Thrift Store Finds

This past Tuesdays I went thrift store shopping! I got a lot of random stuff. Honestly I might have a shopping problem. I love it! I really do love to shop. It makes me happy. I know that is a sad, sad thing but its true. So I stick to the thrift stores and the sales rack so I don't get myself in trouble with Mr. Tripp.

Really all the stuff I bought was stuff I really liked or did need, so that makes it OK. Right?

This first thing might seem odd. Its a turkey tea light holder from Avon. I bought it because I already have one at home just like it. It was my Great Grandmothers and I have never seen an other like it, so when I saw this at Goodwill I had to have. Now I have a set and it was only $2.00.

Second is this little wooden tool box. Also only $2.00 from goodwill. Ella has carried around all week like a purse.

I love milk glass and I found this fruit bowl of $5.00.

$8.00 for all four dresses, and the best part is that they are from the Gap and Gymboree.

With 5 kids we burn though white glue, $1.70 for all three

$2.00 for egg dye.

I found this two teared metal plater for $3.50. I might paint it white to go with my other platers and cake stands.

I have already done a project that I will be sharing later with these plastic bangles. $1.00 for all 3.

This set of napkin rings I paid $1.00 for

it is going to my project bin too.

Yes, I all ready have the exact same punch bowl and cup set but I really just bought a second set for the extra cups.

It was only $6.00.

And the best find of the day was an old typewriter. $3.00 and its works. My kiddos have been having a blast with it.

Yes I have a problem

and no I don't plain on doing anything about it.

xxoo

St. Patty's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We are not Irish over here at the Tripp house, at least not enghout to lay claim to the emerald isle. But I we do look for just about any reason to celebrate.

My lovely lasses in green.

Paddy's day cup cakes and tonight I'll be making my kiddos green eggs and bacon for dinner. I got the banner and cup cake toppers here.

no pinching please!

xxoo

steady hands

It was over a year ago I posted this on facebook. It still rings true today.

"I pray on a daily basis. I pray for my family, friends, thank God for all the blessings in my life and talk with him about the struggle. For the last two months or so I have also been praying about our hosing. I ask that God will make me content with the home that he has provided us with and give us wisdom and make a way when it is in his time to move into something bigger.

Lets please be clear that I am SO VERY GRATEFUL for the home that God has given. But lately it is feeling very tight for the 7 of us. My prayer has been leaning towards the "give me a new house" rather than "give me contentment with what you have given me".

This past Sunday at church are pastor quoted "it takes a steady hand to hold a full cup". This hit home with me. I sit here looking around my house and YIKES! It looks like a toy box, washing machine and Martha Stewart's craft department exploded all over my house. Piles of laundry to be folded and up away, toys every were, unfinished projects, and the list goes on. I can just barely see my dinning room table underneath all the mess.

"It takes a steady hand to hold a full cup". God has already given me a full cup that my hand is not steady enough to hold. I have decided to stop my prays for a bigger house and I am going to pray that God will help steady my hands so that I can manage the home he has given me.

How steady are your hands?"

I still pray quite often for a new house and sadly my hand is still not steady enough to hold the cup that I have been given. My heart longs for contentment. I wonder if this will be a life long prayer. Maybe I will always struggle with a content heart.

I do look at my "full cup" differently now that a year has past. My cup is not only full but it is overflowing. Overflowing with grace, joy, love, faith, trust, peace, family, friends, healthily kids, a happy marriage, as well as my full and messy house.

xxoo

feeding frenzy

My kiddos are crazy about popcorn.

You would think that they are feral children who have never seen food before.

xxoo

A lovely view on Lent

xxoo

two small steps

Penny brought me a pair of the boys old underwear. Then she tried with all her might to take off her pants and diaper. She was so very proud when she got the "big girl" pants on. She peed in them a hour later but up until them she was a big girl.

I think a potty is in her future.

xxoo

We like our fruit.

We will burn through this in about a week.

xxoo

taking a sick day or two

I'v been out of order for the past two weeks. First with the flu and now bronchitis. I last time I was out of commission for this long was when Penny was born.

First came the flu and we all got it. BOO! Luckily no one hurled and that was a gift from God.

As the flu was subsiding in the kids, bronchitis set into my lungs and and the the flu decided that it wasn't ready to be done with me.

It was pretty bad.

Phil threatened to take to to the med station once or twice. I really just wanted to let the "bug" work it's way through and out of my body but after 12 day of being bed ridden I went to the doctors. She put me on a "Z" pack and inhaler. I'm happy to say that today I'm doing much better.

Now I have two weeks of house work and laundry to catch up on.

Please DON'T stop buy to say hi. I won't let you in.

xxoo

one small step

When PJ was about 18 month I would set him on his little yellow potty every 30 minutes. I was diligent in this and at 24 months PJ was potty trained at home and at 28 month we could go out of the house in his big boy underwear. It was so much work! I learned my lesson with PJ. I have let all the other kids potty train in their own time.

Penelope is 21 months old and I know she will potty train when she want to. It could be 6 month it could be a year, or longer. To be truthful about it, I don't really care when she starts to use the potty, but it's nice to see her getting the potty out of the bathroom and sitting on to read a book. I know that it's a small step towards learning a big life skill.

xxoo

a snip and a clip

It was a big night for us over at the Tripp house. It was hair cut night. Mr. Tripp is pretty good at cutting small children's hair. To be honest Mr. Tripp learned how to cut the kids hair because he's cheap. To get three boys and one little girl's hair cut and tip the poor lady who had to cut the hair ran us about 60 bucks. Times that by 5 or 6 time a year and, well it adds up.

(Penny is still to little for her first trim)

Matt's hair is the hardest to cut. It's thin and strait. One miss cut can be seen a mile away but he sits the stillest out of all the kids.

Ben's hair is thick and texture like mine and is much more forgiving if a OPS should happen. However her is the worst of all the kids. He hates the buzzers and can't be still.

PJ's hair is also challenging. He has funny cowlicks in the very front of his hair line, so no matter how hard Mr. Tripp try's, it always has a goofy flip to it.

After Ella's self hair cut we thought it would be a good idea to trim a little off her ends so she wouldn't feel left out of all the hair cutting fun and try another self cut.

Mr. Tripp also got his hair cut tonight. He let Penny help out. She was loving the buzzers.

I have never seen a man so okay with loosing his hair. He says if its going to go it might as well go now. So a buzz cut it is.

I don't think I have seen him with more than 3/4 of an inch of hair on his head in 5 years.

I asked him if he wanted to try and cut my hair tonight...

"no way".

xxoo

bed room makeover 1 of 2

Last weekend Mr. Tripp and I transformed the nursery into a bedroom for Ben and Matt. It was a bitter sweet makeover. This little 9 x 10 room has been the nursery since we moved into this house almost 10 years ago. All of my baby have slept in it. When the boys were babies it had star wall paper and the cow jumped over the moon border. When Ella came home I striped the wall paper and painted her name and flower all over the walls. Sadly when Penny was born the room stayed the same and her name was never added to the wall. Thats what happens when your the 5th kid. Sorry Penny.

This is the before. A crib and lots of toys. The crib has been around for 10 years too.

Mr. Tripp picked out the paint colors. Splash and Yosemite Blue from Benjamin Moore. It cost about $50.00 for paint a supplies.

Matt said "wow dad I didn't know you could paint walls. I only thought you knew how to paint cars." Mr. Tripp can paint just about anything. I was not allowed to paint. I'm no good at it.

And now the after!

New bunk beds from Walmart $190.00. Sheets $10.00 form Walmart. Two new matters for Sam's club ran us $200.00 and a TV stand from Ikea was $40.00

Shelfs for Ikea that wrap all the way around the room $120.00.

The boys love having a place to set all their stuffed animals, super heros and art projects.

Tall toy storage from Ikea with red bins $64.00.

You can't tell from the picture but I hung "black out" roll blinds from Ikea. They keep the room nice and dark and only cost $40.00 for two of them.

I climbed into the closet to take this picture. It really shows just how small this room is. But with well thought out storage and shelving the room works for two boys. My hope is that they can be happy in it for the next 5 years or until Mr. Tripp wins the lotto.

I am so happy with the way the room turned out. The total cost was $714.00. Mr. Tripp wanter to keep the cost under $500.00 but when we came up with this number we didn't think about needing new mattresses. I haven't told him the total cost yet and I'm hoping he doesn't ask.

The Next room we will be making over is the new girls room. This is going to take a lot longer because there is many, many layers of wallpaper to be striped. UGGG.

xxoo

handmade

I order the girls some handmade winter hat and ohhh, they are so very lovely. I placed a custom order less than a week ago. The colors are bright and the yarn is very soft, they were really affordable too. Only $15.00 each. I know winter is almost over but really here in Michigan you need a good winter hat well into May. The hat were beautifully made by Keisa. She take custom order HERE. I am so happy with the way the girls hats turned out I might need one for myself. Thanks Keisa.

xxoo

dress to skirt

I bought this dress on clearance at Target yesterday. I love the bottom but not a fan at all of the top part of the dress. So with a little cutting and sewing, a skirt.

$20 is my all my allowenc for the week so I really debated if the dress was worth it. But I like the black and white stripes and the fabric is soft and flows nicely, I went for it.

xxoo

whoppie

Yesterday the kids had school off. So we made whoopie pies. I found a recipe I liked here.

All you need is

1 Box devils food cake mix

1/2 Cup butter, softened to room temperature

2 Eggs

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix ingredients until combined.
• Drop spoonfuls of cookie batter onto baking sheet about two inches apart.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes.
• Cool

• 
  

  Cream Cheese Frosting
  1/2 Cup butter, softened to room temperature
  1 8 oz. Package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  1 1lb. Box of confectioner’s sugar
  1 tsp Vanilla

  • In a mixer, cream butter, cream cheese and vanilla.
  • Gradually add sugar and mix until smooth.

  Makes about 24 cookies or 12 cookie sandwiches

  

  ENJOY!

xxoo