Fundraiser Sale Coming Up--Mark Your Calendar!!!

Here's another Michigan sale for you to add to your calendar!! The Washington Life Center in Marine City, Michigan (a non-profit Council on Aging, Inc.) is having a BIG fundraiser sale on Thursday, June 7th from 9am-4pm, and Friday, June 8th from 9am-3pm.

If you're a shopper looking for treasures, don't miss this sale! If you have some treasures to sell, they are also renting space-$10 for one day or $15 for both!

You can check out their website and see all of the great things they do to help seniors. I've already marked it on my calendar-hope to see you there!!!

March Madness Sale at Williamston Antiques!!!

Mark your calendar!!! Don't miss it!!!

The last couple of years I've gotten some great treasures at the March Madness Sale!!! The buffet is awesome too!!!

Would You Buy It??

I'm linking up to Junker Newbie for Would You Buy it Wednesday (just a few days late!). I found this today at an estate sale.

Mint condition, except for some dirt spots!!

How much would you pay for it if you would buy it???

How does $3 sound?? Too good to be true-but that's what I paid!!! Stamped Holt Howard 1958 on the bottom. I am still smiling ear to ear and every once in a while I pinch myself!!!

Somebody Pinch Me!!

Sales have been so few and far between around here lately, and good sales are almost extinct! I talked myself out of a couple of sales on Thursday (I got out of work at 11am), they were just too far to drive with the way gas prices are, and there really wasn't any WOW factor in the pictures posted online.

Friday, I mapped out 7 sales all within about 13 miles of each other, but getting to them, was the problem-they were a half an hour away! Since there were so many in a cluster, I decided to take a chance and see what treasures I might find.

The first sale was a bust. I never even went in! I got there a little before it opened, and when we were all lined up outside the door and it was 10:03 and they hadn't opened the door yet, some of the people in line started banging on the door. This angered the people running the sale, and when they opened, they said because the shoppers were banging on the door, they were going to only let in 10 people at a time.

That only punished the rest of us, because the door bangers all got in and we had to wait! I waited about 20 minutes and they only let in one couple besides the initial 10. So I left and went to the next one-which was also a big warty toad/frog of a sale. Prices too high, junk too new!

The next sale was the best one of the day and the treasures were skimpy to say the least! The last sale was the furthest out, and I was going to skip it, but I kept picturing the vintage aqua Pyrex refrigerator dishes and kept thinking to myself that I'd never know if I would have had a chance to get them if I didn't try.

As I pulled on to the street where the last sale was, there was total gridlock! It was a country sub with each house having about an acre of land, no curbs-the yards just came out to the road and cars were parked on each side of the road. It was gridlock because one lady decided to not pull her big old Cadillac off on the grass, but leave the rear end hanging out so a school bus couldn't pass.

I guess the bus sat there so long waiting for the lady to come move her car, that the police were called. He arrived just as I did. He walked up to the house and the 30 or so people still waiting outside and found the lady and told her to move her car and told everyone that no one could park on that side of the road anymore.

After I parked and walked a couple blocks to get back, a second police officer arrived and just slowly patroled through the street-it kind of reminded me of jaws. His car was an unmarked silver/gray color and he just seemed like he was looking for prey-ha ha!

He pulled off and sat down the street by where I parked-so that made me really nervous!! I so did NOT want another parking ticket for an estate sale!!! The first officer came back and went into the house, but before he did, he told the people in line to make sure anyone who pulled up knew they could only park on the west side of the street.

While he was in there, Miss Big ole Cadillac had circled the block and had pulled back into the same spot as before with her rear end hanging out just as far if not farther!! Everyone started laughing at her nerve-especially with 2 police officers in the area-one of whom had told her to move her car!! She got out and started walking up just as officer #1 came out of the house!! Everyone roared with laughter and they shouted "Give her a ticket!" He didn't. He gave her grace, and told her to move the car (again), and to not try to park there again or she would get a ticket.

During the short time I was there, I met a man who was leaving who offered me his number...147!! I asked what number they were on and was told 73. One couple who had #80 had been there since 10am and it was 12:18 and they still weren't in! I started marching for my car-no way was I waiting.

As I got to my car, a woman had parked in front of me and I offered her my number. She said she was a friend of the lady running the sale and she was just there to say hi and see how it was going. When I told her how long the wait was, she was totally shocked. She said she was there when they were setting up the sale and there was really nothing in the house worth that long of a wait.

I still keep thinking about the aqua Pyrex, but I'm sure that was probably snapped up in the first 15 minutes, so I feel like I didn't miss anything (kinda, sorta).

Today I found 5 sales all within 4 miles of each other that were closer to home, so I hopped in the car and took off! The first sale was the BEST! I got there 3 minutes after they opened. It was a family run sale. The prices were AMAZING! I still think somebody should pinch me because this is what I found...

Holt Howard Pixieware Olive jar!!! I've never, ever found Holt Howard at any estate sale or garage sale in over 20 years of treasure hunting. I've been seriously looking for about 4-5 years since one of my coworkers absolutely LOVES Pixieware. I found it on my second pass through the dining room, and just about squealed out loud!! I forced myself to be very nonchalant about it, as I picked it up and took it to the box I had started in the living room.

I missed out on a Santa and sleigh with reindeer-blow mold set-6 large pieces for $10 in the basement while I was scoring the little pixie jar, but I was able to get over quickly enough. When I got home I looked it up on Ebay and was very pleasantly surprised at how much they were selling for!! I think I am going to put it in my "Vintage Kitchenware Foster Care System" for a while, and let it join the rest of the things I've found that I'm not quite ready to sell yet.

I had good luck at all of the sales today but one. My car was full to the ceiling, but I had to stop anyway-it was 1/2 off day!! The house was the strangest house I've ever been in. It looked very normal from the outside, but once you stepped in, you were in for a shock! The carpet going up the stairs was black. The carpet in the front living room and dining room was white shag-almost like an animal fur.

Here are a couple of shots from the estate sale listing that was online at Estatesales.net.

The master bedroom carpet was really, really bright grass or kelly green. The majority of the house was wallpapered with really heavy, ornate black and white wallpaper, except one room that had pastel blotches all over the wallpaper-that matched the curtains and the bedspread! They even wallpapered the ceiling in all of the rooms!!! Upstairs had black shag carpet that was so thick it was like fur. Even at half off, their prices were still more than double any other estate sale company that I've visited in the whole state!!

Here are the other things I picked up today...

This is what it looks like all put together.

 Santa Sack to "Puddin" from Santa.

 Cardboard bowls and paper coasters to match.

 I've never seen this before-black Corning Ware. I looked them up on Ebay and they seem to sell for about 10x what I paid for them or more!!

 Doesn't this platter seem to glow?!? It was so filthy when I bought it-it was gross!

 Vintage egg nog set

 My first pair of watermelon hot pads! Thanks Shara for introducing me to them!!! I LOVE them!!

 I think this might be Blenko...this is staying with me!

 Tea hottles and a very dainty thin candy dish.

 I think this might be Anchor Hocking Manhattan.

 I can picture this either really pale yellow or white and scuffed up a bit...

This is kinda nasty, but it was only $2, so I took a chance. Needs some serious bleach!!

How did you do this weekend?? Find any good sales?? I'm coming to visit your blog next to catch up on what you've been doing and finding!!

Happy Weekend!!

YUMMMMM!

Last Friday I went out to dinner with my girl cousins on my dad's side of the family. There was 8 of us all together. It was such a fun night!!! I can't wait til we get together again! My cousin Marla was telling me about a recipe that one of her son's girlfriend found and made for them that we just HAD to try.

It sounded pretty easy and sounded amazing!

You take a roll of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough, and slice it all up and line a 9x13 pan with it. Then you mix up some brownies and pour them over the cookie dough and bake! I ended up using 2 boxes of brownie mix just to be able to cover the cookie dough.

I think if I make them again, I'll use the full fat brownie mix, and I'll use the little refrigerated cookie dough squares instead of the roll. It took a ton of brownie mix to cover the slices and it came out more cakey than brownie. It fell apart because it was still hot when I cut it-I couldn't wait to see what it would look like!!!

Ribbit, Ribbit, Ribbit...

Today I made a long trip to pick up a sleeping bag. One of our students left it on the bus last Sunday when they returned from winter retreat. The bus company is in Wyandotte...and a loooonnnnnng way away from me! I picked it up and went to an estate sale out that way-that was billed as a cancer sale for a former dealer who didn't want to leave her family with a mess of antiques to sell when she passed. It was in a VFW hall, and was being conducted by a local estate sale company.

When I got there, about 3 minutes before they were scheduled to open, there had to be at least 50 people in line ahead of me. Some left because they didn't want to wait, but most waited in line. From the advertising and pictures online, I expected something much bigger than what I found. The prices were on the high side and I wasn't impressed with what they had. I've been to sales in houses that have had waaayyy more stuff than this hall had. The tables weren't even full for the most part.

People were coming out empty handed or with tiny little bags of stuff. The people in line were asking if it was worth it to wait to go in and they all said it was, and that it was gorgeous inside...they must have really gotten a laugh out of that! It was sooo not worth the wait, and inside was sooo disappointing!! There still was about 50 people in line waiting when I left, and they had about 50 inside too. I'm glad I was already out there for the sleeping bag and didn't make the trip just for the sale!!!

I think this estate sale company made a huge mistake in advertising this sale to be a big deal when it wasn't. I overheard a LOT of people grumbling and cussing about what a waste it was to drive out there and it sounded like they don't plan to attend any more sales by this company!

I stopped at another sale on my way back, but it was really picked over and the prices seemed pretty high as well. I made it a round-about trip toward home and stopped at Knightsbridge Antique Mall in Northville-I love that place!!! It is one of the few antique malls that I've been to that you just feel comfortable as soon as you walk in!

I decided to take back roads to get home from Knightsbridge, and drove through the towns I grew up in. while I was driving, I came across some signs that said "ESTATE SALE TODAY 9am-5pm". Since they were going in the same direction that I needed to go to get home, I followed them. It ended up being in a newer home of a couple who looked to be downsizing and moving. They said they hadn't advertised, but something about the sale seems to ring in my mind that I read about it somewhere...

They were in their second day, and things were very well picked over. I did see several Red Poppy items in their garage-they were priced really high! They told me they were from the 30's and were highly collectible and hard to find. I came right home and found most of the pieces right away on Ebay-for the same price or less than what they were trying to sell them for!!

I picked up a few things while I was out and about today, but nothing to brag about...it was nice to be out and about again-I got home right before it started pouring rain! It was more of a frog kind of day than a prince kind of day today-as far as sales and treasures.

The best part of the day was when I got a call from my cousin. She and her dad had just met with one of the pastors at the church I work at to discuss arrangements for my aunt's memorial service on Monday. They don't have a church of their own, they shopped around over the years, but never really settled. She was so thankful that not only is the pastor doing the service for free, the church is putting on a luncheon for free as well!!! She said my uncle almost started crying over their generosity!! Money has always been very tight for my aunt and uncle, and I know all of her hospital expenses and hospice expenses have been a heavy blow to him. My mom and I were going to secretly pay for the luncheon, but the pastor/church won't let us-they are taking care of it!! What a blessing!!!

How was your Friday? I'll be stopping by to visit your blogs and see what you've been up to while I was away last week! Hope you have a GREAT weekend!!!!

Unexpected Benefit!

We added a sun room to our house to have some extra room to move around. Our house is really small and with 2 guys still living at home who are 6'4" and taller-we really needed the space. We've been enjoying it all winter-it is so bright and cheery that we all love being in that room.

Last night, Adam had a bunch of his friends over for a LAN party. We never heard a thing! Come to find out, when the door is closed, the sun room is virtually sound proof!! They played their video games until 3am, and ate us out of house and home, and we never heard a peep!!! I LOVE it!!!

This is what I saw when I was leaving the house this morning...

 How many guys are in there besides Adam??

Everyone had left except Ian...notice the bare feet hanging over the edge of the love seat...I LOVE that they hang out at our house and they have fun, I just dread how long it will take for them to break down their set up!!!

Sad News...

Thanks everyone for your prayers and concern. My aunt Brenda passed away peacefully late Monday afternoon. The past week has been very hectic and it has gone by really fast! Last week Thursday, my parents came to town because it was my aunt's birthday. She was in the hospital in Detroit at Karmanos Cancer Treatment Hospital.

They were told, along with my uncle that they should set up Hospice for my aunt-and that she only had 4 months left to live. They moved her to Arbor Hospice in Ann Arbor on Friday where they were told she only had one week!!

My mom,her husband and two of her daughters were with her when she passed away. My mom said she knew it was going to be soon because of her breathing. She called her friend Jessica and Jessica sang Amazing Grace over the phone to my aunt. My mom hugged her and whispered in her ear to go dance with Jesus, and then dance with Brian (my brother who passed away 12 years ago). Shortly after that she passed...

She was a very loving, caring person who will be greatly missed!!

Girlfriends in God-Today's Message...

This was in a daily devotional email that I received today. It really spoke to me and I thought I'd share it with you...it is from Girlfriends in God-you can find their link on my sidebar if you are interested in receiving their daily emails.

Hope you're having a great day!!!

How to Stay Young

1. Throw out non-essential numbers such as your age, weight and height.

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. If you really need a grouch, there are probably family members to fill that need.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Just never let the brain idle.

4. Enjoy the simple things. When the children are young, that is all you can afford. When they are in college that is all you can afford. When they are grown, and you are on retirement, that is all you can afford.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. Laugh so much that you can be tracked in the store by your distinctive laughter.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person that is with us our entire life is ourselves.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it is family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies or whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health. If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Go to the mall, the next county, a foreign country - but not guilt.

10. Tell the people you love how much you love them every chance you get. Never assume they know.

11. Don't worry about things you cannot change or do anything about. Accept them and move on.

12. Read more and dust less.

13. Spend more time with your family and friends and less time working.

14. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor, not to endure. Recognize these moments now and cherish them.

15. Do not "save" anything. Use your good china and crystal for every special event such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, or the next blossom of flowers you see.

16. Wear your best outfit to the market.

17. Don't save your good perfume for only special occasions. Use it even if you are going shopping or just to the bank.

18. "Someday" and "one of these days" should vanish from your vocabulary. If it is worth seeing or hearing or doing, go and see or hear or do it now.

What about you? Are you living each day to the fullest? Jesus is all about living an abundant life in the here and now … whatever stage of life that may be for you. Jesus came so that we can live abundantly and eternally. Eternity began the moment you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

An Unsuspecting Victim...

I work in the Youth Department at my church. I assist 3 youth group directors who work with kids 5th grade through 12th grade. This weekend we are sending over 140 students and leaders (7th through 12th graders) away for a winter retreat to two different location via 3 charter buses. It is my responsibility to make sure everyone has all of their permission slips, payments and medication lists in order before the trips take place.

In addition to these two retreats, we are registering for a 6th grade event, a high school mission trip, planning a fundraising dinner(that I am doing the food for), and another 5th and 6th grade event. So I have been working a lot of long, crazy hours and by the time I go home, I am fried.

Usually when I go home, I make sure my desk is cleaned up and empty-I hate starting a day off jumping into a mess. So today when I walked in and saw that someone had gotten the permission slip books out of the upper cabinet above my desk and just left them on my desk-I  wasn't very happy.

This is the cabinet as is usually looks when I come in, closed hiding the many folders that I use to organize permission slips and purchase orders.

 This is what it looks like when it is empty.

This was hidden inside...a box that had been modified with a ramp of cardboard-higher in the back and lower in the front. It was filled with ping pong balls!!

 

Enough to fill the ping pong ball dispenser, and cover the bottom 3 inches in a 3 gallon bucket. All of which flew out at me as soon as I flung the cabinet open to put the books away!!!

They went EVERYWHERE!!! I laughed and laughed and laughed! Then I started cleaning them up, and plotting my revenge! At first I just acted like normal when my coworkers started trickling in. I hid the balls and left the books out on my desk to make it look like I hadn't sprung the trap yet, but when I went to grab some ping pong balls to throw at the one guy whom I was sure was the mastermind-I tipped over the bucket and they all hit the floor again-and he just cracked up in his office!

I still have to come up with something to do to him to retaliate, I was too busy to think about what I could do that wasn't going to get me fired or in serious trouble! Any ideas?  A few years ago, one of our students took paper dixie cups, filled them with  with water and put them all over the floor of our previous department directors office. There were hundreds of cups! It took hours to empty them all!

Another prank a high school student pulled was to stick the director's stapler in a bowl of jello and when it hardened, she dumped it out onto a plate on his desk with a note. I can't use those ideas, because they know about those, Oh, and I got one of them today by sticking a small piece of masking tape on the bottom of his optical mouse-he kept trying batteries-to no avail!

I'm glad I work with the people I work with, because they have a great sense of humor, and that little prank was just what I needed to turn a crummy week into one that I'll still be smiling about for a long time to come!


So, let me hear your ideas! Have you had a good prank played on you? Or have you been the prankster? I'm looking for a fun way to reciprocate!!