Crazy, Busy Friday!

This morning I asked myself if I should stay home and do laundry or take a chance on a few sales that looked iffy. If you've been reading my blog for more than a week, I know you know what I chose to do! (smile) Yep! Kevin and I took off on a little adventure and tried out a few estate sales. most of them were frogs, and two of them were junior princes-not quite good enough to call princes, but not bad enough to be called frogs.

We had a nice relaxing day, enjoying each other's company-without the usual distractions around the house. One of the sales we went to actually had a bomb shelter and some of the stuff for sale was in the bomb shelter. I was excited to see it when the lady running the sale told us to make sure we we didn't miss it, because they had things for sale in it too.

The entrance was in a hidden corner of the basement and it had a long, twisty, narrow hallway leading from the basement to the bomb shelter. The whole shelter was probably 9'x9', and made me feel pretty claustrophobic while I was in there. It looked to be made out of cinder block, and I couldn't tell if there was more to it than that or not. It seemed like it could be a place someone could get trapped in pretty easily though if it caved in .

 Maybe it would be a good tornado shelter instead. The ceiling even looked to be cinder block. I bet it would be a fun fort for kids to play in-although I don't know if they'd get any internet connection in there!

This is what I picked up today:

 a chenille baby or crib blanket-no holes, stains or tears!

 Three fired-on apple dishes, two primary Pyrex 401 bowls, a few old Christmas stockings

 A plastic drink shaker, a Christmas mouse an oval frame, a clothespin bag,
 a pile of half aprons and a baby gown

 a pink and white baby blanket-gorgeous!

This one puzzles me...it clearly asks what little boys are made of-yet it is pink and white!

This is what Kevin picked up-it came with a stethoscope-$2!

Other things we squeezed into our day include: a meeting at Eric's school, a trip to Lowe's and Home Depot and a trip to Costco. We found a shower enclosure at Lowe's that looks like travertine, but is a man made product-all assembled in sheets that you glue to the wall studs. I think we both are excited, because it was considerably cheaper than tiling the shower, but much nicer looking than the fiberglass one piece unit that we currently have.

 It's something to tuck into the back of our minds, for a later time. We still have to put stone on the outside walls of the sun room and we have Eric's graduation party coming up in June. So maybe next fall we'll change up our bathrooms.

We got a rug at Costco for the sun room. I think it looks great and it keeps your feet off of the cold, cold floor. Kevin and Eric think it is too big and hides too much of the tile...what do you think? It takes up about 1/3 of the overall floor space. It's a big one-7.5'x10'!

***As I was typing this Kevin got a call from Eric to come to the end of our little road, because someone had rolled their car! He was waiting to make a left turn onto our road and someone flew over the train tracks (coming toward him) going too fast for the snowy road, and the little hill that the tracks are on and started swerving right for Eric! She over compensated and ended up in the ditch with her jeep on its side. Eric ran to the rescue with a few other people who were driving in the area at the time, and I'm happy to report that the girl was just really shaken up-but not injured at all-thank you Lord! Poor Eric, he can't stop shaking-that was a close call!

Now I am off to do that laundry I bailed on earlier, and maybe curl up with a book for a few hours. Eric got an electric blanket for Christmas, and last night I fell in love with it! He may have a fight on his hands getting it back! It is just the right size to curl up on the couch with...maybe the laundry can wait a bit longer...a book, a warm blanket and a mug of tea-seem to be calling my name! (smile).

Hope you have a great weekend! Stay warm and stay safe!

Merry Christmas to Me ~ Thanks Mom & Dad!!

I must be dreaming! I actually won a quilt top on Ebay and it was very reasonable! I used my Christmas gift card that I got from my parents and it came in the mail today. I LOVE, LOVE, Love it! The only issue I have is, it smells like cigarette smoke!

 It's twin size and I think it will look awesome on my old iron bed. It is the Grandmother's Garden pattern. It is very similar to the one I wanted to buy at a garage sale at the end of summer. The sale where the seller changed her mind and decided to keep it.

It doesn't have any stains, or rips...just the stinky smell. I don't really want to wash it, because I'm afraid the stitches might come loose. Any suggestions on getting rid of the stink? I can hang it outside to air out once the weather cooperates and stops raining. I just draped it over my tablecloth rack in the sun room for right now.

I got off work early, and was planning to go to a couple of sales, but it was yucky-rainy out and my GPS was being dumb, and I didn't feel like driving-so I went home and now, I'm sitting here itching to go to a sale-LOL!

I thought about running out to the Mega Mall, I've heard they have new management and a lot of new dealers and I've wanted to check it out, but I didn't feel like making the drive today. Maybe tomorrow. I don't see any great sales that are worth driving to for the weekend, so I might just have to get my fix at Mega Mall.

Or, maybe I'll just stay home with a good book...

A Hamster Estate Sale??

I was skimming through Craigslist and came across a hamster estate sale! It made me laugh, so I thought I'd share a chuckle with you!

Hamster estate sale - $20

Our Russian dwarf hamster passed away from old age and we are not planning on getting another one in the short-term future, so this is his estate sale...

Includes:
- Glass fish tank (10 gallon?) with mesh lid. The tank is not sealed so it won't hold water (i.e., can't be used for fish)
- Silent wheel, water bottle, food dish
- Hardwood "furniture"
- About one third to one half of a bag of paper bedding, and a similar amount of wood chip bedding,
- Half a bag (2 pounds or so) of hamster food
- A bunch of plastic components compatible with most commercial hamster habitats
- Clear plastic ball









I admire their creativity! I hope they sell their stuff!

Gorgeous Moon!!!

As I was sitting int he sunroom, surfing my blog friend's blogs, I happened to catch a glimpse of the moon through one of the skylights. I had to turn off the ceiling fan to get a shot at it (pretend you don't see the dust-I am pretending! ;) )

Then I went outside to snap a couple shots...the pictures don't do it justice! It is gorgeous!!!

Playing Can Be Work Too!!

Today was a busy day! It was "Dealer Day" at the antiques and collectibles mall where I have my booth. Dealer Day, in case you haven't been reading my blog for a while, is when the mall owners open the doors for dealers only, the first Sunday of the month from 10am-noon. They put out a buffet spread, and have two drawings-one for a $20 mall gift certificate, and the other for $50 off the next month's rent.

It's a great chance to get into your booth to rearrange, dust, vacuum, straighten, or whatever! I waited until today to take out all of my Christmas junk stuff. I'm glad I waited, because I sold some more of it this week! I sold the headboard bench Kevin made yesterday so I needed to bring in something to fill it's spot, plus I had 3 giant bins of new junk treasures to add in.

One of the other dealers came over to me with a worried look on her face, and asked if I was moving out. I laughed and said no, just moving stuff around. It looked like a bomb went off in my booth for most of the 2 hours I was there! Kevin went with me, but he was soo worried about getting out to the car to sit and wait, he kept asking if we were done yet.

I asked him along because I knew I had a major amount of work to do, and knew I couldn't get it all done by myself. I should have left him home after I kept having to explain about presentation, and displaying things nicely and not just throwing them on any old shelf. I couldn't imagine being as impatient as he is. I think I'd have an ulcer from it!!

After I got home, I decided to play with some of my finds that I've decided to "foster" for a while. I bought them with the intention of selling them, but once I got them home, I fell in love with them and can't part with them just yet!

Part of the playing involved going to the upstairs part of our barn and hauling in a twin box springs (don't worry-I thoroughly checked for critters!) and putting the bed together, as well as moving the trundle bed around. While I was up there, I found the quilt my grandma made for us for a wedding gift (it was in a clear bag-not just laying around in the barn). I never really liked it (just didn't like the colors and the way she edged it) and never appreciated the time she put into it. I appreciate the time that went into it now but part of me wonders if she really made it herself, because up until them and ever since then, I have never seen her sew a thing!

She crocheted up until about 6 years ago when she starting having issues with dementia and couldn't remember how to do it. She did ceramics until about 10 years ago until she got tired of it (or maybe couldn't do it anymore), but I never, ever saw her sew. I wonder if she just bought it. I can't ask her because she is gone now, and I know my grandpa won't have a clue, so there's no point in asking him.

I never used it on our bed. It's mostly been in the basement in a storage bin, or in the barn (I didn't put it out there-I thought it was still in the basement). The quilt batting looks like it is dissolving or something. I looked it over to see if I could just remove the little triangles that it is edged with, but that would involve removing the whole back, and that's a task I am not up for right now. So, it will stay as is, but it won't stay in the barn. It's in the house on a spare bed in the basement family room/boys rec room/treasures pricing room.

I feel bad for not appreciating it when I got it, and for forgetting about it all these years! It's still not my favorite, but I appreciate the hours and hours that went into it. I could almost say I appreciate the love that went into it, but, 1. I'm not sure she even made it, and 2. If she did make it, it was for the attention/admiration of the ladies at my shower more than out of love for me. I don't think she ever learned how to love anyone other than herself throughout her whole life. I know is sounds mean, but I also knew her, and it's the truth.

So, Now I'm headed off the see what you've been up to this weekend. Hopefully there will be some good sales this coming week! I'm itching for a good hunt! Hope you have a great week!!!

January 6th? Or April 6th?

It is a glorious, blue-sky, sunny 53 degrees out today! I am LOVING it!! It sure doesn't feel like January-more like April. I didn't go to any sales today. I went to the movies with Kevin instead. I am so glad I went too! We saw War Horse and it was incredible! I hadn't seen any previews, so I didn't know what to expect, and I wasn't too thrilled about going. I just went along because Kevin asked me, and we don't have "date time" as often as we should. I hope the movie wins lots of awards-it is very deserving in my eyes.

We're thinking of going to D.C. the end of March for the Cherry blossom Festival...any thoughts, ideas or advice about that? I know it will be crowded with this being the centennial year, I'm wondering about parking, driving around, places to stay, etc. Any tips or advice you can give me will be very greatly appreciated!!

Hope you're having a great Friday, and that your weekend is relaxing, and refreshing!

Where to go...What to do...

We are thinking of doing a little bit of traveling this year and we have to hurry and make up our minds! Every year in February, U of M makes their nurses decide on their days off for the entire year! Usually we forget about it and we are scrambling the day Kevin gets his pick. This year, we are trying to think ahead...but we are drawing a blank.

We are thinking of going in March or April, and have no idea where to go (except Florida, California and Arizona-been there done that enough times). Do you have any ideas? I thought about Savannah, or D.C., or Texas...what do you recommend? We want to stay in the U.S. this time, and it can be as short as a few days or up to 10.

Best Finds of 2011...

Since many of you are doing posts of your best finds of 2011, I thought I'd jump right in with my best finds for the past year.

WOW! That was a FUN year of treasure seeking!!! I'd forgotten just how much great junk I got! The best part? It was FUN searching for it!! The funniest story is the ornament box with "A Tribute to Ugliness" written on it!

Hope 2012 turns out to be half as much fun!!!

Starting the New Year off right!

One last day off from work, and I'm wondering how I'll ever get back into the swing of things! I've had 12 days off and I am starting to get used to the leisurely pace that I've had on my vacation. I've gotten a lot accomplished, and I've relaxed a LOT-maybe too much!

Volleyball starts back up 2 nights a week this week, then in February it goes to 4, and this is the homestretch for Eric in his senior year. I know all of this rest and relaxation is going to disappear quite quickly-so I am very thankful to have had this quite time.

I totally forgot about a package of hand towels that I picked up at the second sale last week! I just found them in my car and they were all folded and tied with string. I picked them up because the whole pack was only $3. When I unfolded them, I was in love!

Florida, New Jersey and California and polka dots!?! LOVE ♥ ♥ ♥!

What do you think? Kinda dirty, but I'm not worried-Biz can get it out! They are kinda smelly too, good thing Biz has a great scent too!

 I had to run out to pick up a new hole punch (my other one has been missing for over a month), so I stopped at our local thrift store-boy was it PACKED!! I had to park on a side road along with about 10 other cars. It was worth it though!

Wouldn't you know as soon as I got home with the new punch and went downstairs to get busy pricing stuff, I found the old one! I had tucked it away in a old wooden box, along with a bunch of tags that I had cut out and some other stuff that I use for pricing-figures.

I'm looking forward to dinner tonight! I'm trying something new-crock pot lasagna! My cousin brought it to our extended family gathering on Christmas Eve and it was awesome! It was very easy to make, and one very important thing...when it's in the crock pot, it won't bubble up and spill over the sides like it does in the oven! :)

Happy January 2nd everyone! Have a great night!!!

2012 Michigan Flea Markets, Festivals and Sales-My Top 10

Every year I like to make a list of the flea markets, festivals and sales/shows that I love to attend. Since it is a new year, and I have some down time, I thought I'd make my list up early so I can mark my calendar and plan my adventures!

1.  Michigan Antique & Collectibles Festival in Midland. With over 1000 dealers on over 80 acres-you get your junkin fix along with a good workout! Admission is $5 per person. This year's dates: June 2-3, July 21-22, Sept. 22-23.

2. Warren's Greatest Garage Sale in a parking structure at Warren's city hall. Admission is only $1 per person and if you can think of it, it will probably be there! This year's dates are May 27-28.

3. Flat Rock Historical Society Flea Market at the Flat Rock Speedway. Free admission and parking-with up to 300 vendors. Their usual dates are the first Sunday in May and the first Sunday in October 7am-7pm.

4. Greenmead Flea Market located on the historic Greenmead Farm in Livonia. They don't have their 2012 dates posted yet, but I am assuming they will be Sunday, June 3 and Sunday, September 9-same as it has been the last few years. Admission is $2 per person and they have up to 175 vendors.

5. Royal Oak Parking Structure Sale located in the 6th and Lafayette parking structure. July 14-15-admission is $2 per person.

6. Williamston Antiques Open House dates not announced yet, but I'm thinking March and June-like last year, and years prior

7. Mega Mall Summer Flea Market located in the parking lot of the Mega Mall in Lansing. It is on the third Sunday of the month April-October 10am-3pm.

8. Ingham County Superfest Flea Market/Garage Sale located on the Ingham County Fairgrounds. Admission is $4 per person. 2012 dates are not release yet, but I am assuming they will be February 4-5.

9. Michigan's Yard Sale Trail located along US 12 Heritage Trail August 10-12. 

10. World's Longest Yard Sale or 127 Sale from Gasden, Alabama to Hudson, Michigan. 2012 dates-August 2-5.

These are my top ten. I don't know if I'll make it to all of them, but I will certainly try, and I'll take you along so you can have an adventure too!