Short and Sweet

Hello virtual tag-a-longs!

I know I said last week I would sleep in and not go to any yard sales. However, I checked the listings and there were a couple near my house, starting at 7am. Sure enough, Saturday morning my eyes opened before my alarm went off, and though I tried to fall back asleep, I couldn't. So, off in the car I went.

1st sale I found this Melissa and Doug United States wood puzzle Kelley had put on the Want List. I had checked a resale shop, Once Upon a Child to check if they had this but all they had were new ones for $15. I picked this one up for $3. I grabbed it and then started putting the puzzle together since the pieces were jumbled. Oh dear. Not all the pieces were there. So I went back to the table I found it on and looked around. Checked the ground and there were the missing pieces! Yay! 

Melissa and Doug wooden puzzle $3

I also found a small soccer ball for $1 and picked that up too, thinking Hugh could always use another ball. Kelley was happy with that one too. Didn't get a picture but just imagine a miniture soccer ball!

 Next stop was a pop up sale. A "pop up" is what I call an unadvertized sale. This one was at a child care center. I think they were going out of business because it seemed almost everything was for sale. I should have grabbed my camera but didn't. I picked up these Mega Blocks for Hugh because I had read this type of toy is really good for toddlers. It was a big box with lots of blocks for $5. I saw something similiar in Walmart later for $30. Need to be cleaned and dunked in some bleach solution to sterilize but other than that they are ready for play.

I put the 2 liter coke bottle for a size comparison. 

Lots of cars and blocks to play with. Easy for little hands

Couldn't resist the Cobra MicroTalk 2 way radios with charger.

I lost my other 2 way radio and when I saw this pair, I had to ask the price. Still at the child care center sale. $2 was the price and even though the rechargable batteries weren't working, I figured some new ones might do the trick but not a lot of cash to take a chance. I haven't had a chance to replace the batteries to check it out, but will do it this week. Fingers crossed.

Pair of Cobra MicroTalk 2 way radios. $2

 After coming home and packing up the loot from this week and last week's haul, hubbie Steve and I headed to Carteret County and my home town, Morehead City, NC to visit my brother Sonny. My brother is an athletic individual and always loved running. He has run in two Boston Marathons and I think he ran the Washington DC Marathon too. The last couple of years, Sonny has enjoyed riding a bike. So this morning we met at Fort Macon, he riding his bike and me driving my car! No way I can ride a bike over the beach bridge! 

Sonny wearing his favorite Neon Green shirt.

So once we met in the parking lot, we moved to the walkway up to a observatory area. What a beautiful view of Shackleford Banks with the sun rising and shining on the water. We watched the water birds flying past and some of them diving into the water after some tasty fish.

View from Ft. Macon looking out on Bogue Inlet to Shackleford Island 8am

My big brother has Alzheimer's Disease. He has been losing his memory for a while now and visiting him is always interesting, delightful and challenging sometimes. He has a great sense of humor and though he finds it frustrating to struggle with words or names, Sonny finds great joy in nature and the beautiful area he lives in. Being able to ride across the bridge and spend every morning seeing a view like the one above makes for a good feeling. He loves his grandson Hugh so much and I am glad Hugh lives close by so they have time together. Some of my yard sale finds have a home at Sonny's so little Hugh has some playthings at Grandpa's. Soon Sonny will have another grandson, Beau, to enjoy. Lindsey is ready to have that baby, but apparently Beau is not ready to make an appearance. I promise to let you know when that happens!

He  watches the same dvd, Forest Gump or Rudy every night, and I was ready to see something different! So I brought the movies, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and Hook to mix it up a bit. Did we watch any of them? No! He was too tired that night to stay up and watch them so I will have to wait until next time to watch them with him. Something else to look forward to!

Well that is all for now. Not a fabulous yard sale weekend but I am happy with my finds. I hop you all enjoyed a good Thanksgiving and have a great week. 

Thrifty Christy

Here Kitty Kitty

Good day virtual tagalongs. 

The sales were plentiful and the pickin's were fruitful; much improved than last week's pitiful selections on Highway 24. Johanna is still in Ohio, Babs has been under the weather so I was happy to get a text from Daughter Brenna asking "what time tomorrow morning". The frost was crunchy under our feet, the gloves and hats were on. We were prepared for the weather this time. It was dark and freezing at 5:45. Brr! Mornings like this make you doubt your sanity; a warm bed is hard to leave when that alarm sounds! Those hot, humid morns of the summer are but a distant memory now.

But the adage "the early bird gets the worm" is certainly true with yard sales. And that is why we go.

Armed with warm clothes and hot coffee, we found some great buys and no cancelled sales. Yay!

This time I brought my camera so I did get some shots of the "Cat Sale". This family is trying to raise funds for their cat rescue (the mother and daughter are the "rescue"). Not really an organization at all. They had tons of books. Boxes of books galore. Unfortunately the prices were not great. I don't mind paying a dollar for a hardback book when there are just a few but, really, they needed to unload lots. And they wouldn't go down in price. I would have loved to have picked up 1st grade readers (paperbacks) for Lindsay's class but just couldn't bring myself to pay $1 for them when I have paid as little as 10-25cts for the same books. Sometimes you have to walk away. What was  interesting is I have seen the seller at yard sales before, and I wonder how many of the items had been purchased at yard sales. I guess they wanted to make as much as they could for the Cat Fund but I think if they had marked all 50c for hardbacks and 10c for paperbacks they would have moved alot of merchandise and made more money. Just my 2 cents.

Cat sale books

One of the cats...blind in one eye, poor thing.

LOTS of Books! Not many buyers.

After finding a few books for a friend of mine who has put money into an "account"(bank envelope with her money in it), I zeroed in to an area of children's toys and games. I checked out the easel below but we had already bought one earlier that was much better.

Nice but already had one for Hugh that day

Now this shot is taken after I went through and picked up items for Hugh. I left behind the wooden rocking horse...reluctantly. The potty chair was interesting....but Brenna said no.

Where's the Kitty?!!
No, the cat is not for sale but I was tempted to get the drum! The Thomas puzzles looked promising but condition of pieces not great. I passed.

Isn't that puppet show stand cute! And see how the potty chair has a book rack fixed to it!  What a great way to encourage reading:)

I picked up this shape sorter at the cat sale for $2. I didn't dicker about the price. It is a very nice quality item. I am searching for Christmas gifts for Hugh. His mother has decided to keep costs down especially since he is so little and doesn't get the "new gift " idea. Used and fun is ok with him. Oh, there will be some new things under the tree, but a lot won't be!

These are the books for my friend Tanya. She asked for books; she likes murder/suspence: no more Patterson. Also said she likes other genres as well. So I grabbed these 3 for $1 each at, yes, the Cat/book sale. From what I understand, you don't need to read Sue Grafton's books in order so if Tanya has read A -M, she will still enjoy. I hope! I have read the Time Travelers Wife and liked it.

Could not resist this barn and animals for Hugh. My sister also asked me to find a couple of gifts for Hugh's Christmas this year...How much fun Cee will have playing with this, I mean, Hugh! Only thing missing is the wagon attachment to the tractor. Everything else is there. Even an extra sheep who isn't as white as the originals....hmmm, not really a "black sheep". Maybe this one makes for a mixed family. I like that!

$3 for set

Below is a Melissa and Doug latch box for Hugh. This will keep him busy and a good interactive toy. Until he figures out how to unlatch doors!

$1 for box

Kelley has had blocks on her list and I picked this one up at, yes, the Cat sale. They really had nice toys there! I am not sure what this originally was a set for cause there are tree shapes, and stairs, nice pieces.

Kraftkids is the brand. Maybe originally a train set? Not sure.

Here is another Melissa and Doug toy. This is a puzzle set with different large wooden pictures and then you pick the shapes to fill in. Missing one of the picture pieces but has the clear cover. A little damage to wood on the side but the cover still slides easily.

$2 for puzzle set

shot of another Picture

Cee had requested a bed rail for Hugh and I found this one in very good condition.  The tub of blocks is an older 70's set by Playschool. Good condition, no top cover. But Hugh will enjoy the blocks. No more blocks now! He has enough!!

Bed rail $3

blocks $1

Ok, I know what you are thinking....Thrifty Christy, you already have picked up 2 of these swimmy suits with flotation things. But this was  50c and it is larger...room to grow! And it doesn't look so girly. We will let Hugh's mom be the judge of when I need to stop buying these. The mandoline/cutting kitchen tool is for me. I have wanted one to chop/shred veggies. It is brand new. All parts still had plastic. The book, Fall of Freddy the Leaf is just beautiful and I have wanted a copy of my own. This one has the dust jacket and is perfect condition.

Swimmy suit: 50c, book: 50c, mandoline: $1

My friend Carolyn still wants wicker! So I couldn't pass this waste basket. It is strong and wicker in great shape. I think she will like it.

wicker waste basket: $1

I have to show you the hat I found for Hugh this week at Goodwill for $1.40. It is made of polar fleece and the fish shape is just too cute. How could anyone pass this up!?

Can't wait to see Hugh sporting this one! 

Carolyn has also requested glass candlesticks. She has a project for Christmas using these.

50c each. Deal!

The great score was this easel. It is BIG!! My sister Cee had asked me to look for one to keep at her house for Hugh. Well, this one was too much, as in size! The seller had bought it for her classroom and then quit teaching. The price was $25 but she said she would drop it to $20. It was tempting, oh very tempting. But it was too big for Cee's needs and it doesn't fold up for easy storage. Then we decided to buy it for $20 and Brenna would replace the easel she bought a few months ago (a Melissa and Doug brand)for her kindergarten classroom with this one. She gave me $5 and will bring the other to me later this week. So she had a better easel for her classroom and Cee has a nice easel for Hugh and any other small child who wanders into her home. I think everyone will be happy. 

Black board side. Note the storage bins underneath

Side view of bins on bottom and it does have a paper roll holder down the middle

Dry erase side. The top piece is for paper to drape down for painting.

Another part to this story is because this easel doesn't fold flat without taking it apart and we were driving a compact sedan, we had to leave it behind to pick up later. Fortunately Brenna's hubbie has a truck so she exchanged numbers with the seller and arranged to return later for pick up. So when you are yard sailing this is something to consider when you find that perfect piece of furniture at fabulous price and you have no way to transport! Have some kind of back up plan to get it home. At least the easel for Cee folds easily and will fit in my car to take to Emerald Isle. My trunk is going to be full...again!

 Brenna also bought books at the Cat Sale. $1. 

She loves the TV series Friends and these two sets almost completes her collection. 

Dvd sets $1 each

Brenna has been on the lookout for golf club bag for Robbie's Christmas present. This very new condition one is perfect for his needs and will replace the worse for wear bag he has now. Shhhh.....don't tell him! It is now in my attic waiting for Christmas!

$10!!

That about wraps up our purchases for the day. Oh, except for the Monsters Inc. dvd I bought for $1. That goes to my brother Sonny's house. I am building his collection of movies so we have more than Rudy, Sweet Home Alabama, and Forrest Gump to watch! Now, don't get me wrong. They are fine movies. But variety is the spice of life! I ordered Finding Nemo from Amazon for $4 plus shipping and found Hook at Goodwill this week. So I am happy to bring an assortment of shows he will enjoy and any guests or family members who want to view with him.

No plans to yard sale next weekend. We have found holiday weekend yard sales pretty lame so I will sleep in and enjoy that warm bed. Heading to Morehead to visit my brother and watch those movies and weather permitting, a walk on the beach, a bike ride and maybe hit a few tennis balls.

Hope you have a tasty Thanksgiving and safe travels if you visit friends or family.

Thrifty Christy

Shower but no rain

Hello virtual tagalongs!

This weekend I was in Emerald Isle, NC for Lindsey's baby shower my sisters and I hosted. We had a great time and Lindsey took home lots of great gifts for little Beau who should be arriving in the next few weeks.

It is always interesting "sailing" in new areas. We stayed up late getting ready for the shower so I was relieved to find in my online search between Craigslist and the newspaper there were no 6-6:30am sales; sleeping in was nice. I am loving the light in the morning,  makes it easier to see.  No need for head lamp  and no one hovering beside and behind me trying to use my light!

I was accompanied by Brenna again and armed with coffee, we headed out on a frosty morn. There weren't many sales listed and just a few "pop ups"(unlisted/unadvertised) sales. Pickin's were definitely thin  A couple were drive-bys, and that's so disappointing. Each time you find a sale, you hope to see something fabulous, something you've been looking for, hope springs eternal. So when you come across a particularly disappointing sale when the pickings are few, it is a let down. We drive by reluctantly.

At one sale, the sellers hadn't covered their stuff the night before with tarp. So frost covered items which was another reason I was missing my gloves. Even with the cold start, we still found a few things to bring home.

Now on to the goods.
I neglected to take pics of Brenna's stuff so I went online and found pics of what she found.
The Kapoosh knife holder was an awesome find for $2. This is so cool. Looks brand new and holds more knives than the usual block knife holder. $30 on Amazon new.

Next was an exercise ball. That was 50c. She needed one and even though this one has BlueCrossBlueShield printed on it, it still serves the purpose.

My loot:
Niece Kelley had put balls for Hugh on the Christmas list and I have had no luck...until I spotted these 4 on a table. Perfect! She had specified a "kickball" kind so that was perfect, but the others were a great size for a toddler. Price, I asked. Free was the answer. But since I didn't find anything else there I wanted so I insisted on giving her 50c just to make me feel better.

Next stop was a sale loaded with lots of party stuff. Wedding, birthday, baby shower, you name it, they seemed to have it. Not great stuff, cheap, quantity stuff. But since we were having a baby shower later that day, I picked up a few things for 10c each including a mirror to keep an eye on the baby in the back seat. It clips on the rearview mirror. My sister snatched that up to use when she is driving Hugh, our great nephew. Good deal.

I think we will be using the baby shower items later.  This family is expanding!

At another sale I found this swim/suit with built in floats. Yes, I know, I found one a couple of weeks ago too, but this  one was new, bigger, and hopefully Hugh will fit in it next summer. For 50c I thought it was a safe buy. Sure enough, as soon as my sister Cee and Kelley saw it, they were happy campers. I am very glad I picked it up. Looking forward to seeing Hugh in it too.

I have a lamp that needs a clip-on shade since the lamp doesn't have a harp. this shade fits and was only 50c. Unfortunately, when I got it home and on the lamp, I wasn't pleased. The search continues. Or I might just take the lamp apart and put a harp on it to use a shade I have that should fit. We shall see.

The Shamwow was also 50c for both. I googled it to see if it was any good. The reviews are mixed. Apparently you need to keep it folded and damp to be effective at wiping up. I will see how it works on the car...if I ever wash it ;)  Cee asked for one and I shared.

So that's all there is for this week. I had a great time with Brenna and her knife holder was a great find. I was really happy with the balls for Hugh and watched him play so happily with one of the smaller ones. He is really good at kicking. I am tickled to be assisting in this stage of his developement.

I will be hitting the sales this weekend again. The temps are going to be dropping so gloves are going to be a must. Johanna is out of town til next week. Hope I find someone to go "sailing" with me. Anyone out there who wants to come along?!

Thrifty Christy

Double Trouble

Greetings my virtual tagalongs!

Double trouble means 2 cars, 4 women and 2 dogs! Brenna was ready to hit the yard sale circuit and Babs and Johanna were headed to watch Johanna's granddaughter, Chloe, play soccer after a few sales. That meant Maddy, Johanna's dog, and Sophie, Bab's beloved sidekick, were also going to watch Chloe play. All that to tell you Brenna drove and I rode with her and Johanna and company followed behind. I made a second copy of the sale list and handed it to co-pilot Babs so we could all be on "the same page". Literally :)

Cool and 0'dark thirty it was with the first sale listed at 6am. I am really looking forward to a Saturday starting at 7am! The temp was 44 F, no wind, and nice and dry. Yesterday it rained all day so I was happy for that dry air. We headed eagerly to the first sale only to find no lights on, several cars with waiting customers and obviously no activity at the house. We waited hopefully for a while and then gave up and headed to the next one which was listed at 6:30am. Of course it was clear across town but at least it was ready for business.  We lost Johanna and Babs briefly since Johanna was following a car she thought was Brenna's all the way to the drive-thru at Krispy Kreme! Then she realized her mistake. Nice to have a cell phone to explain your mistake and solve our mystery of where is Babs and Johanna.

Brenna found a stand that she plans to hanging a Christmas ornament on. It could go  either on a table or on the floor. I found...nothing. Lots of things there and I was happy to have my headlight since it was quite dark and very little lighting...getting to be a regular occurance lately. I think Johanna and Babs found something but it was cold and I headed for the warmth of the car. The wind started to pick up. Brrrr. Next time I will have gloves in my yard sale bag! 

We headed out to more sales and though we kept getting seperated, we had the cell phones. J and B finally ran out of time and needed to get to the game so it was just Brenna and I.

There were lots of sales listed and we made most of them. A couple of drive-by's and one was so bad I wanted to take a picture but we felt it would really be rude. It was simply piles of clothes on blankets. That was all. Depressing, really.

By 9am it was cold, damp, windy and the need for coffee, breakfast, and a warm spot made the decision to call it a day an easy one. Breakfast with my daughter at Dunkin Donuts was delicious and very nice. Always good to catch up with each other and makes for a perfect way to end the morning. It is what I miss most about going solo. The visiting part at the end.  

I didn't find a great quanity of items, but am pleased with my booty.

And here is what we found today:

$2 Boon Bathtub toy keeper

I am thankful I was shopping with Brenna today, otherwise I would have walked right past this one. She explained it hangs in the bathroom shower/tub wall and holds bath toys. I thought ok, maybe Hugh could use something like this. For $2.00  I was willing to take a chance. No mildew, mold, or yucky stuff. Clean as whistle.

We actually saw another one for $3 at a sale later on that morning. When I came home, I googled it and found this image on Amazon.com describing this item. $29! It holds shampoo and baby wash, toys, and anything else you want to hang on the feet. The toy holder part( has a handle) detaches from the body to scoop up toys and then drains as it hangs. The reviews were really good so now I wish I had bought the other one and sold it on Craigslist.

                                                                   

                                               Here is the image I found on Amazon.com.

My fall wreath still needs some more color, zing, pizazz, etc. So I picked up these fall "picks" and bags of tiny pumpkins and squash for $1.25 for the lot. They were all new and unused, still with tags ($1.99 ea). The picks look great in the wreath and fill it out more. I am out of glue sticks so will have to wait to attach the "veggies". Will post a picture next time to show you. Remember, I am craft impaired so don't expect to be overwhelmed.  I do try on occasion.

At the same sale I bought the wreath items, I found this necklace, Chico brand. It looked pretty, chunky, and something I would wear. As I was looking at it, I noticed one bead wouldn't connect with the others. The strand was twisted somehow and the one bead wouldn't slide to the others. As I was playing with it the seller came over and explained she had tried to fix it but couldn't. Gave it to me for free! So later today I played around with it and finally untwisted the strands and all beads now slide freely.

 Free necklace. Sweet.

Ok, in this light it looks gold but it is silver. 

The strands are silver and the beads have silver and gold tones
choker length.

I also found these ornaments...25 cents each. The snowflakes are large, palm size with bits of glitter. Which I now have to vaccuum off my recliner, which by the way, I bought for $40 at a yard sale last year. LOVE IT!

Not Christmas yet....

Each one had a price tag...$10.95! EACH!

Snowmen make me happy!
He will be present long after Christmas.

Now for Brenna's booty. Below is a new frame in original box, best of Adam Sandler SNL dvd, pink shirt (made with wicking material for exercising) and, of course, ECU hat.

Frame: $2, dvd: 50c , hat: 50c, shirt: $1

Wreath, jug filled with  clear, colored beads, ornaments, sets of new coasters, sets of new notecards, and large clips from Staples, full. And if you look closely, one ornament is hanging on that hanger thingy...pillow is propped up against it. The jug is actually quite large. Her kindergarten class will be stringing the beads on pipe cleaners....making bracelets but also learning sorting, colors, and counting. 

Wreath: $1, Jug o'beads for classroom project:$2, coaster sets: 25c ea, notecards: 25c ea, ornaments: 25c ea., pillow: 50c, Staples clips, 25c    GREAT DEALS!

Gotta love a decorative pillow with a message:)

Brenna also found these two camo garments for Robbie. One is a pullover jacket (Mossy Oak brand) and the other is a lightweight windbreaker with a hood. Hope they fit Robbie. The sun is shining on the pullover which explains the color differation.

$5 for the pair. 

I was rather jealous of these big clips. Wish I had seen them first! 25cents!

That is it for today. It was cold, damp, cloudy and breezy. The coffee was soooo good at Dunkin Donuts and next time I will have gloves and hot coffee to go. These fall mornings are feeling rather wintry. If you aren't prepared, you are too cold to rummage and can miss some bargains. Today I probably did miss some good deals. The warm car beckoned me and my frosty fingers were not working too well.

Hope you have a great week. Next weekend I will be in Emerald Isle, NC for a baby shower for Lindsey. Baby Beau is due at the end of this month/early Dec. Another great nephew!!! I hope there will be some sales in the area cause I am arriving Friday night and ready to "shop" in the morning. Maybe Ellie, Brenna, and Melanie will join me. Suppose it depends on how late our night will be.

                                                                             Thrifty Christy