15.12.09 / Uncategorized / Author: TWGranE / Comments: (0)
Tags: Christmas Gifts Electronics Simple
Say NO to ELO.
(Oh no not another flashback story, Granny!)
Well some of the lyrics to “Don’t Bring Me Down” are fitting for my simple tip, but I am not referring to Electric Light Orchestra. I’m using their acronym to point the way to keeping within your Christmas budget.
Say NO to Electronics, little ones!
I know as children get older it is harder and harder to keep their gifts in budget. They all NEED big ticket items. But you can do what’s best for your little ones by shying away from the big ticket electronic games and gadgets.
Say YES to active and cuddly items that you remember loving as a child. They have not gone out of style. Bikes, scooters, pogo sticks, dolls, Teddy bears, blankets, pillows, pajamas, and fuzzy pink house shoes all cost less than virtual hamsters and dress-up MP3 players. Isn’t that want you do with dolls? Why are we buying dress-up clothes for cell phones and other electronics?
The inter-active video games I haven’t grasped yet. Maybe it’s because I can’t afford one, but don’t we all have that tiny thought in the back of our minds that it would be better for our children and ourselves — on all kinds of levels — to actually meet up with a friend and play tennis or take the family on a trip to the bowling alley?
I’ll leave you with some lyrics from the 1983 ELO song “Don’t Bring Me Down.” You can draw your own correlation to the world of electronics versus real old-fashioned practical gifts.
You got me runnin goin OUT OF MY MIND,
You got me thinkin that I’m WASTING MY TIME
Don’t bring me down, no no no no no
What happened to the girl I used to know
You let your MIND OUT somewhere down the road
Don’t bring me down, no no no no no
I’ll tell you once more before I get off the floor
Don’t bring me down.
14.12.09 / Uncategorized / Author: TWGranE / Comments: (0)
Tags: Children, Christmas, Crafts, Food
After popping a bag of popcorn, we snuggled in to watch a favorite holiday movie. After a few handfuls, my daughter soon lost interest and the bag found a comfy little crack in the couch to settle in for the winter.
As I was saving my couch and prying out the wedged bag, I came to an impasse: Do I THROW AWAY food or do I roll it closed and stuff it in the bread box to be thrown away two weeks from now?
Now, I hope you agree that there is something wrong with throwing away food, and I’m sure you know that popcorn grows stale after about five minutes.
Then, I had one of my BRILLIANT ideas! How fun would it be to string it! I was startled to find out my youngest had no idea what I was talking about and had, in fact, had that “mom-I-think-you-have-finally-gone-over-the-deep-end” look on her face.
This made me wonder what other traditions, Christmas or otherwise, that I have assumed my children knew just because they were parts of my memories.
Guess what parents? YOU are in charge of making your children’s memories. The bonus here is that these simple moments are the memories that last.
Tips for stringing the popcorn:
- Keep the thread on the spool. That way you can make your garland as long as possible.
- Thread, dental floss and fishing line all work.
- Let the popcorn sit out for a while. It is less likely to break if it is stale.
- After the holidays, put the garland outside for the birds.
23.10.09 / Uncategorized / Author: TWGranE / Comments: (0)
Tags: Garage Sales; 38 Special; love; 80s; work
I love this story because it has everything a good story should have: A conflict, a climax and a conclusion, but I’ll skip to the Good Parts.
SETTING: It started with a ring (not the shiny, glitzy kind, but the more annoying kind — that of a cell phone) and 38 Special (not the police issued weapon of destruction, but the country-fried rock band of the ’80s).
I am fine with the band 38 Special, it’s just with music comes memories. For some reason this band always makes me think of bad dates in a Camaro with a big eagle detailed on the hood. I have a co-worker who is stuck, stuck in the ’80s, that’s a tough decade for rock! Yikes, I’ll take my stuck in the ’60s flashback music any day.
CONFLICT: OK, so it rings and it rings and she takes phone call after phone call (part of her work, when it rings, she sells) and I keep thinking, man, I should never have gone out with him or man, we should never have driven so fast.
After about three months of me re-evaluating my adolescence, I finally decide to crimp her individual style and say, “GIRL, YOU GOTTA CHANGE THAT RING TONE!”
About a month later, she says “Hey Granny” I changed my ringtone. The good news doesn’t last long before she got her first call. There it is again, ANOTHER 38 Special ringtone. I don’t know about you and maybe it’s my old age, but doesn’t one 38 special song sound like another?
Segue to my weekend hobby — garage saling. There it is in a pile of rubble (where it probably
They were made for each other!
belonged), a concert shirt from that very special band. I was giggling so much, I almost couldn’t count change! Of course I had to share the story with the merchant. It was a magical moment.
I got to the part when she changed the ring tone, when the 40-something bargain seller butted in and finished my sentence for me – “SHE CHANGED IT TO ANOTHER 38 SPECIAL TUNE.” That was an instant bond, we laughed and laughed while the other shoppers and sellers checkedtheir watches.
CLIMAX: In the Fall of ‘89 my 38-lovin’ co-worker, met and fell in love with her husband. This year they celebrated their 14 anniversary. On the blessed day she received a mouth-dropping gorgeous bouquet of flowers. The card had the sweetest endearment ever, “Happy Anniversary. Wear the 38 Special T-Shirt Tonight!”
CONCLUSION: MY WORK HERE IS DONE!
12.09.09 / Home Improvement / Author: TWGranE / Comments: (0)
Tags: Green, Hair Spray, roadside pickup, Shakespeare, Victorian homes
Porches are absolutely, positively, perfect places for peaceful pondering. Pardon my homage to Hairspray … Prudy Pingleton: “Penny Lou Pingleton, you are absolutely, positively, permanently punished.”
My rounded front porch was one of the first things that caught my eye on our 100+ Victorian little lady. When it started sagging and cracking last summer, I couldn’t imagine what my house or my life would be like without our wonderful porch. This became reality when my husband backed his truck up to the house, slipped a chain around the posts and put it in overdrive. It came down in one final crash.
I quickly grabbed the antique columns and loaded the rest in a dump truck. The columns became bed posts and our curb appeal became barren.
We quickly learned the cost of materials, but what really shocked us was the rarity and the cost of carved posts. We needed at least 7 and at over $100 for each post, we were worried we’d go way over budget.
My scavenging mode kicked in. I began driving by old houses, waiting for the yellow caution tape to appear. It took about 2 months and jackpot – a Trak-hoe pulled up to the house across the street and, voila, I got 7 carved posts, complete with gingerbread trim just for asking.
Saving us over $700! Although they are not holding up a roof yet, they sure look pretty lying on our front porch!
But switching to Shakespeare. “”What’s in a post? That which we call a porch by no other support posts would only be a deck. Pardon my homage to Willy, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.”
02.09.09 / Uncategorized / Author: TWGranE / Comments: (0)
Tags: ebay, garage sale, money
Nothing is sweeter than citywide garage sales, except the day before citywide! Fearing I would not have the stamina (or the money)(or the driving skills) to go to hundreds on Saturday, I armed myself with 20 bucks cash, enlisted a driver (my devoted husband) and headed North. Driver was needed because I am unable to maneuver tricky alley way parking and able to read signs and watch traffic at the same time. My husband brought more dough into the deal, but my twenty bucks was my twenty bucks to be used in the GREAT AMERICAN GARAGE SALE EXPERIENCE, referred to here on out as the GAGSE! Simple really, buy really cool stuff for my own use and buy really cool stuff for resale to finance my GAGSE and make some extra moo-la.
I did amazingly well, impressing even myself! Here’s my loot: Big yellow Mexican clay girl figurine (KEEP), 1960’s Starburst German Metal Clock (KEEP – it so matches our vintage Shasta trailer); 10 large pink chandelier crystals (KEEP – already hanging from our front entry light – Thank you Erin!); Giraffe baby blanket (SELL); 9 pair of Vintage Hose NIP, some with back seams and heel design (UNDECIDED, these would look really cool and unsure of resell on these); Sunflower Cross Stitch Pillow Kit (KEEP – winters here get really long), Victorian Dolls Stitch and stuff Kit (KEEP, ditto); I Dream of Genie Costume (KEEP, I’ll sell it next year!), adult cat costume (SELL, I can’t pull that one off); Bratz “lips” doll bed (KEEP, until daughter grows out of that phase); Kids Weaving Loom for potholders (KEEP, hey I need new potholders!); Tupperware Deviled Egg container (KEEP, watch out office potlucks!); Alfafa Bobble Head (SELL!); Vintage plastic Flower lamp (KEEP, hanging in my new Art/Office); Bratz Carrying Case (KEEP – Dah); Baby Clothes – Levi Jacket, Minnie Mouse Coat, Dora Shoes, Strawberry Shortcake Shoes, 2 Dora fleece pullovers, Infant Cowboy Boots (SELL, SELL, SELL, SELL, SELL, SELL, SELL); 2 Tupperware Christmas Labelors (Ah, want am I going to do with these?); Vintage Tandy Zackman Handheld game (SELL); Antique Princess 6′ mirror (KEEP, needs some work); Giraffe Keychain (KEEP, oldest likes giraffes for some strange reason); Most Awesome Scarf from Paris (KEEP – Absolutely); 2 Vintage Brooches (1 KEEP – goes with Paris scarf, 1 SELL – Christmas item); Victorian 3D Bathroom Art (KEEP – gotta love bathroom art!); Hannah Montana Slippers (KEEP – but she better keep tags on them); A bunch of Corn Cob Handle thingies (KEEP – we so needed these); New Iron (KEEP, unfortunately I don’t believe in ironing)
THAT’S IT – WITH $1 LEFT OVER!
Halloween items are up on ebay already. Working on the others. I’ll let you know if I come ahead. But, I bet I do! Thanks for reading and check back for results of the GAGSE!
