The last couple of weeks have just flown by! Not much in the way of sales-although I decided yesterday morning to give an auction two towns over a try. I really think that auctions are not for me. They take wayyyy too long! Although this auctioneer was phenomenally fast, I just can't afford that much time to get stuff for the booth. I'm going to have to stick to garage sales and estate sales and if that isn't enough, then I'll have to give up the booth. I can't take that much time away from home and my family. Maybe it would be different if the boys were out of the house and on their own, but for right now-it's just too much time away.
It was the biggest auction I have ever been to. We used to go to auctions on a regular basis when the boys were little. It was cheap entertainment, and once in a while we got some good deals. The local auctioneer that ran the auctions had some family issues come up and he went out of business, so we just decided to stop going, and have only been to a couple since.
The sheer volume of stuff that was sold yesterday-all from one estate-is mind boggling! There was about 100 people at the peak selling time. It dwindled to about 30 die hards at the end. There were a LOT of great deals. A LOT of people smoking and it all seemed to swirl around my head! There had to have been at least 40 rows that were about 40 feet or more long on top of boats, a van, snowmobiles, 4 wheelers, a dirt bike and more books and kitchenware than you can imagine!
It encompassed the entire front yard, a 2 car garage, inside the house, along both sides of the pole barn and inside the barn and a pontoon boat still in the lake! I took two snaps of inside the barn and they are of the center third of the barn from both ends.
It was loaded even under all of the tables, and there was another row of stuff on the right, the left and behind me, as well as a row at the far end. I can't imagine the hours upon hours the auction company put into sorting it all out and setting it all up!!
It was also an interesting day of people watching. Do you ever do that? I find myself doing it all the time. I kind of ended up stuck there for a few hours longer than I intended because Kevin looked at the pictures of the items that were going to be auctioned and he saw a couple of things that he wanted. I won the first thing he wanted right away, and by the time I was ready to leave, no one was available to help me lift it into the car!
Guess what he had be buy? Something he's already sold in the booth...something I thought would never in a million years sell...yep! You guessed it! Another anvil. I asked if one of the workers would help me load it in my car, but no one was available until it was over. All of the men were actively bidding and weren't available to help either. I found a woman who was loading her truck and between the two of us, we lifted it into my car.
I was ready to pay for it and leave it there for Kevin to pick up. I can tell you though, I won't ever buy something I can't lift myself again, if I am by myself. I made it to volleyball about a half an hour late. I should have just went home, I wasn't any use. My legs were sore from standing all day on uneven ground. By the time I got home my knees, ankles and hips were just aching. I think between Friday and Saturday, standing for 14 hours between the two days was a little too much!
Adam and I spent all day Friday helping Matt & Margaret (Adam's best friend and his new wife) move into their first home. It was such a joy to be able to scrub down cupboards, wash dishes and help them get their home set up.
It was so awesome to see the love poured out on them by her mom and grandma. Both of them came to the new house with cars loaded floor to ceiling! I don't think Margaret will need to go grocery shopping for anything other than perishables for a year! Her pantry was overflowing, and each and every box or can was a little hug from grandma. She made dinner for them in her crock pot, and filled their refrigerator and freezer too!
By the time we left, the kitchen and living room were completely set up and the two spare bedrooms were set up and their bed was made and ready for them to crash. All they needed to do was set up the bathroom and dining room, and finish unpacking their clothes.
Thursday we took the boys out to dinner to celebrate Adam getting into the honors nursing program. There were 16 spots available and he was #1! We also got a couple of new couches delivered. They are quite a bit larger than our old ones and really fill up our living room. They are dark brown this time (the others were beige), and they don't really go very well with all of my purple stuff, so I'm thinking I'll have to start searching for some new curtains...and pillows...and maybe a rug... :)
Thursday I also got a reminder that I always trust people too much, and more times than not, it comes back to bite me. One of these days I will learn. Each time something like this happens, I end up trusting "friends" a little less-and wishing I was a hermit! I just will have to be very careful to not share any personal information with anyone and keep conversations light, and generic.
The weekend ended with church, grocery shopping and a killer pot of homemade beef stew! Now another week begins with about 30 hours of work, 8 hours of volleyball, then laundry, dishes, family, church, catching up on my favorite blogs, and whatever else comes up...I'm tired just thinking about it! :)
How was your week? I'm heading over to see what you have been doing as soon as I finish here! Hope you had a great week-best wishes for an even better week to come!
I've been perusing your blog for about a month and somehow missed that we're from the same area! I had to laugh when I read "Where Did The Weekend Go?" and recognized the picture of the auction. I, too, spent what felt like the longest day ever at that same auction, walking away with very little after over seven hrs!
ReplyDeleteHi Amy! Thanks for stopping by! That's too funny that we were both at the same auction! It WAS a really long day! That was my first time with that auctioneer, and I liked him a lot more than some of the others I've been to. What kind of things did you get?
ReplyDeleteMaybe we'll run into each other at another auction some time!
Nice to meet you!!
~Kim