Xenodocheionology

I was going to draw a ghost sketch to lead-off this post but this image came up as one that I had saved. Fits right in here even though it is someone trying to sell something. 

Yes, I learned a new word for the X letter day on the A to Z Challenge. Xenodocheionology is the lores of hotels and inns. Along those lines is the YouTube channel Slapped Ham. Stay with me on this one, on that channel there are paranormal videos. Some of those videos show hotels and inns that deal with ghostly activity. It is my favorite YouTube channel.💖

I know it is stretch but what are you going to do with the letter X? 

A to Z Challenge letter Y is yearning for Yarn and You Get One Free Pass. 

Weird Wacky and White Trash Cooking

Wondering why at this ghastly Wreath at hospice thrift. 

A to Z Challenge Letter W. One of my favorite recurring themes for the A to Z Challenge - Weird and Wacky. I did a series of those posts in 2024. 

2024/01/weird-and-wacky

2024/02/weird-and-wacky

2024/03/weird-and-wacky

2024/04/weird-and-wacky

2024/05/weird-and-wacky

2024/06/weird-and-wacky

2024/07/weird-and-wacky

2024/09/weird-and-wacky

2024/10/weird-and-wacky

2024/12/weird-and-wacky

Presenting thrift shop weird and wacky for this month's challenge. What I usually find are paintings and attempts at fine art. 

I haven't continued the monthly series of weird and wacky into this year. I live in a deeply conservative rural area. There isn't as much weird and wacky as I found at thrift in Sacramento, California. 

Found this book at thrift recently, sho nuff fits with this letter day. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/187146211369

Water Lily Pie

3 eggs separated
1 cup sugar
1/4 lb. butter
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

Beat yolks of three eggs until light, adding gradually 1/2 cup sugar. Cream butter, almond extract and vanilla. Stir this into egg mixture. 

Beat egg whites very stiff. Add slowly 1/2 cup sugar and cream of tartar. Spread whites over buttered and floured pie pan. Push toward edge, making depression in center. Pour filling into middle very carefully. Bake is a slow oven nearly an hour. 

"It should look just like a water lily - if it don't, you did something wrong."

I did find an A to Z Wine! 

Ending with one of my favorite commercials now seen in the states. 

A to Z Challenge letter X will be Xenodocheionology. 

Vintage Toys

A to Z challenge letter V vying for one of the last spots in this challenge. I just picked up this herd of Schleich cattle bagged $4.99 at thrift. 

I am buying back the toys of my childhood. These Schleich figurines were one of my favorites. I was allowed to buy one figurine at a time as a child when we went to the toy store. 

I do know that all of my childhood toys disappeared. I think my parents gave them away when I moved away from home. 

My bucket list of toys to find secondhand (I could be dreaming on this list)

Original 1959 Barbie
Kenner Blythe Doll

The original 9 Beanie Babies

Garbage Pail Kids Cards

I already collect the small G.I. Joe figurines and have a near battalion of them. Marbles are another item I pick up at thrift whenever I see them. 

I also like to sketch these toys and here is one of a mini-Bratz doll.  

A to Z challenge letter W day is Weird and Wacky items found at thrift. 

Uglies of the Fabric Kind

A to Z challenge letter of the day is U, so I am going to elaborate on fabric uglies. The above grouping of 9 patch pieced patchwork came in a bag $3.99 at thrift. I thought I had a bonanza, but noooooo.🙈 Every single piece of fabric is poor quality and UGLY. 

I can't even pretend to crapht this group into something. God Bless mystery crafter's soul, assuming he/she has departed this earth. Why else would bags of this stuff show up at thrift? There were four more bags that I passed up. 

I first ventured into the subject nearly 10 years ago on my post lets-talk-uglies. No one will talk about it! So hush, hush. "Just use up the fabric honey ..." in my best fabric-police voice. 

Let's face it, some people don't have an eye for color or how to "marry" fabric. Ugly fabric turns into ugly quilts. 

I am chuckling to myself as I write this. Lawd knows I have made some abysmal quilts, especially early on. 

I give credit to the creator who at least tried the craft, even when it turned out ugly. 

Twinkies and Tap Dancing

An activity on my bucket list since childhood - tap dancing. Of all of the forms of dance, this one I have found the most difficult to master. We are a troupe of 5 retired ladies. It is so much fun and the best exercise. You could call me "Twinkle Toes." 👣

Representing for the A to Z Challenge T letter day with a recent video on Tap from 2023 Japan's Got Talent. 

One category of items I sell on eBay are books. Unique cookbooks always sell, as I expect this Hostess The Twinkies Cookbook (2006) will. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/187122558147

This publication is worth it just for the Twinkie Sushi (I kid you not!), and Twinkie Burritos. There is also a Ribbons and Bows Twinkie Wedding Cake, and Twinkie Love Potion Number 75. 

😜  

Ending the post with a trail cam image from last month. 

A to Z Challenge letter U is about unfortunate Uglies in fabric. 

Simply Delightful Thrifted Ball Gown

A to Z challenge S letter day highlights the Simply Delightful Thrifted Ball Gown. 

This dress made its first appearance in the theme-reveal-for-2025. This secondhand slinky is a mermaid design. For the challenge theme reveal, I highlighted the back of the gown and BLUE hair! 

The blue hat was a thrift shop find last month. In the lead-off image you can see the killer stilettos needed to wear this gown. 

Photo shoots are also something I enjoy. 

My second cat making her appearance - Susie. Otherwise known as "Miss Hiss" because she hates Lucky, my other cat. 

I was spending some time down the rabbit hole of the internet and discovered the video to Somebody that I Used to Know - amazing choreography!

A to Z letter day T will be about tap dancing. 

Rules, Who is in Charge?

Pattern of the Day is a vintage 1988 Dream Spinners Grand Rabbits.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/187125213055

A to Z challenge R letter day is about breaking the rules. If you have been following along with my posts for this challenge, you will see that I don't follow many of the rules. I make up my own rules. I bend the challenge letter day to suit my purposes. When I first started the challenge, I stuck with the usual A is for Apple, B is for .... boring! 👹

Upcoming letter days include Weird and Wacky and You Get One Free Pass. 

Rules are meant to be broken.

Come back tomorrow for the A to Z letter of S highlighting the Simply Delightful Thrifted Ball Gown featured in the theme reveal post. 

Happy Easter

We interrupt the regular programming with an Easter break. It is also the Mr.'s birthday - 73 years young. 

The crocheted cutie in the image is from the 1985 Carry-Along Crochet publication. 

Every once in awhile, I purchase mystery boxes of fabric from my fav online auction site. My latest purchase included this small pieced purple portion and a few pieces of Easter-themed fabric. 

Gonna sneak in a thrifting update - A bag of doll clothes $7.99 at thrift will be turned into approx. $40 profit. There were many Barbie clothes, a few specialty doll clothes, and an original Cabbage Patch dress. 

Each month there is a new display at hospice thrift - here is the Easter-themed one. 

When my children were small, each year I would dress them in Easter outfits and they would go on an Easter-egg hunt in our backyard or at the lake in Cameron Park. 

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter! 

A Skosh of Quilting

Lucky photobombed my photo session for this quilt. 

A to Z challenge letter Q required a post on quilting. I can't remember when I picked up these fairy-themed blocks. Last month, I purchased fabric from the now-bankrupt Joanns. Here was the first fabric pull for the fairy quilt. Mystery quilter created 6 different fairy block designs. 

A round of FabHop shopping meant I located some fairy print fabric that matched my set of 6.

The second fabric pull. 

I had intended on this quilt being queen-sized but it told me it was finished at a twin size. Quilts have a way of telling you what size they want to be. This flimsy measures 58"x75" which falls short of the 70"x90" to make it twin-sized. I will have to add more fabric. 

Close-up of the quilt top

Now my quandry is whether I quilt it myself or send it out to be professionally quilted by a longarmer. I will bind it in the gold-brown fabric bordering the blocks. 

This will probably be one of two quilts I might finish this year. 

🙩

A to Z Challenge letter R is Rules, Who is in Charge? 

Peeps and Pinterest

A to Z challenge day is the letter P. There is a phenomena here in the U.S. of a candy called peeps. They show up around springtime, a marshmallow sugar coated confection. Highly addictive. 

Who knew you could combine Peeps and artwork? The Racine Art Museum - 16th-annual-peeps-exhibition is holding the Art Exhibition 2025 which runs through April 26. Here is one of the entries. 

PEEP dress not part of the exhibition. 

Pinterest is my go-to site for recipes. I have also been "pinning" on those boards for some time now. Pinterest is also the top referring site to my blog. On my boards pinterest.com/thriftshpcomndo/  you will find Top Tami Posts on my blog, the Countdown to Christmas, and the posts for this current challenge pinterest.com/thriftshpcomndo/2025-blogging-from-a-to-z-challenge/

🍿

I couldn't resist posting this recipe from the 1993 Mary Meade's Country Cookbook.

Popcorn Balls

1/3 cup molasses                                2 tblsp. butter
1/3 cup light or dark corn syrup         2 quarts popped corn
1/3 cup water                                      2 cups salted peanuts
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine molasses, syrup, and water in a saucepan; add sugar and salt. Stir and heat until sugar dissolves, then cook rapidly to hard-ball stage. Add butter. Pour syrup slowly over corn and nuts, stirring to coat all kernels. While mixture is still warm, shape into balls with the hands. 

Popping in a Pattern of the Day, one from my latest sewing pattern listing session on eBay. A cutie patootie from 2018. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/187125195590

A to Z Challenge letter Q day is about quilting! 

Office Space, the movie

A to Z challenge Oh de lay oh lay Letter O is on its way! This is one of the posts that I have rewritten since the beginning of this challenge. What prompted the change is the recent find of Flair in this $1.99 thrift shop lanyard. This one has 14 pieces of flair and has been bestowed on one of my beloved composition dolls. 

Office Space (1999) is a cult classic, one of Jennifer Aniston's best films. IMHO 

"You know what, Stan, if you wanted me to wear 37 pieces of flair, like your pretty boy over there, Brian, why don't you just make the minimum 37 pieces of flair?" Jennifer's character Joanna.

I am not going to spoil any aspect of the movie, it must be seen. I admit I am the proud owner of a red SWINGLINE stapler. "I believe you have my stapler."

🫣

A to Z Challenge P letter day highlights Peeps and Pinterest. 

Never Underestimate the Old Guy in His Pajamas

A to Z challenge letter of the Day is N. The following is a story about the Mr. and the post title. The above image is not a depiction of him. Just some guy - with a gun. 

We live down a long, dirt rural road. In the past couple of months, we have had random salesmen drive up our road and come to the front of our house, trying to sell God knows what. Whenever a stranger comes to the front door, the Mr. is always armed. The first salesman was told to leave and did so. 

Salesman no. 2 knocked aggressively on the front door (rather than use the doorbell). The Mr. asked what did he want and what company was he with. Salesman wouldn't answer either question. Salesman mumbled something about prequalified. The Mr. said, "it is time for you to leave. Bye, bye." Salesman mockingly replied, "Bye, bye?" and took a step forward. At that point the Mr. pulled out his weapon and repeated, "it is time for you to go bye, bye. You need to leave now." 

I was pulling up to the house just as salesman was hurriedly leaving. We don't know what salesman had planned. We couldn't afford to find out. Law enforcement up here is for after-the-fact. 

Just as the post title suggests Never Underestimate the Old Guy in his Pajamas. He might be carrying a gun.

👴

A to Z Challenge letter O features the movie Office Space. 

My eBay Milestones

Putting in a Pattern of the Day a groovy 1966 McCall's. Before I became a sewing pattern seller on eBay, I was a sewing pattern collector. It didn't matter if the pattern was cut, I scanned in the images of those vintage ones. Some I have kept, the majority I sent back to the Great Thrift Shop Beyond.

Every once in awhile one should celebrate their milestones. A quick mention on my eBay-related ones: I have 2,800+ active listings and 1,000 buyers have left positive feedback. 

A to Z challenge letter N is Never Underestimate an Old Guy in his Pajamas. 

Latch Hooking and Lucky

The latch hooking part of this project is done! This is what I have been working on for the past 3-1/2 months. I fell in love with this project when I purchased a mystery box of craphts from my fav online auction site. This creation is destined for entry in the crafts category at the California State Fair. 

Next step is to trim the canvas and hand-sew it to the backing with extra-strength thread. Below is the close-up image of the pink flower while it was in process.  

Interesting that this latch hooking craft has entered my life again. It was popular back in the 1970s. I have scads of this rug yarn now.  I bought a few lots online and have found some at thrift. My next project will be colorful mushrooms in a black chiaroscora background. I have already ordered the latch hook canvas. 

A to Z challenge letter L features Little Lucky. She is the youngest of my two cats on the ranch. 

A to Z letter M are my eBay Milestones.