The Storm Cellar: My Low Budget/No Budget Fix

If you're like me: 25, working non stop at a job that barely pays the bills, and a spending habit that rivals that of an Orange County housewife, you gotta work a little harder to find a balance. A balance between spending and saving and hopefully the ability to do more than just get by. It's a hard lesson to learn. Believe me. And if you don't believe me, ask my parents.

So where do I go when I'm low on the dough but still need a shopping fix? Or really, really actually need something different to wear other than that skirt I've paired five different shirts with over the last two weeks.

The Storm Cellar.

It's a fairly new addition to Moscow's downtown. The Storm Cellar is a secondhand clothing store, without the secondhand feel. Their clothing is always in such great condition that it doesn't feel like someone wore it before you. And chances are, no one did. I've seen pieces with the original tags still on them. You can also make some money by giving your clothes for consignment. A bonus for those like me that need all the money they can get. So I can turn around and spend it, right?



You can get anything from pure vintage to off the rack. And everything in between. They have mens and womens clothing, shoes, accessories, and some home decor. And the best part...everything is in great condition and at resonable (aka low) prices.

Shoes. Shoes that even my size 10 feet can fit in to. Yes, I may not be that tall but I do have big feet. Apparently my feet had high hopes for my height, which stopped at five-five-and-a-half. When I buy jeans in a "long" they are too long, but regulars are too short. And they never have the cute shoes in my size. It's a rough life. 

And if shoe's aren't enough check out their hat wall...

Or their selection of handbags and purses...

Oh and there are belts...

Plenty of tops to choose from...

And they even have cowboy boots. A country girls dream...boots that don't cost as much as my rent.

As many times as I've been to the Storm Cellar, and there have been plenty, lemme tell ya, I rarely see the same stuff over and over again. Which is good. Why is that good? Because people are shopping there enough to keep the flow of merchandise going. Which means if you haven't been there yet you are late on the bandwagon and need to hurry up and hop on it! It also means you are missing out on the amazing deals you can get at the Storm Cellar. Ever seen a I-just-have-to-have-it-right-now-and-wear-it-out-tonight top and grimaced at the price tag? Thinking about how you can skip groceries for the week and create a new recipe of top ramen, stewed tomatos, mustard, and green beans...becasue that's all you have left in your kitchen, just to afford the afforementioned piece of clothing? Or is that just me. Anyway...without mentally calculating how much your desired item will set you back, you can have it and probably a few more fabulous finds for LESS than what you would have spent somewhere else. Need I say more?

And if you ever want to totally glam it up. And possibly bring back an old fashion trend....

Don't worry ladies, this hot little outfit is still available (at least it was last time I was there, no promises!) and it just waiting for a night out on the town.

And seriously....speaking of a night out on the town, be sure to check out the dresses at the Storm Cellar first. I found the perfect LBD (little black dress) for such an occassion.

Need shoes to go with that LBD? Maybe some LBS (little black shoes) such as these. Or BBS (big black shoes) in my case.



Mandy, my co-worker/bestie/side-kick, is always with me when I am browsing the racks at the Storm Cellar. She's got the same condition I do. Not enough money to support such a healthy spending habit. And let me tell you, this amazing young lady has found some killer deals at the Storm Cellar. Check out what she found on our latest shopping spree. A dress for her brother's upcoming wedding and a hot pink summer dress she looks like a knock-out in.

What girl or guy can turn down such great duds at such great deals? And even though I didn't get too many pics of the menswear...believe me there IS mens clothing! Or you could just do yourself a favor and check it out for yourself.

The Storm Cellar is located in downtown Moscow, Idaho on Main street. Across from La Casa Lopez and the Breakfast Club. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 6pm. You can find them and like them on facebook to learn more and get updates.

Check of the Storm Cellar next time you are in Moscow. If you need a shopping partner...really, do you need to even ask? I'm in.



Dreamin' With My Eyes Wide Open

Don't tell my boss...but I'm blogging while at work. And if you are my boss and you happen to be reading this, I apologize for sitting quietly at my desk, appearing to be writing an email, and using company property for my own self-indulgence.

But I can't help it.

I have a million and one thoughts running through my head and I thought no better way than to get them out than to write about them. It was either that or go chat up my bff who conveniently works at the front desk. But then we'd be out two employees...and I'm not that selfish.

Do you ever wonder what happens to all those big dreams you had as a kid? Of course not all of them make it past your childhood, merely for the sake that they are impossible, ridiculous ideas thought up by a seven year old brain. For example. When I was a kid I wanted to be black. Yes, this small town country girl wanted to be black. Why? Because I wanted to be good at basketball and dancing. I do not mean that as a racist or offensive comment AT ALL. And if anyone is offended for my seven year old self noticing that most of the best basketball players (aka Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, etc) and all the best dancers in music videos (why I knew that at such a young age and at a time when we didn't have cable, I don't know) were black. It's a compliment, don't look too much more in to it than that.

So anyway...besides my impossible hopes of becoming the best NBA player or music video dancer, what happened to those other dreams of mine? I remember wanting to move to Texas, Hawaii, California...anywhere other than what I had always known. I wanted to be a physical therapist, a sports broadcaster, an actress, a writer, I wanted to play college sports, I wanted to be married by 22 and have kids by 24. YIKES. But of course, when you're nine years old, 22 seems pretty old.

Even more recently, I wanted to be an event coordinator. I tried that and did enjoy it but it just didn't work out. Which is okay. I've realized some other dreams along the way. Yes, I still want to be married and have a family, but since we can't go back in time I'll have to settle with a slightly older age than 22. Thank God...it scares me to think of who I'd have married when I was 22.

And then there are my "if I had no limits" dreams....I want to be a bounty hunter (all thanks to Dog The Bounty Hunter, of course), I want to be a detective, I want to be a famous country singer (well that's impossible...have you heard me sing? No, because I don't do it in front of people), I want to travel the world, I want to be wild and free without anything to tie me down. And that's how I'm feeling today.

I feel tied down. I feel heavy in this place. I feel like I have too much to be responsible for but really only myself to worry about. Even my dog doesn't depend on me anymore. Thanks Mom and Dad. I know she will forever live with you, be spoiled by you, and be considered your first "grandchild". But I promise human grandchildren for you in the future.

So today I want to be a gypsy. Maybe it's because I have Miranda Lambert's "Airstream Song" stuck in my head...."Sometimes I wish I lived in an Airstream...Homemade curtains, lived just like a gypsy...Break a heart, roll out of town...‘Cause gypsies never get tied down......Unbridled or tethered and tied...The safety of the fence or the danger of the ride...I’ll always be unsatisfied"

Those are my favorite words of that song. As I sit at my desk, looking out my window at the people and cars, buildings and trees, I want to be out there. And I don't mean Jackson street in Moscow, ID. I want to be out THERE...finding new dreams and maybe even fulfilling a few old ones.

But even as I sit here and think about the thrill I would get out of being wild and free, I will always, in some way, be tied to something. I have to have a job. Without a job I have no money, without money I have nowhere to live, without a place to live I become a bum. I don't think I'd do "bum" very well. I have to many clothes and shoes.

And I have my family. A family that I am very close to and don't ever get too far away from. Including my dog. Well I'd probably steal her back if I was to go traipsing all across the country. She'd be a good travel partner.

And I have friends. Although I'd make more friends on this hypothetical journey of mine, I would miss the friends I have here and be dragged back for a dozen and a half weddings, babies, birthdays, and whatever else they have in store for me.

Maybe my boots aren't hittin' the dusty journey-across-the-continent trail just yet but they are finding their way around familiar and unfamiliar places just fine here in Pullman. And wherever else I can get to. And I guess that's good enough for right now. And if it isn't, I'll have eight kids and turn them in to a traveling band to fulfill my dreams of singing and traveling and being famous. Maybe we'll get our own reality show.

Now that's a new dream to have. 

Red Barn Farms. More than just a big red barn.

If you live on the Palouse and you haven't heard of Red Barn Farms yet you must be living under a rock. Red Barn Farms is an event venue one mile north of Colton, WA on Wawaii road, off Highway 195. It's about 15 minutes south of Pullman and 30 minutes north of Lewiston. I'm totally guessing there and not giving you my estimated driving time since I seem to read the speed limit signs being at least five miles faster than what other people read.

I happen to know a little bit more about Red Barn Farms than most because I had the pleasure of working for Kay and Ty Meyer, the owners of this special place. They began this project about five years ago, turning a once fully working barn into a place for weddings, concerts, festivals, and other events. It's come a long way since it first began, growing each year, and now is, in my opinion, the premier wedding and event facility on the Palouse. And I highly value my own opinion.

This last Saturday Red Barn Farms held an event benefitting Guardian Angel St. Boniface school in Colton. This event, "Wawaii Five-O Luau" withstood un-luau like weather conditions and was a great hit. See, that's the good thing about Red Barn Farms, if it rains we just head to the barn! At the event was Polynesian entertainment, specialty drinks, a pig roast, silent auction, ATV giveaway, Hawaiian trip giveaway, and music by Cowboy Cadillac. Yes I said ATV and HAWAIIAN trip giveaway. Besides the drinks those were my main reasons for going. I didn't win either of them. If I did you would have known in the first two sentences of this post. But it was all for a good cause and I had a wonderful time amongst great friends, food, and drinks. All this boot stompin girl could ask for. Even boogied to the boot scoot'n boogie. Those line dancing skills from college sure come in handy sometimes.

My camera wasn't up for taking very good pictures. Must have been user error. But here are a few pics I did get from the luau...

Inside of the barn...doesn't do it justice but I loved how the lights looked and these paper lanterns were everywhere.

Second to the bar this was my favorite station. Yummy chocolate mai-tai and coconut pina colada cupcakes. The cupcake umbrellas did double-duty as fun drink umbrellas later. I'm so resourceful.

Outdoor area where concerts and weddings are held.

Speaking of concerts, Red Barn Farms kicks off its Thursday night summer concert series on July 7th with Bare Wires, a blues rock group. Next up is The Big Newtons, 70-80-90's rock, on July 21st, then The Senders, 50-60's rock, on August 4th, and finally, country band, Coltrain on August 18th.

Each concert will offer BBQ, Beer/Wine garden, and an on-site flea market. Gates open at 5pm, concert starts at 6pm. Tickets are sold at the door and on a first come, first serve basis. The cost is $5 per ticket and kids 10 and under are free. To learn more about the summer concert series, other upcoming events, and more about Red Barn Farms, please, please, PLEASE visit them at red-barn-farms.com. Any one of their events would be a good one to check off of your summer to-do list. Just don't crash a wedding. And if you do, just don't tell them I sent you.   

Thanks Kay and Ty Meyer and the whole crew that helped put together this event, it was, as always, a GOOD time! :)

Welcome.

I literally just stared at my computer for 10 minutes trying desperately to figure out how to start this post. Or should I say, this journey? I'm excited/nervous to invite you, or basically the entire world, into my life and to extend such a candid peek into my world. However, excitement outweighs the nerves and here I am. Blogging. Aka sitting on my couch when I should be in bed but instead I've had Pandora on for the last two hours as I blindly navigate my way through the strange and new world of blogging.

The idea for this blog came a few months ago when I realized I needed some sort of creative outlet. Since I do not scrap-book, am a self-proclaimed "horrible but willing to learn so I can feed a family someday, cook", I don't have the time, space, or money for huge art projects, and would love to get into photography but again don't have the proper materials.  I am, nevertheless very creative in other ways, especially with writing, I thought about blogging. But really, what would I blog about? I'm 25, single, working one of my first jobs after college, have no kids...what could I possibly have to offer my followers.

But I do love to get out and try new things. I'm a sucker for a glass of wine and good food. I could write about new restaurants in the area as they pop up, where to get the best happy hour deals, who's having a good sale and when, what kinds of events are going on. And since, number one, I work at the local newspaper, and number two, I love to get out and do these things anyway, I thought it the perfect theme for my blog.  So with my love for writing, need for a creative project, ability to know what is going on and when and where, my blog was born. How romantic.

So...fellow bloggers, curious friends, random stalkers (just kidding)...since I'm new at this and half the fun is designing this thing, send any helpful tips my way. And if you have any suggestions or know of anything going on in our area, let me know so I can be there and you can read about it on here.

Again, just spent another handful of minutes trying to decide how to end this first post. Hmmm.

Adios!