Bargain Hunting Treasure Seeker: Another Weekend, Another Adventure!

My weekend started on Thursday with an estate sale in the town I grew up in. It was the last day, and everything was 50% off. Mr. was off work, so he went along for the ride. He was happy to get a pretty much new propane tank (with the label still on it) for $2.50. I got a mirror, but you'll have to take my word for it, because I don't have a picture. It was $2.50 as well. The house was still very much packed, even at 50% off. As we were leaving, a huge storm was blowing in with tons of rain. I hope it didn't stop people from getting there to get the deals!

On our way home, we drove down some of the roads that were my old neighborhood, and we drove past my grandparents old house, and my Traverse City friend's house from when we were kids. Everything looks so much smaller, and closer to the road now that I'm old. When I was a kid. those houses looked so huge to me.

It's hard to believe that it's been 30 years since my grandparents retired and sold their house to move north. Oh,how I wish I could have been around for their down-sizing garage sale!! Even though I was a kid, I can still remember some of my grandma's vintage treasures!

We even drove past the house my parents built my senior year of high school. It was neat to see how big her Rose of Sharon bush has gotten since they moved out 13 years ago when they retired and moved north. That house still looks the same.

Thursday was also my mom's birthday, but since she was busy, we were able to meet her and my Dad in West Branch on Friday for a really late lunch/really early dinner. West Branch is the halfway point between our houses. We used to meet there several times a year to drop off or pick up the boys when they were younger and had time off from school to visit grandma and grandpa. Now, with work and school they don't have as much free time for trips to the U.P.

We left early and made a few stops along the way. First stop was Antique Warehouse in Saginaw. I still love this store, even though most of my favorite dealers have moved out, or changed their style (I'm pretty sure they've moved out). It's a nice, clean mall and it's easy to zip through quickly and get back on the road. I didn't find anything this time that I couldn't live without, but I thoroughly enjoyed the hunt!

We also stopped at Northwoods Wholesale Outlet in Pinconning. I had never even heard of it, but my youngest had and he was chomping at the bit to check it out. It's a dream store for hunters and fishermen, and judging by the number of people there Friday, a lot of people think it's the place to shop!! It was so packed and so crazy! It was (IMO) more crazy than any store I've been to on Black Friday!! We didn't stick around very long, but he definitely wants to go back-just not on a holiday weekend!

Then we stopped at Frank's Outdoors in Linwood. It was much smaller, and much less crowded. I wandered around the "woman section" as he called it, while he wandered around the rest of the store. I found a really interesting cloth book/tablet rest there, but I didn't buy it because I'm wondering if I could make one using one of my cutter tablecloths...It is a pyramid shape and seems like it would be pretty easy to make (said the girl who has only used her sewing machine once in almost a year).

From there we went to West Branch. We stopped at the Potato Barn Antiques shop. When we pulled in the parking lot, I was thinking it would be fun to check out a new place...as soon as I walked in the door, I realized that I'd been there before. It was still fun to check it out. We also stopped at a little shop right on the main drag. It felt like their furnace was on, so we didn't stay very long.

We met my parents at the Lumberjack restaurant. I think it is one of only two sit-down restaurants in the area close to the expressway. The rest are all fast food. We were joined by my oldest and his new gf, of just two months. We had a great time, but there is only so long you can sit and talk in a restaurant-especially knowing you have a good drive ahead of you.

My two guys rode home together and the new gf rode home with me! I originally thought we'd all ride up together and we could talk and laugh and get to know her a little better, but they had plans to go to the beach on the way, so we couldn't ride together. I tried to tell him that it wasn't fair for her to be stuck (and put on the spot) in the car with her new boyfriend's mother for over 2 hours, but he insisted that she was looking forward to it!

I was pretty nervous!! I was afraid I'd give away his secrets, or say something dumb, or offend her, or scare her off!! He hasn't had a gf for about 6 years, so we are very happy that he's found someone he likes and he's having fun hanging out with, so I didn't want to be the one to make her run screaming in the other direction!! So much pressure!!! I almost felt like it was my first date!! :)

We did fine! We talked and blabbed so much that my face and head hurt when we got home!! She seems to be a lovely girl, and the more we talked, the more we found out how much in common she and I have. With a few exceptions-she'd never heard of Fiesta and didn't have a clue about vintage Pyrex or kitchenware-but I can teach her!! I love to drive and she doesn't mind it, but doesn't love it. Other than that, we have so many things in common it's kind of scary.

He's off with her today in her neck of the woods, meeting her extended family at a big get-together, so with him gone and our youngest at work, I decided to head out on another adventure, and Mr tagged along. We went to Flatrock to Motor City Antiques. I think it's been about 5 years since I visited this mall. It's very easy to get to, just pretty far away, with nothing really close by. You know how I like to map out a few places to visit in one trip if I can, and the closest place I found was about 20 miles away in Lincoln Park.

We visited a new to us place today, and it was a fun little shop with lots to see. It was clean, and had nice displays, it was worth the stop. Those two places wouldn't be enough for me to drive that far very often, but if you are in the area, it would be worth it to go more often.

The next stop was Berkley at Odd Fellows Antiques. I like this shop too, even though it seems like some of my favorite sellers here have left as well. There was plenty to see on both levels and Mr was entertained with the customers at the ice cream shop next door as he sat in the car waiting for me. He watched several people try to sit on the benches and chairs with their ice cream, only to be chased away by yellow jackets.

By the time we left, we were starving and we found an old fashioned A & W drive-in. It was so much fun to have them bring our food tray out and hang it on our window, and the icy cold root beer int he frosty glass mugs was awesome!!! The servers even had the old change belts with the metal coin dispensers. It was a fun way to end our day out!

I did buy two things today, both of them from Odd Fellows. Two gorgeous tablecloths-because as someone I know says "you don't have any of those". As I was talking to the cashier, I admitted that I really had no business buying more tablecloths because I have way too many already, she just laughed and said that they like it when collectors shop there. She was the cashier the last couple of times I've visited, and she is super friendly. Doesn't that make the shopping trip that much nicer, when you deal with nice employees?!?

Here are some pics of the last few days...

Accidentally bid on the wrong color!!! UGH! That's what happens when you're in a hurry...yep, I won it.