MDM - Zippered bags

I love a great idea & Make Do Monday's hosted by Ann Kroeker is a place where you can certainly find some great ideas on how to make do with what you have.

My Aunt sent me a message this weekend with the suggestion that I should talk about these wonderful bags. I'm just going to let her tell you about them. Here's my Aunt Marg...

You know those plastic bags that pillows and sheets come in, with snaps or zippers. Since I've always had 4 bedrooms, plus a pull out couch, plus needing extras for couches when more guests arrive, plus taking the boys off to college, plus nothing lasts forever. I have had a multitude of them.

One of the best uses is for family trips or sending the kids off to summer camp. They make great "DOP" kits (the toiletries and bags that return for camp are generally ready for the trash, or just for consolidating clothing.

I also once bought an underbed plastic container, and used it for storing either extra blankets or, now here's the best idea, wrapping paper/gift bags/ribbons and tissue paper. But it always got caught as I pulled out from the bed (the bed tends to sag over time:) and I always had to dig through all the stuff. I changed to using these bags. The King bags work for rolls of paper, the smaller bags work for gift bags, tissue paper and ribbons. And you can see what you've got!

I can store them in a closet, or still under the bed, and they are easier to access.

Also, you sometimes get dresses or suits in a zippered bag, that hang??? Great for rolls of gift wrap, especially xmas. I stick them in that when I get wrap on sale, and I'm set to go next xmas! I just hang them in the closet. If you've got one bag, voila - large enough!

You can put your tape and scissors in the small bags, and it's all good to go in one fell swoop, rather than searching the house for what you need and then replacing stuff in your kitchen or office...it's now in one place.

And you've used those wonderful bags, and not spent money on the Rubbermaid crates!

Thanks Marg! Thanks so much!

I used these bags to corral my curling irons, but I also used two of these bags recently when I went on vacation. I put all of my vitamins, eye drops, medication, etc in there for an easy see-through toilet kit for myself. I have a bag full of craft punches, shown above.

I have extra washcloths and hand towels in my cabinet for my rental condos - I put those in the zippered bags to keep all the kitty fur that roams around our house off the clean towels.

I have giant zippered bags, too. Those are from the pillows and mattress pads that I have purchased through the years. I put blankets, towels and in some cases, junk, into those large bags.

I love containment!

Thanks Marg for helping me out this week.

Ann Kroeker is talking about her closet this week and I'm sure there will be many others that will be on hand to show how they Make Do with what they have. Be sure and go over and take a look.

Don't forget to sign up for my Giveaway, while you are here -- I have surpassed my 500th post and am giving away a Target Gift Card to one lucky person. Go HERE to put your name in the hat!

Have a Fabulous Week!
Kristin

Goodbye & Hello

Holy smokes! I'm almost late for my blog post of the day. It's 11:34pm right now - I was just sure I'd be home long before now.

Today turned out to be running around day. It was actually quite enjoyable but time consuming.

This morning I went over to see off my now former tenant Richard and his wife Jean. Richard had his liver transplant Jan 2nd of this year and after a few set backs, is well enough to go home. He wanted to stay for another month, until his 4 month check-up by after being away from home for over a year, it was time for him to go home. I was sad to see him go, but I was just so happy for his good health.

I asked my husband to go with me to say goodbye this morning because he and Richard had become pretty good friends. I know that this would mean that I would get hauled around Jacksonville looking at houses. It is after-all, Sunday Open House day. Oh my goodness, we saw some doozies! One of the houses had a 26' wide x 14' deep bathroom. The tub in the raised platform was about 9' wide and about 18" deep. It was the widest, shallowest tub I've ever seen. I'll show you pictures tomorrow. It's a hoot.

We looked at three houses this afternoon.

Then we came home and took a nap.

The other day I got an email from a friend, who had just gotten her liver transplant. She needed someone to pick up her brother at the airport and drop him off at her place. He was coming in at 9:30 tonight. I'm kind of known in the "transplant circle" to be the airport girl. It's just an easy thing to do and cab rides from the airport to my condos is about $50. If I can save these folks $50 it's totally worth it. I also like being able to help as much as I can.

However...

When planes are delayed, it can make for a really long night.

Since Tom and I both took naps this afternoon, I asked him to join me on the airport trip this evening. He doesn't have any appointments tomorrow, so there wasn't an excuse for him not to go :) It was nice to have someone with me for that extra hour hanging out in the car.

Once my mystery passenger arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to find that he was very interesting! I am so happy that I had Tom in the car. because they talked the entire way to his sisters condo.

I think we are going to have lunch this week. The four of us.

I love the people that we meet through the transplant program. It never ceases to amaze me at the different types of people we meet.

So that was my day.

and it's 11:57pm... I need to get this posted before that magic hour -- dong dong dong...

Kristin

My Neighbor

I live on the top floor of a condo building and the people on my floor are all older than my husband and me. I have Jim and Virginia, they are 84 or 85 years old. We have George and Sharon and they are in their late 50's I do believe. We have three condos that are empty at the moment and then we have George. (Yep, another one) George from New York. George who loves Sarah Palin. George who took care of his wife for 25 years while she had MS. When she died, he moved here to Jacksonville and bought the penthouse condo in our building. George is 79. I love George. He has purchased and sold more cars since I've known him, than I think my parents have had their entire lives. He loves Costco and knows everyone who works there. He took me once and introduced me to everyone. George calls me his girlfriend. You have to talk loud when you speak to George because he doesn't like to wear his hearing aids. George really likes to talk to me because he says he can hear me - I have the right tones to my voice he says.

I think I just talk loud, so it's easier for me to keep up the volume!

The house next to George's son in the Carolinas went into foreclosure about 6 months back. The house is literally next door to his son's home. It was too good to be true. The son convinced his dad to put an offer on the house. It took many months to get the deal through, but George now owns the house.

I kept telling George that if he got the house his kids would want him to move in permanently. He kept assuring me that he was only going to live there in the summers at least for a few years.

I came home today to see a strange car in his parking spot and that car was just full of paintings...Georges paintings, from his house. I knocked on his door and saw the moving boxes. Then his son came to the door and said that he was here to "...pack up Dad's stuff and move him home."

I could hardly speak. (at this moment, I can hardly type)

I asked him how long he was staying and he said a few weeks. I asked him if he was ever coming back and wouldn't tell me. His son finally said - "Dad, of course you aren't coming back."

I stayed for a few more minutes but I could hardly keep from bawling.

I just noticed that nearly every paragraph has started with I. Well, this is because it is all about me. I am going to miss George so much I can hardly stand it. I know his son (and his other children who also live near his new home) are just wanting their 79 year old father to be near them for many reasons, but also in case anything should happen, they want to be able to care for him. I get that. I also know that out of all of my neighbors, I love George and really like spending time with him and I am going to miss him like crazy.

So, I came back from speaking with George and his son and I told my husband that Georges condo was full of boxes...and that's when I started sobbing. Next thing I know, my husband is out the door. About 30 minutes later he comes back. I had regained my composure while he was gone, but started crying again. He thinks that George is going to end up leaving in a week. He thinks his son is going to insist that George leaves with him, especially if the condo is all packed up. It's hard to live in a packed up house and who wants to?

I will have to go back and hang out with him for awhile. I hope I can keep from sobbing. I really hate goodbyes. I really dislike them when I believe I will never see the person again. There is no reason for George to ever come back to Jacksonville. I can go see him, but I doubt we will ever get there. It just happens that way.

I'm glad that Georges family wants him to come home. I just wish they didn't want him to come home full time! Can't they share? I'll get a few pictures of George and share them shortly.

Has there ever been anyone in your life that just moved away all of a sudden? I have never been able to deal with this type of goodbye. I think I need to learn some life skills to deal with this because I obviously don't know how.

Design for Mankind

Speaking of giveaways...

I entered a giveaway the other day at Design for Mankind that was for a downloadable copy of their magazine Mankind and I won!

I have always enjoyed the blog - it's mostly photos of art and a few words - It's a blog that I don't have to read, I can just enjoy. I like that. Sometimes I like to just treat my eyes. (One of my other favorites for just looking is Big Happy Funhouse, by the way.) The March issue of Mankind magazine is a PDF file, 90 pages in length and if you were to purchase it, is $1.99. I have not purchased the magazine in the past because I had only found the website just a few months earlier and I wasn't sure if the magazine was going to be like the website or if it was going to end up being more "lecture" like - you know, save the earth, vote for this politician, etc. I just didn't want that and as much as I love art, I really dislike being preached to.

THANKFULLY! This magazine is nothing like that. I am so happy that I won the free download - I loved it. I read each word and have gone through and looked at the photos several times. It would have been worth my two dollars, if I had purchased it.


I love looking at the things people create. I am just fascinated. A lot of things that I see I would never have in my home, but I am always interested in the way that people see the world and the colors in it.

I just saw a picture of my cousin that someone took and posted on Facebook. (which I just grabbed and cropped to show only my cousin, Alan) My cousin is standing next to a sidewalk chalk drawing and I found myself mesmerized by the chalk on his clothing...the way the chunks of color could be seen on his jeans. The bright yellows and reds are clearly visible. I could see that he wiped his whole hand on his t-shirt but it looks like he only wiped the tips of his fingers off on his jeans.

I can just get lost in analyzing lol

So Design for Mankind is a place you might enjoy visiting. The magazine is one I will be getting each month now. I no longer have any magazine subscriptions now that my beloved Domino Magazine is no longer being printed. The Mankind magazine won't clutter up my coffeetable and I can open it anytime right here on my computer. I love it. What a fun thing to win.

Speaking of giveaways, don't forget to enter my 500th Post Giveaway - here!

Have a Wonderful Wonderful Weekend!!
Kristin

It's my 500th!!

Hurray!

Hurray!

I've reached my 500th post!!

I'm so happy to have all of the friends that I have made in blogland and for being a part of my life. Of course I love comments, but what I love even more is that you make time in your day to be a part of my life.

I love that part of it!

I'd like to share my enthusiasm for reaching such a milestone.

I'm giving away a $25 Target Gift Card to one person. This giveaway will end on Monday March 16th at 12 midnight Eastern Time. One entry per person please. I'll draw the winner on St. Patrick's Day!

Please leave a comment (with your email address please, unless we have emailed before) and let me know what you like best about your local Target Store!

My local Target is brand new, about a year old, and I love the paper section. Paper notes, cards, envelopes, even paper napkins and plates. I love the paper products. I try not to buy any, but I really enjoy looking.

With the $25 Target Gift Card what would you buy?

It's been a wonderful 500. I'm ready for the next 500, are you?!!

Kristin

I'm a Goat!

One of my new blogging friends commented that she didn't know the story of why my blog is named "The Goat" so I thought I would write up something for her - and everyone. I sort of just gloss over the story in my other posts about my blog name, but it really is a good one - so here it is...

On June 19th, of 1994 my mother opened up a business named The Dancing Goat Coffeehouse. "The Goat" for short. We had a great group of kids working for us and we hung out a lot together. Here are a few pictures of the gang at one of our staff meetings.



This photo was taken in 1995. My mom and her three girls. R- L
Alison, Judith, Hillary & me, Kristin. (this is a picture of the photo on the wall - that's why it is a bit skewed)

We had a few artists working for us, as well as a photographer, a local DJ and many students. We even had a few crazies!

OK, I think we were all a bit crazy, but some of us were crazier than others.

I loved The Goat. It was a place where students from the law school across the street could come in and study all day, if they'd like. They could also come in, as our friend Giovanni used to do, and just say "feed me" and we would. I would get him a bowl of soup, a slice of bread and a cup of brewed coffee. When he first arrived in town he was happy and healthy and well rested. By the end of his second semester he had deep dark circles under his eyes, he was buried in law books and notebooks, he always needed just another hour of sleep and he missed his home and his family. We tried our best to be his home away from home. He could always walk in to The Goat and get a coffee and a hug if he needed it, but we always had a few moments to sit down with him and be his friend.

Our coffeehouse was right in the middle of Downtown Lansing, MI - the seat of the Michigan Government. We had a lot of state workers that came to our place every day as well as politicians, local radio and tv personalities and writers for the local newspaper, as their office was just around the corner. Our coffeehouse was in the newspaper all the time. We always had an opinion on whatever was going on - besides, the writers came to our place each morning, so it was easy to just ask one of us what we thought about such and such.

We had a couch by the front door, we had the cleanest bathrooms in 9 states, we had my grandmothers buffet as our condiment counter, painted murals on the walls that were my sisters handiwork, we had outdoor seating, lunchtime music on the patio in the summer and of course, really great coffee and cappuccinos.

We closed the coffeehouse November of 1998.

The 4 years that we were open were life changing. I learned so much from the people that I worked with and the people that we served. I met my husband at the coffeehouse, my sister met a woman that was to become one of her very best friends, we had some of our best parties ever that included many people we met at the coffeehouse. The Goat was the site of a wedding reception and on Thursday nights musicians would come and have a jam session. It was a magical place.

I loved The Goat. I was so lost after we closed. I just didn't know what to do. I had my identity wrapped up in that place and the people, so years later when I decided to start writing a blog, I chose "The Goat" as a way to honor that family business, but also to continue welcoming people through my front door and inviting them in to sit down, have a cup of coffee and enjoy a good story or two.

We had a punch card that looked like this. We also had a special punch. It looked like a coffee bean, but in actuality it was a Whopper punch.

My grandfather had a Burger King franchise that he started in the 1960's and one of the punches he used at those early stores is what we used as our coffee bean punch. Some of the tables that we had on our patio were from one of Burger King stores. Everything is intertwined. Everything!

My mother purchased this spiral bound notebook to write notes back and forth, from the day shift to the night and so forth. (Click the picture to get a larger, more readable view) But that book saw only a few of those notes. This book became a journal, sketchbook for the artists in the group, a place to write poetry and fanciful stories. We have half a dozen of these notebooks with hundreds of entries.

This is my mother's handwriting, let me know if you can't read it - I know that being one of the kids, I understand the notes from mom.

One of our very first employees made the sign for the tip jar. We never changed it. After awhile it was reinforced with stir sticks and packing tape. All of our signs on the coffee were designed by the gal who made the tip jar sign or were made by me with rubber stamps and embossing inks and powders.

Nothing in the coffeehouse was in your average place. We tried to make everyone feel like they were walking into a nice comfortable place where they could stay awhile. I hope that's what you all feel like when you come to my blog. I hope that you feel comfortable and that you'd like to stay awhile. I wish I could make you a cappuccino, because even though I really dislike the taste of coffee, I could make an incredible cap.

This is the story of why I call my blog The Goat.
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Kristin

WFMW - Cool Drinks

It's another Works For Me Wednesday. This is a blog carnival where hundreds of folks gather to share their tips for better living. It can be tips about kids, meals, laundry, or the best place to stay when you go to Memphis. You just never know what fantastic tips you will find. So when you finish reading my fabulous tip, please go visit all the other folks at the new host for WFMW -
We Are THAT Family.

A friend of mine gave me a hint for this weeks WFMW here at The Goat. She said that she always likes to have glasses in her fridge all ready for a cold drink without having to use any ice cubes to water it down. She loves any type of Coke product in her frosty glass. I'm a caffeine-free gal and I have to agree, a caffeine-free diet coke is real good icy cold.

If you like a frosty beverage, tuck a few glasses into your freezer and they will be ready for your next drink.
When I was working on my house flips, I would use this type of freezer bottle - it has a removable core that you freeze then screw it into the lid, fill up the bottle with your beverage and off you go! The core can stay cold for a very long time.

This is another very cool product for keeping lots of drinks cold. It is a mini cooler with freezable blue ice in it. You stick the entire thing in the freezer and it is ready to go on a moments notice. The blue ice stays cold for hours and keeps your drinks cold for many many hours as well. I love these. I used to stick hot soda cans into these coolers and they'd be cold in an hour.

So my WFMW tip for you is to look for ways to keep your beverages cold, because pretty soon it's going to get warm again - the summer items are going to start arriving in the stores so keep an eye out for those drink coolers. However -- if you use your own glasses, you've got zero dollars going out and a cold beverage for your trouble! Sounds like a great deal.

Have a fabulous week!
Kristin

Happy Birthday Mom

Happy Birthday,Mom!

I'm so happy we finally got a chance to talk to each other today. Hope you have a fabulous day!

I love you,
Kristin

Breadcrumbs, golf tees and airplanes

Welcome to Monday!

Make-Do-Mondays are hosted by Ann Kroeker. She says -- "It’s a place to celebrate creative problem-solving, contentment, patience and ingenuity. It’s a carnival where we encourage each other not to rush out and get the next new cool thing if something we have on hand can get the job done." Several others are jumping on the Make-Do carnival, so be sure to go see what everyone is doing this week!

This weekend I had several make-do moments. The first was breadcrumbs. I was totally out of them and my husband wanted to have breaded chicken cutlets for dinner. So instead of running next door to the grocery store, I grabbed a few slices of bread and toasted them a few times in the toaster to help dry them out. Then an hour later I put them into the mini chopper to get them into smaller bits. Then I toasted them in a pan to continue the drying process. This would have all been fine and would have worked if I had realized earlier in the day - but the crumbs were still too damp so I needed to make-do another way. (The breadcrumbs were perfect by morning though - so we now have a new stash of breadcrumbs)

Second Make-do was to use quick cooking oats. I whirled them around in the mini chopper a few moments and got a nice crumb out of the oats. That was a lot less work than trying to dry out break quickly lol and the breaded chicken cutlets turned out real nice.

On to Make-Do number three. I was going through boxes that hadn't been opened in a few years and found an envelope with a about 30 colored golf tees. My husband isn't a golfer, so this was not a normal find. We also don't have a place to keep golf tees, since he doesn't have a golf bag or anything. When my husband owned a Lake Amphibian the golf tees were used to put into the weep holes in the airplane when it was parked. This would seem silly except that mud wasps LOVE to build their nests in these tiny holes - so the golf tees plugged the holes and kept the wasps out.

I thought the tees were a pretty bit of color, so I grabbed an empty antique Barbasol jar and put the tees in there. Now I have a colorful accent for my kitchen window.

This is a Lake Amphibian airplane. They are a boat hulled airplane that can land in the water and also land on a runway. My husband has owned one or more of these airplanes since he was 26 years old. Unfortunately he is airplaneless at this time. We had to sell the the last amphibian just before his liver transplant surgery in 2005. I have flown in one of these a few times. I've landed in the water, too. It isn't my thing. :) but I've done it!

I hope you have a wonderful Make Do Monday and that you can find some beauty in some unusual find in your home. (Be sure and visit the MDM carnival to get other great ideas.)

Kristin

Good to the last drop

Last weekend we were at the Jacksonville Home Show because my husband had a booth for his garage system (Monkey Bars.) The first night that I drove down to help set up, I got to this one section of road right next to the river when all of a sudden my entire car smelled like coffee!

I am not familiar with downtown Jacksonville. In fact, I'm really not very familiar with most of Jacksonville - I know a few neighborhoods and a few roads. I had never been this route before, it was dark out and it never occurred to me that Jacksonville, FL had a Maxwell House factory.

The next day I saw the sign and was so excited! You could see it miles away because it was at the very end of a very long street. When I got close, I grabbed my camera and tried to hold it steady and shoot. I only got one shot because I realized that my lane was ending and I had to merge.

The next night, when I was going home I saw the red neon from the Maxwell House sign. Once again, I grabbed the camera and really hoped that I could get a shot. That darned merge lane just isn't very long so I had to be quick. It wasn't until I got back and uploaded my photo that I noticed the neon "drip" at the bottom of the picture! I didn't get the whole thing in the picture, but it's pretty close.

Some day I'll have to go downtown, park the car and walk around and take pictures - it will be much easier than driving, holding out my arm, hoping to get a shot!

I think it is so fun to discover things in my town that I never knew existed.

I hope you have had a wonderful weekend.
Kristin

He Lost

I noticed something the other day and decided to create a little test to see if it was really true or if I was just dreaming. In fact, I put both my husband and the cat to a test on the same day --- they both lost. Or maybe they won, I'm not quite sure!

The cat's test was easy. I've discovered that if you want a cat to move to, say, another part of the bed, all you have to do is place a dishtowel, a piece of paper, a blanket or any piece of clothing on the spot where you want her to go. She will move in a matter of moments - although it is best if you leave the room first.

The test I gave to my husband was as follows. I cleaned the kitchen so there weren't any dirty dishes at all. Then as I always do, I placed my dishtowel on the counter next to the sink. My husband came home, made himself a sandwich and when he was finished with the plate he put his plate directly on top of the dishtowel.

It's no longer convenient to dry your hands if you have to move a plate from on top of the towel.

So the next day I put a plate and a bowl stacked next to the sink. There weren't any other dishes anywhere - but the dishtowel was still on the counter.

He had a snack and when he was finished he placed his plate on the dishtowel.

This evening I moved the dishtowel much further away from the sink and asked him to take in both of our dinner dishes - my plate he put in the sink and his plate he put on the dishtowel.

When I went to check I started to laugh. I finally called him over and told him that he failed the test. (Or maybe he won - I knew his every move and I was proved correct!) I asked him to please put the dishes on the counter not on the dishtowel and he said he would try to remember.

I asked the cat to stop sleeping on the blanket, but she isn't listening.

(All photos above have been staged for your viewing pleasure - I decided you all didn't need to see dirty dishes.)

Have a great weekend!
Kristin

Pottery

Just before Christmas I went shopping with my camera. I literally shopped with my camera. I didn't buy a single thing, but I sort of bought all of it by just photographing it. I've looked at these pottery pieces several times since Christmas and am so happy to see them, but am also so glad that I don't have to find a place in my cupboards for them.

I really enjoyed this elephant display. It looks like the four in the aluminum pan are laughing!


All of these items are from Anthropology.

I love bowls.
I love pottery bowls especially.
I like to feel the glaze and I love it when the glaze is silky smooth.
Not all glazes are created equal, that's for sure.

A big bin of colorful bowls all stacked and waiting to be purchased was almost more than I could bear. (bare?) (someone let me know which is correct - I would have used a different word, but I can't think of one right now)

I picked up at least one of these bowls in each bin.

and then I put it back.

Are these geese? swans? ducks?

I was never into the ducks and bows craze, so I think that's why these aren't my favorite, but I do love how they were arranged in little families all stacked up - looking around. I loved the big pans of pasta they were sitting in, too. They were marked as measuring cups - I can't imagine how you would actually use them, but they are fun.

Oh goodness, this wooden box with the scalloped bowls.

The colors were perfectly pastel and really needed to have a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream in them just to make the scene look perfect.

These are also measuring cups and a lot more practical than the ducks. I think you could actually use them. I have to admit, I wanted to buy these. I held on to them for a good 3 or 4 minutes. I thought my sister might like them, I thought my other sister might like them, I thought I could buy them for a friend or as a giveaway...

Then I put them down and took a picture.

I realized that I was trying to make them fit into someones life, when it was my life I wanted them to fit.

I didn't need them nor did I really want them - I just wanted to see them.

So here they are.

I hope you enjoyed my little love-fest.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Kristin

(edited to add: NaBloPoMo's theme this month is Giving (Up) - I rarely write on the theme, but I realized this morning that this post was about giving up and also about giving. I was giving up having these items in my home. However, I was certainly giving to myself by taking pictures of beautiful items and by not adding to my debt or to my possessions. )

Cute House!

Isn't this a cute house?

There are three triangles on the front of the house (including the front entry.)

Do you see the two arches? One is the window and the other is a detail on the chimney.

The house has two official bedrooms but 2 and a half baths. There is another bedroomish place but the closet was turned into a bathroom - so technically, not a bedroom.

I really dislike garage doors being the focal point of a house. The garage on this house is sort of disguised by being so low - and at the bottom of the hill. The garage door is a sideways sliding door. I've never seen that before - how cool!

I know someone who is thinking of purchasing this house. I'll post more when I know more.

Have a wonderful day!
Kristin

Thrifty & Lucky

I am participating once again in Leigh's Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville. This is where people are welcome to share their thrifty finds and talk about how they use it.


My husband and I used to go to a lot of auctions when we lived in Michigan. i had an antique booth at the Allen Antique Mall in Allen, Mi - which is such a great place. I found so many cool things there before, during and after I had my booth. The suitcases however, came from an auction. I purchased two of them for $10.

I was so excited.

I'm sure I squealed.

Every other time I tried to buy an old suitcase the price got too high. But this auction, no one seemed to care about them.

Towards the end of the sale the auctioneer found another suitcase. The crowd had really thinned and the enthusiasm was getting real low. He picked up the suitcase and said - "Number so&so (my number) I'm sure this was the mate to the ones you purchased earlier."

I squealed again! and I was the proud owner of THREE old suitcases for the bargain price of $10.

Now, I have to admit, we purchased a lot of things at that auction and I didn't get to the suitcases for a few days or possibly even a few weeks. But when I did, I went through each one. There were some papers, bobby pins, a couple of dust cloths, too I think. Nothing of interest or value.

I know you see that envelope of money off to the side. Well, the third suitcase I opened had a large buckled flap inside the top lid. I peeked in the flap, without unbuckling it and didn't see anything. Then I tipped the suitcase to see if anything was hiding and this envelope came into view.

To say that my heart nearly stopped is probably not too far off. I had no idea if the money was real and it was just a joke for whomever opened it - or if it was indeed real. I had no idea if it was $10,000 or $10. I was just so thrilled to be so completely surprised.

When I spread out the cash, this is what I saw. There were $41 in one dollar bills. All of them were Silver Certificates. Then there were a couple of two dollar bills some fives, tens and a couple of twenties. All in all, that envelope contained $105.

Not a single bill is newer than the 1950's. I believe this is what happened...

The couple went on a trip. The husband cleaned out his suitcase - but didn't unstrap the top flap of the suitcase because he didn't remember putting anything there. Then that suitcase got put up on a top shelf and never used again. The other two suitcases were clearly the woman's suitcase just from the items found inside. Her suitcases were used again, but his wasn't. For 45 years, no one ever used that suitcase.

I still have all the cash. Some of the one dollar bills are in sequence. They are fresh from the treasury, never creased - absolute mint condition. I tried to find out how much these bills were worth, but from what I found, none of them were worth selling. I've thought about framing a few of the ones, but I actually really like having them in that old worn envelope.

In our previous home, the suitcases were the storage units for all of my photos and they also served as the bedside table in the guest room. Now these suitcases hang out in our storage room, still holding the photos. Sometime soon I'll find a spot for them, now that I'm thinking about them again.

That's my thrifty post. It's real thrifty - a gain of $95!

Have you ever found something valuable inside anything?

WFMW - Vitamin E

If you haven't ever checked out Works for Me Wednesday, please do this week for sure. This is the second week that "We Are THAT Family" has hosted this event and we've been asked us to give our very best tip this time around. So the tips should be abundant and hopefully, our best! This week We Are THAT Family is sharing her best meal planning tips and already a hundred people have posted their greatest tips. I'd better hurry to get into the top 200!


I have been saving this tip for awhile because it is truly belongs in the Greatest Tip category.

Here's a story for you.

True story.

My mother had a favorite coffee mug that the handle had broken off of at one point. She decided to glue it back on. This was in the late 70's. No Mighty Putty in those days. She poured just brewed coffee into her repaired mug, came downstairs, sat down on the couch and within an instant the mug fell from the handle and into her lap, of course, spilling hot hot coffee all over her.

Thankfully she just had on a housecoat, so she stripped that off and ran upstairs to get the Vitamin E from the kitchen. As fast as she could, she opened up the capsules (with her teeth) and put the liquid on her burnt skin. A dozen or more capsules were used that night. Within a few minutes she had a lot of relief. It was such a widespread burn that I'm sure she still had some pain, but the Vitamin E really did it's job in helping the skin deal with the burn.

The next day she had a red spot about the size of a quarter that was red and burned. She must have missed that part in her haste. Not a single area blistered from that hot coffee burn. She continued to put Vitamin E on her skin for a few days just in case and especially on that part she missed.

Quite a story, huh?

Our family has lots of success stories when it comes to the healing power of Vitamin E for burns and scrapes. As long as I've lived away from home, I've had a bottle of Vitamin E capsules on the kitchen counter, next to my stove - always. Burn your finger on a pan - grab a capsule, break it open with your teeth (it's really soft and easy) and squeeze a little bit of the E on the burn and the pain just goes away. If you get a steam burn - those are nasty because you can't see them -- immediately grab a capsule and spread a thin layer of the E across the area where the steam hit you. The next day, you shouldn't feel a thing.

Vitamin E also helps burns heal if you haven't gotten to it right away. Put a little on each day. It helps to minimize scarring, too. My sister fell off her bike as a young child and skinned up her face - we put Vitamin E on her as often as possible for a few months and those horrible scars just disappeared.

I dropped my curling iron while I was curling my bangs and burned my eyelid of all things! That one I didn't get to immediately but the injury was fully healed in three days and never left a scar. Of course having sticky vitamin e on my eyelid wasn't the most fun, but it was only for a few hours a day for three days.

Vitamin E is completely and totally amazing. Oh and if you have spent too much time in the sun - remember that old friend? I know it's cold out in a lot of the country, but sun burns are so painful - rub some of that Vitamin E on it and you will find that you will peel a lot less and the pain will lessen considerably.

I hope you have found my tip to be helpful. To find more tips, please visit the WFMW page at We are THAT Family.

Have a fabulous day!
Kristin

To see all my previous WFMW tips - click HERE

My Fridge

The other day I cleaned out my fridge. I didn't necessarily throw anything away, but I filled up a sink of hot soapy water and took out each shelf and each bin and washed them, dried them and washed the fridge walls, too. I even washed all of the jars and bottles. The fridge just looked so sparkly shiny that I had to take a picture!






I should have tossed the pancake syrup - it's on the top shelf behind the eggs, but I just know if I toss it, my husband will want to make pancakes for himself this weekend. So far that syrup hasn't been used in about a year? maybe 6 months. anyway, it's been a long time. How long does sugar water last anyway? This stuff probably lasts forever LOL

In the door we have two containers of soy sauce and then we have a little pouring bottle like you see in the restaurants. Ever since I was diagnosed with diabetes, we haven't used the soy sauce. The LaChoy soy sauce is a brand that doesn't use wheat. When I was trying to avoid all wheat products was when we acquired the second bottle. I should ask my neighbors if they would like a bottle. It is so difficult to throw stuff away, even if we don't use it.

Well, that's my nice clean fridge. No science experiments were found in there. I had a boyfriend once that cleaned out the fridge nearly every day. It was just one of his things. That habit sort of wore off on me. Every so often some lettuce or green onions get away from me and they go bad before I can use them, but pretty much I get everything out of the fridge before it becomes something scary.

Have a great day!
Kristin

Changing colors

This was funny - I'd never seen that happen before!



I originally found it on FailBlog.

Kristin

Take it from the stash

Welcome to Monday! This is still a new blog carnival for me so I'm not used to getting this post ready for early Monday mornings. I'll get there!

Make-Do-Mondays are hosted by Ann Kroeker. She says -- "It’s a place to celebrate creative problem-solving, contentment, patience and ingenuity. It’s a carnival where we encourage each other not to rush out and get the next new cool thing if something we have on hand can get the job done." Several others are jumping on the Make-Do carnival, so be sure to go see what everyone is doing this week!


I have been thinking about what I will post for Make-Do-Monday for the past two days. I know that I make do with a lot of things, but as with so many things, I'm just so used to it that it doesn't seem to be a Make-Do type of thing!

Finally, I came up with something -- actually a lot of things and it all happened for one event.

My husband just started a new business (friends and family - yes, another business!) and he had a booth at the Jacksonville Home Show this weekend. The business is a garage organizer system called Monkey Bars which you can see at Gorgeous Garage, if you'd like. So, he had to fill the booth with items typically found in a garage to show how the system was used. He kept telling me that he was going to go out an buy...a rake, a shovel, a cooler, a ladder and/or plastic bins and I kept insisting that he didn't need to. He felt his booth wouldn't be Professional Looking if he didn't have brand new items. He also asked me at one point to go to the store and get some cleaning supplies so he could put them on the shelves.

I was not having any of that. We have plenty of those items right here in our house and at our garage unit. I don't care if it would "just cost a hundred bucks" to get all new - we didn't need to spend a penny and we didn't need to duplicate our already bulging inventory of lawn and garden items. I had him go to our garage and gather the items he wanted to use, I picked out a few manly cleaning supplies from our closet (Sportman's laundry detergent - totally unscented so the deer can't smell the clothing - windshield washer solvent and Armour All) and then I gave everything a quick dusting or used a little Sparkle & a papertowel.

This should be a Mastercard commercial...

Shovel $0
Plastic Bins $0
Cleaning Supplies $0
______________
Happy Wife - Priceless

The booth looked real nice. It also looked real. We didn't have bright shiny stickers on the tools and the coolers had some scratches on them, but everything was in its place in the "garage" and lots of people came in and could see their own stuff sitting on those shelves. The booth looked very professional.

That's my Make-Do-Monday. I made do with the stash of items I already had, instead of buying new. Oh, and a Magic Eraser on the plastic of a standard cooler does wonders!! Those coolers looked brand new. I think the last part of the Make-Do-Part was keeping my cool and not jumping down my husband throat when he kept mentioning new, new, new. I made sure to stay calm and not raise my voice, which really did help him be more receptive to the idea of gently used.

Please go visit Ann and see what the others have posted. Thanks!

Have a great day!
Kristin

Goood day!

Paul Harvey was someone that I heard on the radio all the time when I was growing up. As I got older, I stopped listening to the stations that carried his show - Paul Harvey wasn't a Top 40 guy. I was always really pleased when I got a chance to listen to the noon show. He always made me smile and almost as often he brought a tear to my eye. I always loved to hear...the Rest of the Story.

Paul Harvey died 28 Feb 2009. He was a part of ABC radio for 51 years. He will be missed. He really will. It's certainly the end of an era.

I'm not sure if you listened to Paul Harvey, but the next two quotes that I found today describe Paul Harvey's radio voice and style perfectly.

from TV Barn :Remembering Paul Harvey

A few years ago Marc Fisher captured that feeling perfectly in a profile of Paul Harvey. Fisher, who can be as biting and cynical as any newspaper writer, had come to Chicago to watch his subject do a broadcast. The two men chatted until right before the clock struck noon, and then:

A brief silence. Then a suddenly booming voice nearly rocks me out of my chair: "HELLO AMERICANS! THIS IS PAUL HARVEY! SSTTAANNDD BYYY FOR NEEEEEWS!!!!"

and also...

from TV Barn :Remembering Paul Harvey

Finally, a word about Paul Harvey's non-verbal communication. No one in radio got away with the silences that he did. His pauses weren't just pregnant, they were Nadya Suleman pregnant. They were amazingly long, by radio standards. They challenged the listener's assumption that an interruption to the flow of continuous noise meant something was wrong. Nothing was wrong; Paul Harvey just wanted the listener's attention back, in case it had drifted. The great communicator was speaking to his invisible audience with invisible words. And they listened.

So now, as you finish this, don't just observe a moment of silence for Paul Harvey. Listen to the silence.

Gooood day!
Kristin

Feb. links

Here are all of the links to my February posts.

• My Favorite Blogs
• Where do I fit in?
• She's 30!
• Polaroid Love
• Younger by the Day
• Buy once - Use twice
• Orchids
• One Dollar
• 25th High School Reunion
• Randomness
• Sisterhood Award
• Thrifty side table
• WFMW - address labels
• Great News!
• My Fab Purse
• Zora and the carrot
• Not gonna do it
• Love Hearts
• Paper Eyes
• Tamara de Lempicka
• Mom & the Kitchen
• Seal it up!
• The Great Valentine Swap
• Heart Strings
• Thinking & Singing
• The Cat Car
• Stamp Prices
• Members Only
• WFMW - Image Chef
• DVRs
• Valentines Day Ideas
• Springfield is for sale