thrifty thursday + vermont!

I found two pink Tupperware trays (I love lunch trays) and a red mug at a Goodwill store in Vermont. I was pretty happy with these finds!

My mom and I got back from Vermont late last night. We had such a fun time. I was not so thrilled to wake up this morning and have a break in the routine that's been mine for the past 5 days.

I really miss this lady. Every morning I would go up to her room, help her finish getting ready & give her a Lovenox shot, eat breakfast together, and chat. Somehow waking up next to a pillow is just not the same!

And my uncle Mike. He always looks so sharp in a bow tie, and he works SOO hard. I always have a blast with him. And holy cow, you should see all the Pyrex he found for me!!

My cousin Majken, and eating at the restaurant with family (with killer views overlooking Lake Champlain!)

My aunt Susan and uncle Paul. There is non-stop joking and laughing with these two around.

Eating at gram's favorite sandwich shop. She is all done with her chemo & radiation now, and is doing world's better than the last time I saw her in January. That dumb chemo nearly killed her, so to see her make such vast improvements makes me feel really grateful. Keep fighting hard, gram!

Gram is a sewing whiz and everything she makes is complete perfection. She is famous for making "joy" banners. I have one made out of Christmas fabric from her, and have been asking for one made out of regular fabric to display for the rest of the year. While I was there, we made a joy banner together. It is something I will always keep & hold near to my heart!

I hand-stitched the straight parts of the binding, but when it came to tacking down the corners, I always let gram do that part. She is such a good teacher, and I have so much to learn from her. I could see the delight on her face when she would show me how to properly stitch a corner. She was so into it, there's no way I would have tried to stitch the corners myself and miss out on the experience of watching her be so thrilled to instruct me.

Here's the finished product!

I also found some items that I really wanted to take home with me:

My mom I went to the library and I fell in love with this yellow library cart.

And these plastic chairs, including the bigger, squash-colored one.

This bright blue postcard rack is something I really wanted. It was sitting outside with a bunch of other junk that is always left outside, even when the store is closed. I figure this rack must be pretty durable, as it has weathered the outdoor elements all winter long. Unfortunately, the store was closed so I don't even know how much this cost, but I have to say that I was very tempted to snatch this up. Too bad the store was closed, and too bad the rack would be awkward to ship.

Lastly, I found a dream home when my uncle and I were out on a drive. I drove right past this house without even taking a second look at it. My uncle pointed out the window and said, "oh, that's an old schoolhouse for sale". I was driving and immediately put on the brakes (my uncle was fearing for his life at this point, as I quickly reversed back up a hill). We got out and peered inside all the windows. From what I could tell, this place was adorable. We saw an old cellar, really cool fireplaces, and my favorite feature of all - the chalkboards were still on the wall in the living room! It was absolutely charming. We looked it up on the Internet when we got home. This place is a mere $179, 900. What a steal!

I can't wait to go back to Vermont this summer!

vermont, part two - pyrex edition

When I was in Vermont, I went to Pyrex heaven.

Twice.

My aunt has a good friend who collects Pyrex and other retro glassware/kitchen items. I had been hearing about the collection for some time and my aunt arranged for us to stop over.

Oh my goodness, I fell in love.

Her collection is incredible and she was nice enough to let me snap pictures of it, so I'll take you on a tour.

This cabinet has some Pyrex, amazing vintage colored glasses, and tons of kitchen knick knacks, like the Aunt Jemima syrup dispenser on the top shelf.

More Pyrex and vintage glasses.

Pyrex primary colored bowls and retro jars.

I loved this cabinet! I think the retro salt & pepper & flour shakers are so fun. I also have never seen striped Pyrex bowls like the pink and blue on the middle shelf.

Look how cheery all the pink is. Every piece is in pristine condition.

And finally, old Pyrex magazine ads. How great! I'm on the hunt for these now.

I had the best time looking at all the Pyrex. The owner remarked that most people think she's crazy for having such a collection, so she enjoyed showing it to someone who has a love for it too. Boy howdy, how couldn't you love it! It took all I had in me to not ask to be a part of this Pyrex inheritance.

I asked where she collected most of it from. Lots came from eBay and antique stores around Vermont. One of which happened to be two minutes from my cousin's house. The owner keeps odd hours but I got her telephone number and she opened the store just for us.

Again I say, Pyrex heaven.

It was one of the happiest stores I've been in. So much to choose from and such good prices. This garage was full to the brim with lots of Pyrex and other retro things. If I could have transported the entire structure to SLC, I would have.

The above picture is totally cheesy. My uncle took it and said, "say Pyrex". But it gives you a good look at everything in this part of the store.

I made some purchases and wrapped them carefully in bubble wrap & tissue paper. This Pyrex cargo became my carry-on and made it all the way home from Vermont safe and sound. I'll post pictures of it later on.

vermont, part one

I went to Vermont this past week with my mom and we had such a great time. We flew out together and came home separately so she could stay a bit longer and I could go back to work. So not to worry, there will be even more pictures to post when I have her camera.

We went out to surprise my gram, Shirley. And surprised she was! She sort of caught onto the fact that all her kids would be coming, but she had no idea I would be there too (I told her I was the only worthwhile surprise - jk). My aunt and uncle run an inn & restaurant right on Lake Champlain, so my mom and I sat down at a table in the restaurant and waited for Shirley to come in for dinner. She was so happy when it dawned on her we were there!

Unfortunately, this cute lady and arthritis are not the best of friends. Needless to say, she is in lots of pain and is half bionic with all the surgeries she's had. As a result, she hasn't been able to drive for the past four years, which is nice for me because I get to be her personal chauffeur and spend lots of time with her.

But let me tell you, when my gram is in Vermont and not living with us, she has her own golf cart to get around the property with. And boy, can she put the pedal to the metal! She would zoom all around and I sat next to her giggling away. What a treat to be her passenger!

(Gram hates cameras so in the above picture, she was pushing the gas with all her might while I was simultaneously holding down the brake. I'm glad we got a picture of her "Grandma" golf cart though!)

We went back to the house and gram showed me her latest sewing projects. She has made a bunch of baby quilts for future grandkids. I claimed this quilt top as my own. I love the yellow in this for my yellow-loving gram!

The next day was her birthday, and her present was a hit. She loved it.

The pillow found its new home on Shirley's bed. My gram is a total Green Bay Packers fan. Look at the helmet on her teddy bear - so hilarious.

My mom and I swam in Lake Champlain at 6:30 in the morning one day. It was SO frigid. I usually handle cold temperatures with ease, but the freezing water took my breath away and I had to use my inhaler after. But we had a lot of fun and I was reminded of all the times I swam in this lake before. (We've been going to Vermont to visit our family ever since I was really young).

We went to an apple orchard.

I so badly wanted to pick apples from the trees, but they weren't quite ripe yet. I think apple orchards are the prettiest of places. In this pic is my Tennessee uncle, Hazen. He is always goofing off (note the sour apple on his head) and I usually joke around with him speaking in a southern accent.

Ben & Jerry's is my favorite ice cream, which is lucky since the factory is in Vermont. We used to go all the time as kids, but I haven't been in a decade. We planned on making a stop, but our days were just so jam-packed, that the factory didn't make the cut.

There is this small shack on the Lake Champlain islands so we got ice cream from there. This is the same place that a seagull so lovingly plucked the ice cream off my cone as a little girl and made me cry. There were no tears this time around!

Gram and I spent an entire day together going into Burlington. We started out with a doctor's visit. She was so funny telling a whole bunch of stories to the doctor and his resident (I was super impressed that they spent more than 10 seconds with us). She ended the visit by telling the doctor that he picked a good quality shirt because the stripes on his sleeves and the body of the shirt were lined up. Only something a great seamstress like her would notice!

We then went to two fabric stores. Shopping for fabric is her absolute favorite, and I sure love it, too.

We stopped at antique stores and had her hair permed. This is a wishing well I saw at one of the stores. I thought it was so cool. If only I had a place to put it, I have about ten wishes I'd like to cast at the moment.

Hazen and I went kayaking on the lake. I've never been before, but I have to say that I mostly kept up with him, despite our difference in height. I'm vertically challenged next to him, but my jokes and southern accent abilities compensate for it.

Here are some pictures of the property:

Adirondack chairs are a staple there.

Now this little place below is a secret I discovered. It's a little gazebo that's secluded in the corner of the property. How in the heck I have never seen it in the 20 years I've been going to Vermont is beyond me.

Oh my, is it wonderful, though. And look at the killer view! I think it's a prime spot for a proposal or a smooch with a cute boy. Maybe one day I will go back and put it to good use.

I was also spoiled rotten with yummy food. We ate breakfast and dinner at the restaurant every day. My uncle is the bartender, and since I don't drink beer or alcohol, he always makes me a shirley temple. When I was a little girl, I would wear a fancy dress and sit on a bar stool while he made me one. I didn't think life could get any better then, and I still get just as excited now at the age of 23.

He really made me laugh too, because the first night I only got three cherries in my drink, and as the nights went on, the cherries increased. My last shirley temple had five. Like I said - spoiled!

Here is the most gorgeous full moon I have ever seen. This picture displays about 1/8 of how beautiful it really was. Staring at the moon reflecting on the lake with people I love. It just doesn't get much better than that.