What a difference a day makes!

I headed out this morning just as the sun was peeking out from the east. It was an amazing sunrise! All I had was my phone, so the pictures are awful-but I think you can see the gorgeous colors-even if it is blurry. It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day-big change from yesterday's gloomy, soggy mess!

A little colder today too.

My trip today was to the south. Almost as many miles south as what I went north yesterday! The blue skies and bright sunshine in December were like a refreshing glass of iced tea in July-I Loved it!! I ended up going to two estate sales-run by the same company-nine miles apart! One was great, the other-eh-not so much.

I got to the first sale which had "(hoarder)" in the description about 10 minutes before it opened. It was very rural and there were about 40 people in line in front of me (no numbers). It was a ranch style house (not too big either) and I couldn't believe they let everyone in! There were probably about 15 or so people behind me too!

Everyone in front of me literally ran to the basement. I stopped and checked on a yellow vintage Fiesta vase in the living room-$85-wayyy too much for me, then I went to my favorite part of any estate sale...the KITCHEN! I found all kinds of treasures! The best one--a recipe box! With all kinds of hand written recipes! Why wouldn't her family want this? How sad! I'd give anything to have either of my grandmother's recipe boxes!! Even if the recipes were all nasty-I'd just like to have their handwriting.

Last year I came across a site that would screen print your loved one's recipe on a kitchen towel or apron, so you'd always have their recipe in their handwriting. I asked my mom for one of my grandma's recipes, but she didn't have time to look for it-I should ask her again...I hope she didn't throw them out-she isn't a saver-she's a tosser.

I found a really cool breadbox in the basement. Later, as I was checking out, a woman was asking the son of the guy running the sale about a breadbox, and did somebody take it upstairs for her because it was gone. He looked to be about 11 or 12 and had no clue as to what she was talking about. He said he thought his dad took it up.

 I bought it, but it didn't have her name on it, and she didn't pick it up from the spot where it was in the basement. I saw her looking at it (the same time I was looking at it) and heard her say she wanted it, so I left and explored the rest of the basement. When I made my second pass-it was still there and she was long gone-so I picked it up. I made a second pass through the whole house, then out to the garage to check out.

I've been feeling guilty ever since I bought it.She doesn't know who bought it, but I'm sure when she went to check out she was disappointed she didn't get it. I thought she changed her mind because it was still there-that is why I grabbed it. I'm wondering if I should have gone back and offered it to her. What do you think? I know when I've been at other sales and I've set something down and walked away -someone else has picked it up and bought it...it's just kind of the nature of an estate sale-right? What would you have done? She seemed like she was from the area, should I call the estate sale company and tell them I'd be willing to give it to her? My boys say no. They said she walked away-therefore it was fair game-the nature of an estate sale...what do you think??

I wouldn't have classified this sale as a hoarder sale-yeah, the woman had a lot of stuff, but no where near the level of hoarder. My grandma had way more stuff (before her house fire) than this lady had. I would probably classify it as a saver's sale.

Pictured above: 9 vintage Pyrex pieces, 2 small vintage Fiesta bowls, 2 large newer Fiesta baking bowls, 9 vintage dish towels, 1 vintage tablecloth, 2 vintage aprons, 6 vintage crocheted hot pads, a vintage-never used- giant yellow Tupperware bowl, a drink shaker, a fired-on turquoise small vase, a vintage glass and an ice bowl, and a vintage syrup pitcher. These are from all the places I stopped, not just the estate sale.

Since it was in the same town as one of my all time favorite antiquing areas, I planned my route so I could stop at a couple of antique stores. I was very sad and very disappointed to find out that the shop I got a lot of my newer Fiesta at has closed!! It was empty! It was called "The Place" and I never walked away empty handed when I visited this store-I am so bummed it is gone!!

I walked down a little further and went into a huge antique mall, but even that had changed. It was very empty-not like it was a year ago when I shopped there! I'm wondering if it too will go out of business. Two days in a row of seeing shops that have been around for a long time closed, is really sad. I wonder if they just decided it was easier to sell on Ebay and not have the over-head of a shop...

As I was making my way back home, I had to stop at a candle/antique shop (another favorite) and I found some great deals! They looked to be well stocked, and there was a steady stream of shoppers, so I am hoping it will still be there next year!

I also stopped at Treasure Mart in Ann Arbor. I like Treasure Mart a LOT, but parking is always an issue, and it is hit or miss as to whether or not I find anything I can't live without-about 50/50. Today, there was a spot in the tiny lot behind the store (score!), and I found 2 of the larger (newer) Fiesta baking bowls (another score!)! I wouldn't have seen them if one of the workers hadn't grabbed a pitcher I was looking at before she realized I was looking at it, for the front display window. I wandered over to look at her display and got very excited when I saw the bowls!!

Shhhh! Don't tell Kevin!!! More bowls have made their way into our house! ;) They are already washed and sitting on a shelf in the sun room-he will never know! ;)

See how nice they look with the two smaller prep bowls I got at the Fiesta tent sale!?!?

Tomorrow I'm staying home to run the vacuum and dust-in laws are coming Friday. No cooking though-decided to order pizza instead-whew!! Kevin's brother is bringing a green bean casserole-even though we are getting pizza-guess he loves green bean casserole! I'd be willing to bet he won't show up anyway-he has bailed more times than he's shown up in the last 5 or 6 years.

The boys are done house-sitting and are back home...along with a week's worth of dirty laundry, and back to eating everything in site! It's quiet right now-they both had to work at 3 ;-). I'm glad they are home, I missed them, but the quiet is nice too.

What are your plans for New Year's Eve? We usually keep it very low-key. Pajamas, snacks and movies! Hope you have a nice night, whatever you decide to do!