Brilliant Billboards

I haven't seen many memorable billboards in my travels &mdash save for New Zealand's 1-800-JUMP ME &mdash but clearly Johnson Koh has had better luck. The examples he's collected at 50-extraordinary-and-attractive-billboards range from amusing...

To amazing...

To full-on awesome.

I still won't eat at McDonald's, but I have to admire the McMarketing.

One of Those Days

It's not yet 9:00 a.m., and Sherman has already shredded not one, not two, but three stuffed animals this morning. I thought he was supposed to grow out of this phase.

Uh-oh. Sounds as if he's rooting in the toy bin for Victim Number Four....

Peony Painting

Like most people (most people I know, anyway), our household has a limited budget and an even more limited amount of wall space for art. So we try to wait for original works we really like, ones that don't just catch our eye but grab hold of us (or at least grab me).

I found one such piece recently and can't wait to share the newest addition, so....

It's another painting by the über-talented &mdash and unbelievably sweet &mdash Marcia Baldwin of Louisiana. If you've been to our house, you've likely seen Marcia's "Roses Are Red" painting, but when I saw another of her rich red paintings featuring my other favorite flower, well, I couldn't resist!

If you want to see more of Marcia's creations, please visit her on-line gallery at marciabaldwin.artspan.com; you'll soon understand why so many of her original paintings are marked "SOLD"!

Recent Goodwill Finds

Poo.

So my friend Sue and I were supposed to have a day of Goodwill Hunting tomorrow, and I for one was kid-before-Christmas excited about it. We always manage to find a few neat things at great prices, but even if we didn't, a day with Sue is a treat in itself.

But then something came up and Sue had to cancel. Curses. To console myself, I decided to share some of my recent Most Amazing Finds.

First, though, before anyone wrinkles his or her nose: yes, I know it's considered impolite to mention something's cost, that it's unladylike. But to me, getting a great deal is a triumph. Why pay full retail when you can get something like-new &mdash or in some cases, new-new with tags still attached &mdash at a fraction of the price? That's just being smart.

(And I sincerely doubt many of the ladies carrying an Hermès or Louis Vuitton handbag would do so if they didn't know for certain everyone who sees it &mdash or at least everyone who matters &mdash would know how expensive it was. Apparently it's acceptable to let your bag brag.)

But a Goodwill bag is an enigma. It could contain throw-away items for a Halloween costume or genuine treasures snapped up at unbelievable savings. A couple examples of the latter include:

I found eight of these Noritake Halls of Ivy accent plates mixed in the stacks of orphaned dishes. I loved them instantly because they coordinate with my formal (read: never used) Noritake Platinum Cove china and my everyday Corelle Callaway pattern. Okay, so they're a tad fancier than the Corelle, but I imagine using them for a special dessert.

The best part? I got all eight in perfect condition for less than cost of one plate from replacements.com.

This big fellow is one of my all-time favorite finds. He's such a favorite &mdash and was such a bargain &mdash I'm willing to throw all decorum to the wind and tell you flat-out that he cost $12.15.

Why the odd price, you wonder?

His sticker price was $29.99, marked down from his original Goodwill price because apparently he'd been there a while. (I know; I don't understand why, either.) His new price tag was the discount color of the week, which in our region meant he was on sale for half-price. We saved 10 percent with a Club Goodwill card, and Sue saved me an additional 10 percent with her just-barely-earned Senior Citizen Discount.

I still can't believe I found such a huge Boyds Bear at Goodwill, let alone for that price, when his current value is more than 20 times that. Yeah: Two. Oh. That, and he makes me smile every time I see him.

Just in case you're curious about the afghan peeking out behind him, that too was a Goodwill find.

It understandably irritates Sue to see so many hours of work tossed aside (she's knitted many afghans and scarves herself), so we've rescued quite a few.... which is made easier when we can buy them for less than the cost of one skein.

Drat; now I'm all amped up about going again. I hope Sue's cancellation was really just a postponement (hint, hint)....

Trellis Project of '09

I'm happy to report on Cary's behalf that he finished off the last of this year's trellis projects this weekend. He finished the section of trellis by the shop first...

And didn't grouse too much when I suggested extending both ends of the existing trellis, as well.

We still need to tie up the clematis vines, but I think it looks pretty good. No; it looks great. Great job, Cary!

The debate now is whether we should run cables between the roof and the trellis to train the vines into something of a canopy next year....

Take that, Supermodels!

Woo Hoo!

I just heard on our local nightly news that having larger thighs is a GOOD thing. I like the title of the article on MSNBC, although I suspect "Skinny thighs could spell your doom" is exaggerating things a wee bit...

bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com

Regardless, even though I'm a couple of inches shy of the "ideal" thigh measurement, I hereby will try to keep this study's findings &mdash for as long as they stand &mdash in mind and use them to make peace with my Tonya Harding horse thighs.

Who's with me?

Let's Bring Back Glamour, Girls!

Why don't people dress up anymore?

For the sake of honesty, I'll admit I'm asking that while wearing old jeans and a sweatshirt... but at least it's a slim sweatshirt, not one I nicked from Cary's closet, and hey; I've been cleaning the oven. I doubt even Iman does that in couture.

Despite my present appearance, I really do wish I had the confidence to dress up more often, because let's face it: how many opportunities do we get nowadays? One or two proms and maybe a wedding. That's about it. And that, ladies and gents, does not cut it.

I want to be like &mdash and hear me out here &mdash an older Russian woman I saw at Wal-mart a few weeks back. In a sea of T-shirts and tattoos, here was an honest-to-goodness polished lady. Her attitude was regal yet polite, her make-up and hair were just so, her clothing elegant and classic.

But what really caught my eye was her mink pillbox hat. Not just a pillbox; a mink pillbox. I, sadly, will never be a Hat Girl, but for a few moments I was tempted to try. Maybe something with a brim, I thought...

Thankfully I already have the Cary!

During our latest Goodwill Hunting trip, my dear friend Sue found a fabulous dress. Long and strapless, in fitted black satin with an elegant cascade of embroidery and pearls near its train. Yeah; a train. This gown has some serious Old Hollywood Glamour going on.

It fit her perfectly, tiny creature that she is. She said it made her feel like Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.

You're ticked they dubbed all your songs? I wondered, but then realized she meant she felt transformed, like an ugly duckling becoming a swan &mdash or in Sue's case, a lovely swan becoming a lovelier one. I told her she reminded me of Rita Hayworth as Gilda.
(Seriously. If Sue will consent to a photo, I'll gladly prove it to you.)

"But where would I wear it?" she asked.

Good question.

Now no matter where we're going or what we're doing, Sue always looks polished and put together. I don't mean heels and pearls; just a bit nicer than those around her (like, for instance, me). But even the gorgeous Miss Sue might feel a skooch out of place wearing such a slinky number grocery shopping.

But maybe if we all started dressing a bit nicer, it wouldn't seem so shocking to consider wearing the gown to dinner or to a play. Maybe if we took a cue from our First Lady &mdash or if you prefer, the ladies of Mad Men &mdash we could bring elegant dressing back into everyday life. Or at least touches of it.

Sue bought the dress, by the way, Places to Where It be damned. It was too wonderful to leave behind, and it only cost... Well, I guess ladies don't discuss cost, do they? Let's just say the only thing more shocking than how great Sue looked in the dress was how little it cost.

"Even if I just wear it around the house," she smiled, "I'll feel like Audrey Hepburn."

That time I pictured a Breakfast-at-Tiffany's Audrey instead of a My-Fair-Lady Audrey, and I have to admit I could see it.

I just hope she doesn't wear it while cleaning the oven.