Thrifty Thursday for August!

This month's edition of Thrifty Thursday might as well be called "The Organization Edition" since I totally lucked out!  Organizational products like plastic drawers and shelves for under the sink can get really expensive, really quick.  However if you're patient enough, you'll luck out and find exactly what you want/need to help keep everything organized!

Like a lot of people, I have all kinds of bottles cluttering underneath my sink.  This little shelf is amazing.  It's basically a drawer that's tall enough for bottles and then you can keep more bottles on top.  I wasn't able to find the exact item, but I found something pretty close that was $24.99 at the Container Store.  I paid $3. 

My office is undergoing some reorganization.  (The fun kind.)  We're purging a lot and reorganizing what we have so it's easier to find.  I found these little drawers and jumped on them since they're the perfect size for pens, highlighters and boxes of staples and paper clips. 

Sterilite 5-drawer mini organizer:  Originally $8.77, paid $2.

ORGANIZE ALL THE THINGS!!!  

This one was perfect for pads of paper and some of the random large envelopes we have.  

Sterilite 3-drawer Organizer:  Originally $24.99, paid $4.

Being the crazy cat lady that I am, I got really excited when I saw this big, white plastic thing.  I had looked at it online recently and knew what it was right away.  It's a cat toy!!!  It's basically a way to encourage cats to work to get treats.  And I totally looked like a crazy cat lady when I tried to explain what it is to the cashier.  It took a little bit of motivation for the fish bowls on the far right, but I hardly had to train him how to use any parts of this since he uses his paws a lot.  (He's a lefty!)

Trixie 5 in 1 Activity Center:  Originally $24.99, paid $3

In the late 90s/early 2000s, Disney made a lot of sequels to movies that didn't really need them and let's be honest...they were generally terrible.  Case in point:  The Little Mermaid 2, Return of Jafar, 101 Dalmatians 2, Pocahontas 2, Atlantis 2, etc.  The only ones that I found worth watching and owning were the Lion King sequels (2 and 1.5 which focused on Timon and Pumbaa's backstories) and Lilo and Stitch 2.  Okay.  And this one.  Beauty and the Beast:  The Enchanted Christmas.  It's so gloriously cheesy that I absolutely love it.  For 99 cents, I could not pass this up!!!  Tim Curry plays the villain of this movie who was the castle's composer named Forte who was turned into a pipe organ and is trying to ruin the Christmas celebration that Belle is organizing.  (And Paul Reubens plays a character that is tricked by Forte into doing some bad things with the promise of getting a solo in Forte's next composition.)  

Originally $22.99, paid 99 cents

I know it doesn't look like it, but I'm super picky about running clothes that I get when I go out thrifting.  If it's a long sleeved top, it must have thumbholes and a pocket.  Doesn't sound like much, but you would be surprised!  I came across this and jumped on it, especially since it has a turtleneck and venting at the mouth.  

UA Qualifier Turtle Neck:  Originally $64.00, paid $7.

Like I said.  Picky.  I found these Athleta pants in my exact size (which is hard since I usually wear one of their specialty sizes thanks to the shorter inseam.)  And once I found out they were from my favorite line of pants (Bettona) I was super excited.  Stretchy, almost sweatpant like pants that I can wear to work and still look a little dressy?  YES, PLEASE!!

Athleta Bettona Classic Pants:  Originally $79, paid $5.

Anybody have any good finds while thrift shopping recently?  Or training for fall races?  (I'm SO ready for the cooler weather!)

Halloween Special Roundup Part 2.7: Halloweentown

Happy Halloween!!!  Hope it's all treats and no tricks.

For the final installment of this round of Halloween specials, it's Halloweentown!  

The movie starts out with the youngest, Sophie, watching trick or treaters, and the oldest child, Marnie, arguing with her mother about going out to a Halloween party.  (Meanwhile the middle child, Dylan, is perfectly happy reading a book.)  

Marnie doesn't understand why their mother won't let them celebrate Halloween, especially since that's when her parents first met.  Suddenly their grandmother comes for a visit and starts inquiring about Marnie being ready to start her witch training.  After a bedtime story about Halloweentown, Marnie eavesdrops on a conversation with her mother and grandmother and finds out that witchcraft runs in her family.  Now Marnie is at the age to start her training to become a witch, and her grandmother needs all the help she can get to figure out why some of her friends have been disappearing.  The kids then follow their grandmother back to Halloweentown and find out the bedtime story and all the creatures in it are real.

Soon after their arrival they are dropped off at their grandmother's house and become determined to help her find out what is going on.  

There are a couple ways to watch this movie.  If you have a cable subscription, you can download the "Watch Disney Channel" app on your smartphone, tablet or Roku, login to your cable company account and the movie is found under the "Disney Channel Original Movie" option.  You can also go here and watch it if you do not have a cable subscription!

Halloween Special Roundup Part 2.6: The Nightmare Before Christmas

Nightmare before Christmas is such a good movie.  Is it a Halloween movie?  Is it a Christmas movie?  In my mind, it's both.  (Although the director recently said it's a Halloween movie.)  I've been known to watch it Halloween through Christmas.  (It can make a nice palate cleanser if you're tired of the sugary sweetness of some Christmas specials out there.)  It's definitely a dark comedy, and I remember when it came out in 1993 (I was almost 11 years old) and thought that I would NEVER watch that movie because it was way too scary looking.  I watched it a few years later in high school with my sister and instantly loved it.  It was the first DVD I ever bought and I remember watching it on my PS2 the day I got the game system because that was our first DVD player.  My sister and I got to finally watch it in theaters together when Disney re-released it as a 3D movie.  (It was fantastic.)  

There are so many beautiful scenes in this movie.

This movie reconfirms my love of claymation.  (If you own the DVD, watch the making of featurettes.  The amount of detail is truly awe inspiring!)

If you don't know the story of this movie, it is based on the idea that every holiday has its own town.  

Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown and one day he finds Christmastown and falls in love with the whole idea of Christmas.  

He then recruits Halloweentown's citizens to help take over Christmas just once but from his one glimpse, he doesn't quite "get" it. 

"And they call him Sandy CLAWWWWSSSSS"

It's Christmas, but a very dark version of Christmas.  The toys end up scaring all of the kids and all the recipients go into high alert.  (Honestly, this kid is my favorite.  The reaction is just priceless.)

Even without audio, I totally hear the kid's screams.

It can be really dark at times, but it really is a great movie if you look at it for its artistic and stylistic value.  (If you're a Tim Burton fan, this one is an absolute must watch.)

Here's the opening number from a post I found on YouTube.  If you like this, definitely track down the whole movie on Netflix or buy it on Amazon!

Halloween Special Roundup Part 2.5: Doug's Halloween Adventure

Doug was a fantastic cartoon that was on in the 90s.  It starred Doug Funny, his dog (Porkchop), his best friend Skeeter (short for Mosquito), Roger (the school bully) and his love interest, Patty Mayonnaise.  Even though the kids were shown with odd colored skin (Skeeter is blue!) they showed them in relatable situations, like learning to speak up when your friend is in trouble.  The show started out on Nickelodeon with Rugrats and Ren and Stimpy, but as the golden age of NickToons died down it moved to Disney and had a slight retooling.

In this episode, Doug and Skeeter dress up to go to an amusement park to visit a haunted house called Bloodstone Manor on Halloween.  When they are next in line to enter the ride the park closes and the door to the building mysteriously opens.  Roger encourages them to enter and Doug and Skeeter follows them.  The ride later stops partway through and when Doug and Skeeter leave the car to find the way out, Roger disappears.  Spookiness ensues, and Doug and Skeeter end up turning the tables on Roger who really wanted to prank them.  This is a great cartoon to introduce someone to the series and you don't need to know any backstory to enjoy it.

I managed to find it on Hulu, but if you want to own the special you can buy it on Amazon or iTunes.

Halloween Special Roundup Part 2.4: Disney's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

This has to be one of my favorite interpretations of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  For as long as I can remember I've loved the story and found it absolutely fascinating--is the horseman real?  Was it somebody just getting payback on the newcomer who was moving in on his girlfriend?  Were Brom and Ichabod truly in love with Katrina, or were they just interested in her inheritance from her rich father?  The story itself has characters named after actual people--Katrina Van Tassel, Brom Bones and even Ichabod Crane were all real people, and Katrina and Brom are both buried in Tarrytown, New York.  Every year the local running group in Sleepy Hollow has a 10k that takes you past the Old Dutch Church, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, and the famous Headless Horseman Bridge and even have someone dressed as the headless horseman riding a horse through the race.  (Naturally, costumes are encouraged and the homes and businesses get in on the fun and decorate for the holiday and the race!)

The Disney version of this tale doesn't have any dialogue since it is narrated and has songs sung by the legendary Bing Crosby and remains the only Disney cartoon where the villain wins in the end.  The story itself follows the same basic outline as the story written by Washington Irving--Ichabod Crane comes to town as the new schoolmaster, meets Katrina and falls head over heels in love with the young heiress.  What he doesn't know is that Brom Bones already has his eye on her, and they become competitors for her attention.  Brom pulls a few pranks on Ichabod, but Ichabod manages to gain Katrina and other women's attention because of his smooth social skills.  The three go to Katrina's family Halloween party and Brom tells the story about the headless horseman who goes after people if they're out after dark and you're only safe after crossing a certain bridge in town.  Ichabod Crane then goes missing after the party (a scene which was SO demanding on animators that many of them quit) and it's suspected that he has become the horseman's latest victim.  

I was unable to find a copy of this video on YouTube, but for now it is available by somebody's upload to DailyMotion.  It is also for sale on DVD and Blu-Ray as part of its original pairing with the Wind in the Willows.

Halloween Special Roundup Part 2.3: Claymation Comedy of Horrors

Now for part 3 of the second round of my Halloween special series of posts:  Claymation Comedy of Horrors!!  I remember seeing this one pop up on the Disney Channel lineup years ago and it peaked my interest because I was (and still am) fascinated by the art of claymation, and loved the style of Will Vinton's anthropomorphic characters.  

The storyline of this special involves Wilshire Pig and Sheldon the snail trying to find the lab of Dr Frankenswine and his legendary monster.  Their journey takes them to a mysterious castle that has been taken over by the undead for a convention where they're in (mild) danger being the only mortals in the entire building.  Wilshire and Sheldon check into the event as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde who have been booked to do a demonstration on raising the dead, and it goes horribly, hilariously wrong.  They then get chased through the castle and come across the secret laboratory and the monster they've been searching for only to find out it wasn't what they expected.  

Here's the special in its entirety for you to watch!  Please keep in mind that I do not own the rights to this movie, I am simply posting what I found on YouTube.  It is also available for purchase (along with two other Will Vinton holiday specials) on DVD on Amazon.  

Halloween Special Roundup Part 2.2: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

This next special really does not need any introduction.  It's just that well known.  "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" is the second Peanuts holiday special, but the third overall (the first being "A Charlie Brown Christmas" followed by "You're Elected, Charlie Brown.")  This special is also the first time Snoopy has his own moment to show that he doesn't need to speak in order to be the star everybody now knows him to be.  (source)
Some other fun facts include:

• Kathy Steinberg (the actress who played Sally) was rushed to the studio to record her part because of a loose front tooth that would have given her a lisp.  She lost it the day after finishing her part. (source)
• Some lines had to be spliced together, like Sally's famous line "YOU OWE ME RESTITUTION!"  For example, Steinberg couldn't say "restitution" so they had to splice it together so she says "RES-TI-TU-TION! (source)
• This was the first time we see Lucy trick Charlie Brown into kicking the football. (source)

The special is currently for sale on Amazon and iTunes, but for now I could not find it streaming.  But here's a short clip from the beginning of the classic show.

Halloween Special Roundup Part 2.1: The Halloween that Almost Wasn't

I had a ton of fun doing this last year and since I'm resting up from the Marine Corps Marathon 10k again, I thought I would do it again!  (Race Recap to come soon, promise!)
Here are the specials I covered last year:
Witch's Night Out
Frankenweenie (1984)
Disney's Halloween Treat
Raggedy Ann and Andy in the Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile
Halloween is Grinch Night
The Worst Witch
Garfield's Halloween Adventure

Unfortunately a few of the movies have been removed from YouTube since the original posting, mostly due to copyright violations.  I've replaced some with trailers for the movies, but it's still worth a read for the nostalgia.

Ahh, the Halloween that Almost Wasn't (or How Dracula Saved the World, as it's known on VHS.)  So kitschy!  It definitely shows it's age, but the story itself is timeless (I know I say that a lot about the movies I have nostalgia for, but in a lot of the cases it's true!)  

The story starts with Dracula watching the news to hear a rumor that Halloween might be cancelled, and it turns out to have been started by Winnie the Witch.  The movie stars classic movie monsters:  Dracula (played by Judd Hirsch), a witch named Winnie, Igor, Wolf Man, a zombie named Zabaar, a mummy, and Frankenstein's monster.  They're all up in arms over the rumor because all the monsters need to work together to make Halloween happen.  While we see how the monsters react to the rumor along with two children and their parents watching the same newscast.  The kids are upset when they see on the news and track down the monsters.  They plead with Winnie to let Halloween happen by telling her how important the holiday is to them.

I've posted the movie below!  Please keep in mind that I do not own the rights to this movie, I am simply posting what I found on YouTube.

Retro Gaming

I'm a sucker for retro gaming systems.  When I grew up I remember going to a flea market at school and my sister and I begged our Mom to let us get a Nintendo system.  

Eventually my parents caved, and for part of the deal we had to keep it in their room.  Meaning we had to play it on a little 13 inch television.  When the Nintendo system died soon after, my Mom took pity on my sister and I and we got a Sega Genesis for getting good grades on our report cards at the end of the school year.  I remember we would spend hours playing Sonic 1 and 2, and how you couldn't save the game so if we had to go somewhere, we would pause the game and turn off the tv.  When we would come back we could pick up the game again right where we left off.

As I was getting ready to go into my sophomore year of college, I came across an amazing deal at a local video game store for a Super Nintendo and I had to jump on it.  I still have it to this day and play it on a regular basis.  I remember playing it for hours while I was in college, and before I was married I would play it to unwind after work and on weekends.

Now that I've started thrifting again, I've found all the systems that I always dreamed about owning as a kid, and have bought those systems over again (with the exception of the SNES.) Recently I picked up a Sega Genesis that was in great working condition and just needed the cables which I could easily buy on Amazon, then I found a Nintendo, and a Nintendo 64!  

Neither the Nintendo nor the N64 were functional, which is something you risk buying a system from a thrift store.  Fortunately, Nintendo built the systems like tanks so with some very easy repairs (thanks to some Nintendo proprietary screw bits I found on Amazon) I was able to get them up and running in no time after some quick research.  The N64 just needed to have some dust blown out and a better set of a/v cables!  The Nintendo though was harder.  The system wasn't staying on and the power light was blinking and the screen was blinking green.  The solution?  Opening it up, taking off the 72 pin connector (the piece the game goes into) and cleaning the connectors with some metal cleaner (like brasso, which is about $3 in Home Depot) and isopropyl alcohol to be sure all the cleaner was off!  It's been working fantastic ever since and I didn't even need to buy a new 72 pin connector (which would have been the next step.)  If you've done any sort of computer repair, a Nintendo system is VERY easy.

The 72 pin connector is the line of silver specks towards the back of the big black piece.  

This is the video that helped me the most.  If you came here looking for NES repair tips, I would recommend watching the video for specifics :)