Family Fun + Sweet Deals = Great Weekend!

Greetings! Hope this finds you well. I had hoped to have this posted yesterday, but didn't quite make it! We had an absolute blast with my nieces and nephews this past weekend. We were joined by Brennan’s sweetheart, Brianna and her Mom. (My nieces were absolutely thrilled because they adore Bri.) In between watching (not-so) spooky movies, we enjoyed fun party food, made oreo spiders, danced around like crazy, then later, decorated pumpkins (a bit too early in the month to carve them). It was awesome to hear such joy and laughter in our house (that has been far too quiet lately!)

These are my nieces, Blaire and Jordyn with Bri.

The oreo spiders we made were so cute. I especially got a kick out of Bri’s. She sent this picture to Brennan from her phone (so sweet!)

Blaire with her pumpkin…crazy and creative…just like her!

Josh, who’s all boy and who loves “scary stuff,” made his the Joker from Batman.

Girly-girl Jordyn made a Little Bo Peep pumpkin. With a little help from Bri’s Mom, Lisa, she even painted a little sheep on the back. Adorable!

Sweet, sweet guys…Blake & Josh

The only thing that could have made Saturday any better would have been having Brennan and Brooke (my other niece) there, too! It was a great time for all of us. Looking forward to having them over again...soon! ☺

Sunday was fun in a completely different way. After preparing lunch, I exercised my preferred method of "good stewardship" by taking a trip to my favorite thrift store! I first began shopping at thrift stores when Brennan was a baby. It’s positively crazy the kind of deals you can get. These were my finds for the day...So that you can fully appreciate what you see in this photo, here is a rundown:

Red corduroy button down (Eddie Bauer)
Charcoal gray (wool) cardigan sweater
Red cowl neck sweater (Coldwater Creek)
Black cardigan sweater
Ivory pullover sweater
Navy Blue (Naturalizer) Shoes (still with department store price tags)
Warren Kimble Americana Snowman Plate (ltd edition, still in box)
3 Assorted Flower Vases
You need to know I'm not really a label girl. I simply look for clothes I like, that fit and will work with what I already have. I do however, get especially excited when I realize I've chosen something that happens to be a really nice brand for a ridiculously low price. Wanna guess how much I spent?

$28.00!

Hard to believe, isn't it? With everyone tightening their belt economically, there is no better time to check out a thrift or consignment store in your area. You can cut your clothing cost in half, and sometimes even to a fourth! Who couldn't benefit from that kind of savings!?

Part of the fun (for me) is truly the hunt. My absolute favorite of all finds a few summers back was a London Fog trenchcoat (with zip-out winter lining) that looked like brand new...for $2.00!!! Not a thing was wrong with it, in fact I've worn it for three winters now! Amazing! Are you a thrift or consignment store shopper? I'd love to hear what treasures you've found.

Better run! Have a wonderful Tuesday!