Goodwill Hunting! My trips to the Goodwill Store and Craigslist.

My trips to Goodwill are soooo exciting that when I pull into the parking lot I already know I'm walking out with something to adorn my home. The last time I was there, incredulously one month ago I saw a large doll house, made in America by KidKraft.  It just so happened I was already searching on the Internet for dollhouses, Craigslist, my sister in law and nothing was working.  I just kept thinking, I'm not paying full price for a dollhouse that maybe my kids will play with for a second.  They are four but they also love being outside and if I love a product, I'm putting my money down at a 100% bet they won't play with it.

Those thoughts kept me from paying over $100 for a doll house that maybe they would play with in the future. One sunny morning after the purchase of a delicious DD (Dunkin Donuts coffee) I convinced my husband (not a lot of convincing really, I'm lucky he loves to shop!) to stop into the Goodwill store with me.

Would you believe right in the front of the store to my left was the Savannah model, just the Kidkraft doll house I was looking for; elevator, southern style front porch, the height I wanted, some accessories!  I was blown away, how could this be?  I brought this dollhouse into my psyche and it appeared!  There was only one problem, the stairs leading throughout the house were split in half!  Yikes!  My husband quickly vetoed the purchase and as I actively tried to convince him that I could possibly fix it, he said once more, "For $50 it's not worth it.  We can buy a brand new one for like $75."

I already knew the dollhouses I liked with the accessories I liked (doesn't this sound like it's a toy for me?) and they were in the $100+ range.  Uh-oh. Keep looking I say to myself.  I was a little rebuffed but I thought I'm not willing to repair the stairs and even if I did, my girls could demolish the stairs within seconds of my adhesion!

After just a few days or so, I found a beautiful dollhouse made by Kidkraft on Craigslist in Frederick, MD.  Just a half hour from my parents home, I could pick up the doll house and head to lovely Virginia for the weekend with my get ready for this.......$50 purchase!!!!!  The dollhome I found on Craigslist was the same price as the one I found at Goodwill but better it was like brand new!  Nothing broken!  Yah!

Goodwill certainly has an array of items for purchase that can and will be useful to any home; I just couldn't and can't be impulsive anymore.  Frugality is key but waiting patiently on an item is also important.  Aren't these lessons also important in parenthood; teaching our children that waiting for the right time for anything can be worth the wait and buying something of quality means we can and do deserve something good.  Lastly, I still love Goodwill and I gotta a 20% coupon burning a hole in my wallet!!

A close version of my daughters' dollhouse.  Lovely.

Refinishing Furniture....... the joy it brings, renewal.

I've been refinishing furniture for years now, probably 10+ years and let me tell you if I find an old piece of furniture and it has good bones, looks good, and can serve a function or two, I'm buying it and refinishing it!

I LOVE IT.  I actually think I love furniture.  My grandfather was a carpenter.  He built homes.  He loved flowers. I love flowers.  When something is natural and apparent to me, I just go for it.  That's how I feel about furniture and flowers.  I prune and I paint.  Here's an Adirondack chair (thank sister in law here) I received the pair

Do you just love this chair?  It's begging for some stain so I added white paint.  My favorite pristine white for an Adirondack chair.  I love the way it turned out.  Our view here faces the US Naval Academy.  I thought it perfect for a view of the coast line, even if we aren't the Hampton's or the Cape (Cape Cod that is).  These chairs are comfortable and they were free.  It took me a couple of weeks to get them prepped, sanded, and painted.  While I painted in the garage, my neighbors commented on how long I worked on these chairs.  (I really didn't put in strenuous labor, it just looked like I did).

I think what amazes me about refinishing furniture is the sheer pleasure I get from taking something old, something maybe you would throw out and making it come alive again.  We are the culture of renewing, recycling, and refurbishing.  Mom (my Mom) told me that former US President Jimmy Carter's non profit Habitat for Humanity fame has a store in Leesburg, VA.  There they take items from people's old homes, items they didn't have a use for, flooring, sinks, and kitchen cabinetry and they sell it on a deeply discounted ledge and the profits go back into Habitat for Humanity.  Amazing.

I LOVE THIS IDEA!!  Our world is shifting.  We can teach our kids that loving something old is not a bad thing; that you don't have to shop at Crate & Barrel to have the best dishes, tables, or CHAIRS.  I'm teaching my four and a half year old twin daughters that because something is rough around the edges doesn't mean it's not worth saving. By the way they helped me paint the chairs; they were good at it too, minus the drips.  Girls' watch those drips!!

Sophie if you sat in Mommy and Daddy's chairs, would you get a splinter?  Yeah, you just might. It won't hurt you.  Don't blame the chair.  That's Mommy's chair and it only cost me two cans of spray paint ($8.00) 

Give me your beautiful finger and I'll take the splinter out and we'll start all over again.  Let's look at the stars together and I promise you won't be disappointed.  We will watch the stars in this beautiful white chair and it will deliver, splinters included.  Anyone got a band aide?