Thrift Thursday

I haven't posted any of my thrifting finds for ages. I don't have photos of most of them. I've been mostly getting old bedsheets, some plain to use to try out patterns I'm not sure about and some more interesting ones to sew with too. Also scraps of fabric, books and even a few items of clothing for me and the rest of my household. Here's a picture of some thrift-store finds from mid-July that I didn't manage to actually blog about back then:
Some clothes for my daughter, and some fabric. The books were my favourite part -- I'm sure there's lots of useful info to be found in "How to Make Clothes Fit and Flatter", and "Fun with Scraps" looks as though it could really live up to its name. Hopefully I'll manage to spend some more time looking through them before too much longer.

And now to this week's finds. I went into the thrift store with my mum along which meant she could watch my daughter if I wanted to try on clothes. Consequently I came out with two pairs of trousers, very exciting! Also I've been wanting some shoes for a while: I need some to fill that period between sandal and snow boot weather; something to cover my feet and preferably that I can slip off and on easily for getting down on the floor with my daughter to play (and 'cause I prefer to go unshod whenever I can). I've been looking at Earth shoes online, and in the local shoe store but can't really afford to buy any just at the moment. However, I found these two pairs for just over ten dollars at the thrift store this week. Yay! They both seem barely worn, and seem to fit me nicely. Definitely belong on my 10Things list as the brown pair in particular are making me very happy (and unexpectedly so as I don't like not having a back to my shoes usually, and haven't worn much of any heel in ages).

What's New

I've not even been manage to keep up with editing and posting my links this last week or so. Firstly there was my daughter's first birthday so I was baking cakes and preparing other party food (for two parties no less, one with friends near home and one with my husband's family at his parents' house).

Then last Sunday we got a call to tell us that a dear, wonderful friend had died that morning. It was such a shock to us, we knew she had had some health problems but had no idea that this was coming. Although I can't jump in the car and go help out with her little ones or do errands I have been spending more time than usual on the phone (I hate the phone) and emailing people announcements and updates and so on in an effort to do something helpful. My daughter has started having play phone conversations, and is more than ever determined to help me type and steal my mouse (I have one with a tracking ball thing, she likes to take the ball out and roll it along the floor, then pull down the mouse and stand on the buttons). I think she's looking forward to things settling down a bit.

I have been keeping up with writing my 10 things (as I talked about a couple of weeks ago now) most nights before heading for bed. Sometimes when something so sad happens finding those 10 things can actually be easier. Certainly it has brought home once again how lucky my husband and I are to be part of a wonderful community of singers. They sent cards and email and sang and brought food to our first daughter's memorial service just over two years ago and sustained us through those hard times. Now we can be part of the community helping our friends husband and two small children as best we can.

Amidst all of this I have another thing to add to my things to do. Another thing I came across at happythings blog in fact, her Year of Color group. I noticed it a little while ago, but the year was almost up. However she's just launched A Year of Color 2 (a flickr group) so I decided to join in. It's about time I remember to take pictures of things other than my daughter a little more often!

The first week just ended, and being rather preoccupied this week I just snuck my pictures in rather late in the day. Technically it's Sunday, but I still think of it as being Saturday still because I haven't gone to bed yet, and she didn't post colours for week 2 yet so hopefully I'm alright. For A Year of Color 2 "we will enjoy photos focusing on a DIFFERENT COLOR COMBINATION every week for a year." The colours for Week 1 are pink+green. Here are my pictures:

The first is a lone flower fallen on the side of the path which I noticed when walking home from the store the other day. I don't know where it came from, somebody carrying flowers home perhaps since there were none growing anywhere near that I could see.

The second picture I took the other evening sitting on the couch knitting. I'd pulled up a prayer shawl I'm knitting for our church's prayer shawl ministry. I haven't worked on it in ages but have felt drawn to this week. Caught on it somewhere was this yarn end from knitting soakers for my daughter. There it was on my green stripey pajama trousers.

I think I'm going to enjoy this project!

Accentuate the positive

In my Thursday links post I mentioned :10 Things (there's a blog and a flickr group too) which I found via a post at happythings. I seem to often finish the day grumpy and stressed. There's never enough time in the day to do all that I want, and feel I need to do. Not enough time to finish the laundry and leave the kitchen clean. Not enough time to be alone with my thoughts, to write about my day (especially all those things my daughter has done that seem so novel and precious right now but will get lost in the fog of memory if I don't record them), to work on my craft projects, to read, to sleep...

So I think that this would be a good way to end my day as often as I can. I can record snatches of my day, and go to bed with positive things on my mind: happy thoughts, things accomplished, moments enjoyed.

Here comes my first list (for yesterday). (I don't think I'll be posting them all here, although they may give me jumping off points for posts I guess.)

1. Fresh Pineapple and Chocolate Bread (these first two things I got as treats for my birthday but didn't actually get to eat any of until today)
2. My daughter giggling (lots of sustained giggles and laughs today!)
3. Being at home (it feels restful rather than confining after a few days away with lots of bustle and noise among my husband's family)
4. Getting to take a relatively unhurried shower without worrying about the baby.
   
5. Hugs from my daughter (along with some of the laughing she was snuggling up backwards, sideways, high and low today at times -- often she would be jumping around, exploring, playing and turn to give a hug and then go back to what she was doing)
6. The Hogfather on DVD (my mum sent for my husband's birthday -- we watched the first of the two parts)
7. Not having to cook dinner (we got pizza, not the best pizza unfortunately)
8. Knitting some more on my Monkey socks (just a few more pattern repeats and the toe to go before I have this pair finished)
9. Blood Orange sorbetto (my husband got this to try when he went to pick up milk at the co-op, very tasty. Our daughter insisted she should be allowed to try some too so we gave her some little tastes. She would make a face that looked quite displeased and then immediately start to insist she have some more)
10. Our little girl sleeping in the co-sleeper (rather than between us in the bed) for some of the night (just a few hours, but that's more than she's done in a long time).
    

del.icio.us links of the day
Posted: 05 Jul 2007 12:00 AM CDT

Bubbly Ployes (Buckwheat Pancakes) on Flickr - Photo Sharing! - These look a little like pikelets crossed with pancakes, this makes me want to try the recipe sometime. Also need to try to make pikelets again sometime since I can't get them where I live.

CEREAL BOX GIFT BOX: Craft projects from recycled, reused and natural materials.

:10 Things is a place for gratitude.
Found this blog via a post at "happythings" blog: " 10 Things is a place for gratitude. To be thankful for all sorts of things... big, little and medium." "10 Things features writers and photographers, exploring life's little joys through their lens."

The Validity ( Or Not ) Of Cognitive Tests | Scientific Blogging
"Timothy Salthouse, PhD, a noted cognitive psychologist at the University of Virginia, has demonstrated that giving a test only once isn't enough to get a clear picture of someone's mental functioning. It appears that repeating tests over a short period may give a more accurate range of scores, improving diagnostic workups."

BBC NEWS | Health | Yawning may keep us 'on the ball'
"Yawning may appear the height of rudeness, but in fact your body is desperately trying to keep you awake, according to research from the US."

Mommy Is Truly Dearest - New York Times