Ups and Downs

I should have mentioned when I posted on January 5th that so far in 2017 I hadn't spent any money! Five No Spend days in a row! I wondered how long I could go this month without spending anything at all and well it was Jan. 5th :)
My friend Julie was back from LA and had an empty fridge so I picked up food from Hong Ping and we had a feast! Definitely a money-worthy event.

And it was all downhill from there...as I checked in my local thrift shop for a warm brown hat. There were tons of hats but nothing that suited me or went with its intended brown coat. Oh well, might as well have a wander...

I love metal decor of all sorts and I like watching pieces get weathered.

This will go out on my patio to keep DREAM company.

Now I won't just be dreaming I'll be hoping and dreaming:)

I seem to be lucky lately finding silver filagree work. These 3 flowers are displayed in a shadow box.

Remember this one? Same store. 

And also for my patio - 2 cast iron birds/candle holders - extremely heavy. 

Okay, I'm ready for summer! Too bad it's about a hundred below zero today!

Speaking of the cold... 

I managed to finish a crocheted headband for Kazi.

It looks amazing on her, me not so much.

I'm making one for Hannah too; it's almost done except for 

sizing and sewing on the buttons.

I'm also back in the workshop and have 4 carvings under way - they still look like blobs at the moment so I'll wait til I get to the polishing stage before taking any photos.

Over all I'm happy with how the week went - played volleyball 3 days and rode my stationary bike a couple of times while watching "Trapped" on Netflix. I really love Scandinavian crime shows! This one takes place in Iceland.  And I did my stretches every day (for my sad knee) and my sun salutations as soon as I get up, even though it's still dark out! The result - less pain. Who knew? Well, I guess my physiotherapist...

New (to me) Summer Wardrobe

Finally I got around to taking photos of my recent thrift shop purchases. My sister and I went to Talize while she was visiting and last week a friend and I went to a Goodwill Store. I ALWAYS find some that I need - hee hee!

Considering I've gotten rid of at least 2/3rds of my clothing since I retired I do have closet space. And looking ahead to a summer of hiking/biking and wandering around Ireland I tailored my purchases to my needs. For the most part. Bathing suits are a nightmare!!

Anyhoo...here is a great yoga top - I love the elastic at the bottom so my top doesn't fall into my face during downward dog!

This is a top for running in - I can report today that during yesterday's run I ran much more smoothly and didn't get so winded. And I gave myself only about a minute break halfway through instead of 3-4 minutes. Go me!

A loose fitting T-shirt - multipurpose.

To wear with my jean shorts. Yes, I still wear jean cutoffs! And I likely always will :) You just cannot take the hippy out of the boomers!

I have conceded, however, to NOT wearing tops/dresses with spaghetti straps. Unless I have a tanktop or T-shirt underneath. Here's a really cute tank top I found.

And another, by Roots. I thought it was cute and it fits well.

This is a two-piecer attached at the shoulders. This will be worn with tights.

This will be worn with tights also on somewhat more fancy occasions.

 It has a nice crochet overlay.

I should have done a close up of the one below too as it has a nice lace piece added to the bottom.

I LOVE this next one with a blue shell pattern - the back overlaps creating a drape-y effect!

Shorts were on for half price so I got 3 pairs in basic neutral colours.

BOYFRIEND jeans!! Always wanted a pair :)

 Another great pair of jeans in a dark blue wash - don't tell anyone but these have a stretchy waistband with faux buttons and zipper :)

I think I have forgotten a couple of things - such as, I found a blue short-sleeve Columbia hiking shirt which fits well, that'll go to Ireland with me. And I bought a NEW (on sale) pair of stretchy capris for yoga and biking. I think I have all the bases covered! As for NEW stuff I would like to magically find a lovely bathing suit that hides all of my flaws (HAH!!), some new undies and socks and maybe another pair of hiking pants if I can find my favourite kind.

Have you found any good deals lately??

This, That and the Other Thing

Today was a day of getting things done around the house. It's cold and gloomy outside and I just didn't feel like walking/running in the woods. Brrrrrrrrr! Yes, I'm doing some trail running. I've only fallen once! And it didn't hurt too bad! Damn tree root!

Among my other trail injuries is a Harry Potter lightning bolt shaped scratch on my forehead from pushing into a thicket to get some a--hole's empty water bottle. I HATE litterers! As soon as Kazi saw it she asked (sensitively-HAH!) "how'd ya get the Harry Potter forehead?" I also have another scrape and bruise on my forehead from bending over to clean out the kittys' litter boxes and I whacked my head on the laundry tub!

So I have to stay home til I get healed up - I'm not allowed out in public!

So here's what I accomplished today (so far...):

• made oat scones
• made granola

I think I should be called Oaty McOatface!! Hahahahahaha! Click HERE if you're not sure of my reference :)

I think I hit my head too hard!

Carrying on...

• I finished my first infinity scarf - now that summer's on its way..... 

•  the cats got into a hissy fit over the cat beds so I had to separate them. For some reason they both prefer the FIRST bed I bought and neither wants to use the other two for Pete's sake! So Lily "volunteered" to use one of the newer beds and of course I had to take cute pet photos :)

Lilypad

Luna- the big fat balloona!

Maybe it's because Luna needs two!!

• a piece of paint got chipped off my LOVE decor item so I mixed up some green and blue acrylic paints and touched it up!  

• I worked on  couple other things in the workshop - the piece below fell and got chipped so I had to smooth that out plus I'm flattening the top (it was rounded) so that it can hold a beautiful rock once it's polished. 

•  I worked on another small piece and have the final shape figured out - it's going to be a shadow box carving. (I didn't feel like polishing today.

•  I went around the entire house to find the perfect spot for this little art piece below - it's one of my Talize $1.99 finds when my seester and I went thrifting - I haven't shown you ANY of the great stuff I got - that's another post I guess. I hope I can remember what I bought! I fell in love with this - the frame is great and the silver/silver-plated/steel??? work is so intricate and far eastern-ish. 

 Here's a closer look:

Isn't it great?
The photo below shows its new home.

So that's my day - it was pretty productive. Oh, and I also read for awhile. See, I get a lot done when I don't go outside!

Did you have a productive day? Any new injuries lately? 

Now for a beer!

Cheers!

Eggs are Real FOOD!!

...except for the chocolate kind.....nuff said.

I finished painting the second of 2 shelves in the kitchen though it wasn't easy. When Luna fixates on something she can be very very stubborn. She was bound and determined to jump on and off each section that I painted which led to...

...me having to chase her around to clean her paw pads and then clean the floor. The photo below shows only one painty pad belonging to Lily. She's a little more tentative than Luna - she put one front paw on a wet shelf, didn't like it, and ran off. It took me a little while to learn my lesson but I think I've got it figured out now. Put kitties in the basement when painting....

That was Wednesday. On Thursday I had SO MUCH FUN!! I still had over $200 left for March so I set out to do some shopping!  I felt I could do better in this little area by the front door than this "Welcome" chicken and small shelf for our keys. So...I went looking...

 ...and found this at Michael's craft store. I added the decorative hooks for our keys...

...and I also added a "boat's wheel" door knocker that had been on our front door when I was a kid. My dad was in the navy and combined ops during WW11 and this was his door knocker though I don't know where he got it from.

...and yesterday my friend Troy gave me some wind chimes so they're hanging there until I can get outside again.

My other purchase at Michael's was a new spring wreath for the front door - I had a 30% off coupon plus my senior's discount - isn't it pretty? I love pansies!

Then I went on a little spree at my local thrift shop where I found this letter "H" which I am going to paint and then attach to the top of my new key rack.  (H for Harrison)

After organizing our coats, hats, scarves, gloves etc on the coat tree in the freshly painted nook at the bottom of the stairs I had a few odds and sods that didn't fit in the boxes. So I went to Talize hoping to find a nice basket for the coat closet to hold the leftovers. And I did! This one is Luna approved!

Great fit!

Among other Talize finds... a napkin holder... (Lily approved)...

...and this antique iron hook - I haven't figured out where to put it yet but I NEEDED it!

I also went to the wine store :) and the grocery store. I used a bunch of my President's Choice points and ended up paying only $20 for Easter groceries! I purchased wine for two potluck suppers I was attending over the long weekend along with pumpernickel bread/spinach dip, and Thai food for the other potluck. I still ended up having money leftover which went into my small emergency fund that I keep hidden away here at home.

The $3.00 kitten bed I purchased at Dollarama continues to be THE PLACE for naps. Sometimes they both squeeze in and sometimes one lays on top of the other. If neither of those options work then even snuggling up to the outside of the bed with one's head hanging on the inside is preferable than NO kitty bed at all. They are quite obsessed with it - once in they stay in all day!!

We're in...I think...

Face to face.

Don't even think about saying anything about my butt!

 

Get off my larynx!

When you can't be IN you can at least be close!

I hope your Easter was a happy one! And that you did better resisting all the chocolate than I did. I had a fabulous hike yesterday - it was sunny and +17c - just delightful. Then by about 10pm it started to thunderstorm - it was WILD!! And today it's cold again, more rain, a bit of snow - blechhh! Large pools of water are everywhere as the earth can't absorb any more. Alright, quit already!!