Needs.. Wants.. Pennies.. Treasures.. Jackpot!

I woke up with a headache this morning. Not sure if it’s the same headache I’ve had since day before yesterday – or not. The Tylenol has been working whenever I reach a point of feeling the pain getting the best of me and decide to take a couple of the pills. Relief comes for a few hours in between the twang. The past week has been a rather full-packed box of a volatile frenzy of emotions. Seems like everywhere you turn around – something terrible is happening. And the hardest part is watching the reactions from others. Anger is brewing. I guess I should feel positive about that. I have been praying for folks to become angry enough to get up – take charge – and take back the reins of their lives and happiness. So far – the most I’ve seen in our area has been the effort of many more households loading up their houses with guns – to protect themselves and be ready for the home invasions. Pitiful – isn’t it? And yes – even our household is prepared and ready to protect in the same fashion. Of course – that’s been the case since Day One. But then – we’ve always lived a mindset of preparing for worst-case scenario in all things. In other words – we’ve always believed in covering our butts – just in case. LOL I actually left the house for a few hours yesterday – alone – in my Putt Putt! Dwayne was sleeping. Yes, he still has two more days to work. But I needed to run by the Vet’s office for supplies and take care of a few more errands. As luck would have it – Dr. Walter’s office is closed on weekends. LOL But it didn’t take much for me to be lured onto a slight detour – right across the street! I am always so into the old ‘tried and true’ scene. Anytime I buy anything – I prefer to buy ‘Made in U.S.A.’ when I get a chance. These days – the best place to find those treasures would be in the consignment shops – antique shops – junk shops – whatever you wanna call ‘em! And that’s just what I did! Look at the treasures I found! (click on photos for larger view) I don’t know why – but some of my fondest memories of things I appreciate today pertain to what I call – ‘That June Cleaver Effect’ about my Grandma Paparelli and my Mother! Believe it or not - they both had those habits! And these are the things that remind me of the two of them! I can’t wait until I get my hands on those rectangle pyrex dishes with the flat lids! They were my grandmother’s favorite baking dishes!! And she had those refrigerator dishes, too. They looked a lot like the pyrex baking dishes – but they were specifically for leftovers in the fridge. I found a couple of those - but waited. If they’re meant for me – they’ll still be there next time I go hunting! Here’s the funny part. The prices were - $17.95 for the oval cassarole dish - $6.50 for the small white and blue pyrex bowl - $8.00 for the ice cream scoop - $30.00 for the set of three pyrex mixing bowls. And I got a 10% discount. Now – go find those same items on the Internet. Don’t forget to check on the shipping costs and add that in, as well. I got a great deal!! It’s my goal to load my kitchen with all those ‘necessary’ things my Mom and Grandma had back then. You should see one of the canister sets I am just refusing to part with. It’s the dark brown Tupperware canister set. Oh, my gosh… if anyone can find lids for the smallest and the next to the smallest… PLEASE grab ‘em for me!! The lids on those two puppies have just chipped to shreds on the edges because they’re so brittle. But I’m determined to find replacement lids! Everything else in that set is just fine. I just need those lids!! Aunt Judy…. You still using that bread bin? Yeah… that metal one… Where’s it at? Every time I go into one of these shops I always make a point of going through and looking at all the old costume jewelry. Now - My Mom – Uncle Tommy – Aunt Judy and Uncle Danny are probably snickering right about this moment. What they don’t know is there’s one particular set that I’m always looking for. And I’m about to give them a hint. I turn 50 years old on September 29th. For my birthday – I would love for someone to send me an 8 x 10 of a particular photo of Grandma Paparelli. She’s standing in the living room of the apartment over Pappy’s. She’s wearing that beautiful pink dress that had the stripes and polka dots. I always loved that dress – especially the fabric and the print. It was such a beautiful color of pink with a print in a monochromatic style. And it was silky/satiny – maybe taffeta? But she’s wearing the necklace and earrings that I am always looking for in the treasure shops! The big beads remind me of a pink tiger-eye stone. Okay… I’m off to enjoy a few minutes without any televisions turned on – nor any Internet news websites hurling in my face with all the guts and gore going on. Right now – I don’t have to know anything. And there’s absolutely nothing in this world I must have – that’s any worse than the need of the joker trying to get my money into their pocket. I’m gonna go have a little peace and quiet! Hope everyone else enjoys the day!