Garage Sale

I am sitting at a garage sale all day today and tomorrow… We have been working in the basement for 4 weeks getting rid of junk and pricing stuff for a garage sale and today is the day! Unfortunately it is raining and I’m not sure that is good for business. But the good news is I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff….and as the tables empty I have been going back into the house and getting more “stuff”. So by the end of the day tomorrow, I’ll be packing up as much as I had originally I think! We decided to continue our de-junking and work in the attic as our next project and have another garage sale in October when our town has its Oktoberfest!

My philosophy on having a garage sale is to bless others....when I was a stay at home mom I really appreciated being able to go to yard sales and finding gently used clothes and household articles that I could use. Molly and I could get pretty excited about nothing much at all.... and now I'm passing that feeling onto others as they find GAP jeans for $1 and American Eagle shirts for fifty cents. So that said, I counted my money and even at all the 25 and 50 cent items I made more money at the yard sale today than I would have working....so I guess I can justify the day off.

We are supposed to have beautiful weather this weekend... I hope you all have beautiful weather where you are!!!

2008 Olympics

I have been faithfully watching the Olympics every night. I love all the stories about the athletes, how they overcome the odds to be the very best at their sport. It seems almost every athlete has an interesting story.

I’m guessing everyone’s favorite this year has to be Michael Phelps as he won 8 gold medals… What an accomplishment! As if that were not spectacular enough did anyone notice what he did after each race? He went over to his mother and gave her the flowers! In a couple of the interviews he talked about how special his mother was to him and about her sacrifice…. As a mom, I was impressed that the world’s top athlete this week gave his mother the credit.

I want to be Michael Phelp's mom!!!!

Shoe Fly Cake

Those of you who know me know that I really do not enjoy cooking, but I’m a wife and mother and so I cook enough to keep everyone happy….well more or less. I live in Central Pennsylvania where the old timers speak Pennsylvania Dutch. A lot of the foods are prepared in the Pennsylvania Dutch tradition where the cooking reflects both the German heritage and the hearty foods associated with the physical work involved in farming. One of my favorites has always been Shoe Fly Cake. I think the name was given to the shoe fly pie which is made very much like the cake, only in a pie shell. I would guess it was given the name because it is a sweet pie/cake and maybe a temptation to the flies…

Here is the recipe, it is a type of coffee cake and as I was growing up it was a special treat that my mother would sometimes make for our breakfast.

Shoe Fly Cake 8x8” pan

1 cup sugar
½ C margarine at room temperature
2 C. flour
1C. Hot Water
½ t. baking soda
½ C molsasses

Grease and flour an 8x8” pan.
Mix sugar, margarine and flour (Save about ½ C for the top)
Add hot water, soda and molasses
Mix together, but not thoroughly, it will be lumpy
Pour in pan and sprinkle the 1/2C mixture on top
Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes

Yard Sales

I love yard sales…I think getting a bargain is a big part of the thrill for me. I like “stuff” too, so although my husband has put a limit on the amount of “stuff” we will be bringing into the house, I can’t help myself…. I have to stop at a couple each week. I love dishes and so I’m always on the lookout for dishes and pretty plates. What grabs your attention? Today I found some lovely charger plates that look great with one of my everyday dish sets. With the chargers were the cutest little bowls that match the chargers and my dishes so I came home today a happy camper and only spent $5.

One thing I have learned about yard sales is that some people think their “junk” is golden! I went to one of those today and since it was someone I knew I felt like I couldn’t just walk away and not buy something since I engaged her in conversation. Luckily I found some gift bags that didn’t have a price tag on so I asked the price and since they weren’t hers she gave me a bargain and I came home with a few gift bags.

This year I got some real treasures at yard sales...I really like the coffee table that I painted a vew weeks ago and the dress form that is worth a couple hundred dollars. I am on the lookout for a vintage prom dress for her. I may have to check my attic, I probably have something that will do till I find something better. I'd love to hear of your favorite yard sale story...

Friday!!!

My niece Megan was here visiting most of the week so I really didn’t get a lot done, mostly just visited with her and watched HGTV! I did make this card to send to dd Molly. (Forgive the lousy photography, I did it last night with a flash.) I haven’t mailed her anything since she moved so all she gets is bills and credit card companies wanting her to have easy credit. This says "Every day is a new beginning. Treat it that way. Forget what might have been, and look at what can be."

We are trying to go through all our possessions and get rid of stuff but I’ll post more about that later. That said, I’ll be spending the day in the basement again tomorrow.

coffee table

I've sort of been looking for a coffee table to replace the one in the living room that really isn't a coffee table at all and a couple weeks ago I found one at a yard sale and the price was right....$3 So I spent a weekend sanding and painting. I put the table in my sunroom and carried my old one into the living room....not sure if this coffee table will stay in this room but for now it's here...I need a weekend with nothing to do so I can move furniture around again and decide where to put my coffee tables.

I love to see the transformation that a little white paint can make to an otherwise old and ugly, past-its-prime piece. Anyone else painting furniture this summer?

Miss Frannie

I bought this old dress form a couple months ago at a yard sale for $1 and today I noticed that shabby scraps was having a party for dress forms and there were lots of dress forms to view. I'd love to know what age mine might be, or what the value might be... Anyone have any ideas?

If you like dress forms, check out Shabby scraps.... I gotta get busy dressing mine. I'm calling her Miss Frannie because she belonged to Fran Bobb....