Sunday, September 18, 2016

Last of the summer, first of the fall

My mom was up visiting a couple weeks ago, just before school started. The cats always appreciate it when there are extra laps around.


Grandmother and granddaughter occupied themselves for most of a week playing "The Frog Game," which is basically a live-action mashup of Minecraft and The Sims, except with frogs -- featuring a heartless capitalist boss named Jane Jacobs, and Hillary Clinton as the President of the Chocolate Tasters' Union.



No visit from my mom would be complete without a thrifting excursion! This year we engaged in a thrifting bang-bang: first, we shopped the heck out of one thrift store. Then we ate fries and milkshakes for lunch and went to a second thrift store. Six hours of thrifting, people! Frankly, we were pretty wiped out by the end of the day. But so worth it.

Here are my purchases. I may have gone a leeeetle overboard in the cookbook section:


And I refreshed my kiddo's wardrobe (and bookshelf) too.


Why is there a big glass vase in the "thrifted for the kiddo" pile? "I think making terrariums is going to be my new hobby, mom." #dulynoted #weneedmorebookshelves



Late garden:




Speaking of going overboard, I may have made too much food for our 4-person Labor Day dinner. (That's barbecue-sauce-slathered tofu in the sandwich, by the way, because we're 100% All American.)


And then, it was time to buckle down!



But not before getting our nails painted for the first day of school. My daughter chose orange and white, because those are Stampy's colors. Kiddo's first cosplay?


 Have you been wondering if we're still tidying up? We are indeed.



And discovering that you never know what will Spark Joy for another person.


The rains have arrived this weekend, but I found just the candle to keep things cozy -- can we call it a tradition?