where oh where should i go?!

i know i haven't been around alot, but i still love you!

i hope you love me.

i'm (ALONE) headed to the oc (orange county california-and the reception is in coto!!!)
and wanted to know if there are any

amazing thrift shops

i can stop by.

oh, and im leaving utah thursday and coming home saturday.

im flying standby, so im unsure of what flight i will actually get.

could i be more pathetic?

and the reason im headed there for the quickest trip ever?

this pretty niece (britney) of mine...

is marrying, um, danny...

and they picked the san diego temple to be married.

and why not-it looks like a castle!

(every princess needs one!)

oh, and then monday im headed to sun valley idaho.

so if you have any suggestions, i could really use them!

good times with meggie poo

with the summer upon us, i wanted to re-post my fruit dip recipe.

2 block of cream cheese

1 bag of SKOR or HEATH candy bits

2 t of vanilla

1 cup of powdered sugar

1.5 cup of brown sugar

mostly so i could post this photo of my niece eating her 2nd hamburger of the night AND licking the paddle of the mixer covered in fruit dip.

i dont think she is embarrassed at all.

 

today, i will remember...

this is angelina and antonio manno.

(1971, their 50th wedding anniversary)

neither fought in a war.

(but they sent their oldest son in wwii off because they loved their nation.)

they were poor and worked hard for everything they had.

(he dug ditches in the depression to keep his family fed)

they relied on family and friends when things got tough.

(and didn't feel entitled to any assistance)

they believed in the american dream.

(and when they left italy, they knew they'd never see their family again)

these are my great grandparents.

without them, and their choices, i wouldn't be here.

i am grateful for them and their sacrifices.

i am what i am today because of my family.

it is the end of the year already?!?!

actually, it isn't the end of the school here in utah yet. we have year round school, so my kids are in (and im working until) the beginning of july. then, depending what track you are (or if you work at the school), you might be going back by the end of july.

but nate's S.O.A.R. is over.

nate is a smarty pants, but has trouble reading. S.O.A.R. has really helped him and he is up to grade level now! it is one teacher for 5 kids and they spend time every day doing intense reading.

he doesn't like it because sometimes it goes into his recess, but i say it is worth it.

(but i would have hated it as a kid too!

i found out today that S.O.A.R. is over tomorrow, so it is lucky that i already had a gift, i just had to make it fancy.

last year i got some aluminum water bottles on clearance for something like $1 from roberts. all i did was tie some cute patriotic ribbon that i got from dollar tree on it and...

(no idea why nate feels like he needed the red crayon for the photo)

mrs. k deserves so much more than just a water bottle for putting up with little nate this year,

but the school isn't paying me for my looks.

family portrait

i know i haven't posted photos of my family in awhile. here is the newest one.

(courtesy of a frame originally from the wood connection, that i got from d.i. for a buck)

left to right, parker, chris, me and natey.

im quite the picasso!

teacher appreciation week let down

last week was our teacher appreciation week.

you know the deal-gifts and supplies for the teacher.

and when i think of that they put up with

(meaning 25 kids who are just like mine for 7 hours a day),

they deserve it!

we had one teacher who not only didn't get her door decorated by the room mom,

not have a list of her favorite things sent home so kids could bring in all kinds of lovely things, but...

who had a 15 yr old daughter go thru treatment for thyroid cancer!

I KNOW!

anyone of those would make me break down into tears!

and i didn't find out until friday

(as a copy aid, we stay in our own little copy room and have fun. we don't venture out much)!

i borrowed a camera from ms taylor (another teacher) and took a photo of each of her kids.

ms taylor then sent the photos to walgreens for 1 hr processing.

after my shift, i ran and picked them up and made her an adorable book of photos.

but really, this teachers week really sucked.

and a regular book of photos wouldn't do.

so i went to skiptomylou and found this...

sweet!

i put little embellishments on the pages and made it awesome!

well, that just isn't enough for a teacher who has a daughter battling cancer, is it?!

so i found out that this teacher loves coke (not diet, which is the official drink of lds women in utah), so i found this craft lunch box and my modge podge and...

I KNOWS!

i even punched a hole in a metal coca cola bottle top and hung it on the handle with all the ribbons.

and still that wasn't enough!

i had a glass bottle of coke, and decided to do one last thing

(that i of course didn't take a photo of!).

i tied a tag around it that said

'i'd like to teach the world to spell...'

needless to say, i'm amazing!

and it wasn't even one of my kids teachers!

what i did with some of my birthday money...

well, i spent it all on my of course!

here are some of the highlights...

a regular cardigan that turns into...

way funky cardi!

(this is from sears!)

notice the cute yellow shoes! i got this cardi from pennys.

(yes-i must have a thing for cardigans)

shoes! white from target and animal from di (originally from payless, and unworn!)

cool butt bracelet from pennys.

and there is more to come!

don't  you love shopping with me?!

question of the week...

my little garden has things that are growing back from last year!

yea-less work for me!

here is my problem...

i know this is a strawberry plant.

but i cant tell if these are garlic or onions.

(because last year i planted both and have NO IDEA which are which)

and the same for these.

oh-and here is my 'helper' nate.

(yes-all the plants are fine even after he helped.)

so if you have any idea what i'm growing, please let me know!

nope i havent died...

just been working!

(let me say, my job as an aide at my kids school doesn't sound all that exciting but i LOVE IT!)

and actually got rid of my strep in early january!

so what have i been doing...

other than NOT blogging about all my craftiness and money saving-ness.

i turned 40!

and had a super surprise party where is totally didn't see it coming!

i have shopped.

i have started oil painting.

i HAVEN'T gotten pregnant.

i figured out that my nook can download FREE music from the library (thanks summer)!

so, see i have been busy.

and neglectful.

please forgive me.

i will post more and i swear it will be full of all the fun that you expect from the thrifty ba!

(thanks for sticking with me! especially dawn-kate's mom-i know i let you down!)

(this is a photo from my surprise party, taken by 'aunt peg' (aka amber!))

and yes, that is a crown on my head!

im a steelers fan!

(that is nicole, her dad (the terrible fan) stacey and me!)

Stiller Fight Song (from the 1970s)

Da-Da-Da-Da-Ta-Da - Charge!
We're from the town with that great football team,
We cheer the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Chuck Noll and all his friends are all on the field.
Go out and get them Steelers.

Bradshaw, and Rocky, and Franco and Lynn,
We love you Pittsburgh Steelers.
It's been many years in coming,
just keep that Steelers machinery humming

Defense, Defense, make them scramble, intercept that ball.
Defense, Defense, keeps the Steelers always best of all!
Mean Joe, Mean Joe, do your thing against the other team,
You start from year to year, we're so glad you play here,

Now join with me, and sing the Steelers cheer-er-ER!

We're from the town with that great football team,
We cheer the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Winning's a habit, not only a dream,
Go out and get them Steelers!

Gerela's Gorrilas are here for the show,
and so is Franco's Army,
It's been many years in coming,
just keep that Steelers machinery humming.

Offense, Offense, take that football whole way up the field!
Offense, Offense, let's score and score and never ever yield!
Franco, Franco, can you believe we have a running game?
The Steelers are so great, and so hard to overrate,

Good things, will come, to those who work and wait.
Charge!

my first portraits!

i decided that i needed to paint portraits of my boys.

of course, with no real training, i did the best i could.

here is parker.

here he is in oil paint.

i even got his eye colors right!

nathan

nathan after paint.

i think i captured his attitude nicely!

i think nates turned out better. but i love them both!

i am my own biggest fan!

i found this for only $4 at d.i. and i had to have it.

of course, i don't really have a place for it except the floor of the piano room.

suggestions?

it is about 18" by 12"

(no, it doesn't fit on the shelves above my fire place. bummer)

still bragging...

with some extra christmas money, i headed to kohls.

because, as you know, it is my second home.

(and some days, my first.)

all i have to says is that this vest was $60 and it was marked down to $12

holy crap i love it!

i wore it to church and felt HOT!

(are you allowed to feel like that at church?)

and yes, chris is still tired about me bragging.

my hubby wants me to stop bragging...

even though i am once again strepy (i jinxed myself with my last post), i was the one who had to buy a birthday gift for my sister in law, alison.

after hitting my regular haunts...kohls and target, i couldn't find anything.

wtfreak?!

they are always helpful when i need a gift.

i saw old navy across the parking lot and thought id try there.

and then i saw the sign that said all clearance was an extra 40% off!

forget alison-i was gonna find something for ME!

well, i didn't find anything for me or my boys.

but alison is totally making out on this gift!

first let me say that the total, with tax was $25.27.

we usually stick at the $25 amount for adults in our family. so this was perfect!

this jewelry is so very al.

(ring was $2.69 and the feather necklace was $3.59)

i LOVE the tank top! i wish they had more than just this color!

(tank was $2.39 and the long sleeved t was $5.09)

and this sweater is so very soft. you cant tell in the photo but it is green, but almost black.

(only $9.89!)

i kept pointing out to chris how much things cost and he was getting just a little tired of it.

i wasn't!

good news bad news

the good news is...

1. i don't have strep (well, as of my typing this!)
2. i have a job
3. the job is at my kids school!
4. i will have more money to spend at aunt pegs and kohls!
5. my shift is over at 1.30 everyday, so i can still catch my 2pm nap
6. i get a bullhorn while working on the playground! (huge job perk)


the bad news is...

1. i have a job
2. i will have less time to craft
3. i so i won't have much to blog about

my job is only 3.5 hours a day and since i will be working for the school district, im certain i wont be paid much (so im not going to be chris's sugar momma or anything). i will be an aide in the copy room and the playground. we have 1200+ kids at our school, and this is a good chance to see which girls are cute and well behaved (and italian would be a plus!), so i can steer my boys their way.

im sad about the less crafting and blogging time. but im sure with only working 17 hours a week, i can find someway to post 2-3 times a week. i hope you will stick with the thrifty ba blog while i figure out how this will all work out.

but don't worry-i have a few more crafts to post before i start my new position!

planning for halloween! it IS just around the corner you know!

my first teacher gift for the 2011-12 school year!

halloween soap!

and yes, you are seeing that correctly my thrifty friends, it was 90% off!

80 cents baby!

this is gonna be one cheap year!

1st day back to school of 2011

what did i do? was it...

get a massage?

a nice lunch with an old friend?

nap?

shopping spree?

no, i spent 4 hours taking the lights off of my prelit tree.

and before you say,

'ba-just buy a new freaking tree!', let me tell you the thrifty story of how i found this little baby!

5 years ago i was in a bad place and had group therapy every saturday morning.

well, therapy put me in a WORSE place for a few hours afterwards and i couldn't go home.

so i went shopping.

most of which i returned by wednesday of the following week. (chris REALLY appreciated that i returned it!) but not this 7 foot prelit tree.

this baby was 90% off!

so instead of $150.00 it cost $15!

even chris didn't want me to return it!

the lights on the tree cost at least that much.

well, this year there were a few strands that didn't work, and i was too lazy to take the broken ones off and replace them. (i really really wanted the tree up!)

so i spent monday ripping and cutting the broken strands off.

and the ones that weren't broken (yet).

my hands and nails are a mess.

so is the floor under the tree.

but now im ready for christmas (which is only 354 days away!)

happy 2011!

i hope everyone had a great holiday season and are now back into 'real life'.

yup-that means cleaning.

i avoid real life as much as possible.

my little family had fun skiing (i stayed home and shopped), swimming (i fell asleep on a sofa at the rec center reading) and celebrating the new year (i was asleep before 9.30pm mst).

i did join my family...in eating!

because really, that is what the holidays are all about!

i did work on a few projects.

no really, i did!

i made me sweet niece megan a birthday banner.

you might have met megs already, last year one of my first posts was her birthday gifts for her 10th birthday.

it is almost as cool as the one i made here.

needless to say, she likes pink.

we made this new years eve night and had it hanging while she was visiting on new years day.

it IS her birthday month after all.
(here is a photo of my boys and megs from last spring. it is one of my favorites!)