Saturday, August 8, 2009

route 127 garage sales




today it was our pleasure and tradition to participate (as buyers) in the u.s. route 127 garage sales. this is a yearly tradition that has been named "the longest yard sale in the world"...it is a weekend of yard/garage/barn/etc sales that extend from the tip of michigan/ohio down to alabama here in america....it's loads of fun (without children ...ahem...but our children were there so we had medium-fun haha) we have done it both years we have been here in ohio. the website is:

http://www.127sale.com/

we have a moonstone tradition where we have one big garage sale day in the spring when they first start at a town near us called covington and then these, at the close of the tagsale season where we each get a roll of quarters and are free to buy whatever we like. once when we lived in colorado, we had a "scavenger hunt" type garage sale day where we made lists of things we had to buy for under a dollar...like something for each other person for christmas...something for play....something for learning....etc etc. THAT was wonderful, but we haven't had the gumption since the babies are both toddlers...we have our hands and minds too full i guess :) but it is a great tradition (and FRUGAL) for those with children older than ours or for just yourself. there are LOVELY, unique gifts out there in the summer just sitting on plywood tables and milkcrates and every other conglomerations you can imagine...and you can do a million good turns for less than a few bucks and get your holiday shopping (and birthday shopping) done before the start of consumerist season, at the last minute....something to think about .....(HINT!) i am ALWAYS complimented more when i give lovely, thoughtful second hand gifts than blechy crap i buy at the stores...and i do...give second hand. i have zero qualms about that.

today was HOT and sticky and kinda acky so we just hung in there and tried to enjoy ourselves best as we could with the wee ones. we went up north first, because last year we had gone south. we went up as far as neikamp's market out at north star. i love that place. if you live around here, i would say definitely to give it a try if you have never been there before. it's great. their website is:

http://www.niekamp.com/About-Us-s/115.htm

then we turned up and went as south as west manchester. this year we stopped at the flea market at the steam thresher's campground. that was great. there was a family there participating in alex's lemonade stand. they were giving away lemonade for donations to a childhood cancer fund. it was VERY good lemonade...i think we "spent" more on lemonade than anything else! :) their website is:

http://www.alexslemonade.org/slideshow

on the way home we stopped at the bears mill, briefly, as jonathan hadn't been there yet and we had a little chunk of change (about 3 pounds of quarters i bet) left because we didn't buy much all day...i planned on getting a new bar of patchouli soap like the one i had gotten there in spring when grandma mae visited. no dice. but we found at half price something that i had wanted to buy jonathan back then, but it was $46 full price. a graphite "sculpture" that you can draw and sketch with. it is in the shape of an oak leaf (which is very significant to him in his druidry thing). stunning, really. and he NEVER picks things for himself so this makes up for that :) the bear's mill is SPECTACULAR and a gem and i LOVE It. it is a fully functioning mill that has been in service since 1849. it is still functional, running on water from the river, during harvest time in the fall! their site:

http://www.bearsmill.com/

ok....now the moment you have all been waiting for......the haul....(it is not a lot)
i REALLY am a very discerning shopper and such a persnickity pickyass...but i HAVE to be...tiny house, many people...(and when i got home today i had a kinda minipanicattack because there is SOMETHING on every inch of my kitchen and backroom....so a purge is in order anyway. i cannot imagine if i WEREN'T picky...and let in every plastic, junk, crap, televised toy out there. i really can't....fathom...it.

here goes....

first the produce...a couple homegrown tomatoes and plums (i hope....they said so...but i can't imagine. they said they are from cincinatti...i hope the tomatoes are good. i haven't had a good tomato in months.....)


then the cute little canisters and bottles....


some dried red "flower" things of some sort...i was originally buying these just to display in a tin i have that hangs on my front door....the amish ladies who sold them to me said they have "seeds" in them that i can "grow"....so excited! gorgeous! anyone know what these are or how i would look them up??? comment please! these were a dime a piece...if this ends up being something great.....


wooden cars for the toybox.....


wooden horsey (freds favorite) and apple for playkitchen....


wool sweater to make woolen pants for bella in winter (25 cents!)....


green flowered pants to make bella pants for fall (and shorts for next summer)...(25 cents!)


three 100% cotton onesies (for a quarter!)to start my "awesome iron-on clothes thingie" project...


antique toys tin (figure bella will use this as a picnic basket or whatever in the toybox till she knows what a picnic basket is ha...)....


jonathan got the ****SCORE OF THE DAY**** a whole bin full of paints...for...guess how much .....guess.....ok....$10!!!!!!!!! woo hoo!





and a nakie doll to learn to make doll dresses for...for bella for christmas (i can also tell by the simplicity of the body that i am probably proficient enough, even at this early stage, to sew simple dolls of my own if i chose to....)



i also got FIVE sets of iron-on transfers from the 70s...for a nickel each....omg (meaning five of EACH of these designs....for a quarter all together.....)





Thursday, August 6, 2009

hughes


now this is one celebrity death that matters....i guess...
the collective conscience is thinking about all this tonight, i imagine...all this...
great films, and what wasn't great about them was even great...and our souls.....our childhood adolescences....balm.

who didn't want this...????

and anthony michael hall back then.....and bender....and ducky?!

ferris.

Monday, August 3, 2009

craigslist ad


(this is kinda what i am talking about when i discuss the fall of the american civilization....kinda)