To me, any day spent shopping and getting good deals is fun and productive! I just needed to fit all this fun in with a family dinner and babysitting our youngest granddaughter.
I had received a flyer from some local girls who were having a Fall Gathering at one of their homes. The flyer listed antiques, crafts, handmades, furniture from 200 year old logs and more so it sounded interesting and was near our home – this made my to do list for the day. Then there were two Antique Fairs in different towns and I couldn’t fit in both so I had to decide between the two. One of the towns has a monthly Fair and I go frequently, but the other one only has a Spring and Fall Fair and is closer to our home so this is the one I chose – another thing on my to do list. Also, my favorite clothing store, Coldwater Creek, was having a sale and I had birthday gift cards to spend – how do I fit this into my day? Oh yes, my brothers and SILs are visiting from out of town and we are invited to my parents for dinner and I am asked to bring my Red Velvet Cake. And my daughter has asked us to babysit our 8 1/2 month old granddaughter for the evening – an added joy for sure! Well, I didn’t miss a thing - it was just a long, busy, fun, productive day!
We started our day by going out for breakfast.
(Yes, I said we – my sweet husband is usually my antiquing, junking, Saturday outing buddy. I have the absolute best husband! He enjoys going antiquing with me and is willing to indulge me in some of the other outings I come up with. He is my best friend and I am so blessed to get to sure the share the joys of life with him.)
After breakfast we went to the Fall Gathering home show. I had wanted to go because the flyer said antiques, but there weren’t many, and the things I liked were already spoken for. They had some nice Fall and Christmas crafts, but I do not need another “cute” thing for our home. I did buy a small snowman to add to my collection – I decorate one of the guestrooms with snowmen for our grandchildren to enjoy through the Christmas holiday season.
This is the one I chose
Next we were off to a neighboring town for their Fall Antiques Fair. The vendors were setup in the downtown park under huge oak trees and the weather was pleasant – so let the shopping begin! Right away I spotted a nice crock – the lid really didn’t fit – but the price was good, so I made my first purchase and DH took it to the car since it was close by.
Here is my first crock of the day
While DH went to the car I strolled through the first section, but didn’t find anything else. The next section had a better selection of primitive things – but more pricey than my budget allows. I did find a couple of wooden spools to add to my collection. I had never seen a black beehive spool before – this one was coming home with me for sure! I also got a couple of wooden spoons for cheap so I needed these too – right?
At the same booth I found this cute little red cubby bin. It was full of wooden blocks, which I didn’t need - so I asked the price for just the bin, but she wanted to sell all of it. Well, Caleb needs the blocks to play with doesn’t he? That bin is coming home with me!
All along the way DH has been looking at old tools, but he is very frugal and selective so he usually just looks. He finally comes across one of those walking lawn sprinklers that kinda looks like a tractor – he has been wanting one for a long time, but they are usually pricey. Well, he asks the price and I could see the twinkle in his eyes when the man said OBO. DH made an offer and the man said yes – that sprinkler is coming home with us too! And it’s time for DH to make another trip to the car.
This is the love of my life with his prize sprinkler!
While DH was gone to the car I spotted a booth with several crocks on a table in the back. As I approached the table, the man said, “All of the crocks on that table are half price”. Now I love a good bargain, so I start checking prices – some have already been marked down, so I ask “Is it half off the lowest price?” Yes, it is! OMO, where is my husband, how much can I spend, how can I contain myself – I’m in crock heaven! As I kept looking at the crocks and pacing and looking for my DH to return, the man actually said to me, “Relax, they aren’t going anywhere.” And I’m thinking, “What if someone else comes along and wants them before I make my choices?” Honey, hurry back – I really need you! (It is times like these that I need my husband’s help, to get past the excitement and think through my wants and needs, to make a wise choice. I already had some of the crocks so it was easier to pass them by - but the 8 gallon crock with the cracked lid, the 4 gallon butter churn, those cute little jugs – why can’t I just have them all? Well, there is a thing called a budget – so I had to make some choices. OK, I really want that butter churn and the price is missing – surely it is not in my budget, but I ask anyway. By now we are on a first name basis – so Arthur says, “I had already marked it down to $125, but you can have it for $60.” Well, it’s a good thing DH returns about now, ‘cause I’m about to do a happy dance – that butter churn is coming home with me! After DH and I talk, we decide I can get the butter churn, the 8 gallon crock (I don’t mind the cracked lid) and a cute little jug with a wire handle – Arthur says I can have it all for $120! ALL THREE CROCKS ARE COMING HOME WITH ME!!! Arthur even helps us carry everything to the car. At this point I could have called it a day and gone home. But, just in case we missed something we went back and walked through the remaining booths. I did find a Ginger Jar at Arthur’s booth and DH bought that for me too.
Here they are!
So all totaled, I got five crocks in one day – a very productive outing in deed!
By now it is past lunch time, so we visit a great little cafe before heading home. DH usually sticks with something comfortable, like a burger – but I like to try different things, so I had a Fried Green Tomato and Bacon sandwich with Pasta Salad – yummy!
On the way home I mention the sale at Coldwater Creek to DH. He says he doesn’t mind if I want to go by myself, but he is ready to go home. Well, sometimes shopping by myself is good – especially clothes shopping! So we go home and unload the car and DH says he will clean up all of my crocks and bring them in the house for me while I am gone – I tell you this man is a KEEPER!
Now, I only have about 3 hours to go shopping and get back home before baby Carlie arrives – but I can’t miss a good sale - so off I go! They are doing this sale up big, with snacks and fashion tips and a lot of hoopla – but my time is limited, so I grab a bunch of things, try them on and finally decide on one outfit – black jeans and a really cool top! The neat thing is, that with their discounts and my coupons and gift cards, I bought a $125 outfit for $26 out of pocket – my kind of sale!
I actually got home and had some time to rest and catch my breath before Carlie arrived! Which is a good thing, because as soon as she got here we were off to my parents for dinner and some family time. My parents fixed another good ole southern meal – pork roast, corn, black-eyed peas, sliced tomatoes, and biscuits! There was also apple pie and my Red Velvet Cake for dessert. (I am the oldest of five children - one brother lives in South Carolina and I don’t get to see him very often and my other brother lives about an hour and a half away, so thankfully I get to see him a little more often. I have a sister who lives in town, so of course she was with us – but sadly my baby sister, who lives in Pittsburg was not able to come this time.)
On Sunday we all gathered at my parents house again. We ate - we visited - the guys did some repairs on my parents screened porch, while the girls supervised – we ate some more - we visited some more and we finally said our goodbyes and called it a night. What a blessing to be able to celebrate still having our parents with us and spend time together with my family!
Well, I have rambled on long enough so I am going to say “Good Night” I hope you all had a great weekend!
Autumn Blessings,
Sue
