Four Months and A Day

My mom passed away August 13, exactly 4 months and a day from my dad's passing. She took the loss of my dad very hard. Her last month, she simply gave up. They had 50 wonderful years of marriage and the thought of going one more year without her beloved, was too much to bear. Although it isn't the official cause, I believe she died of a broken heart.

My dad had a passion for life. He was thankful for everyday he had on this earth. My mom, on the other hand, felt she had become a burden to others.  She had been staying in assisted living since the end of March and fell into a sadness. The bright spot of her week was when I brought my father to visit her. This is the last picture of them together.

After he had passed, she would ask me why he no longer came to see her. It broke my heart to remind her that he was with God and that she had gone to his funeral. She would look at me and then with a sorrow in her voice would say "oh yes, I remember."

We said our final goodbyes to her on Friday. She is entombed next to my dad and has now joined him with our Heavenly Father.

Would You Have Bought It?

I have been looking for something to store my winter blankets in. I wanted a chest or a trunk. I found both. Now I'm not sure if I should keep both or sell one.

On Saturday, I found a trunk at the thrift store. Unfortunately, someone painted it a baby poop brown. I don't see these often, so I bought it. It was marked $39.99 but with my 25% discount, it came to a little over $32 with tax. I want to see if I can get someone to repaint it white.

Today, I went to Goodwill and sitting in the furniture section was a Lane cedar chest. My husband thought it was too much at $49.99 I remember years ago buying one new for over $100 and it wasn't a Lane chest. It's a little scratched up on top and missing the key but in otherwise good shape.

 So now I have 2 things to store my blankets in. They should all fit in the cedar chest and at this time, I'm storing my childhood toys in the trunk.

Would you have bought either?

To The Moon and Back

On January 12, we took my dad home from the hospital to stay with us. Exactly 3 months later, God took him to his eternal home in heaven.

I miss my dad. He always had a song in his heart and a story to tell. At 85 years old, that's a lot of stories. I wish I could hear another one.

I miss my dad. He drove me crazy. I wish he was here to drive me crazier.

I miss my dad. He was always so kind and never met a stranger. I wish I was more kind.

I miss my dad. He had a smile most of the time. I wish I could smile more.

I miss my dad. He was so generous, he would give you his last dollar. I wish I were that generous.

I miss my dad. He was so grateful and said thank you all the time. I wish I were more grateful.

I miss my dad.  He was strong in his faith. I wish I was that strong.

I miss my dad. But I know he is in a better place and some day I will see him again.

Love you to the moon and back

Would You Have Bought It?

For some reason I was drawn to this Picasso picture. Unfortunately, the price tag prevented me from buying it. However, on St Patrick's Day, the thrift store was having a 50% off sale on any item that had green in it.  Even at half off, it was still more than I wanted to pay. I debated buying it and the clerk kept saying, yes you should get it. You should buy it.

So I got it. After paying for it, the clerk said "Did you see it"? I asked "seen what"? It was then she pointed out the male bits. No wonder she wanted me to buy it.

Would you have bought it?

Would You Have Bought It?

Dresser with flip out writing ledge for $29.99 Found it at Goodwill. I had a $10 store credit I used towards the purchase.

 The second drawer flips down and there are slots and a small drawer inside. A person on Facebook said it was a secretary. I needed a dresser so I am using it as such.

It needs a little tlc but I'm happy with it. It is pretty solid and all the drawers pull out easy. Would you have bought it? If so, what would you store inside?

What $5 Bought

L.E. Smith swung vase

It does have a hairline crack in it but I think it was still worth the $5 I paid. It's 22" tall.

These vases were produced by many glass companies such as Viking Art Glass and L.E. Smith.They ranged in height from 7" bud size to 40" tall floor sizes. I have never seen the 40" size. The vases were hand blown and literally swung around to produce the neck. The opening was hand tooled and heat polished smooth. With the exception of the very big pieces, they were produced in large quantities and are still easy to find today.

Sell It Or Keep It

On Tuesday, I found a Harry Potter snitch lamp at Goodwill. I debated over buying it because it was about 4 times more than the other lamps I have purchased there. Then I remembered, I had a gift card. So I bought the lamp, planning on keeping it for myself. It's Harry Potter, right. Out of curiosity, I looked on ebay. The highest sold was $76 plus shipping. There is currently 2 listed for auction at $39.95 and a Buy it Now for $125. For now, I will be keeping mine.

Thrift Store Wish List Find

I can finally mark off the Penguin Ice Bucket from my wish list. I found it at Goodwill on Wednesday. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it sitting up on the shelf in the housewares section. And the price. Someone at GW obviously did not know what they had.

It's official name is West Bend Hot & Cold Server. I believe it is aluminum but I'm not sure. It also came in a copper colored version which is more rare. I think the handles on mine, which look like penguin wings, are bakelite but they also came in wood.

This bucket was popular in the 50's and 60's and is even on display at the Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans. It can be used as an ice bucket or to keep rolls or biscuits warm.

Do you own one? Or did you have one growing up? Leave your comments in the section below.

What $5 Bought

a primary yellow 503 dish and a Wheaton poison bottle

 The Pyrex dish I found at Goodwill

 The Wheaton bottle I got at the estate sale where my husband purchased the repurposed sewing machine table. It has a skull and crossbones on the front and R.I.P on the back.

What To Sell: Vintage Beer T Shirts

Last summer, my husband's friend gave him a bunch of beer t shirts from the 80's. Most of them had stains, holes or damage but I thought I would try to sell them anyways. Surprisingly, all my shirts sold. The prices ranged from $14.99 to $24.99 These are a few I have sold.

Would You Have Bought It? Repurposed Sewing Machine

Earlier this week, the estate company I follow on Facebook posted this repurposed sewing machine available at their upcoming sale.

 I asked my sister if she would take me. This was pretty much the only thing that caught my eye. The sale opened at noon but my sister works until 1. I told my husband about the sale and without my knowledge, he had gone when it opened. He texted me the price of the table, $55 In the photo, I thought the top was wood. It is actually marble. I asked my husband if he could buy it for an early Valentines Day gift. He paid for it and I had to pick it up with my sister. I'm glad he got it because after he paid for it, a lady was looking at it and wanting to buy it. At theses sales, you pull the tag on the furniture in order to buy it and my husband had already done so. The lady should have realized it was sold.

Anyways, my sister picked me up and after looking around for a bit, we told the cashier we were there for the sewing machine table. The house was located on a cul de sac and my sister parked on the road running parallel to it. It was quite the walk in negative weather. The top wasn't screwed to the base so I was able to carry that and my sister took the bottom. I felt bad for her because she didn't have any gloves.

Reality TV?

Yesterday, I sold my vintage bobble head chipmunk to a production company based in California. This company is considered a pioneer in the reality tv genre. I'm dying to know if my chipmunk is going to appear on some show or if the person wanted it for his office. Would it be rude to ask? lol

What To Sell: Little Miss No Name

Back in 1965, Hasbro introduced a new type of doll: Little Miss No Name. She was an orphan designed to pull at the heartstrings of young children. In her commercial, she was seen standing in a dark alley with snow falling down. She was barefoot and not wearing a coat only her patched up burlap dress. She had big brown eyes similar to the Margaret Keene paintings of that era. Her hair was uneven and dirty and her hand was out streched as if begging for change. Her slogan was "I need someone to love me. I am so tired and cold. Please take me home with you and I will be yours to hold."

Unfortunately, LMNN was not a big seller and was discontinued shortly after. However, there are a lot of collectors of these dolls, she has her own facebook page, and they can sell for good money on Ebay. One in the box recently sold for $299 You can view ended listings here

If you happen to be in the market for one of your own to love, I am selling one on ebay. Click here

Top 60

Hey guys. My blog was selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 60 Thrifting Blogs on the web. I made the list at 46. You can check it out here.