This is my haul from two separate shopping days in the past couple weeks. Actually, the flea market was a “shopping day” but the garage sale was “30 minutes of chasing two kids around a school gymnasium while also shopping”. Whatever you call it, I was pretty please with my finds.

First, the Jewett City Flea Market:

Total cost: $7

Metal Tonka fire truck
3 Little Golden Books
Chinese Checkers board

Printed in 1939!

I replaced three little white plates with the fun board and I love it! I can still take it down to play :)

That Chinese Checkers board was a super lucky find. I grabbed from the floor in front of a booth and asked the lady in charge how much she wanted literally 20 seconds before a guy came running up saying “Whoa! That’s so cool! It’s a collector’s item! It’s old and in such good shape!” He went on and on about how it might be valuable until I said “I’ll give you an extra dollar for it if you want” but the lady told me she got it for free somewhere so she didn’t care.

And this is what I found at a giant indoor garage sale at the local charter school on Saturday:

Total: $4.50

Three milk glass vases (for my collection!)
Two children’s books
Vintage short sleeved baby sweater
CAT digger toy
1973 edition of BH&G Baby Book

This digger lights up and makes sounds too!

Once I get a chance to read this, I'll share some of the "best" advice. (Sample: Your husband should just go back to the office while you're in labor, since it's going to take a long time.)

It’s probably a good thing going to Goodwill with two toddlers is practically impossible, since I have a little bit of a thrift store/yard sale/flea market addiction. I used to have a Livejournal (ha!) dedicated to my flea market shopping trips, but hopefully it’s been lost in the interwebs and I can’t bore you to death with the five hundred useless cut-glass candy dishes I bought for a nickel. But I CAN show you the stuff I bought at Goodwill last weekend when I was on a childless errand-running spree.

I went specifically looking for plain cloth tablecloths for Evan’s party and spring/summer baby clothes. Obviously I struck out on the tablecloths but I still think it was a pretty successful trip.

Besides having a kid’s name in the front, this dino pop-up book was in PERFECT condition. Amazing, since within 2 hours my kids had already ripped two of the dinosaurs. I think I’ll put in on the “read with mommy quietly” shelf. The Babar book is vintage – 1960’s – and also in great condition. I bought it more for me than the kids, since I love Babar.

The glass thing is a fishbowl I’m using as a terrarium for Evan’s birthday party decorations. The red and white checked thing is a tablecloth I’m going to keep in the car for picnics and playing at the park so we don’t end up eating lunch on my yoga mat. And the little girl dresses, well…

This one is obviously hand made – it has little bloomers underneath too. It’s going to be perfect for summer time outside playing.

The print on the fabric AND kitty cat buttons? I die. Caroline kept saying “Keetteee!!”

This last thing is cheating a little, since I didn’t exactly thrift it…

The house across the street from ours has a steady stream of short term renters who move in and out and they’re always having yard sales/leaving stuff by the curb. This was out for the trash a couple weeks ago so I rescued it.

As part of a dining room set it wouldn’t be my style at all, but one chair mixed with my other single chairs in the living room is eclectic. I might repaint it something fun – yellow? pink? – and find it a home upstairs some day, but since it was zero dollars I’m just happy to have another place to sit.

Even E – who DREADS seeing stuff by the curb because I’m always shouting “STOP THE CAR! I need to go through the trash!” – admitted this was an acceptable acquisition. Hooray for thrifting!