Warning: Nothing But Thrift Pictures!

I apologize for what you're about to see. If my double life as a rabid thrifter doesn't leave you on the edge of your seat, wondering daily what exciting new finds I've come across in the back corner of some grimy second-hand store, you have my blessing to stop reading right now and move onto worthier pursuits. And I promise my next post will make no mention of thrifting.

The Captain is home, and we haven't killed each other yet!

For those of you not familiar with my take on the military reunion, this is excellent news. The movies will have you believe that reuniting with your personal GI Joe after a long separation is all kisses and romance and bliss. That's just a big fat lie. He spent the last ten weeks living a structured, regimented army existence with no family distractions. We spent the last ten weeks developing less-than-structured routines that don't involve having a man about the house. Then suddenly, we were all thrown together again to reorganize ourselves and fit each other in. Humans are, at their core, creatures of habit, and we don't want to reorganize anything. We like things just the way they are, thanks very much. This creates low-level melodrama of the quit-getting-under-my-feet-and-annoying-me variety. So we bicker and rip our hair out until we get used to it again.

That, my friends, is military life in a nutshell.

On the plus side, the Captain knows me well enough to realize that a trip around Value Village before heading home from the airport would ease the transition a little. Combined with the Value Village run I did in Booming Metropolis last month, my closet is starting to bulge. Here's the damage:

Light, floaty top originally from Cleo for $7. Added my own belt for that all-important not-pregnant look. This is the only shot I managed to get of me wearing any of it. But you're an imaginative bunch. You'll get the idea.

Skirts! How I've missed you! The one on the left is Gap, the next one was some brand I'd never heard of, and it was originally a dress that didn't suit me, so I cut it up and made it work. The two on the right are from Cleo. All were around $7.

I'm told a chambray shirt is the thing to have this spring. We'll see how that works out for me. The tunic on the right is actually a bright, gorgeous pink with sequins and beads all around the neck. I tried umpteen times to get a good picture. This was the best I got. $7 each.

Pants that fit! The cargo capris in the middle unsnap to become full-length pants. So handy! The grey pants on the right go gorgeously with my new shoes, below. $8 apiece.

These were actually not thrifty at all. Reasonable, yes. But not thrifty. I ordered these online as a reward for finishing my dining room walls. They go with all my new-to-me clothes.

As you may be able to tell, I'm at a point where all I want to do is float around in loose floral-print tops, skirts and sandals. Buying all this stuff is my way of trying to usher in spring. Tell me, I won't have to wait too much longer...

For those of you who kindly read all the way to the bottom of this post, despite not being the least bit interested in my ongoing treasure hunt, here's a picture of my cat going bananas after I opened a window for the first time since October:

"Let me out! Let me out!"

I defy you to walk into a room full of people and find one who is not either enthralled with thrifting, or enthralled with cats.

Just humour me, people. It's been a loooooong winter.