Back To The 80's

80's day at school.  He looks a little like the guy in Loverboy...well, more like the guy in Dire Straits.    I just can't get over that hair.

Homecoming Week

Yesterday was pajama day.

Today is Cowboy and Indian day.

I might be a little biased, but I think he's very handsome!

Special Time of Year

My favorite weekend of the year!  Highway....80...Garage...Sale!!!

 I got this Fab little shelf for $5!!  The little elf on the bottom and the milk glass bowl also came from this weekend.  I  made the skull last year.

I could not resist these little boxes.  Another $5

I did a little re-arranging and added some new finds.

I got more stuff but I haven't put it all out yet.

Welcome

Two Goodwill Aniversaries

The other day we had a luncheon for Chris and Andrea for their 14 year anniversay at Goodwill.  14 years!  I don't think I've ever lived in one place for 14 years, much less worked somewhere that long. 

 I think they were truly surprised.

We had S'mores cake, it was surprisingly good!

 Chris "Sargent" Largent, Andrea "Doodlebug" Gilbreath, and Jeanette "Cheeseball" Jones

 Now Chris is "Admiral" Largent

Someone has a tiger in their pants!  I wonder who?!

Gypsy Girls

Last Saturday was the Gypsy Market festival and it was a blast!  We had a Goodwill booth and it was surprising how many people would say "There is a Goodwill in Mineola?" OMG!!!!

We all dressed like Gypsies.  This is LIZard.  That's what I call her anyway.

We had some fabulously shabby chic stuff.  This rooster sold in abouty 20 minutes of unpacking.

I'm having so much fun at Goodwill!  I think LIZard did too, but she hates taking pictures.

This is Jeanette.  Without her, I would have run screaming from this job in the first two weeks!

Everything on top of this cabinet sold right away.  The cabinet is still at the store and I think I need it.  Where I'll put it in the house is a whole 'nother story.  Someone come in and buy it to save me from myself!

Real Thing

Anyone that knows me knows that I have been addicted to Diet Coke for, Oh, about 25 years.  I have also used artficial sweeteners for forever.

About two months ago I ran out of my sweetener and when we went to the store (WM of course), they were out...for weeks.  So I used sugar.  Then one day, one of my employees got regular Coke by accident, so I traded with her and lied about drinking reg. coke.  It sat there for days and I drank it out of despaeration one day.  I could swear it is the nectar of the gods!

I have now given up the sweeteners, diet coke, and ugghh, margarine.  We only use the real thing now.  Believe it or not, I have lost weight (lost sleep too, but that's another matter)  I only allow myself one coke a day, and I'm very sparing with the sugar.  Butter, is another story.  Butter is awesome on everything!

Still Kicking

Rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated. I've been stinkin' busy! We are at the end of the quarter at Goodwill and it's looking fab for the Mineola store. Check out the Facebook page for Goodwill East Texas. We've posted a few pics on there.

Oldest child is off restriction...finally. He has been on the go ever since. He's running out of gas so he's been mooching rides. A group of them went yesterday to a concert and proceeded to get rear ended on the way. everyone was ok but I think it shocked the crap out of Cody. The airbag stopped about a millimeter from his handsome little face. They still went to the concert.

The plants in the greenhouse are starting to show signs of life now that the heat has subsided. The plants that actually survived that is. We're hoping to have a few plants to put in Canton next weekend.

Youngest child and I are headed to Tyler today so he can trade in video games in order to afford some new games. The Mommy money train has dried up.

Mr. Plantfreak is the same old fart as last time. Except that he has turned into an uber garage sale hound. It's like we exchanged places completely. He even went to Hobby Lobby without me while I was at work. HOBBY LOBBY for pete's sake. That's grounds for divorce in my world.

I have had Halloweenie time rolling around in my head for about a week now. We are going to decorate the store (YAY!) and most everyone is going to dress up. I'm hoping to get everyone to find their costumes at Goodwill. I think that would be cool.

I will try to post pics of the Halloween decorations next week. We put out all the Halloween stuff next Saturday and I can't wait!

Already

Oldest child is grounded for a month.

A. He took his friend home at 10 pm, which is past the legal curfew for drivers under 18.

B. He decided to go to another friends house without telling me and didn't come home until 3am.

C. He didn't take his cell, and therefore, didn't get the twelve frantic calls and several texts from
me. Which sent me out at 2 am in case he had an accident.

And now, even though I'm dog tired...I get to go to work.

BTW, I survived the manager's meeting, and I survived work drama. I think I can survive this teenager.

Number 4

What difference a month makes! My store has gone from No. 15 in sales to No. 4! I'm hoping to keep that trend. I keep pumping up the employees and they understand what needs to be done....I guess I'll just keep the cheerleader routine going.

Today is my first Manager's Meeting and I'm actually nervous. All of the other manager's have been there awhile or at least had actual training. I feel like I'm going in as the Goodwill Doofus.

I've managed to irritate the transportation manager to no end and I meet him today, yikes!

I'll update you when I get back!

Relocating

It was One Hundred and freakin' Ten Degrees (officially) yesterday. Mr. Plantfreak, who has always claimed that he "would prefer to be hot rather than cold", now is ready to move somewhere that snows every winter...and a heat wave is maybe 90 degrees.

Vermont, Oregon, Maine...maybe even Fargo at this point! No offense Fargonians ;)

Monkey Crepe!

Mr. Plantfreak and I went to Canton Trade Days this weekend to pay for our booth for next month. John the camo guy actually rents our space and we sublet from him. Since other people want to rent from him we decided it was better to pay every month and keep our spot than to chance someone else moving in. Although John is super nice and would probably hold the spot anyway.

I think it was literally hotter than Hell out there! I felt bad for the vendors, because it was a ghost town out there.

We were starving when we got there and decided to eat at the food court area. The Monkey Crepe Cafe was the choice for the day and it was a great one! I had a Greek gyro, and Mr. Plantfreak had a Club sandwich. He claims it is the perfect meal because you get everything stuffed in a sandwich. But the crepes...OMG the crepes! Strawberry crepes with bavarian cream and whipped cream. You just cannot imagine. Last time I had the Chocolate banana crepe, and it was just friggin' insane! And they are huge too! One person cannot eat the whole thing and feel good about themselves. So, if you get one, You must share with a friend! Just thinking about it makes me hungry for one!

Pray for Me

My oldest child just got his drivers license. My hair is turning white as I write.

I'm going to my Happy Place right now...

Tide Rollers

I was talking to one of my regular customers about the fact that I moved to Texas from Alabama, then we talked about tornadoes in Tuscaloosa, and on to University of Alabama.

We ended up with 3 other customers who either went to Alabama or had close family that went there or just loved the football team.

Tide Rollers, you just never know where you might find them.

Parched

It is so hot and dry here that my grass is crunchy, we gave up on the veggie garden, and the lake is disappearing. It's sad that Mr. Plantfreak and I got really excited about the Tropical Disturbance out by Cuba.

And Oklahoma is getting drenched...dammit.

Let's Talk About...

...donating to Goodwill.

When we get donations we sort through the items to see what is worth selling and what is not. Electronic items that don't work get sent to the mother ship (main branch in Tyler) to be broken down by special needs workers for recycling. Clothing that has stains, fuzzballs, tears, or pulled seams also get sent to the mothership for a special needs crew to box up for recycling. Shoes that are too worn and gross (and most of them are!) get paired up and sent to a company that recycles them, and, in case of disasters sends them out for people who need them. Also, the cardboard boxes that donations come in get sent to the mothership to be recycled. That my friends is a great thing!

Other items that are broken, overly dirty, stinky, or wet...get thrown away! You would not believe how many people dump "donations" that are really just garbage. Because they are too cheap to take it to the dump.

I don't get too upset with the unusable clothing, although stained underwear (really?!) makes me gag. My first day at work I sorted clothes and opened a bag of nasty shoes...those who know me, know that I don't like feet and I almost threw up when the smell hit my nose.

It breaks my heart to see what gets thrown out. Even though we recycle the majority of what gets rejected, we still have to have 2 large dumpsters emptied every other day. That's a lot of garbage that Goodwill pays to have hauled away.

I'm not complaining, it's a necessary part of running a Goodwill store, but I could do without the obvious garbage, dirty underwear, and disgustingly stinky shoes.

Still, everyday is a treasure hunt!

Christmas in July

We met Grandpa Sute and Page in New Orleans this past Christmas and I just got a few more pics of the trip. These were taken in a restaurant called the Acme Oyster House...and no Wile E. Coyote wasn't there, but the oysters were awesome!

Cody doesn't believe me when I say he is going to look like Grandpa Sute when he gets older...except for the hair.

Not sure what this was all about.


Dad and Page make such a cute couple!

Aj has a beautiful smile.

Unfortunately, he's usually making faces like this!

Mr. Plantfreak might lose the mustache, but never the LSU hat!

We love the Big Easy.

It's Official

I've finally gotten word that I'm the manager at my little Goodwill. Why do I feel like there is a bullseye firmly planted on my back?

Did I Mention?

That the person who hit was an employee of the FBI?! I've already gotten a call from the Dallas office. I think this might be more painful than the wreck.

Goodbye My KIA

Yesterday was a wild ride! I got rear-ended going to the bank. All the years I bitched and complained about the traffic and idiot drivers in Tyler, and I get in a wreck in little ol' Mineola.

I got my little KIA in 2001. It's been paid off for forever! I had 160,000 miles and was looking forward to the 200k turnover and going for the 300k turnover.

Unfortunately, the frame is bent and it would cost more than it's worth to fix. I really liked that little car. If everything goes ok with the insurance I will try get another KIA. Any KIA dealerships out there listening?

BTW, I'm ok. It felt like I was at the beginning of a really wild roller coaster.

I Must Be Doing Something Right!

Because people are calling up left and right to complain about me. One person got mad because I wouldn't give him a deal. He called my boss to say that he saw me at an estate sale...so what. Did I mention that he owns an "antique" store (using the term loosely) and wanted his wife to work at Goodwill so she could buy stuff . That is considered a conflict of interest, not my addiction to garage sales and flea markets. I don't resell. He also accused me of hiding items so he couldn't buy them. Whatever. My working at Goodwill is Mr. Plantfreak's worst nightmare...a daily garage sale, so I tell myself it's just stuff . I have to wait 24 hours before I can buy an item anyway, and it usually sells before that. So there.

Now I have another person who says she is calling to complain that we have tripled our prices. And? Our job is to take donations and sell them at a price that is less than new but fair value for the condition of the item. Problem is, this particular store has a sketchy history, with sketchy employees. Some people were in on the hook ups and some were buying out the back door. Which is why we now have cameras everywhere. Those sketchy employees are looking for employment elsewhere.

At this rate, I figure I'll get promoted or fired. It's a toss-up.

Staying Inside

Because we had a heat advisory yesterday and the temps reached 102 in my little world. All our yardwork and nursery work gets done at the crack of dawn! Old age has made me a sissy!

Please Explain

Why someone would steal from Goodwill? Is that 99 cent item really that great?

Don't get me wrong...I'm not being all high and mighty, but really?

At Breedlove's AKA the former paying job, I dealt with mostly high end customers with money to burn. Now, I see those that are struggling from day to day. I see 25 year old women with no teeth, kids with dirty clothes, men in their 40's that are beat down from years of hard labor making them look 60, and I'm reminded on daily basis that I've got it pretty damn good. I may not be raking in the dough...but I've got all the necessities and more than a few luxuries. Happiness is relative. There are things that I "can't live without", but I know that I can...and still be happy.

The people that are stealing? They aren't the folks I mentioned before, those people work for what they get and are glad for it. I'm talking about the twitchy people, the ones that are on drugs. Then there are the people who steal for fun, they don't care what Goodwill is about they just want to get over on someone.

The money from sales at Goodwill goes to help people with special needs live a productive life, and to help those same twitchy people get back to a respectable life. Every time someone pulls up with a donation, I feel like it's a party! A) It gets us more product for the floor B) that's one step closer to our quota, and C) it helps keep people employed.

Now that I've gotten on my soap box, I've come to the realization that the very people I'm trying to stop from stealing won't even read this...they have already hocked their computers. Dammit!

New Direction

Things have changed in the last month. I left my paying job at Breedlove Nursery for a job that provided insurance and was closer to home. I put in my 2 weeks notice...was starting to panic because nothing was happening...happened to drive by the Goodwill near my home and for some reason decided to go in and see what they had...what they had was a job.

I got an application and talked to the Assistant Mgr., a nice lady, and was told to come back the next day. I returned the next day and interviewed, went home, got a call back in about an hour to come back down. In the hour I was gone, the assistant manager was let go, and I was offered that position. Wow. Took it. Three weeks later, I went to lunch...came back and My manager was let go. I've been acting manager for the last week. I was just looking for a part time cashier job.

I interview for the manager's position next week. This will cut into my plant time, but Mr. Plantfreak is taking the reigns on the business so that I can still get my fix.

Yep, things have changed.

College Bound

Do we really think he's ready for college next year?

But I'm Too Young

To have a child that goes to Prom!

Apparently the style now is to look like a member of mob (the stereotype anyway). Check out the pink shoelaces...did you know that they make black patent leather converse tennis shoes for the well-dressed non-conformist? Now he looks like every other 17 year old non-conformist (note the irony in that phrase).

I think he looks awesome of course.

Plant Mania

Ok, so we've actually had two Canton weekends since I last posted and we did well in March...and then we went in April and sold triple!!! I don't know if we can do that again in May but I have my fingers crossed. We've also been selling to local nurseries by the truckload and the greenhouses are looking bare! My favorite thing to see ;)

MIA

Because we have been selling at Canton. Updates later!

Health Nut

He uses the exercise equipment wa-a-ay more than we do!

What Happened?

The snow never made it! Maybe this week I can actually go to work.

More Snow Pictures

Well, there will be more snow pictures since another snowstorm is on the way. Yay. I'm delirious with joy. Ecstatic.

Who Knew?!

I had no idea that all it took to get AJ outside was snow. He's been out running around the last two days playing in the snow and trekking through the woods. Maybe we should move farther north. Maybe not.

Guess what Happened Last night

Last night 'Ol Man Winter blew by and left us with a ton of powdered sugar...but not the kind

you can use to cook In fact, the snow is still falling but I don't expect much more (I hope!).

The cats are not amused!

Devil Dog just tried to catch a snowball. HeeHee.

A word of advice...Don't eat the yellow snow!

Please Jack!...

(Frost that is) don't freeze my babies! My tomato and eggplant seeds have sprouted and we are making a Herculean effort to keep the plant babies alive. It won't get above freezing for the next few days. Yikes!

This year we invested in propagation mats that give bottom heat to help the little guys grow faster. The heater in one of the greenhouses gave out so...Mr. Plantfreak being the redneck engineer that he is, rolled our barbecue grill up to the house and fired it up. Works beautifully!

The people at the paying job have opted not to grow any of their own perennials this year (crazy) so we are hoping for a sell out year! This might actually be the year I can work at The Garden Sage full time. Maybe. Possibly. Got my fingers crossed.

4 Days Of Desperation

My computer crapped out and had to go to the computer shop. I just got it back and I literally kissed it! What can I say...it is my crack addiction.

Woe Is Me, I'm 43

Yesterday was the big day and it was rainy, gloomy, and doomy...perfect weather for a birthday. Had a good one though, got presents, the kids remembered to wish me a Happy Birthday (miracle!), and went out to eat at a new Hibachi restaurant in town. It was excellent! I even went to Michael's and wandered around. I have some new crafties rolling around in my head that need to get out.

So...maybe not as much woe as I thought.

Sesame Street?

One of these things is not like the other!

Can you guess which one it is?

Wow. I can really pick'em.

This is the man I call the love of my life. Yeah.

Actually, he was making fun of a picture his mother took...that really doesn't make it better does it?

Post holiday

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and all that stuff. As I'm watching the pancake sized snowflakes accumulate on the ground, I realize I still haven't posted the pics from Christmas. What else is new.

We had a great Christmas, in fact, we had a Big Easy Christmas. We met GrandPa Sute and Page in New Orleans. In spite of the fact that it was butt cold, it was a lot of fun!

The Boys On Bourbon Street...sounds like a song doesn't it.

Here is the view from the top of our hotel.


We went to the World War II museum and the boys had a ball! Here is Cody in the air raid shelter.

AJ looks even less enthused than Cody. Maybe he was trying to look serious. All I know is that I watched a middle aged woman try to squeeze in the opening and decided that my fat ass was NOT going to pose in there.

Cafe Du Monde was a must for the trip. The boys went years ago but they didn't remember. I sat between Grandpa Sute and Mr. Plantfreak...between the two fo them I looked like I had been in a snowstorm with all the powdered sugar they spilled.
It might look sunny but it was ff-freaking cold !

After New Orleans we headed to Picayune to see my Mom-in-law. We ate tons of fabulous food and I got to go to one of my favorite places; Hudson's salvage, not the original but the store in Picayune. I miss that place. Talk about treasure hunting!

I'm still recuperating from all the food! We ate at a place called Cochon's down from the museum and it was awesome. They have some adventurous dishes! I, however, chicken out and played it safe. AJ had the fried boudin and loved it...and he's picky one! He also tried alligator at Ralph and Kacoo's and found a new fave dish. Another great place to try is Acme Oyster , if you go try the chargrilled oysters, but prepare to faint it's so good.