Goodwill Hunting

Okay, this really is getting ridiculous.  I KNOW I shouldn't be, yet, somehow, I just can't stop.  I keep finding things that are too good to pass up.

I was googling Goodwill stores in my area and discovered there was one, very close, that I never knew existed!  I had to go check it out. 

Six over-sized plastic Christmas ornaments... I mean who could pass that up? They're brand new, still with the Target tags on them.  They were 1.99 each.

I'm really not looking for these, but I found ANOTHER Revere pot.   I know what happened there... the previous owner made a mess of it and just couldn't face the prospect of cleaning it and instead gave it to Goodwill.  It's 3.25 quarts, and the lid and inserts I found earlier fit this pot, too.  After a bit (okay, a LOT) of scrubbing with Barkeeper's Friend, it came clean.   It looks great. $4.00

That cool wooden corbel... from Indonesia... I don't have a place for it now, but I'm sure I'll find a place in my next house.  $6.00

And just because it cracked me up.  The ashtray.

We don't smoke, but it's got that oddball kitschy look I'm always attracted to.  

So, we're going to need a bigger moving van.

 

Saturday Treasure Hunting

The last thing I should be doing is buying more stuff!  We'll be moving in the not too distant future, hopefully, and I should be lightening my load, not adding to it.  But I can't help myself... I'm addicted to thrift stores lately.

We hadn't gotten more than a few blocks from the house this morning when we spotted some garage sale signs.  Wouldn't you know, I found a little ziploc bag of Christmas cuties for $1.  I really only had my eye on the little clip-on Santa... the angel (who needs a new hanger) and those trees are an added bonus.

Next stop, the Assistance League where  I found this bag of clothespins for $1.  I don't know if that's a deal or not, but I want to try to make some peg dolls and I don't see clothespins all that often anymore.

The Salvation Army did not know what they were doing when they sold this little Josef Originals (stickers still on) Christmas angel for $2.88.  My lucky day!

A couple of weeks ago I found the 3 qt Revere pot and lid at a thrift store for $2.  It was filthy and was missing a screw in the handle, but it cleaned up very nicely.  I sent away for a replacement screw and it's as good as new.  Today, at the Goodwill I found a strainer insert ($2) , AND a 1.5 qt pot with lid, again for $2. I'm going to have to replace the handles, but it, too, cleaned up beautifully.

Last stop of the day was at another Salvation Army, where I found a double boiler insert for the unbelievable price of 50 cents.  From the stamped markings on the bottoms, these kettles date back to the 40's!  Plus, I've been wanting to get a couple of pans that did not have a non-stick finish.  You know what they say about "one man's trash"...

Holiday TV

At some point in time when the kids were small, I decided I wanted to do something each December that would not only stretch the holiday season, but also make it just a bit more 'special'. It started, I think, the year we saw The Milwaukee Ballet perform The Nutcracker, with Kim's Girls Scout troop. One year we went to a performance of Handel's Messiah. It wasn't always such an enriching experience, sometimes it was nothing more than seeing that year's holiday movie in the theater... Christmas Vacation and Home Alone stand out in my memory.

Last year Gerald and I went on a boat tour of Huntington Harbor to look at the decorated boats and houses. That was very nice, and we talked about doing it again this year, but let's face it, when your family is spread far and wide and you're celebrating Christmas in California it takes a little more effort to be jolly ho-ho-ho. This year I've decided I'm going to watch some Christmas special or movie every single day from Thanksgiving until Christmas Day.

I actually started early, last night I saw How the Grinch Stole Christmas. A classic - and I haven't seen it in a few years.

This morning I found this website:

http://holidaypages4u.tripod.com/christmas_movies_tv.htm

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Can I do it? Of course! Will I overdo it? Not possible!