It was purple and sparkly…

That’s my defense. It was purple and sparkly. The eraser, that is. And I stole it.

Let me back up. I was in first grade, and was out shopping with my mom. At the time I had a strange penchant for carrying plastic bags around, and I remember asking for one at the Disney Store. For the record, I have no idea why my mom brought a 6 year old and a 1 year old into the Disney Store, but I distinctly remember carrying that bag around.

We were on our way out, and walking through a department store. I was swinging the bag and there was a small purple sparkly eraser in it. The strange thing is, I don’t remember how it got there. I can tell you how I think it got there. My 6 year old self saw that sparkly eraser and needed it. Knowing mom wouldn’t buy it for me, I slipped it into my large Disney Store bag, probably figuring no one would notice.

So here I was, swinging my bag around, on our way out of the department store when something weird happened. My mom knew I’d stolen something. I can only assume it’s a super power acquired in Mommy School which I have yet to attend, but she just knew. To this day I still don’t know how. So, right beside a display of Polo shirts she made me open my bag and show her what was inside. Then, we went to a register and paid. I was allowed to keep the eraser and used it in school.

The thing is, I felt guilty every time I used it. Clearly another mommy tactic to teach me a lesson.

 

This post inspired by Mama Kat’s Losin It writing prompt, write about a time you stole something.

Hello, my name is Megg, and I’m addicted to pictures

Once, I babysat for a family who had pictures everywhere. On the walls, on the mantle, snapshots on the fridge. Everywhere you turned there were pictures, both professional and candid, all over their house. I was only in high school, but I swore I’d make my home the same, when I got one.

Needless to say, I’m now addicted to frames. Every wall space in my house is filled. It’s not all pictures; our TV room has a movie/TV/book theme, but there are pictures on the mantle, and a wedding canvas hanging over the fireplace. There are pictures on bookshelves, pictures on the wall, and the coffee tables. There’s a picture on Geoff’s bedside table, and another hanging by my dresser. I even have a picture on the bathroom counter, and hanging on a bathroom wall. I love pictures, and I love frames.

There are pictures of Geoff and I, of course. Pictures of his family, our extended family, and our best friends. And, naturally, there are pictures of the kitties.

While I was printing out our professional pictures, I took the time to finally hang up this collage we got for Christmas. I love that it’s a mix of wedding pictures and our couples pictures!

It’s been years since I bought a brand new frame. I used to scour Marshalls and Home Goods for fun frames, and many of the frames I have now are from there.

So when we got our professional pictures taken, I knew I would get a few prints made, and put in frames, hanging around the house. After all, what good are pictures if you don’t look at them daily? I knew I wanted to put two 8 x 10 pictures on the wall next to our bed, but I also knew 8 x 10 frames are expensive, so I started looking at thrift stores, my favorite place to buy frames these days.

I was sad to discover that the frames they had to offer weren’t that impressive. The good ones were missing backs or glass, the bad ones were, well, bad. There were a few in decent shape, but most of them didn’t match, and I was feeling picky that night.

I finally settled on these bad boys. They’re in great shape, they match, and best of all? They were $3 because it was “wacky Wednesday” and I got 60% off.

Obviously I don’t need a couple faded pictures that say, “Tea and Honey” and “Happiness is having a friend by your side”, so I took those out.

I’m pretty pleased with the final result!

Don’t mind the not-so-great iPhone picture.

It’s hanging in our bedroom, next to the bed and I love it!

Mash-up Monday

Mrs. Monologues has a linkup called Mash-up Monday, where I can post a bunch of random things! My favorite type of post. This week it’s a bit of a photo dump!

This picture epitomizes one of the things I love about summer. This weekend I washed two loads of laundry and dried both on the line! I enjoy the fact that I (accidentally) alternated my matching work shirts. I also dried our sheets on the line. I do love the smell of line dried sheets.

I also put together our patio furniture! Yay, we finally bought some, and yay we finally got it set up! The week I ordered it, the weather was gorgeous. Of course when it was delivered a week later, the weather was miserable. Thankfully this past weekend it was very nice out, so we put it together, just in time for a BBQ with friends!

I also hung a bunch of pictures! This one is hanging in our living room. I was thinking that the pictures were looking a little small on the large wall, even though they’re 8 x 10s. Anyway, I love the new look! (More on my crazy frame/picture obsession tomorrow).  I also feel the need to add that my living room is still a work in progress so try not to judge my 1989 chairs. They’re being taken care of.

Our bank had a “deal” about a year and a half ago, where if we deposited a certain amount into a savings account we’d get a $50 Visa gift card. If we kept that amount into our account for a year, we’d get another $50 gift card. So, we made it our emergency fund account, and a year later we had $100! To reward ourselves for our saving and splurge, we went to The Melting Pot! We had cheese and chocolate (and drinks) and it was wonderful. This was our chocolate!

 I have a new necklace in my Etsy shop! Laura, whose sister-in-law is having twins, requested this two peas in a pod necklace! I think it’s adorable and was really excited to make it for her! I decided it’s perfect for anyone with twins, close friends or sisters, or children…and you can add as many as you want!

I’m offering 10% off my wire wrapped jewelry right now! Just use the code NESTING for 10% off!

I promise I’m not an alcoholic

Last weekend I drank a lot of beer. Before you start giving me AA suggestions, I will tell you that this isn’t normal. It was still excellent.

That Mac and Jack’s glass does have a Mac and Jack’s beer in it!

I suppose it started on Easter. Yup, Easter. We had brunch with a couple who are also “Easter orphans”, as we call ourselves. Their family lives in Pennsylvania and ours in Utah and Massachusetts, so we didn’t have anywhere to go. It was lovely. I made monkey bread, and they made a breakfast casserole. We chatted, and drank orange juice out of beer glasses. Oh, did I mention they collect beer glasses? Aside from our nowhere-near-family syndrome, we share a love of beer. Who knew?

Fast forward to Mother’s Day. We went out to lunch (it happened to be Mother’s Day that we chose to do this, and yes, it was crowded) and the conversation turned to beer. I suddenly decided I wanted to collect beer glasses too, mostly because I wanted to be cool. Turns out there are about a million (ok that’s a bit of a hyperbole) breweries in the Seattle area. So we made plans to head to the Snoqualmie Brewery the next weekend.

Luckily for me, beer glasses range from $2.50 to $5 so this isn’t an expensive habit. We left Snoqualmie with a new appreciation for different beers, full tummies, and a new glass.

The next day, we decided to head to our local Mac and Jack’s brewery, again with our friends. This brewery is tiny, has only half a dozen beers and serves restaurants and bars across only Washington, Idaho and Oregon. It’s a home brewer’s dream grown up, literally (it started in Jack’s garage!) Happily, Mac and Jack’s offers free tours (of a tiny brewery!) which come with 4 samples and a free glass. Um, I’m in! Not only that, but it’s in the city we live in, so there was virtually no driving time!

The four samples equaled out to about a glass of beer, so all in all it was an excellent decision. Since we hadn’t spent any money, Geoff and I decided to get a growler.

Why yes, I am wearing a Sam Adams sweatshirt over a Kona Brewing Company t-shirt. Thanks for asking.

Growlers are new to me, because we don’t have them in Massachusetts, but it’s basically a half gallon of beer. We chose the Serengeti Wheat, in case you were wondering.

After that, we headed to the Black Raven brewery, which is actually a bar with no food. We sampled 10 of their beers, and ordered tacos from the truck outside. It was most excellent. We picked out a glass for $2, and headed home, a little tipsy (me, at least) and very satisfied.

And that was our weekend ‘o beer. In case you were curious, since we don’t need two Mac and Jack’s glasses, the extra one is being sent to my brother-in-law for his birthday, along with another one I found at a thrift store. Score one for me and my excellent present giving!

So yes, I drank a lot of beer last weekend. But it was also a lot of fun.

On Embarrassment

I’m linking up for Mama Kat’s writer’s workshop. The prompt is “write about a time your child embarrassed you in public.” Since I don’t have a child, I decided to write about a time my dad embarrassed me. I’m fudging the prompt a bit, deal with it 🙂

I was 12 years old and my dad couldn’t be more embarrassing. He would pull out an old driver’s license which showed hair past his shoulders. He would show up and, God forbid, talk to my friends. He would wear socks that didn’t match, and show people. He was downright humiliating. The worst part was, everyone else thought he was funny! Didn’t anyone see what I saw?

To prefice what happened this Saturday night, you have to know a little about me in middle school. When I was in middle school our church youth group was very small and tight. We would often get together for games on Saturday nights, or after youth group. One of our favorite things to do was watch The Princess Bride. To this day I still can quote the whole movie because I watched it so many times! On this particular night we were at the house of a volunteer, playing Balderdash. It was fun, and when it was time to go home , I called my house for a ride. My dad showed up shortly after, because we only lived down the street.

I got up to let him in and he walked into the room. Wearing an eye mask and proclaiming he was the Dread Pirate Roberts.

The mask looked like this. My dad, unfortunately, doesn’t look like Carey Elwes.

My friends never let me live that night down, at least for a few years. To this day, my dad is still known as “Cool Mr. Steve” to many of my childhood friends. The difference? I now look back and laugh at the so-called humiliations and imagine the fun and silly ways my own husband may embarrass our future children.

Oh and dad? I love you, too.

Why I love ebates

Disclaimer: This is a post with affiliate links. However, I only get a whopping $5 for every referral, so I’m certainly not getting rich. If you want to join and don’t feel like supporting me, I’ll be sad, but it’s OK. Just go directly to the site instead. 🙂

I love Ebates. So much. I’ve earned $30.27 since I started last year, and while that’s not a lot of money, it’s a decent amount of cash back! Here’s how it works: Whenever you need to buy something online, check Ebates first. For example, we recently bought furniture from Home Depot. I clicked on the Home Depot link through Ebates and bam! $11 cash back on my purchase. Like I said, it’s not a lot, but it adds up after a bit! You get a check 4 times a year. My first check was $7, my second $9, and my 3rd will be at least $13, as of right now!

I typically use Ebates when I order pictures online. I do this all the time, since I scrap my pictures. However, I’ve also used it for my L.L.Bean purchase for Geoff’s birthday, and flowers for Mother’s Day. It takes so little time, and even if you’re only getting a $7 check, it’s $7 you didn’t have before! So check it out!

The best part is that you’ll get a choice of a gift card for Barnes and Noble, Target, Home Depot or Magazines.com for $10, or $5 Ebates cash. So go join!

Frugal Mash-up

Mrs. Monologues started this new link-up and I love it! I love random stuff, and I recently had a great run at the thrift stores, so I thought this was the perfect way to show you what I got!

First, however, if you are a member of my family (extended and immediate!) don’t read any further! There are some Christmas gifts here 🙂 Nothing huge (a small portion of something bigger) but I don’t want any spoilers. So why don’t you go read something else, instead like…this.

Gone? OK lets get down to business!

The other day I was driving home from work when I saw this:

Why yes, that is one of those chairs/stools for little kids. (Sorry for the crappy iPhone picture)

No, I don’t have kids, I just happen to find these things adorable. Plus, it was on the side of the road and free. Who could turn it down? It’s also solid wood, and not stained, so I could potentially stain or paint it! When the time comes. It goes well with the wooden cradle I found at the thrift store last year. (Similar to this one, only mine was $20). Yes, I know I have issues.

Anyway! After I found that, I decided to visit the local thrift stores to see if they have any frames. It’s no secret that I love frames, and these are perfect for presents! Since we got professional pictures done this year, I thought it was perfect for the moms/grandmas in our lives!

I totally lucked out! I spent $11 total, and got these three frames, plus a birthday present for my brother-in-law! The frame in the middle is for my sister-in-law. I plan on putting a wedding picture in, an ultrasound picture, then a picture of both mom and dad alone with their baby that’s due in October! I think it’s sweet and she loves the phrase in the middle.

For my brother-in-law, a beer drinker, I found this:

 I haven’t visited or heard of this brewery, but I liked it because it’s in Massachusetts! I stated as much in the card. Hopefully he won’t mind that it’s 3 weeks late.

So here we are, starting plans for Christmas early. Well, it’s not like I haven’t done it in the past!

Fur Baby Friday

Ahh, Friday. Welcome. You’ve been too long in coming, this week.

It’s time for Fur Baby Friday! This week I only have one picture, but I think it’s adorable:

Those are my baby kitties holding paws while they sleep.

Yeah. I don’t know how I handle the adorableness either.

A penchant for moving

My sister and I, apparently have a penchant for moving cross country.

When I was a kid I never gave a thought to where I’d be living as an adult. Even when I met and started dating Geoff, I didn’t think about where I’d be living when we got married. I believe life falls into place the way it’s supposed to. You end up where you need to be in the end, and it doesn’t matter if the road is long and winding before you get there. It all works out in the end.

Here’s my moving timeline:
February 2008: Move from Massachusetts to North Idaho/South Washington {accompanied by my dad}
June 2008: Move from North Idaho to South Idaho {accompanied by Geoff}
August 2008: Move from South Idaho to Alabama {accompanied by sister-in-law Becky}
December 2009: Move from Alabama to Massachusetts {accompanied by my mom}
January 2010: Move to Seattle. Buy a house and decide to never move again. {Car and best man in our wedding took this trip alone!}

My poor car has traveled cross country three times.

Though it’s not nearly as dramatic as my moves, my sister graduated from college in Chicago last May, moved to LA in August, and decided to move back to Chicago this summer, in early July. Hey, life happens. Minds are changed, and decisions made. We’re lucky to have two things: A mom and dad who support us no matter what we decide to do and 4 wheels that have carried us much further than they ever imagined.

I’m on the road again, this time with the only family member I haven’t road tripped with yet; my sister.

Itinerary to date:

Day 1: LA to Vegas, have lunch. Vegas to Williams, Arizona (near Grand Canyon park)

Day 2: SEE THE GRAND CANYON which has been on my bucket list forever. After that…who knows?

Now I need your help. There are a lot of states between California and Illinois…what do we need to see?? And are you jealous that we’re going to be taking this awesome road trip, or just relieved that you won’t be in a car with my sister and I in the middle of summer? Really, either feeling is completely acceptable.

My dreams of marriage

I used to lie awake at night, talking to Geoff long after I should have gone to bed, dreaming about marriage. Amidst the jokes about kids, and being lazy, and getting breakfast cooked for me (all of which happen or will happen, in the case of kids), I always looked forward to gardening with my husband.

Last year we had a small, successful garden. This year we started our plants from seeds, so I spent a couple weeks taking them in and out of the garage at night, watering, stressing, and rejoicing when I finally see something growing.

On Saturday we laid out our plants, planted them in the garden along with a little compost dirt, and watered! It was hot and I was sweaty, but it was exactly what I’d always imagined doing as a married couple, so I enjoyed it.

This year’s garden has lettuce (a different type from last year), tomatoes, carrots, pumpkins, sugar snap peas, zucchini and cucumber. Our plants are small, but hardy, and I expect to see significant growth in the next few weeks!

I never thought I’d love working in the yard, but working in my yard, with my husband? It’s actually a lot of fun.