The icing on the cake

Last Night, I was finally able to get to my second trip to the dollar store.  This week has been snowy and cold, and I still have no car.  So Grace and I headed out last night and grabbed a few more "deals".   I could barely wait until the morning so I could start on my new stuff.

I couldn't turn this around, sorry!



So this morning, I tried to Gracie pumped up about doing a little baking.  But she either didn't under stand, or really wasn't into it...

 I thought maybe after I got the cupcakes all baked she'd be into the sprinkles part, but no, that movie was really, REALLY good!

SO I had no help on my Dollar store baking adventure, but she was all for eating one, of course.  That's the way it always goes.  She comes by it honestly, I was never one to be found in the kitchen, unless i was really, REALLY bored...

Anyhow, Lets do a tally of how much they cost me.... Cake mix, Betty crocker, $1.50,  Icing, $1.50(dollar store brand),  Maraschino cherries, $1.25, Sprinkles(already had em)...  Looking like a mom who knows her way around a kitchen and loves her family, just that much?  Priceless...

I bet your wondering how they turned out?  I would be.. Actually, they aren't bad.. The cake mix is great, but I knew It would be, The icing, isn't top notch, but in a pinch, It would definitely do the trick..  And the cherries, eatable, not my favorite, but they suited this job perfectly!

All and all?  Still pretty pleased with the dollar trip...

And although, shes not the greatest helper, she looks good enough to eat, Just like my cupcakes!!



Adventures in dollar stores

How was every ones long weekend?  Did you get to relax?  Catch up? 

I took the opportunity to head to dollar store for the start of my "project" that I told you about earlier..(see see what I'm talking about click here)  This was there first of many visits this week.  and I gotta say, I had a pretty good time.. I cant say Geoff did toting around Grace but I feel the trip was pretty successful..

Here's a good look at what my first visit finds were...

So I'm guessing at first glance it doesn't look like much, am I right?  But really, I came home with some pretty fantastic things and some very practical things.   But I think the most exciting things to try  are going to be the things I would never dream of trying from the dollar store-- LIKE maraschino cherries... Or pizza crust...

The crust could be dry and awful, and the cherries could taste like feet.  But How will we know if we never ever try.  They were a buck or so each.  If they work, I saved my family about $5, If they are gross, we're out $2.

And I feel the need to tell you, the dollar store isn't just about compromising on brands, or even looks.  I found Heinz relish is a squeeze bottle for $1.50.  What?  So cheap.  I felt like I was in on a little secret.  I found fleecy(the brand) fabric softer.  $2 for 25 loads.  I don't use alot of fabric softener because alot of my cleaning clothes cant be washed with softener.  So this small bottle for $2, was perfect for my laundry room!

And as far as looks go, I threw out my old broom and dust pan for this beauty...

That's right.. All together this broom cost me $4.  I got to mix and match the base, the handle and the pan.  I like this broom.  I might be moved to sweep a little more often, I know Gracie seems to like it!

You'll notice in one of the pictures I bought a couple of small baskets.  I'm making use of them in my laundry room, storing bottles of cleaners and cleaning cloths.  They look pretty cute and keep my like stuff together and organized.  I also picked up this jar...

I keep my dishwasher blocks in it.  Its nice having them handy and its pretty good to look at too.

But... What I really really loved.  What I felt made this whole endeavor worth it?  Sigh.. these...

Cup cake liners.  Maybe its hard for you to see in this picture, but they have little roses on them.  They had lots of different styles but these ones came home to live with me.  I can hardly wait to make some cupcakes with them.  Hey!  i could put maraschino cherries on the top!! MMMMM!

So, This was only trip 1.  I have a few more trips lined up.  Another for Make-up and personal products, and maybe another for more food type items.  I also should tell you the other things I bought that werent mentioned(but you may have been able to see in the pictures):  Pencils and erasers.  Compostable bags.  Dijon.  Canned Tomatos.  Paint cup.  Cotton balls and Garlic spice.  Not to mention a kindered surpise and a box of smarties. 

All my purchases that day cams to $33 and change.  Seriously.  Compared to other stores, a rough calculation, I saved,  about $27 dollars.  And this was all things I needed or was gonna soon need.  I saved almost what I spent.  I'm thinking in my next trips, combined with this one, I wont spend over $60. 

And just you wait to see what the next trips bring...

Keep reminding me...

Well, Geoff is half way through his schooling.  YAY!  But still no EI Cheque.  Of course.  And Grace is potty training.  Really potty training.  Although I think I am the worse potty trainer.  Mostly cause I have no clue what I'm doing.  And none of the "tricks" all my mommy friends passed along seem to be working for Gracie.  I will say say this, she seems to love being naked.  She has totally broke my, "no naked on my couch rule"!  Its a real rule in my house.  But right now, I'm letting her away with it.  Its desperation, my friends.  So these last couple weeks, I've done little of what I want/need to get done and alot of running to potties.  So far, shes peed on my floor more times than I can keep track and today... she poopped, for the the first time in 2 days i might add, one my floor.  If ever I needed a pick me up, it was right then.

Theres so much frustration packed into potty training.  Its a fine line between wanting to scream  and wanting to hug her because shes still my baby, and is super proud of what she does accomplish.  "Goo gorl", (good girl)  something Grace says to me every time she sits on the potty.. And she IS a good girl.  So I'm glad she keeps reminding me.

Another thing I have been attempting to do, is hang pictures, well re-hang pictures, as the case may be.  My sister recently talked me into buying a big pic for my wall and somehow the land slided into rearranging all my pictures.  Anyway I thought I'd get your input.. What you think of this picture... Me or No?

And to add to my chaos, I've been trying to quit biting my nails.  I bought the bitter tasting nail polish, and I'm almost 1 week in and  doing pretty ok.  I hate the taste that always seems to be in my mouth, but it serves as a good reminder, i s'pose. 

I guess Grace and I are both training...

The never ending projects

A while back back I said I'd post pictures of Graces room when I got it together.(Way back when I reminded you)  Well as together as we get around here.  The past few months  I have been getting her room organized and figuring out what I needed to best utilize the small space we have to work with.  We also got her new bed, new night stand and new toy box.  I thought I'd let you know what all we had to do to make it work.

We ordered the bed first.  That was back in April or may.  We ordered it through quilts extra.  Its a White(of course) wrought Iron bed.  It took about 8 weeks to arrive but it was worth the wait.  I have not one regret with this bed.  I'm in love with it.  We decided on a double bed, mainly because it would suit guests, but also I like the idea of Gracie having this bed for years and years to come.

So Gracies bed is a double.  I have learned if you want a bed spread to cover your mattress entirely buy a size up.. But as it happened, I had a Queen duvet just sitting in my closet.  All I needed was a duvet cover.  I friend and I were at Ikea, when she spotted that white duvet in the as is bin!  Thankfully, too, since I had a $90+ in my cart and this one rang in at $20!  Deal.  I also picked up yellow floral sheets at homesense for $30.  Pretty cute for a little girls room, to bad you cant see them here.  The latest addition to her bed, was a blanket I picked up on a recent therapy session to Homesense.  $36.  And yes, I'm in love.

Next, you may remember, but discovery of the Strathcona antique mall.  Which is was where I found the perfect night stand for Gracies room, an antique wash stand.  The best thing about it, was the near perfect condition it was in.  The other?  It was cream.  Love at first sight is real, I have the first hand experience.

The last thing I tackled was the closet.  I Did spend a bit of money on storage bins.  If you don't think its worth it, you'd be wrong.  Haha.  Just kidding.  But they really help me keep things handy and organized.  I bought 4 decorative ones from wall mart($10 ea.) They are home to receiving blankets, clothes that are still too big or the like.  I bought under the bed storage bins to keep her old baby clothes that I couldn't yet part with.  I also had my father in law build a shelve right about her hanging stuff(bad English but, why cant I think of the proper name, lol)  That shelf is great for blankets, taller foot wear or sometimes her stuffies that need a place to be seen but not always played with.  Teh shelf is the newest thing in her room and I am so happy with it!

On a good day, I like our closets to be somewhat "good-looking" too.  I dont know why.  But I get great happiness when I open up the doors and it looks like a display.  Maybe its because its sucha rarity in my life.  haha.

You might of noticed that Graces toy box was tucked away into her closet.  Well, 1)  her room is only so big.  2) the toys that sleep in there are the ones she doesn't use so often.  I bought the bins on top(homesense, $10 ea) to store the toys and things she plays with the most.  It makes for easy clean up at naptime or bed time.  I know a lovely lady that tackles old things that need some love, and gives them a fresh coat of paint, still leaving behind what we loved aboutthe piece.  Thats art to me!  Check her out Here .
Anyhow, that's that. The only things That didn't get covered: her pictures on her wall and her new whitewashed flooring.  The pictures on the wall?  I need serious help, any help I'd take.  And as for the flooring, why, oh why, didn't we do that sooner?