Thursday Treasure - Goodwill Find

It's your resident thrifter checking in. I scored a deal at Goodwill last week and it will be used a TON during our warm weather days. As I've stated before, thrifting is one of my favorite pastimes. I love finding a deal on things I can utilize for years to come and this fits the bill perfectly! Notice the HUGE price I paid.

Here's my latest score...

Isn't it just darling?? I'm looking forward to serving mini desserts in these.

This will also be handy for condiments.

I'm very happy this Thursday evening.

Sheila Denise

Thursday Treasure - Travel Momentos

Y'all should know by now that I love thrifting and am always eager to share my latest acquisitions with you. I could barely hold out until today to reveal this fabulous find. I'm telling you, I hit the JACKPOT!!

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I enjoyed a great trip to London, Paris and Versailles in January and have been plotting my next trip since the moment vacation ended. I truly enjoyed my trip and as always, I purchased items that embodied the spirit of the city/cities visited. Little did I know that I'd travel to London and back, only to find the BEST souvenir known to man (or woman) right here in my own backyard! I'm telling you, you're going to pass out when you see this! Then, you're going to pass out AGAIN when you find out how little I spent.

Okay, I've gushed enough about my latest find, so here is my perfect reflection of the London portion of my trip. I couldn't have planned a better purchase!!

Aren't these the most adorably perfect cuff links EVER?!?!? I can't believe they were waiting for me at my local Goodwill store. Now the best part of this great find is, they were less than $2!! Can you understand why I was so over-the-moon excited to share my Thursday Treasure with you?

What steal of a deal have you discovered lately and what are your favorite thrifting spots? Maybe I should plan a TSE Goes Thrifting Tour. Stay tuned, the tour may be coming to a city near you.

Sheila Denise

How I Ate My Way Through Stormwatch 2011 Atlanta

When I wrote on Sunday about the things I want to master, little did know (never imagined) that I'd be stuck at home since Sunday afternoon. Did y'all hear me?? STUCK, absolutely no driving ANYWHERE, no opportunity to go to Publix to touch produce or purchase my favorite Boars Head Jerk Turkey Breast, no dining out, no Goodwill thrifting, no searching for deals at Ross, HomeGoods, TJ Maxx or Marshalls, no NOTHING!! Now mind you, when I say stuck, I mean I've been on lock down! Before you start feeling super-sorry for me, I have a confession to make--I've loved every minute of being stuck at home--I just enjoy whining about not being able to shop. For years, in my former life, I rarely had an opportunity to spend very much time at home. I was an expert car renting, hotel dwelling, room servicing, restaurant dining puppet. Since Sunday, I've tracked down every speck of dust; reorganized the kitchen and bathroom(s) cabinets, the pantry, the linen closet, the bar, the coat closet and last, but not least, my dreaded office file cabinet. While doing all that, I've also forced myself to cook (more than I normally do) based on what's on hand.

Now this next part will probably not surprise you. In my shut in state, somehow I fell into a bit of hibernation-induced sipping and eating, so to ease my guilt, I'm sharing a few photos with you. In all reality, my little eatfest started on Saturday evening after a fantastic lunch with some super-fabulous friends at La Madeleine.

I was wise to order a small one this time.

I won't even attempt to tell you how much of this I inhaled, but let's just say that I've mulled about as much as I can mull.

Kinda-sorta fried, but not deep fried. I may have my "Southern" card taken.

Who can survive a snow storm without gingerbread?

This is my I'm-beginning-to-feel-guilty dinner last night.


And today's still-feeling-a-little-guilty lunch. I used the leftover lump crab.

I think we'll be somewhat back to normal tomorrow, so I decided to have one last unnecessary, but quite delicious meal as my official goodbye to Stormwatch 2011 Atlanta.

Guilt is nowhere to be found on this plate.

Metro Atlanta should be almost back to normal for the weekend. If not, I suppose I'll just continue to organize, reorganize, and eat myself into a stupor.

Since 49 of our 50 states (lucky Florida) are "enjoying" snow, I'd love to hear how you're coping.

Sheila Denise

The BEST Find at Goodwill!!

I just HAD to rush home to share my latest Goodwill find with you!! I was minding my own business, dropping off a few items at Goodwill and before I knew it, I was in the retail side of the store. Not sure how it happened, because I don't remember making the decision to go inside, PLUS, it was not on my "errands" list. Well, anyway, there I was so I decided to make the most of it. I wandered around picking things up and putting them back, that is until I focused my peepers on this beauty:

She's brand new and YES it was WHOPPING $2.92 (in case you can't read the nearly wiped off numbers)!!! These bowls retail for $30 on Amazon. I am sooo proud of myself and very excited to be able to keep a bowl frozen at all times. I'm ready to experiment with TONS of different flavors this summer. Endless frozen treats...here I come!!

Sheila Denise

What a Great Week for Thrifting!!

Disclaimer: This is a pic heavy post.

We're a family of thrifting. It all started with my brother, Curt. Many years ago, we all became jealous of his fantastic Goodwill/Salvation Army/"wherever" finds and the obsession began for us all. This boy even "found" a Big Green Egg that someone had dumped--it served us EXTREMELY well for years in Mother's backyard until he busted it into a gazillion pieces while trimming tree limbs a few weeks ago. We're really going to miss that smoker. Did I get off track already?? Okay, I'm back.

I am so very exited to share with y'all all the treasures we discovered during Father's Day week. There are quite a few so I'll jump right in.

After a lovely Father's Day "linner" (lunch-dinner) with the gang at in Griffin, we decided to drop by Goodwill. Now I really should have been driving to Mother's, but I couldn't resist the call of thrifting. So off we went all 7 of us, including MiniMe (3 year old great niece and first girl in the family since me), and we managed to purchase a few things.

The first (and best) deal is a 58 x 58 table for Nephew #2 (aka My Son/Reggie). He has been searching/waiting for the "perfect" dining table (his mother, Riley, has been teasing him for months claiming that she was gifting him with her current dining room furniture, but that hasn't quite happened yet--and it doesn't need to now!!).

Since I'm a junkie for dishes, kitchen gadgets, antique-ish items, I rushed to the homewares section and the first thing I spotted was this:

This stainless steel fish poacher was only $6!! It's missing the rack, but I can envision so many more uses for it without the rack. A beautifully roasted pork loin with all the trimmings, a nice serving of root veggies and herbs just waiting to be devoured or a pan filled with just-grilled meats. I could go on and on about my new treasure, but I have more goodies to share.

Next I found this stainless steel tray/boat. I'll use it for cookies, nuts, tea lights display (with sand or salt), after dinner mints, etc. Well worth the $2 investment.

Speaking of cookies, I picked up a set of tins for 69 cents. Just the perfect size for a few dozen treats making them oh so easy to transport. I'm actually using the square one to transport sushi and spring rolls to an outdoor concert this weekend.
My friend, Smiley Eats, loves vintage bowls, so I was happy to find something for him as well. A whopping 65 cents (I think)!!!
My final find was the cutest little pitcher, which I'll use for syrup. Isn't it adorable?
MiniMe discovered a Tonka fire truck, a Winnie the Pooh almost as large as she is, and a bracelet that she selected all by herself. So now, I'm on a roll for more finds during my visit with Mother in the country. We took a little trip to Dublin on Monday, so I just HAD to go to Goodwill and immediately scooped up the following items:

Desk lamp - $4

Cabinet hardware - 29 cents - 99 cents

I wasn't quite done, so I drove to Vidalia on Tuesday and stumbled upon these beauties for 69 cents!!! I already own a dozen so I decided to get them for Riley (my sister). Knowing how much I paid for mine (at a discount), I was simply giddy with delight to have found these!! When I checked out, I discovered the darn things were HALF OFF y'all!!! These bowls were 34.5 cents each!!! An absolute steal for $1.48 total!!

Now of course, on my way back to Atlanta, I made a stop at the newest Goodwill in Macon. I was determined that I wouldn't leave empty handed. An Amco stainless steel napkin holder for $1. This will be very useful for patio dining.

I just returned from donating a few items at the Stockbridge Goodwill and I'm now the proud owner of these mini brulee dishes and the perfect little holder for homemade popsicles.

Thank you for allowing me to shove a bunch of pictures down your throat while sharing my little treasures. Next time you're looking for something unique without breaking the bank, don't overlook thrift shops, consignment shops, garage sales, estate sales, and everything in between. You may be surprised by the things you'll discover.

Sheila Denise

White Dishes: Episode 3

This entry highlights a beautiful cake stand purchased from Goodwill. I am a frequent prowler of Goodwill, Salvation Army, other thrift shops and garage/yard sales. I absolutely LOVE unique items and finding them at bargain prices makes the purchase even more rewarding. I'm always on the prowl for a great deal.

The moral of this story--don't sleep on non-traditional shopping opportunities to feed your fetish(s).

P.S. This is Mother's dining table. We're guessing that it's at least 60 years old. We restored it in the early 90's. It was covered in dark dark dark stain, but after stripping it, here's the natural color of the wood. Isn't it beautiful??

Sheila Denise