Seashell hunting

Happy Thursday to you:)

 

 

 

Yesterday I found this at my favorite store:

 

 

Originally I thought Sam or Alex

would want it for their jewelry.

Turns out neither wanted it.

Soooooooo,

this morning I got my hot glue gun out

and started hunting for seashells:)

 

 

I found a lot of fun looking seashells!

 

 

 

 

 

I love how it turned out:)

 

 

Tonight is one of my favorite nights of the summer.

Down at the water front beginning at 7:00 the symphony will perform.

The symphony ends the evening with the Overture of 1812

 with the cannons going off.

After the last song they have fireworks on the river.

It is a free event and such a fun memory:)

Maybe I will see you there!

 

 

I hope your Thursday is amazing!

 

 

~Dena:)

Back to schoo teacher lunch decor on a budget:)

Happy Wednesday to you:)

I guess it is true.

Summer is almost over:(

Today we went to our elementary school

to deliver class supplies & meet our teachers.

I always love to get a little something at the

beginning of the year for my kids teachers

to say "thanks for all you are going to do":)

This year I found these pretty plants for under $5

and I used materials from home to snazzy them up:

 

 

I love using the wide burlap ribbon:)

I also put on a card the poem:

"100 years from now, it won't matter what kind of a car I drove, what kind

of house I lived in or the size of my bank account.  But the world might be better

 because I was important in the life of a child".

 

 

I am also helping with decorating for the staff lunch tomorrow.

I used white & yellow paper from the paper cart at school

and I bought flowers from our local nursery at 50% off.

I used materials I had from home to decorate the flowers.

 

 

I wrote on the tables things like:

our staff rocks!

You are making a difference in our kids lives.

We are so lucky to have you!

We so appreciate you!

(The staff wrote on the tables for fun:))

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also looked up inspirational quotes for teachers

& wrote them on cards.

 

 

 

 

The decor $6.

I love being thrifty:)

 

I hope your day is wonderful!

 

 

~Dena;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



A new love.

Happy Tuesday morning to you:)

I hope you are enjoying this last week before school starts.

Yesterday Alex & I cleaned out the garage

and the space above the garage.

Five hours and two van fulls later

we are able to walk around again:)

I have said this before but it seems like

as your kids get older you start coming out of a fog

that is their younger years.

I spent so many years collecting

toys, books, clothes, etc. that we don't need anymore.

Each time I do a clear out I think I am done but

the next time I clear out there is more.

Does this happen to you?

 

 

Anywhoooo,

I have a new love.

Whales:)

I thought this was a new thing

but today as I was taking pictures

I realized that I have been collecting them

for a while:)

 

 

I got the circle frame from Goodwill for .99.

The whale picture came from an old dictionary

that I got from the Goodwill outlet for $2.

It is fun to find pictures and the definition in

this dictionary:)

 

 

This is a door stop that I am using as a little pillow.

I purchased it off of Etsy.

I LOVE it:)

 

 

This is another frame I got from Goodwill for .99:)

 

 

I got the picture of the whale from this HUGE dictionary

which was also purchased at the Goodwill outlet for $2.

I adore this dictionary:)

 

 

Cool right?

 

 

This whale is from Goodwill.

It was a part of a towel holder.

I tore off the whale and kept it and

threw away the towel holder part.

The whale is painted with chalkboard paint.

 

 

This whale was also purchased at Goodwill.

I painted the whale, glittered it and sanded it.

 

 

This is a brass whale doorstop also purchased from Goodwill.

Do you see a theme here?

I may almost only shop at Goodwill.

 

 

I found this guy at Home Goods.

I really LOVE him:)

 

 

I hope you guys have an amazing Tuesday:)

 

 

~Dena:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Onion rings.

Happy Sunday to you:)

Our long broken hammock has come back to life:)

A few years ago our string hammock broke.

Last year I found a fabric one at a garage sale and bought it.

It was NOT the same as the string hammock!

Friday I got lucky and found a string hammock for $5:)

My kids are soooooooo happy!

 

 

When Mr. SSH & I first got married it was he who did all of the cooking.

You see, for some weird reason, he actually enjoys cooking.

I however, dislike cooking.

It seems everyday like a curse that I have to decide what my family eats for dinner.

Our neighbors have been away in Europe for a month.

They have a fabulous garden full of amazing, huge, yummy vegetables.

They said I could pick whatever I wanted.

I have been looking at those onions in the ground at their house

wondering what I could use them in.

You see, to me if you cut an onion for a meal,

it must be gourmet:)

I picked two today and decided we would make onion rings.

It must have been meant to be because I was talking with another neighbor

about my onion ring idea & she loaned me their fryer.

I started to make the batter.

It ended up in the garbage

where my daughter asked

"why is their puke in the garbage?"

You see, another one of my quirks is

I don't read directions ALL the way through.

I messed it all up so Mr. SSH took over:)

 

 

Now I know why we have never made onion rings before.

 

 

 

 

From beginning to the start of edible onion rings took ONE hour!

 

 

Not only do they take a long time to make

they are MESSY!

 

 

He is cute isn't he?:)

 

 

In the end,

they were soooooooo yummy:)

 

 

I hope your Sunday was amazing!

 

 

~Dena:)

 

 

 

Happy Friday:)

Good Friday to you all:)

What a wonderful beautiful summer day we had today:)

It was a #10 day in my book:)

*The sun was shining:)

*The sky was blue:)

*I went treasure hunting:)

*I scored treasure hunting:)

*I had a cocktail party with amazing women who happen to be my friends:)

 

 

Today I was blessed to have my good friend Tina help me set up

the umbrellas:)

Thank you Tina!~

 

 

Many of my friends got to taste the margaritas for the first time:)

~1 can frozen limeade

~1 can tequila

~1/2 can orange liquor

~1 bottle orange beer

 

 

It is wonderfully potent:)

 

 

It always makes me smile getting ready:)

 

 

This is my treasure find for the day.

It is a world market bench with soft cushion & bolster pillows

for $20.

I couldn't resist:)

 

 

I think this is umbrella city:)

 

 

I hope your Friday blessed you as much as it blessed me:)

 

 

~Thank you to all of my friends who blessed me today:)

 

 

~Dena;)

 

 

 

 

 



Vases out of molds.

Happy Thursday to you:)

This week is flying by!

 

 

While at my fave store Goodwill,

I found these:

 

 

I think these are molds for something

regarding food/cooking?

If you know me you will know that

I am NOT a cook:)

They were only .99 and I knew I would find

a use for them.

 

 

I went out to my hydrangea and found me some pretty blooms:)

 

 

And then I went to my sedum and found some blooms:)

 

 

I love the pop of color!

I can see I am going to need to add some more sedum to the right one:)

Does your brain work that way?

My brain looks at that picture and starts to freak out a little that they aren't equal:)

SCARY I know!

 

 

I took the candle out of my lantern and added the bloom.

 

 

 

 

Sooooo pretty:)

 

 

Hope your day is amazing.

I am off to cut me some sedum:)

 

 

~Dena:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Bags, bags & more bags:)

Good Wednesday to you:)

My old broken camera

that I have used for over a year

with its broken screen

actually now is totally broken.

I now have to use a new camera:(

Maybe the pictures will look better now:)

 

 

Hello my name is Dena and I am addicted to many things and

one of them is baskets and basket bags:)

I don't know about you but I love me a basket!

What I don't love is the price of baskets and bags.

 

Good thing for me I have Goodwill:)

Let me show you what I have found...

each one was less than $5!

 

 

This is my library bag.

 

 

Who wouldn't want to take this cute bag to the beach?

 

 

That cute beach bag is The SAK!

I can only imagine that new this is at least $50!

 

 

This is my garbage basket.

 

 

This is my living room magazine basket.

 

 

My seashell basket.

 

 

My porch magazine basket.

 

 

My newest member of baskets:)

 

 

Baskets are such a great way to store things.

Each one is unique and has a function:)

 

Do you love baskets?

Maybe we will be battling at Goodwill for the same basket:)

 

Happy Wednesday!

 

~Dena;)

 

 

 

 

 

I

 



My favorite spots in Maui:)

Mr. SSH & I had a few opportunities to go out on dates:)

This is a store in my favorite little town called Paia.

This town is laid back and full of fun shops & restaurants.

We always go to the Mexican restaurant & have happy hour:)

A trip to Maui wouldn't be complete

if we didn't go to Cheeseburgers in Paradise!

On our first trip to Maui

I really thought Jimmy Buffet was singing:)

It is now Mr. SSH & my joke.

There is a new restaurant in Lahaina that just opened two weeks ago

called Fleetwoods.

The drummer of Fleetwood Mac Mick Fleetwood owns this restaurant.

It takes up two floors with the second floor being the roof.

I haven't been to fancy clubs before but this is the feel you get.

Every night before sunset they have a ceremony

where a conch is blown & the torches are lit.

Then someone plays three songs on the bagpipes

one of which is Amazing Grace.

What a treat:)

This is the rooftop bar.

The rooftop restaurant has a Moroccan feeling.

Very casual yet elegant.

If you go to Maui

this restaurant is a must visit!

I am truly blessed to have such an amazing husband!

I hope you have a fabulous Tuesday:)

~Dena;)