Happiness Can Be Bought... at the Dollar Spot

I love Thursdays. My mother-in-law graciously entertains my son during the afternoon and I get to run errands, go to scheduled appointments, and sometimes I even get to go to TARGET by myself! It is truly magical.

Sure, we make other (multiple) trips to Target during the week, but there is something to be said about not having a little guy tugging on my pant leg trying to will me toward the toy section as quickly as possible and then, when he gets there, refusing to leave until he admires and touches every single toy. On Thursdays, however, I am free to browse the aisles and linger at the alluring Dollar Spot. This, my friends is my shopping weakness. I can easily spend a half hour or more digging through the bins and snatching up little treasures. Today for example, I came home with the following:

Three pairs of cute socks, a fall burlap banner, some packages of paper straws, chalkboard coasters, 2 rolls of twine, 2 packages of mini clothespins, and some chalkboard picks. I have a plan for the twine, mini clothespins, and fall burlap banner and socks are pretty utilitarian, but the paper straws, chalkboard coasters and picks were complete impulse buys. I have no plan, they have no purpose (yet!) but I'll add them to my stash of things that make me happy and will eventually find their way as party decorations and... they were a dollar!

Happiness can be bought in the Target Dollar Spot.

Storage Solution: Puzzles!

  Puzzles are HUGE at our house. My little guy loves to sit by himself and work through them and I love that he can work quietly and independently and give me a little break. The great thing about puzzles is that they are cheap entertainment and you can find some really cute ones at the Dollar Store. The bad thing is that puzzle pieces are small, their pieces can be easily lost, and they come in tiny boxes of various shapes that are a nightmare to store.

 

 

  I found these great zipper pencil pouches at Big Lots in the school supply aisle for $1 each and their uses are truly endless. Each pouch has a durable plastic window on the front so you can easily see what is stored inside. When I was trying to figure out a better storage solution for our crazy mess of puzzles, I decide that these pouches would provide the perfect solution. First, I cut the front of each puzzle box and placed it in the front of the pouch and then stored the puzzle pieces behind the cardboard picture. Each puzzle is contained in its own little pouch and multiple pouches fit in a storage bin neatly tucked away until next time. 

Scaling Mount Washmore

I'm not sure why sorting dirty clothes into like colors, placing them in my washer and then coming back a half hour later to transfer them into my dryer causes me so much disdain. Considering the attitude I have toward doing my family's laundry, you'd think I have to haul my laundry to the riverbed and beat it among the rocks, which couldn't be farther from the truth as I have a lovely LG high efficiency front load washer and dryer. Yet, the laundry piles up and I refuse to acknowledge it until it has become an insurmountable summit that spills out into the hallway. This happens approximately once every two weeks. However, while shopping at World Market yesterday, I may have found a product that will forever change the way I look at laundry.

Introducing the HEDGEHOG Dryer Buddies by Kirkland...

Seriously, look at their adorable little hedgehog faces. How can I not be excited to toss them into the dryer so they can tumble amongst my towels. All the while fluffing them and apparently saving me both money and energy (or so the box claims.) Simply drop the hedgehogs into the dryer and they will use their hedgehog magic to soften, fluff, and reduce static.

 I've been busy scaling my laundry mountain today with the help of these little guys and while my clean laundry is soft, fluffy, and static free, I'm not sure if I should attribute these qualities to the use of my new found Dryer Buddies, or the fact that I'm actually folding my laundry when the drier timer announces the end of its cycle instead of letting it sit until it becomes a wrinkled heap of laundered garments. The thing is, I don't really care if they are successful at all that they claim to do, by using their hedgehog cuteness alone, they motivated me to scale Mount Laundry with a smile on my face.