Happy New Year!

 I am back! Wow, I can't believe I have let so much time pass since my last post. Trust me, this time of year there are far fewer sales and I really mean FEW!  So  between fewer sales and activity on the weekends, I haven't felt inclined to blog. OK, truth really is: once you take too long a break, the break becomes too comfortable. January is over, the anniversary of my mom's death is past and I am ready to keep up this blog once again.


So let me start with the first of the year 2012. I can tell you about the wild New Year's Eve yardsale. There were only a couple listed for that holiday weekend and I decided if I woke up early, I would go. If I slept in, than I wouldn't. So of course my eyes popped open at 7am. And wouldn't shut. So I headed out the door to see what I would find. The first sale was awful. The items offered were scattered carelessly, trash was on the driveway amidst the for sale things and overall the ambiance was "who cares". Not me. So off I went to the next. This one I realized belatedly was suppose to open at 8am. And no address given, just the street. I arrived to find a dozen cars lined up with folks waiting anxiously for the sale to begin. But which house??!!!!
Turned out it was a young couple who had put everything in their garage and at 8am they opened the door to begin putting their tables and goods in the driveway. Well, the hoard of buyers decended upon this couple like a swarm of fire ants! They never had a chance to pull their tables out! The husband was trapped in the back of the garage as buyers pushed their way to grab, look and squeeze between furniture to ask prices, and grab what they could. All I could do was watch with amazement and a lot of sympathy. Then I looked down and saw this really nice stool with a price tag of $5. It was solid wood, heavy, and I could tell it was a quality piece of furniture. $5. Well, I grabbed it before anyone else had a chance and bought it. Did I need a stool? No. Did I know someone who needed a stool? No. But the frenzy of the moment, the buyers' momentum influenced my decision making. I left with an item I had no idea what I would do with but by George, I only paid $5 for it!!! Oh my. I didn't even take it out of my car when  I came home nor did I take a picture. I felt ridiculous and a little ashamed at having succumbed to the mayhem.

Me on the far left, Chris a new recruit, Sonny, my brother, Cee, my sister
 and Gilbert the mascot Penguin

The next day I headed for Atlantic Beach for the Annual Penguin Plunge on New Year's Day. What  a great way to start the New Year by running into the ocean with a crowd of people!! It is a blast. This year I was joined again by several family members and friends and a couple of new recruits. It was a gorgeous, unseasonably warm day, a balmy 60 degrees. The water temp was around 55 and yes, it was cold but the warm air temp made it comfortable when you came out of the water. 

Stool with a story

On the way out of town on my return to home, I stopped off at my nephew's home to see my new great nephew, Beau. While visiting I told my nephew and his wife about the sale I had been to the day before and when Jon saw the stool, he immediatly gave me $5 plus more for another one! You never know! Now, that would be the end of the story but no. I told Brenna the stool saga and it was one she has been hoping to find for her kitchen counter. Next time I visited Lindsey and Jon, I retrieved the stool since they hadn't found a place for it and now it is in a kitchen where fannies can rest comfortably. And I finally took a picture.



Of course you know thrift stores are another place I find treasures and I lucked out finding this glider with matching footstool at the local Goodwill for $25. I have bought so many of these for relatives and now I wanted one for my grandson who will be born in early July. 

I like the side pocket

Got to have the foot rest

               Comfortable and affordable. That's the way I like my furniture. Oh, and easy on the eyes!

 I finally made use of the electrical cord connector I found a couple of months ago for 50c. This ceramic Christmas tree was my grandmother's; only way to turn it on was by plugging it in. Not practical. So now I can easily turn it on and off with the new switch.

Next project is to find replacement glass balls for the tips. My sister Fran said to look at Michael's but I had no luck. Will try online. Problem I think is that I only need a few. I hope I don't have to buy a pack of 100!

Johanna and I did go yardsailing one Saturday in January and I found this travel bouncer seat for $5. Came with a zipper bag and folds flat. Perfect for a small home such as ours where storage is always an issue. The bottom cover comes off as you can see from the last picture, there is also a vibrating and music gizmo. Folds flat for easy storage. Grandson, I am getting ready for you!

Hugh is already enjoying this truck I bought for him for 25 cents. I just figured can an almost 2 year old boy ever have enough trucks? It is a nice large sized for small hands. Couldn't resist.

So yesterday I went solo for none of my peeps were either in town or felt like getting up early. Fortunately no sales were listed at 6am. Just a couple I felt worthy of my gas and time. I did get a late start for I didn't hear my alarm. Apparently I need to make sure the cell phone is not on silent. My dog thankfully awakened mme at 7:15 and I was out of the house by 7:25. One had nothing I was interested in and the next was a pleasant surprise. Usually school fundraising yard sales are a disappointment. But not this one! There was a great amount to peruse and since there wasn't another sale to jet off to, I took my time and looked carefully. And I found a few treasures.

Partylite "amethyst" taper candles for advent. $1. And a new Advent Calendar for next year. It looks like stained glass so I am assuming if I put it in a window, the light will stream through the windows. I think it is going to be lovely and might be a keeper for years to come. $2 is what I  paid for it.

 This Munchkin dishwasher basket for baby bottle nipples and accessories was 50c. I think Brenna can use this come July.

Nipple guards for Brenna who is planning on breastfeeding. 50c and unopened.

I like these micro bead pillows for traveling. My back enjoys one of these squishy supports. 75ct. Yes.

I fell in love with this little pot. I have a pretty blooming plant for it. 50 cents and it is heavy. I put the can of soda for you to see the approximate size.

This is a very heavy solid brass planter. And I mean HEAVY! I want to use it for the small lighted faux Christmas tree I picked up in November. The planter I used for it was lightweight and the wind kept knocking it over. No wind will knock this over! It is wide enough for the tree to fit in and I can wedge some foam around to keep the tree in place. $2 

Lincoln logs for ???? I couldn't resist the $3 price tag. Complete set except for the Sergent figurine. In near perfect condition. I think it might just go up to the family vacation house. I would love to build this with our great nephew, Christopher. Maybe his big sister, Sarah will help.

My sister Vickie (flower name: Nightshade, trust me, it's a family thing)has asked me to look for notecards. I found this pack at Goodwill this week and yes, it was $1.49, but the quality is really nice and it is for  the person who writes thank you notes for the Audubon society donors. So Nightshade, I hope you don't mind the price tag!

 

 And finally, say hello to our newest great nephew, Beau Hyman. He was born the week before Christmas and is a most welcome addition to our family. We love our little Beau!!


The  first post of 2012 is finished! I promise to be more diligent on posting. Really!


Hoping next weekend will provide more delights and  Johanna will be able to join me in the hunt.


Until then, stay warm and thank you for hanging in there. Don't forget to leave a  comment! Oh, and notice I have installed a Facebook "like" button. Please if you enjoyed the post, hit the like if you are a FB user. Thanks!

Thrifty Christy