Please BEAR With Me - - -

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It's Thrifty Thursday once again. Leigh isn't home, but she promised we'd still celebrate the day, thanks to Chandy.

Again my "thrifty" post will be a mix of thrift and "not so much." BUT - - - it will have a theme. I'm all about a theme, because a theme indicates a pattern, and we of OCD tendencies love patterns. Love them.

I'm sure if I've mentioned it once, I've mentioned it a gazillion times - I am from Wisconsin. My origins are the northwoods. Those are woods in the north for those of you who may be wondering.

Since I haven't lived in my beloved state since I was 18 (and that was back when the dinosaurs were roaming in the northwoods) I have tried to bring little "touches" of northern Wisconsin into my midwest habitat.

First this:

Which, though I DID pay full price for it, was to me a thrifty buy because it brought the feel of Wisconsin into my home without me having to move. Moving would have cost A LOT more - - - so thrifty it was.

Now, I REALIZE this border is supposed to depict vineyard country, probably in northern California or Europe or somewhere. But that didn't matter IN THE LEAST to me because it has the FEEL of Wisconsin farmland. I can almost hear the cows moooooooo-ing and smell their manure. Ooooops, that's not their manure, that's the dirty dishes in the sink!!! But I digress - - -

And I ALSO REALIZE that wallpapers and borders aren't in vogue anymore. Know what I say to that???? Vogue Schmogue. I LIKE my border on the soffit, so there.

And, to further enhance the Wisconsin feel, I brought these cute little guys home with me and placed them lovingly on the kitchenette table:


Now they WERE a thrifty deal, and from a DIMESTORE in Hayward, Wisconsin. Yes, I DID say DIMESTORE. Did you forget what about those???? Well, they still have the same DIMESTORE (I think it's a Ben Franklin) in Hayward where I shopped as a child. Besides the regular five and dime items, they have little tourist knick knacks. Bingo - - - I'm now a tourist, so I LOVE the knick knacks.

And in my downstairs bathroom I have this border. (Repeat disclaimer about borders from above.) And oh mes amies - - - I was a baby in a home that only had an out house, so how could I resist these:


True, I was too young to actually have to brave the -40 degree winter weather (Yes I did say NEGATIVE 40 degrees) to USE it, but my mama and papa did!!" I was still using my widdie biddie diaper at the time.


To continue the theme - - - and in the same room where one must "bare" it - - -
I have this little mama bear reading to her cubs. I love this because I was that mama bear and I read to four cubs over a span of about sixteen years.


And this little guy is BEARing hand soap. Yep, you guessed it, all these bears came from the same Ben Franklin in little ole Hayward.

But not this one:


He too came from Hayward, but not from the Ben Franklin, and he was not thrifty at all, even though the shop owner DID knock $$$$ off his price. But:

From the moment I saw him,

I knew he was mine

Because how better to wipe

Your bare behind????

And that is my Grin and BARE It (or BEAR - - - you decide) Thrifty Thursday post.

Ta ta, y'all!!!

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