This is how I feel today. And we are only two days into the week. Someone needs a nap!

Happy Tuesday!

Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Teddy Bear?

This weekend didn’t go according to plan. My fella, also known as Mr. Wonderful, lives about 90 minutes from me so we take turns visiting on weekends. This was his weekend to come here for some thrifting and hiking but his sinuses were not so wonderful and he spent all of Saturday in bed.

So I took myself out for a little adventure, literally going wherever the wind blew me. One of my stops was at an antique mall where I found something that I have been seeking for literally a year or more. And you will think it’s silly but that’s ok.

Little Red Riding Hood Salt and Pepper Shakers.

They match a milk pitcher that Mr. Wonderful gave me last year. We had found another set of salt and peppers several months ago but they were almost $40 and my frugal self couldn’t compute the price tag.

This set was just $14. Smiles!!

Fortunately Mr. Wonderful was a bit better yesterday so we met for a movie. If you haven’t seen “TED” it is cute, vulgar and irreverent. It’s a little low brow but you just need that once in a while.

Besides, it isn’t every day you hear Peter Griffin’s voice come out of a teddy bear.

I also cleaned a closet and got in a little exercise. Jillian Micheals and Leslie Sansome are doing their best to help me be healthy. Too bad I sabotaged their efforts with  a milkshake during my solo road trip and movie candy!

What did you do this weekend?

OMG, now I want a cake!

 
You can tell the weekend is almost here because this was me at lunchtime, pinning away at everything in sight. So many good ideas, so little time. Isn’t Pinterest wonderful?

Easy peasy pancake mix

Do you love pancakes? Then I have a great recipe for you! In fact, I will never buy pancake mix again. This homemade mix is cheap, quick and tasty.  It can be whipped up in five minutes and it makes Bisquick taste like powdered cardboard.

Easy Peasy Pancakes

1 1/2 Cups Flour

3 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Salt

1 Tablespoon White Sugar (I substitute Splenda)

1 1/4 Cups Milk

1 Egg

3 Tablespoons Butter, Melted

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

In a large bowl, sift together all dry ingrediants. Make a well in the center and pour in the remaining ingrediants. Mix well. Heat a lightly oiled grilled over medium heat. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

I like to get crazy with my pancake toppings using a cheap pancake syrup as a base. Some of my favorite flavors to add to the syrup are peanut butter, frozen blueberries or even fresh strawberries. I just bring the syrup to boil in a saucepan and then add fruit or peanut butter to taste. Sometimes I’ll just use a bunch of whipped cream with fresh fruit.

Do yourself a favor and whip up a batch of these pancakes this weekend. By the way, if you’re a singleton like me and think you can never eat a batch of pancakes by yourself, this recipe freezes really well. Just  place them on a cookie sheet in the freezer until they are solid. Then toss them in a freezer safe container until you’re ready for them. Zap ’em in the microwave and you’re ready to go!

It’s a little dusty

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This is my bike. It is July and this is the first day my bike has left the house since last October. How sad is that? What did this beautiful, shiny, new bike do to me that I refuse to take it out for a spin once in a while? Am I really so busy that I can’t go for a little ride?

Remember when you were a little kid and how much you loved your bike? Or was that just me?

Maybe we should spend less time working and running and stressing and more time doing the things that bring us joy. Real joy. Not the artificial kind that comes from watching a stupid tv show or the fleeting kind that comes from buying a new pair of shoes. The kind of joy that makes us feel young again, the kind that you can’t buy.

Grab your bike! I’ll race you!

At least we tried

My thrifting adventure in Columbus yesterday didn’t yield the treasures I had envisioned but we had a good time anyway. My friend and I have known each other since the fifth grade and have been through thick and thin but we don’t see each other much so it was fun just to have a little time together.

A disturbing trend we noticed though was that the thrift store prices really weren’t so great. In fact, some of the prices seemed ridiculous. Thirty dollars for a Home Interiors print in a banged up frame is not a deal. Three dollars for a glass jar that you can buy at the Dollar Tree for, well, a dollar – isn’t a deal either. I will admit that the exception to that statement was in the kids clothes department. My friend came home with several nice clothing items for her little girl for just a few dollars.

I just wonder if this is a product of the recession or simply bad decision making among those who price donations. I mean, the pricing in thrift stores has always seemed very subjective to me.You would think that maintaining fair prices would help thrift stores remain profitable through a time when many people simply can’t afford to buy new things. But what do I know?

Nonetheless, we didn’t spend much money or come home with a lot but we did have fun! Here are a few things that came home with me (Sorry for the bad photography. I was tired).

To be fair, the books and the Ben Folds Five dvd actually came from the clearance shelf at Half Price Books, also known as Heaven on Earth.

Here’s a closer look at the lovely little Liz & Co. necklace at the bargain price of just $3.99.

And two glass bottles for .50 each because you can never have too many cool vessels to put flowers in!

This was my favorite thrifting purchase of the day. This sweet little ceramic bowl was .99 and will go very well with my collection of mid-century pieces.

These caught my eye on the TJ Maxx clearance rack because I am an organizational freak and am always looking for containers that suit my needs. This set of three glass containers with airtight lids set me back a whole $5. And not to beat a dead horse but the thrift stores were selling similar containers for five and six dollars each.

Sigh.

I also picked up a Worthington brand skirt for fall and a pair of New Balance capris for $3 apiece. They were in the washer by the time these pictures were taken.

Not bad for a day of goofing off with a friend, eh?