Michigan Weather at its Best!

Today is an absolutely gorgeous day! I can't think of a thing that could make it any better weather-wise. I could be very happy and content if it was this lovely all year round! Not too hot, not too chilly, bright sunshine, big puffy white clouds, low humidity, blue skies and right around 70 degrees-LOVING it!!!

My youngest stepped on a nail at work the other day and it went right through his shoe. His shoes were pretty worn out anyway, so we took off this morning to go to our favorite shoe store. It just happens to be about a half hour away. It's not anything special, most towns have a Famous Footwear, but this one carries extended sizes. When you are looking for a size 15, you're willing to drive a little bit so you have a good selection and the shoes can be tried on. It also helps that there is a Sonic just a few miles down the road!

We left earlier than we needed to so that we could hit a few garage sales on the way. He is going to school to be an elementary teacher and some of his classes require him to purchase kids books and read them. He then has them for his own personal library for when he gets a teaching job. So he was on the look-out for gently used kids books. He's hoping to be a 5th grade teacher, so we were looking for chapter books.

We only bought 4 at a church rummage sale for a quarter each. The other sales we stopped at wanted between $1 and $15 for each book. We stopped at quite a few places, and had a fun day together. We got him some shoes, but they have to be shipped to our house. He found a style he wanted but they didn't have his size in the color he wanted. I got a pair too. They are having a sale right now BOGO 1/2 off plus if you have a rewards card, you get another 20% off. It turned out to be a really good deal!

Lunch at Sonic was great! We were (or should I say I was) very excited to see that the banana cream pie shake is back!!! YUM!!! If you haven't tried one, you have to find a Sonic and try one-they are amazing!!! After the tetnus shot yesterday and antibiotics he has to take, Eric wasn't feeling so great, but the shake perked him right up!

We finished up at the grocery store buying ingredients to make some giant subs and mini cheesecake cups for tomorrow for our picnic after the Spina Bifida fundraiser walk, and some essentials for a care package for my oldest son's friend who is heading back to college on Sunday.


We didn't find any great treasures...just some fun times and few things we couldn't live without.

 Brand new, only used once giant cooler! I got it for less than half of what I was about to pay for one in the store! We've had one for 16 years, and it survived a trip to Alaska, and all over Michigan, the hinges finally broke, so I'm very happy to have a new one-especially at such a low price!

 The wreath on the wall is a holder for Christmas cards. I'm thinking of a project to do with it. I'll let you know when I do it. Starting a new Pyrex bowl set-on the look-out for the other three!

 Plates I bought for a friend.

This will look great outside Mr's barn.

How about you? Did you get out to any sales today? Hope you have a great weekend! I'm VERY excited for the walk tomorrow! Looking forward to seeing family and hanging out together!

One Last Adventure for This Weekend

Today was the day for the flea market at The Little Red Schoolhouse in Lansing. I've wanted to go for a while now, but never had the free time to go. I know I've been to a lot of sales this weekend and done a lot of driving, but there isn't much summer left, and I did finally have some extra free time.

The flea market is an O.K. flea market. It was much smaller than I expected. Definitely much smaller than the Mega Mall Flea Market, and a lot less vintage/antique sellers than at the Mega Mall Flea Market. There was only one booth with a lot of Pyrex. The booth across from it had two pieces and that was all I saw.

I got to wander through the store while Mr went across the street to visit Harbor Freight-he loves that store. The store was the most crowded I've ever seen. I'm glad! I really like shopping there, and I hope that lots of other people do too.

It was just a quick trip there and back. Now we are at home, getting ready to start some projects-details coming soon!

This is what I found today...

A light pink metal tissue box with decals, (the dealer didn't even totally remove the GW sticker from the top!), three pieces of opal Pyrex (unmarked white), and a gooseberry casserole with lid!

Here is a peek at the projects I've been working on today. They are no where near done, I've just run out of paint!

I didn't think I'd have enough of the turquoise to even get to the arms/legs, so I didn't prop it up. So, now I'm off to get more paint and some solar lights for the chandelier. I'm hoping to cut the loop off on the bottom, and plan to remove the electrical wires and light bulb holders.

Free is GREAT!

Last Monday, a house that is directly across from where I work (driveways are exactly across from each other) had a pile of stuff outside with giant FREE signs on it. I was leaving for lunch with my youngest, and saw the stuff and wanted to stop, but I let him talk me out of it.

We went to lunch and came back and a lot of it was gone, but I had to be in a meeting right away so I couldn't go check it out. After the meeting, I talked two friends into going with me to help carry some chairs that I could see were still there.

I'm thrilled! The three wooden chairs will get a good coat of spray paint and poly and will be stored in the barn until next spring when they will be filled with enamel pots and flowers. The steel chair is going to get sprayed either bright turquoise with white arms/legs or bright red with white arms/legs.

Later in the week, I remembered a friend had posted on facebook that he was thinning out his perennials and was asking if anyone wanted some. So, I contacted him and set it up to go to his house on Saturday to dig some up. Mr knows this friend as well as I do, because we play volleyball with him, so he went by himself to dig up the plants.

He was gone for almost 2 hours! I kept wondering if he was wandering around Home Depot or something. I couldn't believe it took so long. When he got home he said the ornamental grass took forever to dig out and that took the majority of the time he was there.

This is what my car looked like when Mr got home...

We had our work cut out for us! I never in a million years expected this much stuff!! I sent him a text to thank him and he texted back that whenever he introduces Mr to anyone, hes going to say they fought in The Fountain Grass War together. I guess it was a real battle to dig out the grass-get it?

 As you can see, this front flowerbed has gotten away from us. We pulled out some big bushes and couldn't decide what we wanted to do, and before we knew it...it looked terrible! Weeds had totally taken over, and the worst part is that it is on the front side of the house and anyone that comes to our front door, had to walk past this to get to the door!

 We got busy and cleared it all out.

Then planted in all of our free treasures! We are going to put in some mulch, but that is a project for another day. We finished this job up really fast and took off for the Heritage Trail Yard Sale!

90% of our plants in our flower beds are from other people. I love it that way!! Every time I see the plants, I think of the person, and try to remember to pray for them when I think of them. Some of my friends or relatives that I've gotten plants from have passed away, so looking at and caring for their plants warms my heart as I think of them.

We had enough plants to put some in three other beds besides this front spot-now to keep them watered and hope they all make it!!!

Too Much of a Good Thing??

After some yard work this morning, Mr and I decided to hop in the car to check out a small portion of the Heritage Trail Yard Sale. It is on M-12 or Michigan Avenue and it runs from Ypsilanti all the way through the state to the state line. We started in the Ann Arbor area and went as far as Jackson, or where 127 meets up with M-12.

The first stop we made, and the first sales that we saw were at The Rentschler Farm and Museum in Saline. There were several vendors set up on the grounds and tons of people walking around shopping. As I was walking up, I was focusing on getting a shot of the sign and wasn't looking ahead to see what kind of booths there were.

So, imagine my surprise and delight when I looked up and saw this...look at the fence!

 It was LOADED with vintage chenille bedspreads!!! The entire booth was loaded with all the vintage goodies that I LOVE-I was like a kid in a candy shop!

Do you see the pink gooseberry Cinderella bowls?? I've never seen them ITW (in the wild) before and I saw some yesterday and some more today! She had a full set of 4 in very good condition that she wanted $130 for. I asked if she could go any lower, and she had to call someone to ask. They were willing to go as low as $90. What a HUGE discount! Too bad it was too high for me still. There was a single gooseberry Cinderella bowl that was for sale for $23, but I passed on that as well. I'm hoping to some day find them for as low as Auntie found them for yesterday. See the chenille on the fence? Notice anything? I'll tell you about it later.

I didn't buy these hands, but since they were the second pair I had seen in two days, I thought I'd snap a picture and ask you all what they are for...are they just a candy dish? Or do they have some sort of significant meaning behind them?

They even had live chickens on the farm!

We visited all the booths, but nothing compared to the first one, so we quickly hopped back in the car and took off to see what other treasures and adventures awaited us. We drove, and drove and drove before we saw another sale. It was not like the M-29/M-25 sale that Auntie and I visited yesterday. The sales today were very few and far between, and the road was more dangerous, with lots more traffic moving at a much higher rate of speed.

We stopped at all the ones that were right on the trail, choosing to not follow any rabbit trails or side roads, and I have to say, I was very highly disappointed in the lack of sales. I've always wondered what I was missing out on when I chose the thumb sale over this one. Now, I'm thinking I've made the right decision all these years to chose the thumb sale.

We did break the no rabbit trail rule one time. We saw signs for a flea market. They said the flea market was only a mile away so we took a chance. It was way more than a mile away. I almost turned back several times, but kept thinking "what if it's huge with lots of great vendors", so I kept going. We did eventually find it, and it was pretty huge. I'm glad we went, but I'm not sure I'd visit more than once a  year.

The barn on the right is full of glassware, and household stuff. The barn on the left is full of car stuff, tools, large furniture, and other not-my-thing kind of stuff. I'm glad I chose the barn on the right first!

 I did see something that I've never seen before,and couldn't walk away without snapping a quick pic. How awesome is this?!?! I wonder if it is all original, or if it's been restored...


The very first booth I walked into, I found a bowl that I didn't have (hard to believe, I know), so I picked it up and carried it with me. As I walked from area to area, I saw dealers sitting in their booths, but I had seen a giant cash register back at the front of the building across from where I picked up the bowl, so I assumed that was the one and only check-out station for the whole place.

I wandered around for a while, in and out of booths and rooms and then back up to the front toward what I thought was the check out station, but when I got there, it looked as if the cash register was just on display, because it was for sale. So I skimmed through the rest of the booth behind the cash register and the next couple of booths, making my way to the middle of the building where there was an opening to the barn on the left.

I had just turned the corner to head into the other barn (and I wasn't walking fast, I was casually walking/looking at the booths), when a guy came up to me really fast and told me I had to pay for that bowl up at the front. I apologized and immediately followed him.

I told him I was looking for a place to pay but had no idea where I was supposed to go (I wondered if there was another place in the other barn). I told him I wasn't trying to take the bowl, but he just kept wrapping it up. I mean really-how can you steal a big bowl when you aren't carrying any type of purse or bag? I was carrying it right out in the open,not under my shirt, or behind my back. I thought he'd laugh at me and say, no problem or something like that,and when he didn't, I asked if the place was open year round. Somewhat for curiosity's sake and somewhat to let him know it was my first time there. I even mentioned that I had thought that was the check-out but got confused when I saw it was for sale. He said it was both, the check-out area and for sale.

He seemed to soften up a bit toward me after I handed over my money and asked if I was doing the yard sale trail, and then gave me some flyers of other places to stop. It turns out, that particular flea market is only open on weekends May through October. He seemed like a nice guy after we got past the part of him thinking I was trying to steal his bowl.


This is what was missing from the fence...I  can't   believe   I got   a   purple   chenille   bedspread!!!
I am now TOTALLY over the white chenille bedspread with the flowers and red hearts that I walked away from at Collette's last winter. I have regretted walking away from it all these months, but not any more! I'm much happier with this one instead!!

The bowl looks small in this pic, but it is pretty big-not something to hide when you are wearing shorts and a t-shirt and not carrying any bags or a purse.

 I'm wondering if the sales are more plentiful further west...do you know? Have you ever done the M12 sale? Have you had good luck?  I'd really like to hear from you if you have and what your thoughts are on trying it further west, as well as if you could compare it to the M29/M25 sale.

Michigan's Yard Sale Trail 2014--Another Fun Day!!

Yesterday was such a whirlwind day!! It started at 7:30 in the morning when I met my friend and fellow treasure-seeker/junking buddy Auntie from Kitschy Vintage to go off on an adventure on Michigan's Yard Sale Trail. A long yard sale route that follows M-29 and M-25 along the St. Clair River and  Lake Huron coastlines of Michigan's thumb. 

The start of the trail is about an hour and fifteen minutes from our hometown, and since we haven't had much time to hang out this summer, we had LOTS of time to blab and catch up. Whenever we get together, we always jump back in right where we left off, and we never lack for things to talk about.

We literally shopped til we dropped! We finished in Port Sanilac, even though the sale goes much farther north, because we ran out of time and energy. I had a standing date with my Cousin and her son's girlfriend to finish up the tutus for our team for the Spina Bifida fundraiser walk that we are walking in next Saturday, so I had to get home. 

When we started, we were an hour and fifteen minutes from home, when we ended we were two hours from home, and we shopped on driveways and in fields for 8 hours-that's how many sales there are along the route, and we didn't hit everyone we saw, or go off of the main drag to other sales.

It was a LOT more crowded with shoppers this year than in previous years. I think the advertising on t.v. and social media really helped bring it to the attention of a lot of people. Even though there were a lot more shoppers, there was still plenty to look at and more than enough treasures for everyone to buy. 

This year there were several estate sales along the route too, something that I've not seen before, but was very excited to check out. The very first estate sale that we went to was a "make an offer, we gotta get rid of it, the estate sale was last week, this is what's left" kind of sale. I got a really neat refrigerator/leftover dish and two very filthy tiny red Pyrex dishes for $1.

I took Auntie to all of my favorite driveways and fields to shop and I think we both did really well. Since I don't have the booth anymore, I was just hunting for the fun of it and for things that I wanted for myself. Treasure hunting has a totally different feel to it when you aren't hunting for reselling-there is a huge weight of pressure off of your shoulders when it is a just for fun hunt.

For most of the day I was talking to Auntie about the museum and the Amish baked/canned goods booth that is on the grounds there and how much I love to buy their little turnover pies to eat on the way home. My mouth watered just thinking about them, I was anticipating munching on one at the end of our very long day (just like I do every year when I do this sale).

 Unfortunately we were there a couple of hours later than I usually get there and they were all out of pies. We had to settle for soft sugar cookies. We were both starving so we couldn't wait to try one. I've bought a LOT of Amish baked goods over the years and they have all been outstanding. I've never had a bad pie, cake, or cookie-I epecially LOVE their fry pies-YUM-those are the BEST!

This time was the exception...they were totally out of turnover pies, and the cookies we bought were really bad. I should have had a clue when the oatmeal cookies they were selling all had burned bottoms. I never dreamed sugar cookies could taste so bad. What a big let-down after bragging up the pies all day!

We raced home after all of our adventures so that I could get home in time to meet up with my cousin for the tutus. I got home and had exactly ten minutes to unload the car, do a loot shoot and put it all away before they got here! Whew!! 

We made tutus until around 11pm. That was a long, super fun day-I LOVED every minute of it!! Thanks Auntie and Marla and Sarilda for making it so much fun!!

Here are some shots of my day yesterday...

 My beautiful hydrangea

 Sun coming up over the trees

 Auntie, starting her stash

 Beautiful water...we saw 3 freighters go by while we were on the trail.

 The place where Auntie scored some AMAZING Pyrex!!! Might be the first Gooseberry that she's found ITW (in the wild).

 Estate sale #1

 This sale didn't have anything for me, but I was delighted to see two boxes of Optometrist testing lenses-reminded me of my days as an optician.

 I could get so used to this view-LOVE being on the water!

 You can see how close we were to the water while we were shopping.

 Auntie and her big floppy hats!

 There were so many cars driving by that I couldn't get a clear, car-free shot of this sale.

 The one antique shop we walked through. I go in every year, it's a fun break from all the driving.

 I almost didn't think we were at the right place when we got to this sale area...it seemed so much bigger every other year that I've been to it.

 A shopper was driving this-I would LOVE to have a car like this!

 Part-way through the day.

 Look at what I saw for sale in someone's garage-how cool is that?!?

 This was in a little outbuilding on someone's property where there were several tents set up-little hobby antique shop I'm guessing. I took this pic to show the Mr so he can make the table top for my treadle base.

 I LOVE this!!!

 The end of the trip...

 Loot Shoot! I guess it was a tablecloth kind of day for me!

 These were in a box on the floor in the entryway of the house under some stuff. I saw the red and the shape and knew it was Pyrex, but they were really dirty. I took a chance because I got them both and the clear round refrigerator dish next to them for $1.

 Soap flake pitcher, Pyrex and Riviera shakers-oh my!

Soaking with dish soap and water over night-so glad I didn't let a little grime scare me off!!

So another successful yard sale trail, with lots of great memories, fun times, laughter, and great treasures-I can't wait for next year!!!