Yard Sale Finds

It's been a while since I visited here with you.

I've been to a writer's conference, I've been writing and rewriting, I've been busy in our garden and I've been to a few yard sales.

I don't get as much as I used to, but sometimes I just can't resist picking up a few things.

Here are three items I've found lately:

This beautiful vintage ceramic cake/pie server. 

I almost missed this laying on the table, I was on my way to pay for a book I found.

It was only 50 cents! I love it. 

 I picked up three of these cloth calendars. Aren't they adorable with the little girls making a wish.

Remember the aprons I made with these calendars earlier this year. I thought these would be

real pretty for little girl aprons.

This vintage rooster cookie jar! 

I love cookie jars and I didn't have a rooster one. 

Looking at her from this direction, you would never know that the lid has been broken

and  glued back together and that a piece of his comb is missing. But then, I only paid

25 cents for it. So who cares that he is not perfect.

It's like people. It's whats on the inside that counts.

If you want to hear about the writing conference I attended last weekend, go over to my writing blog and read about it.

Posted by Janet Smart in Writing in the Blackberry Patch
©Janet Smart

Old Songbook

I went to a few yard sales today and only came back with one item. I paid a dime for my purchase.

I bought the 1938 song book that Teddy is holding. I love it.  It is filled with old songs. The songs are indexed as Banquet and Greeting Songs, Children's Songs, Christmas Songs and Carols, College and Humorous Songs, Cowboy and Mountain Songs, Home and Folk Songs, Nature Songs, Negro Spirituals, Parting Songs, Patriotic Songs, Plantation Songs, Rounds, Sacred Songs and Hymns, Sea Songs and Chanteys, Sentimental Songs, Singing Games and Thanksgiving Songs.

Here are three songs that are classified as Mountain Songs.

I remember Billy Boy from when I was a kid. When I was young, we had an old record that had this song on it. I used to sing it all the time.

There are many other old time songs in the book. I'll be posting about them from time to time. Some I have heard and some I have not heard before.

One cute song is Prairie Flower. The words are:

I'm a little prairie flow'r, Growing wilder ev'ry hour;
Nobody cares to cultivate me, I'm as wild as wild can be.
I'm as wild as wild can be, Tu-ra-lu-ra, Tu-ra-le.


I'm a little wrinkled prune, May get stewed, and very soon;
If I do, look out for me, I'm as bad as bad can be.
I'm as bad as bad can be, Tu-ra-lu-ra, Tu-ra-le.

I hope you enjoyed sneaking a peek at my book as much as I did.

Posted by Janet Smart at Writing in the Blackberry Patch

Weekend Happenings and a Guessing Game

I have been very busy this weekend. 

He have visited one of our cemeteries and have two more to go to.

And, it has been soooo hot! 

On our deck thermometer, which gets direct sunlight, it was 111 degrees today.

These little baby robins seem to be doing okay, though.

Aren't they cute?

 

And, I also found a dove's nest in our grapevines. So far two eggs have been deposited in the nest.

 

There was a rumor Friday that Ripley was on sale, so we checked it out.

Sure enough, they were right. Ripley was on sale!

But, believe it or not, I never bought anything from the Courthouse lawn.

I didn't even buy any of this silvercrest Fenton or salt and pepper shakers!

We did go to a few yard sales, though, and I picked up a few things.

I saw this in the yard of one of my friends.

I would have liked to have brought it home with me, but it wasn't for sale.

Do you know what it is?

Here's another view of it.

I bet some of you know.

 

Any guesses?

I'll come back tomorrow and tell you what it is.

Here is the answer.

Okay everyone, we had some pretty good guesses. 

They said this used to be at our Capitol building a long time ago in Charleston.

That little spot on the back of it used to have a ring attached to it to hitch your horse to.

These were steps used for a lady to step up onto her horse and sit side saddle.

Yard Sale Goodies

I thought I'd show you a few of my yard sale goodies.

I got a set of 4 rose colored placemats and this box of old stained glass ornaments. I thought the ornaments would also look good hanging in a window at Christmas time.

Cookbooks! I love cookbooks. I also found the children's book, Wizard of Oz. I've seen the movie many times, but have never read the book - now I can read the book! That little thing in the upper left hand corner is an old folder that holds sewing needles. I love vintage sewing items.

I had to pick up this glassware, since it was so cheap. Two more sets of salt and pepper shakers to add to my collection, a teeny tiny Coke glass and an old glass syrup server. The syrup container is very heavy and I love the red plastic lid on it. I wish it wasn't warped, but oh well, everything can't be perfect. I've never seen one before with a lid on it like that. Have any of you?

And, I'm not sure what this is supposed to be. My husband gave me a worried look when I picked it up. It is almost 19 inches tall and looks old. I have some old potato mashers, but none this big. I thought it would be good to crush big bags of ice with that you buy at the ice machines. You know how they get hard and stuck together sometimes.  I wonder what Charley thought I was going to use it for?

It is getting to be that time of year.  

Have you been go any good yard sales lately?

What is your weakness? 

If the price is right, what do you just have to have when you see it at a yard sale?

Food, Finds and New Story

Hey everybody, I'm posting about a simple taco dish, yard sale finds and a new story I'm writing.

I made this taco dish a few days ago. It is very good.

INGREDIENTS:
2 tubes Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
16oz sour cream
8oz softened cream cheese
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1 pint pizza sauce
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
chopped lettuce, chopped tomatoes
2 cups crushed Doritos
1 - 8oz jar medium taco sauce

DIRECTIONS:
Brown ground beef in skillet and drain. (I use the real lean ground beef and I usually don't have any fat to drain) Add taco seasoning and pizza sauce. Simmer until well combined. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Roll  out crescent rolls on 1/2 sheet baking pan to make a single layer crust. Bake 10 minutes or until golden. Apparently my baking pan wasn't large enough, there was only enough room for 1 1/2 pkg of the crescent rolls.

Combine sour cream and cream cheese and beat until well blended and creamy. Spread the mixture all over the cooled crust.

Gently spoon ground beef mixture over the top of sour cream mixture. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the beef mixture. Layer with lettuce and tomatoes. (I didn't have tomatoes, so none were added) I refuse to buy tomatoes from the store off season. They are too expensive and taste awful!

Crush Doritos and sprinkle over top of vegetables. (I only used 1 1/2 cups of crushed Doritos).I put my Doritos in a small Ziploc bag and crushed with my hands.  Lastly, pour taco sauce over the entire dish.

Yummy!

This is very good. I have a few suggestions, though. It makes a lot! Unless you have a large family or you are taking it to a pot luck dinner, HALF the recipe and it will make plenty.

Also, my son said he would rather I left the taco sauce off and let people add it on their serving in their plate. He is not that crazy about the taco sauce. This would be very easy to do.

I went to a couple of inside yard sales today. I picked up a few things, among them. . .

candles, Little Golden Books and 2 very nice 5 x 7 frames. 

I love the frames, they are vintage looking and made of metal and would look great with pictures of my ancestors in them. I also collect Little Golden Books, I hope I don't already have these, I'll have to check.

NEW STORY! I haven't been posting as much as usual lately, because I came up with an idea for a new story. I have been writing! When I am on a roll, I hate to stop. This story takes place in the mid 1940s. I was calling it, Ruby Mae, but I am now thinking about calling it Ruby Mae and Nellie. Ruby Mae is (at the moment) 19 yrs old and Nellie is her young 6 year old niece. Spunky Nellie wants to share the spot light with Ruby Mae, so I decided I should include her in the title, too. I've a long ways to go, I am only on Chapter Three, but hopefully I will keep plugging along until I am finished. I think it will be geared for Upper Grades.


Happy Weekend, everyone!


posted by Janet Smart at http://janetsmart.blogspot.com

Yard Sale Goodies

My Aunt Irma loved going to yard sales, maybe even more so than I do. She once said the only thing she liked better about living in Florida than living in West Virginia was that she could go to yard sales all year round.

I live in West Virginia and the yard sale season is winding down in our area. I'd say after the first week in November, they will exist no more until next spring. But, there is always the thrift store! They stay open year round.

Today I got all of these goodies for less than $2.00.

I love candle holders, especially this wooden one with the little handle. I can see the large glass container as a centerpiece during the holidays filled with pine cones or shiny bulbs, etc.

I make ornaments out of cinnamon sticks, so 25 cents a bundle was a good buy.
The Christmas magnetic memo pad will find a place on my fridge
and a candle will look nice inside the red berry ring.

And another bowl to add to my wheat dishes.

Are there still yard sales going on in your area? Found any good buys lately?

Yard Sale Relapse

Help! I was going to stop going to yard sales, but I've had a relapse.

Somebody should have slapped my hand before I picked up these 4 beautiful strawberry metal trays for $1 and the McCoy strawberry pitcher and container. (I'm not even sure what the one on the left is, it looks like a canister without the lid. But not knowing what it was, didn't keep me from getting it) They were only 50 cents each, would you have passed them up?

My kitchen is red and yellow, I thought I could use the one on the left to put my larger spoons, egg turners and the such in. And I'm sure I could find a use for the other one, too. Maybe put flowers in it. . . what do you think? Or, hey, I could use it for what it was intended to be used for and put some water or other beverage in it.


And, even though there are no babies in my family, I couldn't pass up this beautiful hand quilted and embroidered baby quilt. It was only $2 and I love it. Did you notice in the upper left hand corner the dog is turned a different way? I've heard somewhere that the Amish would put a mistake in their quilt on purpose. I wonder if this was done on purpose or if it was a mistake?


I love cloth tablecloths. This is not an old one, but I liked the fruit pattern on it. It was only 75 cents.


And, last but not least, I got these for a quarter at the thrift store today. Fire King custard cups with a wheat pattern on them. I love the wheat pattern dishes. I will put these in my kitchen cabinet and use them.


Well, what do you think? Do I need to go to rehab? I put back a lot more than I bought. I think I did good and bought some useful items for what little I spent.

It is a hard habit to break, but I'm working on it.

Weekend Happenings

We spent Thanksgiving at my son's house and had a wonderful time. We had the usual turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, rolls, mashed potatoes and, of course, dessert. We had pumpkin, apple and pecan pie.

When we got home, I found a bag on my front porch. It seems that my cousin, Vera, came to my house while I was gone. She left me some goodies she had picked up at yard sales this summer. She knows I love wheat dishes and brought me this wheat gravy boat. I love it. Thank you, Vera!
Isn't it beautiful?


We did not get up early and go shopping on Friday, but we were greeted with snow flurries when we got up. Our first snow of the season!

Saturday we went to Sissonville High School and watched the Hillbreed. I posted about them before, they are a great bluegrass band. They can play anything. I especially love the fiddle and banjo. The fiddle player is great!


They are a bunch of cut ups and are so fun to watch.


We also went to Town Center Mall on Saturday. Charley went to look at cameras. When we were there, I saw Borders express. I said, "Let's go see if Christmas Traditions is on their shelves." It was! It was exciting to actually see it in the bookstore. It's the second book from the left. For those of you who don't know, I have a short story in it.


I took down and put away my fall decorations today and Charley has just about finished putting up the outside Christmas lights.

So, what have you been doing since Thanksgiving?

Weekend Happenings

Another weekend has come and gone.

I've been to yard sales and gotten a few goodies. Below is a large garden basket I got for 25cents, a brand new Pyrex quart measuring bowl for 50cents, old zinc canning lids 3/$1, fall potholders and oven mits, etc.




I got a Anchor Hocking pie plate for 50 cents.


A huge metal bowl which will come in real handy for 50 cents and Charley got a vintage hand drill for $2.


I'm going to make something out of this cute scarecrow Halloween outfit someone made from an old shirt and blue jean overalls, I'll post it when I finish.


And this baby quilt for only $1! It is hand applique and embroidered. Isn't it beautiful? I don't have a baby, but I couldn't pass it up.



My berries are finally winding down. I picked 3 quarts and made blackberry jam. I love blackberry jam! I also made and froze batches of spaghetti sauce with my tomatoes.


And, today we went to the WV State Honey Festival in Parkersburg.



There were lots and lots of honey products and lots of bee related items for sale. I went through this 1804 log house which they have made into a museum. I loved going through it. It was filled with period items that had been donated by people.



I felt like sitting down in this old rocking chair on the second floor and staying a while.

But the best part was getting to see my son and his wife at the Festival.

We've had a great weekend and wonderful weather.

Hope you have too.

Treasure Hunting

Summer is the time for yard sales. Some people call it junking, I call it treasure hunting!

I haven't went treasure hunting as much this summer as I usually do, because I'm trying to cut down. A person only has so much room for treasures before the rooms start to overflow. And my rooms are now overflowing.

I have bought lots of books at yard sales. Old books, new books, writing books and children's books. I love books!

Here is something that kinda falls into the category of books. It is a Princess Diana Paper Doll book. None of the dolls or clothing have been punched out, it is intact and dated 1985. I paid 25 cents for it. I came home and just out of curiosity I went to the Kovel site and saw where they listed it as being worth $80. Now finding someone who will pay that much for it is another thing. But I couldn't believe that when I saw it.



You all know I love milk glass. I posted my collection of it a while back. Well I found this hobnail 72oz pitcher for $2 and I couldn't pass it up. I love it. It was made my Anchorglass.



Here are some bowls I've purchased this summer at yard sales. I love bowls! I have quite a few of the bowls like the one on the left. I have them in different colors and I use them all the time to put veggies in at the kitchen table. I really love them. The two light pink ribbed bowls are small mixing bowls without their lids, they were made by Anchor Hocking. I don't know anything about the little peach colored bowl, but I thought it was very pretty and I think it is old, too. I paid 25 cents each for all of these.



Here is an autumn leaf stacking bowl (I think people call these jewel tea). It is without a lid, but I love the pretty autumn leaves and I only paid 50 cents for it. Two old salt and pepper shakers to add to my collection, a green wood handled fork, a wood handled crinkle cutter and the pretty thing on the right is a yellow flowered vintage hat to add to my collection of old hats.


And here are a couple pieces of what they call "poor man's silver". They are aluminum. I'm not sure what the one on the left is called but the other one is a handled candy dish. I have a lot of these hammered aluminum "pieces" and will post about them in the future.


In addition to all these things my husband bought 20 shirts at a yard sale over the weekend! I tried very nicely to talk him out of all of them, but to no avail. They were very good quality shirts, though, but I just don't know where he's going to hang them all. We don't have a walk in closet!

I have also bought more vintage aprons and vintage tablecloths this summer. Oh, and I got an enamelware baking pan with lid this weekend also.

What have you all been buying this summer? Any treasures you want to tell me about?

Saturday

I had a yard sale today and I am exhausted. I was up at 6am dragging everything out of the garage and putting them on tables and hanging clothes on a line. But I also got to look at my husband's cactus, which is blooming.

It has went from this. . .

to this. . .

during the course of the day.

I think they are so beautiful! But don't touch, or you will get many, many fine stickies in you! Take it from someone who has learned the hard way.

During the day I checked on our mourning dove nest in the Catawba tree. The two babies have hatched and are very big! I think they will be flying down from the tree very soon. I hope I get to see them when they do. I am going to make it a point to check on them often. The baby doves are very quiet and still, I have never heard them make a noise or even move. They are very well hidden among the large leaves of the tree.




We can't get the CD part of our son's stereo to work, so we never had any luck in selling it. It is a good radio and cassette player, tho, with great speakers. So my older son thought it would make a nice addition to his workshop.

He now listens to music in style,

while he works.

There's a beautiful full moon out tonight, in case you want to take a look at it before going to bed. Hope you are having a nice weekend!