plain talk

Posted on September 28, 2014 by highplainsthrifter

It’s my opinion that the best road trips leave you feeling equal parts exhausted and exhilarated. After a quick out-and-back to Nebraska for the Harvest the Hope benefit, my brain is pooped, but my soul, soothed. The full day of music and wonderful company deserve kudos for much of that, but so do the miles of rolling scenery I enjoyed from the cushy comfort of the passenger seat. The picturesque prairie sunsets and acres of crispy farmland reminded me of a beautiful passage of the Stegner masterpiece I’m currently making my way through, so much so that I had to share it here, with you.

“It was very big; she felt she could see a long way, even into the future, and she felt how the world rolled under her. After she had watched the summer plains for a long time, and the smarting under her lids passed, a meadowlark sang sharp and pure from a fencepost, and she began to think that the future into which this new world of her choosing moved with her could hardly be unfriendly, could hardly be anything but good.”

Ugh, Wally, you just get me/it/everything!

Be back soon to share a few of my small-town Salvation Army finds. I scored some really cute stuff!

xoxo,

Meghan

thrifting trip: saint cloud

Posted on January 3, 2014 by highplainsthrifter

Sixty-five miles northwest of Minneapolis is a little place called St. Cloud, aka my boyfriend’s hometown. Sweetheart that he is, every time we visit his family there, he builds in time to accommodate me and my tiny thrifting addiction. (Thanks, honey!) Overall, I’ve found the prices to be comparable to Twin Cities shops, but the selection is much less picked over. In other words, there’s great thrifting just an hour or so up Highway 94!

To make your thrift-trip to the Granite City a breeze, I put together a map featuring my favorite spots—updated to include new stores and expanded locations. They’re spread out loosely along Division Street, so please do click “View Larger Map” to see all of the stores. And if you click on the pinpoints, you’ll find details like hours, websites, phone numbers and more.

If shopping leaves you famished, stop at Bravo Burrito or Val’s Rapid Serv, two of my favorite spots for cheap and delicious eats. I promise you won’t be disappointed by either.

Happy hunting!

xo,

Meghan

thrifting trip: elk river

Posted on December 10, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

I thought I’d start the week off by sharing a little about one of my favorite weekend thrifting destinations: the wonderful town of Elk River. Just 40 or so odd minutes outside of the Twin Cities, Elk River’s proximity makes it accessible enough to hit in an afternoon, and once you get there, you’ll find a bunch of thrifts clustered all together. Which to me, makes the drive totally worthwhile.

On 169, you’ll find a big ole’ Sal Val that’s in an old grocery store, a Goodwill and a decent-sized charity thrift called Samaritan’s Way. If you head into town, you’ll find Antiques Downtown, a two-story antique mall that’s packed with cool stuff. My favorite dealer there, hands down, is on the second floor, right at the top of the stairs. You’ll know it when you see it because it’s all vintage jewelry. It’s pretty cheap too!

Anyhow, I could go on and on about the many trips I’ve taken there through the years, but I’ll leave it up to you to discover for yourself. To make your thrifting journey easy as pie, below you’ll find a map to all my favorite spots. Tip: Click “View Larger Map” to see them all! And click the pinpoints to see pics and details like hours, phone numbers, etc.

If shopping leaves you famished, stop at Minne’s Diner in Rogers for some good eats. And then go to the Goodwill across 94! There’s also a Sonic and a Culver’s off 169 in Elk River, if fast food floats your boat.

Happy hunting!

xo,

Meghan

P. S. Check out some other thrifting maps I made of Family Pathways stores up Highways 35, thrifts in St. Cloud and stores on the way from Minneapolis to Cambridge.

weekend in wisconsin recap

Posted on November 19, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

Hi guys, and happy Monday!

It’s been a long work day and I’m sort of out of words, but I wanted to pop in quickly and share some snippets from my weekend in Wisconsin with you.

Friday night’s dinner: Baked lemon chicken, potato logs, beans and chocolate pie (not pictured); all recipes (minus the beans) were from Loretta Lynn’s (awesome) cookbook.

My cabin = coziest place on earth.

Treasure hunting at a small town thrift store.

Pretty view of Lake Superior’s south shore.

Wisconsin Bloody Marys, I miss you so.

Dairy Queen pit stops…there were two.

My favorite lady country singer, who we saw perform from the third freakin’ row. It took me four songs to stop crying from happiness…it was literally like a dream.

And last, but not at all least, three days straight with this guy, who isn’t embarrassed to road trip with a lady in rollers apparently, bless his heart. After four years together, he still treats me like a treasure (even when I act like a turd). And that’s just one of the many, many, many, many reasons why I love him so.

I hope you all had wonderful weekends as well, and that your (short) week’s off to a stupendous start. Be back here tomorrow with a lovely list of links I’ve been diggin’.

xoxo,

Meghan

P.S. Photos in this post were taken with VSCO Cam.

this weekend is going to be a good time

Posted on November 16, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

It’s finally Friday friends! We made it! This weekend is exceptionally exciting because today, I’m heading up to my family’s lake house with my honey. And tomorrow? We’re road trippin’ to a part of my home state I’ve never visited, my favorite coal miner’s daughter, Loretta Lynn. My sweetheart surprised me with tickets…THIRD ROW TICKETS…as an early birthday present.

Keeper much? I’d say so. Besides seeings Loretta, we don’t have much of an agenda, which I’m perfectly OK with. I’m hoping to stop at some of my favorite thrifts on the way up 35-W and I wouldn’t mind trying the beer at this little brewery in Ashland when we drive through there, but we’ll see how it goes. After such a busy week (month?), it’s going to be nice to not be in any kind of rush.

I wish you all wonderful weekends! See you all back here on Monday?

xoxo,

Meghan

P.S. The photo of Loretta was found on this blog. It was taken the moment she got word she had been been accepted into the Grand Old Opry.

t’s for texas

Posted on June 14, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

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Hey friends! Just popping in to let you know that it might be quiet around here for a few more days, since this afternoon, I’m heading to Texas to celebrate my boyfriend’s grandparent’s 65th wedding anniversary (!!!). After a crazy busy couple of weeks, I’m so looking forward to a few days away away with my honey. As usual, we don’t have a ton of plans set in stone, except for a day or two at the beach, a quick trip over the border to Reynosa, Mexico and a drive-by of the Freddy Fender water tower. I hope to squeeze in a few quick thrift-store visits too, of course, but we’ll see how that goes! I’ll be posting lots of pics on Instagram while I’m away, so if you feel like seeing what mischief I’m getting into, find me @highplainsthrifter.

Take care while I’m away, OK?

xo,

Meghan

kansas city adventures

Posted on May 30, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

I have just a few photos from Kansas City to share with you this morning. All in all, it was an amazing trip. We ate barbecue. We honky tonked. We thrifted. We ate more barbecue. We toured Boulevard Brewery. We shopped at the cutest dress shop. We lounged by multiple pools. And then we thrifted some more. And ate more barbecue. And I loved every minute of it.

I cannot wait to go back!

How were your long weekends? Wonderful, I hope. Are you, too, finding it hard to get back into the swing of things this week? I’m super happy to be back but dang, is my to-do list daunting.

xo,

Meghan

i’m going to kansas city (and i need your help)

Posted on May 11, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

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In just two short weeks from today, I’ll be cruising down the highway somewhere in between Minneapolis and Kansas City with two of my best ladies. Our priorities for this trip are pretty straight-forward…thrift-store shopping and eating inappropriate amounts of barbecue. Since none of us has ever visited KC before, and since I know I have the smartest, most well-traveled readers, I thought I’d ask y’all for some tips. Do you know who has the best barbecue? Got leads on some dive bars we should for sure check out? Know of a vintage store I’d be remiss in skipping? What about thrifting? Where the heck should we go!? I’m all ears about it all, from hotels to shopping, barbecue joints to bars. While I wait for your recommendations to roll in, here are some musical gems about our destination for your ears.

Thank you SO MUCH in advance for your help!

xo,

Meghan

iron range adventures

Posted on April 10, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

Although I’ve only been up here six-or-so hours, I’m already fairly sure that these next few days in the Iron Range are going to be fun. If you haven’t visited this part of the country before, you’re missing out on some serious gorgeousness. The pit mines are so spectacular, I sought out two different scenic overlooks so I could really soak up the views. I can’t honestly remember the last time I saw water so blue…and don’t get me started on the sky.

Well, I’m off to fire up the whirlpool in my hotel room (!!!) and then catch up on some sleep. My first meeting tomorrow’s at 8 a.m.

xo,

Meghan

recently thrifted, up north edition

Posted on February 27, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

Hey lovelies, just popping in quickly to share some iPhone snaps of a few up north thrift-store finds.

Top row: Dear Bess, letters from Harry Truman to his wife, Bess // nameplate necklace for Tammy Cracker’s godmother
Middle row: cutest ever fabric remnant // avocado green aluminum fondue set
Bottom row: souvenir program from a 1968 Roger Miller & Andy Williams concert // circle-framed floral etching

Sorry they’re just camera pics…I got home not too long ago and have been stuck at the computer catching up on work emails like crazy. Being away is wonderful and all, but coming home to 150+ emails is not! I have a feeling this week is going to be insanely busy. I’m stepping away from my desk now though to get ready for dinner. We’re capping off our weekend away with Thai food and a country show!

xoxo,

Meghan

P.S. Photos were taken with my favorite Hipstamatic app.