Whoopsie Doodle

***Doh! That last post wasn't ready to be posted - just saved. Dad Gum New Fancy Blogger!*** ~Sorry~!

Here are the pictures of my finds this week:



These hurricane candle hohlders are so very pretty. They really don't fit into my Early American Garage Sale Decor, but I had to grab them at the $2.00 bag sale.



Thee items are sitting on an old metal two-tiered turntable for spices or something. I will use it in my new "Get Yer Butt Organized" lifestyle I am trying to incorporate. On top is a Bride and Groom Snoopy, a miniature china hutch and a miniature wire rack with itty bitty pies on it. Too cute! 55¢ for everything including the turntable.



This is the orange-ish Fire King Mixing Bowl that I got for $3.00 at the Salvation Army. This horrid color of orange is DS's fav-o-rite color. When he was little he loved it and I really thought (*hoped*) he would grow out of it. But, alas he has not. I am trying to get him some vintage orange items for his...can I say it...first place or perhaps his wedding. I can't beleive I said that!!! Wah!



In the background you can see the fruity tablecloth. I really have no practical use for vintage tablecloths, but I just love them! Right now they are all stacked on a shelf above my washer just for me to see. On top of the tablecloth is a really nice rolling pin that I got for 25¢ at the Church Sale. The ladies having the sale were ooh'ing and aaah'ing over it. I figured they'd quote a high price, but it was only a quarter. I have some issues with my wrists and hands, so I think this will be easier to use than the one with the handles. I don't make pies, but I do make pizza a lot. I also picked up the little nut set at the $2.00 bag sale. The little individual bowls are only about the size of half a golf ball.



These three tablecloths were 50¢ each. I set the table for birthdays and holidays. I have been needing a red tablecloth for DH's Arkansas Razorback themed birthdays. The green linen one will work well for Christmas with a vintage Christmas one on top. The litle doll looked like a Rushton, but it isn't that old. She is still cute. There is a wind-up mechanism on the back that makes her head move while she sleeps. She was 10¢.

We headed out this morning for some saling, but at the second sale it broke loose and started pouring. It only lasted a few minutes and then it quit. And when it quit, it got hot. Really hot. So we quit saling. I did get two old Atlas Good Luck canning jars with the clover on the front. I paid $2.00 each, which is more than I like to pay, but they still had the glass lids and rubber seals, so they are useable. And, since that's all I bought, I suppose $4.00 was an affordable saling day.

Hope everyone founds some treasures today. Happy Hunting!

Is it Friday yet? Is Monday on the way? 'Cause my husband is driving me bananas. I am not used to him being home. Following me around. Going thrifting with him. Shopping at a Church Sale with him. Oh my Goodness, come oooooon Monday. It's not that we aren't getting along or anything, but I need my space!

We didn't go on our day trip this week after threats of floods and possible tornadoes were in the forecast. I had planned on having my yard sale this week, but decided to postpone it until Fall. And, it's a good thing, it either rained or sprinkled or was hotter than H E double toothpicks each day. It would have been a royal pain trying to move things in and out of the rain. And, I tend to be a bit, shall we say, er,cranky in the heat.

Yesterday we went to the Super Cheap Thrift Store. I had six big boxes of donations to leave. So, yea for me. Uh-oh, they had a $2.00 bag sale. Bad for me. I brought home three bags. Six boxes beats three bags, right? I'm still better off. I did get two gorgeous green glass hurricane candle holders with mercury glass bases. They are so very pretty. They aren't really anything that will go in my house, but I might gift them or sell them at my sale. They fit in a $2.00 bag along with a few other odds and ends including a tiny litle flip phone with a cord. It is about the size of a little pocket calculator, but it is a working phone. We need one with a cord so that when our power is out, we can still have a useable phone since all of ours are cordless. DH actually picked out a couple shirts and some shorts after I pointed at the clothes and said, "GO OVER THERE." Subtle, eh?

Today we went to a Church Sale. We got there after 11:00 and they had a ton of stuff. I can't imagine how much they must have had at 7:00! Nothing was priced and I nearly left but then they showed me the prices on a sign - tops 25¢, bottoms 50¢, dresses 75¢, household items 10¢, kitchen items 25¢, books 10¢, toys 10¢ and so on and so on. So, a cheap pair of shorts was 50¢ but then again, a brand new with tags pair of pants from Neimum Marcus priced $138.00 was also 50¢. So, it was all evenly and cheaply priced. They had a lot of older books that looked interesting. Since they were only 10¢ and I had the husband to carry them (see, he has a use), I bought 35 of them. I already checked most of them on Amazon and a lot of them will go back to the thrift store. But, a couple sell for a bit over $20.00 each. So, it was a good investment.

I got a nice red tablecloth and a nice green tablecloth - neither one is new or old, sort of in between. I also picked up a vintage fruit themed tablecloth that I thought was faded, but still useable. When I got it home, I realized it was folded with the backside out and the front is nice and bright. All three tablecloths were 50¢ each. I picked up several other odds and ends, but nothing stands out to me right now. (I am having camera battery issues or I would have posted pictures.)

Yesterday we stopped at the Salvation Army since it is right next door to DH's work and it was Payday. Yea! I bought a Fire King Mixing Bowl. It is bright orange fading into yellowish orange at the bottom. It was $3.00. As I was paying for it, a friend of mine that has a Flea Market booth walked in and dropped his jaw at my bowl. I don't think it is that valuable, but to find it at the Salvation Army was the key. They rarely ever have true old vintage stuff.

Hope everyone has a good weekend of thrifting and saling.

Vacation

DH is on vacation this week. Mr. "Fall asleep on the couch every night" turns into the life of the party on his vacation. "Where do you want to go?" "What do you want to do?" "Where do you want to eat?" He's all about geting out and going, going, going. I like that too, but I still have to come home and do the laundry and vaccuum, etc.

Yesterday I got conned into going to the Mall. I do not go to the Mall. I despise the Mall. But, I went to the Mall. First stop - Shrek 3. It was very good. First movie I've been into in a year. My cheap factor just cannot pay for movies very often. $17.25 for three people to see a Matinee. I thought that was bad enough until DH went and treated himself to the "Gallon O'Soda" at the bargain basement price of $3.75. And he added, "I get a refill too!" (In case I forget to mention this later on in this post - he had to go to the bathroom every 30 minutes the rest of the day).

After the movie, I assumed we would leave the Mall. But, noooooo, DS and DH are Mall Rats - they wanted to "look around". Eh, gads. So, I went too. First stop - The Disney Store. Loud annoying music and lots of bustling shoppers. I was shocked that everyone was buying basketloads of stuff. How can people throw their money away like that? Then I got a gander at some prices. Hey - there were deals at the Mall! Who knew! I bought DS a Pirates of the Carribean shirt for $4.99. He got a really nice set of collectible Narnia Characters for $3.74 after discounts. I think it was nearly $25.00 to start. He bought some other piddly stuff that I can't recall.

After that, DS spots "Time Out". He asks what that is and I give him very vague answers like, "I don't know." But, he just doesn't buy it. He goes towards it to take a closer look and I know that I am doomed. He has just located the Video Arcade. DH was making his third potty break during this conversation. So, we go into the Video Arcade. All the employees seem to be 13 years old. Or perhaps I am just getting old. Ten minutes and $10.00 later and we are out of the Video Arcade.

DH then spots the Razorback Store and is gone at the speed of light. I recently gave him permission to put one small tasteful silver Razorback on the VUE. His truck is all pimped out in Razorback goods. So, he is on the hunt for a tasteful Razorback. As if "Creepy Guy, Mr. Hillbilly knows what tasteful is.....

Back out in the center of the Mall - I am trying to get the boys to the exit. Damn. Another sports store. DH is off like a three year old after a puppy. But,what do I see in the window? A rack chuck full of t-shirts with a $1.99 sign in front of them. So, I made my way into "Champs" against my better thinking. These were nice two color ringer tees thatwere $9.99. I bought DS one in each color for a total of 10. School will start eventually.....

I really wanted to at least leave that particular wing of the mall as we were near Bath and Body Works and the White Barn Candle Comapny and is positively reeked. I am very sensitive to smells and perfumes and it was beginning to wear on me. I did manage to get the boys out of that wing and townards the door. But, then, believe it or not - I spotted a Payless and asked to go in! I found a pair of shoes I liked, but it was really hot in there and my blood sugar bottomed out. I couldn't get to the car fast enough. So, my theory that going to the Mall makes me sick, must be right!!

Tomorrow we are going to Historic Van Buren. There is a three block long string of old shops, junk stores, craft stores (meaning stores that sell already made crafts), resturants, etc. that we are going to peruse. There is a train, the river, a museum and lots of other cool stuff too. Hmmmm, maybe a thrift store?????

How I Use My Junk

I am always hauling junk home. Sometimes I know what I will do with it immediately, other times, I have to think on it awhile. Often times, I get an outstanding idea for my junk, but I am usually in the shower since that is the only time I am alone and can think clearly. So, it is not unusual to find me messing with my junk late at night after my shower. DH and DS are used to it. They know I am a little different! Well, a lot different!

You may remmebr the old white chippy chair I found in the trash heaps during Spring Clean-Up. It sits between the porch and the garage door. I bought the cobalt blue toolbox for $2.00 at a Boy Scout Fundraising Sale. I have since planted the Petunias in in rather than just sitting them in it.

I rescued this old bucket out of the trash heap behind DH's Grandmother's house. Remember I said he lived up on Hillbilly Mountain? Well, they have no trash service, so they just hurl their cast-offs in the "hollar" behind the house. Actually, they have trash service now, buy for years and years, they did not. The first time I witnessed the trash pile, I was near the top and spotted metal coffee cans, green bean cans, milk jugs and the likes. Trash. Then we went through the woods and came around to the bottom of the trash heap. Oh, my, the rusty treasures I found. DH was embarrassed that the new wife was rummaging in his Granny's Garbage. The first thing I pulled out (It was very cold outside, so no snakes) was a tiny rusty tricycle. It was very old and not like one you would find nowadays. I snuck it in the back of the truck and we brought it home. About a week later DH's Mother came over and saw it. "That looks just like my tricycle when I was a girl." Uh, yea, it pretty much is your tricyle. But, I didn't tell her that! It's out back under a tree, but I didn't think to take a photo of it. I've brought home a ton of old bottles and a couple of lard (eeew) cans, too. The bucket is an old well bucket that was tied to her well for years. The bucket is sitting on one of those old kitchen chair / step ladder combos. I bought that at a yard sale right out from under the guy having the sale. "Is that stool for sale?" I asked. "Well, I didn't think anyone would want this old thing," he said, "Dollar okay?" Snap!

I found this watering can at the Salvation Army for $5.00. I intended to sell it at the Flea Market, but then I found out how much it was worth, so I decided to keep it. Sometimes it's nice to make some money, but sometimes, it's nice to have something valuable all to yourself. We use it everyday to water the plants. It is sitting on a big piece of stone that we took from my Grandmother's old house before she sold it. It had been in her backyard for years and years. That was nearly 300 miles from here. You see Mr. Bunny there too - remember his kidanpping last year? For anyone new, I returned home from vacation to discover Mr. Bunny was gone. Being the grown up I am - I made huge KIDNAPPED signs and placed them in my yard and on the mailbox. The next day, Mr. Bunny was returned, albeit, missing a foot and looking a bit tired, but nonetheless, he was mine again. He is now wired to the ladder and should stay safe. Mr. Bunny was $2.00 at a fundraising sale. I found him very late in the day, hiding under a table. I say he was waiting for me to find him.

This is a very old rickety ladder that I bought for $1.00 at a sale. The old man had made it himself and advised me not to climb on it because it was old and rickety. Well, I hadn't planned on re-roofing the house on it! I just thought it was some fabulous junk! It's green and chippy and all worn. The fern is in a old blue and white swirled enamel pot that I picked up for $1.00. The bottom is completely rusted out, but you can't tell.


Here you see DS's old wagon with a huge pot of geraniums in it. I got the geraniums after Mother's Day on the 75% off rack. A little sun and a little water and they are HUGE! I made the mushrooms out of tree stumps and metal mixing bowls. The Electric Company was out trimming trees and I was all a'twitter following them looking for mushroom sized stumps. There is a set of three, although I think only one is showing. I found the old iron scrollwork at a sale for 50¢. When you stand it on end, it makes a double "S". My last initials were an "S.R." when I bought it, but now my initails are "S.S." Weird, huh? That piece of driftwood was found by DS on a trip to Grand Lake. It has a perfect loop in it. The flat white stone was plucked out of the lake too. We don't shop for souvenirs, we hunt for rocks, logs, sticks, etc. The bricks around the perimeter of all that were free. I went around to a new subdivision when they were building it and scrounged bricks out of the trash piles. (In fact, I brought them home in that wagon!) Some have nicks and chips on them, but do I look like a person that likes new looking stuff anyway?


My Mom mentioned that I never posted a photo of the glider and chair I bought this Spring. Here it is, much to DH's chagrin, newly painted in a lovely shade of pink. That is a dwarf Peach Tree in the back, so not, it is not a giant glider!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kudos to Heidi for identifying my Pyrex lid. She nailed it. Almost too good. Heidi are you Pyrex obsessed????? ;o)

Nifty Thrift Thursday

I hadn't been thrifting in nearly two weeks so today was the day. But, I had to show restraint. And I think I did pretty good in that department. Showing restraint was my rule - the house is full and I am preparing for the YARD SALE OF THE YEAR so I needn't drag more crap into the house. But, we all know how that goes - I found some things that made the cut and came home anyway. But,compared to my usual piles, I did pretty good.

I went to the Super Cheap Thrift Store this morning. We got there with only 45 minutes left until closing time. They are only open 9-12 Tuesday and Thursday and 10-2 on Saturday. So, it is difficult to arrange my schedule with theirs. They should be more flexible, I say.

DS found some sort of 200 Science Project Electronic Experimental thingamabob with batteries and wires and fuses and I don't know what all. I expect to have him in the Emergency Room in the next 24 hours with a jolt. That was $2.50. He also got an Egyptian tomb book complete with a solid sand sarcophagus that you chisel away until you find the skeletal remains of a mummy. Well allrightythen. I remember the good old days when he brought home Barney dolls and Hot Wheels Cars. Tyat little jewel was 75¢.

I got a Pot O' Cookies Cookie jar sans the lid, but I will most likely put a plant in it or some of my old kitchen utensils for 10¢, tiny trophy that reads "WORLD'S GREATEST LIAR" for 15¢ (to be used at my discretion for any family member), Old tin with flowers for 10¢, Chinese hat complete with ponytail for 25¢ (I spotted this very same hat at a sale last week for $2.50), wooden beehive with bee for 45¢, old metal cheese grater for 10¢ (these make great votive candle lanterns) and the green glass egg/relish dish for 45¢. I thought the egg dish would have to have a chip or a crack at that price, but it is very heavy and in perfect condition.

Oh, what's that in the back, you ask? That, my friends, is the cutest darn little high chair ever. It is for a doll. All wooden with the red back and tray complete with dutch dancing couple. I have another one already that I thought was the same size, but mine is missing the tray. When I got home, I discovered the other one is half the size so I will sell it and keep this one. Does a grown woman need a doll high chair? Yes. Yep. Uh-huh. Yes, sirree Bob. You betcha. Oh yes, I forgot to mention - that was from a different thrift that I rarely frequent for the princely sum of $5.00. Sigh.

When we returned home, I noticed the house felt stuffy. I checked the temperature and it was warm in here. I checked the cental air unit and it was encrusted in ice. We had freon added not too long ago, so that worries me. I am hoping for a small leak in a pipe - a bit of sautering and it will be fixed. Yea, that's the ticket. (Cross your fingers). First the truck, then my contact, now the A/C. When it rains, it pours.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Our garden is growing at leaps and bounds. In Arkansas we have this terribly rocky red dirt and it is nearly impossible to grow anything in it because you simply cannot dig into it to plant anything in the first place. When they built our house, they brought in truck after truck of rich black dirt. You can dig down for about six feet before you even hit a pebble. We've always wanted a garden, but never done much more than a few tomato plants. This year we planted cucumbers, zuchinni, red and orange bell peppers and cherry, roma and beefsteak tomatoes.

Cucumbers. If every one of those yellow flowers makes a cucumber I'm gonna have more cucumbers that Vlasic.

Zuchinni. I like it grilled, in stir fry and an occasional zuchinni lasagna.
Tomatoes. They are still small and green. But, they are coming!

We didn't even plant this giant vine. It came up "Volunteer" according to Hillbilly Husband. We tossed out our rotten Halloween pumpkin last year and now we seem to have ourselves a Punkin Patch. We have corn planted too, but I failed to photograph it or the Bell Peppers.

I planted about 1o packages of sunflower seeds. This is the only seed that, apparently, the birds didn't dig up and eat.

Peek-a-boo - I See You!

I can see - sort of. My eyes are still dialated some. I like the idea of the machine Carol (Oliveoyl) talked about, but they didn't have that where I went. I told the doctor that I have difficulties coming out of the dialation and she said that was because of the colors of my eyes. Who knew! Apparently light to medium brown eyes take longer to come out of it. I am now a member of the Millenium as I now have disposable contacts. I still take them out at night, but I throw them away after two weeks. Now, that is against everything I have done the past *cough* 28 years *cough*. Throw a contact away - are you kidding me?????? I got a new prescription for eyeglasses, but didn't get them today since I couldn't SEE the frames after being dialated. That will wait for another day. Until then, the 80's will still rock on! And, I was wrong about my prescription - I am "only" a -9.50 and a -8.50. I think my glases are a -10.50 and a -9.50. The technician sat me in the chair and asked me to cover my left eye and read the smallest letter on the chart I could see and I said, "What chart?"

After the reading of the chart and the Glaucoma puff of air in yourieye thing (I HATE that) they sent me back out to sit in the lobby without contacts or glasses. I just sat there and other patients kept coming in and looking at me. I could see that they were people and if they talked I knew it was a man or a woman, but, other than that, I had no clue what was going on. I did notice that one of them seemed to be staring in my direction while I sat in my chair. I was siting in front of a blank wall, so there was no reason to stare that way except to look at me. And, since I knew they were looking at me, I must have been looking at them, even though I couldn't see them. So, now that I am home, I am convinced that I was giving the stink eye to one of DH's hillbilly family members, a long lost best friend or possibly even Angelina Joliee! Who knows???

Jennifer in Canada asked about my friends the Harp's and I really appreciate that gesture. Gerald is still on a ventilator - off and on. He can breathe on his own, but it is still difficult. They had him sedated for almost a week to allow his brain to heal. When he woke up he winked at his daughter and said her name. So, that all seems like a very, very good sign. I had been told that his wife had two broken arms and two broken legs, but the therapists are attempting to get her out of bed and moving this week. So, I don't know how accurate that first report was or if the breaks were minor (how minor can a broken arm and/or leg be?). On a lighter note, Gerald has a Secretary, Pam, that literally does everything for him and his family. At one point Vicki sat up in bed and demanded that someone call Pam IMMEDIATELY to take her home NOW! Pain killers make people do strange and often funny things. She also announced that this was the "worst cruise she had ever been on!". Oy. They still have a very, very long road ahead of them, but now I think they can make it.

I have been out of my house for a total of five hours in the past seven days. On the bright side, I have a ton of stuff marked and ready for the yard sale. I am sending Rebecca at Thrifty Goodness a thing or two and I have my eyes peeled for everyone else's requests. Svelte - I found a sweater clip - two gold owls with a pearl strand in between. I have some Vera scarves, but they are small and packed away. Wendy - I found a Currier and Ives divided dish and I have an awesome lid for a red pryex dish. I need to take a photo of that and put it on here in case anyone knows what it belongs to or on. I don't collect Pyrex at all, but I pick it up if the price is right. Oh yes, back to that whole being home for seven days stuff - I am sooo ready to get out of here! Tomorrow is the day! Have car and contacts - will travel!

One Eyed Wonder

Yesterday my right eye was bothering me. I took out my contact to let my eye rest, then put it back in for awhile. Then it would hurt again. I pretty much did that all day until I finally realized there was s teeeeeny beeeeeny slice in the center of my contact that was rubbing my eye. I took it out and wore my glases last night. DH went by the eye clinic todya to buy me a new contact, but they wouldn't sell me one without coming in first. I need the freaking contact so I can see to get there! So, I decided to go somewhere eles tomorrow for new contacts and glasses. So, until that time arrives, I am a one eyed wonder.

My right eye is my worst eye and of course, that is the contact that tore in half yesterday. And, the eye doctor cannot squeeze me in until Wednesday morning. So, here I sit with one eye operating only. I have glasses, but they are from high school, no lie. I only wear them to watch TV in bed for a half hour or so at night, so I don't really need them to be overly stylish. And believe me, stylish they are not. Big heavy round glasses from the 1980's. I will go out whole hog tomorrow at the optomitrist and get new contacts and new eyeglasses. Back in the day, that would have been a $500.00 trip. Thank heavens for competition and cheap eyewear! I will be going to the vision center in Wal-Mart. I have Mystery Shopped them before and was hoping to do one in the near future - but I gotta get in there like yesterday man. Oh wait, I'm not supposed to discuss that Mystery Shopping Stuff..... I dread going because they dialate my eyes and I cannot see for about four hours so I have to come home and lie down and try to sleep - but I am not a daytime napper kind of gal. So, I just lay there and hope to goodness my eyesight returns to normal FAST.

My right eye is a minus 11 and my left eye is a minus 10 - whatever that means. I can tell you this - I am blind as a bat. Having one contact in is probably not too bright, but it beats the old owl eye glasses that slide off my nose and make me hot and cranky. Putting on my makeup ought to be a real treat tomorrow. By a treat, I mean for the onlookers that see me out and about. "Why Earl, look at that gal - it's lie she can only see one side of her face or something!" Uh, yea. that's pretty much the problem.

Hope to see you tomorrow - literally!

I Gotta Lotta Stuff. Wanna Swap?

The Good News:

Our water company has been screwing us over for the past three years and overcharging us each month for sewer. Somebody filed a lawsuit and the citizens won. We received our check in the mail for $284.85.

The Bad News:

The Water Pump went out in the truck. Total owed: $265.00.

Oh well, we're still up twenty bucks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

We had a cookout yesterday for DH and my Step Dad and them went out to eat today with my Dad. Everyone seemed to have a good time. I've been home for two straight days and not been to a thrift or a yard sale. What restraint! But, tomorrow is a new week. Actually, I am preparing for my own yard sale. We have a Rubbermaid storage building big enough for a riding lawn mower and all the yard stuff. DH emptied it out and is loaning it to me to put all the yard sale stuff. Everyday I gather up two-four boxes of stuff, mark it and put it in the shed. That way it isn't so overwhelming for me. In the past, I have gathered it up then priced it and my that time I am so sick of it that I could just throw it all away. I have good stuff in this sale. I have bought so much to sell on ebay that I can't possibly ever list it all. Plus, with weight restrictions and size limits now, some of the things I bought for resell aren't practical anymore. I am hoping people with flea market booths or even ebay'ers with more patience than me will come and buy it all up. I am pricing it cheap, but pricing it a bit higher than I would normally pay. I am cheap - yep, shocked, aren't you? But, lots of other people aren't as cheap as me. Plus they can barter or dicker or whatever you want to call it. And, I'm still pricing it cheap - most everything is $1.00 or under. With a few exceptions. I am writing what the item is on the tag "Snoopy Glass" with the price to keep people from switching tags. There is a family around the corner that I see at every yard sale, switching prices or taking prices off then asking how much and holding out two dollars when you KNOW it was priced higher. They get there early when it's crowded and the people are trying to get set up. They are flustered and can't remember what something was riced, so they let these people have it for their price. Such con artists. I am dreading their arrival. I will sic DH on them and not let him leave their side. Remember, he is a creepy guy himself.

If there is something you are looking for at the thrifts or at sales - please leave ma a commnet. I have so many cool and wonderful old things. I would be willing to work out a swap, a trade or just sell it to you (Cheap with shipping). Be specific in your wants. Not just APRONS - but BLUE APRONS or APRONS WITH AARDVARKS ON THEM. P.S. I don't have an apron with an aardvark on it in case you were wondering. I do mentin aprons because I have found nearly 50 of them in my mad sorting. But, those will be saved and sorted for future ebay sales ans swaps.

I do seem to have a lot of Japanese culture items - figurines, play food (sushi, etc), books, a wedding couple, etc. It's all sort of kitschy stuff - no priceles Asian antiques or anything like that. If anyone is interested in that sort of thing - I'd love to do a swap with you. I am not into the Japanese stuff at all - but seem to find it and pick it up.

I also have these big inflatable Martha Geese. You know the ceramic type that you dress for the holidays? Well, these are about 4 ft. tall and you inflate them like the outdoor Santas and Pumpkins. They come with four different holiday themes, which I can't remember right now. And they have a foot pump in the box too. These are going in my yard sale for $5.00 each - I think they cost about $35.00 new (which is bananas) from Speigel. If you are interested in one for $5.00, plus shipping, leave me a comment. They are quite funny. Perhaps a fun gift for your wacky Aunt or something.

I didn't plan on having a Blog Sale, but apparently, that is what I am turning it into. Leave me a comment if you are looking for a treasure and want to swap!

Awkwardness

Thank you to everyone for the kind words about the Harp Family. The family has set up a blog so I will be able to keep better track of their progress now instead of wondering what is happening. Thank you again for including them in your prayers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am always posting my yard sale scores on here and everyone seems to think I am a sure fire fantastic yard sale buyer-upper. Well, just so you know that the Garage Sale Gods are not always smiling on me, I present to you today's Church Sale Finds. First of all, I didn't even know about this sale or I would have gotten there earlier. Or, at least, I would have attempted to get there earlier. We had a power outage in the entire town this morning. Luckily, I had just gotten the coffee made or I would have been one cranky girl today. So, we were already running late due to the lack of electrical beauty appliances - hot curlers, curling iron and light up mirror - in the first place, plus I didn't have time to get DS something to eat, so we headed up the road to McDonald's only to discover that it along with Sonic were still dark and without power. That's when I spotted the Church Sale and whipped the car in the parking lot.

They didn't have a huge amount of stuff, but I picked up several items. I was excited to find some of the JAPAN stacking flower cups that I have seen on other blogs. I gathered them up willy nilly from several different tables in different locations, threw in a sweet birdy pitcher made out of heavy crockery and a pair of Pyrex Salt and Pepper Shakers in the original package price marked 99¢. All of these items were 25¢ each.

When I got the cups home, I looked at them. Hurumph. I thought I had a matching set of four of the red and orange flowery ones, but that fourth one doesn't match. The blue, green and yellow ones are all different, the purply-pink one doesn't have a partner at all, two of them have chips on the lip and one has a cracked handle. Dagnabit. Oh well, I'll sort out the losers and save the rest.

Then I look at the Pyrex S&P's and discover that one of the lids is cracked. Bummer. Oh, but the cute birdie pitcher is so cute and fantastic and I love it and, What the hell, it has a big chip on the spout. And, I didn't take a picture of it, but I bought a cool red plastic 1950's Cooky Press in the box and, you guessed it, the end of it was broken. Come ON! I guess I am only out $2.75 or less, but what a disappointment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On a happier note, I bought a bag of potatoes today and lookeeee who was at the bottom of the bag!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I saw an old friend/sorta boyfriend today. I didn't approach him, I hid behind a rack of chips at Walgreen's peeking out between bags, trying to see if he had gotten old and fat or perhaps bald, but he hadn't. Darn it. In high school he told me that he loved me and worte it in my yearbook too. But, we weren't even dating. Odd, yes? We went out on a date a few years after high school and he seemed to think that since we had known each other so long already that I should be willing to go further than I was willing to go on the first date. (Ya' getting my drift here?) He left in a huff and never really spoke to me again even though we still saw each other frequently. He was my friend and my skating buddy and my "carry my books to class" guy for a long time and he did my ego good because he always liked me and flirted with me and made me feel special. And, no, I didn't lead him on or anything, he just did all that stuff like a gawky high school guy does and I let him like a gawky high school girl does. Actually, this all started in Junio High and carried on through High School. But, that one stupid ending to our so called "date" ruined every good memory I ever had. And now I find myself, twenty years later hiding behind chips at Walgreen's for God's sake, sneaking a peek at him, hoping he didn't see me. How can a grown woman be zapped back to her teenage years so fast? I am an adult, marreid with a child. Not a high school girl. Not a college girl. I am an ADULT.

It's not like I'm drawing faces on potatoes or anything.

A Terrible Accident

On Sunday, June 10th, there was a terrible accident outside of Tulsa, OK. A man in a dump truck was killed and two people in a truck were critically injured. The accident actually involved four cars, but the people in the other two vehicles were not seriously injured. The two people critically injured were important people in my life and the lives of my family. They are Gerald and Vicky Harp of Springdale, Arkansas.

Gerald, along with his brother, Don, owned a chain of grocery stores called Harp's Food Stores until a few years ago. My Dad worked for them for nearly 30 years, I worked for them for ten years and DH worked for them for nearly ten years too. My Dad started working for Harp's when they only had a handful of stores. By the time I went to work for them, they had expanded to 48 stores and had a General Merchandise Distribution Center that served another 25 stores.

Many people that work for a company that size can honestly say that they've never even met the "boss" let alone the boss knew them by name. Gerald knew my name because he had known me since I was a kid, but he knew everyone's name at all the stores, the Office, the Distribution Center, etc. He has a great sense of humor and a laugh that you would never forget once you heard it once for yourself.

Once a year, Harp's would chose the Managers of the year for different divisions and departments and they would all go on a trip together. My Mom and Dad went to Aruba once and Acapulco twice. After they divorced, I went to Kauai, Hawaii and to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a cruise with the Harp's.

When we were in Hawaii, we all went to a nightclub in the hotel to dance and have some cocktails. Well, I was only 19, so no cocktails for me. And, I don't dance either. I guess I was just along for the ride! Anyway, when we got to the door, they wouldn't let my Dad in because he was wearing Reeboks. They had a dress code - no tennis shoes. Gerald was wearing some slip on boat shoes and they let him in just fine. So, when we got in the door, he gave me his shoes and had me sneak out to get my Dad in. They never did notice that one of them was in their socks the rest of the night.

When we went on the cruise the next year, I was the apple of the waiters eye. Oh, he had a thing for me. He brought me giant drinks with 88% alcohol and 12% Coke. They were "on zee house" according to him and his thick Jamican accent. After three drinks one night (I wasn't drinking them, I was just leaving them at different places in the dining room) he started talking about how he wanted to marry me and live with me in the US. And, oh, did I mind that he had a wife and five children that he needed to bring too??? Yikes! That's when Gerald and his wife Vicky came to my rescue - "Darling! There you are - we've been looking for you! Is this MAN bothering you?" Thet sat me in between them and everytime the waiter looked near us, Gerald would give him his "mean" face and I would just crack up.

After they sold the Grocery Chain, Don and Gerald never forgot the people that helped them through the years and worked for them. My Dad and I saw Gerald at a Chinese Resturant one day and we mentioned it was my Dad's birthday. He left before we did and when we left they told us our bill had been paid. Gerald went on a six month cruise about two years ago. Halfway around the workd, he saw a funny hat that reminded him of my Dad and brought it back for him.

About a year ago, a friend of ours died very quickly from cancer. Her husband had worked for Harp's for over 30 years since he was 16 years old. (In fact, this was "Creepy Guy's" Best Man). Gerald stopped by the funeral home and paid the remaining $5,000 on the funeral. What a bruden he relieved for our friend.

I could tell you a lot more stories, but I will stop now. They are on my mind and iin my heart. Gerald has head injuries, two broken arms and a crushed knee. Vicky has two broken arms, two broken legs, a broken back and a crushed pelvis. She is a mere wisp of a woman in the first place, I don't know how she has survived. I don't know what their condition is today and I think about them constantly. I hope you will include them in your thoughts too. I thank you.

I (heart) bargains. Period.

It should come to no surprise to anyone reading this that I love a deal. Cheap is good, free is better. Sometimes I find a deal and I am hurling it into my cart will-nilly not even thinking about what I am doing. Case in point today. I went to Walgreen's today to get two packages of Kotex Maxi-Pads. They are on sale 2 for $10.00 and when you check out one of those beee-u-ti-ful red and white coupons spits out for $10.00 off your next purchase. Cha-ching! Then you can take the $10.00 off coupon through the register and buy two more and get another coupon and so on and so forth. And, at the end of the week, you will still have a beee-u-ti-ful $10.00 coupon to spend on anything your little heart desires that Walgreen's happens to carry. (Chocoloate? A DVD? Fancy lotion? Ahhh, such a dreamer.) So, I hurl these big 55 ct. LONG SUPER Maxipads into my cart and they fill up the entire cart. They are pretty big packages in the first place, but, seriously, Walgreen's has the itty bittiest carts EVER. Don't they want anyone to buy anything in there? It looks like I have two 50 lb. bags of dog food in that teeny little cart.

But, I digress.

So, I get my two big packages of Kotex and I go through the MALE checker's line and he grabs the Kotex and holds it above his head and yells to the girl at the cosmetics counter, "HEY DO YOU WANT TO RING UP THE KOTEX BACK THERE SO THE COUPON WILL PRINT OUT?" And, you would think I would be cringing at the sight of this, but I could care less. It's a bargain! Two girls come up and explain that the coupon is only printing at the cosmetics counter because they have to over ride the UPC since it is a bonus pack. (I already knew this because I used to work in General Merchandise and I know about bonus packs mesing up deals and registers.) I now have me, DS, the male checker, two cosmetic counter girls and three customers complete attention as the checker is still holding the Kotex up in the air and they are all discussing it. "Kotex, Kotex, Kotex", they all keep saying. They could have been talking about cupckaes for all I cared, I just wanted my dad gum $10.00 coupon!

I did get my $10.00 coupon in the end and now I am obsessed with doing it again and again and again through the week. I barely got the two honking bags under the bathroom sink today. Just how many packages can I cram into my house? How many Kotex do I seriously think I need??????

The answer: A LOT.

And some chocolate.

Oooops. I did it again.

Saturday I went back to the "Loop" sales, but there was only one more sale than the day before, so that was a let down. I didn't get out there until after 1:00, so that might hve been part of the problem. I found some HUGE fundraising sales in town first. The first sale was a bust - lots of girls clothes and shoes and not much else plus the 5th and 6th grade girls had priced things too high in the first place. DS bought a Beanie Baby for 25¢ and we were on our way. The next sale was in the Tractor Supply Parking Lot and was a fundraiser for the Cub Scouts. It was one of the biggest sales I have ever seen! It was huge. A lady approached me and said it was a fundraiser and to just gather up what you want and make an offer. Well, I hate sales like that because I am cheap, but I don't want to look cheap or offend anyone. Then she said that they would name a price and if we didn't like it we could make an offer. So, that gave me a starting point to work with - then she said, "Trust me, it will be cheap." All righty then. So, I gathered up some items that I knew I wanted or I could use. I had a cardboard box full plus DS had an armload of things (including one of his items - a set of Medical Reference Books). They quoted a price of $4.00 for it all. All righty then - that's cheap - let's go around again I told DS. That time I gathered up a big cardboard box full of items, a Wal-Mart bag full and an entire set of 1950's Golden Book Encyclopedias and the total was $5.00. I filled the back of my car for $9.00. Yikes.

Pictured here are some of my favorites. A lot of the stuff had been donated buy a lady that had a sale last weekend that I had gone to and got a lot of good stuff. I didn't buy some things last weekend because they were priced higher than I wanted to pay. But, this time I got it all. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not...

The big blue thing in the corner is a very old retractable clothesline. I've never seen one of those at a sale before. I think I'm actually going to use it. The most interesting thing I found was a stack of pieces of cardbaord like large business cards that say "Thank you for your business" from a dry cleaners and they had a sample piece of silk hankie attached to the top so you can put it in your suit pocket and have a hankie showing. I think I got about 20 of those. It's funny when you've never seen an item before and then you get twenty at once. I could have sworn I took a picture of those, but I guess I didn't.

This is my favorite find - an old pink metal trivet with the ceramic tile - I am totally in the pink mood now, much to DH's chagrin.


And this, a vintage Paris Souvenir - totally not my taste, but I think it will do well on ebay.


We're off to Toys R Us again today. I mentioned the Aspalt Fuzion Scooter that DS bought last week for $69.99. Well, it ws in the Ad yesterday for $49.99 so we are going to get a Price Adjustment for the $20.00. I'm teaching that boy right!

Yard Saling? Today? Who? ME?

I believe I might have made a sort of a foolish statement like, "I won't be yard saling for awhile" the other day. Well, I went today. But, I didn't bring too much home and I've already found a place for it all. Sadly, it's all keepers for me and nothing to resell. (I spotted this sign at a sale today. I asked permission to take the picture, which, oddly, she didn't find strange at all.)

The loot:
The old Ball jar with Zinc Lid was $1.00. The white bowl in the back is enamel and has flowers around the edges. It was 50¢ and will someday hold flowers. The white boxy thing is wooden and looks like beadboard on the sides. It was 50¢ and is holding my stash of pens and notepads. The basket wagon thingy was a must have at 50¢, the matte white planter was $1.00 and is happily amongst my collection as is the too damn cute chicken that had to come home for a mere 25¢. (You remember that trophy, right?) The cake cutter was 50¢ and has a butterscotch bakelite handle. It has a little damage, so it went into the cabinet of old kitchen junk. The six little glass bottles came in the blue beaded votive candle box all for $1.00.
Here's a close up, albeit blurry, of the bottles. I won several of these in the old claw machines at the fair when I was a kid and I still have them. These are newer reproductions, but sitting beside my old ones, no one can tell which is new and which is old. Kind of like when I sit by the cheerleaders. Who's young? Who's not? No one can tell! ;o)

Why, yes that is a watermelon potholder. Thanks for noticing. Number 32 at my house and a mere 25¢. The handmade basket was 50¢ and the mass of glass in the middle is a bunch of dainty glass flowers that cost 25¢ as well. The shirt is for DS who has a thing for wearing fast food uniforms. This one is from Chuck E. Cheese and he was thrilled to spot it on the rack, to say the least. He has several fast food employee shirts that he wears proudly. Most kids aspire to be an astronaut or a policeman when they grow up. It has been his dream to work the Drive-thru at McDonald's his whole life. Aye-yi-yi. He also sometimes mentions that he would like to be a doctor. Whew.

This is my most favorite find of the day as well as my very best deal. Four, count 'em, four, boxes of vintage Shiny Brite Christmas Ornaments. Most have the white glittery snowy desings on them and they are all in perfect condition. (And might I add, strong little buggers as two of them rolled out of the back of the car and bounced across the driveway unscathed). I bought these at a yard sale that ended up being at the house of the Math Teacher that I had made copies for this past school year. I saw the ornaments, but didn't visibly say, "OH MY GOD! HOW MUCH? HOW MUCH???" After we talked a minute I asked how much for the ornaments in the box. She said, "A Quarter for the whole box." All righty then. When I got home and delved into the box, I discovered a pair of celluloid Santa Boots and a celluloid Santa that are old candy containers. There were also a few extra ornaments and the rubber reindeer. The ornaments are all still in the original boxes. I say they are keepers, but I am sure some will appear in swaps or gifts along the line.

So, this is how I "don't go yard saling" anymore. Not bad, eh? And more news - I'm headed back tomorrow. These sales were on the "Loop" which is a six mile long paved/dirt road with sales at every house. Today there was only 5 sales - tomoorw I was promised there will be about 25. Back I go.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On a slightly crafty note, I made this yesterday. In the last few weeks, I have found three different baby forks at the thrift. They are so cute and dainty, I had to pick them up, but didn't know quite what I would do with them. Yesterday I spotted a shadow box out in my crafting stuff that I had picked up for 50¢ last fall. I added in a piece of sweet fabric salvaged from a vintage napkin and wa-lah it's ART! The fork on the top is silver and has a daffodil on the handle. It is just too sweet.
Happy hunting!

Wednesday with the Boys

Mmmm..I can almost taste those Turkey Bacon and Tomato Sandwiches....

Today the monkeybox family took off on a "Free Spree". It didn't actually end up being the Free Spree I intended, but we had fun. Our day started at ToysRUs in search of the illusive "Asphalt Fuzion Scooter". DH has been wanting one for a least a year, but I haven't been able to locate one. It would have helped if a) I ever shopped in retail stores and b) I hadn't been typing in FUSION instead of FUZION into the search bar. I had found it online at ToysRUS this morning for $69.99, but when we got to the store, the shelf said $89.99. I was sick that I hadn't printed it out, but promised DS that we would order it online when we got it home. That's when he got a wild hair and hauled it over to the self scanner - BOOP - $69.99. Cha-ching. Off to the register we went. He had $50.00 saved up and we kicked in the other $20.00 for his "End of the School Year Gift". He also found a Playstation 2 Game in the Clearance bin for $5.00 so he bought that too. It must be nice to be a kid with cash.

Then it was off to Barnes and Noble to spend the $10.00 gift card he earned for having no fines at school all year. He found two different Dragon books, but couldn't decide between the two, so he threw in another $10.00 that he had in his wallet and we were gone.

Next it was off to Walgreen's for more of the Glucerna cereal that I am stocking up on for my Mom. It is $4.49 a box, but there is a coupon on-line for $1.25 off, making your initial box $3.29. Now, why do I say "initial box"? Because my dear friends, when you pay for that box of cereal, a fabulous coupon for $4.59 off your next order coupon spits out at the register. You can apply that $4.59 to any other purchase. Including another box of cereal. Get it? So, I bought one, got the coupon, sent DH through the cosmetics register with one, then I went back through the front register with the third one. I did this twice on Monday. So, now I have five boxes of cereal for my $3.29 investment and I still have a $4.59 coupon left. This offer is good until June 30th, so I plan on cleaning all three Walgreen's out of cereal this month. That is, if it doesn't taste like hay! Oh, it gets better. On top of the three boxes of cereal we bought today, there was a survey form. Fill it out and they will send you...are you ready...a $20.00 prepaid VISA card. Cha-ching.

Then we were off to Office Depot to spend my remaining three $3.00 off purchase coupons I got for recycling old ink cartridges, but I decided to save that trip for when I need packing tape or something useful rather than jsut blowing it. Well, Office Depot is thisclose to Hobby Lobby and who wouldn't rather hit Hobby Lobby that Office Depot???? I needed some fabric for the Summer Fun Swap at Sweet Goodness Swaps and a few other odds and ends, so off I went. I ended up spending $11.00 and some change on a fat sack full of fabric and some clearance items. I found a bunch of those little scrapbooking stickers that look like wedding dresses, Hawaiian shirts, sundresses and a Varsity Jacket. You know the ones I mean - Jolee's? I swear, I love those things. I just want to collect them. I don't think I could ever use them. The little wool varsity jacket has a zipper, numbers on the back, etc. It is just like a real jacket. It was $8.00, but I got it for 80¢.

Next was supposed to be dinner at Ruby Tuesdays with my $25.00 Gift Card, but we opted to go to Golden Corral since we hadn't eaten all day and it was right up the street. DS says he is one "Happy Boy" at Golden Corral because he gets chicken legs, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, cheese pizza and fudge. Mom does enforce the "You MUST eat a vegetable" rule. He likes salad, so that is good. Until he hits the dessert bar. Eye-yi-yi. Actually, today he only had a cookie and some orange sherbet. So, not so bad.

So, now you know every move I made today. I am sorry.

***UPDATE**** We have a winner. Would Le Anne plese email me her address at monkeybox at juno dot com, please??? Yes, I am a sunflower seed addict. I don't eat that many at a siting, but I MUST have them.

I Got Junk In My Trunk

And lots of other places too. Including my mailbox. I received my box of "junk" from Raesha at My Love on Friday. I got lots of good stuff and I wouldn't consider any of it JUNK.

Two big craft books, yarn, gel pens, scrapbooking papers, computer paper, cosmetic bag, little expanding whatzit (DS took it!), Recycling Tub Keychain (DS took that too!),stickers, stickers and more stickers, ladybug twins and lots of other goodies. Thank you Raesha. I sent her a terrible lot of junk. Tons of it. I hope she can use some of it - lots of itty bitty little things. I like little things and just hang on to everything I find. I hope it wasn't just, well, junk.

On to more JUNK. I mentioned that we went to the Wal-Mart Shareholders Vendor Fair on Thursday. The amount of free stuff they hand out is overwhelming sometimes. The later in the day or the warmer it gets, the more generous the vednors become. Case in point. Earlier in, the day, the Little Debbie Vendor had three items out on dislay and a sign that said one per customer. A little later as the sun started melting the icing on his buns (honey buns, silly) he was handing everyone four, five, six of them. The Kellogg's people had a line across the parking lot. Piles and piles of nice melamine cereal bowls, complete sets of Disney Bendables from the cereal boxes, pins, coupons, cookies, etc. People were drooling waiting in anticipation. When we got to the table, it said "NO LIMIT". Now, I am not the right person to not set a limit! The three of us loaded up. We ended up getting in line three different times over two days. We ended up with 40 cereal bowls. That's ten sets! I've shared with the family and we have cereal bowls for life.

We also got more toothpaste than we have teeth, sweet treats, chicken sandwiches grilled on THE WORLD'S LARGEST GRILL - a converted tractor trailer rig - (I even won a T-Shirt declaring that I, myself, had SEEN the WORLD'S BIGGEST GRILL), all the ice cream you could dream of from three different ice cream companies and EVEN cans of Super Lemony Sierra Mist that (shhh) isn't even on the market yet.

So, why do I tell you all of this? Because I have more stuff than I know what to do with right now. So, that must mean, you guessed it, a GIVEAWAY. Hmmmm, how shall we do this one? I have a Flat Rate Priority Box crammed to the max with Shareholder goodies. There is a lot of kid friendly stuff, so if you have a little one or little one at heart - you will want this one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're getting some cereal bowls too.

Instead of a drawing, let's have a contest. Can anyone guess what I do every night while I am on the computer without fail? Clues are: It's not preverted (!) and I don't smoke or drink. Hmmmmmmm. It's something that I am addicted too. I don't mean reading blogs or chatting or anything like that - it's something that I actually DO.

Okay, leave a comment with your guess and the winner will get the goodie box full of junk, I MEAN, good stuff. If no one guesses or gets close - I will stop dropping hints. Or have I already done that? So, get cracking on those guesses.

Good luck!

Whines & WeinerMobiles, Tropy's and Trash

First of all, thank you for all the nice comments about my May 31st post. I neglected to mention that it was our 16th Anniversary. I wrote that post a week ago because I knew that onthe actual date, I would be going on a field trip with 175 5th graders for most of the day and then to the Wal-Mart Shareholder's Vendor Fair the rest of the day and that would prevent me from posting. It took DH about an hour to remember our anniversary. Then about an hour later, a card appeared. I had bought him a gift, but I guess my feeling were hurt, so I didn't give it to him. Now I am finished Father's Day shopping. We went on the Field Trip and then to the Vendor Fair and came home really tired. I then proceeded to do the dishes (I don't have a dishwasher, but that's a rant for a nother day) and cook dinner. COOK DINNER. On our Anniversary. Come on! I don't mean to sound whiny, and if I do, I'm sorry. But, sometimes MEN are just so damn dumb. And that hurts. But, that's enough of that. As I read on another blog earlier today, of which the name I forget, I'll take some cheese with my whine.

Friday was..drumroll.....the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL. Yipppee. Now, school has gone fine, but getting up at 6:00 am is the total pits and packing lunch and morning traffic and waiting in line after school and homework and all that PTSA crap I did this year and copying and chaperoning field trips and blah, blah, blah. I am just tired. Capital T i-r-e-d. And, of course, so is DS. he is happy to be home, no worries, no hurries. Of course, it's only been two days, so I'm letting him veg out and chill and all those other ways of saying, "Be lazy". The cracking of the whip will resume shortly.

DH is on vacation in three weeks for something horrible like NINE days. We had planned a vacation, but I just can't see going somewhere when gas is so dang high which means the hotel will cost more and the Egg McMuffins will cost more and the ice to put on our Diet Coke and Bottled Water will cost more. I have decided we will stay home and enjoy things around here. And, TA DA, I will have a garage sale. Yes sirree, a garage sale. Gotta get some of the old crap out of here - stuff from the old, old flea market, stuff that DS has outgrown, etc. I am always putting things out in the garage so I can sell it at a garage sale. I hate to throw anything away that is still useful. I do donate a lot, but the Salvation Army is the only place close that really takes donations and they are so damn RUDE when you donate. "Couldn't sell your junk at your yard sale, huh?" is that last response I got from the toothless halfwayhouse looking guy at the back dock. And, he wouldn't even help my unload it. And, it wasn't junk, thank you very much. I throw real true JUNK away.

I digress.

So, I WILL have a yard sale, be it big or be it small. We have a huge tree in our front yard, so I can sit tables in the yard instead of up and down the hot, hot driveway. Anything I get rid of will be good and any money I make will be even better!

Okay, on to more happy, upbeat things! I went to a big huge wonderful yardsale on Friday morning. It is one that is once a year and I know the people that have it and I always find super cool old junk. When I got home, I discovered that one of my real honest to goodness gold earrings was missing. One that DH had given me for our Anniversary last year. (boohoo) After school, DS and I returned on the off-hand chance that they might have found it. When we parked, I realized I was exactly where I had parked earlier. I walked around to the back of the VUE, looked down in the grass and mud and there was my earring! Yeah. I am glad I went back. Since we were there, DS wanted to have a looksie around. He looked around a minute and then asked me for a quarter. He went up and paid and then handed me this:

You see, I have quite a flock of roosters and chickens in my living room. Lots and lots of chickens. So, he thought it was only fitting that I have a Chicken Trophy. Oh, the humor of an 11 year old.

And lastly, yet another reason to NEVER leave the house without your camera, I present you with this photo:

Can you SEE that car? The backseat was literally piled to the ceiling (do cars have ceilings?) from one side to another with trash - cups from every fast food resturant and convenience store, plastic bags from every store in the state, every piece of junk mail they ever recieved and all their newspapers too. Now I can never feel bad when I discover I forgot to throw out yesterday's Sonic sack.

One more photo just for humor's sake.

Tomorrow: Less whining, more happy upbeat news and a GIVEAWAY. Stay Tuned!