Right now, I'm knee deep...

...into decorating our home.  And like most people I'm doing it on a budget...like a visittheclearancesectionineverystore budget.  So the other day when we were out running errands I begged pleaded encouraged my husband to stop into Kirkland's to see what the clearance section beheld.  I was sooo excited to see this

 for

with an additional 25% off!!!  So each lamp ended up being $26.23!!!  And no they DIDN'T come with the lovely

green FrogTape on them...I just have the paint addiction.  This is how it looks with one coat of paint:

Now I'm sure it would have been easier to just spray paint them but we had a Home Depot going out of business and I got a gallon of Behr Hi Gloss Enamel for $14...so I plan to use it 'til the wheels fall off!  I plan to change up the finials and shades but I guess I'll wait until the sleet clears up outside.  OH! I also picked up a few of these

for a little over $5 each.  Strangely, there is no description on the boxes so I thought they were Christmas stocking holders until I removed the packaging and found this

Doesn't matter though...I love animals so they'll still come in handy.  I'll share what I did to them after the weather clears up.

The other day, some IDIOT...

...made the idiotic decision to steal my little's scooter from the back of our truck.  YES, the scooter that Santa had just delivered A WEEK PRIOR!!!!  And YES, we SHOULD HAVE removed it from the truck after our park visit was cut short due to a storm but that's now moot.  We work hard to provide what our kids need and want...and YOUR JOB is to help yourself to it????  MORON!!!!  INGRATE!!!  BLANKITY BLANK BLANK!!!!  Whew!  I'm good now.  But I couldn't bring myself to tell the little that his new scooter had probably been sold for a crack rock so I made the executive decision to replace it and THEN tell him.  The point to my rant is that, because we have nothing but Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Big Lots within about 15 miles of our house, when I visit the Westbank I REALLY make it count...like visitsevenstores count!  So once I put the scooter in the basket the Target Christmas clearance was callin' my name!  I think I squealed out loud when I spotted these ornaments:

Originally $19.99 for a box of 50, they were reduced to $4.50!!!!  Maybe there were so many because of the neon yellow balls but I don't care about that...I have BIG PLANS for those!  The smaller, star shaped boxes,

were $1.50.  AWWWWESOME!!!  Another store my little and I hit up was Marshall's.  I got three rolls of map wrapping paper before Christmas that I planned to use like wallpaper in Kea's room.  But once I opened it and held it against the wall I wasn't feelin' it.  So I stuffed the used roll in with my other wrapping crap and loaded the others into the truck.  Do you know the cashier actually threw her arms open and asked, "You want to return THIS???" when I put those two rolls of wrapping paper on the counter?  Yes ma'am I KNOW it's only $7 but it's MY $7 and I want it back...THANKEE KINDLY!!!  Once THAT transaction was complete, Kea and I browsed the home section.  SOOO much caught my eye but I had to limit myself especially because I'd just shelled out extra $$ to replace the scooter. But I did find a mercury glass candle holder (as a non-match match to the one I found before Christmas), these

faux binoculars that we can't have adventures with but will look good on a shelf; a lovely roll of steel gray velvet and satin ribbon on a wooden spool; and a wooden airplane puzzle for the little.  I kinda figured in my head that I had about $30 worth of merchandise which would cost about $23 out of pocket once I factored in my refund.  When we got to the cashier she scooped up all of my finds with their yummy red stickers and without a word walked into a back room...what the HIZZY is goin' on up in here today???  I didn't know if my clearance items were being quarantined because they were unwitting vessels of transport for cocaine or WHAT.  Just when I SERIOUSLY started considering grabbing Kea and making a run for the door before S.W.A.T. swarmed out of that room the cashier returned with some even LOVELIER yellow tags on my goodies.  She explained that the clearance items had an additional percentage off to which I replied, "SHUT.UP."  I THEN had to spend the NEXT five minutes explaining to Kea WHY I was "not nice to the lady" and said something "SO ugly".  But when it was all said and done, I got the

 

 two pairs of binoculars, that gorgeous candlestick,

that beautiful spool of ribbon

 and Kea's plane which he hid before I could photograph

for $18 or ELEVEN DOLLARS after the refund (see lady...that $7 DID make a difference...nah nah a boo boo)  I know one pair of the faux-noculars are going in Kea's room but I'm not sure yet where to use my other treasures.  I'm sure it'll come to me SOON {{WINK}}}


I'm linking up with these lovelies:

The Naptime Review

Flamingo Toes
Worthing Court
The Dedicated House
Ella Claire