Many of you have asked where in the world I've been.

All I know is that after 7 plus years of blogging and a different lappy, which I don’t like, I seem to have lost my blogging fervor.

Someday, when you least expect it, I will post again.

For those of you still waiting I say thank you.

Meanwhile, I am rather prolific on twitter. Find me: @KeethaB
.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Eclectic Company - Waitin' on a New Adventure!!
.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Please BEAR With Me - - -

.

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!!!

.

25 comments:

Martin LaBar said...

Grrr . . .

KBeau said...

Cute post. We actually had two dime stores in my home town of about 15,000--a Woolworth's and a Morgan-Lindsey. When I was in high school we used to go there to buy Noreen hair rinse. Somehow all of us who were blondes thought it would be more fun to have brown hair. Go figure.

Keetha Broyles said...

KBeau - - - you are KIDDING me about the blonds wanting brown hair!!!! I was a brunette who always wanted to be blond!!!

Unknown said...

Love the bears!!!

To answer your question on my thrifty post-- the nuts were fall additions to my mantel :-)

Michelle said...

Love the bears, especially the first photo!

I miss our Ben Franklin stores but Walmart was just too much for them and all closed about 10 years ago.

Chandy said...

Keetha, you are funny! I love all of your finds because they have an added sentimental value!

Your home sounds cozy... Thanks for joining and sharing with us your love of Wisconsin! ;-)

Keetha Broyles said...

Carrie, Michelle, and Chandy - - - thank you all for visiting my little neck of the woods. Isn't making new bloggy friends fun!?!

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

What a great post. I LOVE all the wallpaper borders. They just make a place feel like home with reminders of days gone by and memories too sweet to forget. Your bears are absolutely precious. I love the mamma reading to her cubs and the bathroom one with the tissue is just a scream. I am so glad to have found your blog and thanks for stopping by my TT and leaving such kind comments. I will return. Hugs, Marty

Anonymous said...

you're so funny.but i did,,,,,,,,,,,,have to use the out house.i was 4 or 5 probably before i ever saw an in door bathtub.it scared me.it was a clawfoot.i was so little it looked like a monster.the entire time i was in it.i kept looking over the side.like something was going to jump in there with me.i guess haha.
and i like wallpaper and borders.if i could hang it.it would be up.trust me.
to start with victorian roses in my bedroom.but i have lumpy walls.why do they think lumpy is so wonderful?grrrrrrrrrrr
ann

Debby@Just Breathe said...

I love Wisconsin, spent allot of time there growing up. I remember the dime store Ben Franklin. In my new home I don't have any boarders up but I do love them and miss them from my other home. You go girl!

j said...

Woman, you crack me up!

And I agree with you on the border - it's your home you do what YOU want to do regardless of what Martha Stewart says. I have plenty of things that are just not IN according to the snooty toots but they make me happy.

Glad you are my blog bud. If I hadn't met you I don't know if I could bare/bear (???...).. handle it!

Brad, Carmen, Braylen and Alea Fleck said...

do you watch Extreme Home Makeover? they are hanging wallpaper in many of their homes now, I think it's making a comeback--so you are just ahead of the times :) He-he!! Love the little houses in the kitchen border!!

Carrie said...

It's great that you have these fine reminders of Wisconsin in your current home.

Swampgirl said...

Hi Keetha! Thanks for visiting the swamp! I realized that I have surfed by your blog before because I remember your FL trip! I get lost in blogs and don't always remember how I got places! The swamp thing is from the name of our town - a Creek word for Great Swamp. Funny thing is that I live 2 blocks from a swampy area to the north and 2 blocks south is a point that is the highest point between the Mississippi River and the Chattahoochee River! Come visit again.

Keetha Broyles said...

Marty 39 - thanks for following my blog!!! You are my #30, I'm so excited!!! And thanks for the support for my borders.

Ann - Funny about the claw footed tub frightening you. I LOVE them and even though I NEVER take a bath - - - I'm a shower girl - - - I'd love to have one in a vintage BR.

Skye - - - do you ever visit WI now??

Dust - - - I feel the SAME WAY about having you for a blog bud. And in that context it would be bear. ;-)

Carmen - - - I LIKE that!!! I choose to be AHEAD of my time.

Carrie - - - Thanks so much for dropping by AND leaving a comment!!!

Swampy - - - oh, I'll be back to your blog, I started following you - - - your NAME had me at hello. What is the Creek word????

Damselfly said...

Those bears sure are cute! Cuter than decorating with cheese. When I think of Wisconsin, I think of cheese. I have a friend in Green Bay, so it's nothing personal.... :)

Keetha Broyles said...

Ah but TRUST me - - - cheese tastes A LOT better than bear, I know - - -don't ask HOW I know.

Shannon said...

I love all of your bears!

Kristin - The Goat said...

My husband has purchased a few bears pieces, a lot like yours, for his place in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I've always had a fondness for those wooden bears LOL

Keetha Broyles said...

Shannon - - - thanks for visiting!

Kirby - - - yes MOST people keep the bear theme in their northwoods cottage - - - but I don't HAVE a northwoods cottage, and besides I don't LIVE up there so I need to bring them HERE.

Anonymous said...

Hi Keetha...It's fun reading about your things from Hayward. I've got quite a few bears too. And we also have quite a few of the real thing in our woods. Makes walking out there a little interesting in the summer. We have a farm across the road from us, and have the smells you mention too. It's good living here, but I have to admit your picture of the people walking on the beach in Florida looked really good to me. I'm ready for summer I think. Thanks for sharing all your interesting things and experiences. Gwen from the "Northwoods"

linda t said...

Oooh, I love this post!!
Love your reasoning for paying full price... moving to WI would have been way more expensive!
The outhouse border is my favorite. We had a two-seater on the farm growing up. And let me tell you, it got used. With six kids and a Mom & Dad sharing a bathroom... the outhouse came in handy on occasion.
And little Dimestores are one of my favorite things when we go back there. Especially the ones with fabric! I know! Who knew!

Keetha Broyles said...

Gwen - - - it's those REAL bears in the woods up there that makes me LOVE mine - - - kind of a "connection" to the real thing.

Linda T - I've used an outhouse at my Aunt's farm many times for the same reasons you site above. I can't remember if that little Ben Franklin in Hayward has fabric or not, I'll have to scope that out this summer. Maybe I'll post a picture just for you!!!

Christina said...

Love all of your bears. Esp. the dime store ones.

Everytime I hear "Wisconsin" I think of one of a favorite books that I've read to my children, Little House in the Big Woods.

Erin said...

Who cares what they say on that evil "Rate My Space"? I think your wallpaper borders are adorable! We have an awesome five and dime near us in Branson - Dick's Five and Dime. It's been there forever and it's much fun to look around.