Bittersweet

So I made a LAME attempt at joining a book club that ended with me not attending a single meeting in nine months ... mainly due to traveling for work ... However, I did manage to read most of the assigned books.

Despite the appearance of nonparticipation, I'm going to consider this book club adventure a success!!

I read several books that I would not normally have picked up and really enjoyed myself.

This is the latest read ...

I read it straight in one day.

I teared up multiple times.

Such a beautiful story of friendship and loyalty and love.

The history of the Japanese camps during WWII is almost hard to believe.

Give it a try .. and let me know what you think!!

Girls Day Out

Okay my lovely cyber friends ...

This is our latest project.  We are hosting a free back to school shopping event for local teenage girls ... they live in shelters, halfway houses, or belong to organizations that try to keep young women engaged and off the street.

It is no secret that all the girls in my house enjoy a good shopping trip .. and we generally love clothes.

While clothes don't make you beautiful, it can be such a confidence booster when someone tells you how cute you look.

If anyone could use a boost of confidence and a smile, it is these girls!

We know that these girls will not have the opportunity to do a lot of back to school shopping, and so we are bringing the shopping to them.

Clothes

Shoes

Purses / Bags / Backpacks

Jewelry / Belts / Scarves / Hair Accessories

We are also working a few angles to get school supplies and personal hygiene items.

So if you haven't done any community service this year and are feeling generous ... this is a great opportunity!!

Thrift Stores

Not going to sleep anytime soon .. so I started thinking about lessons I learned this week.

FACT:  I have a love-hate relationship with thrift stores.

I love ...

the idea of repurposing

the allure of finding that one amazing item

a great bargain

making wise choices with money

This week an opportunity arose to do some intense bargain shopping.

We are helping to organize a back to school free shopping event for local teenage girls.

Plato's Closet was having a clearance sale .. $10 for everything you can fit in the bag.

Lex and I got up early and headed out to find these girls some sweet clothes.

Two hours later, after watching several "Escalade" moms push their way through the store and the people there, we're in line to pay.

On both sides of us are two grandmas who don't speak much English.

They each have one bag of clothes for a grandchild that is living with them.

They count out the $1 bills to cover the cost of the one bag.

I am attacked by a giant guilt monster.

You see, there are people who truly need to get jeans for $2 a pair.

This is the only option for them to buy new clothes.

I am not one of those people.

While I will never spend $120 on a pair of jeans, I will go as high as $40 ...

and we will still eat that night.

The same thing happened the first time I tried to have a garage sale.

People came who have children sleeping on the floor, and I'm trying to get $100 out of a set of bunkbeds.

Let's just say .. they got them for a lot less .. and I helped them load it into the truck.

We took full advantage of the clearance sale at Plato's.

I'm comfortable knowing that the clothes will make into the hands of the people who truly

need an amazing thrift store find ... but my love-hate relationship with the concept of thrifting continues.