Life

So blogging was something I was really enjoying and then life turned upside down and now I don't even have time to sleep better yet sit down and write about my life. But alas I want to get back to this.

I now have about eight boxes full of accumulated stuff (all thrifted) for mine and Kasey's future home. I also have really come together on my idea on the wedding. Mostly thanks to other's blogs with wonderful DIY projects and styles that mirror what I truly love.

At the end of the day I am just so exhausted. I feel that maybe after Christmas things will be a little better. Kasey graduates from the Police Academy in just two weeks. I feel as though things will slow down and we will have more time to focus on each other, finish planning the oh-so-soon-approaching wedding, and start looking for apartments.

Mostly my days are a repeat of the same pattern: Get up, go to work, go thrifting for vintage coffee cups (what will be used at the wedding reception. I need 100 of them), go home and crochet wedding flowers, help Kasey with homework, fix dinner, go home and get some sleep, repeat in seven hours. I feel as if I am running on fumes. It's not that I am unhappy or anything along those lines, I am just so tired. What little space I call my own private world (my room, my safe haven of Heather) is a war zone of clothes, washed and unwashed, a bed with a nest for blankets/sheets, yarn and crochet materials strewn about, pictures and wedding details laying on every available space, boxes that are halfway packed with things that are for this nearing "future" home, and what used to be my floor is littered with whatever flies off of my body at the end of the day before I dive back into the nest to sleep. I feel out of sorts, unorganized, and frazzled.

I find myself eating nothing but the occasional bowl of Raman noodles and a glass of hot cocoa at night, which has led me down a path of unhealthy weight loss. I am just not hungry and then when I find myself pinning (lusting) after food that I love, I do not desire it when it really comes down to eating.

I keep longing for moments when I can rest, then I sit down to rest and think only of what I need to get accomplished, so I try to get things done only to collapse down into a coma of exhaustion. I am in a horrible cycle.

So here it to trying to find my balance in life again at some point and the pursuit of grandma sweaters, since i have discovered that I own no warm clothing at all.

Sunbeam Mixmaster Complete

It all started with a yellow Sunbeam Mixmaster model 1-7A circa 1981. It was $8, but without a bowl or beaters. I am relentless, though, so there began my journey to find all the pieces so that one day I would be whipping out cookie dough and cupcake batter as far as the eye could see!

What began as a simple ebay search turned into something much more. I thought it would be simple, seeing as how I found many bowls that matched. Little did I know what started out as a $5 bid would turn into me watching because fight to an ending bid of $45. For a bowl? Beaters, you ask? $0.99 ends in $36. You have got to be kidding me! I paid $8 for the whole machine! I began feeling really upset about this whole mixer business. I thought I was going to have to be close to a hundred into just to be able to use it. I might as well just put the machine in the kitchen as a piece of conversation and wait for someone to buy us a Kitchenaid Mixer at the wedding shower. Then again, I don't give up easily. No, I would find that bowl and beaters and I was most certainly not paying $45 for anything.

Three weeks ago I determined that I would comb every thrift store, yard sale, and flea market until I found them. Two Sundays ago I walked into Goodwill as soon as the door opened at 1pm to let Kasey try on a blazer I was going to buy him the week before. I searched every corner of the house ware section until I was going to give up for this trip and wait till next time when I looked up and in some random shelf was this:

I knew it was a Sunbeam bowl without even having to look at it twice. It was dirty and smudged with years of use...and...it...was...mine!!! I think I might have let out a little squeal as I took it down from the shelf and read the $2 price sticker. It was identical to the ones I had stalked on ebay and on old Sunbeam Mixmaster ads.

Fast forward to today where I stalked through two different libraries to acquire all of these:

What can I say? I'm having a John Green kind of week. And I have been meaning to read The Hunger Games for about two years. I'm really excited about jumping in now that Catching Fire and Mockingjay are already out.

Anyways, I didn't really go thrifting today for myself. Amber is directing her own show in a few weeks of Alice in Wonderland and we were in pursuit to fill a huge box full of plates, teacups, and random things for the show.

By chance I thought I would go through the silverware and look at all the beaters, yet again for the billionth time these last couple weeks. I honestly did not expect to find anything. But then...I did. Again they were the same style I had been seeing on ebay. The beaters have been hard to identify as the right ones because they are not made with any model numbers. It's basically and hit or miss game. I was hoping for a hit. I danced to the checkout counter to hand her all $2 of the purchase price.

"I really hope these fit my mixer I bought here the other week!"

She smiled and put them in a bag, "Well you just take these home and see if they fit and just bring them back or pay me later this week. I know you will; you're in here every other day."

I went home in a daze, dug the mixer out of the numerous rubber storage bins now living in the spare room that are full of stuff I have gotten the last couple months for the future home, and said a prayer as I paused to stick them in the slots. I then they clicked. It was the best sound in the world. It felt like when you zip up they dress you have been longing to buy and it just fits.

I ran with it to the kitchen, plugged it in, and jumped in place for a good five minutes as I watched it spin and listened to the motor sing sweet mixing sounds.

Even though these are actually the dough hooks, but I still plan on using them to make some serious cookies this week. I know without a doubt in my mind I will find the regular set of beaters soon. I am so thankful that I keep getting blessed with all these amazing finds. It feel so good to find something then actually be able to search and discover all these pieces they go with it too. I feel accomplished!

So it's complete, mostly. It's really nice to think of the family that owned the mixer and all the wonderful things they created with it over the years. And also the other family who owned the bowl and the other other family that owned the dough hooks. So many pieces from so many different places that have been put together to now be a part of mine and Kasey's home.

Thrifting = happiness.

"Didilly didilly didilly di, Two Ladies! And I'm the only man!"

Honestly, last night was brilliant. The show was fantastic. Amber and I decided to make an event out of it. She brought hot rollers to put in my hair, we did make-up, I wore red lip stick, carried my Audrey handbag, and finally had a good reason to wear my gold floral Zac Posen dress. We looked at each other and went into non-lesbian rants about how good the other looked, then we hopped in Bula to head to Amos Howard's for dinner. The hostess asked us where we had come from so dressed up to which we replied in unison, "Going to see Cabaret!" We sat in a barrel, which is the main thrill besides the food, and spent time discussing time, philosophy, reality vs our imagination, and whether or not I had seen a ghost on the way home from the festival or not the night before.

After sharing a chicken salad, salad and playing with our food, we got back into to Bula to make our way to the theater.

I haven't watched a live show in years, which is sad considering how much I LOVE theater. Even sadder, there are at least four theater companies in my area, including the CoMMA that has Broadway companies come through every Fall/Spring season. Life just gets too busy, lack of funds, or I just do that whole, "Oh that would be amazing. I wish I could see that." then just never go. So last night it was just, I don't know...It felt good to be able to experience something that I love again.

The set looked amazing. My only regret is that I didn't get any shots of the Kit Kat Klub patrons when they all started to come on stage and just walked around staring at the audience as the live band played sweet swing music.

Free tickets thanks to Amber's fellow actor buddie who played Ernest Ludwig in the show. His performance was amazing.

Amber being Amber.

The whole point of blogging the experience was the fact I was finally wearing the Zac Posen dress I found at Goodwill for $5 and the vintage handbag I got at the festival. Sort of thrift finds in action, but ironically I didn't get any pictures of myself last night...well one, but it was super crappy. The show was amazing, thought provoking, moving, unnerving, entertaining, the music, the dancing, the clothing, the storyline, the setting, oh it was wonderful. Just the way it begins in 1929 Berlin in this beautiful night club, every moment is a party, girls, dancing, life is laissez faire. Then everything begins to fold in on itself. The Nazis are coming to rise, suddenly nothing is what it once was, lovers betray each other, friends are enemies, and maybe life isn't what they thought it was at all. The glam, the laughter, the party, it's not what it seems anymore. It's ends in this dark disturbing number that brought everyone to their feet, myself and Amber included.

I'm going to go see it again before it ends it's run.

I will leave you with my favorite number from the 1998 Broadway revival with Alan Cumming, "Two Ladies" (Warning: it's very risqué, but if you saw the whole show you would understand). Andrew Turnbull played the Emcee last night and was definitely channeling Cumming, but with his own absolutely brilliant portrayal.

“People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.”

Audrey Hepburn is more than just style; she was an amazing human spirit. In honor of the handbag I found last night, which I named Audrey, I wanted to share my favorite quote from her.

So this weekend is the Historical Morganton Festival. After Kasey got out of class we made our way downtown. First off was Neely D's BBQ. Not only was the BBQ amazing, our plate came with the best hushpuppies I have ever eaten. Basically the festival is a time to pig out and not think about it the nest couple days. We got apple cider slushies from our favorite stand, Knob Creek Farms. I look forward to it every year. Simple things like an apple cider slushie or Thia chicken on a stick is just so good when you wait an entire year for it.

We walked around, fought against ourselves to buy food from every single stand, passed and spoke to everyone we knew, listened to crappy festival band music, and then watched Resident Evil: After Life. It wasn't has horrible as the third, but still not as good as the first two.

I went to the jewelry stand I have gotten a ring from every year for the last three years to add a new one to my collection. I was very disappointed to see they only had the same designs as last year. So no new ring for me. Onward to the other side of the block I found the Habitat Restore booth. I found a handmade coffee cup with a frog crafted on the inside of the lip that looked to be falling in with a look of sheer terror on it's clay glazed face. Kasey and I found this to be the most humorous thing with have seen in a while. I was about to buy it when out of the corner of my eye I saw a black clutch handbag in a box. I reached down and found this beauty:

It was a whopping $1.50. Judging from the style, inside liner, and chain clasps I am pretty sure it's from the 40's. So tonight I will be carrying this to Cabaret!

You Spin Me Right Round, Baby

I have realized I have a backlog of items and stories to share, but I think I will save that for the weekend when I don't work. So I shall share yesterdays little adventure. Eh...not exactly an adventure. I have worked every day this week, opening to 4pm. I actually kind of enjoy my job, but let's just say that yesterday the week finally caught up with me. Amber and myself had planned on thrifting, but once it actually came down to it I just wanted to throw off my work clothes and sleep. As I was getting into Bula (Amber's old burgandy Buick), I had the sudden urge to jump back out and run for my sweet, sweet blankets. I didn't. Amber and her friend that I will call the Soul-less One were talking, but I don't recall the conversation.

Walking into New 2 You I almost forgot the reason I wanted to go. I felt overwhelmed by being in a place full of stuff. I wasn't in my usual must-look-though-everything-I-am-amazed mood. I walked around, running my hands along the dress rack feeling very detatched. There were a few old Zenith tv sets I liked. One was really quite awesome. Very 80's. The kind that probably set on the kitchen counter and displayed the news to some woman while she cooked breakfast or washed the dishes or played cartoons in the morning for the kids while they ate their cereal before school. Finally after day dreaming about the lives of the tv sets I came across something I have been wanting: a turntable. I have an amazing collection of vinyl, but only use my mom's record player things that is made to look like an old Zenith radio that has serious sound issues...as in the sound sucks. So I have really been wanting to find a turntable to put in my future home so I can enjoy my Grease soundtrack, Thriller album, and the album of some British orchestra that Amber thinks I will clean the house to while birds fly in through the windows and sing to me. Anyways this one was only $4.

It is dusting, but it does turn. I know my dad will be able to play around with it and getting into working order, if possible, with his old turntable speakers.

I think the needle is broken. Mom has an extra needle from her record player. I am hoping that record player needles are universal and it will fit mine.

So I was ready to leave with the realization that when I say something out loud about something I like or would want to have, I keep finding these things. Amber decided I should start talking about bigger things and wait for them to find me. "I would like to have a ready made house...and then boom it falls in your back yard!" So as I was walking to the registar, an old coat rack caught my eye. At first I was afraid I was messing with someone's coats until the lady behind the counter smiled and confirmed that they were for sale. That's when I discovered a navy blue peacoat that has to be from the 60's or 70's.

It's wool, no designer or size tag, has a Women's Clothing Union tag, and fits like it was made for me! It has a really classic cut with a slight swing at the bottom.

I love the bottons!


And the pockets!

I was really hoping that there might have been something in the inside pocket that would point to where it was from, who it belong too, anything, but alas it was empty. The last jacket I bought had a receipt from a dress shop in Sweden. Oh, the stories I came up for that!

I love this coat. It makes me feel like I should be pulling the pincurls from my hair, dabbing on some red lipstick, slipping on this coat, and heading out to meet my love for dinner. It makes me feel feminine and classic.

Hopefully this weekend I can share some of my favorite finds from the last month, but until them I will leave with the sight I found in Kasey drive way this afternoon. Just a picture of the earth taking back what it gave.

A passion, a hobby, a way of life

Inspired by Julie & Julia and A New Dress A Day blog, I wanted to share some kind of passion of my own. I can't believe I haven't recognized it before now. My passion is thrifting. Triggered by my engagement to my future husband and the nesting craziness that has taken over me to buy things for our future home, thrifting has become daily for me. Blogging about my feelings on life is not something that excites me. I save all that for my yellow comp book that is always in my purse. No, I wanted to blog, share with the world something that bring light into me. I wanted to share something that I become so excited about that I begin to trip over my words. And that thing is thrifting.

A little history: Thrifting is something that has always been in my life. Starting with trips to the Goodwill with my grandma growing up. She would buy me vintage dresses for dress up and teacups to play with, I would love going through the isles and being able to see pieces from different times. They felt like treasures. When I got older I became very disillusioned with going to thrift stores. I didn't want old things, I wanted new things. "Shop for clothes at Salvation Army? You have got to be kidding me....I don't want to be seen shopping in a thrift store mom!" Blame it on hormones or the fact that at 16 you need to be shopping in a mall where a cotton tee shirt that has the store name plastered over the front in $40. But that's what is supposed to identify me! Growing up, no teenager wants to identify with having no money and buying things second hand. You believe that you need these pricey things to identify you. You need to know you are worth these new untouched things.

Ok so aside from all the angst, I have always been pulled torwards things of the past. I love Grease, Willy Wonka, I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, That 70's Show, basically anything from time periods other than my own. I would watch Audrey Hepburn movies and desire her clothes, makeup, the way in which she spoke. I would look through old pictures of my parents from the 70's and wish I could have a brown and gold couch. I found beauty in the styles, clothing, furniture, kitchens, everything. Hitting my 20's I stopped merely desiring these style, I started to actually let myself be me. I started shopping at Goodwill and finding amazing vintage dresses, shoes, old vinyl records that I had always wanted, anything and everything that finally felt like me. It felt freeing to not care what others might think and just be myself. I wish I had known this truth earlier in life.

So now when I walk into a fantastic thrift store and find an old teacup I think, "I wonder who bought this? Did they drink tea out of it? Did someones husband, mother, grandma buy this for them as a wedding present? Did they love this teacup before it got lost? Hey it's a quarter!" It's the thrill of the history, it's the knowledge that someone else in this world once owned it, it's the environmentally friendly part of reusing something that would be thrown into a landfield for no good reason, and it's economically fantastic to spend less money for old things that I love rather than spend tons of money on new things that I don't even like. Why do I need new expensive things? I don't. I don't need to define myself by how amazingly new and expensive my possessions are. I just want to be the best Heather God made me to be. I don't even need thrifting to define me. All the thrift stores I shop at give their money to help those in my community that are in need. So I know that when I find a really great dress for $5 at Goodwill that that money is going to clothe a little girl who may not even have a second change of clothes. I know that if I find a juicer for $8 at Burke United Chirstian Ministries Thrift that my money is going to help purchase food for the soup kitchen to feed those who would otherwise go hungry in Burke County.

Not only does thrifting provide for myself it is a system that provides for others. Isn't that wonderful? A system where I can clothe and furnish myself and that directly does the exact same thing for someone else in need! Shouldn't that be the way things work?

Anyways I just hope that by sharing this part of myself it will inspire, being some form of entertainment to others, and just be a good outlet for my thrifting craziness.

What will I find today?!?