Who is A Virtuous Woman, and Where is She Going?

• Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies

I've been working on the blog (in the background) the last couple of days, updating some things and switching some things around, getting things ready to jump back in to regular blogging.

I went in and deleted all of my "deals" posts, mostly because they were old and outdated, but in part because it isn't a big part of my life right now.  You can still find my Couponing 101 posts on Where I Get My Coupons, Part 1, and Where I Get My Coupons, Part 2, and How I Organize My Coupons.  As a matter of fact, I'll be doing some updating to those posts in the near future.  

 And you can still print coupons from my Coupon Saving Center, too.  I still like a good deal when I can find it--I am supposed to look well to the ways of my household, after all, and part of that includes budgeting and finances. Just not always coupons.  

I left almost everything else--posts on prayer and reflection; the Clean in 30 and Clutter-Busting Challenges from past years, as well as dollar store decorating, thrift shop finds, and posts about gardening and the outdoors.  I still have the post about  what "virtuous" really means, as well as when I've felt very UN-virtuous.

I plan to do a some reviews of books that have really helped me out and brought me enjoyment over the years, maybe profile a favorite blogger or two, and of course, explore even more that concept of what it means to be a woman of virtue.  So that means the sky is the limit, right?

Until next time...

Thrifty Finds

• Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies
• She looketh well to the ways of her household...

My mom and I were out bright and early Saturday morning, headed to one of our local churches annual Women's Bazaar. We were after homegrown honey--a little birdie had told us that there would be a booth there with our new favorite "brand" of honey. Of course while we there we browsed the other booths, one of which had flea market/garage sale items for sale.

My first find was this hurricane glass--$.10! The picture makes it look like it's bigger on one end than the other, but it's actually symmetrical. And then I spotted this "fake silver" as I call it, chrome serving tray for $.50. By this time my hands were full, so I turned a blind eye to everything else, except the honey, of course!

I can't wait to use these in my holiday decorating!

What thrifty finds have you made lately?

Until next time...

This post is linked to:

Thrift Share Monday at Apron Thrift Girl

Nifty Thrifty at Coastal Charm

Thrifty Thursday at Tales From Bloggeritaville

Thrift and Dollar Store Decorating for Fall

• Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies
• She is like the merchant's ships, she bringeth her food (and other things!) from afar
• She looketh well to the ways of her household
• ...all of her household are clothed with scarlet

I'll admit it, when I first started seeing posts around the blogosphere about fall decorating back at the first of September, I was aghast. We were still experiencing temperatures in the high 90's, with the heat index in the triple digits! Who could even think fall under those circumstances? Last week I finally made a dollar store purchase or two and pulled out some things I already had, and did some tentative seasonal decorating--just in time for a cold front! We had one whole day where the temps didn't climb into the 90's, and where I actually thought about pulling out a long sleeved shirt to wear. Not to worry, it was back to normal today, but it sure did feel good for a day or two, and it did get me at least thinking about up coming holidays and events!
So far on the porch all I've done is change out my wreath for this thrifty fall wreath I made last year from dollar store decorations and a repurposed grapevine wreath.
For indoors, I started this centerpiece--made from a charger I already had--which I'm sure came from the dollar store--and two new Dollar Tree purchases--the glass vase and bag of dried thingies, $1 each--total cost so far, $2.



It's not quite done--I had originally planned to fill the vase with the dried goodies, mixed with a few pine cones from the woods or the side of the road, but when I spread these out on the charger while I decided which to put in the vase first, I liked the look of it, so I decided to leave them around the outside.

I want to add a candle inside the glass, but so far I haven't found one tall enough that I like, so for now, I'm enjoying it this way.


The other thing I did in the "dining room"--which is the end of our eat-in kitchen--is fill one of my vintage jars with nuts, and the other one with a fall pick and some silk leaves--all dollar store purchases from years past.

And this one is filled with old buttons, all different shapes, sizes, and colors. These were leftovers from my grandmother's sewing table, and range from really vintage buttons from the 50's and 60's to more modern ones that were cut off of shirts when they were discarded.


So far that's all of the fall decorating I've done--our "cold front" has just about passed, and we're back in the heat, but I have some mums I need to repot, and I forsee a pumpkin to sit beside them on the porch later in the month. Eventually fall will arrive in the south!


Until next time...



This post is linked to:

Vintage Thingie Thursday at Coloradolady
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Fall Get Together Party and Decorating Your Home at It's a Blog Party
31 Days of Autumn Bliss at the Inspired Room

More "New" Thrift Shop Finds

Last week as I was driving the traffic was heavy and I couldn't change lanes in time to make a turn, and ended up a couple of blocks off of my usual route. It's a road I've been on before lots of time, but not since I've been back in Columbus the last couple of weeks.

And I spotted--you guessed it, another new thrift mall! It's called Joey's Thrift Mall, on the corner of Wynton Road and 10th Avenue--on the corner where 11th Street makes that little "jig" and goes under the railroad tracks, then you come out of the "tunnel", make another little "jig", then suddenly 11th Street becomes Wynton Road. The thrift place is the large tan brick building that used to be a storage facility.

The intersection was too busy for me to turn across traffic right then, but I told my husband about it and we went back on Saturday to check it out.

We parked on the north side of the building, off of Wynton. That end of the building was apparently a self-storage facility. There were lots of booth, but it's not air conditioned in that part of the building. Just as I thought I was ready to run back out to the truck, I turned the corner--and into paradise---rooms and rooms of booths in the climate controlled area! Yay!

They have everything--from gently-used household goods to new items, to antiques, and everything in-between--including some pure junk, can I get a witness? Everything I looked at I kept thinking that I would need to haul it home to Louisiana in a couple of months, so I kept myself pretty much in check for the most part, but it definitely warrants another (slower) look-see.

This was my item of choice...


...a CamGear tripod, $5.00, adjustable in a multitude of ways. I was really excited about this find...

...until I got it home and discovered that my camera doesn't just slide into the slot on top like I thought it would. Drat. Oh, well, this will end up donated to the Valley Rescue Mission Thrift Store before I leave, unless I think of another use for it, or find someone who has a camera that this will fit.

Hubby found this gem--a Stanley stainless steel vacuum bottle, in excellent shape, $5.00...

...still with the original stopper and cup. These run $25.00-$40.00 for a new one, and I don't think they make this particular style anymore, with the full stainless exterior and no handle. He used to have one of the green ones with the handle--they are practically indestructible, but he did manage to destroy his after a few years of use--I think it got run over by a truck(!). I have a feeling that this vintage version will be around for a while, though.

What pretty and useful things have you found lately?

Until next time...

This post is linked to:

Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality

2nd Time Around at A Picture is Worth a 1000 Words

Nifty Thrifty at Coastal Charm

New Thrift Shop Finds

• Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies
• She is like the merchant's ships, she bringeth her food (and other things!) from afar

Today was our first Saturday back in Columbus. The heat is horrendous this week--temperatures in the mid- to high-nineties and a heat index of at least 100 (trust me, it felt like 115 to me!) but we braved the oven-like temperatures and hit a couple of thrift stores.

The first place we stopped was new one for us--Southern Storage and Thrift Market on Armour Road, between Britt David Road and Airport Boulevard. We saw a couple of commercials for it and decided to give it a try.

I was a little apprehensive when we walked through the door and were directed to a side door into the big warehouse-like area--did I mention that it's been HOT here this week? But we bravely pressed on for the sake of whatever hidden treasures we might discover! And hidden treasures did we find! They had a couple dozen booths with a variety of items, from clothes and household goodies to furniture--and can you believe, a pretty decent selection of leather saddles near the back!

Never mind the saddles, though, this is what I found:

This beautiful china cake plate with matching server, still in it's original box, $6.00. The plate has a little gold sticker on the back marked "Andrea, by Sadek, made in Japan". (I looked this up on the internet, these sets retail for about $25.00) I have a set like this at home that's a different pattern that I use for special occasions. Isn't this one pretty?

The next thing I found was this copper-colored aluminum tumbler with lid for $3.00. Know what it is? A milk-shake shaker!

The bottom holds up to 2 cups of ingredients, then you put the top on and shake it. It reminds me of the aluminum pitcher and tumbler sets that I remember from the 60's--not sure if they were from the 50's or 60's, but I remember drinking from those cold, cold, aluminum tumblers. My grandma used to make home-made root-beer in one of those pitchers, that stuff would get ice-cold! I'm sure this is from the same time period.

There were a few other items that I looked at with interest, but by this time I thought was going to melt, so I headed toward the front to check-out in air-conditioned comfort--and bless their hearts, they had a table near the entrance where they were giving away FREE ice-cold bottles of water! What a life-saver!

The next place we ventured was an old favorite, the Valley Rescue Mission Thrift store on Second Street, just a block away from the original Valley Rescue Mission. They have a good turnover of items of all kinds, both new and used, so you never know what you may find, and it supports a good cause, as well. AND, it's air-conditioned. Yay!

Today I brought home this:

It's a tin-plated cast-iron tortilla press, still in it's original box, for $5.00. (I found this exact tortilla press online for $19.99--so this was a 75% savings over buying a new one--woot woot!) I've seriously been wanting to learn to make my own tortillas, but I'm not very good at rolling out pastry of any kind. This makes it easy to have really thin tortillas without using a rolling pin.

Just open it up, put your ball of dough between some wax paper or plastic wrap...

Close the top....

then crank the handle over and voila' ! Ready to toss into your skillet. I'll let you know how they turn out!

What thrifty treasures have you found this week?


Until next time...

This post is linked to:

Today's Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality

Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady

Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville

Thrifty Thursday--Bake Sale and Freebie Find

• She is like the merchant's ships, she bringeth her food (and other things!) from afar
• She looketh well to the ways of her household

I have a confession to make. This is the real reason I started thrifting last year. Backhome Collections, a thrift store in small town DeRidder, Louisiana, has a bake sale once a month. (This is the same store where I buy stone-ground cornmeal.) It lasts for three days, and runs the first full Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of each month. The ladies from the local Mennonite church do the cooking and baking. They offer everything from cream pies with real meringue, to cakes, cookies, breads, and even casseroles.

This past weekend, my thrifty finds were a wonderful chocolate cream pie; a small "sampler" size Italian cream cake; Amish cinnamon friendship bread; and half a dozen butterhorn rolls. It may have not been the thriftiest shopping I've ever done there, but it was surely among the most delicious!

But to balance out my "un-thrifty" choices, let me show you the latest "freebie" my husband found next to the dumpster at our apartment complex in Georgia...

This after my son unloaded it at home in Louisiana. It's not vintage...

...and it definitely needs some work...

...but doesn't it have potential?

For now it has a home out in the shed while I decide what to do with it and where to put it.

But now I have a question for you Do you trash pick? Dumpster dive? I don't think we've ever actually gotten into a dumpster, but one of the advantages of living in an apartment complex is that folks put things they don't need or want that may still have some "life" left in them, beside the dumpster instead of in it.

My husband travels a lot with his job. Not in the traditional "business trip" type of travel, because he often stays in one location for months at a time, and he usually lives in a furnished corporate apartment. Sometimes I get to go with him, sometimes not. Every apartment we've ever lived in has a different definition of what constitutes "furnished", so we frequently supplement with our own things, or things we buy.

Or trash pick.

When we were in Alaska, we trash-picked a small chest-of-drawers. There were two, one of which was completely in pieces. The other one needed a couple of nails and some wood glue and it was as good as new. We put it back out when we left, and someone else snatched it up.

My husband's co-worker trash-picked several bicycles, then combined them to make good little bikes that he gave to the neighborhood kids.

We've trash picked a queen sized bedframe where we are now. It was better than the "furnished" one we were sleeping on, so we took it down and use the trash-picked one for now. (When we leave, we're changing them back and taking the "found" one with us.)

And now we have a headboard and foot board to go with it. And I proudly stand and say--"My name is Charlene, and I'm a trash picker."

This post is linked to:

Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville

Today's Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality

Until next time...

Valley Rescue Mission Thrift Store Finds

• She is like the merchant's ships, she bringeth her food (and other things!) from afar
• She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy

(to see this or any of the pictures up close, you can click on the picture, then use the "back" arrow on your browser to come back here)

One of my favorite thrift stores in the Columbus Area is the Valley Rescue Mission Thrift Store. Besides having a wide variety of goodies to see and buy (and their merchandise has a pretty good turnover), I know the money I spend goes to support a good cause.

Living in a furnished corporate apartment while we're in Georgia, I certainly don't need any furniture, but that doesn't stop me from looking when I spot a pretty piece.

I thought I was in love with this dresser when I spotted it. It was in good shape for it's age--some of these old pieces look good until you open the drawers, then you can see the real wear and tear on them. I think it was around $100, and I was really hankering for it, until I saw these two pieces...
I have a dresser very similar to this at home, except that on mine the center area is more "dropped" than this. What I don't have at home though..

...is the matching chiffrobe, and in almost perfect condition.

The tall door swings open for hanging clothes, and it has a smaller "cubby" sized space on the right and three drawers underneath.

The inside was pretty clean, the dovetailing at the edges where the drawer fronts attach seemed to be all intact, and the handles and hardware appear to be original.

Somebody put the drawers back in wrong, one of these is for the left side, one is a right side, but that's easily fixed.

I love, love, love the curved edges on these art deco pieces...

As well as the detailing in the wood veneers. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say these are from the 1920's, pre-depression era.

There's some damage on the bottom inside of the dressing table...

But the price is right at $225 for both pieces.

If I had room for these, I would be taking them with me on my next trip home. A little Murphy's Oil Soap and some Old Enlish scratch cover, these two would be as good as new.

This post is linked to:

Vintage Thingie Thursday at Coloradolady

Thrifty Thursday at Tales of Bloggeritaville

What vintage and thrifty finds have you spotted lately?

Until next time...

Thrifty Thursday--Decorative Bottom Springform Pan

• Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies
• She is like the merchant's ships, she bringeth her food (and other things!) from afar
• She looketh well to the ways of her household

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I went for a drive in the country and somehow ended up at Opelika, Alabama. And since we were in town already, we decided to make a quick stop at Angel's Antiques Mall. (note to self: there is no "quick stop" at Angel's. It's too big and there's too much to see.)



I found this rusted up, tin, what I thought was a jello mold from the 50's or 60's, until I realized...

...that it's a springform pan. So now I don't know if it's an old pan, or just one that somebody didn't care for properly and allowed to rust. I bought it anyway--at $2.00, it still qualifies as "thrifty", although I'm not sure if it qualifies as "vintage".

I did some research on line but I'm still not sure. I found some "non spring form" pans with molded bottoms that were listed as jello mold and cake pans. Then I found one new springform pan with that came with one flat bottom and one decorative bottom, but it had a much more modern flair, more like a bundt cake. Nothing similar to this.

So what do you think? Vintage too, or just thrifty?

I'm linking this post to:

Vintage Thingie Thursday at Coloradolady

Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville

Until next time...

More "Found" Treasures--White Serving Bowls

• She is like the merchant's ships, she bringeth her food (and other things) from afar
• She looketh well to the ways of her household

( forgive the diet coke can in the corner. oops.)

Remember last week when I shared the pretty little Homer Laughlin plate I found among my dishes that I'd forgotten I had? Well, these are some serving dishes that I knew I had, but I think I'd forgotten how many of them I already have (and I still look at white serving bowls every time I see one.) Some of these I've had for a while, and my memory of where they came from is a bit fuzzy, so I hope I am telling the truth about where I got them.

This bowl belonged to my grandmother, my daddy's mother. When I showed everyone the Homer Laughlin serving bowl I bought recently, I mentioned that while we usually serve our plates straight from the stove, my grandmother always put everything in bowls and platters and put them on the table, even for an everyday meal. She had a variety of different sizes and shapes of bowls, all of them white or off-white. Some of them patterned, most of them plain, but always with a white or cream background. I'm not sure if it's one of her older ones or a newer purchase, there's no marking on the bottom, but it definitely has a history.

I think this one came from the Salvation Army thrift store in Colorado Springs. It's from J&G Meakin, there are several different patterns that go by the name "Lifestyle", all of which seem to have the speckled look with the brown rim. Some are plain, like this one, some sets had flowers on them as well. I can find lots of these on e-Bay, etc, but can't find anything that tells me when these patterns were made. I would guess 70's, if you know, be sure and leave a comment!



This one was bought at the same time as the one above, again we think at the Salvation Army thrift store in Colorado Springs when we lived there a few years ago. It has no marking, so I have no idea of the pattern, maker, or age, but...

...I noticed when I was taking pictures that it's the same pattern, although a different size as the one that came from my grandmother. Apparently not used as much, though!

And last but not least, another with no marking, but one of my favorites, this one came to me through a little church in southwest Louisiana. We were cleaning out a storage area and found a bunch of stuff left over from a rummage sale, so we pulled everything and out and let everyone just take what they wanted before the rest was hauled off to the dump, and I got this.

I think I see a definite pattern here, don't you?

This post is linked to:

Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville

Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colradolady

Three-or-More Tuesday at The Gypsy's Corner

Until next time...

New Vintage "Find"

• She is like the merchant's ships, she bringeth her food (and other things) from afar
• She looketh well to the ways of her household

When I was home in Louisiana for the holidays, I was a little disappointed the the busy-ness and weather conspired to keep me from doing any thrifting. So imagine my delight when I made a vintage "find"--right in my own cabinet among my everyday dishes.

I had totally forgotten that I had this, it was tucked in among some small plates.

You can see it isn't in the greatest shape--lots of nicks underneath the rim...

...but it is a Homer Laughlin, and was manufactured in August of 1948, so I think the "wrinkles" are well deserved and easily forgiven. (I know how to "read" this particular mark, thanks to Suzanne from Coloradolady who told me what the numbers meant when I shared another Homer Laughlin find awhile back.)

I was trying to remember where this came from--I think my son brought it home from the little flea market where he used to work part time, hubby thinks it came from the Salvation Army in Colorado Springs, who knows?

Of course I immediately had to get my camera and I've couldn't wait to share!

This post is linked to:

Vintage Thingie Thursday at Coloradolady

Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville

Until next time...