Thrift Store Shelley

My grandma Helen was a wonderful woman.
She loved to tell detailed stories.....I mean DETAILED.
If she was showing you a pair of booties she had just knitted for the hospital charity bazaar..
(and she really was an amazing knitter, her stitches so meticulous that they looked machine made)
It would go something like this:
Come over and sit by me a minute and let me show you booties I am working on for the St Lukes hospital...you know they have an annual fundraiser to raise money....well I went to the store to get some yarn on tuesday.....wait maybe it was wednesday......no it was tuesday because I stopped at the King Soopers that day for eggs after my bowling league....wait I think that I got eggs AND milk that day.....well anywho....this yarn color is a yellow that is very hard to find and so I looked at the yarn store and they couldn't match it, well you know that yarns are done in dye lots and they just aren't the same color all the time...but anywho....I decided to go to "Thrift Store Mary's" on Thursday around 10 in the morning.....well no it wasn't 10 because your grandpa played golf that morning and he got back around 11 and so it must have been more like noon but I wanted  to see if she had the color I needed.........
wait......where are you going?
I haven't shown you the booties.

The reason I have been traveling down the Helen memory lane lately is that I went to a fabulous thrift store in Park City Utah last Monday...no wait it was Tuesday because.....no it was Monday because I went to Provo on Tuesday...
well anywho....
Grandma Helen LOVED thrift stores...
And she loved to talk about her friend "Thrift Store Mary"
Yes she actually called her that every time she talked about her.
How often was that you say?
A lot!
I am serious.
I always wondered if Mary whatever her last name was knew she was known in our family as "Thrift Store Mary"?
I wonder if she realizes I can't step into a Thrift store without thinking of this faceless, last nameless person who dominated my Grandma Helen's stories.
Well anywho.....
I spent a LOT of money at the Thrift store!
But whoooo doggies I got a lot of bang for my buck!
And so in honor of "Thrift Store Mary" and my wonderful grandma Helen I am going to be posting what I got for a 100 dollars in the Park City Thrift Store.
I know that "Thrift Store Mary" would be estatic
and Grandma Helen would be proud.

I start with the lovely piece of luggage I am clutching in my arms at the Salt Lake City Airport.
My expression is blue steel for those who know what I mean
I got more stares and questions about that piece of luggage than you would believe.
And not just because of my rocking model poses either....
It seems that retro is the new pink.
I bought it for my photography business and fallen in love with it as a traveling companion.
Double score!!

And how cute is THIS!Next time I will show you the rest of my purchases.....I think you will be amazed......if not by the sheer quality of the merchandise....at least in my ability to get it all into my suitcases and bring back home.

Meet the Sibs

I know I have talked about my brothers and sisters before but I don't think that you have been formally introduced....
We were all together last weekend for the wedding of my sweet niece Lisa and so a picture was taken. And because I think that for the first time in a long time we (my sister and I) are on a weight loss streak I feel like this is a picture that I can finally be happy with.
I mean....I actually like this picture.
And that hasn't happened since David was a wee tot....
So speaking of the baby I will start with the introductions from right to left.
The handsome man on the right is the youngest member of our family. With his movie star good looks he has actually been mistaken for Matthew Perry when seen in Hollywood.
If you have read my previous posts you will remember that I was not altogether thrilled with David usurping my "baby" throne in the family. We were loving enemies for a great deal of our childhood. With typical insults and threats we lived each day on a precarious tight rope of love. I thought his obnoxious habit of kissing everyone multiple times was gross and thus dubbed him the kissing bandit. I also often referred to him as my pesky little brother. He would torment me by sneaking around spying on me with dates and reporting back to the parents. He would warn me when I was angry with him that he would have 5 boys ALL like him and he would send them to stay and torment me every summer.
Sometime between the stage of pesky little brother and today developed a man that I am proud to call my brother. David is the person that I would choose to be on the Amazing Race with me. (for those who don't know about my worship of that show will not understand the compliment I just gave him) We would totally win.  He can do more in one hour than most men get done in a day. He is street smart with the ability to charm the pants off of any stranger. He is OCD with details and organization and a master of "git er done."
And he would do ANYTHING for his family. His love of family and desire to be around them is unparalleled. He prefers quality time AND quantity time. And when I have been in need he has answered every call. Always willing to help. He is the sibling that laughs the hardest at my jokes and shares my same slightly askew sense of humor.
Next in line is John....
But I have only ever called him Johnny. It might not fit for a man who is the president of The Children's Miracle Network.....or a man who rubbed elbows and was a speaker with Bill Clinton and George Bush and didn't even ask for a picture with them....a man who regularly competes and wins in grueling bike races like Lotoja or completes Iron Man triathlons.....
But he will always be Johnny to me.
The sometimes mysterious older brother who set the bar for all of us siblings a might high.
I will forever remember him as the brother who when getting a trail motorcycle Honda 90, who was not too embarrassed to take his little sister on rides around the hills of West Virginia.
or the brother who created a fictional character, E-E the monkey, who would talk to use through the amazing magic of the reel to reel tape recorder, sounding like a monkey from outer space.
His nickname is "the alien" because he keeps a lot of feelings to himself and acts like he doesn't remember all the past memories when we talk about them. We joke that our brother we grew up with was swooped up into an alien craft and replaced....but I really don't think that.
That's why I still call him Johnny.....
Even though to the rest of the world he is John.
And last but not least on the left is my favorite sister.
It's nice to only have one sometimes.....the competition is easier. That being said, "Precious" as I call her would be anyone's favorite sister. She is the heart beat of our family. She is the one to sit next to at the table during cut throat family card games because she will help you to win. She is one of the most generous people I know. She never forgets a special occasion and I always look forward to the thoughtful sweet gifts and cards from her written in her meticulous flowing print. As young girls we shared everything....sometimes willingly and sometimes begrudgingly...and Heidi was always pretty patient with her feisty younger sister.  I always tell people to imagine me and then think of the opposite and that's my sister Heidi. I hope she knows what a compliment that is. How much I think she possesses the qualities that I desire in myself....patience, love, service to others, generosity and the ability to take life as it comes with courage and determination.
My favorite Heidi saying that I use all the time with reverence...
"It is what it is."
And with that I say I am blessed to walk this earth with such wonderful siblings, playmates, frenemies, best friends, and family
It definitely is what it is.
And I love it.

Hair-do's and don'ts

Katelyn's favorite time of the day
(and now of course mine as well)
TUB TIME!
I have even created a song for the occasion which never ceases to earn me my most coveted prize
A smile
from the Royal Highness herself.
So in an effort to add a new dimension to bath time
We played beauty shop last night.
I had given a lesson in Relief Society  about keeping the Sabbath Day holy and decided that I needed to fill my day with worthy activities....
And so this was one of my top choices.
I present to you....
The Princess K
and her many hairdo's
and a few hairdon'ts
Enjoy!