Skipping Town

Had some decent luck with yard sales today. Not my best haul, but it was a rainy weekend and I got to only a couple. My bounty: Lego mosaic set ($2) feathered headress for dress-up bin (free!) Lilly Pulitzer capri pants, like new ($1) (I actually find them quite hideous, but I couldn't pass them up) two bracelets and a necklace ($1/each) three kids' dresses ($1/each)--one's an adorable corduroy jumper in exactly the style I love for my girls

It begins! My favorite time of year: rummage sale season. There have been some here and there the past few weekends, with last weekend bringing a huge cache of Playmobil sets, a rare find (Sphinx, Egyptian temple, vet clinic, fairyland, some random figures and pieces). But this weekend the sales were going on in force. I came away from three days of sale-ing with these treasures: --more Playmobil sets (seal feeding pool, underwater, and burning building--I need to cut myself off) --big container of Lego-compatible building bricks (the hit of the weekend) --6 pairs of princess dress-up shoes --4 sparkly dress-up outfits --2 plush panda hats for next winter --6 Corningware mugs --retro Corningware baking dish --4 mini Corningware baking dishes --10 cookie cutters, including a unicorn --box of vintage yellow Fiestaware (Andrew found it shoved underneath a table!) --a handful of wooden pegs for peg dolls/gnomes --2 Zhu Zhu Pet strollers with a total of 2 pets and 4 baby pets ...

I returned to the church sale tonight and, of course, came home with a successful bounty: small microplane grater for NH metal tongs 2 mini-cupcake pans 2 mugs 8 children's books 10 Little People animals 1 vintage Little People boy 1 vintage Little People dog tiny stuffed lamb 2 tiny ponies white noise machine (identical to Lucia's old one, destroyed in the NH storm!) 2 tiny dinosaur figurines 1 medium-size shark figurine The final day of the sale is Thursday, one last hurrah.

Oh bliss! It's church sale time. Today was the opening night, and I felt positively giddy as I lined up early, waiting to enter with my two gigantic Ikea bags and a walletful of cash. It did not disappoint. I came home with both bags full, plus a trunk full of larger items. My haul: a Plasma car (and I got another at a yard sale last weekend, so now I have 2) 2 sawhorses for Andrew 5 large trucks and fire engines for Luca a handful of Matchbox cars for Luca 6 dinosaur figurines 2 shark figurines a handful of Littlest Pet Shop animals a handful of small animal-squirters for the pool/water table/tub a bag of Little People-type animals a bulk bag of adjustable metal kids' rings to which you can hot glue any number of items (perfect winter-day activity, making a hundred rings from coins, buttons, stones, etc etc) a dinosaur puzzle a poker chip spinner full of poker chips (another winter-day keeper) a pile of fabric remnants and samples to make pillows (to put on the b...

I’ve been inconsistent in recording my garage-sale finds this summer. Rest assured, I go to garage sales every weekend that we’re here; and rest assured, I always buy something. My greatest joy, however, is the church rummage sale. I’ll do anything to ensure I make it to a rummage sale, and already this summer my determination has caused marital unrest. A case in point: three weeks ago. Sure, we had eight people coming from Brooklyn for lunch; sure, we had to get everything ready; sure, the girls were whiny that morning, trading meltdowns. But a synagogue nearby was having a rummage sale, and I went, leaving Andrew and the girls behind, just an hour before our friends arrived. Andrew wanted to kill me. Moral to the story: Andrew got over his anger, and I got a pile of great kids’ books for 10 cents each, several hundred envelopes (white and lavender) for $1.50, plus a large, eclectic mix of butter-yellow Fiestaware for $10. My true love is the annual “turnover sale” at a church ju...

It's garage sale season. Whoo-hoo! I know my excitement over this is incomprehensible so many people, including Andrew. But the thrill of the search--the unknown at the end of each driveway--the sparkle of promise laid out on blankets on front lawns all around town--Perhaps this is how some people feel when they anticipate the beginning of a sports season. Two weeks ago, I went to my inaugural garage sale and came away with three bulging black garbage bags full of--well, I had no idea, really, because I didn't look inside. I heard the woman say they contained her daughters' Barbie collection, and that she'd give me all of it for $5 total, and that was that. I stuffed them in my trunk and began the excavation on the front porch when I got home. And--it was a bust. I don't often say that; I don't often gamble so unwisely. My mystery purchases are usually rewarding, often amazing. But this time, even I had to admit it was a lot of junk. Much-loved junk, to be sur...

There was another church rummage sale last weekend—smaller than the epic sale I recounted a few weeks ago, but no less exciting. Andrew, the girls, and I went last Saturday—Andrew rolled his eyes and suggested several times he stay home with Lucia, or with Greta, but ultimately agreed to come. We stopped first in the furniture area, where Andrew immediately chose and purchased an end table. While he lugged it to the car, I headed to the toy area. And there, on the floor, was a gigantic zippered mattress-pad bag chock full of vintage Little People accessories—cars, chairs, tables, a chariot, desks, barber chairs, playground equipment; hundreds of pieces. I had Greta in the Ergo and was trying to keep one hand on Lucia in the crowded room; but I managed to lug that bag to the woman taking the money. “Well,” she said, smiling apologetically, “I’m going to have to charge you $4, since there’s a lot of stuff in there.” “That sounds fine,” I said. It did sound fine. My heart was rac...