h2o

 sign over drinking fountain on the Tohno O'odham Nation

I love words....not the technical parts of words like spelling, grammar and punctuation but the part that makes you pause and think about something in a way you have never thought of before.

savers

On my way to visit the dentist this week I stopped by my favorite second hand store. While wandering through the scattered toy aisle I happened upon a little Radio Flyer trike for only 7 dollars (minus my 30% off coupon). We had found a scooter for T the week before but E was still wheel-less. I snatched up the three wheeled-bargain then realized I would need to look for something for T. She and her mom have been baking together in my kitchen so when I saw the cupcake apron (marked 14 cents....someone in the back must have been having a creative day) I knew I had a winner.

E is still a little cautious with his bike and T is still trying to remember the word apron (she calls it ribbon when she can't come up with the word) but both are delighted with their gifts.

decisions

I told T she could pick out one thing at Savers, the second hand store we visited this week. First she spotted a purple TY bear. When we reached the shelf overflowing with stuffed toys she exchanged the bear for a small Micky Mouse character. She stuck to that decision even after we found a Veggie Tale character (Jr Asparagus,I believe). Veggie Tales are her favorite movies and she has continually admired my Larry the Cucumber toy. Micky Mouse retained his status through the toy section and the remainder of the store until we entered the shoe aisle on the far side of the store. T spotted a pair of pink and purple "flit flots" and the Mouse plummeted. Apparently she has been admiring the "flit flots" of the big girls in her life. Technically they are probably a tad too big but that was a minor flaw, easily overlooked.

For T it was love at first flit.

name that post

I love....Circles.

I like the way they curve 'round about so smoothly, lacking dangerous sharp corners that could potentially cause an injury. Little wonder then that I came home from yesterdays storage locker sale with this delightful magazine rack thingy. Not sure what I will do with it; maybe store towels as I've read somewhere recently that towels rolled the correct way can be art.

I thought this photo would be a fun one to name- I also love naming things. I have a couple of ideas but would like to hear yours.....Name that post!

cool junk

While in the city this weekend, we stopped by my favorite second hand strip mall to pick up a friend. The string of unique treasure-laden stores never fails to provide a delightful spread of delicious eye candy for the lens of my camera.

why i love arizona #4

I love shopping at

More organized than Goodwill...


Cleaner than Salvation Army....


Larger than any second hand store I've visited before....

Multiple locations throughout the city....

Thursday is my favorite day to visit Savers as that is the day the new sale color tag is introduced. Thursday through the weekend that particular color is on sale for half price.

Monday morning Savers shopping is only for the brave and seasoned shopper. On Monday the color that was half price the previous week now sell for $1.00 regardless of the original price. People line up outside the store before the doors open at 9 AM. If you are interested in women's clothing and you arrive at 9:15 you are too late. In the first fifteen minute each rack has been searched and stripped of any decent garments with the sale color. Shopping carts are stacked to overflowing. People buy the clothing and then take it across the boarder to Mexico and resell it. Buyer beware...you don't want to mess with the professional shoppers or you just might get hurt.

Dancing to the Rhythm (of an international beat)

This morning I rode into the city with my husband to pick up a car a friend had borrowed. My plan was that after getting the car and sending my husband off to work I would drive another 15 minutes to the Ten Thousand Villages store and redeem the gift certificate we were give as a wedding gift (thanks She!)


There was a slight modification in my plans when after getting the car and entering the expressway traffic I noticed it was shaking badly before I even reached 55 mph. I called my husband and he directed me to the nearest Costco with the hopes that balancing the tires would fix the problem. Once a Costco I took a quick look at the tires in a effort to gain any possible information that might help me answer the questions I would inevitably be asked. When I got to the last tire, the right rear I was shocked to find a gash one third the way around the tire so that I could see the steel radials sticking out (I'm not sure if that's what you call them but it sounds good here). Praise YHWH (God) he was watching out for me so that tire didn't blow while I was driving on the expressway.

Long story short, I bought a new set of tires today. After an hour of lunch and wandering the asiles of Costco while chatting on the phone I was back on the road again headed to my original destination. I found the store with not too much problem thanks to my GPS, Tina Turner.


The stores in the plaza were upscale shops including Chico and Talbots. I was tickled to see they had a misting system ...a very cool idea-no pun intended-of spraying an area with a light mist to keep you cool in the dry desert heat...although I did hear the weatherman say that Friday it will cool down a bit and is only expected to reach 98 degrees.


For those of you who are not familiar with the Ten Thousand Villages stores they are a connected to the Mennonite Church and sell products from artisans around the globe using fair trade practices. If you have never visited their stores I would encourage you to check them out on the Internet at www.tenthousandvillages.com

The store was packed with a wonderful variety of beautiful products that make just looking fun. But today I was going to have extra fun as I had money to spend...well, at least I had a slip of paper that said I could spend some money.



The products were artistically displayed in color groups that were very pleasing to the eye. Each item was tagged with the name of the country it came from. As I moved from one section to the next I found lots of beautiful things that I could have spent that gift certificate on.


Before going to the store I had visited their website and decided ahead of time that I would like to purchase some cloth napkins and maybe napkin rings both to be green (by not using paper napkins...something I thought my husband would appreciate) and also to make a pretty place setting with my new dishes. However...


When I entered the store the first display I came to was musical instruments... from drums to wooden flutes to singing bowls. I knew immediately that this was were my husband, had he been free to join me, would want to spend our certificate. Not only does he enjoy experimenting with a variety of instruments but he has also been wanting to find a way to help the young children in our Messianic fellowship be able to join in the worship.



After making my way around the store several times while engaging in a pleasant conversation about Ghana and Haiti with the sales woman I finally made my purchases. Two sage green cotton napkins from India....



and three fun but not too loud rhythm instruments.