The rest of my buys from Saturday

Here's more of my buys from Saturday (and that's not even everything since some things didn't make it into the picture - like a box full of +30 vintage souvenir glasses (some Hazel Atlas) for $10. And a vintage 1942 Baby Brownie camera for $2.

Paid .50 for the Do Not Pee on the Floor sign, .10 Maryland stoneware mug, .25 ice cream scooper for my collection, .25 big bottle of Jean Nate (I add various scents to my laundry water), $1 wooden box (similar to two others I have), $1 Trak car cover (new)...I don't *need* it but couldn't pass it up for that price, $5 Funride cable outdoor toy, .50 bottle of plant food, $2 stack of Nick kid's books.

My favorite buy was the Funride Deluxe for $5 - the box is banged up but it has never been used. I actually wanted to buy one for Jacob - since it would be good for upper body strength (he sees an occupational therapist at school for his "low tone"). On ebay they sell for about $75, but websites like this Fun Ride Deluxe they sell them for around $89.

I think next summer I am going to sign Jacob up for a summer day camp. He is wearing me out - everyday he wants to go somewhere. And it's not thrift stores he wants to go to. We usually end up at the local museum (where we are members of so we don't have to pay admission). We did go out on one of their boat rides the other day and it spoiled us, we were the only passengers! They usually do a 2 o'clock boat ride, and then if that fills up to capacity (45 passengers), they'll add a 3:10 boat ride - regardless of how many passengers they have. Well the other day, their 2pm boat was full, so they announced a 3:10 boat ride. Jacob and I signed up and paid $11 for both and we had the boat to ourselves.

One yardsale buy and one freebie

Here's a pic of two of my recent acquisitions from Saturday. In the top pic, the lamp was $3. And the glider was FREE. I want to replace the lamp in our living room - a lamp from my husband's bachelor's days since the glamorous goldtone on it isn't as shiny as it was back in 1988. Will keep the shade tho on the old and put it on the "new".

The child sized glider rocker was a freebie at a yardsale. The seller saw me looking at it and said I could have it for free since it needed work. The original chair pads were N-A-S-T-Y. I even stopped at the landfill to throw them away before I took the chair home since I didn't want them coming inside the house. I ripped out the material which was covering the metal supports - which I had to hammer back into place. Then just heavy duty stapled a piece of material I had laying around (actually it was an old dishtowel but I thought if I called it a "piece of material" here it would sound nicer..haha). The purpose of the material is mainly just to keep kids from sticking their hands underneath - since the metal support rods are the main support for the seat.

Then, since I am not about to start sewing cushions, I just threw on some extra couch pillows on it, so Jacob can use it. Will keep my eyes peeled for "like new" replacement child sized glider cushions at a yardsale. They gotta be out there in yardsaleland, right? Until then, Jacob is content sitting on it with the couch pillows.

"...more disturbing than porn"

I forgot to mention this til now. My recent college graduate smarty pants niece got an awesome job at this little place called the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. So during the big move, my sister (who was helping with the move) stumbled upon a local magazine with a silly garage sale article in it. Just what I need, my older sister having new fuel to tease me. Here's the article: Rochester Magazine Article. I responded to the editor pleading with him to publish a correction; I am no where near mid-50s (and that if you squint your eyes a little and stand 100 yards away, I could be mistaken for a woman in her late 30's, or even mid-30's.) Anyhow he responded saying that when he said "almost all", that he of course, did not mean me who is obviously much younger. Phew. I also told him that I am not Machiavelli's grandmother, but more like his cute younger sister.

It really was a fluke that my sister came across the article. Makes me wonder how often the site gets mentioned but I never hear of it. Any publicity is good publicity.

I just heard back from the English teacher in Japan - he wrote a book about everyday English, in order to teach Japanese students how regular Americans talk. And portions of this blog are appearing in the book. I hope he uses a part where I say "anyways". Someone wrote to tell me that anyways isn't a real word. Anyhows, he said the book has finally been published and is in the mail to me.

Went to Baltimore today (translation: Balimer to the locals)

I told myself when I joined as a member of the Baltimore Aquarium, I would take Jacob there by myself periodically. It's been a while since I've driven to the Inner Harbor but made it there and back without any big problems (hate all those one way streets downtown). The food cafes at the Aquarium are definitely overpriced. I saw that at one cafe they sold popcorn at $2 a box (which I thought actually wasn't that bad) and I mentioned to Jacob if he wanted some popcorn. At the time he didn't want any but later when we were near the other cafe, he mentioned it. Acckk...at that cafe all they had was the teeny tiny bags of Smartfood popcorn at $1.50 a bag. A bottle of Diet Pepsi was $2.50, but then I saw some vendors outside so I figured once we leave, we'll get a soda from a vendor and walk around the Inner Harbor some before we left. (I am so addicted to diet pepsi that I had some in a cooler back in the car at the parking garage but wasn't about to go get it). I was surprised that the vendor ALSO had $2.50 for a bottle of Diet Pepsi - but then I saw her shirt, she worked for the Aquarium. Bought it anyway.

Forgot to mention what I bought at the yardsales last Saturday, here's a few pics. Lots of DVDs for $1 each and my favorite buy was the vintage Saltines tin for a quarter. The shirts I got for Jacob were a quarter a piece. There was a small spot on the pink shirt I wanted to see if it would come out before taking the pic (that's why it looks wet). The seller said her son never wore it.

Free Clothes from JC Penney's

A few days ago, a JC Penney ad came in the mail that had a $10 coupon in it. Not one of those $10 off $50 purchase, it was a $10 off $10 coupon. I found a pair of brown shorts for Jacob that were marked down to $12.99 - so I figured they would be $2.99 plus tax. But they rang up for less so since the coupon stated that you must spend a minimum of $10, I had to run back to the racks to find something to add to the shorts. I saw some t-shirts marked down to $2.97 so I grabbed one of those. As it turned out, THAT was on sale too. To see what the total was after coupon, look below.

My son's free Motorola two-way radios

Remember in early June I mentioned how someone littered in my yard - a lunchables box that inside was a winning gamepiece for walkie talkies? Well I sent away the gamepiece and they came the other day. Not too shabby! They have a longer range than another set we have.

Vacation to Horseshoe Bend Arkansas and surrounding area

Ok, I finally got my pics semi-organized from our trip to Arkansas. Above is my favorite pic that I took of the scenery. Unfortunately that spot was probably an hour drive away. Where we stayed the roads all looked like this:



The reason for the trip to Arkansas, was to visit my Father-in-law who now lives in Horseshoe Bend. Lots of retirees there. It was kind of like a throwback in time, no pay at the pump gas, no credit card payments right at the cash register at the one grocery store in town (the cashier would have to walk it to the store's office to swipe the card). No liquor stores (it was a dry county). Nearest McDonald's was about 20 miles away inside a SuperWalmart. There was a nice golf course in town so my FIL and husband got lots of golfing in.

The first day of our vacation we drove to Knoxville and stayed at a nice Holiday Inn near the highway. There was a flea market down the road so I was able to shop there a little the next day. From the man wearing the mankini top, I bought this super tacky religious dangling decorative CD to put on a rear view mirror. I overpaid $2 for it, I figure it will be good for a laugh when I give it to my mom for Christmas.





We then drove to Nashville and stayed overnight at my cousin's gorgeous house in Brentwood. I also drove by my aunt and uncle's old house in Nashville just to see it from the outside - when I was a teen I spent a few summers in Nashville and even worked one summer at Opryland.



Then we drove onto Horseshoe Bend, AR. The town is in the middle of nowhere. As fortune would have it, there was a place in town that had free Wifi. Thank God! We had our laptop with us so I was able to log in to check email etc.







Because there are no real hotels in the area, we ended up renting a house on a lake. The house turned out to be pretty nice, considering I didn't know what to expect. One day I went to a town about 40 miles away - Hardy, AR. An old quaint town full of antique stores. I didn't buy much stuff there, but I did find two thrifts on the way there. I bought a Saladmaster food grinder for $5. I know Saladmaster is a name to look for at thrifts so I thought I would take a chance. It will go up on ebay eventually. There weren't many yardsales going on but I did make it to two. Bought a tablecloth with zodiac symbols on it for $1 and some old Flicker razors for .30 each. I haven't seen a Flicker razor in a long time so I figure I'd buy them for "investment purposes" - haha.

One day we drove to Mountain View, Arkansas. Which I guess is known for hillbilly music, all kinds of hoedowns and jamborees advertised in the area. That's where I bought my Nose Flute or as the cashier said a "Snoot Floot". I am kicking myself that I only bought one.





In Mountain View, we got a bargain .25 car wash. Then we drove back thru a pretty small town called Calico Rock (where I took the pic at the top of this blog). We stopped at a combination shoe store and lunch counter. Bought some food but no shoes.

Back from Vacation - Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas

Yes, we went to Arkansas (on purpose) for vacation. Just got back last night so that is why I haven't blogged lately. I still haven't gotten my pics organized so when I do, I will write about the trip and some shopping I did while there. (My computer is not liking one of my memory sticks with a ton of pics on it, so I need to get that fixed).

I have been neglecting the blog lately....

but will post again in a few days.

BJ's Warehouse

My BJ's membership expired on 6/30. A little while ago there was a coupon for a free 60 day membership for new members. The coupon expired 7/7. So on the 4th of July I went to BJ's and stood behind a woman renewing her membership. I could tell she was renewing since she was already holding a membership card and the employee told her it would be $45 (the regular price of a yearly membership). Her membership probably expired on 6/30 too.

Well after she finished, it was my turn and I just handed over the coupon and said I wanted the free 60 day membership and showed my driver's license - which she keyed into the computer. She took my pic and handed me my new card (oh I need to scan it, it's ridiculous). She then mentioned they were running a special - get a 15 month membership for only $35. So I said I would think about it.

Meanwhile, don't forget, the customer ahead of me renewed for $45 for 12 months. Crazy, that's why it doesn't pay to renew. Wait for things to expire and then companies will try to win you back (well most times anyway).

Happy 4th of July

No big plans for today. Maybe do a little traditional shopping at Staples and Target. Jacob is afraid of fireworks but I think our neighborhood is going to get a better view of them this year due to the positioning in the Bay of the fireworks barge.

I took the above pic over Easter vacation when I visited my mom. I meant to post it on Flag Day but I forgot.

Stupid stupid rain

It was raining this past Saturday so yardsales weren't very good. Didn't buy a thing. Most people here do yardsales rather than garage sales, so when it rains, they usually just cancel.

Well I guess rain isn't all bad, my yard is bursting with wild raspberries now. I just eat them right off the plant.

Baltimore Inner Harbor today

My husband took the day off so we decided to go to Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Even though we live about an hour and a half way, we hardly ever go there. Well that's gonna change. A month or two ago we joined the National Aquarium of Baltimore as members (they had a family special for 15 months for $124). Considering if we were to pay out of pocket today - it would have cost us $63.85 (plus tax I assume). Two adults with the dolphin show $24.95 ea and one child $13.95. Yikes! So we just need to go one more time by Aug 2008 to make the membership *worthwhile*. Despite what the picture above looks like, the place was packed. Doesn't anybody work?? (That's what I say when I go someplace during the day and there's tons of people.) So even tho we're members, it wasn't exactly free to spend the day there. Parking was $15 and of course the gas to get there isn't free, then add in lunch at the ESPN Zone. But didn't buy anything at the numerous overpriced gift stores sprinkled throughout the aquarium.

So now that I know where to park etc, I'd like to take Jacob there at least a few times on my own, like during the school year when schools are off for some reason or another.

Look at that poor froggy - sure he's dumpy looking but actually naming him that I think is kinda insensitive to his feelings.

Then we took a different way home and ended up in Annapolis. I made my husband stop at Toys R Us there to use a $3 gift card (GC) that Jacob got for being in their birthday club. The card was expiring soon so I had to use it. Bought him a shirt on clearance for $6 - so used the $3 GC and used another GC for the remainder. We use a Toys R Us VISA card (and pay if off every month) and they periodically send us gift cards depending on how much we use the card.

Zipgarage.com - new website to find yardsales & to place free ads

I recently found out about a new website where you can search for yardsales according to your zipcode, its called Zipgarage (click on the banner above). It's really simple and FREE! You know I am a big fan of free! If for some reason the banner isn't working, visit them at Zipgarage.com

Maryland is for crabs and rubber ducks

Maryland is known for crabs, but a lesser known tasty treat is the fine Maryland Rubber Ducky. This weekend was the annual harvesting of the little creatures and I managed to surreptitiously snap a few pics of the brutal event to send to PETA. They are a little too rubbery for my taste but the locals here love them (the squeeking when you throw them into the pot of boiling water really makes me lose my appetite.)

No Doobie Brothers for me - my In-box is one big black hole

I am so bad at organizing my emails. With Microsoft Outlook I have my two primary accounts and then one "communal black hole" type box where emails also go, mostly e-newsletters etc that I've signed up for (and never read). So anyway months ago I emailed the volunteer coordinator of the Calvert Marine Museum about volunteering when they have their twice yearly concerts - some up and coming artists and other artists who are past their prime.

I thought I never heard back from the coordinator about volunteering. Oops, the email with the volunteer registration form was in the black hole in my inbox. Today is the Doobie Brothers concert - I guess it's a little too late for me to volunteer for this one. Oh well. I saw the Doobie Brothers Farewell Tour in 1983 so once is enough. And even bought a damn $15 t-shirt since it was their last tour forever and I knew I better buy a shirt that would one day be a collectible.....since it was their Farewell Tour and all...

My $5 Tent from Target (no, the Yardsalequeen doesn't do camping)

I bought this tent about 3 or 4 years ago at a yardsale for $5. It was still new in the box. It's the brand that Target sells so I remember checking out the retail price and it was $49.99. Anyhow, back when I got it I remember looking at the instructions on setting it up and getting confused (it doesn't take much), and put it back away. Well yesterday I decided it was time to try again and ta-da, it's up and in our backyard for Jacob to play in. It's not like I plan on going camping. I like my A/C and computer too much. Its a 3 person tent and has a rain shield thingy too. And it turned out to be a quick and easy set-up.

Yardsale treasures and junk from Saturday

The above pic is some of my yardsale buys from Saturday. Not everything is shown in the pic.

$2 Green depression glass refridgerator dish
.25 ice cream scooper for my collection
.25 Smurf glass
$1 handheld Yahtzee game for Jacob
$1 Radio Shack remote control in the shape of a football (new in package)
$2 metal frog (not a flower frog, a regular frog frog - to put outside for decoration)
.50 Little Black Sambo Golden Book (larger size from the 70's I think), I even bought another kids book just because I didn't want the seller to wonder why I was only buying one book. I also carried around the other book to cover the Sambo book, so other buyers wouldn't say "Oh that is a collectible Little Black Sambo book" very loudly.
.50 twin bedskirt for Jacob's bed
$1 HC cookbook for my mom - Two Fat Ladies Ride Again cookbook (one of the Food TV shows which was cancelled)
.50 vintage shaving stick canister to put alongside my shaving brush collection
.50 vintage Amoco bridge (cards) tally booklet
.50 - old plant waterer - in the shape of a toilet
.25 HP inkjet cartridge (to recycle at Staples for $3 coupon)
$2 Julia Child cookbook
.50 small glass jar Yankee Candle (unused)
.50 three vintage Disney placemats for kids
$1 large roll of metal fencing. To stop my dog from digging under fence.
$2 Fenton Milk Glass candy dish
free - small christmas ornament that looks like a hightop converse all-star

probably the best find of the day: two vintage TV computer games (like the old Atari) but its called Odyssey by Magnavox. Two controllers, one in original box and a ton of games. Price: FREE. The seller said I could have it all if I took everything.

Weekend Update

Saturday was a good yardsaling day. Bought a collectible copy of Little Black Sambo for .50 and a green Depression glass refridgerator dish for $2. Most of the stuff is still in the car so I will take a photo tomorrow.

Then in the afternoon, my husband's company had a picnic at a AA Minor League ballpark. It was like a whole day event - buffet picnic lunch, games going on in the outfield, bouncy bounce things for the kids to do. Free beer. No I didn't have any, beer is not my cup of tea. Although in my earlier days, if someone said "free beer" - I was there! And of course, free tickets to the game that night.



So anyway since the game didn't start until 7pm, we had some time to kill so we got our hands stamped and went across the street to go shopping,(Kohl's, Staples etc). And since it was a just a short drive, we drove to Bowie Town Center and walked around (I had never been there). Its an outdoor shopping center that is supposed to have the feel as if you are shopping at Main Street America. Assuming that there's a Victoria's Secret on Main Street in small town America. I don't shop well when I am with my husband and son. I do much better as lone bargain hunter. Didn't buy a thing.

At that point, my husband wasn't feeling good. He's been sick off and on the past week or two. But geez, the game was only an hour away. I felt like telling him to man-up and lets stay for the game or at least part of it. No, instead we left and went home. But we stopped at a deli so he could get a corned beef sandwich, apparently for medicinal purposes.

At the event, all the employees were given $30 gift certificates to spend at the ballfield either for concessions during the game, or for stuff at the souvenir shop. So with the $30, I bought Jacob an overpriced $18 t-shirt (which I am sure I probably could have found eventually for .35 at VV.) Also used the remainder to buy other overpriced stuff. I wanted to take this little guy home, but he wasn't for sale.



It just so happened that on Friday, I took Jacob to a new indoor bouncy bounce place ($6 for all you want to bounce). When we got there, Bob Barker's final episode was starting in the little cafe thing they had for parents, so Jacob sat and watched Bob. Good thing I wasn't paying by the hour to have him bounce. If I had known there was going to be bouncy things at the ballpark, I wouldn't have taken him to the indoor bouncy place the day before. (I would have spaced it out better).

Some buys from the past week

I went to VV yesterday to get one last thrift shopping fix in before end of school year. Today is the first day of summer vacation for kids here. I don't thrift addictively over summer like I do the rest of the year (too difficult with a 7 year old). Sometimes I manage to sneak in a thrift shopping excursion every once in a while over the summer. And I do continue to hit the yardsales every Saturday.

I found several pairs of shoes yesterday (Born and SAS for resale), Skechers for me and two pairs for Jacob. And this time I'm not going to have to use shoe polish on the suede shoes to turn pink shoes into black/semi grey like I did when I found some pink shoes for him. (go to my blog archives over on the left and find the pink/black shoe experiment from June 14, 2006). And yes, he's already outgrown the pink/black shoes I bought last summer. The shoes at VV are .50 a pair. I also bought a few shirts at .35 each (not in pic)

No, the Berenguer doll is not for my son (he prefers Dora the Explorer anyways). I will put it up on ebay along with my other cheapo Berenguer dolls and see if I can get some doll "reborner" to buy them for much more than I spent. I paid .50 for this one. If you've never heard of Reborn Dolls and the certain type of people who buy them, it's definitely something alright.

The Arizona jeans ($1) are for my son to grow into. And the books (.10 - .25) each are for ebay.