Shopping...it's what I do best.

Mr. Paisley is on call this week and next for work. It's been a very busy first week...tonight he got called out again, just as he was about to start making dinner. Thus I was left to my own devices...what's a girl to do?

Duh...throw a Stouffer's french bread pizza in the oven and pour a Diet Coke...then go shopping! Lucky for me (and Mr. Paisley's wallet) that the closest stores are cheap stores. I could actually walk to these stores, but holy heck - not during a Florida summer! I'd keel over dead from heat exhaustion before I hit the end of the block! Right - the stores...Goodwill, Beall's Outlet, Dots, Ross, Dollar Tree, and Payless are all in a strip mall that, once upon a time, was the grocery store. Dots - eh...I haven't been in there in years. Cheap, trendy clothing. Probably made in China by children. Payless - no can do. The overwhelming smell of plastic is enough to knock me on my rear. Too bad since they actually carry some leather shoes these days. Dollar Tree, Ross, Goodwill and Beall's Outlet...those are the places I frequent. Some more than others.

Tonight I just popped in Goodwill and Ross. It was just after 7. Not a whole lot of time.

Of course I forgot to take photos of the Ross finds before they all went in the wash. I gotta make it a habit. 

What I got:

a 330 thread count Simmon's Beauty Rest queen size mattress pad (for the cabin) clearance price $20.99

a Calvin Klein tee shirt knit dress (for moi) in a lovely shade of purple with an empire waist clearance price $14.99

another dress in a royal blue jersey knit with a pretty flat ruffle neckline clearance price $13.99

a 400 thread count Hotel queen size sheet set in khaki clearance price $19.99 (I just told Mr. Paisley we needed new sheets - I swear these higher thread count sheets just don't last as long as sheets used to!)

a 2 pack of 350 thread count pillow cases - different brand, but same color as the sheets $6.99

Mr. Paisley and I had gone to Bed Bath & Beyond a week or so ago to get some sheets since I have a small collection of BB&B gift cards and I could not believe how expensive the sheets were! And most of them I didn't even like! Needless to say we'll be sleeping on new sheets tonight - they're in the dryer as I type!

Onward to Goodwill...

Lucky you - I took photos!

Does it get an Shabby Chic-er? What R the chances of finding your initial at Goodwill? Pretty good if your name is Robin and you went today!  It was $1.99. It will either go in the guest room or with my random R collection.

How about a really cute Buttercup Ironstone made in Japan gravy boat and saucer? It was also $1.99.

And the pair of wood candle sticks that will be getting a makeover... $.99 each.

And this Frankenstein piece LOL - it was $.99 and I wanted the bottom half for a large hurricane that I already have and want to put a "foot" on. It reminds me of Candlewick. I'm really curious who decided these two pieces went together...

As you can see...the candle cup on the right has several layers of masking tape wrapped around the ummm what do you call that? Stem? To make it fit (not really) in the other candle stick. Weird....

Project Updates

It's a great day to join a blog party (or two)! 

In May I posted this Goodwill find that I did a little work on...

Well, i've done a little more work on it...I distressed it and gave it a coat of UV resistant clear coat...then made another trip to the Dollar Tree for some bowl filler.
Here it is as it sits right now...

 

It might still make it into a bin to go to the cabin...and I might still make some Americana filler balls to put in it instead of the natural stuff. We'll see.

I've also changed up the stuff on my dresser...

After the master suite photo shoot it went to this...

after I made the pair of hurricane vases I used one there. It didn't stay long. This wasn't working for me any more than the mirror and the vase/pot. The wedding photo stayed though...sorta...not really. It got moved to Mr. Paisley's armoire with one of the hurricane vases.  The little vase was a gift (I think it came from PB - I've had it a good 5 years anyway) and the feather is from a turkey that left it behind up near our cabin.

Here's what the dresser looks like now...I picked up the cute metal jewelry tree at Bed Bath & Beyond (of course I used a 20% off coupon and a GC to pay for it) It has the jewelry I wear most often (aside from the costume type necklaces - those are hanging in the closet).

I picked up the woven box at Beall's Outlet several years ago - a few bucks on clearance (of course...) it had been holding the remotes and whatnot on the coffee table, but I found a slightly smaller matching box at Goodwill last year. It had been on the drafting desk in the guest room - full of tiny bows, pens, gift tags, tape, scissors....yep, it was keeping my gift wrapping supplies handy last Christmas season. So I finally put the stuff in it away and switched the coffee table stuff into it and put the larger one here - it's full of stuff like my watches that I never wear, a video tape of the X Files from the early 90s that I can't seem to let go of and some other random things (like my retainer...why is that we have such a hard time throwing out an orthodontic appliance? Every 10 years or so I get a wild hair and whip it out and snap it in...yep, still fits. Usually it's a little tight and i'll sleep in it...or try...)
It was a good "elevating" piece. I used to have a matching woven tray (another el cheapo find in the Beall's Outlet clearance section) up there...

The vase and the mirror were moved to the top of a bookcase...

The pumpkin needs to either lose the cake stand or I need to put a smaller pumpkin up there. You can see the other hurricane vase there on the shelf. I suppose I should have taken a better photo. Yes that is a lizard on a log. 

Trash Pickin'...

Yep - look what I found in the trash...some of it I have ideas for, some of it not so much.

I'm guessing these are vintage 1970-1980's molding frames for florescent light fixtures that were in an outdated kitchen (there are 2 - both the same size). Nice molding...these I have a plan for - just have to see if it works out. They may re-appear on the blog over the weekend!

A frame and roll-up door for an appliance garage...this is a contender for "What Would You Do With It Wednesday" - if you have any ideas for it - feel free to share...because I got nothin'...

And two cabinet panel doors - maybe from a pantry...I love the bigger one. It's kinda like a miniature people door!

I'm pretty sure that i'm seeing the bigger cabinet door sanded, primed, and painted...maybe do one panel in chalkboard paint and one with the cork tiles I picked up at Goodwill last week...it could also make for a nice console table top....any other ideas? What would you do with it? Any of it...

Happy Birthday to Meeee Happy Birthday toooo Meeee...

Ok, it's not my birthday, but it was a few days ago. For my birthday my parents took us (me, Mr. Paisley, my brother and his wife) to Buca di Beppo.  If you've never been - you should go. We don't go often, but it's always fab when we do go. It's family style - since the first time we went, they have added Buca for Two - so you don't have leftovers for 3 weeks when you leave if it's just you and your honey for dinner. Even better if you can get the kitchen table when you make reservations. Yes, there is a booth IN the kitchen. Oh and if you've never been, make sure you tell the host/ess. When you're seated they'll take you on the tour on the way to your table (or not so much on the way, but fun anyway). If you sit in the kitchen you'll have lots of company...all the people who are first timers will come thru and wave. Good times.

At this location near the Paisley Cottage - there's a small wall of fame at the kitchen table...I was stoked to see Gene Simmons on the wall. I love Gene...do you watch Gene Simmons Family Jewels? It's the only reality show I watch...hilarious! That man is a genius.

Some of the other famous folks on this little wall are Sly Stallone, Charlie Sheen, Danny DeVito, Arnold and Carrot Top (he's a local ya know). The bigger wall of fame is the lobby area.

That's my brother...and the kitchen...

When you sit at the kitchen table you get random stuff thrown on your table. This was a random (free) dish that we got.

Spicy Chicken Rigatoni

Awaken your taste buds with a new favorite - tender chicken breast sautéed with garlic and red pepper, tossed with peas, a spicy rosa sauce and imported Italian rigatoni pasta.

It was REALLY good (and there wasn't any left!)

Busy chef, busy server...and my brother - busy dishin' out some grub!

This was my choice...(we ordered 3 dishes for 6 people...)

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

Sautéed garlic shrimp and a spicy rosa sauce with imported Italian penne pasta.

It was also REALLY good, but I think I actually liked the free one better! It had a little more kick...

Dad chose this one...

Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken

Breaded chicken breasts stuffed with mozzarella and prosciutto, baked and topped with marinara, served on a bed of pesto cream sauce.

Also amazingly good...is anything with pesto ever bad?

Mom and Shannon picked spaghetti with meat sauce (you can see some on the plate next to the Shrimp Fra Diavlo). I didn't take a picture of boring old spaghetti. I didn't even eat any of it...but everyone else said it was really good.

We also ordered a salad to start...and they load you up with bread and plates of vinegar / EVOO / herbs for dipping.

We got

Apple Gorgonzola Salad

Tart Granny Smith apples, spiced walnuts, dried cranberries and Gorgonzola cheese tossed with our fresh lettuce blend in our signature Italian vinaigrette.

It was really good too LOL (what wasn't good?!)

Happy sibling...

And because it was my birthday...I got a song and dance...and a candelabra, with a brownie sundae - also yummy! I shared...

Hi mom...

Everyone took home salad, bread, spaghetti and some of the chicken. The rest of it was GONE. Did I mention it was good?

So aside from the pool toy I previously posted about...I got a GC to Sephora (woo hoo!), covers for my boat chairs (mom's are sneaky...), another Albert & Alberta book (those are the UF mascots - Go Gators!) this one is Albert and Alberta's Journey to the Swamp. A GC to Bed Bath & Beyond from my grandma and flowers from my parents and Mr. Paisley. Mr. Paisley is also buying me a new netbook - I just have to go pick it out. I did mention orange is my favorite color right? Everyone knows that... (see below) The roses are from Mr. Paisley....the mix is from my parents. I'll probably see a check from my in-laws at some point and my aunt sent me a card saying she was bringing my gift when they come down for the 4th of July week. I'll catch them when we get back from the cabin before they leave to go back up north.

OMG I missed a day of blogging!

Instead of blogging yesterday after work, I went from work to pick up a goodie I found on Craig's List (more on that later) up in Casselberry and then went up to Longwood to meet a friend for dinner. We went to High Tide Harry's. Best local seafood joint in O-town and the only place I know of where you can still get all you can eat crab legs. BRING IT! Sabrina and I went to town on some crab legs. In case you're wondering, the going rate is $39.99. We were there until almost 10. Then I took the scenic route home - so I could pretend I was still a cool, single, hottie headed downtown for a night of partyin' it up with my friends reminisce about the old days. Nothing quite like crusin' thru downtown with Friday Night 80s on the radio and hearing Ice Ice Baby....cause i'm rollin' in my 5.0 - well Mach 1. Whatever, it's a Mustang. Moving on...

So yeah, I checked out the scene (ya know what I mean...) and went home. Got home at the same time as Mr. Paisley...he's on call the next two weeks. He got called out right after coming home from work and was just rollin' back in when I pulled up. Timing is everything. He got called out again at 1:30 this morning. *ugh* nothing quite like those middle of the night phone calls to get your blood pumping. Must have been all that crab cause I was beat...and I went straight to bed. No Facebook, no e-mail, no blogging.

Today started with a jolt (like the 1:30 wake up call wasn't enough). At 9:13 CitiFinancial called to try and collect a debt...from a girl that I went to high school with. I would like to wring her neck. Her name is the same as my maiden name (first and last). She was always in trouble in high school and I was always getting called out of class and sent to the principal's office...why? Because my name was first on the student roster. I'm still bitter because I got detention because of her...she graduates (somehow) and I have peace and quite for a year. Then I make the worst decision of my life. When I bought my house...I published my phone number...unknowingly welcoming her back into my life. Since 1998 she hasn't paid her bills. Obviously I pay mine - otherwise there's no way i'd have 2 houses and half a dozen vehicles. Banks are funny about letting people keep things they don't pay for. If you've ever had a collection agency call you - you know they don't quit. You can tell them there's no one here by that name, I don't know that person, take my number off your list - they say ok and call back the next day. Did I mention this has been going on since 1998? In February of this year, it got REALLY bad with CitiFinancial. They were calling every 30 minutes or so, 8am on the weekends, SUNDAYS when they aren't allowed to call. On Feb 20, 2010 I sent a certified, return receipt requested letter to them (after much searching to hunt down a mailing address), stating once again, that I am not who they are looking for and that they need to remove my number from her file. A week later I receive the return receipt, get two more calls and then they stop. Ahhhhh peace and quite. Until today. Are you serious? How hard is it to get my number off her file? To say that i'm livid is an understatement. Evidently, i'm going to have to change my phone number. CitiFinancial is not the only one calling for her. It costs about $8 to send a certified return receipt letter. Why is it that i'm the one that has to spend the money and change MY stuff when it has nothing to do with me? Did I mention my number has been unlisted for several years? I google it regularly and remove it from any of those white pages / phone number type sites where it pops up (really? are they using old phone books for their info or what?) It's so aggrivating.

Onward to more fun things! Since Mr. Paisley was at work all day (and I mean ALL day - he got home at 8:30 after leaving before 7 this morning) I went shopping.

I had some coupons for one of my favorite stores, so I went there first - they didn't have the shoes I wanted in my size so I moved on to clothes. I wasn't really impressed with the current offering. I picked up a pack of 7 gold tone bangle bracelets. I haven't worn bracelets in forever (aside from a tennis bracelet once in awhile) but I got a few last Christmas and now I feel naked without them! Then I picked up 2 satin trimmed camis - my white one was due to be replaced plus they had gray! Gray that was heathered gray. And they were on sale for $5.90. Sweet!

Then I found this cute sequined tank - super cute for layering don'cha think?

That was it there. I bopped on over to a Marshall's and had a cute barnwood and chicken wire box thingy and 2 large wood monogram type letters in my cart (all on clearance of course $5, $3 and $3) and then decided I really didn't NEED any of it. So I put it back. Then I saw a white metal garden ornament with a star on top...they had several heights all around $15. The one I wanted was really too big to cram into the Mustang. I'm going to as Mr. Paisley to stop and get it for me on his way home from work tomorrow since the store is basically right next door to where he'll be at some point during the day. Sad to say, but I left with nothing. Mr. Paisley's wallet was happy.

Had to stop and put gas in the car. $10 only gets me to 1/4 of a tank. I only put in $10 because I knew i'd be going to BJ's tomorrow after breakfast and it'll be a good $.10 a gallon cheaper there. Gotta pinch those pennies.

Onward to the Goodwill! That's normally a Friday stop, but well, I was busy stuffing my face with tasty sea creatures.

I'm glad I stopped by! I picked up these 4 salad plates for $2 each and a candle stand for $2.

I love the detail on the plates and that they look distressed with a clay color underneath. I thought they would be good to switch out the Pumpkin Pie plates that were in the plate holder.

Shopping is hard work...so when I got home, I changed into a swimsuit and hopped in the hot tub - minus the heater of course...it is 90something degrees these days here in Central Florida.
Speaking of the hot tub...my brother and his wife got me this whizbangy "pool toy" for my birthday. Here's a little video of it in action...pardon the beeping and focusing. I don't usually use my pocket camera for videos - this new one seems to auto-focus and it makes noise as it's adjusting...

 
<---this is the "pool toy" in the above crummy video that I shot