Most of my furniture was actually bought new. The loveseat/couch/ottoman were a display set. The bedroom set was out of the sale section of Scandinavia (it's the name of the store, I didn't find the sale section of, like, Norway). An extra dresser came from Ikea. Some cheap painted particle board pieces came from Kmart. Several things from Target. Bookshelves, some we bought unfinished and stained (also a cedar chest), one maybe bought new and finished, one came from my dad. Desks bought new, I forget from where. Probably one from Ikea, the other I don't remember but it was pretty cheap. Hutch bought from a furniture store on Magazine, I think new. Coffee table and a couple of things to hold dishes antique (or "antique" more likely). Vanity from my grandmother, kitchen table the one my dad refinished and gave my mother for their first anniversary. Outdoor furniture all bought new.

How strange that I can rattle that all off without hardly thinking about it. What a weird thing to clutter up my brain.

Nothing is killing my feeling of employee engagement more than the employee engagement meetings.

If retail prices included a cat barf shield, it might be worth it.

I wonder if Scotchguard would work? Seriously. Maybe not hard surfaces. But it guards against liquid, right?

I am so freaking tired right now.

Oh, the big cat tree was bought new. But it was worth it. It weighs 80 pounds. They can't knock that sucker over.

Ooh, I could actually get new dishes! That's a fun thought. I'm pretty sure my current set came from msbelle approx. 100 years ago.

Oh, yeah, cat tree was bought new. And lives outside. So part of the outdoor furniture, I suppose.

Sewing table, where did I get my sewing table? Don't remember that one.

I do keep furniture for forever once I have them. The Kmart furniture is seventeen years old.

Dishes! Pretty.

Oh, right, what I was coming in here to say was that I have (with the help of my next-cube neighbor) cobbled together a stand for my monitor and actually attempted to work standing up (I already had the keyboard shelf on an adjustable height thing, which gets it down low enough for me when I'm sitting). Not bad! Only did 20 minutes, I figure I should ease into it.

The last time I made a furniture purchase was roughly nine years ago when I moved to Chicago. And I am moving quickly at distance, so it's a little easier to buy new than thrift, especially since I don't own a car or have the ability to carry a couch up three flights of stairs.

Dish suggestions for shrift (who did not ask for them, but I'm bored):

I really like the Pfaltzgraff Studio Aster and the American Atelier Jasmine Blue!

Now I'm torn, because I was planning to order these (they're Rachael Ray, but whatever, they're cute): [link]

BTW: [link]

Our sample sale is tomorrow. Dishes are usually $1 each, and entire sets can often be found (or made out of the pile of single pieces that are available).

I have not much to look for for me, and my family has not come through with many requests, either.

Rachael Ray is one of our brands, shrift. That is already a good price, though.

The blue and green ones Jesse? Those were from Ikea.

Yes, those are the ones! I am still using them! I still like them. Just, if I want to Buy All The Things, that's not a bad way to channel it.