Saturday Shopping with Friends #21

Welcome to Saturday Shopping at this Small House

Once a month I go shopping with some of my blogger buddies because it’s always more fun when you shop with a friend!

A toddler in patterned pajamas stands on grass, watching an adult slide down a yellow and red inflatable slide in a backyard near a lake, trees, and a white trellis—reminiscent of the fun energy found when shopping with friends. — That’s Grandma on the ground. I’m too old for this!

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To Grandmother’s House We Go

If you are new here, our daughter moved back to Chicago from Dallas with her family. She and her husband, Tommy, have a 2-1/2-year-old son. Little man has spent a lot of time at Grandma and Grandpa’s.

Recently Dad dropped him off here in a panic as their sitter arrangements had changed. He didn’t have much of anything, including shoes, packed for him. It became clear that we needed to have a well-stocked home for just these kinds of days. Besides the obvious of diapers, wipes, food, and snacks, these are the things I have to purchase to keep at my house.

Some PJs, clothes, and shoes that are age- and weather-appropriate are so convenient to have extras handy at your home for the grands.
The way car seats are attached to cars these days, it’s difficult to swap them out, so I find it best to have my own in my car. This car seat is well worth the investment, as I can swivel it to get him in and out effortlessly. I also like to have a lightweight stroller in the trunk.
While I didn’t use sound machines with my kids, they use one, and the little man doesn’t sleep well without it. I also like having a monitor. When our kids were little, it was just a sound monitor. Now you can see them, which I, personally, like, as he is in a toddler bed at our house, and I like to know what he’s up to!
We did not purchase this. Mom and Dad brought it from Dallas, and it is at our house. This bouncy house has provided hours worth of fun. If you have the space to store it and the yard to set it up in, this is a great Grandma and Grandpa fun adventure toy. I think I’ve paid more renting one!

A banner with the text "Shopping With Friends: So Much Better Than Alone" above five polaroid-style photos of smiling women labeled Anna, Lynn, Diane, Cindy, and Tora captures the joy of shopping with friends.

What My Friends Are Loving

Blue decorative line with symmetrical floral elements and a simple house cradled by two hands in the center, evoking a sense of care—perfect for your next Home Post.

Cindy

Reinvented Delaware

Lately, I’ve been buying random things from Amazon. This month’s shopping list includes a little bit of DIY, a little bit of gardening supplies, and a little bit of fun for my grandkids. Let’s take a look at my Amazon cart!

I’ve been working on making my yard work as easy as possible. That means lightweight tools to maintain the 1 & 1/3 acre of land at my home. I have some help with the heavy lifting yard projects, but honestly, I want to stay as active as I can as I age. My small handheld battery powered pruner is perfect for keeping the shrubbery at a manageable size as well as trimming a random branch on my crape myrtles. I also have a lightweight battery powered leaf blower that is on its way. Both of these tools use the same batteries so I won’t have to manage several different chargers. My garden shed also has a vintage inspired outdoor thermometer to help me know when to open all the windows during the heat of summer.
Speaking of staying active and healthy, my new friend Cindy from the YouTube channel ‘Growing Again’ shared a recipe for the homemade electrolyte drink she is making. She looked at the ingredients for the very popular “LMNT” electrolyte drink that was on their packaging and makes her own for pennies! The drink includes Magnesium Malate, Potassium Chloride and Redmond Real Salt. One box of 18 servings of LMNT costs $27. Having these ingredients and mixing my own will save me so much money! Each homemade batch will last for weeks and will only cost pennies! I’ll include the recipe below this list as well as my friends YouTube video showing all about the drink mix.
The last couple of weeks I’ve been giving one of our guest bedrooms a refresh. It’s about half way done. Part one of that room refresh goes live on my YouTube channel this weekend. Part 2 will be coming soon. The room has a new bed that is solid construction. It’s a bit modern looking for my tastes so I ordered some beautiful solid wood appliques to give the bed a vintage and antique aesthetic. I also ordered wood finials for the bedframe posts. The wood appliques and finials could also be used on furniture makeovers, giving any piece a vintage look. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don’t miss any of the room makeovers I’m doing including this guest bedroom!
My children and grandbabies spent several weeks with me in May. They made the month go by smoother for me. My birthday, my hubby’s birthday as well as the first anniversary of his passing all happened in May. Having all of the little ones here, playing and running around was just what I needed to walk through hard days. All five of them loved playing with these remote cars. Two sets kept all of them happy! They raced them in the kitchen and down the hallway with such joy. ❤️ Here are the links to both sets: Set One and Set Two

Diane

South House Designs

I am halfway across the country, at our daughter’s home, where two weeks ago, we welcomed her 2nd daughter, our 2nd grand! It has been a thrilling, yet exhausting time.

I ordered this dress for my extended stay. WOW! I reach for it on repeat. It is made of the best knit fabric with plenty of structure that still drapes beautifully. It’s an easy, forgiving fit that is neither too tight nor a boxy blah — and has pockets! I can tumble on the floor with the big sister, and then throw on these sneakers for our walk to daycare. It looks great with an oversized crew neck sweater for chilly mornings and A/C aggressive rooms. Runs true to size! 13 color and 3 print options (I have the dusty blue, so far). And did I mention they are on sale for just $20.
During the summer, I live in skorts. They transition so easily from creating, to cleaning, to gardening, to walking, even kayaking. And casual nights out, too! I failed to pack my black skort, so I had to order a khaki skort I’ve been eyeing. It’s the best! I love the added length and the extra flip in the back let’s me even sit cross legged on the floor with the grands.
I ordered this “plastic” rug for their small deck as a temporary
And I added this adorable whale pump to the Grands’ water table. The water and fun keep going without the hose running constantly.

A woman with glasses and wavy, shoulder-length blonde hair smiles softly, perhaps recalling a joyful day shopping with friends. She is wearing a white shirt and a gray jacket. The blurred green background suggests an outdoor setting.

Lora

Lora Bloomquist

My hubs says the best gift I’ve gotten him is THIS mini chainsaw. (We also got the batteries HERE). It’s perfect for cutting branches and small logs because you can hold the wood with one hand and cut with the other. I can even use it! Bonus-he’s done a lot of landscaping jobs this Spring;) Perfect Dad’s day gift!
Sister says her hubs loves their new smart bird feeder with a camera. At work, he enjoys seeing what birds are at their home feeder:) They come in a wide variety of styles and prices: Find them HERE. (think this may be our dad’s day gift)
One of my favorite vintage sellers on IG recommended THESE furniture markers that come in a pack of browns. They are so handy to have around! I used them to touch up a couple of brown frames that had some little scratches. I will be keeping these close at hand.
I’m finishing up planting all my container pots around the house. I just love popping THESE little solar lights into them for nighttime interest. I’m also wanting to use them in a vintage chandelier, since the bases are nice and thin. I got black, but THESE copper look ones are so pretty!