20% Smug

Look.  If you don't know about it, now you know.  All K-12 teachers qualify for the Barnes and Noble Educator Discount.  20% off anything in store or online that you could use for your classroom.  And, in my experience, that means just about everything in the store.  I've tested them in this.  And you can combine it with other discounts.

I'm no idiot (I am a teacher, you know). I know why they do this.  It feels so elite to get 20% off anything any day that you choose BN.com over Amazon every time, and make a point to make trips to the store more often than you would have otherwise.  They win, and I win with a card I want to wave in the faces of the poor people who have to pay full price in line.

Bring your pay stub (or if you homeschool your exemption certificate) to your local store and on the spot you'll get a flashy, exclusive card that makes you feel way too cool for school.

On a loosely-related note,

We watched the BBC Life series last week in three days, watching 2 or three episodes at a time after school, and it was exquisite.  Get it at your local library like we did, or buy it here.  We all loved it.  The BN.com price, combined with your slick Educator discount saves you like $24 off the list price you'd get in a store, and you'll get free shipping.  So smug.

Muzak

A few people asked me questions about music this week.  Which inspired this little suggest-fest of a post.

Amazon MP3 is superior to the iTunes store in general coolness, ease of use and downloading, and most importantly, price.

Here's the deal- the music is cheaper.

And there's always something on sale.

I love Apple, and iTunes, but, I feel like Amazon MP3 likes me more.  There.  I said it.

For August, here are a few of the albums you can get for $5.  Here.  Browse it.  You might be surprised.  It never hurts to check the price on Amazon before buying in iTunes, it's almost always cheaper, and for me at least, they download into iTunes faster.  It's like BAM. Done.  If you build up a music wish list like I do, just check it every once in a while to see if you've got any deals, or price drops, on the music you want.

Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More ($7.99 at iTunes)
The first time I heard about Mumford & Sons was last week- I was up late, listening to a podcast.  I bought the album right there and laid in bed in the dark crying, it was so good. 



Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest ($9.99 at iTunes)
I don't personally care that much about Grizzly Bear, and I don't own any of their music, but lots of people like them, and I see why.

John Mark McMillan, The Medicine ($7.99 at iTunes)
Seriously, this album (and his first) is amazing.  Amazing.  The first time I heard it, I knew it would be a solid favorite, for good.



Coldplay, X&Y ($7.99 at iTunes) 
"From the top of the first page, To the end of the last day, From the start in your own way, You just want somebody listening to what you say, It doesn't matter who you are"


Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs, God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise (This one is only $3.99 people!),  ($10.99 at iTunes)  and Trouble is $5.00 too.  ($7.99 at iTunes) 
This is awesome making dinner music at the end of the day.

Arcade Fire's Funeral and Neon Bible are both only $5.99...thought I'd throw those in. (Both $7.99 at iTunes)
Yes, they sing the Where the Wild Things Are song.

Definitely check out the 99 Most Essential Classical Series.  All with 99 quality tracks, for $5.  Amazing Deal.

You can also get a Jasper Says Relax T-Shirt for $19.99 while you're there. (I just didn't want to post without a picture.)

Thrifting

I took time out last Saturday morning to go thrifting alone. That's really the only way to do it, people.

Here are a few of my Found Items.

I found this awesome blue scarf- now the nicest one I have, and I have a lot of them- it's OH so soft. And a few strands of beads. I needed them.


And I found these matching pillar stands. Very Anthropologie-esque.


And a beautiful conch. We have another, larger, one I also found while thrifting one day.


And I found this sturdy trivet.


And a clipboard I now have on the wall by the door so it can be all useful again.


And I found this wonderful green bowl. My big spender purchase (see below).


And I of course came home with some books- we get SO MANY books thrifting, especially for our school library. I KICK MYSELF regularly for selling back so many of my books in college (I majored in English) so whenever I find classics like these, they are familiar, and I'm happy to grab them up. I also found a neat children's book from 1950 with fantastic illustrations and stories about the seasons, and 2 primers both published in 1900. They may actually be worth something. But I just think they're neat.

I also picked up a blanket that will be great for early morning photo shoots when the grass is wet.



Altogether I visited 4 stores.

I spent $24.93.

$10.23 was in books alone.

And my lovely green bowl was a whopping $6.00.

Meaning save for the books and bowl I spend about $8 on the rest.

This is why thrift stores should have some sort of warning label. You can get addicted.

By the way, last fall I got two vintage cameras for a quarter each and just recently put them out. I'd bought them just before I put out our Christmas decorations, so I didn't do it at the time. I like them.

Faux Bo No Mo

Remember this project?

I finally got it finished.

In the end, I didn't even replace it with MDF. I just painted right on to the frame's backing that was previously serving as the "fake board".


Works Great.

Free and Productive

I think the best things in life are free. And productive.

Encouraging someone with authentic words. Free. Produces endless possibilities of good.

Taking a nap with your spouse on Sunday afternoon. Free. Produces intimacy, quiet, and rest.

Walking outside. Free. Produces joy in the sun, grass (or snow), trees, and breeze.

Spending a Saturday visiting your local animal shelters to cuddle, talk to, walk, and love on the homeless animals. Produces kinder, gentler, more socialized dogs, cats, rabbits and even hamsters who will be even more ready for their forever home.

Pillow Talk

I have loved this pillow since the first week it appeared at Target. I know, that sounds silly. To some of you.

I noticed her every time I visited the store, but at $20, I wasn't ready for a commitment. I was ready to wait.

This week I went to Target just to see what clearance I'd find in the Home section. Because the end of January and early February is clearance hunting season for lovers of decorating and Target. Because they're about to clear out for the next season/year. Frames, oh the frames, sheet sets, vases, pillows.

Clearance. The real kind. The 50% or more kind.

I've carried out this tradition since 2005.

And so this week I found her, 50% off. Just under $10. And she was mine. If you look closely, you will find a piece of pug hair. Ah, the dogs have already made themselves at home with her.

No guilt, no impulse-buyer's remorse. I saw and admired from afar, set my limits, and reaped the rewards of patience.

And that is why I love living well for less.

Mo Money Mo Problems: A Parable

Once there were two dogs. They belonged to six loving people, people who, upon opening their gift on the 15th day of Advent found a gift for giving- not to themselves, but to their sweet little dogs. Truly blessed to give, rather than receive, the people happily handed over the two largest, tastiest chewie bones these dogs had ever seen.


These were much larger than their regular weekly chewies- which are ordinary in size, and are given every Thursday on cleaning day as a reward and prize just for being adorable. These mind-blowingly large chewies were given on a Tuesday, which absolutely threw these pooches for a loop, and it was truly a Christmas miracle.


They were fantabulous.

But with great wealth comes great responsibility. And when given a taste of Life With a Giant Chewie, well, sometimes all it does is create an appetite for more. And suddenly, one ginormous chewie was not enough for the Alpha Dog. And he began to crave ownership of another.


And so this little dog, stronger in will and size, took the weaker dog's chewie for himself.


But there was no joy. Only more unrest. There was no smacking, licking, gnawing. There was no utter pleasure in the tasty, crusty exterior perfect for exercising his doggie teeth, his canine canines, if you will. There was only the intense desire to guard and keep them near and safe.

Sure, he'd heard some ancient Chinese Pug Proverb somewhere, something about if you have two bones and your doggy brother has none, give that dog a bone- something like that. But in this moment, in possession of much, he could only think of himself.

He kept watch over his treasure, and could not relax.


No one could be trusted. Even his People. They might want his precious chewies for themselves- so a little scowl and a growl was dished out to everyone who came near.


When it was time to go potty, he even tried to transport his booty outside for safe-keeping, in the 5 degree winter weather. Yes, he would rather hide his chewies in freezing temperatures- out of even his reach, than risk the chance that they could be enjoyed by another.

And his mother, finally having enough of this ridiculous mirror into the wayward hearts of Man and Beast, swooped in, took one chewie away, and restored it to it's rightful owner, who chewed it for hours, the happiest dog that ever was. And the pup was grateful.

After much reflection, the greedy canine made amends, and the two slept in a heap of snuggles and snores in the sunshine all afternoon.

The End.

Free Fall

It's Fall! Autumn. Time for pumpkin everything coming from our kitchen.

Time for crisp/cool/warm days and sweaters and a-mazing color everywhere.

Did I mention the part about how I love Fall?

Of course I love bringing my favorite season inside. I've found that after a few years of building up a solid collection of flexible, basic, timeless things for our home (almost exclusively from clearance shelves and thrift stores), I don't really need to buy anything anymore. (Though of course thrifting is still a very thrilling hobby of mine...)

Mostly, though, when I want to make a change, I just shop around my own house, move things around, try something different with what I already have, bring something in from outside (my girls love to help me out with those projects).

This year, we have lots of great little pieces of Autumn, and I didn't spend a dime.

Jim grew lots of neat gourds, which after planting the (very inexpensive) seeds, need almost no attention at all, save for watering between rains. They were really fun to watch grow through the summer.


And I got all of our corn-vase-filler from Jim's parent's farm a few years ago.
Feathers are our thing. When the kids and I are out at the park, if we see a neat feather, we pick it up. We've collected bags full of them. I hear birds are full of creepy things and diseases, but so far, we're good.

Collecting neat feathers is even more special when I display them somewhere in the house- they can honestly tell the difference between some of them, and remember where they came from.

We collected these particular feathers in one night at the park, walking up and down the edge of the lake. The ducks watched us like TV. One even got out of the water, waddled over, stood super-close, stared at us, dropped a feather, and waddled back to the water. I kid you not. The girls flipped. I'm sure it was a coincidence, but I tell you, I'm not sure. Ducks are real smart.

If you bring some gourds inside this year, don't forget to check them often! Like, I check them once a week, on cleaning day while I dust. They can get nasty with no warning... but most of them will be going strong all the way to Thanksgiving... After which I immediately throw them all out and break out the lights.

But we're not thinking about that right now. Because it's Fall. And I love it.

$M: Smart Art

I love to change what's in the frames at my house. Of course I frame photos, but, I love to find neat, inexpensive things, too. Like neat paper, pages of books, or fabric, or things my kids create, or images I've found in the vast public domain.

Here's a few things I've done recently... Man I love that I get to blog about anything I want.

I printed this sketch study of a hand by accident, and then put it in my master bathroom. I got these two shadow box frames at Target for $4 each on clearance. You can stick things in there with the included pearl-pins, or do whatever you want. Last March we made these- Grace wrote two lines, Patience wrote two lines, of a little poem I made up when I was desperate for spring to get here... We are waiting for the things That will come with the spring. (Hallelujah, they've arrived!!)

All the pictures are printed from public domain sites, I'll share them below. I printed them at home, then I cut them out and arranged them how I wanted.

Here's some butterflies for spring and summer...

And here's one that was originally a lovely black and white...

And here's what it looks like after I edited it and cropped it for a square frame (not a complete project yet).

A package of good card stock and some ink can do incredible things.

Here's a few of my favorite, reliable sources for public domain images... Remember to make sure you're using sites with TRULY free-to-use images, and then just find the ones you love and right click to save them to a special file and use at-will.

Decorative Arts: The Grammar of Ornament (you'll have to search through the book's pages for lots of neat things to see)

Karen's Whimsy (awesome, awesome nature pictures and drawings!)

Briar Press (really cool letters, words, etc.) This is where I got the letters for this last Christmas.

If you've got a few favorite sites or ideas up your sleeve, share the love!

Bonus Closet, or, Cheap Plates Don't Have to Be Made of Plastic

I got a great start on my bonus closet last weekend.Since he was already building in a new coat closet for our living room, he decided to run a quick idea by me early on- could he just extend out the closet a few feet above the stairs? It was like making storage out of thin air. It's my bonus closet. Storage is hot. I'm 100% smitten with organizational space. It also has a space for our DVD player etc. so there will be NO electronics visible other than the flat screen in our living room, which will be mounted on the wall, which has outlets and cable stuff built-in behind it, so there will be NO cords visible either, and all our DVDs etc. will be stored in the hot jalapeno dresser beneath it and out of sight.

My heart stopped beating a little bit just describing that to you. Give me a minute. It's nice to have the stuff we use for everyday, but not every day close, but still freeing up more space in the main kitchen cabinets. I got that set of espresso cups and saucers for $2 on clearance once. The girls love them for tea. It's nice to have them out and easy to grab, instead of in one of the top cabinets like they were.Can you believe I actually have three sets...of white dishes? There's the Corell set in plain white that we use every day all the time. They know what they are doing at Corell. They aren't talking smack. You really can drop them over and over and they don't break. We're going on 7 years of testing that out.

I love white dishes, because you can switch out other colored plates to mix it up with seasons and they can mingle with the white for a fun table, and of course because you can play with many colors of napkins and table decorations and place cards and etc. and it all comes together and pops great when set on a fantastic white plate.

Then there's my clean-white, heavy and substantial set that is EXACTLY like the Pottery Barn Sausalito dinnerwear you see below, EXACT match in every way- I've compared them in person. And I got them at WalMart on clearance. $30 for a full set for 8. Almost fainted when I saw them. I LOVE this set, and use them whenever I want dinner to be a little more special, and always when people come over.

Photo courtesy of PotteryBarn.com

Then there's my newest addition, my set of fine bone china, that I found at Bed Bath & Beyond for half price last Christmas. It was the display, and was missing a couple of saucers (not unlikely that we'll be missing more in a couple years...and my other white plates make a sly substitute). It's the WHOLE deal- tea set, salt and pepper shakers, all of it, service for 10- because 8 is too few, 12 is too many, right Meg Ryan? That China is reserved for when we have more formal meals here at our house for holidays- it's very delicate, which I love for making holidays etc. more special, and has a nice, simple pattern- pretty, but minimal- just really a pattern I love. And, it matches the pattern that was embossed on our wedding cake. Can you believe that? I thought that was just really, really special. It's the wedding-china I'd never gotten and always hoped to...just 6 1/2 years late. And I found them randomly, the whole set for $60. Jim kindly said nothing when I returned late from a shopping trip with a third set of "white plates". Here it is last Christmas.

China is a girl-thing, isn't it ladies? The specialness, the tradition of carefully, lovingly taking out each piece and setting the holiday table each year together with my daughters, a few times a year taking it out for an extra-special tea...you get me. *weep* *sigh*
If you don't have special glasses, I'd encourage you to get some. You can get a box of 4 Libby glasses for $4 at Target or the Others. Ice Tea glasses look fantastic any time you want water to be more than just water. And champagne flutes make anything bubbly-even soda or of course sparkling juice- special for a date night after the kids go to bed. You can buy them new, or look for them while you're thrifting... but get some. A neighbor girl got a homemade slush at our house last night in an Ice Tea glass and her eyes lit up instantly. A special glass means something.

Color palette for my bonus closet? Bright, warm yellow, jalapeno green, chocolate brown. Finding these storage containers on clearance at Target when I was searching for something exactly like them? Of course that was a bonus. These hold our silver (hand-me-down from Jim's great aunt- see above Christmas picture), our napkin rings and other table linens etc. Oh, yes, and it does of course hold coats etc. on the other side... It did start out as a coat closet, after all.Thank goodness for green and yellow. My they make me happy.