Yard Sales

I've decided to start going to the local yard sales, estate sales, moving sales--- whatever they choose to call them, it means the same thing: great stuff for inexpensive prices. I haven't been to a yard sale in two years, since my husband's mom passed away. We had too many things here after we had her treasures shipped here from up north. Add those to what we already had, and it was just too much. I had started going through our house and taking things away (that I had found at yard sales and local antique shops).... some of those items got sold on eBay, to make room for the more precious treasures from my mother-in-law's home.

I had stopped going to the yard sales because that was the only way for me not to buy anything else. If I don't see it, then I can't buy it. And if I don't need it, and have no room for it, then why go look for it in the first place. Therefore, no yard sales. Not a one.

Till this morning, that is. I hadn't planned on going today, but on my way out for errands, I saw some yard sale signs and I stopped at two of them. I found Miss C a nice little bookcase for her cabin at the lake... made from picket-fence material, positively cute and painted mint green. Miss C wants her cabin to have a beach-y look, and I think she'll like this shelf. If she doesn't, then I can use it on the screen-porch.

I also bought a copy of James Michener's "Texas" -- brand-new looking hardcover, for just $2.00 -- I've been wanting to read that book for years, and just never got to it. So for two dollars, how could I leave that book there? At the second yard sale, I found a wonderful decorative wall hanging made of wrought iron..... a vintage look to it, made to hold little glass cups with votive candles. A perfect cottage-y candle-holder that will work in any of the rooms there... and it was just two dollars. See what I mean?.......... If you go to yard sales, you're bound to find something that works.

We're going to the yard sales tomorrow, and probably Saturday also.... looking for things we can use at the cottage. Young Miss C will come with us, so she can search for things for her own cabin. She's wanting to find bunk-beds for her cabin, so in case one of her friends comes along for the weekend with her, she'll have the extra sleeping space right there. That girl is as excited about that 14x20' cabin as we are about all of Mayberry. It's a pleasure to see her jumping with glee..... and jump she does... she's bouncing on her toes like a little bunny, I swear.

I'm just about finished packing up things from the house here. Boxes are piled up in the garage, and now there's a bunch of small tables stuffed into a corner of my sitting room. We don't need much in the way of decorative items, since I had so many things "to spare" around this house. Amazing what I can take away from here, and not have anything look like it's missing something. I also went through all of my cabinets and closets, looking for (and finding) things that will look just fine up in that cottage.

The last thing I did today was look through my bookshelves.... I now have a pile of books to take up to Mayberry. Books that I want to read again, and books that would be quick-reads for guests. My sitting room is always so neat.... now it looks like I'm having a yard sale of my own right in this room. At least in that one corner... the rest of the room is still okay.

The next adventure will come when we rent a truck to take all of this stuff from here to there. I think we can do it ourselves. I don't have heavy furniture here to move... mostly small side-tables, lamps, wicker chairs and rockers. That should all be easy enough.... and the boxes aren't heavy. I didn't pack any box so heavy that I couldn't lift it, so we should be just fine. And young Miss C has told us a thousand times that she'll be helping us as much as she can. With the high school starting classes here on August 10th, her time for helping will be somewhat limited, but we hope to get as much done ourselves so when C and her parents come up to Mayberry, they can just relax and have fun rather than move furniture around.

More adventures.... I think going to Mayberry Cottage will be an adventure every time.