Finding Time

The Time Timer is one of my favorite parenting discoveries. This counts down time (up to an hour) visually. Its perfect for showing kids how long they have to wait for something or for doing time outs or rest time. When I first heard about this I splurged and bought one at full price. Even at $25 it was worth it to avoid having to hear "how much longer?" over and over again. Yesterday I found 3 of these at Value Village for $3 each. I bought all three. I gave one to my sister in law and have one ear marked for a friend I know would be into it. The other one I guess I will hold on until I think of someone who could get good use out of it.

Le Creuset

I've been married for 13 years and I was still using the utensil holder I got for my wedding. In that time my taste and kitchen has changed (many times over in fact). I have been looking for something that is a little more sleek and colorful then my country style pitcher I was using. I recently found this Le Creuset brand utensil holder buried amongst the flower pots at Goodwill. I liked the size and the color, although I wish it was just a little more funky. I confess I was swayed by the brand name and bought it. It cost me $2.99.

Tea time

I found a cute little french tea cup by Quimper at the Goodwill yesterday. This french style pottery seems to be what Anthropologie is now duplicating, which is totally adorable. This is definitely not new condition (you may be able to see the chips in this picture) and it is missing its saucer, but still enjoyed using it this morning for coffee. Since these retail for $150 (wow!) I consider the $3.99 price a good deal.

Better than they look

Ok, I know these look kind of trashy, but really its just my bad picture taking. These are Keen's in pretty good shape, which retail for around $50. Its so easy to find little girl shoes that I get excited when I find some good boy shoes, especially ones that may actually last through my 3 boys! These are in my eldest son's upcoming size and cost $3.99.

Sewing essentials

I am an amateur seamstress. Although I really enjoy it I am not good enough to invest serious money in it and all the supplies add up fast. So, when I see them at the thrift store I buy them to save for whatever project comes next. Above you can see 5 packs of machine needles. I don't know much about which ones to use on which fabrics, but at least now I have the supplies when (if) I figure it out. A bonus in the bag of supplies was the Coach measuring tape. Why Coach makes a designer measuring tape is beyond me, but I am hoping to make some money with it on Ebay. I saw one recently for sale for $40. That definitely would reimburse my $1.99 investment in sewing supplies.

Pyrex Fun

Pyrex has become my most recent collectible obsession. I have admired it for awhile and bought several pieces in the past, but its only recently that I have begun lurking on Pyrex collector's websites and learning the lingo. I still try to resist unless its a piece that I am really interested in since there is almost always some piece of Pyrex to be had at the Goodwill. The first piece pictured was one I was excited about. You can see from the pic below that I had another matching piece. The bottom picture is one that I was on the fence about. I don't love the color, but the size is great and the lid that goes with it was a nice feature. I paid $3.99 for the yellow bowl and $2.99 for the green casserole.

Vintage love

I love dressing my daughter in vintage dresses. As she gets older it gets harder to find ones in good shape (or at all for that matter). I hit the jack pot the other day. Someone either off loaded some long-held-on dresses or another vintage collector donated some of their collection. All three were right next to each other on the rack and all are size 6, the next size up for my daughter. Plus they were each 50% off making them $1.99 each.