Welcome To My Toy Party!

Scrappy Jessi is hosting a toy party! So I'm here to share some of my all time favorite childhood toys with you! Some I still have, others are long gone with only a few pictures left to remember them by. While looking for pictures to share, I realized that I really wasn't a "toy" kinda girl! I preferred to let my imagination run wild and spent my childhood days playing dress up, house, circus, mystery, Betty's Bakery, Little House on the Prairie in addition to playing in my treehouse, the sandbox, riding my bike, twirling a baton, riding my big wheel, swinging on my swingset, etc! But, I did love my Barbie and Dawn dolls as well as baby dolls, stuffed animals, games, my dollhouse and a very special McDonaldland Playset! So, here are lots of pictures to share! Take a walk down memory lane with me why don't you?

How We Spent Monday

Well, today certainly didn't go as planned. I was in the middle of taking pictures of things to list on Etsy and mom was going to come over and help me with listings all day when I got a call from Tim. Whenever you get a call from your husband that starts off with him saying, "Don't panic, I'm basically okay but I just fell at work and my left hip hurts pretty bad," your heart starts pounding and you fear the worst. I managed to pull myself together and grab a few things and head over to his work in Louisville to pick him up and take him to the ER.

In a nutshell or two, he was going to his car to get a Churchill Downs pass for someone else to use this week and his left foot got hung up in a garden hose that was stretched across the driveway area and through a fence to water some grass. He went down and landed on his left side and hip. Hard. Thank God nothing is broken according to xrays and a CT Scan done today. He is having a lot of pain in his rib area and they said to watch that and he may need an MRI if it doesn't get better soon-could be a hairline. He can't put any weight on his hip/leg right now without experiencing excruciating pain. (He's definitely bruised the bone and tendons and stretched tendons per the doctor.) They gave him crutches and pain meds and told him to stay off it the rest of the week till he can follow up with his primary care doctor Friday. Poor guy, he had a horrible time getting up our stairs because the railing was on the left side, not the right. He basically had to do the old, sit on your bottom and pull yourself up one by one routine until he couldn't stand the pain in his chest/rib cage from having to pull his weight up.

I'm plumb worn out myself and after three weeks of feeling pretty well recovered FINALLY from my gallbladder surgery, my midsection is aching like the Dickens tonight...so off to take a load of Advil and check on my patient.

Wet Rat Or Cat?

We've been a little slack in the kitty bathing department. Let's just say that when we finally decided to wash Ms. Kitty last night, her prescription shampoo purchased in 2006 and used once, if that, had expired in March of 2007. So, back to the bottle of Hartz.

She is so good though, never puts up a fight. She especially hates the hair dryer part of the whole experience. But today she's nice and fluffy and soft and smells good!

Check Out This Website

Okay, put me on a plane and dump me off at this store in San Francisco! Love the letters and that you can spell out words and buy them! Here's their website link: http://www.timelesstreasuressf.com/

Great Pizza!

I was downtown this morning for work and finished up about the time that Tim got out of his doctor's appt so we met over at the Louisville Antique Mall to drop off some of his videos as they were low. Decided on a whim to check out Spinelli's Pizza on Baxter Ave. which had been highly recommended by a fellow pizza lover. It was awesome! Loved the Las Vegas inspired sign out front and the pizza was delicious! We got to eat at a table literally in the midsection of a 1969 Lincoln Continental car and best of all, pizza slices were a dollar off on Mondays! We will certainly be repeat customers and can't wait to try their Philly Cheesesteaks next time!

Sunday Finds

Just a few of my treasures from Sunday afternoon thrifting and flea marketing! I went to the Derby Park Flea Market Sunday to see what it was all about since mom and I had decided not to go to the Burlington Flea. First I learned that Mapquest is not always your best friend. The way it took me there was awful and wrong and unsafe! I finally made it over there alive and it was SO not worth it! I spent .75 cents. However, I got a super neat 1969 Top Value Trading Stamps catalog for .50. It's a keeper. The pictures are priceless! Got a roll of gift wrap for .25 and got the heck out of there.

Headed over to Tickled Pink while in the area and found a wonderful white floral covered hat for 2.99! There are tons of flowers to pull off! Found a few other goodies there and then went to another flea market back on 7th and then to a thrift store nearby where I got these other 2 wonderful hats for $4 each! Full of beautiful, vintage flowers! So exciting!

Found these wonderful old ribbons and a bag of old rhinestone trim, little tiny silk flowers and pearl trim, an old pack of silver sequins from Dee's with the original price tag (probably 1970s or 80s), lots of great old books to cut up (some for Etsy), including two great old anatomy books and another shorthand book, this great white metal rack/holder for my scrapbook room (bargain at $3.70 at a thrift store!!! I love it! Will probably put stamps in it.), and best of all the find of the day was the Mary Alden's Cake and Cookie Cook Book for Children. Tim and I had seen a version of it at the Bardstown Antique show but it wasn't priced. The dealer said she had just gotten it to sell for a friend and would have to research it before she could price it. I was so bummed! The illustrations were awesome in it. Well, I found it at a Peddler's Mall for .99! That was the most exciting part! What a deal! I bet that other lady prices it at $12 minimum.

And, the pink and green hippo skirt. I found this also at the Peddler's Mall and was telling the checkout girl, who was probably 16 or 17, that the most horrible thing about it was that I believe I had the very same one in the 80s AND I wore it! She looked at me so funny and was speechless! I plan to put it up on Ebay one of these days! It is so 80s!

My Little Helper and Another Day of Free Stuff

Once again I awoke at 5:30 am and had trouble getting back to sleep so by 6 am I decided I might as well get up, get dressed and go to some yard sales! So, I did just that! Found a few good things and hit the jackpot on Hallmark Miniature ornaments at one place! I also stopped by Kohl's and used my $5 off coupon on any purchase $5 or over....so I only had to pay about 30 cents out of pocket! That was fun and I have two more to use!

Stopped at the local nursery where I always buy my spikes and geraniums for the pots on our porch and it was some kind of open house! They were giving away canned pop or bottled water, popcorn, coffee, pound cake, cookies, tortilla chips and dips and I heard hot dogs at noon time along with live music! I grabbed a water and some popcorn and brought Tim a sugar cookie. That was unexpected! Thought about going back for dogs as Tim needed to get something there but we never made it back out.

Came home and planted my plants and cleaned up the front porch and yard a little before it started sprinkling. Then I worked on Etsy listings which was going well until Garden Kitty decided to help inspect the alphabet blocks!

EARTHQUAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I'm up earlier than expected due to the EARTHQUAKE we had at 5:37am! Yep, a real earthquake! Now, for those of you out in CA...I'm sure it's nothing new! But this was my first and it was scary!!! I had just awakened at 5:30am and was laying in bed trying to get back to sleep when the whole house started shaking and wouldn't stop! We have a train that goes by all the time right behind us so the house sometimes vibrates with that but this was SO different! I finally decided that it wasn't storming or wind and that the house must be coming down....being an old house and all! It just wouldn't stop shaking and rattling and it felt rumbly and like it was rocking side to side. So, thought it best to get out of bed, get the kitty and head downstairs. I put my shoes on and grabbed the cell phone and got the kitty who was coming out of the guest room a little shaken up herself! The bookcase in our living room upstairs was still shaking and the glass on it was rattling and I looked out the window and still saw nothing! We headed downstairs and I looked out the front door and nothing! It finally stopped right after that! I turned the news on and sure enought EARTHQUAKE! It's big news today. Apparently, it was 5.2 on the Rhicter Scale and the epicenter was over in Illinois! 160 miles west from Louisville! Lasted for 30 seconds, sure seemed longer! They say on the news now that the largest one prior was in 1968. There are a few reports of structural damage and a broken water main in the Old Louisville area. All seems okay at our house although a couple of things worked their way forward. Needless to say, I never got back to bed! SCARY!!!!

Couponing, Rebating, Deals, Deals, and More Deals

Well, I scored but let me just say, I stink at couponing! I really, really do!

I get all confused and can't figure out anything with numbers and I get all mixed up on buy 2 get whatever off...it was truly a Target nightmare today!

Target had Pepsi 12 packs on sale for $3 each but if you bought $15 worth you got a $5 gift card back, making them $2 each. Then there was a printable target coupon for $1 off 2 of the 12 packs, ultimately making them $1.50 each!!! As much Diet Dew as Tim drinks, this was a deal not to be missed!

I bought a total of 5 Diet Mt. Dews/Reg Mt. Dew/Diet Sierra Mist on one transaction, totally forgetting that I needed to buy 10 to make my coupons even out! I was all focused on the fact that I'd get that $5 gift card and could use it for the next 5 if I paid separately! Then I bought 5 more on a separate receipt and used the gift card. I completely forgot to give the cashier any coupons on the second transaction!!!

Didn't catch that till after the fact when I sat down to look over the receipt, so I went to customer service and she gave me back my $1 since between two receipts I had the right no. And, took off two more since I forgot to give them on that second transaction! Ugh.

Then the sponges. Okay, I got 2 packs of Cello faucet sponges for 1.60 each on clearance. Take off the $1 off coupon from a Target printable and another mfg coupon for buy 2 get $1 off so I got them for .10 each. Then I bought 2 scrubber sponges for the same thing except the coupon came off at the bottom and I got all confused. By then the girl was all confused because I handed her 10 coupons for my 5Pepsi products forgetting that I was to only give her 5 since they were $1 off 2 of the 12 packs! So, I think in the very end, she was freaking out majorly and I was ready to find a hole, I made $1. I think she took one coupon off too many! Oops!

Then on to the Target in Clarksville for more drinks! Scored a lot more Diet Dews there. As I was walking in the store this loudmouth girl screams out to her friend "Oh she got all the Diet Mt. Dews!" I turned around and said, "Yeah, I did, sorry, they said the Pepsi guy would be coming in again tonight or tomorrow morning." (trying to be helpful) I'm meanwhile thinking you know, there was no limit and they didn't have hardly any anyway and I've gone many a place and whatever I go for is out already and that's just how it is.

Then I'm in line and the cashier gets ready to ring up a 6 pack of Diet Mt. Dew bottles and the girl in line behind me says ",Oh, no that's mine"....and I said, "Yeah, that's not mine" and the girl says "Yeah, she bought all the Diet Mt Dew cans and I thought there was a limit one person could get" and I said, "No there wasn't a limit on this deal" and the cashier said the same thing and that loudmouth is going on and on....I swear! Is it worth it?

The sponges at this Target were $1.14 each on clearance therby making me money on two of them! I could only get one more so I just used a $1 off coupon and spent only .14! Except I really didn't spend the .14 as I got that overage!

I did get a 16 oz bag of cat food for free with a coupon I had and two bags of cat treats for free with more coupons! And, two cans of Sheba (fancy, shmancy wet cat food) for .58 cents each on clearance and I had a coupon for buy one get one free! Cheaper than her Meow Mix cans I normally buy! :]

And, lunch was a bargain too! Personal Pan Pizza at Target Pizza Hut Express and free breadsticks (inedible...brought them home to reheat later and the lady dumped more cheesy spicy stuff on them for me) and $1 off coupon that was generated at the first Target! Lunch for $2 something!

Then on to Staples since I was right there going to Lowe's and I got a 3 pk of permanent markers that I got to rebate online and save a stamp! 4.99 value!

And, got my free Colgate and Samy Shampoo at Rite Aid on the way home to rebate, they were already out of Aqua Fresh and Adidas deoderant...oh and this is the best of all making up for the Target embarrasement! I had $60 in Rite Aid gift cards from Rx transfers we just did and it would take me forever to use that there, their prices are so high and I don't shop there normally, and so I asked if I could buy other gift cards for places with the R.A. gift cards. The mgr didn't know but said we could try and it totally worked! So, I got two $25 gift cards and a $15 one for gifts! Cool huh?

The funniest thing of all is that I never even use sponges except for my glass top stove and only 2 out of the 8 sponges I bought (three were 2 packs!) will maybe work for that! But we'll never have to buy a sponge again!

Now I Know What To Do With All Those License Plates I Stumble Across

This is one of the cutest ideas I've seen lately! Love it!

Flying The Unfriendly Skies

Baggage allowance
For each ticketed customer, US Airways will transport:

1 checked bag free of charge, and
1 bag as a carry-on
Additional checked baggage
A second checked bag will be assessed a $25* fee. The new fee applies to travel on or after May 5 for tickets purchased on or after February 26, 2008.
Checked bags Under 50 pounds/23 kg 51 - 70 pounds/23-32 kg 71-100 pounds/32-45 kg
First checked bag Free $50* $100*
Second bag $25* $75* $125*
Third - ninth bag(s) $100* $150* $200*

*Fees listed are in USD and will be charged in the local equivalent

This really irritates me. I can't tell you how much this irritates me. I just booked our trip to VA in June to visit dad and the tickets are already more than double what they used to be. Each flight was over $400 each. My dad happened to mention that he thought most airlines had gone to letting you check only one bag for free. I couldn't believe it. Well, he sent me this info from the USAirways website today and it's true. I called USAirways to discuss seats this morning and they said it's to offset increasing fuel charges. Well, buddy, I think they already took care of that with the $400 plus ticket fees don't you?

So, now my option is to either pay $25 EACH WAY mind you for another bag or take a larger one that will either be backbreaking for me, Tim, and/or Dad and possibliy overweight by the return trip, thereby costing additional bucks.

How can you pack one bag for 10 days worth of clothes and toiletries and expect that to also accomodate any purchases you want to bring back? Ridiculous.

So, just add $50 bucks to my flight plan.

More Finds!

Friday Mom and I went to an estate sale over in Louisville...it was almost noon by the time we got over there and we figured there wouldn't be anything good left! Well, there was still a lot of things left! Some good, some not! We were there for two hours treasure hunting. Found some old greeting cards, old ephemera including two neat old receipt books and income tax forms from the 40s! Anyway, it was lots of fun and reminded me of the good old days going to wonderful tag sales in Akron, OH when I lived there in the mid 90s! The little birthday pins pictured above came from the sale! Cute aren't they?

Saturday was Thunder Over Louisville, big doings here in the Kentuckiana area. Tim had to work an 18 hour day at the station so mom and I took off and went to Lexington to check out the Lexington Loose Leaf Antique Show. We'd been once years ago but it had since moved and was now in an old school building. It was a lovely show but very high end. Mom found some pretty hats but it was just not what we collect overall.

We ate at their little cafe downstairs and it was pretty good and they had a nice spread of refreshments upstairs in the hall. We stopped at Lasting Legacy scrapbook store and it happened to be their consignment sale day! Too bad we were there about 4 hours after it opened! They still had some good stuff and good buys though so we could only imagine what awesome stuff they had when it opened! They said the line was super long at the door! So that was fun and we came away with some good deals, especially in the stamp dept.

On to an antique mall and while there we found out about another antique show a couple of blocks away...turned out to be many of the old dealers from the Lexington Loose Leaf show that had split off. So, it was wonderful! Lots of neat things to look at! We found some old greeting cards, this wonderful old animal domino like card set pictured above, old hats and stands...After we left there we went back to an antique mall called The Feathered Nest and they were so nice in there! It was one of the gal's birthday so they had cake and punch and she was wearing a special tiara! Found some adorable vintage greeting cards there, although mom got most of them for her collection! Came home, collapsed on the sofa, Garden Kitty joined us and the three girls watched The Memory Keeper's Daughter on Lifetime.

On a side note, the ribbon pictured above was a score from a local thrift store I found last week and the sheet music is from a yard sale a couple of weeks ago! I SCORED a ton of sheet music and am trying to sort my way through it, these three are definite keepers for the cute graphics!