Since You're All Still Here...

Unfortunately, nobody was caught up in the sky over the weekend. Or maybe if they were it was only like two people, who don't live near other people, so none of us know about it. We've all been left behind. I figured that I'd share some of my great finds from Rapture Day with you all in consolation. I mean, if we're still stuck here, we might as well go yard sale-ing, am I right?

Though, probably if the end of the world is coming in October I should have stocked up on canned goods and cigarettes instead of annuals and ballet flats. In the post-apocalyptic world you'll be able to trade cigarettes for anything. Who is going to want gold bars? Nobody, that's who. You are going to want to traffic in booze and cigarettes. Trust me on this one. When everyone is wearing tied together bits of leather and has gone without a good scrubbing for months people are going to need something to make that sight look and smell better.

The sale we went to was in Churchville, ironically enough. In attendance: Me, HB and Lilah. We also stopped at the Gates Town Hall which was having a huge community sale in it's yard and labyrinth-like bowels. HB and my mom bought every kind of plant imaginable. I bought a baby Chinese Lantern plant for $2. They bought the same and something called Purple Passion from a woman wearing party beads. I wouldn't be surprised if you could smoke the stuff.


HB found the enamel bucket for $2. She first thought about plating flowers in it (because these two had pants on the brain, let me tell you) but then I reminded her about the patio she is planning and how the bucket might be perfect for ice and beer. Obviously, she agreed. Snap out of the plant coma, people, there is more to life. Like beer.

Lilah bought her share of foliage and a Vincent Van Gogh umbrella for $1. Sometimes I wonder how the masters would feel having people put their work on umbrellas, blankets and aprons. Ah well, they're dead. Who cares, eh? People gotta stay dry, warm and clean, they might as well look cultured doing it. Especially people who pronounce Van Gogh: "Van Gauck" or "Van Gaugh".


My mom also got an old heating pad still in the box for $2. We used to have one just like it when I was little. She got a Buffalo Bills potholder for cheap, a cool shaker for $1, a cute flower pin for 50 cents and a glass candy jar for a quarter! The recipe box was in the free bin and the gift bags were a quarter each. Cheaper than the dollar store! Take that $4/gallon gasoline!


I would like to say that Lilah also got a bag of fresh popped popcorn. We smelled it, we saw kids eating large bags of it, but we never seemed to find the sale with the popcorn. The neighborhood was essentially a circle and just as we were getting back to our car we saw it. The empty popcorn machine. One sale to the right of our car. One fatal step away. Lilah nearly cut herself. She did swear repeatedly and announce that it was time to get the hell out of there. Poor kid. She had behaved all day and never stolen so much as as one piece away from those lucky children with their bags full of corn. OK, so she might have eyed them a little too interestedly and made their mother's very nervous, but she didn't take so much as a kernel. A tragic story.

Hb found a muffin tin made out of this star patterned metal that she loves for $1 and some magazines for a quarter each. This girl needs more magazines like she needs more trash cans. She hordes them. It's a sickness.


I got two shot glasses and two small planters for a quarter each. They sort of match! The green shot glass says "Reforestation Expert" and the yellow one says "Water Conservationist". They are prizes for the Seersucker Social bike ride on Sunday. The planters are for the basil plants that we got at the public market.


Here is my Chinese lantern $2, a pin cushion 25 cents and a Goosberry Patch stack of pumpkins that I got for $1.


The ballet flats were $1 and the three pieces of estate silver were $1 total. I went to a restaurant here in Rochester on Friday night called Good Luck. They brought the silverware out in mason jars. It was all mismatched pieces of silver. The chairs were all mismatched, too. It's adorable in there. I have some silver, but I was re-inspired by visiting the restaurant. If you look, you'll be able to find silver for ridiculously good deals too!


I paid 15 cents for the ceramic Christmas house. You're thinking that I paid too much, aren't you? That is so like you. I got the vintage Hallmark "Midnight Snack" ornament for 50 cents. A mouse on a Christmas donut with sprinkles? Yeah, I think so. The silver holly was FREE!

Here's a little peep at the Belles in Seersucker garb.

Dirty Church

The husband and I started our day out at the Public Market at 8:00 am. I don't know if you know this about Rochester, but we have the #1 Public Market in the country! In the entire US of A, Rochester has got the best Public Market. It seems unbelievable, but when you arrive at 8:00 am and have to park two blocks away because the place is so packed, you start to understand. We had our veggie and meat grocery list and were able to get almost everything on the list. I swear to you, it seemed like every single thing was $1. I can't wait to go to Wegmans and find out how much our three bags of produce and chicken would have been.

Then we went to two neighborhood sales that are across the street from one another. It's been years since I've been to these particular sales. Last time I went it was a mad house. Swarms of people the likes of which you might witness at Woodstock or NYC on New Years Eve. Call me crazy, but I just felt like living on the edge today. There were plenty of other great sales to go to, but these were closer to home and gas is $4 a gallon. Not that I drove. But, you get the point. Anyway, it ended up that the crowds were thinner and the pickins better.

In attendance: Lilah, the husband, Sarah and Sarah. We started at a church sale. Innocent enough, or so one might think. We found gobs of 80's stuff. Including "Yo MTV Raps!" trading cards still in the box and stickers wanting to know, "Where Is The Beef?" Not where's the beef. Where. Is. The. Beef?! Then things started to get a little...kinky. There was a gold necklace charm of a couple...coupling and a photo frame with factory photos of men in the buff that showed you exactly where the beef was. Two other gems did not elude us:

Sarah pities the foo' who doesn't cure virginity...hound dog.

The husband is pretty pumped to use this on his desk at work next week. Jealous? As we were checking out Nick mentioned that he thought churches were supposed to burn things like this. The man collecting the money said, "Not this church, we're awesome." How can you disagree with that? Lilah scooped up a vintage folding lawn chair for 50 cents and Nick took it's match. Then of course Lilah wondered if she should have gotten both and they spent the rest of the day keeping their respective chairs out of reach of each other.


The vintage still in the wrapper message board is for someone who likes that kind of thing. It has felt pieces on it. Authentic 1970's felt. We're talking high class.

The husband got two Beach Boys records. One has NEVER BEEN OPENED. They were 50 cents each.


Lilah scored a tiny little turkey (she has to be the only person I've ever met who loves turkey things) for a quarter, a vintage silhouette jar for 50 cents, two plants for a buck and ...popcorn. She was eating it before we even realized it was there. My mother is a popcorn fiend. She can smell popcorn three miles away. She can also eat her weight in popcorn. She housed that junk. It was fresh popped, too! Right in someone's front yard. Two things to know about my mother: Do NOT get in between her and popcorn OR her and fresh oranges from the tree. You will be chewed.



I got several things as well. The first to tempt your imaginations is: the dog air freshener or "Air Refresher". It's fuzzy, it's green, it's a dog...apparently. This one is for a friend. Obviously. What are friends for? Plus, it came from Dirty Church.

I love tiny. I love cute. I love holidays. Put those hands together.

I had this book when I was younger. I just started to think about it last week and I missed it. I remember the pictures so vividly. Glad to have it back.


This vintage black purse was $1 and came with it's original change purse. The leather pouch is for a friend who loves horses. And probably leather to some extent. But definitely pouches.


I've been all about the 80's stuff lately. Even more so than usual which is bad news. I looked at plastic 80's jewelry online the other day for about an hour. I was then gifted with this for like a quarter. Now, I used to have a ton of these when I was a kid and then again when I had the 80's toy website: 80's Twilight. (calm down, that was at least 10 years before The Twilight Saga came to be) I forced the collection onto a friend. For her own good. (who, me?? Never!!) But, I think I'll keep this one. At least until my nostalgia fades away. I bet you recognize some of these charms from your own necklace, don't ya?


Stay tuned for more yard sale-ing adventures on the high seas! (or on land, in the suburbs)

It's Really Happening

After what certainly feels like the worst and longest winter in recorded history (including the ice storm of 1993 or whenever that was, in which we had no electricity for a week and nearly my whole extended family came to stay at our house) I am seeing signs that spring might actually, finally be here. Might. Don't think about it too hard and jinx it.

Can I get a witness:

And introducing, for the very first time in my back yard...these!

This color delights me so! I can't wait to see my big, beautiful peonies! Right now they are just small red spears sticking out of the ground. But, when they start to grow, things happen fast! Hopefully this year my lilac will bloom. That's never happened yet in the three years that I've had it. It seems so enthusiastic this year. Trying to be the first to have real leaves. Come on little guy, I believe in you!

OK, I'm done anthropomorphizing plants for the moment.

In other news we went to that church sale last week. By all accounts it sucked. But, it was their bag sale day and we got a large bag of stuff for $3. I ended up with 4 small white plastic Christmas bells on pipe cleaners...covered in glitter. Mom got some clothes for her man, Alicia got a comfy gray sweater, Vig (Side note: New friend Sarah needs a nickname. Her last name is Vigoren so I've been throwing around "Vig" but I also really like "OS", pronounced OZ which stands for Other Sarah. But that is kinda mean, I guess. But OS sounds cooler than Vig. Anyone care to put it to a vote?) Anyway, OS got some...interesting sweatshirts, a pair of socks, if I'm not mistaken and a ashtray with a mallard duck on it to catch coins and such. HB ended up with a very cool cake plate with lid that will fit one of her very tall, very layered, very delicious cakes. I can't remember what else. I have to get better at documenting this stuff, stat! The giant rainbow is for OS & Andrew's hallway of heinous art. You are jealous, just admit it.