Thrifty Thursday

I'm a little late in posting this week's Thrifty Thursday find.  Here it is.  I found this plaque at T.J. Maxx for $1.50 and have the picture to prove it.  I'm not really fond of the design but the plaque is made of MDF.  I will likely transform it into something I can live with.  Not bad.  What do you think?  Stay tuned for the transformation.

Peaches to Beaches Yard Sale

I look forward to the second Friday and Saturday in March every year, now that I live in Middle Georgia. That weekend is set aside for the Peaches to Beaches Annual Yard Sale. This yard sale takes place along U.S. Hwy. 341 all the way from Culloden in Peach Country to Brunswick on the Georgia coast. It was inspired by the World's Longest Yard Sale. Typically, I start my PTB junking in Fort Valley and make my way down to Hawkinsville. This year, I barely got out of Perry because I found so many good finds.

The PTB Annual Yard Sale has official vendors and then other vendors that spontaneously create their own yard or garage sales along the route. In Perry, I found my best treasures and the best prices at the official PTB vendors. At St. Christopher's Attic Treasures, a church-run thrift store, I found these cute papier-mache boxes for 50 cents. It was buy one, get one free. The larger of the two boxes was marked 50 cents and the smaller one was marked 25 cents. Score! I have a future project in mind for these puppies.

My favorite antique store in Perry, Carrie Lynn's Antiques, was also an official PTB vendor. That's where I scored my thriftiest find. I still can't believe my luck. I got this amazing alabaster lamp for...wait for it...wait for it...TEN DOLLARS!!!!!! I couldn't believe it. I paid nearly a hundred dollars for a similar one close to 10 years ago. And here, I found one for 10 bucks! Unbelievable. I found a silver plated creamer that needs some TLC. In addition, I found this adorable brown and white transferware pitcher to add to my collection. I love the subtle hint of blue in the flowers. What do you think? 

Anyway, I am looking forward to next March when I can do it all over again. Do you have a favorite thrifting event? What is it and when? I'm always looking to add to my junking adventures.

Made ~ Silhouette Plaques

Silhouettes are in vogue right now. I have always love the simplicity of the artwork. I was inspired by an article I saw in Victoria magazine to create my own silhouettes for my master bedroom. First, I bought these frames at a neighbor's yard sale for $5. As you can see, she wanted six dollars for them but I bargained with her because I bought several other items.

I removed the glass fronts that were wallpapered with bucolic scenes and painted the brass frames with American Accents in Espresso.

Next, I covered the frame backs with burlap that I trimmed to size and adhered using Spray Mount. Then, I took profile photos of my husband and me, printed them out and used a copier to get the right size silhouette for the frames. I cut out the silhouette from the copier paper and traced it onto brown cardstock. I meticulously cut out the silhouettes from the brown cardstock and adhered them to the burlap using more Spray Mount. Now, we have customized artwork in our master bedroom for under $10. And my husband thinks they're awesome.  Cool!  Now I just need to hang them.

I've also linked up to Show and Tell at My Romantic Home.  http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Happy St. Patrick's Day and an Apology

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Please forgive me. I've been a very bad blogger. Lately, I've been extremely busy at work and have been too exhausted in the evenings to put forth the best effort to my blog. However, I have lots of new posts in the works that I hope you will be excited about. Spring has sprung and my creativity has returned from its slumber. Yay! So please stay tuned. I will be back in the swing of things shortly. I promise.

Pork Chop and Rice Casserole

Here is a tried and true, one-dish dinner that I make over and over again. Enjoy!

Pork Chop and Rice Casserole

4 pork chops
1-1/2 cup rice, uncooked
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can French onion soup
1-1/2 soup cans of water
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large casserole dish, place uncooked rice. Place pork chops over rice. (If you wish, you can lightly brown the pork chops in a skillet prior to this step. I don't. Why make more work for yourself?) In a mixing bowl, mix the soups, water, salt and pepper. When well blended, pour mixture over pork chops. Cover casserole dish with foil and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Serve.

I'm participating in Simply Modern Mom's Over-Used Recipe Swap. Come join us!

A Random Act of Kindness

As a working mom, I typically run errands during my lunch break so that I can spend more time with my family in the evenings. Today because I was pressed for time, I decided to go through the drive-thru at McDonald's to grab a bite to eat. I placed my order and proceeded to the payment window. Imagine my surprise when I tried to hand the cashier my money and she told me never mind that the lady in front of me had paid for my lunch and everyone else's in the drive-thru line. I was flabbergasted to say the least. I felt like I had won the lottery. Seriously? Sometimes the smallest gestures can produce the biggest smiles.

I didn't know my lady benefactor. All I saw was the rear of her metallic tan sedan. I can't recall the make or model of her car or her license plate. (Note to self: I really need to pay more attention.) This person I didn't know from Adam's house cat paid for MY lunch. She didn't have to but she did. It didn't cost much ($6) but her gesture left a lasting impression. I wanted to thank her but she had driven away before I could absorb what had just happened. I sat there for a minute in complete awe. Then I thought...what could I do to make some one's day, someone I didn't know? I decided then and there to take the money I would have paid for my lunch and use it for a random act of kindness.

I consider myself blessed to be able to afford good childcare for my son but I thought about those parents who struggle to pay for daycare each week. So I placed my lunch money in an envelope with a note and deposited it in my daycare's payment box. My note told of my good fortune and that I wanted to pass that good fortune along. I asked the administrator to put the money towards an account that needed it. My ten dollars probably is not enough to make a true difference but at least I hope it will bring a smile to some one's face. I also hope that the recipient of my random act of kindness pays it forward. And to the lady who bought my lunch today, thank you. You made my day and made me believe that there are more good people in the world than I had recently thought. God bless you.