It's March 3 and we're having another snow storm. Work is closed, schools are closed, everything is closed. Predictions (depending on whom you listen to) are for anywhere from 8 to 12 inches of snow.
I'm tempted to go outside and shake my fist at the sky and scream "Enough!" like an old man. Because I am one.
Anyway. We knew this was coming--and we're supposed to get more on Thursday, oh joy--so we made as many stops as we could this weekend. Not that much turned up, you understand. For some reason, the thrifts were all mobbed this weekend. I can only imagine what the supermarkets were like.
But here's the Something New--we went to an estate sale! I'm always totally jealous reading about the fabulous estate sales youall go to, several a week for each of you, it seems, and loaded to the rafters with cool stuff. I don't know why, but we don't really seem to have estate sales around here. Not to the extent everyone else does, anyway.
So I signed up with estatesales.net and got notice of a sale that was within a reasonable distance. In fact, it was not far at all from our usual Sunday route. So we went.
It was the last day of a 2-day sale so we didn't expect to find much. We just sort of went for the experience, I guess. I'm not sure I'll be able to go to any more. I found myself feeling kind of creepy and embarrassed. I mean, here was this person's house, kitchen cabinets and closets flung open for the world to paw through in the cruel light of day. And there was nothing they could do about it.
Do any of you ever feel this way? Or is it just me? Will I get over it? Part two is next week and I don't know if we should go or not . Am I just being silly?
I only managed to find one item this week:
1. What? Another cookbook? First there was the Cooky book. Then there was Dinner in a Dish. And now this. You know what they say--three of anything makes a collection, so apparently I'm collecting Betty Crocker cookbooks. I only flipped through it briefly, but it looks kind of cute.
And that's all I found. Hopefully, next week will be better. Keep your fingers crossed, won't you?
What I Made Department:
A: Beef vegetable soup: Knowing what the weather was going to be like this week, it seemed like a good choice. And will be, when we have some tonight.
B: 7-Up Biscuits: No picture, I'm afraid. This was one of those recipes that pops up on Facebook, and I'm a sucker for weird recipes that contain some "magic" ingredient. It's just 4 cups of Bisquick, a cup of sour cream, and a cup of 7-Up. The instructions say the dough "will be soft" but not to worry. Well, I did worry. It was not a dough so much as a batter. Making these was so frustrating! It was like trying to wrangle quicksilver and made a HUGE mess and I ended up tossing almost half the "dough." They came out all right, but they certainly weren't worth the trouble. If I ever make these again, I'll do them as drop biscuits. Oh, they're baked in a puddle of melted butter, by the way.
C: Lemon Chicken with Broccoli: This is actually a Weight Watcher's recipe that a friend (who is a famously picky eater) passed on to me. Neither Hubs nor I were particularly impressed. It was kind of meh. If I make this again, I'm going to up the amount of lemon considerably and add a lot more pepper, too.
And that's it kids. Another slim week, I'm afraid. Maybe next week will be better. On the other hand, I feel like I'm getting another damn cold.
I don't know if I could do estate sales either. i'm such a sook that the little trays of mixed cutlery and kitchen bits from nana's kitchens make me want to cry in our local junk shop.
ReplyDeleteI'm not that bad, but it was kind of sad walking through that little house...
DeleteSome, but not all, estate sales are creepy, but they are different from other sales! Next time go early in the sale for a whole different energy.
ReplyDeleteI remember that cookbook. Instead of collecting Ms. Crocker, how about children's cookbooks? Some of them are pretty adorable.
I'm not sure I could take an estate sale early on. There were only a few people there when Hubs and I went. If we went earlier, I don't know if I could have stood watching people run around grabbing at stuff.
DeleteGah, I'm such a wimp!
I went to my first estate sale alone. When I look at pictures online, I feel a bit grossed out. Knowing people act like savages over a dead persons belongings without giving that person a second thought, trampling with their dirty shoes over their carpet that they cared for & vaccuumed for years. Not saying everybody acts like a savage, but some do (from stories I hear). Selling everything from their favorite mug to their freshly washed clothing that they had assumed they'd be wearing when they washed it & their walkers they used until their dying days...
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've heard some nightmare stories from estate sales, too. Makes you lose faith in mankind as Mother Nature's last word.
DeleteOn the other hand, if I found something I really loved and knew it was going to a good home, I'd feel better about the whole thing.
And yes, I spend my entire life waffling.
That cookbook comes with an obligation to bake the castle cake that everyone wanted as a kid, but never got.
ReplyDeleteI'm on it!
DeleteI love those plates in your meal picture. I have several of the cornflower casserole dishes, but this is the first time I have seen those plates.
ReplyDeleteThose babies are Centura, and one of my first truly great thrift store finds. Got a whole bunch of 'em at the Salvation Army about 10 years ago. Despite what the ads said, you *can* break them. I'm always on the lookout for replacements.
Deletewhat the hell you didn't invite me over biscuits baked in butter?? I'M OFFENDED and I live in Alaska and we have no snow so there!! Enjoy our winter!
ReplyDeleteAlso estate sales creep me out and I feel sad-I love this bit " I mean, here was this person's house, kitchen cabinets and closets flung open for the world to paw through in the cruel light of day. And there was nothing they could do about it. "
I'll admit that baking the biscuits in a puddle of butter was genius. I'm going to try them one more time, just to make sure.
DeleteAnd tell you what--you come down for a visit, I'll make you a batch.
So, will I get over my fear of estate sales? Tune in next week!
Pickin's are slim around here - I have maybe bought a couple of small things around here since the first of the year...... Better luck soon..
ReplyDeleteThanks. I'm wondering if the whole thrifting thing is seasonal? Opinions?
DeleteHere's hoping we'll all have better luck soon!
I have a copy of that Betty Crocker cookbook! I confess to a collection of them. They seem to grab a hold of you slowly and then at some point they become a collection. Something to be proud of I think!
ReplyDeleteGood, good. I always like having some kind of validation for collecting all the stuff I do.
DeleteNow, could you please come up with some justification for my collection of vintage Modern Beauty Shop magazines?
I remember a quote from the old PBS TV show 'The Collectors'-
ReplyDelete"If you own one you are an owner, if you own two you are a collector"
Looks like you are a collector extraordinaire with three cookbooks.
I was never creeped out by estate sales basically because I understood the premise for the sale:
It was the descendants/ heirs way of cleaning out the house of a dear departed loved one without having to go through everything and breaking down and crying, avoiding family members fighting over who gets what, just sell everything and divide the money equally (except perhaps for family heirlooms.)
For most families/heirs it is a hard process to get rid of stuff of a loved one, selling it all through an estate sale eases the burden, and not having to see the items in the house one last time is one less painful experience to have to deal with.
I have been on both sides of the estate sale fence, buyer and seller.
Cleaning out, throwing out, giving away and selling accumulations of a loved one is the hardest thing anyone can go through, an estate sale just makes getting rid of and letting go of items the easiest choice.
Its been nearly a decade since I had to clean out the house of my late parents, the sale was a less painful way to get rid of stuff and split the money with the heirs.
Oh, I understand how estate sales can be good things. Being a rather private person, I find it kind of upsetting that the quirks and, I don't know, minutiae of a person's life are just flung out there for the world to see and judge. I don't know. Maybe I'm just being silly. That's certainly happened before...
DeleteYou are not being silly, you are being sensitive to the passing of a person whom you have never met and feel it wrong that their private property is being put up for sale or be browsed through by strangers, gawkers, the curious, etc. It was less of a problem with me and my family since my parents enjoyed going to garage and yard sales and seeing all of the stuff that people willingly put up for sale (sort of like an estate sale for the living.) My parents had told me that when the time came it would be OK to sell their belongings at an estate sale since they couldn't take it with them.
DeleteIf you choose to go to another estate sale and to put your mind at ease, just think of how you are doing to help the heirs by buying the items rather than have the items going into the trash and the strong possibility that the late person enjoyed selling things at yard sales so this would technically be their last best yard sale.
Those who go to estate sales don't judge the dear departed whom the estate sale is for, they just want to buy and resell. Besides, those who judge Don't matter and those who matter Don't judge.
Love that cookbook! I bought myself a copy when we went on our annual girls trip a couple of years ago. The cover is so cute!
ReplyDeleteAs for estate sales....I LOVE them! I never really get the opportunity to think about the fact that I am going through someone's things who may or may not still be living. I'm too busy fighting with the dealers and resellers for the goods. I am super respectful though. I put things back how I found them if I don't want them and am always super nice to the people giving the sale. Unfortunately, not everyone behaves like me...
Erica
Yeah, and it's those other people that are going to ruin the whole thing for me. There's a reseller who is ALWAYS at one of the Goodwills I go to and his mere presence just kind of spoils it for me.
DeleteI think hubs and I are going to try part two of the estate sale we went to last week, just to see how it goes. I'll report back.
Haven't even really looked through the cookbook yet (I'm getting quite a backlog, too), but you just might see something from Dinner in a Dish next week, so stay tuned!
Yeah, I always feel the same way at an estate sale, especially when I have to pull something out of a cabinet or closet. Often I just leave it and don't pick it up if it's displayed that way! Feels really weird. Cute cookbook! Thank you for sharing this at my History & Home Link Party this week, take care - Dawn @ We Call It Junkin.com
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling I'll get over my squeamishness after a little practice. Unfortunately, estate sales are few and far between around here, so it's going to take some time to reach that point!
Delete