Bookstore Score

I know that I have gloated about our wonderful secondhand bookstore, but it really is amazing. If you live in the Middletown, NY area. Go there, it is cute, tiny and perfect! I love being able to walk in with pocket change and be able to walk out with entertainment for us and the kids. While this trip was not the bank breaking excursion that we have made before, when we ended up with more than $20 worth of books and not enough bookshelves at home, I was happy with this collection. 

These two were random pick ups that I figured would be read because there was nothing else closer to read but at least one of them has ended up on Grif's bed almost every night. So I guess they aren't too bad. I am also trying to start my collection in preparation for homeschooling. I am hoping that the US does not change too much in the next five - ten years, or the human body for that matter. I am hopeful on that front. (internal scream about planning homeschooling already!)

 

These were other random choices, I can barely turn away from old, hardbound books. If it is before 1950, I pretty much have to say yes, especially at a dollar a piece, I have even found a couple that were pre-1900. The Blue Fairy Book is one that I have on my Kindle (free downloads!) but I wanted a hard copy to be able to read to the kids at some point. They are just a collection of fairy tales, some familiar, some a little odd. The Forgotten Realms book was one that was a pure luck find. I had finished one of RA Salvatore's other books (remember that I am trying to finish the whole collection!) and there was an excerpt in the back for this book called Daughter of the Drow. I did not have this one so I figured that I would keep it in the back of my mind and try to find it. Lo and behold, not a week later we found it on the bottom shelf at the bookstore and I was thrilled.

I am dreading when we move and I have to find another bookstore with such great finds and such great prices. I also need to get my library card for our Thrall Library updated so that we can use that as a rainy day playdate. The library also offers movies, knitting lessons, games on the Wii and lots of other fun things that I really need to get more involved in! 

Handmade Holidays: Project 1: Baby Quilt

My first project for Christmas ended up being a complete by chance sort of thing. I have a problem. A problem that I have heard many crafters have, and that there may be support groups for. I collect craft things, tons of craft things. Even before I was working in a craft store, I had tons of bits and bobbles. Then I worked in a fabric chain store for a year and goodness did the collection grow and spawn. It was/is a problem. Hubby gives me the "look" when he glances towards my corner/closet/room/pile of things that will become other things one day. With that look in mind, I am making in a serious focus this month to make as many presents as I can manage, thus eliminating a fair amount out of my stash and saving us money on shopping (kind of, considering I have already spent the money). 

I was in the middle of sewing super hero themed curtains for my nephew (there will be no photos because they were a ton of fabric and by the time I was done sewing, I was soooo done looking at them. Plus, they are wrapped already), and I found a pile of handkerchiefs that I had bought from evil WalMart, probably five years ago. They are the white fabric with gray owls and little stars on them. I imagine, when I bought them that I had a plan. What it was? I have no clue. But they were adorable, I have a thing for owls and considering Baby had a loosely Potter themed nursery, the print was actually kind of perfect. I had matching gray fabric left over from RenFaire costumes, yellow scraps from a box of my mother's fabric, white flannel that I had bought for burpcloths (before realizing that I never use them) and a package of crib sized batting that had been on clearance for 3.97. So I had everything except for binding. Hubby suggested an orange colour to match the little owl beaks, and I agreed.

When I made the two older children blankets last year, I just used sating ribbon folded over as binding so I figured that I would do that again for this blanket. Foolishly, I thought when I couldn't find sating ribbon, that acetate ribbon would work just as well. I was wrong. Very wrong. Don't ever do that! I washed it and it fell apart so horribly that I was very tempted to toss the entire blanket in the garbage. But I had already stitched in Steven's name and the date. So out came the seam ripper and two evenings wasted, then out to buy actual blanket binding and a night to sew that on correctly. Note to self: do it correct the first time, you cheapskate! We also went to the secondhand bookstore to pick up a copy of Harry Potter to go with the blanket for his first reading book. I can't wait to start reading my favorite series to him. I am secretly hoping that the older two kids cuddle up and listen too. So, after using four or five yards of fabric that I had laying about and a slightly stressful binding experience, Steven's first Momma-made blanket is all finished, folded and waiting to be wrapped. 

Piecing together the squares

Finished top

Hand stitched little message for Steven's first baby quilt. Hopefully, we will have many, many nights snuggled underneath, reading together

I also finished a handful of burpcloths, mostly I just use these when feeding Steven to wipe his face and hands. The fabric was a flannel flat sheet from the thrift store for $2 and it made 9 burpcloths. 

Thrifting: Clothes and Books

     I did get to do a little thrift shopping this week, it tends to be a little more difficult since I only like to go when the Salvation has their half price day and the secondhand bookstore is open. Timing that with when Hubby has the day off can be a bit of a task, especially with the newborn in tow. It is so very odd when in one week, Steven was inside of me and I could drop anything to go out and the next day, we needs tons of accouterments to go anywhere. Anyways, my 16 year old twin cousins were spending the week and I convinced them to go shopping with me. Having another person in the back next to the baby relaxes some of my driving alone stress, I have driven alone with baby once since he was born and I told Hubby that I will not do it again unless it is an emergency or baby can talk. I just can not handle not knowing what is going on back there. 

     We piled up into the car after driving Hubbs to work and getting him there on time and then made the trek into the Salvation Army. Since it was Family day, the place was a little busy. I was hoping that Baby would sleep for most of that trip but instead he had me figure out how to walk and nurse only ten minutes into the trip and then need to be carried for the last ten minutes of the trip. I could literally spend hours in there if I have a sympathetic companion and a sleepy baby. 

I have talked before about how James and I are both on the geeky side and Doctor Who has become a fast favorite in our house, even with the two older kids. My younger brother also loves it and one of the visiting cousins as well, so we have spent a fair six hours straight watching the Doctor. We are still in limbo about attending NY Comic Con this year since I have a wedding (my first as an adult!) so we will have to see if we can organize that crazy weekend. But if we do go, we have talked about having matching costumes (because we are so those kinds of people) and what to do with baby and the older children if they want to dress up. On the off chance that I ever need the outfit, I figured that I would start looking for pieces for a female version of the Eleventh Doctor outfit. Matt Smith has a few different variations on the same outfit based around a tweed jacket, workboots and bowtie. With that in mind and after stalking Pinterest for other people's interpretation of a female Doctor, I have started picking up pieces. Now if only I can get Hubby to dress as a male version of Amy Pond (we honestly debated naming the baby Amelia after her, instead of the Impossible Girl we have Captain America). 

So I found a great light and soft tweed, woman's cut jacket in the right color, maybe a little too light, but I am a girl so it still needs to be feminine and adorable. I initially was going to go with a white oxford shirt, but I like the pink and the contrast that a red bowtie will have with it. The brown heeled oxfords are a maybe with the outfit, I am still on the lookout for boots, maybe an old pair of Doc Martens. But they are too cute and seem to be a relative staple for a trendy fall closet, so for $3 I was willing to risk it.

     Not that I have a little girl in these sizes but... The black and white houndstooth jacket may be too small for Eve, but it will not go bad and since I am packing up baby girl clothes now, if it doesn't fit, I can pack it up for that eventuality. The leopard print one was too cute. I have a friend with a baby girl only two weeks older than Steven and if she doesn't want it then it will go in the box as well. They were just too good of deals to pass on, especially knowing that no one else is thinking about winter jackets quite yet.

     Since I had the extra set of hands to carry the baby, we headed over to the bookstore. Since Baby decided that he needed to be fed while we were there, he cut short how many books I could legitimately look through but I still was able to grab a couple. I was able to grab two vintage hardcover copies of Shakespeare plays: As you like it and Troilus and Cressida, to help flesh out my insane Shakespeare hoarding fetish. I have also been obsessed with recollecting all of my favorite books from childhood. I picked up a copy of Amelia Bedelia, mostly to show her to Hubby who had never heard of her. Those books were the main reason that I did not want to use Amelia as a potential baby name, although it is still an option for future offspring. This trip I grabbed A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle and the Gypsy Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Snyder also wrote the Egypt Game which dictated how I spent at least two summers of my life, dressing in old sheets, writing secret notes in hieroglyphs and mummifying dolls. I haven't read the Gypsy Game, but I assume that it is a similar story and that I will enjoy it equally. I also got The Complete Idiot's Guide to Knitting Projects, but after looking through it, it seems a little outdated and I have used easier tutorials from Ravelry and such. That one might go back to the store. I also got Good Things from Tag Sales and Flea Markets by Martha Stewart, which I am psyched about, Hubby hates her but I am fascinated by a billion dollar empire built around setting tables properly and spray painting old furniture. I love it. Lastly, I picked up 365 Things to Do and Make, it is a little young for the older kids and obviously too old for my youngest but he will grow into it. All in all, the book haul cost me $5. So I was an extensively happy camper!


     In even happier news, today was Steven's one month birthday (weeks wise, not by date) so last night we made cupcakes and ate them at midnight and wished him a happy birthday for all he cared about it. So far he has gained almost three pounds, weighing 11 pounds. He has his own schedule completely and loves sleeping with us in bed at night. He rarely spends time more then ten feet away from me. He is a messy eater but makes the best faces when he is hungry, unless its crying. Every night he gives us two hours of hellish crying and then sleeps for nine hours, waking up twice to eat and once for a diaper change. Everyday when we are cuddling, I am amazed by this little person and all the things that I wanted to get accomplished are nothing near as important as staring at him while he sleeps and making sure that I am there when his eyes open. I was reading to him tonight and as he fell asleep, I was in tears about all the nights that I have to look forward to, all the nights I will be able to hold him, all the books that we will read together. And in contrast, how few nights out of his life I have to hold him, that soon he will be too old for that, and then he will be too old to read to, too old to hug me, then he will be out of the house and on his own and one day he will have the same exact thoughts about his child and I hope he calls me to let me know that I did a good job. It is by far the most important thing that has ever happened in my life and I hope that I can be the mother that he needs as he grows. I sent a picture of him to Hubbs while he was at work just to thank him for giving me a beautiful baby. Happy One Month Birthday Steven!

Books I am digging right now!

   
     Like I have said before, Hubby and I tend to dabble in the geeky fandoms and Game of Thrones is no exception. I have read all of the books and am up to date on the show. James has a couple episodes to catch up on from the most recent season. He loves Dany while I chose Tyrion to be one of my 8 fictional people I would sit at a table with (I am working on who the other 7 would be, give me some time on that, it's tough). I had heard from someone in the club I belonged to in college that this book was occurring and double checked and it is! While I am pretty sure that it is not a new book, just a collection of the greatest witticisms of Tyrion Lannister, it is still pretty exciting, especially considering that he is a somewhat likable character that Martin has not killed off quite yet. I am in no way sponsored by Amazon but you can preorder here!

 
     I already have read this, but the entire series would come recommended. It is not on my list of book to reread, but if you like dorky romance books, then these are perfect. Add a little supernatural, some vampires an a Southern girl to it and it was almost made for me. Much less dark and brooding then Anne Rice, although she will always have my heart when it comes to vampire stories, the ending of the Sookie Stackhouse series was interesting to say the least, not what I expected but when it happened, I wasn't blown over either. On the other side of that, though, you could watch True Blood, the tv show based on the book series but then you would be completely lost on anything that goes on. Loosely based, with similar characters and some similar stores is about the most similarities that you can find between the two. Read the books for their story, watch the tv show for its story, don't compare the two. Lafayette and Pam make the entire story in the tv show, in my opinion.


     This series has been one of my favorites pretty much since forever. Hubby did a wonderful thing and bought almost the entire series on Ebay for me and since I had only read the first three, I am having fun rereading those and getting through all the others. If you like fantasy, these books are brilliantly written. The main character for the first three novels is a drow (an underground elf) named Drizzt while the following  books follow other characters, keeping the story from becoming stale. Salvatore is pretty much a genius in creating a world and depth of character without the wordiness of Tolkien. Another nice thing is that there are plenty of books that are based on the world and the characters that Salvatore did not write, well done fan fiction I suppose, but I have enjoyed them equally. But read them, they are delicious and I love them.

 
     Hubby and I started our relationship over comics, so comics tend to be a common occurrence in our household. James holds pretty true to the big two, Marvel and DC (although he just corrected me and said that he likes independents just as much). He likes plot while I can't read any story if the art doesn't rub me the right way. One of newer comics that has really piqued my interest is the new Brian Vaughn comic, Saga. It has a definite feminine vibe, a Romeo and Juliet story line mixed with Star Wars. The art is awesome (done by Fiona Staples), the narration is well done and the characters are interesting. Pick up the trade paperback to get the first 6 comics or else you will be angry that you can't read the entire story. Unfortunately, after the second trade paperback they are on hiatus, so you may finish the 12th story and cry because there are no more and potentially never will be any more. But it is worth it, if you like aliens and cuteness.

Thrifting: Books and School Clothes

     I absolutely love thrift shopping. Up until I was pregnant, thrift shopping was a hobby, a place for me to go on dates with friends and grab a couple cute finds, then it was the only logical option with how much I was growing and how picky I am with how things fit. Although in the end, maternity pants (from Salvation Army: Motherhood Maternity brand) and long cut tank tops from Old Navy and Target were the only things that were comfortable. With now three kids, clothes shopping could be an epic expenditure if I bought everything of theirs for retail price. 

My most recent trip to Salvation Army was with my older brother and my niece and Steven so the two or three hours that I used to spend shopping through every item was not an option. With fall coming up, warmer clothes in Eve and Griffin's new sizes is a must. Griffin is in a size 10, but there wasn't much in that size on this trip, but I did find three great Old Navy brand 12s that totaled $6. They will be stored away until a few months (possibly weeks, kids are like that I've learned) and be perfect for Griffin. Eve is a tough little cookie to shop for, she is 8 years old and has a couple older friends, so fashion is starting to become a more important factor in her clothing choices. Gone are the days were green leggings under a Snow White dress with pink cowgirl boots passed as an option. With that in mind, I have been trying to buy a little more generic girl clothes and when she is with me, she can pick out the more radical options. I found two great Children's Place pants, size 8 for length and with the brilliant elastic/button waist cinches to fit her size 6 waist. One hot pink that can button up to capris and the other an emerald green corduroy flare leg. They both fit her nicely and can be paired with almost any of her tops or shoe choices. Overall, that trip was successful. While I didn't get anything for Steven, Hubby or my awkward postpartum body, these five finds made me feel accomplished.

I know that I have posted before about how much I love our library's thrift store, but seriously, I love it so much. I have only been once since Steven has arrived and I was still hurting too much to pay too much attention to the brilliance around me. This will explain the second stack of books from that trip where the only book that I picked up was Crocheting for Dummies, the rest are the Hubby's choices, although I may read the Magic the Gathering books, fantasy books are my favorite genre.
     The trip before that I was much more involved thus my choices: The Good Housekeeping Needlecraft Encyclopedia, Making Dolls and Doll Clothes, Hogwarts Yearbook, two baby books, three Supernatural books (Hubby and I are huge fans), two vintage hardcovers and three young adult novels for my nieces birthday present. Hubbs picked out the two Dilbert books (after five years together, I didn't know that he was such a big fan), a home improvement book for when we finally move into our own first house, and a book on Irish fairy tales.  These two trips cost us around $20, and while I do not have the voracious appetite for reading that I had as a child, I still read too much to warrant always running to Barnes and Nobles when I finish up a book. As much as I would love to, do not get me wrong, I love the bookstore, but I can not justify spending $100 on books like I used to when my grocery budget every week is that much. Twenty dollars once a month or so is plenty to entertain our whole family in the literary department. Do not ask how much we spend on movies every month though, then my frugality ends and Hubby's love of the movie theater takes over. It's fair after I look at my stockpile of fabric, ribbon, patterns and books. Mostly.
     And here is my obligatory baby photo for today. Steven has grown so much already in the three weeks since he was born. He spends much more time awake, laughs in his sleep and fusses when he hears my voice. We co-sleep every night, when I am up to it, we try to put him in his swing to sleep for a couple hours but when he wakes up to nurse he usually stays in bed with me. Last night was the first night that Hubby "forced" me to let Steven cry it out. Every night since he was born, Steven has about an hour of freaking out crying that a diaper change, nursing, swaddling or holding will soothe. So last night, he had to sit in his swing until he relaxed. We both watched him the whole time, for the most part, there was a good chunk of it that I was in full blown tears with my head under a pillow because I couldn't pick him up. But after only five minutes or so, he stopped and Hubby held him for a bit then I nursed him and we all went to bed relatively happy. Hubby thinks that I was ridiculous but I am terrified (completely unfounded terror btw) that if we let him cry that he will have severe trust issues as an adult and will not want us to be a part of his life. James assures me that it will not be the case but I still worry. I keep telling him that Steven is only three weeks old, that he shouldn't have to cry because I am right there all the time. But it would be nice to be able to go to the bathroom without the door open or a baby in my arms, so I see his argument. As I am writing this, he is peacefully laying and practice nursing in his sleep. I can't wait to see his first true smile and hear him laugh but I am already sad that he is starting to lose his baby smell and that he has grown so much, solidifying the fact that he will continue to grow and will one day be too big to hug me in public. *Big sigh* For now, Steven and I have the blessed option of staying snuggled all day together doing anything we want or absolutely nothing.

Thrifting: My First Auction!

     This past week I spent down in central Pennsylvania with my grandparents since the drive would be too long for them to come up during the baby-labouring business I am about to engage in. While I was there, we spent a day at a family reunion while I free floated in the pool feeling much more my tiny spry self then I have in about four months. My grandfather has a woodworking shop and store front where I spent some of my time, helping him clean up and hanging out (aka waiting for customers, drinking vast amounts of iced tea and zoning out to Pinterest). Around his store, which is 95% handmade deliciousness, he also has a few nice wood pieces that he has acquired at a local auction.
     With a very small amount of pleading, I was able to convince him to take my grandmother and I to the auction for a night on the town. Unfortunately, about half-way through my uterus decided to start practicing for labour, so I was a bit uncomfortable and it may have limited how much fun I actually had, but I can see a true potential for being an auction haunter later on! By the time that we closed up the shop and headed over to the auction house, they had started bidding, but this tiny baby was hungry, so my grandmother and I hit up the little snack shop for hamburgers and peanut butter cake, which was extremely satisfying. Then, after my obligatory three visits to the bathroom, we were finally ready to settle down for some serious bidding.

  (in the bottom left of the photo is my sweet, darling grandfather trying to slyly bid on things that he thinks my grandmother would like without her knowing...she and I giggled on the other side of the aisle)

    To our left is my wonderful grandfather, looking very intense while eating crackers that neither myself nor my grandmother could find out where he found them. When he saw us looking at him, he gave us the, "What on Earth could they possibly be so confused about?" look. Then proceeded to pull out a bag of nuts as well.
 
      To our right is a very overexposed photo of that same lovely man bidding on some larger pieces.


     We had looked through all of the items, and the bidders could keep looking while the bidding was going on so that made it easier to actually see everything. If you look at the picture of the front of the auction carefully, you can see a box on the floor, under a covered table that has this in it:

   
     Six books, a decorative hollowed out book and a decorative book shaped knick-knack box. Five of the books are dated in the 1950's or prior, which gives me all sorts of joy.
     There is a rhyming dictionary, which I have never actually seen before, though I did know of their existence. I am still trying to figure out exactly how they work, but it did come in a beautiful teal colour and it is hardbound which wins a vote in my book.
     The second book up from the bottom of the picture, the tan with the wonderfully stamped cover is called Charles Auchester: A Memorial by E. Berger. I haven't read this yet but it is supposed to be a book about a musician, I haven't been able to find a copy online either to compare it to, but its very pretty!
     The third book up, the orange with red detailing is called I Remember Christine by Oscar Lewis. This one was dated by the original owner in 1946 and the story is about a well-to-do family in San Francisco around the turn of the century.
     The fourth book is a gorgeous book titled An Elementary American History, intended as a textbook to teach history to students, I love that it actually does start off with the Vikings exploring and discovery the Americas. It is copyrighted in 1904 with the original owner's name in it, with a stamp from Greensburg Borough school district, which is outside of Pittsburgh.
     The fifth book up, the dark green with red and gold detailing is called Two Years before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana, and is part of a series called Classic Romances of Literature. It is copyrighted in 1937, and was marked by the owner as a present in January of 1939.
     The fifth and final book, the darker blue with black lettering is called Pathway to Paradise, by Maysie Greig, which is an adorable name by the way.This one is dated 1945 and seems to be one of a series of schoolgirl romances, with the first man introduced named Ashley! I can't wait to read them and hopefully find out more about them. Just winning the bid on these books would have made my night. A beautiful, hard bound book with an embossed or stamped cover will do it for me every single time, without fail, and winning the auction for $6 made the deal even sweeter!!!
     While my grandmother and I finished watching the smaller items bid, my grandfather headed to the back where the large furniture was being auctioned. While unsupervised, he won a bid on an air conditioner ($10), a coffee table ($5), a coffee table with two matching end tables ($6) and the deal sealer of 30 pounds of bananas for $5!!!

     The next day we made seven loaves of banana bread and gave away as many bananas as we could to random family members that walked through the door. We used this recipe and it turned out amazing! My grandfather even was impressed with it and complimented how delicious it was. I didn't blend the bananas completely, so there were still chunks in it after we cooked the bread, and we used an extra half cup of bananas so the flavour was really strong.
     I had tons of fun at the auction and would definitely recommend going and at least trying the experience out. You can find some nice deals and odd items (like fifteen pairs of those glasses that you can put pictures in from ages ago, I can't remember what they are called now, or doll furniture made in Depression Era workshops, or forty pounds of bananas).  The only downside was missing my hubby, he would have loved it, although he also may have filled up our car with all those really great deals. When I got back and showed him pictures of what we had found, we agreed on trying to find a couple local auctions to go to (an exciting date night idea in the works) and he is obsessed with trying to bid on storage units at some point in our future lives, but I am much more wary about that!