Popcorn Served Daily

My Creepy Fireplace

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:29:00 +0000

Maybe I've been watching too many episodes of 'Bones' lately

because I am really liking my creepy skull collector theme

on my fireplace mantel this year.

My Dollar Store skeleton received a coat of silver spray paint,

and I brought a planter from outside to display a plaster skull and stuck some mice in an eye and mouth.

Skulls, mice, severed parts are front and center.

Should I be worried that my daughter thinks the rat's shiny red eyes are cool?

I'm not going to worry,

she is my daughter after all.

Creepy...

A Dinner Party

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 04:49:00 +0000

While I make the finish touches on this year's Halloween decor,

let's re-visit a post from October 2010.

I love it when friends come to visit, don't you?

___________________________________

I'm going to have some of my closest friends over for dinner and I thought I'd share a bit of the tablescape with you.

First I started with one of my best,

well, one of my many best finds,

from Goodwill.

I found these chargers in the Holiday section at my local Goodwill.

And, as luck would have it,

they were part of the 75% off Holiday clearance.

So,

these 6 new and individually sealed plate chargers,

from Pier 1 Imports to Goodwill

originally marked $4.99 each,

came into my hands and out the door at

$1.25 each.

Just to make myself clear,
these are not the thin foil or plastic chargers,
they are the thick and sturdy ceramic kind.

Oh yeah, that's what I'm talkin' bout.

A bargain plate charger

makes a great start for a lovely place setting.

Next,

I took some dollar store skulls

from last year's Halloween supply,

gave them a frontal lobotomy,

with shear accuracy from which only a Miracle Blade can provide

and sprayed them black.

They make the perfect place card holders for my guests.

Meet my first guest.

This is Jason.

He is a hockey player.

We have major hockey fans in this household so it was the right to do to invite him.

This is his spot.

Frank is invited as well.

My soul sista has RSVP'd.

And what's an evening without

the "Count"?

I've been told on several occasion's,
mostly first thing in the morning,
that I resemble my next guest.

I can only be so lucky.

It will be an honor to have her by my side.

I have an elaborate menu planned

and it's going to be finger lickin' good!

Tonight we feast!

(The Candelabra. Another awesome Goodwill find.)

(Dollar store drinkware)

It's Fall in Arizona.

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:05:00 +0000

Every year after Labor Day, it's the same old story around here.

The temperature is always one hundred and something and I'm decorating for fall.

Eve, my hutch, put her

"Vacation in the Hamptons" scrapbook away (finally).

(See her scrapbook,HERE)

and has taken herself to some midwestern farm town,

where fall is in the air.

Inside, the leaves are changing

the "fall" cookies have been baked,

(pumpkin chocolate chip)

and the next thing you'll know,

it will be October.

I'll be busting out the spooky stuff

I've been spray painting outside,

while sweating profusely, I might add.

100 degree temps.,

you know what I'd like to do to them?

Happy (delusional) Fall

from Arizona!

Eve's Coastal Journey

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:00:00 +0000

Labor Day has come and gone and Eve would like us to believe she has just returned from The Hamptons.

Normally, I don't like to fall victim to people who are delusional, but this time I'm going to play along with her delusions of grandeur because she can come up with some doozy's and after all, she is a hutch.

Before embarking on her trip, Eve pulled out some maps, did some research, pinned them up and charted her course to her coastal destination.

Upon her return, she was toting a fine collections of shells and driftwood, so I displayed them in glass containers and placed the wood directly on the shelves.

Always on a quest for learning, Eve brought along some books and a magnifying glass to study the intricate details of her found coastal objects.

See the bottles in the back? A romantic at heart, Eve sends messages out to the sea, hoping to find her one true love.

I know it sounds crazy, but a hutch can have dreams too!

Shhhh, here are Eve's Coastal Delusions Revealed..

One Atlas for charting destinations, $1.99

Books for beach side reading, $1 each, from Goodwill of Central Arizona's Dollar Day Thursday.

One bottle to insert message, $1.99.

Shell collecting in Arizona.

Girl's Trip 2011 - Slowing Down

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 02:00:00 +0000

Lately, I haven't been home long enough to start any new projects or complete the ones I started before summer break.

So I'll catch you up on my latest activities.

Since June, I have been traveling with family and friends

everywhere from Mexico to Arkansas to Colorado

then back to some Arizona lakes.

Whew!

It has been a crazy pace.

One fun and amazing trip I did go on was a Girl's Trip.

If you missed it, THIS was our trip last year.

Every year, 11 of my closest friends and I

stay in-state and rent a luxury villa.

Staying in the state of Arizona means we have less travel time and more girlfriend time.

This year, we called a little 8,000 square foot mansion our home for the weekend.

There were no lunches to pack for school,

no kids to taxi to sports,

or deadlines to meet.

The toughest decisions we had to make were,

"what magazine will I choose to read while lounging"

"hmmm, what score am I going to give the ladies on their

synchronized straddled jumps?"

Those are tough decisions, let me tell you.

There are movies in our p.j.'s,

(Shelley)

where we pass around trays of movie theatre candy and

consume buckets of popcorn. Okay, that's me.

We have 3 friends whose children are off to college this fall

and each child sent a special message to their mom,

giving her praise.

(Carla's daughter, Cara)

As you can imagine, they were all precious messages and we shed a tear, or two.

Other than lounging by the pool and movies into the night,

we always have a fun activity scheduled,

in the comfort of our home, of course.

This year our activity was Zumba!

We cleared the furniture aside in the great room and enjoyed a little Zumba, under the direction of our hometown Zumba instructor who made the trek, just to make us break a sweat.

Thanks Anita.

Have you ever been to Zumba?

The music, the energy, it's so much fun!

These trips are all about renewing friendships,

relaxing and taking time-out to slow down,
and this year we had the perfect
Girl's Trip mascot right in our backyard.

Normally,

we don't let any outsiders in our circle but this year we made an exception.

Low maintenance.

Quiet.

Doesn't require trips to dance, hockey, soccer, etc.

Didn't ask for money once.

Didn't fight or argue.

The guy fit right in!

Meet Toro, a rescue turtle and

the perfect Girl's Trip mascot.

Girl's Trip 2011.

Where we were reminded that slowing down is a good thing.

Check out Girl's Trip 2009.

The home was AMAZING!

Another Blogcation

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:50:00 +0000

To say I've neglected my blog is

certainly an understatement,

but I think I have good reason for the neglect.

After the 4th of July,

the family and I made our yearly summer trek to Colorado.

Before arriving in Colorado,

we made a stop in New Mexico for a few days,

to spend some time with family on

Navajo Lake.

My kids enjoyed their many cousins

and the water sports.

I enjoyed the photo opportunities!

We camped, we ate and we played for 4 days

then we were off to Colorado.

(Fields of barley in my brother-in-law's back yard.)

I couldn't resist sending pictures back to my friends in Arizona

saying,

"This is what 67 degrees looks like."

And I wonder why I don't have any friends????

This year,

we stayed for the annual,

Pioneer Days.

Pioneer Days events include

BBQ's, a carnival, a 2-day parade, rodeo, 5K Run,

motocross races, and a demolition derby.

On the last night,

there is a pretty fantastic fireworks show too.

This may be a small town,

but there is nothing "small town"

about these parade floats.

The attention to detail is always impressive.

In a small town,

there is always a familiar face in the parade.

This is my nephew, Tytan (6).

My kids had 3 cousins participating in the motocross races and there was no way they were going to miss those races!

Cousin Mason (10) tears it up on the track.

The rodeo was one of the highlights of the trip for my girl.

She loves to watch the horses

and all of the excitement the rodeo brings with it.

I have to say,

what's not to love about a rodeo?

For the kids,

there is also the excitement of

Mutton Busting

and

Calf Riding.

Cousin Tytan takes his turn.

Cousin Mason rides a calf!

My girl decided to roll up her sleeves

and join in on the action.

My girl (on right) with her adorable cowgirl cousin, Shallin.

Without hesitation,

she got on that calf,

and rode.

In all of the excitement,

we failed to tell her that the goal was to stay

on until the buzzer sounded,

so she decided she was done and virtually

jumped off the calf!

She still managed to win a 4th place trophy.

Since she did so wonderful her first time around,

I'm thinking next year I'll put her on this little thing.

Or perhaps this one?

And,

I expect her to stay on until

that buzzer sounds this time!

See, there was so much excitement in New Mexico and Colorado,

I'm sure you can now understand why I was on a blogcation.

Have an Awesome Monday!

Aren't you glad I'm back?

Let Freedom Ring!

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 22:44:00 +0000

I love decorating for the 4th of July

especially when I'm out of the searing heat of Arizona.

For this 4th, I'm still here in the searing heat trying to make the best of the situation

but the 116 degree temperature yesterday has not made it easy.

Here's a little pick-me-up project

that takes my mind off the heat

every time I take a little glance at it.

I tore a page out of a magazine ages ago

of a similar display

and have been holding out for a

cute pair of boots ever since.

I bought this little pair of cowboys boots from Goodwill.

I was telling my Canadian friend about my project,

and she offered to do the painting.

Since she is quite

the artist and has a nice supply of paints

I happily shoved a boot in her hand.

She returned the boot in a red, high gloss

paint with blue and white detailing

and I love it!

I simply put a tall glass in the boot,

filled it with water, flowers and flags,

and set it in a rustic crate.

Heat, what heat?

My Our patriotic project

makes me forget how hot

it is outside and how cool

it is to be an American.

Let Freedom Ring!

To all of my Canadian friends,

Happy belated Canada Day!

Goodwill of Arkansas - My Goodwill Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:53:00 +0000

I was on the road again on my self-proclaimed

Goodwill Tour

and found myself in

Little Rock, Arkansas!

Right off the bat, my niece and I got lost

and ended up in downtown Little Rock.

(It was her fault.)

We had a great view of the Capitol,

which was no where near the

Goodwill of Arkansas store

in which I was meeting

President and CEO extraodinaire,

Mr. Brian Itzkowitz,

After much hair pulling,

of one another's hair,

we got it together,

found the store,

covered up the bald patches

and introduced ourselves to Brian.

Brian was very welcoming,

despite our tardiness,

personable, despite our disheveled appearance,

and answered my many

questions without one eye-roll!

Impressive, I say.

Speaking of impressive,

Brian directed us to the career center

within the store.

The Career Center is equipped with computer stations which are available

to the public for FREE.

Goodwill provides classes to assist with

resume writing,

employment applications,

interviewing strategies

and so many other tools to educate

job seekers.

So far this year,

5,800 people have found jobs

because of their services!

During my tour, I met

Mrs. M'Renee Knight.

Could there be anyone nicer to help you with employment seeking?

I doubt it.

This gal was oozing with nice.

I'd dump my niece for her friendship

anytime!

Ms. Knight could not say enough about Brian and his passion for his associates

and the success of Goodwill.

He has certainly earned admiration from his representatives.

You know he's a stand-up kind of man

when he meets a "so called"

blogger who's on a "self proclaimed"

Goodwill Tour

and agrees

to take a photo with her in the tour pose.

I continued my tour of the store,

which was wonderfully

maintained.

The shelves and racks,

were organized to perfection.

New lamp anyone?

Just by scouting out the displays,

I certainly felt the employees had a sense of pride

in their store.

Pride is something they rightfully deserve.

Look at these shoe racks.

In complete order and not a stray in sight.

I spotted these shoes for myself but

unfortunately they were not my size.

Let's just say, my niece doesn't call me

Sasquatch for nothing.

This shot of the book selection required

me to stand wayyy back to fit them all in the photo.

Books available for everyone,

right at their fingertips.

My niece had her eye on this entertainment

cabinet but was a little too late,

it was marked "sold".

Perhaps if she wouldn't have sent us

astray with her driving,

she would

have been able to call this her own.

Of course, there was the display rack

for Razorback fans.

These folks love their HOGS!

Before my niece and I set out for our 3-hour trip

to Northeastern Arkansas,

Necole,

the store manager,

encouraged me to create a display

of my own.

Since I was in town for a wedding

that was the theme of my display.

Cake topper.

$3.00

Champagne glasses,

various wedding frames and a sweet bouquet of flowers

rounded out the display.

Popcorn Served Daily was here!

Thank you to Brian and his team

for their hospitality.

I enjoyed my brief visit and consider

myself lucky to add

Goodwill of Arkansas

to my Goodwill Tour.

Fire in Eastern Arizona

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 00:49:00 +0000

If you have been watching the news,

you have seen there is a fire in Eastern Arizona.

The 3rd largest fire in state history.

Monday evening, I was flying back home to Phoenix.

Somewhere over Texas I noticed the clouds went from white to brown.

These were not clouds but smoke

billowing from the

Wallow Fire.

I could no longer see the earth below because of the thick smoke.

As I flew over Arizona I was struck by the magnitude of the fire and smoke.

The area is massive.

Reports are that it is larger than the size of Phoenix.

I was thousands of miles away and it looked huge.

I can't nearly imagine the area from the ground.

My thoughts are with the people of Eastern Arizona and those

who are working to get it under control.

Be safe.

My Goodwill Buffet and a little pizzaz.

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Wed, 25 May 2011 05:45:00 +0000

If you recall,

I purchased this buffet with an attached hutch at a

Goodwill Grand Opening.

(Read about the Grand Opening HERE)

I brought her home,

removed the hutch and ditched it to my lair,

painted her cream and stained her top.

Yes, she was simply beautiful

but we both craved something with a little more

pizzaz.

Everyone deserves a little pizzaz!

I decided to take the living room in an

entirely new direction

and painted her a

nice shade of turquoise.

(See Here)

Now the girl is getting noticed!

Moving along towards pizazz,

the big round mirror I had on the wall

gave way to some geometric circles.

With not enough glamour and certainly no pizazz,

I sent the circles packing,

introduced a different geometric shape to the equation and finally found the pizazz

I was looking for.

(This is my kind of geometry.)

I changed the wall color,

added some fresh accessories

and my Goodwill buffet

has finally found it place in life.

Another "Good(will) to Gorgeous Moment"

if you ask me.

Stay tuned to see

how the newest addition of my family

has hit it off nicely with the buffet!

Cost Plus, World Market

Erin Chair

She's cute,

she's stylish

and is working the room like a seasoned pro.

Popcorn Served Daily -

Where Resale and Retail

reside in pizazz.

Linking to:

Coastal Charm

Savvy Southern Style

BobaluBerries.com

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:15:00 +0000

Okay, okay, so I've been a little lax on blogging

but I'm willing to look passed it if you are.

Thank you for understanding.

Now, let me tell you what happened the other day

when my door bell rang.

I opened the door to find my friend Debbie

carrying a case of

these little clusters of sweetness.

Debbie and her crew,

went to visit family and friends in

Oxnard, California and picked up this case

of strawberries and transported them back to Arizona.

Now, these aren't any 'lil ole strawberries.

These babies are HUGE,

Super sweet,

and Super juicy.

They are grown at the famous

Bobalou Berry Ranches,

in Oxnard, California.

Not only do I consider myself quite fortunate to be in the possession of a case but

I even danced a jig just knowing

that they were sent over to me,

compliments of the owner of

Bobalou Berries,

Bobby Jones.

Brian, from Bobalu Berries,

overseeing the strawberry stand.

I tenderly washed each and every one,

then ate 3,

for every 5 that I washed.

After much snacking,

I actually had quite a few left over to freeze.

I left them whole so I could plop them into

my son's weight gaining, smoothie shakes,

(which I think I've been unconscientiously ingesting).

I also like to thaw them out individually for whenever I feel like snacking on 5 or 10.

I hopped on over to the Bobalu Berries website

and my mouth began to drool.

Those HUGE, Super sweet,

and Super juicy berries,

which showed up at my door, are the same berries they use for their

gourmet chocolate dipped strawberries.

They have pink dipped berries...

and baby blue dipped berries.

They are the perfect treat for baby showers and birthdays.

Mmmmmmmmm.....

The Perfect Trio - Peanut butter, Chocolate and Strawberries.

Now, for the show stopper...

evening gowns and tuxedos!

If I saw these at an event I would totally be impressed with the

party planning committee!

Appetizers and buffet food would be enviously

chatting amongst themselves,

"Look at that Strawberry couple, don't you just love her dress."

Black tie event worthy!

They are fantastic!

Thanks to Bobby for the perfect strawberries

from

Go to their website

and prepare to drool,

possibly squeal,

over their scrumptious selection of

dipped and drizzled berries.

Perhaps you'll be tempted to order

some gourmet berries,

just because you're worth it!

Bobalu Berries say their berries

are

"Picked, Dipped and Shipped"

all one day after your order is placed,

for maximum freshness! Impressive.

With strawberries farms since 1958,

these farmers know their berries!

What could be better than a friend showing

up at your door with a case of strawberries?

Well, chocolate dipped strawberries might be right up there!

Debbie says the berries are packaged in dry ice

with each strawberry nestled in it's own

little cocoon.

Hmmm, I just can't imagine how

that works,

I'm gonna have to

see it to believe it.

Just sayin', ahem, just sayin'! ;)

Not a paid advertisement,

just sayin' how I love these strawberries!

Another Goodwill Grand Opening. Another Cart Full of Items

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Thu, 05 May 2011 19:10:00 +0000

Last week I attended a

Grand Re-Opening at

Goodwill.

It was a star-studded event.

Not only was Popcorn Served Daily (star?) there

but Delvis was in the house as well.

He was providing some excellent entertainment for

the die hard Goodwiller's who were waiting for the

doors to open.

The store's fixtures were updated,

and the floors were polished.

With the new configuration,

I'd swear it's a bigger store.

The store was brimming with an abundance of decor and housewares!

This store is my favorite Goodwill location because I always walk away with

the perfect items for my home,

like my Waterford Cake Stand or

the perfect frame for my Framed Monogram.

The list of "finds" is long and distinguished but

another reason I frequent this store is because of

the friendly people who greet me.

I've been shopping here for years and Lupe, who is extremely camera shy and never lets me get a photo of her,

has been a fixture of this store since I first entered the doors and is quite popular with the clientele.

Sandra is another favorite associate of mine.

Now, some merchandise.

This buffet needed some TLC but there

Is a lot of room for potential and creativity here.

I would love to know who this went
home with this.

If my heavyweight of a dog, Oreo,

would fit into this,

I would have dropped it in my cart.

It's a pet carrier.

So stylish.

(Oreo, we have got to talk.)

Another temptation, this side table.

It has some character

and would be the perfect DIY project.

Currently, I've got some DIY projects in the works

and passed on the table.

One of my current projects does involve

an employee lounge

so I snagged these two tray ottomans

for $19.99 each.

They are already at their home and are the perfect fit.

Look at these little Popcorn Served Daily

shoppers in training.

Molly, who's taking a page out of my book,

is on her own Goodwill Tour,

visiting from New Hampshire.

She found the perfect tee.

This little gal scored a brand new Play-Doh

set.

Both great finds, girls.

You've done good!

Take it from one who knows,

Another Goodwill Grand Opening,

Another cart full of items!

(Tremaine Jasper, Senior MarCom Specialist, Goodwill of Central Arizona and me, Popcorn)

From Good to Gorgeous

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:15:00 +0000

What happens when my Goodwill find #321

meets my Goodwill find #1,079?

They go from "Good"

to...

Gorgeous.

Popcorn Served Daily,

where Good

finds

Gorgeous.

Have you taken something from

Good to Gorgeous?

I'd love to see it!

Linking to:

Coastal Charm

Savvy Southern Style

Eve is ready for Easter

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 21:30:00 +0000

Thanks to my Canadian friend,

Stephanie,

Eve is feeling fresh and ready for Easter.

Stephanie dared to enter what I like to call

my "decor lair" and prepared Eve in pastel

colors.

There are eggs and birds,

and baby chicks placed in or near my Goodwill found, milk glass bowls.

She tucked some bunnies in

Majolica cabbage bowls,

which are another proud Goodwill find

of mine,

and some pastel bowls too.

A white bunny

and a clear glass bunny grace Eve as well.

This vintage glass bunny happens to be my favorite.

Of course, we can't forget the candy.

I have been known to eat bags and bags

of these malted milk eggs.

I didn't buy any Peeps this year

but I did get these little marshmallow bunnies,

aren't they cute?

When I saw these little pieces of joy at World Market,

I just couldn't resist.

Milk chocolate sheep and butterflies.

Eve and I are very thankful Stephanie came over to visit

and had enough courage and creativity to enter the lair

and dress Eve in candy, eggs and bunnies!

Speaking of bunnies,

I'd like to thank the generous person who donated these to Goodwill.

They are adorable,

crisp and new kitchen towels.

They came home with me at $1.99 for the two towels.

Home Sweet Home.

Linking to:

Savvy Southern Style:

The Shabby Chic Cottage

Oreo Update

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:00:00 +0000

I reported the statistics on my heavy-weight dog, Oreo,

last week

Click here.

She started out looking like this three weeks ago:

After her daily walks,

and our no snack, no treat policy,

Oreo has lost one inch on her very rotund tummy.

She has also lost a whopping 4 pounds!

She now tips the scale at 14 pounds.

One pound of that was probably fur!

Okay, so there was the one day she woke up limping,

a result of my bootcamp training style from the previous day,

and I gave her a rest day

but other than that one day,

she has been pounding the pavement.

She is feeling much better now

and has been spotted trotting around the backyard.

Although things are looking up for her, she has been holding a bit of a grudge since

I first reported that she was my next project.

Someday you'll thank me Oreo.

_______________________

What Oreo doesn't need to know...

If only it could be this easy for me to lose

pounds and inches.

My rotund thighs could use to lose an inch or two

and I wouldn't mind trotting around the backyard as well!

My Next Project

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Ladies and Gentlemen....

Introducing...

from the red corner,

weighing in at 19 pounds

and standing 10 inches tall....

Oreooooo

My next project doesn't include

painting, sewing, sanding or glueing,

it is working with our heavyweight dog.

Since my mom was visiting for a few weeks,

Oreo adopted grandma's schedule as her own.

Oreo had been snacking throughout the day

and napping when grandma napped.

Snacking and napping throughout the day may be

necessary for an 80 something year-old grandma,

but for a 4 year-old dog,

not so much.

The dog has put on some bulk.

As soon as grandma left town,

the scale and measuring tape came out

then weight and width measurements went into the log book.

(She'll have a weigh-in every week.)

Her tummy is a whopping 19 inches in circumference!

She is like the sumo wrestler of Shih Tzu's.

Oreo has not been handed one smackeral

of table food,

her treat container

has not seen the light of day

and she has been pounding the pavement on a daily basis.

We've really had to buckle down and have a major

weight loss intervention because this little

Oreo

has now turned into

Double Stuff

(She is not very happy about that name right now.)

Sorry Oreo,

don't be bitter,

it's called tough love.

The truth is hard to swallow.

Do you have any pet weight loss stories to share?

Oreo can certainly use all the support she can get!

March Madness

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:00:00 +0000

March Madness is officially over,

and I'm not even talking basketball.

I'm talking about life at the home

Popcorn Served Daily.

March is typically a busy month for our household

but this year it was over-the-top busy.

Our boys were winding down

with their hockey season,

there were birthday's to celebrate,

and school programs to attend.

Spring Break was in session,

we had guests literally coming and going,

and my Mom, who was visiting from Colorado,

had a little health hiccup.

Whew!

I'm happy to report that school is back in session,

hockey has slowed down just a tad,

and my Mom, who is now 100%,

has made

it back home to Colorado.

I've got some blog posts to write,

emails to reply to, some cleaning to do,

and some home decor that requires a bit of attention.

Why yes,

there is a Valentine's Day wreath still sitting in the kitchen,

why do you ask?

Life, as I know it,

will resume right after I take down that wreath.

How was your March?

What did I miss?

Organizing on Spring Break

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:23:00 +0000

It's Spring Break!

I've traveled enough for this month and I'm enjoying my time at home.

I have been on a mission to organize and de-clutter,

not an easy task with the kids home,

but I'm not letting them stand in my way.

The other day, I tackled my attic

and threw things down by the handfuls,

then I moved on to the garage.

There is one area of my garage that

is a major thorn in my side-

The Hockey Sticks.

Both of my young lads prop their sticks up against the wall and when one stick gets knocked over,

they all come tumbling down.

I played along with the fallen sticks,

pretending to be an equestrian,

until I decided this sport,

especially without a horse,

is just not for me.

Now, take a look at this.

This is the way hockey sticks are displayed in the pro-shops.

Eye candy for the players,

sweet Shangri-la for the hockey moms.

I needed an organizer of some

sort, pre-assembled and something I could use without breaking out the power tools.

While browsing

through the aisles of Goodwill,

I eyed a golf bag organizer,

exactly like this one.

Retail value: $64.99

Amazon.com

Sure, it was meant to hold golf bags

but I'm a total rule breaker,

and brought it home to

the hockey sticks.

It was sturdy, clean, assembled and it worked like a dream.

For $20.00, my young lads have their own eye candy display,

I said goodbye to my career as an equestrian

and hello to my own Shangri-la.

Money well spent.

Now, tell me,

what are you doing for Spring Break?

I'm linking to Savvy Southern Style:

My Goodwill Tour Continues - Florida

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 20:10:00 +0000

I thought I'd share with you one more moment from my trip to Florida before I finally get to the task of unpacking my suitcase,

which has been sitting in the same spot for a week.

As you know, I'm currently on a (self imposed) Nationwide Goodwill Tour,

and well,

since I was in Florida, I stopped in at

Goodwill.

A Goodwill Superstore.

When I stop into the Goodwill Stores,

I try to locate the store manager or team member just to let them know they have a celebrity in the house.

The Goodwill Gal.

This is where they say, "who?"

Okay, so they've never heard of

The Goodwill Gal

but sometimes they go right along with my little fantasy.

The manager at this particular Goodwill store in Florida answered my questions but would not allow me to take any photos. I begged and pleaded but the woman would not cave. I could see the fear in her eyes, and I really tried to act normal,

I really did.

Well, I wish she would've have let me take a picture or two because this store was really cool.

When I walked in the door, I couldn't ignore the

nice lighting and atmosphere.

There were some very tasteful neon lights,

yes, neon can be tasteful,

and clear modern signage throughout.

The mannequin displays were right out of Bloomingdales. Very modern and very vogue.

I felt as if a were in a deparment store at my local mall but without the mall price tag.

I was truly impressed.

Since this trip to Florida was to celebrate my wedding anniversary,

not about "me" and more about "we",

I drooled over the designer collections

made a quick scan of the shoe and home decor

then headed out the door.

Love to wear designer labels?

Does the idea of shopping in department stores give you a thrill?

Want to give to some great Goodwill organizations while getting your shopping fix?

Then get on over to this

Goodwill Superstore and tell

them The Goodwill Gal,

Popcorn Served Daily sent you.

I just need someone to vouch for me and tell

them I'm really not a crazy woman!

_______________

The Goodwill Tour continues.

Next stop,

Goodwill of Arkansas

and

Goodwill Memphis.

Lesson learned.

I'm going to send them a note to let them

know I'm going for a visit.

I'm just smart like that.

Key West

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 16:40:00 +0000

As February said it's goodbyes,

I was sitting on the beach in Key West,

with my man.

We took a few days to fly solo and celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary.

It really was a trip of survival of the fittest.

It started at the airport,

He would see me fumbling with my bags and take off jogging just to "lose" me.

This continued at the rental car agency

and the hotel,

lucky for me, I'm at the peak of physical fitness

and had no problem keeping up.

The man was relentless.

Once,

when he stepped away for a minute,

he text me this picture.

This is his idea of torture

knowing fully well I'm trying to

kick my daily Diet Coke habit!

Who is this man?

I always say to him,

"Without me, you would be bored

out of your mind!"

Truth is,

I'd be bored out of my mind

because I don't think they're are many people

who could handle the likes of me,

and offer me,

a taste of my own medicine!

19 years and counting...

Keeping it Simple.

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:09:00 +0000

Eve has been feeling a bit neglected these days.

Since January, I have been living a life of hockey mom roadie, traveling to L.A., Boston and Dallas, and I haven't had a chance to stop a moment and let my creative juices flow with an "Eve" presentation.

Last year, for Valentine's Day,

she was looking for love.

This year, she was a total flop.

Eve, please forgive me.

Well, she hasn't exactly been sitting around,

looking like a plain Jane,

that's just not her style.

When the Christmas decorations came down,

Eve decided to go green.

Her display includes a topiary, some greenery here and there, metal keys, and books.

Some books are from my childhood,

some came from my parent's home

and some I've collected along the way.

It's a very simple look

but Eve says,

"Sometimes, simple is good."

I think she says that just to make

me feel better.

--------------

Take a look at some of my books on display.

I purchased this trio from Goodwill for $10.00

and they threw in the character for free.

They look worn and used,

and I love it.

Some of these books are pharmacology journals from the 1800's and I don't understand one

word or calculation in them.

The calculation I do comprehend is

that some were priced at $59.99 and $39.99

and I snagged them for

$1 on Thursday Dollar Day!

Books like these have been sold on ebay

for $39 and up,

but I'm happy to display

them on Eve, until I can muster up

some creative thinking and change

her up a bit, before she calls the

Neglected Hutch Hotline!

Weekend Rewind - Dallas

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 04:51:00 +0000

I hopped aboard another airplane...

I ate some complimentary snacks ...

I checked-in to a hotel...

to watch my young lad set up hockey figures

to play a pretend hockey game...

and I watched my older son play some

real hockey games all weekend...

AND...

I checked one more Goodwill off of my

Goodwill Tour list.

What did you do last weekend?

A Goodwill Buffet - Going in a different direction.

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 15:48:00 +0000

I've been painting again and it involves

this little gem I purchased from

a Goodwill Grand Opening.

(You can read about the Grand Opening Here)

I removed the shelves and painted it nice and creamy.

For a few months, I've been entertaining the idea of painting it yet again

and going a little bolder with the paint color.

My little $40 buffet and it's new bolder look is going to send

my entryway, living and dining room in a new direction.

All it took was a little "Pop" of color!

Joining

Kim at Savvy Southern Style

This Goodwill Gal's, National Goodwill Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:57:00 +0000

It's no secret to anyone that I'm a frequent shopper at my local Goodwill.

I've posted some of my best finds

(Click here)

and I've shown how I transformed some pieces

one would find in a place where fancy resides

to something where fancy doesn't reside,

like inside my home.

(HERE)

Before:

After:

(HERE)

I have visited many Goodwill locations in the Phoenix area.

I've been a visitor at the

Goodwill of Central Arizona

Corporate Offices,

and have been invited to a few

Goodwill Grand Openings

(Click HERE)

(click HERE)

where I shopped

(click HERE)

and made new friends.

Goodwill of Central Arizona Executive Team Members:

Jim Teter, President and CEO,

Jackie Halleen, Vice President of Retail Operations

Tim O'Neil, Chief Operating Officer

But did you know that, I,

self-proclaimed Mrs. Goodwill (here),

have not limited myself to my local

Goodwill locations?

Noooo siree,

I've branched out and have gone nationwide.

Last year,

I kicked off my Goodwill Tour.

The tour began at Goodwill Industries of Kansas.

In Wichita, the store was very clean and

very organized.

I'm sad to say I found several pretty

awesome picture frames which were too

big to fit in my suitcase.

But, I made up for the frames when I visited the folks in Hutchinson, Kansas

where I walked away with my weakness,

milk glass.

No, there isn't a tour schedule or legions of fans waiting behind security tape waiting to get an autograph or to catch a glimpse of this

Goodwill Gal,

rather it's just me, my husband, or whoever I can grab to take my photo.

I pose in front of each store

before I go in to check out the goods,

and purchase whatever I can stuff in

my suitcase.

Goodwill of Denver,

October.

Goodwill Southern California ,

December

Goodwill Redondo Beach, California

January

My most recent Goodwill Tour visit was

Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries,

in Hyannis, Massachusets.

February

Here, I met a lovely and very busy

Goodwill Team Member

named Constance,

she's the gal behind the counter.

The store was well organized and there were some

major antique finds to be had.

I even brought my

Goodwill Gal Roadies to Cape Cod

and they took no time choosing

some finds on their own.

Recently, I was invited to tour the

Goodwill Industries International

Corporate Offices, in

Rockville, Maryland.

That trip is going to have to wait until the

weather is a bit more pleasant,

but I can't wait to visit real soon.

In the mean time,

the next stop on this

Goodwill Gal's Goodwill Tour

will be Goodwill Dallas.

Who know's what I'm going to find but I am hoping to see legions of fans

behind security tape.

Is that too much to ask from

this

Goodwill Gal?

My Past Is Catching Up With Me - Boston Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Popcorn Served Daily) — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 16:01:00 +0000

My past is catching up with me.

Bread baskets at every turn.

Window shopping and eyeing the

Lobster Mac and Cheese.

Some seriously delicious fish.

Sampling my neighbor's crab roll and fries.

De-lish!

Pretty and tasty!

Lobster Bisque AND

Clam Chowder

(not shown, but I ate it.)

Deep fried clams and...

Dessert.

"What happens in Boston stays in Boston."

Now, why can't this phrase

apply to the food I ate?