feel healthy even when I'm eating a soup that has ingredients like "sausage fat" and "half and half"....

 

 

 

Anyway, chop it up {like you would Romaine lettuce} and plop it in:

 

 

This is my favorite part... Watching it turn BRIGHT green :]

 

 

Let it simmer just until the kale gets a little soft. It's not as appetizing if it's completely wilted. It's done when the leafy parts are flexible, but the hearts are still firm, somewhere around 5-7 minutes.

 

You'll probably want to use a few of my friends here... To taste!

 

 

Mmmmmmmmmm.....

 

 

Enjoy!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I ♥ church rummage sales

My son asked for permission to stay in the car. He knows me all too well...

A local church had their annual rummage sale today and it always thrills me to see churches, or schools, or other groups having sales :) Today, I scored:

1 dressy shirt
1 sundress
3 kids chapter books
1 small bag of pony beads {my 3 year old girl NEEDED them...}
1 pair of boy jeans
1 Grade A porcupine egg..............{hey, it was 10 cents and my boy would think it was cool!}
1 coffee table
=$14.50

Here's the table...

 Cute, huh??

 

I'll be fixin' her up and reposting again later. Check back!

a week (or so) of free/cheap outfits {Click it!}

This one's from yesterday... Comfy Day!

Shirt: Goodwill, $3.99

Jeans: Goodwill, $4.99

Hat: Fuego, $14.99

Shoes: Keen, $24.99 (still on sale, though!)

I thought it'd be fun, since most of my clothes come from Goodwill {CHEAP!} or are given to me {FREE!!}, I'd document it here :) Disclaimer: I'm not a fashionista, nor do I claim to be posh in any way. I just like cheap or free clothing that doesn't make me look like a hobo...

Also, the only thing I don't completely skimp out on is shoes :) There are SOME things that are better {not} secondhand. Like underwear, hats, and shoes.

 

My hubby and I got a nice 2 hour break today!! So I thought I'd try to dress up and make it feel like a real date :) Our "date" consisted of coffee with friends {impromptu!} and a grocery store run {HA!!} That's kind of how you roll when you're old and left alone without the kiddos.

Coffee Date :)
Capris: Free!
Shirt: Goodwill, $3.99
Tank: Free, but long story...
Shoes: Target (long ago), ~$6.99? (on sale)

Alright. New Blog. First thing to note is...I <3 Goodwill. That's basically it. I absolutely love finding cute things for very cheap. And where better to look than Goodwill?! They have one row of color coded short sleeve shirts, one row of color coded long sleeve shirts, one row of color coded shorts...oh and they are all ALSO divided up by size while in their nice color coded rows. And then there is one row of jeans. One ladies section. One juniors section. PERFECTION!!

I don't like having too many choices. I know what I like most of the time, but when there are too many things to look at and try to decide from, my brain melts. Literally. One time, my family and I went to Cold Stone Creamery where I walked in and wilted in the shadow of fifteen and a half billion choices of ice cream, ten billion choices of toppings, waffle cones, waffle bowls....Waffle bowls dipped in chocolate, waffle bowls dipped in chocolate AND nuts. Or sprinkles. Or coconut. Do I really need to go on?? I had a meltdown like I have never experienced in. my. life... As my husband asked me that one simple question, I felt as if the entire weight of the universe fell into my hands and I needed to make a decision RIGHT THAT SECOND.

"What kind do you want?"

(starting to sob) "I....don't........KNOW!!"

I excused myself to the bathroom to maintain any composure that remained in me.


I don't like having too many choices. Now add to that my love for finding a good deal, and somewhat a taste for fashion. and you have (drum roll, please...............)
GOODWILL!!!!!!!
(applause...triumphant music playing.....)