When I Use Disposable Items - Thrifty Thursday...

Is there a time and place to use disposable items?  Isn't that costly?  

For me - there are times that it's just not worth the time & effort to clean 

something, etc.   Let me share a few things that I go 'disposable' on...

1.  Shower Curtain Liners.  These can get gross.. and I don't want to

 daily be bothered to wipe them down.  Did you know that Dollar Tree 

sells them for - yep $1?  And if you're opposed to Dollar Tree - 

I've seen them other places for around $2.  I replace mine every 6-8 months.

I'm very willing to toss and replace for $1 a couple of times a year.

2.  Paper Towels.  Again - some jobs are just messy.  Too messy to

 use a rag and then wash it.  So yep - I use paper towels at times.

But of course - I also keep a supply of rags on hand and 

try to be eco-friendly when possible.

3.  Disposable Gloves.  I love these for messy jobs like cleaning silver, 

some gardening, when using certain cleaning chemicals, etc. 

 They're worth it to me to have on hand.

We could also talk about plastic wrap, paper plates, etc. and

 perhaps we will in another post sometime.  But for now - know

 that being 'thrifty' isn't just about dollars and cents.  Our time is a

 precious commodity and its hard to put a price tag on it.   

Take the time to be with your family,  your friends and of course - 

daily be spending time with the Lord.

We never get back the moments we just lived - Joyce

Vignettes With a Touch of Fall...

Did my weekly trek to the thrift shop where I worked on dress rack

 displays again.   These are a few from today's styling...

This first one was by far my favorite - but looks pretty 'orange' 

in the photo.  In real life - twas looking good.  See that burlap bag?

  It is a handmade craft show item w/ the original price tag in place -

 over $18.  Thrift store price?  $2!  Was super cute and not sure why 

I didn't bring it home.  And the plaid throw was only $3 or so.  

Loved it too... but I'm on a mission to declutter...

This is the back side of above scene... just using whatever 

I could find that fit the color scheme.

This one photographed the best I think... but is not selling.  

This is the dress rack display that often doesn't sell well.  

It is a tad too high to reach easily!  (At least for shorter people).

  But look at that texture - those are pillow sham covers.  Love 'em!

Just a bunch of this and that - leftovers from previous displays, etc.

  The gift wrapped package?  It's really a magazine!

I found these old aluminum pots that weren't being highlighted well.  

Now that they're in a display (1 on the back too which you can't see) - 

can't wait to see if they move right out.

I feel like I spend so much of my days 'rushing' right now.  Haven't

 figured out quite how to lessen that.  (And I need to - it's not healthy).

But I love doing these displays and try to to let them evolve at leisure.  

Toward the end I often have to rush again (due to the schedule of my day)... 

but they fill my love-tank for some reason.  And that's a good thing!

Thanks for joining me and hope you are enjoying -
 and not rushing thru - each day that God has granted!  ~Joyce

Lunch Special & Sign of Fall - Saturday Sightings...

I can tell Fall is in the air.  Big Bad Black Dog has begun 

to make use of her back porch sofa again.  

She hasn't been on it all summer! 

And speaking of dogs - spotted this cutey at an art show this week.

  Isn't he sumthin'?

And from that same art show in our beloved Mt. Gretna - they 
of course had emergency personnel on hand.  I liked this scene...

But most 'fun' is this sign we pass on a regular basis at a gas station.

  Seriously - anybody heading in there for lunch?
(sorry - it's zoomed pretty hard...)

Can't believe no one has pointed out that they should rearrange it a bit.  :)  

But makes for a good chuckle.

Keep smiling today!  ~Joyce

Old Locker Basket - Local History for Friday Finds...

I think I found some fun stuff this week.  

But my favorite by far is this old locker basket.   Turns out it is from 

our local Hersheypark pool (amusement park) from back in the day.

  I wish it was marked 'Hersheypark' - but knowing is good enough...

And this is the rest of my finds...

Those wooden child's hangers are available here.

Almost didn't get the brown transfer creamer because the bottom is rough.  

But everybody loves brown and it is unique so I picked it up anyway.  

 The purse is available here.

Some neat old boxes found their way to my basket...

 ... as did this guy.  

I thought he was a shaker at first - and missing his partner.  

But he's actually an actually an hor d'oeuvres holder.  

The holes hold toothpicks for serving.  

Cute huh?  

Stay tuned to the shop where these will appear in the coming week.

Chicken Tortilla Soup - Thrifty Thursday...

Here's a simple recipe that is even simpler if you have leftover

 cooked chicken.   In my case I had 3 leftover skinless boneless

 thighs that I had baked the night before w/ salsa and seasonings on top.

They became all the chicken that I used in this recipe.

(Told you it was thrifty!)  

  Basically - I cut up the chicken and added the rest of the

 ingredients & threw in the crockpot.  Then cooked on High a few hours.

(In other words - I didn't do half of these steps...)

My love had cheese on his - I didn't.  De-lish either way!  

And with these amazing chips from the discount store... 

...and a tossed salad (not shown) - twas a very thrifty meal.

Hope you like it!   ~Joyce