Do I want to make money or what?

Somethings going on that's affecting my profits.

It's me.

Normally I buy a piece of trash, like this $15.00 chair.

The protocol is to bring it home, post it on Craig's List for a higher price and pocket the earnings, but I didn't do that with this chair because I like it too much.  

Nor this lovely piece.

I bought it for $75.00.  Isn't it amazing.  

I had it all ready to go on Craig's list.  The photos, measurements, descriptive title.

Problem is, I want it.

When I first saw these new Dr. Marten shoes at a garage sale, I knew I had to had them as a re-sale item for EBay.

"Would you take $5.00 a pair," I asked the home owner.

"No, you can just give me $5.00 for both of them," she said, like I was doing her some sort of favor by just taking them off her property.

New Doc Martins!  

These go for like $140 a pair.
This is amazing when I notice they are a size 12.

That's the counselors size.

Later, the counselor shows me just what horrible condition his black and brown shoes are in.

I had no idea his shoes were this bad.  I'm always looking up into his beautiful ocean eyes, not down at his big feet.

"Guess what?" I say to the man I love and adore. "I bought these amazing Dr. Marten shoes for $5.00 and they are just for you."

He tries them on and they're a perfect fit.

Hello stylish husband,good-bye profits.

Then, I find this room divider for $5.00 at a garage sale (the same one with the Dr. Martens). 

If you read this blog regularly, you know about room dividers.

People love them.  

People want them.  

This could easily sale for $45.00 on Craig's List.

It's heavy, sturdy and quite artsy.

I didn't buy it to keep.

Not this.  

No way.

I bought it to flip, you know, pocket an easy $40 bucks.

But, then Chandler sees it, loves it and says 

"Mom, let's use it to decorate for Halloween."

You know, that's not a bad idea.

Especially with this darling saddle box I found for $5.00 this weekend.

Next to this $2.00 old large steel tool carrier.

I pull out my pumpkins from garage sales past.  

And other used Halloween trash.

So what about this piece, the couch that is?

I actually didn't buy this to re-sale.

For $10.00 I had to have this retro, gold rocking love seat.

It has a smell I can't quite place.  Payson says it smells like a hotel.  Either way, it's outside ventilating; breathing and working it's bold color. 

I run down to Goodwill and found these pillows for $4.99.

But before I leave the store, this Mexican style bowl with clay pottery harvest vegetables catches my eye.  Perfect for my fall-themed front porch.  Another $12.50.

What a deal.

I love how it looks, even though I have no Craig List profits to report.

Have I lost my touch or am I just finding it?
Linking up to:

Surprise of the Week

Most of the time, I don’t like surprises.



I don’t care if it’s my surprise birthday present hiding in the closet or the un-known gender of my 15 week old baby growing inside me. I like to know everything up front, but this doesn’t mean I don’t get surprised from time to time.

Because the counselor knows I don’t like surprises, he likes to play a game with me. Technically, it’s not as bad as a surprise, but it leaves me with the same “I’m not in control” feeling. It’s called the guessing game and it goes something like this:

“Guess who I saw at the store today?”
And he waits, with a mischievous smile on his face.

“I have no idea,” I say, somewhat wanting to care, but really, out of the 897-ish people we know, why would I want to guess?

“Oh come on”, he’ll say. “You know who it is. Think about it.”

And I try to think about it, after all, it’s important to him that I guess, but I just get frustrated, especially when I realize he forgot to buy the Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips I needed.

“Give me a clue,” I say, knowing this never works.

“Just think about it for a minute,” a gentle nudge sounding more like a request to cut off my left arm.

So, I unpack the groceries, always one to do something productive while I’m forced to do something unproductive, and I throw out names like pulling weeds.

The counselor’s much more patient than I, and he would like if I played this game with him, but he also knows when I’ve reached the end of the rope.

So after several minutes, he gives me the answer, and it’s someone I haven’t seen for over two years, a middle-aged man from a church we used to attend before we moved, a man I never associated with except for an occasional hello. I never knew his first name and his wife was always rude to me.

This is the person Derek saw at the store and I may have guessed who it was by the time the baby’s due in April.

So, you may be surprised to know I’m posting a Surprise of the Week.



What did I find this week at a thrift store or yard sale that really surprised me? Take a look.

I found this shirt at a thrift store on 1/2 off day and ended up paying $2.50 for it. The stitching was awesome and I loved the Disco Fever lyrics. The brand is JWLA and when I later looked on-line, I found these shirts sell for $129.00 new. I was tempted to sell, but I'm wearing it as we speak





This gorgeous dress was purchased by yours truly for $1.00. The brand, one I'd never heard of, is Ella Moss and the fabric is so rich and wonderful. When I looked it up on-line, I discovered it is an Anthropologie dress, selling for over $150.00 new. I listed it immediately and it sold for $26.00.



Other surprises I like are as follows:

Mayer surprises me as he comes out of my bedroom wearing the counselors headband and insists on wearing it to preschool.



Reef actually eats breakfast; a big surprise from this picky eater, but who wouldn't eat a home-ade cinnamon roll just from the oven.



And I actually surprise myself, when at the last minute I through together a Halloween costume for a neighborhood party: me as Mother Nature (Reef as Tigger).



And what a surprise, my kitchen floor is clean, for the moment.

Dollar Day, October 23

My dear trash,

I spend my days loading the washing machine, starting the dryer and watching my laundry pile grow into some sort of tribute to Mt. Everest, but on Thursday I blow my babies a kiss, (hang on little chickadees, don't play to rough on the seahorse while mommy's gone)



thank my husband (referred to as the counselor from here on out) for the morning off and run to the car. I’m going to dollar day at the thrift store.


Today, October 23, just after 9:00am and I’m one of the first to arrive.


The front of the store is decorated, a Halloween theme with some art worthy merit. A skeleton rolls sideways as the electric door opens and the familiar smell, let's call it the smell of opportunity fills my nose.

Thrift stores have a distinct smell, sometimes heavier then others, but it’s a smell that says “you are looking through other peoples stuff.” Not one to be intimidated, I tackle the stinky obstacle knowing I have a washing machine at home ready for another load.


Most days, I find 30 to 40 name brand clothing items to purchase and I will post them later on EBAY. Follow me as I shop. A Steve Wynwood song blares on the overhead speaker.

I'd like to say this in on display because of Halloween, but one never knows.




Blue colored tags are $1.00. Let's see what we can find.



Seriously, Hecules Beetle? Has anyone heard of this label? I'm going to pass on this, betting this is not a big seller on EBAY.



Ah, a moment of silence for Tommy Bahama. This 100% silk shirt may not have a blue $1.00 tag, but for $6.99, I'm sure to make a nice profit once I post it on EBAY. It'll sell for around $25.00. New, they can sell for up to $100, so someone will get a great bargin and a great shirt.



I haven't heard of this label, NORI, but I can tell by the fabric and quality, it's a good brand. Plus, the buttons say NORI, which tells me this item is worth trying.



I'm in the land of the lost, expecting my 5th child, and look, I found a nice little prize for me to keep. An OLD NAVY Maternity shirt. Oh la la! $1.00 and it's mine.




This is a nice maternity denim jumper. I just can't do it, I can't wear a jumper when I'm pregnant. I already have issues that I'm as big as a tent, but somewhere in the world, there's a beautiful woman in her third trimester who is looking for a denim jumper. This will sell for $8.99.



Is there anyone out there who still wears a size 0? I hate you, but buy these pants.



Lacoste, the little green crocodile means big bucks for me. I find these most often in the kids section, most likely because the sizing on the label is in French and assumed to be a smaller size then it actually is.



Cool used men's jeans for $1.00 are like searching for gold. They're rare to find, and occasionaly I get lucky, however, not today. Men aren't like women, they don't dispose of great jeans because they've found a cooler, cuter, sexier pair. Men hold onto their jeans until they are completely worn out, stained and beyond repair.



I'm not sure if this is a concert t-shirt or not, the fabric's a little thin and mis-shaped, so I'll pass. Last year I found a vintage Olivia Newton John Concert t-shirt from the late 1970's and it sold for over $50.00.



I don't even want to know the woman who wears this shirt. The shirt says "Stop staring. Take a picture. It will last longer." Have mercy!



I've found my items and it should be a pretty good week. I'm hungry, baby fetus is calling "Feed me." My cravings have intensified. Must have Subway, extra banana peppers for me.

Sincerely,
Laura