i feel good

I feel alive again.

And all because I FINALLY got to partake in one of life's greatest pastimes - garage sales. I love the thrill of trying to find things I need, things I can use and things I love - all for a bargain.

It was all-city garage sales in Cokato this weekend and I, even with four kids in tow and rain to boot, couldn't miss the fun. Technically the big sha-bang isn't supposed to happen until Saturday, but there were plenty of sales open already today. I might even have drive the 1/2 hour tomorrow for more (if I can pry hubby's hands off his wallet.)

All told, I got five skirts, four pairs of pants, one pair of brand new casual sneakers, five tops, six dresses and two pairs of pj pants. All for the bargain price of $18.50. One of my favorite things was a vintage-looking dress, but, it's a bit on the tight side, so I might actually have to start watching the ice cream at bedtime so I can wear it more comfortably this summer.

I spent a grand total of $37.25 (as near as I can tell) and managed to get a little something for everyone. I found a backpack for one of the boys. Two pairs of winter boots for next year. Every day jeans. Jogging pants. Swim trunks. And a couple of every day sweatshirts for the boy who keeps losing his. I think I'll dock his allowance the $1 it cost me.

I even got lots of things to rip apart for the yarn or the fabric. Pretty soon you'll hear my serger whirring as I create new things out of size 14 pants or a size 16 dress. (Totes maybe?)

The day wasn't without its frustrations though. I found a stack of the exact right size jeans for boys #2, only to discover the price tag at $3 and holes in both knees of most of them. Pretty much walked out of that sale shaking my head. Why people think they can charge clearance prices for used merchandise is beyond me. Seriously - I bought brand-new jeans at JCPenney last week for $4.04 - better than garage sale prices, but not as much fun without the thrill of the hunt.

The boys didn't have a real great time. We got a late start, so I kind of figured we might need lunch, so I packed up bananas, bread, peanut butter, chips and forgot to bring a knife. Number One was head cook in the van and was more crabby than Chef Ramsey after trying to peanut butter bread with a tortilla chip. Thankfully we had wet wipes in the diaper bag.

The boys got bored pretty quickly, but were easily distracted with goldfish crackers, pretzels, animal crackers and black licorice. And they got the luxury of having their own water bottles. (Hey, we're thrifty around here - besides the more they drink, the sooner they'll have to pee.)

Four and a half hours later, we made it home with eight bags full of stuff, two very crabby boys and one happy mama who feels good.