Soul Carving

       Saw this dress hanging on the rack of a thrift store and it called out to me. It was the right size and the the right price - 8 whole dollars, folks! I can't remember the last time I bought a dress for myself  "just because". Then again, I can't remember the last time I saw a dress selling for less than 10 bucks, so it's no wonder! I just love the gathered short sleeves.  Now that I think about it, my wedding dress had a similar style of sleeves.  But you can bet (and pay) your bottom dollar that it wasn't nearly as cheap as this baby! Great story behind the shoes; though they're not second-hand, since I had to travel to a different location in order to find the right size, I was given a coupon for $4 off. Since they were already on sale, the dainty duds ended up costing me only 3 bucks!  I had enough money left in my budget to buy some badly needed socks. Yup. Bold, zany col...

     I'm a pretty frugal gal - don't like to spend too much if I can help it. Never cared much for name-brands anyway. The vast majority of my possessions come from local thrift stores and garage sales. But for me, it's about more than merely wanting to save a couple bucks. I love to buy something with a story behind it. The term "second-hand" rings like music in my ears. Anyone who has had as much thrifting experience as I do well tell you, after a while there's a kind of energy you build up around you that starts attracting the items you're looking for, no matter how unlikely you are too find them. I'll go into this idea in a bit more detail in later posts, but for now, let me just say that I've developed quite the knack for finding unique and personally meaningful items at some jaw-dropping prices. So, taking the advice of an admired friend, I've decided to dedicate a weekly post to my thrifting adventures. Today, let me show off a few smal...

          We discovered a wonderful park, hemmed in by the regal mountains on one side  and an inviting creek trail on the other.        It was a beautiful day, filled with so many of the things I love. And it seemed Heaven agreed. Just look at the love note I found waiting for me along the trail. . .      I believe we all receive love notes along our way, though sometimes they're not as easy to spot. But I think I'll keep a sharper lookout from now on. On those days when nothing seems to go as I've planned, I'll open my eyes to the many coincidences that have taken place. A favorite song that comes on the radio at just that moment when I'm feeling I've been stuffed in the car too long. A murmured "thank you" from a grateful child when I thought no one had noti...

"Autumn.  The excitement of it beat in her blood. Every morning she woke with a new confidence and buoyancy she could not explain. In October, any wonderful, unexpected thing might be possible."  Elizabeth George Speare  from, The Witch of Blackbird Pond     You remember that overpowering tingling sensation you had as a child while you stirred restlessly under the covers on Christmas Eve? Or that mixture of excitement and anxiety bubbling inside as you laid out your clothes in preparation for the first day of school? That's the feeling I get when I smell the first hint of Autumn on the breeze.      Every season has its redeeming qualities, I suppose. Winter, when it's not too menacing offers an opportunity of rest for all living, growing things. Yet, when the dreary days drag on, limp and gray, as if the sun can only manage to open one eyelid, I sometimes wonder why we don't spend the season in hibernation as many other creatures choo...