Thrift Store Monday

The thrifty Gods have shined upon me again. I always shop with an open mind when thrifting, because you never know what gem may present itself, but I keep a running list of things I am looking for and eventually I find that coveted item.  Last class we had an amazing pianist receiving a new dog. Every night we would be treated to the most wonderful music as he relaxed (and so did we). I said to our psychologist one night "I feel like someone should be bringing me a cocktail...sounds like we're in a piano bar!" She agreed! I have always wanted to play a musical instrument, but unfortunately I have never shown much talent for music and really not put forth the hard work to develop a talent (so basically it is my fault...I probably could do it if I set my mind to it) My daughter is a naturally gifted musician. She can play the flute like a bird (although she hasn't in a long time!). Her grandfather was a talented musician and music teacher, and her great Grandfather played with Doc Severinson and the Tonight show band (I know, some of you may be saying Who? What? Trust me...they were the tops!) Long convoluted story short...I had asked Paul about pianos and how to buy a good one, since I see them all day offered on Craigslist for free and I'm no piano expert, but I know enough to know that I probably wouldn't be bringing home quality! Plus Tom would probably really frown if I drug a piano home! Paul surprised me when he said that some of the electronic keyboards these days are a good option for someone (like me) and that the sound quality has greatly improved over the years. I filed that away and  figured if I found a good keyboard I would pick it up. Set out your desires to the universe and your wishes come true. I found a Yamaha PSS-570 keyboard at the Yellow House thrift store for the whopping price of $1.00! What??? A buck! There was no AC adapter with it, so it would need batteries, but smarty pants me had an AC adapter at home. Plugged it in and instant music!!! The cool thing for Tom is that I can plug in headphones and he doesn't have to listen to it! I went to the library to pick up some intructional material, and I have tons of music books for my guitar.  I glanced at the music for "Fields of Gold" and was able to pick it out pretty easily! On a side note, we have a new music store in town and I plan to take guitar lessons as well!  Here is my new Dolla keyboard...

You may notice some fabric piled next to my new excellent keyboard. I also scored some more fabric! The red is a silky poly that is destined to be a nice holiday blouse (or two). There is about 4 yards there! The black and houndstooth are both double knit...I'm thinking an homage to Mondo with Butterick 5554. I just bought it from BMV on their cyber Monday sale. I don't normally do BMV as I can get the patterns cheaper at JoAnn's on sale, but this was as good as JoAnn's with free shipping. I almost joined BMV as they were offering $9.99 yearly membership, but my savings on the 7 patterns I had in my basket was $1.60 and I seriously doubt I would order enough over the year to even recoup my 10 bucks, so I just paid my extra $1.60 and said thank you BMV! The grey is a slubby wool jersey which after washing I notice some holes...this fabric is old...Linda took me in the back room to go through some boxes of fabric someone donated and there were some pieces that were oddly familiar. I thought about it and that's when it dawned on me. They were boxes of remnants from clothes we made at Jantzen sportswear 30 years ago! I had some of the same fabric as they would let us take home scraps from the line cuttings. Sara had so many swimsuits as a baby, it was ridiculous! Anyway...that was a great trip down memory lane.  And then unthrift related joy...I had razor clams for lunch! Tom had several opportunities to eat the leftovers and since he didn't, they ended up on my lunch plate! Life is good! Now I think I'll go make a little music!