Junker's Delight

hey y'all,

who names their yard sale? that would be me. and the post title is what i called mine ... junker's delight ... which was yesterday, in all its glory.



first let me say that i will never, ever host another yard sale at my house. okay, i might have made that declaration a few times in the past, but this time, i. mean. it.

moving on. once i made the decision to have the sale, it was just a matter of psyching myself (and my kids) up for the challenge. notice i don't mention hubby. that's because when i told him of my plan, he not only said NO, but HELL NO.

now, before you get your hackers up, let me say that his only concern was for ME. he didn't think i was up to the task, physically. he didn't want me to get hurt, overdo it or generally-speaking, kill myself over a yard sale.

while it's true my health can be precarious, i was to the point where mind over matter had to prevail. my mind couldn't handle all the matter crammed into my garage. i was beginning to feel like a true hoarder, as in hoarders on A&E.



so to prove to myself that i actually could let go of stuff ... and to actually shed myself of the overflow, i was determined to pull off this sale.

alright. so the kids and i got busy in the garage. oh.dear.lord, the crap we pulled out of that place! some i hadn't seen in years, decades even ... some i remembered, some i didn't recognize! some was newer ... stuff spilled over from the house. you know the drill. garage stuff. half-heartedly, we pulled things from closets and other areas around the house that needed some weeding.



this was the first time that i held a sale in my backyard. with the pool filled in (it's a garden space now), it was a safe and pleasant place to use. but the BEST part about using the backyard was that we could set up early! at our leisure.



i can't even imagine how we would've set all that junk out early saturday morning! as it was, we worked the entire week on clearing and sorting and then setting up the display tables. sheesh.



i was thinking ... it is nothing short of a miracle that there are so many yard sale listings, considering all the time and labor that go into one! who, in their right minds, would do this to themselves?!?! okay, well, i guess i have my answer right there in the question.

and then there are other sundry details you must attend to. i know a little about advertising (by marriage, once removed and divorced) and promoting your event (from many years of, well, actually promoting events) so when it came time to do that, i was well-prepared.

schlepped down to city hall and shelled out my $5 for the yard sale permit (which i never thought of again until 1 hour before closing when a nosy ... er ... i mean ... helpful customer asked me if i had a permit from the city ... sigh).



since i have the gift of blah blah blah, i hacked out a semi-clever advert for craigslist and repeated it a couple of times. since the killeen daily herald charges per line, i had to be a little more succinct. pithy even. but that's okay. i think more and more yard sale regulars are checking craigslist.

apparently so, because we had lots of traffic. i think the yard/street signs helped too. i spent a full hour on those, but it was an hour well spent.

we had a plethora of old political signs in the garage, so i used one! covered the sign with an old quilted sham, stapled the sign to that, and there you go. a sweet, shabby sign.

i got the idea of using a vintage suitcase from another blog, yardsale bloodbath ... loved it.

used both sides ... because, as you all know, it's a two-way street out there

i call this my pillowcase sign. because it's covered in a pillowcase. why is it covered in a pillowcase?! because i felt like it. that's why. but isn't the little pink ball fringe toooo cute?! i added that. like anyone noticed.

jannetta and tara were my handy dandy yard sale assistants ... they were AWESOME! thanks girls. we had a blast sitting at the umbrellaed table, people watching and people pleasing by giving them great deals ... and even giving toys to unsuspecting little ones. they were thrilled!

three year old princess abbey, happy as a clam with her new tweety bird, magical wand and a pair of "noculars" (toy binoculars).

but i think we were even more thrilled to see the joy on their faces.

wish i'd taken more pics. but, well, i had my hands full. the stories i could tell you about the customers and their funny, quirky ways! i wonder if people talk about us (the FAGs) after we leave sales?? i just bet they do. we always make a such a scene out in public. okay, okay. it's usually me creating the scenes.

the best part of it all ... the optimist club will be picking up my leftovers on monday!! you might recall me blogging about their little thrift store in cove. they don't price anything ... you just donate what you think is fair. because it all goes to the children. with cancer. so i'm happy to be donating items for their charity. because i love children.

don't we all? heh heh

love and hugs,
terry lee

my texas cabinet made from barnwood. a young couple bought this ... wish you could've seen him hoist this baby up, all. by. himself! can you say muscles?!

texas table with all things texas, of course. it was a popular table.

however, christmas didn't seem to fly in april. not much traffic here

a combo table of thanksgiving and christmas ... again, not very popular. a keen eye would notice the two indian dolls i bought recently. they were not happy at my house ... something about not being allowed to smoke inside ... so i put them in their place.

some other items waiting for new homes.

the calm before the storm ... night before the sale.

My DH

our wedding day kiss ... june 20, 2007
hey y'all,

before any of you start wondering (mainly, my hubby) ... no! i have NOT forgotten to be thankful for my DH. i think that stands for dear hubby. i'm not sure, but in reading other people's blogs, etc. they seem to use DH when they're talkin' about their husbands. and for real, what are the odds of all of their hubbies having the same initials? not. good. so it must stand for dear hubby.

but.

i.

digress.

i was waiting a few days into the week, just to keep him wondering. i know, i'm awful. but i'm sure deep down he knew there'd be a post just. for. him.

well, i yam (heh heh) thankful for my DH. he's a good guy who loves me and takes very good care of me. in fact, if i'm being honest, he downright spoils me rotten.

whenever i was hospitalized, he never left my side. what a trouper! he made sure i had ice for my dry mouth and blistex on my lips when i was too weak to take care of myself. he became a pro at unplugging the IV pump and helping me to the bathroom all through the night. and day.

he hunted (sans rifle!) the nurses when i needed pain medicine and basically became my main advocate as i was fighting for my life. he put action to his vows of "in sickness and in health" and i will always be grateful to him for that.

now, in healthier times, he continues to be the kind of helpmate (and DH) that most women only dream about. he cooks and cleans and dare i say it? does the laundry! oh, and he also works full-time as a 4th grade teacher and is a published author in germany. go ahead, check out the website!

allow me to continue. he goes to walmart and the grocery store for me. he buys and bags my ice (the soft, yummy kind from sonic or bush's), oh, and did i mention that he does the laundry?! all of it! and at the end of the day, he sings to me and massages me most every night.

what girl could ask for anything more?

i'm thankful for my ben and for his love. my dear hubby.

love and hugs,
terry lee

my DH is also a DG (dear grandpa ... i just made that up), with harrison on his first birthday

DH as teacher, in his classroom, playing with the computer's built-in camera (paid for by you and me, the taxpayers)

my army man! Chief Knight, arms akimbo. have been dying to use that word! chief, not akimbo. okay, akimbo. really.

a young, young private benjamin in san francisco circa 1969-70.

unwittingly, i take a picture of ben standing in the exact! same! location! nearly 35 years later! we were both gobsmacked when we found the 1970 picture!

ben, being ben!

Season of Thanks

sweet lil family ... that's me pitching a fit (it started early).

hey y'all,

in keeping with my theme of giving thanks each day this week, i'd like to share how thankful i am for family. my first family.

i was born (yawn!!!) ... okay, i promise this won't be my life story. i'll save that for another post. heh heh

but seriously, i was born into a loving, affectionate home and family. my daddy was an army man (that's what i called it) and my mama was a hard-working full-time mother. over the years, she worked outside the home as well.

my parents instilled many different things in me, but the most important thing i remember is how much they loved me. no matter what. i always knew i was loved. i lost my dad in 1988 and my mother in 1993. not a day goes by that i don't think of them and miss them. but i know that their love for me endures.

my sister belinda (nee-nee, as i called her) is 3 1/2 years older than me. as a little girl, i always looked up to and admired my sister. i wanted to be just. like. her! if she wore something, i wanted to wear it too. if she took piano lessons, then by gosh, i wanted to also. i'm not sure i've ever told her, but she was always one my heroes (heroines!). and still is. i'm thankful that i have a big sister like her.

The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings. ~~Henry Ward Beecher

love and hugs,
terry lee


my mama and daddy. aren't they such a handsome couple?!

oh lord. terry lee has arrived and big sis is holding her

sisters at easter, on the back porch

beautiful mom holding baby terry lee and belinda beside her

gathered around the table for thanksgiving, i'm in the high chair with daddy behind me. belinda to the right and grandma hiding in the back, as usual. note our lil matching dresses!

my 2nd birthday, with belinda by my side as always

love this pic! texas snow is rare. love our coats and how i had hold of belinda's arm

i'm this many!

oh.my.gawd. i LOVE this picture! how cool is my daddy (far right)?! again, belinda and i are in matching outfits and sporting cool shades. that's our paternal grandad on the far left and this was taken while on family vacation in florida, circa mid-1960s.

sisters! in matching dresses!!

this picture cracks me up. we were in front of the church and i was holding my bible (quite proudly, like the goooood girl i was ... and still am!), while mom looks soooo super cool with her 60s outfit and ciggie in her right hand. daddy looks like he just stepped off the set of madmen.

no, seriously. look at me looking at her. did i love my big sis or what?!?!

belinda's 8th birthday. best pals laughing it up

Birds of a Feather ...

hey y'all!

my self-imposed hiatus is over. i'm back and hopefully a little less stressed than my last post. thanks to those of you who were concerned about my absence and checked in with me. i'm v. touched to know that so many of you in blogland care about me!

i did take a little trip, of which i shall not speak. i could tell you all about it, but then i'd have to kill you. heh heh. nah, seriously folks, it's just that it was part of my emotional sabbatical and so therefore i'll just tuck it away in my heart for safe keeping.

i will say this. it was beautiful, in a land far away from texas, where A. they have a plethora of trees and B. the leaves of those trees magically morph into the most magnificent of autumn colors. if i didn't see them peak, i was only a few days off. quite an experience for a native texan who's never been to that neck of the woods before.

i got mighty busy with the business of reality (puke ... gag ... an ugly, ugly word) as soon as i got home.

first up: baby bird #2 is in flight. she's leaving the nest. and as a good mama bird, i flew with her to help build and feather her new nest. it's taking a few trips back and forth for her to complete the transition to her new nest, but it's happening. and i'm proud of her. fly, baby bird. i know you can do it! fly now! please fly!

go ahead. watch it. it's worth it. and i'll wait rightchere. :-)



two down. one baby bird to go. this poor mama is one tired, old bird.

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second: FAGGing!!! we took flight of our problems this weekend and found a few estate and yard sales to shake down. i know y'all are as tired of reading it as i am of writing it, but i swear to gosh, i can NOT go to an estate sale in this area without knowing the dang folks. bless their hearts.

these were some old church people that i'd known all my life. i knew the matriarch had recently passed away. she taught me sunday school and sunbeams and GAs (if you're baptist or know a baptist, you know what i'm talkin' about) when i was a little girl and so the things that i bought there will hold special meaning.

see? i didn't even complain about having to chat them up! either the sabbatical or the xanax is doing the trick. heh heh

okay, on with the show. if you look closely, you might catch a glimpse of some non-texan trees! :-)

love and hugs,
terry lee

fell in love with this little creature at the estate sale. she's a june bride/angel. so she's missing one of her wings. aren't we all?

vintage boxes with old scented shelf liners inside. on top, two sweet creamers i couldn't resist. aren't they sweet?

can't believe no one grabbed these before i got there (is there something wrong with me?!?!). vintage card boxes ... with the cards still inside! they're precious!!!

this little box is esp old. inside are little stickers to customize the occasion for the cards. v. damn sweet!

found a mess of vintage linens at various estate sales. love these old heart-shaped doilies!!

a better look at the pretties on the linens

okay, i have totally lost my mind here, i realize. ms. anti-smoking advocate that i am, it's hard to believe that i actually bought an ash tray. but ohmygawd, look at this old thing!! it's sooooo cool!!!! and it was only a buck. that would be "eight bits" according to the little old lady who sold it to me. a vintage ash tray on a stand ... hmmm ... i could paint it pink! put baubles in it (as shown) or any number of crazy ass ideas! LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

what does an old tin bait can with fishing bobbers have to do with my sense of style? not. a. thing. i bought this little beauty simply because it reminded me of my daddy and how he taught me to be a fisherlady. i could bait my own hook but i never could master the art of taking the dang fish off after i caught him. ewwww!!!!

the FAGs found a nifty fifty's style diner smack in the middle of killeen! who woulda thunk it? "how long have you been in business," i asked. "8 years," the waitress replied. i have never been so gobsmacked in my life. and it's just down the street from my house!

adorable inside and grrrrreat hamburgers!!!

my baby bird #2, in front of her new digs.

inside her nest. she's lovin' it. until it's time to pay rent and bills ... heh heh

a gorgeous tree doin' its october thing

beautiful farmhouse where i would live if i could.