I'd Love To Blog Today

But, I can't.

Because, there's not a cloud in the sky.

And, the leaves are beginning to change.

Because there's places to go.

And people to see.

Things to observe.

And fossils to find.
Spider webs to investigate.

And lessons to learn.

No, I'm sorry. I cannot blog today.

Maybe tomorrow will be a better worse day.

But, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

GOOD DEAL ALERT!

Amazon has a great deal going on right now. The Wii is down to $199.00 PLUS you will get a $25.00 Gift Card. Details about the card are on the Wii page at Amazon. You can click on the link above for more details.

The Wii also qualifies for FREE SHIPPING plus you get the $25.00 Gift Card, so it really is a GREAT DEAL!!!!!

I ordered one for The Bean for Christmas. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I plan on using the $25.00 Gift Card to get this:

and a game to fill it out.

Christmas is coming..........Ready or not!

Bikes, Blues & BBQ

I've spent the last three days going to a Biker Rally. Nearly 75,000 bikes in town this week. I'm certainly not a biker, but there is a lot of interesting things to see and do this week. So, we take full advantage of it. The Bean loves motorcycles and likes to look at the "cool" ones. With 75,000 bikes, there are a lot of "cool" ones. This is a family friendly biker rally - no gangs or trouble makers. As of last night there had only been three arrests due to Public Intoxication. So, it really is a safe atmosphere for a family.

"Where did we park?"

Many interesting people to watch. His Mohawk was attached to his helmet.

Yesterday we were able to ride on the train across town for a mere $1.00. We rode it twice just because we could! A biker dude in his leathers hung his head out the window of the train puking with motion sickness. All the other biker guys were heckling him. "Big bad biker, sick on the train...heeheehee..." We all laughed, but pretty quietly, because he did look like he could kick our ass.

On the train.

We had waited in line behind the soon to be puking bad boy biker. Luckily, we did to sit by him.

You see all these bikers and you wonder what professions they have and what their everyday life is really like. These guys were behind me for miles and I was privy to their conversations at each stoplight. The one on the left leaned over at over light and said, "Keep your eyes peeled for that cool antique bookstore I told you about." Ohhhh TOUGH GUYS.

I drove up the same packed with motorcycles street three times trying to get a photo of this mannequin. I have never, ever seen a mannequin like this.

Do you see the......uh.....well......the BOOBS on that mannequin? Holy Moley. They don't have those at the thrift store! I've never seen one like this anyway. And, apparently , neither had this guy!




We ate FREE ears of roasted corn courtesy of Progressive Insurance Company. Thanks Progressive!

We declined the Alligator on a Stick.

The Geiko Gecko riding shotgun!

Another fun weekend in Northwest Arkansas. What shall we do next weekend???

Thursday's Thrifty Finds

Yesterday I stopped by the Thrift to make a donation of a couple of boxes of things that I had culled out recently. When you donate at this particular thrift, you take it right into the backroom. When I step through those doors, I am like a drive-by at an accident site. My head spins around and I start gawking at the goods laid out to be priced. Oh, to dig in those boxes. What fun that would be. Sigh. Anyway, digress. Yesterday there were two full carts of Halloween merchandise in the backroom and I was itching to get at it. I asked when it would be out on the floor, but they said not until later that afternoon. So, today I stopped by to see what treasures were waiting.

Sadly, once I saw the things they had put out, I quickly realized that about 80% of it were things that I had donated earlier this year. Scarecrows, painted pumpkins, things from my more country days. Now I am all about the vintage stuff. I want vintage or "it looks like vintage so that's good enough for me" things.

As I pawed through the tables looking for a vintage noisemaker or a Beistle black cat, I did spy two items that make me happy. Very happy. Happy I had gotten rid of so many things earlier this year and happy that I found these two treasures to take home with me today.

Hold on to your hat. Because you will be jealous.

I know! Freaking adorable, right?

I am so glad this wasn't someone style so they donated it. LOVE IT! I think it might be a Bethany Lowe or a Nicol Sayre. Not positive, but thinking it might be.

Not jealous yet? How about this:

KERPOW!

C.U.T.E.

I love the thrift store this time of year!

Oh, who am I kidding? I love the thrift store every day of the year!

***Don't forget to read my monkeybox Junk Swap post below. I am still looking for two good reliable junker bloggers for this unique and what I hope will be a SUPER FUN swap.

monkeybox Junk Box Swap

***SWAP CLOSED***** Thanks ladies. I will send out the box on Monday and the instructions this weekend. Yipppppeee!

I have an idea. Last year, or maybe it was two years ago, I did a Junk Swap. The rules were this: Fill up a box of junk, send it to your partner and get a box of junk back in the mail.

This year, I was thinking of doing something a bit different. A traveling box of JUNK.

I will fill up a Flat Rate Box from the Post Office with JUNK. No big books or things like that - but STUFF from my varied stash of JUNK. I will hit my sewing stuff, crafting area, misc. stuff, etc., holiday area, everything. No breakables like pottery or glass things. Things that I know will stand the test of the Post Office's delicate (Ahem) handling. Lots and lots of goodies, I promise.

I will STUFF that BOX to the GILLS.

Then I will send it to the first person on the list (after I draw names so it sort of travels across the US and not back and forth and here and there). They will go through the box, take out what they want and fill it up again. If you take out fifteen items, try to put fifteen back in. Make sure the box is FULL and HEAVY and send it to the next person on the list. Again, that person will dig through it, take out what they want, fill it up again and send it on the the next person. And so on and so on. Feel free to take as much as you want, just so long as you fill it right back up to the top.

If you sign up, go ahead and start looking for junk to send on in the box once you get it. I'd like a fairly quick turn over - get the box and send it out no later than within a week if possible. Email me when you get it and when you mail it on to the next person. Instructions, directions and the next address on the list will be included in the box - DO NOT REMOVE IT! Send it on with the box.

This will cost the Flat Rate shipping cost of $13.45 but nothing more since it is all things we already have and want to pass on. Send it in the original box (unless it gets a hole kicked in it or something, add a new address label to it (I will include those) and add things you already own to it. Make it FUN! Don't put in one thing if you take out six. If you take out five small things, try to add back in five small things. I want the last person on the list to get good stuff too. Oh, the last person on the list will be ME, so of course, I want a good box in return.

If you are interested - email me at monkeybox@juno.com with your blog address and mailing address so I can plan the route. I will only accept people with good junking blogs that I know will fulfill the requirements and make it a GOOD SWAP. There is always a chance that a swapper will flake, so I do not want that to happen. If person number 3 flakes, no one else gets anything. And, that would be sad. Oh, so sad.

Email me and I will make up a list of participants, make up the swap order and get the box ready to ship out. I want to keep this to ten people or less so that we aren't waiting months to get our box.

Sounds like fun RIGHT??????? So, sign up! Sorry US only and bloggers only too. Bloggers that I know, so keep it on the hush - it's just for us!

*Disclaimer - I use the word JUNK lovingly. JUNK is good stuff. Just things you have extras of or no need for any more. JUNK RULES! Take a photo of what you kept and then pass it on.

It's Sorghum Time

Saturday The Bean and I went to the Cane Hill Harvest Festival. What do they harvest? Cane. Cane Hill. See? What do they make out of cane? Sorghum.

No trip to the Harvest Festival would be complete without a stop at one of our favorite places. This old landlocked waterwheel is located just off the highway. There are plans to renovate it and rebuild it. The building used to be tree or four stories tall. You know I love old rusty stuff, so this place is right up my alley.
As I was taking these photos a lot of cars drove by and people looked at me like we were tourists. Truth is, we live close and like to visit it. Sometimes I wonder if people that live by something beautiful or interesting really appreciate it.

It's a good place to take photos. Some staged.

Others not.

On to the Harvest Festival. Would you like to know how they make Sorghum?

First they cut the cane and load it on trailers.

It's really pretty all stacked up waiting to be made into sorghum.

I love the big seed pods at the top. Very brown and autumnal looking.

The men come down the trailer and cut of the tops of each piece of cane.

They don't even use the pretty part.

Then they use this mule to help mill the cane. Actually, this step I don't know so much about. I do know that mule walks around and around and around and around until he wears a circle in the grass down to the earth.


'Round and around.

This is the Sorghum Barn where they actually cook and make the sorghum. Sorghum is molasses, you knew that, right? They pour it into glass jars and wrap them up in newspaper so you can get it home.

The first year we went, there was a long line leading into the Sorghum Barn. We didn't know what the line was for, but we got in it anyway. Any line that long, had to be for something good. Finally we got close enough to see that we were in line to buy a jar of Sorghum. But, before you got all the way to the end of the line, there was a jar of Sorghum with Popsicle sticks in it so you could taste it. We had never had sorghum, so The Bean and I took a stick out and stuck it in our mouths. There was a local man in front of us and he turned to watch us taste it. His eyes were bright and he had a smile on his face as he watched us about to taste it, anticipating our delight. What he didn't expect, and neither did we, that we had the overwhelming desire to spit it out. But, we didn't - we do have some manners. As he realized we didn't like it, his face was rather crestfallen. Then he said, "Well, it is a bit of an acquired taste." He turned to wait out his turn at a boiling hot jar of Sorghum and The Bean and I got the heck out of that line. Needless to say, we don't get in that line anymore.

Friday's Thrifty Finds

It has been raining here for days. Cool and dreary. I'm not really complaining since September is normally still unbearably hot here in Arkansas. But, cool dreary rainy days usually mean a serious lack of yard sales. Booooo. This morning was still very cool, but ta-da, the sun peeked out. I made a quick run to see if there might be a sale or two. I was gone and back in about an hour and scored some fun things in that short time.

The first sale I stopped at had lots of things in boxes strewn about the driveway on both sides. I spotted a few things I was interested in, but nothing was marked. My pet peeve. Grrrr. But, this time it worked in my favor because the prices were low. Let's start with my silly frivolous purchase of the day:

Wooden shoes from Holland. Real wooden shoes from Holland in my size. Oh my gosh, those things hurt your feet. I walk in them like I have be cobbled. And, to think that people dance in those things! Ouch! They were only $1.00 and I've never, ever seen wooden shoes that weren't just for decorating, so I had to get them! (You know I hate photos of feet or I would have had them on).

This very nice old Hudson Bay Blanket was lying in the driveway. I almost didn't ask the price because they are nearly always priced high. People know what Hudson Bay Blankets are worth. But, not this time - $2.00. Score. This is a four point trade blanket - one of the better ones. I've never seen a blue one, so this was a very happy find.

On the other side of the driveway sat this big old rusty bucket/basket. Again, $2.00.

*Edited to add after reading all the comments: It probably is an egg basket. It's just so big! But, I found one online at a feedstore that holds 15 dozen, so this must be it. Now, I KNOW I got a deal!

It is marked STALEY FEEDS on the bottom. Any idea what it was used for originally? Feed wouldn't stay in it, unless it was still in the feed sack. Hmmm....hadn't thought about that idea. It is currently holding my TO BE MAILED packages for Etsy. It is really BIG.


A small child's hand made quilt. I have several child's quilts and they are my favorites. I had this quilt, an old sewing box and a few other odds and ends in my hands, but the lady just ended up charging me $4.00 total for the Hudson Bay blanket, Feed bucket, quilt, sewing box and the odds and ends. Not bad......not bad at all.

From another sale - a set of six Ukrainian eggs for $1.00. The black and white one is my favorite. But, they are all lovely.

A funny vintage solider.

A hand painted terra cotta whistle/flute for 25¢. I have a collection of these too.

Honestly, what don't I collect?

And, lastly, the WORLD'S BIGGEST ROLL OF RICKRACK. I think it would reach to the moon and back. Miles of rick rack. Miles of rick rack for 50¢. You can't go wrong with that!

Tomorrow we are headed to the Cane Harvest to watch the cane being cut and harvested into Sorghum. On the way there we will hit a Church Sale and a big, big HUGE yard sale.

Bring it ON!

Get Your Game On

With Halloween a bit too far away for decorating just yet and the vintage birthday display down, I found myself with a bare corner sans any happy vintage cheer. Well, we can't have that, now can we?

I've had a good Run this summer picking up vintage games and cards. I just had them in a big stack in my office, but decided to put them out to enjoy for a bit.

All the old boxes are so happy and colorful.

I saved this old game board a few years ago out of a box of things that had water damage. But, the game board survived. Tiddle Tac Toe sounds like fun, doesn't it?

A big jar full of poker chips, dice, chess pieces, checkers and dominoes sits in the middle of this shelf. My Dad brought me the teeny Hearts game one day from a yard sale. He goes yard saling a lot, but ever, ever buy anything. I was surprised he actually saw this tiny box of old cards.
The clown face goes in the Tiddly Wink box above it. More game pieces in a jar. A wee deck of cards, old Monopoly money and wooden game pieces. I love that BINGO box. So cute.

I love these old metal airplanes. I can see these being dangerous in the hands of bunch of rambunctious boys.

Metal Zephyr's - these go with the game board on the top shelf. When I picked up that box of multicolored chips, I thought I would use them in crafts. but, I really love them all in the box. So many colors.

I found the giant checkers at a sale last week. I knew they were perfect to use in my display to build things up and for height. They did work, but you can't even see a single on of them!

So, this should fill up my decorating void until it's time to pull out my glittery Halloween goodness. Cooooome on October!