cheap thrills

yesterday day i got:

• a mini cast iron frying pan, perfect for a single egg or grilled sandwich.
• a toaster oven that was the half price sticker colour of the day
• a cool workbook for octavian once he gets much older
• a blueberry baby bush
• an axe
• 5 very new looking garbage can lids and a rubbermaid container that i can use as a wheelbarrow from the trash trailer next door
• someone to come and take out all the plants i cant stand from my front yard
• someone to give me some wild raspberry cuttings.

i think we are going to do a year moritorium on toys this year. (lets see if i can convince family members to comply - set up a "send the kids to college" fund or something.) my mom sent all the boys's xmas presents and it was like xmas all over again. and with agrippa's birthday coming next month, i just cant justify spending money on yet another thing - though he will be getting a "the king" car because he loves the other "kings" we have. im going to find a kindermusik class for him - i just need to find something agrippa and octavian can do together.

congratulations...it's a griddle

we took a trip to weatherford this weekend. it was a gorgeous day and a fun drive. towards the end of the day, we went into an antique store and i found a cast iron griddle. and a dutch oven. im in heaven. ive been trying to replace my cheap stainless steel cookware and was giddy when i saw all the cast iron. i havent been very successful at the local thrift stores.

but i was able to finally find a crock pot. sweet!!!

i love tighwad gazette. just flipping through i got and implimented (or will soon) a few ideas

- a friend and i will be dumpster diving when the local college lets out. ive never been so im hoping to get some good stuff from rich, entitled college students with too much stuff.
- there was a letter about a woman who contacted owners of local abandoned properties looking for plants. well, across the street there is an abandoned house with a swing set in the backyard that looks like it's in decent condition. i want to find the owner so i can see about getting it, if it's worth it.
- the business next door left and i talked to the owners and got some pallets - i now have a wood pallet compost bin.
- and just other stuff. i need to own it. im just going to keep looking for it at half-price books. until then, ill keep borrowing it from the library.

and tomorrow im doing a home depot run. i started attacking the stump in the back yard and most of it was rotted but there is still a part thats alive. i need an ax and dirt to fill the hole. i also need to start preparing the dirt for my garden. we started some seeds (the brocolli has already sprouted) but it's still going to be a while until i can put it in the ground.

happy hausfrau

squuee!!! i have had wetdreams about getting a front-loader ever since they started getting big on the market a few years ago. and they finally came this morning. actually, i had this great witty post all planned out because i was convinced today was just going to suck major ass, but things worked out quite nicely.

last night i got the call that the washer/dryer was set to arrive between 7-11am. which is early as it is, but seeing as we arent living in the house just yet, and i would have to contend with rush-hour traffic on a notoriously crappy road, i was thinking i was going to have to pack the kids in the car at 5:30am and THEN sit around a house with no food or running water for the next four hours. this on top of the simple fact buddyone has been sleeping like shit and buddytwo is working on teeth, allergies, and an ear infection - if i didnt hate beer so much, id be well on my way to alcoholism this week.

husband stepped in and manned the house the first two hours and i came in later after going to city hall to get the water turned on, but ill get to that later. as im in the car, telling him im coming, the delivery folk call saying they will be at the house in 20-10 mins. somebody alert the media, home service people actually showing up between the hours they allotted you!

and then while im filling out the form to get water, he calls again to tell me it's done and there was a tiny dent in the back of the dryer and we will be getting $75 back on it! yeay, somebody loves me. i head to the house, and not twenty minutes later there's a city worker in my front yard and i can now flush the toilet! well not really, for some reason the tank isnt filling. called my dad but he hasnt called me back about it.

so my washer/dryer is so pretty. i cant wait to do laundry. now i just need to hang my line in the back. and now i can run the hose and get rid of some of the ugly shrubs in my front yard.