Friday, July 25, 2008

...next?!


Round #2 from the 'clearing house' was wrapped up today! My youngest niece is going away to college (RI !!) for her freshman year. Before my freshman year of college, my Aunt and my Grandmother gave me a box of small, silly gifts to take to school with me... one to open each day for about 2 weeks. Sounds silly - yes. There were packs of gum, a coffee mug, hand lotion, a box of raisins, etc., etc... - just dumb little 'tokens', but the handwritten note that was attached to each was just what this overwhelmed, homesick freshman needed! Hopefully my niece will have some fun with her goody lot!! Tomorrow, bright and early we are embarking on the 2 3/4 hour drive to Albany, NY for her graduation party - maybe we'll hit a sale or two on the way?!!


Wednesday, July 23, 2008

...Clearing House?.


Does anybody else ever get to the point where they feel like the space they inhabit is some kind of a Bizarre 'Clearing House'?? By 'Clearing House', I mean the location for the storage, the accumulating, the sorting, the cleaning, the 'sprucing up', the packing, and FINALLY the dispersal O'Treasures!!! Lately I've been feeling this way. LUCKILY we have a GIGUNDOUS Attic (ie: 'S-studio')!! But still, it is almost kind of a relief to know that 'dispersal' time is approaching! Don't get me wrong... the hunting and gathering of goodies for 'College Bound Nieces', 'Birthdays', 'Goody boxes for adored Youngin's' and 'Christmas Stocking Stuffers' is some of the stuff that keeps me motivated to get out there on weekend mornings!!! Wednesday was dedicated to testing electrical appliances, washing, scrubbing and packing 'going away to college' goodies. Whew!The day was a 'sticky trap' into wistfulness. I found myself longing for those days of preparation for my own ventures away to college, the embarking on the unknown... the possibilities... the freedom...

Then I fell into the 'sticky trap' of reminiscing about my first apartments... Do you remember those days when you were just starting out on your own, and cost was THE #1 determining factor in ANY and EVERY purchase - and you needed EVERYTHING? When aesthetics and style had NO BOUNDARIES. A 'responsible interior' was something to be had 'when I get older'. The sheer eclectisism of those apartments - it still makes me smile. The freedom ...

I still have my 'quirky takes' on the interior style and the outdoor gardening at our house. I'm afraid that I must have 'got older' - now the 'design & character' of an item is a greater than or equal to factor with 'cost'.
<...sigh...>

Sunday, July 20, 2008

...WHY?!!?

Can anybody out there explain to me WHY?!!?
(I have seen this vehicle around our area numerous time, but only in passing. Saturday we came across it in a parking lot - I had to pull out my phone and take a photo!!)
Saturday was HOT & STICKY here in Central NY - but it would take a LOT more than that to keep me from my 'appointed' rounds! JUMBO Sale in the nearby Skaneateles, with a 'car trunk' sale across the street and a 'town wide sale' in the next town over! Got out EARLY to try to beat the heat! Lots of purchases... mostly mundane stuff for the two nieces that are off to college for the first time next month. It was my 'duty' to hit the sales, after the sweet e-mails 'Aunt S-, if you are out garage saling, I could really use...' . I won't bore you with photos of silverware (match set even!), Pampered Chef cooking utensils, electric can opener (Sunbeam .50¢), microwave (Sharp brand, barely used w/ original box & instruction manual - $5), etc., etc...
I did manage to find a couple of 'me' items - can you guess what they are?!!...

...yes - Haeger dish ($1),

~and~

...you guessed it! (.50¢ ea!!)

Thursday, July 17, 2008

..."MAKE OFFER"

Is it just me, or are those the most 'horrible' stickers to ever have been created for Sales??? Usually found at a sale FULL of 'new' stuff, on the ONE item I am interested in!! I refuse. I just plain refuse! I will ask them what they want for 'it', if they say "Make an offer", I will just shrug and walk away. I WON'T play that game! I hate to insult them by offering what 'I' am generally willing to pay, but I'm also NOT going to give them a high amount when they don't even have the %@!!$ to put a price on it!!Such was the case with this sweet old 'Pirate's Chest' toy box! Found at a sale in a newer housing complex, this was the only item there that pre-dated 1985... 'MAKE OFFER'. "How much do you want for the trunk?" "Oh, I don't know, what do you want to pay for it?" ~now THAT is an open ended question that is better left unanswered!! ... I shrugged and turned away. The seller then YELLED to her husband inside the house "Honey, how much do you want for that old trunk you had in the shed??" The husband "A buck... fifty cents... a quarter... I REALLY don't care!" the seller then looked at me "Is a dollar okay?". Well, you know the story from there!

It's pretty worn, but the graphics are SOO darn cute!! Look at that face on 'The Moon'!!

A few other 'finds' included...

~an adorable 'Mexico' themed vintage table cloth - a couple of small holes, but that just makes it all the easier to serve Margaritas on and not worry about! (.25¢)

~a tiki mug - I think the porch may have a Hawaiian theme next summer (.25¢) and an enamel MacKenzie Childs cup (resell - their enamelware doesn't do much for me.)

~AND~

(the Grand Finale you've all been waiting for - ha,ha)

~another different Sweater Clip!! Found in a bag of junk jewelry. The bag also had a 'ROLEX' watch - it MUST be real... Right?! Right?! (ha,ha).

Now, I'm off to the garden. Until next time...

Monday, July 14, 2008

...the power of motivation

Nothing quite gets the house in 'tip top' shape like the knowledge of company coming!! My old roommate and I used to joke that we needed to have company come because the house needed cleaning!
Saturday night we were meeting up with DH's siblings and their other halves to go out to dinner... ...cocktails & appetizers at OUR HOUSE!! So, saling was cut to a bare minimum (though there were MANY!!) in lieu of being productive!
There were flowers to be cut and bouquets to be made... Herbs to be harvested for the Boursin Spread... Berries to pick... Cheese & Cracker plate to create... quick trip by the grocery store for paper towels & kleenex... Floors to be vacuumed... Porch to be swept... Stop to the liquor store...
Blender drinks to be whipped up (MMM... frozen margaritas with fresh raspberries!!)...

and in the end, we had a crisp & clean house and a Wonderful evening!!

I guess it was worth the sacrifice of one morning of junking!!

Friday, July 11, 2008

...the many scents of saling

Friday promised to be a rainy day, so when I woke up and found that it was still dry I wanted to get in as much saling as I could! Only one was starting at 8am. Though it was in a less than desirable local, it WAS on the way to a couple that started at 9am, so I thought I would give it a shot. Not HORRIBLE, but mostly outdated electronics and Home Interiors discards. I did find stacks of unopened packages of 20 count purple and yellow dinner napkins for .25¢ each. I grabbed four of each. The yellow for my niece who is hosting a baby shower in the near future, and I liked the purple. Upon 'unload' at home, I discovered they REAKED of stale smoke - something I hadn't noticed out in the fresh air of the yard sale! I don't have any issues with smoking... ~I won't even go off on a tangent about that now~, BUT these were to the point that I wouldn't even bring them in the house 'as-is'. I'm really hoping that when I open the packages, the contents won't be offensive, but I have my doubts.

Aren't they pretty colors though?!


The next sale on the agenda was that of a 'moving, shop-aholic' (per the ad). It definitely didn't meet up to expectations! I did pick up a bagful of trendy hair accessories - all NEW with Tags (so don't get too grossed out!). The house was gorgeous, and everything was VERY CLEAN and upscale... so I don't think that I will have 'napkin issues' with these!



A few other uneventful stops that only yielded a couple of treats for my senses... New Sealed containers of body creme - and Yes., one of them is Avon (Mandarin & Jasmine)! The other is Pineapple, which I just tried out and it is luscious!! I am definitely a Fruity and Spicy type of person (Ginger! Amber! Coconut! - YUM). Although I love the smell of flowers in the garden, floral scents 'on' ME just don't cut it! 'Rose' ...'Lilac'... 'Lily of the Valley'... all just bring to mind 'Little old Lady' - guess it is from a childhood of WAY TO MANY Sunday mornings, sitting inside of a stuffy country church with all of the 'Blue Hairs'!! I hope I haven't offended the 'floral people' out there!! Scent is definitely a personal thing!



Then on to see the 'brand newShiek, who is shabby and vane' . I just discovered that Barbara at Oodles and Oodles lives just one town away from me. In her post yesterday she put up an ad that had been in our paper this week (stop over to her site and check it out!). I wasn't going to go to this sale, as it was a few miles out of my scheduled route, but I couldn't resist. I must have been too late to meet The Shiek, but I found a couple of things to make the trip worth while.

  • CUTE heavy duty small stool/chair ($1) - I'm thinking a plant on it...
  • 2 boxes of unused 'card' envelopes - tan (350 ct.) & magenta (200 ct) .25¢ ea. - perfect for computer generated correspondence!
  • Retro Olive green metal tray (.50¢) - the color said 'take me home!'
  • Hawaii pottery shot glass (.25¢)

...and now it is raining... I guess that is a hint to get some items listed, and get all of 'the goods' put away. No excuse of going out to work in the gardens!!

...RAV Thursday


Thursday necessitated DH & I to swap vehicles for the day, so I got the RAV4. Though I don't generally drive it to/fro work, I was pleasantly surprised when it went on 'auto pilot' and started making 'turns' and following garage sale signs!! I didn't have any sales planned for the day, but there were a few spontaneous stops enroute to work ... NOTHING 'earth shattering', but nice diversions none-the-less!

  • A couple of beat up, vintage MOTHER GOOSE books with Great graphics (perfect for taking apart!)
  • a package of sealed vintage Hallmark poinsettia coasters
  • roll of new 'caution' tape (I'm thinking some Halloween fun with this!)
...and some of the usual suspects for resale...
  • Anchor Hocking, 1957 milk glass SNOOPY bowl (which I am growing more fond of by the minute!)
  • HYALAN Mug (.25¢)
  • Italian salad servers (50¢)
  • Pampered Chef cheese grater - New In Box ($2.50)

AND

(drumroll please...)

THREE Sweater clips - each from a different location, each $1.00 !!

Hope everyone has plentiful hunting this weekend!!

Monday, July 7, 2008

...40 THINGS

... for lack of anything more inspirational to post about...
(and I am tagging anyone who reads this, who is also at a momentary loss of inspiration)

48 ODD Things about you!

1. Do you like blue cheese?
...it makes ANYTHING taste better! That was how I survived freshman yr. of college!

2. Have you ever smoked heroin?
...NOT!

3. Do you own a gun?
...water & cap

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at sonic?
...I have never been to Sonic

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
...not generally.

6. What do you think of hot dogs?
...Yummy! cheese in the middle and sauerkraut outside... in a New England Dog roll of course!

7. Favorite Christmas movie?
... How the Grinch Stole Christmas - not the movie, the cartoon!

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
... Bloody Mary on weekends, Black Coffee on work days.

9. Can you do push ups?.
... like the ice cream / sherbert ones?

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry?
... Day/Night pearl ring that was the first piece of jewelry DHgave me.

11. Favorite hobby?
...STUFF acquisition!

12. Do you have A.D.D.?
... no, but others may have a different opinion.

13. What's one trait you hate about yourself?
... easily side tracked (maybe I lied in #12!)

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment:
... - what's for lunch, -my back is sore from gardening this weekend, -I want a popsicle.

16. Name 3 things you bought yesterday?
... didn't leave the house, didn't buy a thing!

17. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink?
...Coffee, water, 7/7

18. Current worry?
...Did that weird dream last night mean something?

19. Current hate right now?
...My lack of motivation

20. Favorite place to be?
... warm sand by cool water.

22. Where would you like to go?
...Yes! I'm ready for ANY travel adventure!

23. Favorite # ?
... 27

24. Do you own slippers?
...Live in them in the Winter!!

25. What shirt are you wearing?
...dark blue-green v-neck t shirt - one without the tag at the neck 8-)

26. What year would you go back in time to?
... I'm pretty content right here... 39 and holding ;-)

27. Can you whistle?
... no

28. Favorite color?
...orange

29. Would you be a pirate?
...mmm... yes.

30. What songs do you sing in the shower?
...DON'T SING!!

31. Favorite girl's name?
... Lauren

32. Favorite boy's name?
...Christopher or Joseph

33. What's in your pocket right now?
...some change and a screw.

34. Last thing that made you laugh?
...stupid request by a customer.

36. Worst injury you've ever had?
...T.B.I.

37. Do you love where you live?
...Today I do - it's warm!

38. How many TVs do you have in your house?
...3

39. Who is your loudest friend?
...I don't know, I hang with a pretty mellow crew...

40. How many dogs do you have?
...just one fish.

41. Does someone have a crush on you?
...probably not

42. What is your favorite book(s)?
...Illusions by Richard Bach

43. What is your favorite candy?
...black licorice

44. Favorite Sports team?
...whichever one I'M playing for.

45. Your favorite meal?
...scallops with asparagus

46. What were you doing 12 AM last night?
...sleeping

47. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
...THANK GOODNESS the alarm went off and woke me from that dream!

48. Do you have any odd habits?
...Who... Me?> >

Sunday, July 6, 2008

...HALLOWEEN-in-JULY

Only a few 'stuff' finds found there way home from VT-NH-ME with us...

The long saught after CONFETTI Bowl...

No, it's not an original - but the price was right, and I'll enjoy it until my hearts desire is found (that would be an old one with the Main color of red... just in case anybody out there has one sitting around, that they are looking to get rid - ha,ha!) !!


KOKOPELLI Keyring - Mexican Silver...I fell in love with Kokopelli during a trip to AZ several years ago - don't ask me why - I'm definitely NOT in the market for a ' fertility deity'! Found at a Tiny thrift for $1. (Sorry Bean, this one is all mine!!)

We did stop at one shop that had a few COCONUT HEADS... $25. Each!!! - NOT! A few pieces of sea glass came along for the ride 'in land'... but I forgot to photo them!

Friday found us travelling locally, and our stops enroute were very fulfilling!!A Royal Haeger Bowl and Haeger vase ($3 ea.)



A set of red clay Canadian pottery (resell!)

Saturday proved to be MUCH LESS productive! Only 4 sales listed in the paper - 2 of which ended up being 'drive bys' (sp?) as they only had about half a dozen kids' toys on the sidewalk!!

The theme of the day seemed to be HALLOWEEN! Don't get me wrong, Halloween is my favorite holiday. I found Four NWT (new w/ tag) dish towels and two witches hat dishes for .25¢ ea at the first sale.

The second sale caught me a bit off guard. The woman or should I say 'Girl' (young actually - about My age... ha,ha) having the sale was in the middle of a divorce - and His stuff HAD TO GO! When I picked up a Pirate Mask I was instantly informed "50¢ if you'll just get it out of here!". It did come home with me - just because I am a sucker for anything that combines nautical & Halloween! That was all that I was able to bring myself to purchase there... the 'stuff' just didn't have good karma! Call me weird, but it is what it is.


The free pile at the first sale was BOUNTIFUL!! A milk bottle from a dairy in PA, a new package of gold gauze w/ wire edge ribbon, a 'BEE MERRY' ink stamp and a NEW in cellophane Large (70') roll of Christmas Paper.Now, I must return to reality... unpacking, laundry, mail/bills, tending to neglected-for-a-week gardens... hmm, maybe I'll even throw a little cooking in there today... MAYBE! (I love to bake, but cooking is generally beyond my comprehension!!)

HOPE everyone had a Wonderful 4th of July!!

Thursday, July 3, 2008

...IT'S THE LIFE YOU LIVE.

We returned from vacation to find...

Our cactus in full blossom!! YES, believe it or not, there is a species of cactus that survives and thrives OUTDOORS in Upstate New York! I stumbled upon it one day while garage saling at a cottage on the shores of Lake Ontario. They had a HUGE garden of it. I started talking to the gentleman about it - asked him if he had to replant it outside every Spring - he said No. That it is a perennial, goes to moosh every winter and comes back to life in the Spring. I had serious doubts. He gave me a couple of pieces of it, and sure enough!! Definitely one of my prized 'saling' aquisitions!

Our gardens survived superbly in our absence, and provided us with some quick edibles - Greatly appreciated, since the fridge was bare!!
Yummy salad of Raspberries, lettuce, spinach and cilantro!

While on vacation I found myself daydreaming of...
-Life in a cosmopolitan, yet quaint historic downtown - Everything within walking distance. Compact housing. Hopping night life. Corner Cafe-Bistro....
-A camp in the mountains - true 'Tree Hugger' living with the basics...

I reminded myself of a younger me... growing up in a TINY rural town (closest McD's or Grocer Store = 20 minutes away) of about 3,000 people. We didn't have a farm, but ALL of my summer jobs were: 'Doing Hay', setting cabbage plants, picking corn, etc... . Farming was/is the only economy of the town. I graduated with a comparatively large class of 76 people from the same school that my Mom and Dad attended. Love(d) the town and the bond, but dreamed of endless possibilities. You must understand that small towns aren't generally a haven for creatively thinking outside of the box.

Now here I am. Back from vacation to the Home that we have made for ourselves - safe and sound and Very Happy right HERE... with our gardens, and our 'stuff'. A song keeps running through my head, which pretty much sums up this 'reflection'... In the words of an '80's Hair Band' (bonus points if you can Name That Group!!)-
"It ain’t the life you choose, it’s the life you live."
All the best layed out plans, can turn on a dime - so make what you want out of what you've got and where you are NOW!
~Sorry~ no 'stuff' to post about right now... SOON!!

...Destination MOOSE!

"Life is a journey, not a destination."

Last weekend was our yearly trip to NH/Maine... We stay in Kittery, ME and while DH goes to work (part time photographer for one of the race magazines) the race in Loudon, NH, I do a little shopping at the outlets and a little vegging by the pool. It's a win/win situation! I have been going to VT-NH-ME at least once a year for the last 20+ years... and never seen a Moose! This year we decided to tack a couple of days onto our trip and go on a 'Moose Hunt' (with camera - NOT gun!!)

Oh, what a journey it was!!

We saw...
TONS of Lupine (about a week past peak!)...


Detoured to the top of Mount Washington...
Deer...

Turkeys! (although I'm sure the moose were hiding, snickering, and saying the same of us!!)...


and a Red Fox,
and another Deer,
and more turkeys,
and a rabbit...

DH and I joke "If we keep stopping, we'll never get to see anything" (quote overheard many years ago of a Father scolding his kids for gawking at a waterfall!!).


and Finally...
Isn't she a Beauty?!!
Now, we want to see a male, with horns! (The journey MUST continue!!)
It was an AMAZING 6 days!

Upon our return home...

EBOR!
(see previous post.)
But, there were many 'Lovelies' awaiting us too!

~to be continued~

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

...FRED


FRED.

R.I.P. 9/00 - 7/08


(Just back from a week Holiday... much to post at a later date!)