How To Score at Garage Sales

As I am sure you already know, one of my favorite summer activities is treasure hunting at garage sales.  If you would have told me 20 years ago that I would be addicted to finding little signs on the road and "banging a u-ey " as my grandma would say, I would think you were crazy!  I used to despise going to sales with my family.  My mom and grandma's were the queens of picking up stuff at garage sales, I was always so embarrassed and would  sit in the car and sometimes even slide down the seat to hide my face when my mom would pull up to a nice house.  I just didn't "get it".  I do now!  I have had a blast furnishing our home with someone else's rejects.  I am sure it helps that my style is somewhat shabby to begin with!  I have really found some unique things this season. I thought I would share a few of my favorite treasures that I got for a steal!  I have encouraged more than one friend to pull over next time they see a sign too and I love getting calls from them squealing in delight with their new found treasures.  It is addicting I am telling you!  I have a few tips to share too.  I find the best sales in our area are on Thursdays, not sure why but it seems to be the best day, with the best selections and a greater number of sales.  I also have taken advantage of technology in my search, I go online to the newspaper's websites and look up the classified ads for garage sales.  Craigslist is also a great resource for finding sales as well, some of them even have pictures of what will be at their sale.  I punch addresses into my GPS and away I go, it saves me lots of gas and frustration when I know right where I need to go.  I usually print off the list from the web and carry it with me and highlight the sales that I want to for sure visit.  I also scope out the big picture when I walk up to a sale, sometimes we are so focused on what is in front of us that we miss the good stuff and someone else walks away with the treasure.  I also have a "wish list" in my mind of things that I am looking for, you would be amazed at how lucky I get at finding exactly what I am looking for, usually in perfectly new condition, for a fraction of the price. 

Something that I hear all the time is that people feel uncomfortable if they don't buy anything.  I used to feel that way but not any more.  If you know me, you know that I am pretty friendly, I always say "hello" when I walk up, sometimes I make some small talk about how they got a "great day for their sale (good weather)" and if I don't find anything that I like/need I will say "thank you " and walk away.  They don't expect you to buy anything, they are hoping that you will but they understand if you don't, remember this is stuff that they no longer want, they don't have a place for it, you don't have to take their junk off their hands.  Only if you want to!!!  Believe me, there are many times that I am skipping away thinking to myself "who would get rid of something so awesome? This is my lucky day!"  And I make sure to tell them how happy I am with my purchase if I really love it, it makes them feel good that their things are going to a good home and will be loved.  Many times I get a history about the piece too, I love that, I like my things to have a "past".  And last but not least, probably my favorite tip of all, don't be afraid to go off the beaten path.  I have found some of my best treasures at homes that you would not expect.  I tend to like the older homes as opposed to the newer gorgeous subdivisions.  At least for what I am looking for.  And the prices seem to be much better.  I convinced my friend Sherry to do this the other day and she called me all excited and said "you were right!" I don't know why but it seems to be my theory.  Oh, I almost forgot one last piece of advice, the early bird gets the worm.  So true. 

Here are a few examples of my summer scores from this season! 

Cool antique hand form 50 cents

Just like new pro steamer for $25, I have wanted one forever!  Retails for $180

Three Vera Bradley bags, $5 a piece, including matching wallets!  I threw in Dayton's best friend this summer just to show you that things aren't always so glamorous around here, we have nicknamed it Walker Texas Ranger.

I have wanted some rain boots for so long, these were almost brand new for 50 cents, Sperry boots retail for about $60.  Can't wait to wear these in my garden!

The huge shell was $2, the basket was 50 cents and the scoops for my collection were all under 50 cents. 

Loved this mirror for $4!

Another Vera purse, brand new all silk! 

I filled this with sand from our Florida trip!

Can't wait to make a gorgeous fruit salad in this compote!

I love picking up glass pieces, they are so expensive in the stores, and usually only a dollar at sales.  The coral and candle sticks came from a sale too!  The large cloche was brand new Southern Living at Home, I got to the sale late and it was still there!  It was only $2! 

And just because it is worthy of two shout outs, my gorgeous stash of Tiffany silver for $3! 

My next post I will be sharing with you a gorgeous find for $5!  So go out and have fun!  And I will tell you, that in a few weeks I will be having my own sale, I love to get rid of things that we are no longer using, I  despise clutter and love giving my things a new home as well!  So if you are in the area, stop by!

Our Anniversary

Seventeen years ago today I walked down the aisle and into the arms of this wonderful man.  It was and still is  the best decision I have ever made in my life.  I love him to pieces.

It's Where You'll Find Me

I have spent more time at home in the past 4 weeks than probably ever in the almost 10 years that we have lived out here.  And I will let you in on a little secret, I am loving it.  I finally have time to enjoy the areas of our home that I created for hanging out with my family.  Here are a few places that if you drop on by in the morning or evening, you just might get a sneaky peak of me in my bathrobe!! 

I love my porch swing!  I need to paint it white but for now, I just put a quilt that I found at a garage sale on it.  Actually, this quilt is just like the one that was on my bed at my grandparents cottage when I was growing up.  I was the oldest so I had my own room, (although I was always too scared to sleep in there alone!!)  Myah and I will sit out here and eat ice cream sandwiches after dinner!

Another garage sale treasure from this year!  This set is on my front porch and I love it!! It set me back $20!!  See my mom/Grandma's trumpet vine in the background, provides privacy and is sentimental at the same time. 

I hung ferns from my porch this year, I wanted the Florida feel, and all I got was a bunch of little birds making nests in here and raising their families!! Good grief!  I have a feeling I am going to get booted off of my porch pretty soon until all of the little birdies have learned to fly!

These chairs were a huge surprise to me!  A few weeks ago, Mark's Uncle Charlie and Aunt Bev asked if they could come down, they had something for the kids.  Well, when he pulled these out of his car I started squealing!  I have wanted some of these for years!! So much so that I ordered 2 more from him for Mark and I!!! I am going to paint them soon too.  Love them so much!!

Here is my deck, I put a little settee out there with an umbrella, this area gets a ton of sun and becomes beastly hot at the end of the day.  It is a great place in the morning!

I didn't get a good shot of my garden area but these comfy chairs and table are actually under our deck and I love having a place to go and sit in the shade.  My garden has grown up around it so it is a relaxing place to visit and entertain. 

Ok, so who's up for a sit???

I Could Use Some Pampering About Now!

I call this my pampering station.  Truth is, I never use any of these things because they are my "special stash".  What am I waiting for?  I think I deserve to use my pretty soaps, lotions, and scrubs, afterall, I have been playing nurse for almost 4 weeks now.  Not leaving the house unless I have to ( or to hit a few garage sales when Mark is home).  I pulled my back out last week and could not stand upright for a few days trying to help Dayton get upstairs. We have been sleeping downstairs for a long time now.  Don't get me wrong, I love taking care of my family, they come first in my book always above everything else,  but a day of pampering sure sounds heavenly about now!   

Living like the Rich and Famous for $3!!!

Now if I had lots of money, I could carry it around in my stunningly beautiful  money clip

And for when I go to the "club" I can now use my gorgeous  key chain when I hand over my keys to the valet.

And for all of those times that I sign over huge amounts of money to my favorite charity I can pull my gorgeous silver pen out of my pretty little pen  pouch. (Say that 10 times fast!)

 I would hope you would all know me better than that by now!  On my budget I am buying Bic pens in the econo pack, my key chain has never been in the hands of a valet except for when I pull up to the emergency room, and a money clip, what would I need that for, I never carry cash on me except for when I garage sale and that would just look like I am being snooty if I pull out a gorgeous silver money clip to hand over a dollar for their junk (junk to them treasures to me!). 

However.....I scored these absolutely stunning pieces of Tiffany accessories yesterday at a garage sale, get this.... for a dollar a piece, these are still in the box, with pouches, authentic Tiffany silver!  I don't get it?  Did she not know about Tiffany?   And if she didn't like them, couldn't she have re-gifted?  Seriously!!!  I went online and added up a total of $480 worth of Tiffany delight for the grand total of $3!!!!  I feel so spoiled!!!  I have two pieces of Tiffany in our home, one was a beautiful crystal candle holder that my sister Melanie bought for my 30th birthday (wow, that will be 10 years ago next month!) and the other was a bracelet that Mark bought for me while we were in NY at Tiffany's.  The grand total of those pieces was $170 combined.  And I treasure them so much that I still have the boxes that they came in.  So you see why I was skipping away from that sale?   I was on cloud 9!!! And why had no one else picked these up yet?  Who walks by Tiffany blue boxes marked for a dollar and passes?  My momma didn't raise no fool! 

I am having a craving!

Have you ever tasted something for the first time and thought to yourself  " I should have never tried this because I know the only way to get this again is to drive a thousand miles"?  This shaved ice treat was from Frost Bites in Seaside Florida, I chose the Rootbeer Float flavor with cream on top of course.  Oh my, I LOVE this stuff!!  Seriously, shaved ice?  How hard can that be?  Not sure, but I know that I am craving it so badly that I am willing to try to shave my own.  Hmm, how would I go about that?  Use a grater? A razor? How else do you shave?  With my hubbys electric Bic?  I am sure he would love that!! 

The lady told us that her stuff is so good that on busy days people are wrapped around the corner waiting to order.  Just look at all of these flavors! 

Inside her little Airstream trailer she had wallpapered the walls with real dollars!  She even had an authentic old refrigerator in there, housing real glass pop bottles that she used to flavor our ice.  Every detail was precious!

Miss Myah decided to try her own very large rainbow version, who would let their child wear a white Lily P. shirt and try a rainbow mess, well, that would be me.. and just so you know, that shirt was a treasure found at my Sal. Army for $4! 

Oh Frost Bites, how I miss you!  I guess I will just have to wait until my next trip to get my fix! 

Will Things Ever Be The Same?

I have been asking myself this question so many times lately about so many differnt situations.  Obviously, the first concern is in my own household.  I wonder about Dayton and pray that after this:

will he every be the same as he was before this happened?  I am sure that with time, exercise and determination he will have full range of motion. I am just worried about his "e"motions after going through all of this. Can he keep his spirits up for another 6 weeks? Will he need the screws taken out in a year?  What if he doesn't have them removed? Not that this is our only concern but will he ever want to play baseball again?  Do I want that for him?  Two summers in a row of being laid up, it is worth it?  Not sure.  We do not know what is to come, we just take it day by day but I have to wonder, will things ever be the same? 

I drove through a small town in our area yesterday that was hit very hard by a tornado, this is a place that we as a family have as our "go to" place when we want to take a day and get out of here for a while. I drop the guys off  at Cabela's and I go to the candle/antique store and wander for a while.  I was amazed at the devastation that took place during the storm.  People were left with nothing, some that looked like that did not have much to start with.  My heart just broke as I drove through the town,  I was really just speechless, and I wondered to myself, will things ever be the same for these people? When the next storm approaches, what kind of fears must they face? 

Santa Rosa Beach  April 2010

Lastly, I have been praying so hard for the Gulf Coast, I am just sick.  We had the best spring break just a few months ago on the Coast, I was sure that I would spend the next 50 spring vacations in this area, we loved it that much.  We even considered retiring down there someday.  Now I am not so sure.  I pray that the gorgeous white sandy beaches and emerald green waters will somehow be exempt from the oil spill.  I could just cry.  Will things ever be the same there for those people or will life as they know it completely change? 

I sure have alot to be thankful for, believe me I have really taken a close look at myself lately, especially while staying at the Children's Hospital for 5 days.  Seriously, there are some real heros in this world.  I cannot help but count my blessings every day, sometimes it takes your world turning upside down for you to realize what really matters in life.  It really is the "little things" that mean the most.  I have been the recipient of some very gracious "little things" lately and it just makes me want to do the same for others.  I am not sure of what my heart is tugging at just yet, but I know I am changed, I want to help others in some capacity.  I would love to volunteer at the hospital in some way, I love to smile and make people happy, I would love to breathe a bit of sunshine into their lives.  What ways do you help others? Any good ideas out there?  I would love to hear them. I do know one thing... I will never be the same.

Myah's Garden Party

My sweet little Myah has waited patiently to celebrate her 5th birthday, today we had a small little garden party for her in our backyard. It has been such a crazy few weeks around here with Dayton's surgery and all, thanks so much for your care and concern, he surgery went well, the surgeon put in a plate and screws to secure his tibia bone. He is still laid up and is full time care, so the party would not have gone off without the help of my sister Melanie and my hubby! Thanks to you both it was a great day and full of memories! You can't go wrong with pink, little girls, peonies and cupcakes right?! To see more you can go to my family blog.

Today is probably the most crazy day that I have had in quite a while but I just had to wish Mark and Myah a very happy birthday, yesterday was Mark's and today is Myah's 5th! Unfortunately, Mark and I will be up at the hospital with Dayton while he gets his surgery today at 3:15 and Myah is spending her big day with our neighbors Ken and Pam. We will have to celebrate later. Last night my mom arrived to help me out and ended up in the hospital staying over night for breathing problems from her ashtma. She is getting discharged in a bit and will meet us at the other hospital for D's surgery. Please lift our family up in prayer, we sure need it, is has been a long weekend waiting in pain for Dayton. We are exhausted but hoping that after today he will have some relief. It was surely a Memorial Weekend! One that we will never forget!