What is a monkeybox?

When I was a little girl, we had a pet monkey named Amanda. My Dad worked in the produce business, so each night he brought home that days culls in a big box - spotty cucumbers, pithy apples, limp celery, moldy oranges and the like. We called it a monkeybox. It was really just trash, but my Mom would take each piece of fruit and trim it, pare it and cut it up to make a beautiful fruit platter for Amanda. Even though it was deemed trash by one, it still had life left in it and was good for the purpose we needed it. That's how I live my life - thrifting, yard saling, looking for another's trash to be my treasure.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Some Junk To Get Me Through My Funk

In the midst of all the tumoil around here and the busy Thanksgiving weekend, I managed to squeeze a little thrifting in here and there. I thought it was true before, but I discovered that thrifting is very theraputic - not thinking about "stuff" and no pressure. Just the joy of looking at junk and finding a treasure.

This is a set of two big carved wooden bowls. Those are five very big oranges win the smallest bowl. So, they are big bowls! I love hearts in unique forms - not the cutsey country hearts. The smaller one has yellow tissue paper decoupauged on the inside and blue on the bottom. I really only wanted the larger bowl, but it was $4.00 and the smaller one was $3.00 for a total of $7.00 - or the tag said, "2/$5.00". So, I spent the $5.00 and will "fix" the tissue paper thing.

I found this little handmade quilt in amongst the stinkyola bed linens at the Super Cheap Thrift Store for 75¢. I know, can you believe it? 75¢ cents! I washed it and it is no longer stinkyola.
These vintage Christmas items all came from the S.C.T.S. too. I don't know if those are Gurley Candles or not, but for 25¢ each, I took a chance. That's a little blowmold over on the side that was 25¢ too. The Santa in the middle is an Original Peter Figuren. He laughs and squirts water out of his mouth. I knew he was quite a find when I grabbed him, but he wasn't priced and they have a "No Price, No Sale" Rule. But, when I checked out, the lady said, "Oh, a quarter outta do it". (Oh, Bless you kind lady.) The tin cookie cutters were 10¢ and I needed them like a hole in the head, but I cannot leave vintage cookie cutters. And especailly at 10¢ each! ;o)
Friday afternoon, I ran to the Dollar General to get my Grandmother some things before she came over wtih my family for our Thanksgiving Dinner. (Yes, on Friday). She needed six things she told me, but she failed to tell me that she wanted 4-12 of EACH item. So, I eneded up with an overflowing cart and the carts at DG are particularly small in the first freaking place. I had six 6 packs of Pepsi balanced on the end of the cart and I chose to jump the curb instead of walking down to the thingamabob that lets you walk out into the parking lot. So, I am sure you have already figured out that the cart went head over heels over the curb and spilled out all over the parking lot. Oh, and that wasn't bad enough. Do you know what happens to cans of Pepsi when they hit the asphalt at a high rate of speed? Well, they don't explode, but they get pinpoint holes in them and they squirt at a high rate of speed in the direction of your son that is freshly washed, combed and dressed for Thanksgiving Dinner. Squirt, squirt, squirt. Lord, what a MESS. And, everything we bought was saturated in Pepsi. So, we had to rebag it all and clean it up and get it back in the cart and to the car. Meanwhile, male customers are coming and going and avoiding eye contact with the cranky gal cleaning Pepsi off her kid. "OH NO - I GOT IT! Thanks anyway." Yeah, right. Chivalry, my a$$.

By the time we got it all cleaned up and in the car we literally had about five minutes to get home before the guests arrived. So, when I spotted a YARD SALE sign by the street, of course I stopped! I made a mad dash up to the tables and there was a lot of cool old stuff just like I like. I barely had any money with me at all. I wasn't supposed to be yard saling!

I got this little souvenir ceramic shoe by McCoy dated 1949 on the bottom, the can of Carbonox Gas Lube, the plate from Storybook Land and the box pictured in the back. The box is from "Hi-Fi Long Playing Letters" whatever that is, but it is old and sweet with pink quilted lining. What was inside the box? These wonderful vintage silk pajamas from Japan. The lady said her husband bought them during WWII and sent them home to her. (How she could sell them is beyond me).
Under a table I spotted this 5 gallon Planters Peanut Oil tin. Planters items sell well and I would assume this would be a less found item. But, I haven't looked it up yet. I paid $7.00 for everything. Well, I scrapped up $6.75 and a handful of pennies and they took it.

As I was waling out, I saw this old fruitcake tin. I have learnd that good things often come in old tins, so I picked it up and heard that unmistakeable sound of.....
BUTTONS. Oh, I love a good tinful of buttons. They told me it was $2.00, but I had already given them every penny I had - literally. I went to the car and let the digging begin. Between the glove box, under the seats, my emergency coin pouch, the bottom of my purse and some change The Bean had stuck in the cup holder, I managed to scrape up $1.80 and another handfull of pennies. I was desperate to JUNK and I needed those darn buttons! I got 'em! I haven't looked at them yet though. Some look like Bakelite and there are a bunch that look like little lemons. Should be fun to sort through when I have some free time. Perhaps in 2010??
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I found a HomeSchool Curiculum that I am happy with and it should be here later in the week. I found some materials at Sam's too, so we are going to start with that this week. I had a difficult time finding Home School materials that weren't Religion based. I just didn't think that would be the right way to go if we want to go back to school next year. But, I finally found some that is supposed to be FUN, INFORMATIVE and (yes!) EASY ON MOM. I won't be turning this into a Homeschool blog, don't worry. Just the usual - Me and The Bean and Junkin'!

6 comments:

  1. OMG, that plate! That plate! I used to go there as a kid and we have one where I live, too, with all those attractions pictured on the plate - Storybook Land, I mean. Wow. If you're planning to sell it, let me know!

    I wish I could go thrifting with you!

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  2. Hmm, maybe you can come up with some sort of home school assignment for the Bean to go through all those buttons. :) LOL Maybe he can learn about early plastics for science class? LOL

    Great finds, as usual! Love those silk pajamas--wouldn't they look pretty displayed on an old hanger and hung on the back of the door? Love them. I totally agree--thrifting is my therapy!

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  3. You are tooo cute... junkin with minutes to go! Sounds like me!
    But SOOO well worth it! Wow, love your finds! Especially the buttons!

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  4. You sound like yourself again, and I'm glad. You've had it rough lately. But you and the Bean are going to survive homeschooling. And I'm glad you got to spend a few minutes junking!

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  5. Yes I have heard about some people that homeschool heh they try to brainwash their kids with religious mumbo jumbo so much it's scary.

    I enjoy the concept of homeschooling if I can I definitely want to do it with my kids when I have some kids. With a balance of friends and a full time parent they can have a social life and learn a lot with one on one attention.

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  6. Anonymous8:49 PM

    My girlfriend's DD homeschools her kids and I know she comes to our town for a homeschool meeting/convention every year. Maybe there is something like that near you. You and the Bean are going to do fine!

    Love the items you found this past weekend. Really unusual stuff!

    Libby

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