Flea Market Finds

A couple of weekends ago I went to a local flea market with my sisters and husband. It was hot and sticky out.

This flea market had everything imaginable. Old things, new things, junk, food, toys, furniture, etc. We didn't even walk through the whole thing.

Here are just a few of the treasures or oddities that caught my eye.

I just love these blue painted chairs.



I don't know how comfortable they would be, but that is my favorite color of blue!

Look at this old table/drawers. Just think of all the things you could keep in them!



These glass bottles called to me, standing there so pretty all in a row, with the sun glistening off their different shapes.





Here are some old canned goods.



I wonder if they were for real or if the labels were reproduced and just stuck on new cans. I didn't pick up a can to see if they were empty or not. Hmmm......

Some people are just so crafty. Just look at what they did with this old step ladder.



Right next to it was this old high chair. Another beauty!



Here are some old chairs just begging to be bought and refinished. I was surprised to see that the one on the left was actually a rocking chair with no arms.



I stumbled across this box of troll dolls. Remember these? These came out when I was young, but then didn't they reappear in the 90's? I wonder when these are from - back when or "way back when"?



We found this old rag doll. Can you read what's printed on her apron? Click to enlarge the photo.



But here's the REAL DEAL Raggedy Ann. Did you have one growing up? I did. Look at that price! $85.00!



But I have something to show you that's even pricier than that doll. These two dolls cost $150 each. And they are "U-G-L-Y, you ain't got no alibi, you're UGLY". They MUST be antiques for that price. They were very heavy, too.

Meet Ugly Baby #1



And Ugly Baby #2



True, Ugly Baby #2 isn't as bad as Ugly Baby #1, but still *shudder*. Could be "Chuckie's" spawn.



Speaking of scary, remember these old Halloween costumes?



I thought this looked like Kathie Lee Gifford at first.



But I see on the side of the box that it says, "Cinderella". Oh.

This is the kind of costume we used to wear as kids, right? Bought them at the Five and Dime Store or K-Mart. Consisted of a plastic mask and a one piece cheap costume. We were LUCKY if we got this. Otherwise we went as a bum and burn a cork to rub all over our face. Whoop-dee-do. Kids nowadays go trick-or-treating in these elaborate costumes. Yeah right. They have no idea. But again, we used to go out for hours carrying a pillow case and come back home with it filled with candy. Now parents are too afraid to send kids more than a couple houses away for fear someone will put pins or a razor blade in their candy. So I guess it's a trade off. Shitty costume/great amounts of candy or fantastic costume/handful of candy. Yep. We had it better.

For all you Parrot Heads out there - It's Five O'Clock Somewhere!



These are original Tinker Toys in the original container for $20.



Look at this old-fashioned pull toy. I just love it!



You saw all those wonderful things above, and might be wondering just what exactly I bought.

Well, none of the above.

Not that I didn't want to, mind you.

Space is an issue, of course.

So this is what I did buy.

I bought this nice travel bag for $10.



It's a Vera Bradley knock-off. The real thing would cost me anywhere from $69-$92. Granted, it would be a little nicer, but for $10, this one will do!

My other great find is.......

Are you ready?

Don't be jealous now.....

Scroll down......










"Say what? A bowl full of smiles," You ask?

Oh, no, my friend. Not just a bowl full of smiles.

You see, these smiles squirt.

Oh yes they do.

There's a tiny hole right by their smile. So, you squeeze the ball, submerge it in water, let the ball fill up with water, then fire away. The guy at the flea market said that they shoot up to 20 feet!

I know. I am a sucker.

Why do I have a bowl full of them? 25 to be exact? Well, in a couple of weeks we leave for our annual camping trip with Jim's family. I usually try to bring something goofy (besides ourselves) to entertain the troops. What sounds like more fun than smiley squirt guns.

But wait. There's more.

I opened up a new box of Honey Nut Cheerios and guess what was inside?



That right there is a Fiona (from Shrek) squirter. See the hole in her little crown? Oh yes boys and girls, Patty's got herself a SPECIAL shooter.

So here's Fiona and the boys. Notice how some of the smileys turned around to smile at the Queen.



Oh, yeah. The guy who sold me these also suggested that I could wash these out and fill them with, let's say, liquor. Then we'd have "shooters" all right! (Although I don't see the need to wash them out - won't the alcohol kill all the germs?)

Sales, Schneckens and Steaks

On Saturday morning we ate a quick breakfast, then headed out to the town of Princeton (WI), where there is a weekly flea market. They sell everything from fresh fruits and vegetables, to plants and flowers, socks and T-shirts, cheese and pickles, antiques, home-made crafts, used books, and anything else you could possible want and/or need.

Linda and I have been coming to this flea market for years so we're accustomed to how it is set up, and how each of us shop. (We both kind of wander, with me keeping an eye on her in the distance.)

One time I was driving home from the market. Also in the car were my husband Jim, Linda, her husband (also named Jim), and her brother-in-law, Mickey. Three men, two women. Got the picture? It was a two lane country road. The car in front of me was turning left. Oncoming cars were preventing the car from turning so we were waiting.

Mickey said, "Go around him," even though there is no lane there - just a muddy shoulder.

Jim, (Linda's hubby) said, "You'd better not. Just wait. Plus you'll get the car all dirty."

My husband wisely kept his mouth shut (for once).

"Go around him!" Mickey urged again.

So I jumped. I drove around the car. Done.

Did I mention that my niece, Kelly, was following me in her car? Let me give you a little background about her.

She drives like a maniac.

Anycop, I got to a small town and slowed down to 25 mph and all of a sudden saw a cop with his lights flashing come up behind us (both me AND my niece). So I immediately pulled over, and Kelly followed suit.

I laughed and said some snarky remark about, "Oh I wonder what Kelly did now!"

Boy was I surprised when the cop came up to my window and scared the bejesus out of me! I actually let out a little scream!

"Sorry I scared you," He said.

"That's okay," I replied. Like, duh, what else am I supposed to say?

"Do you know why I stopped you?" He continued.

In my head I'm thinking, "ME? You stopped ME?" But I said, "No, I don't."

"Well, back there a mile or so, you passed that car that was turning. You drove on the shoulder. There was no passing lane."

"Oh." All the while I'm thinking, "WHY DID I LISTEN TO A MAN TELLING ME TO GO?"

"Well, I'm not going to give you a ticket, but this is just a warning. You can't pass on the shoulder like that."

"Okay, officer, thank you for telling me."

Did I also mention how Kelly beeped her horn, smiled HUGELY, as she drove by, while the cop was talking to me? Why I oughta.....

All of us in the car had a good laugh over the incident.

But I digress....

Linda is always looking for things to put in her garden (both at home and in Wisconsin). She bought a few garden items and got a good deal on a kid's bike to leave up at the trailer.

I scored on a baby swing for Lily and picked up some paperbacks.

Pam only bought socks, but they were a steal at a buck a pair!

I didn't bring my camera with me (shame on me!) so I had to rely on my cellphone again in a pinch.

I came across this couple who were peddling their bakery goodies. I asked them if I could take their picture for my blog and the wife said, "Do you hear that, honey? We're going to be FAMOUS!"



As they posed for this photo, she turned to her husband and said, "Don't look short!" (She was about 2 inches taller than him.) So she bent her knees a little so he would appear taller than her. Her secret is out now, though!

Here is the menu of what they were offering.



I loved the way the man pronounced the words, like "schnecken". Say it. "Schnecken". Isn't that fun? It means "snail" in German. This is what the pastry looks like.



You can see why it's called that, yes? Oh, and that's Linda's pretty plate that the pastry is on. Yep, we bought one to taste, along with this oatmeal/raspberry/orange scone



and this chocolate croissant that had a thick piece of dark chocolate in the center. How it didn't melt during baking is a mystery.



They also had some ciabatta bread (which literally means "carpet slipper" in Italian) (Gosh the things you learn from my blog!). The bread was THE BEST. Crusty on the outside, fresh on the inside. We ate it for lunch, along with our homemade tomato salad, some provolone cheese, and fresh fruit. Delish!

Here is Pam re-enacting the grasshopper scene with Linda's garden statue.



We wiled away the afternoon playing games - dominoes and Bananagrams.



Did you ever play that? It's a fun game, similar to Scrabble, but each player makes their own puzzle.

Our menu for supper was steaks on the grill, baked potatoes and corn on the cob. Mmmm...

Here's a quick and easy recipe for steak.

Take meat out of refrigerator to bring to room temperature before cooking (around 20 minutes prior)

Drizzle both sides with olive oil and rub in

Salt both sides

Pepper both sides

finely dice or grate one garlic head for two steaks; then rub pieces onto each steak

Grill (usually about 8 minutes per side for medium)

Enjoy!

And finally, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share this sign with you. Somebody sounds like a braggart!