Lifting the Doldrums

Fall is upon us and the spontaneous, and occasionally lazy, days of summer have been replaced with a rigid schedule of 7:00AM bus pick-up, football practice, soccer practice,Boy Scout events,Sunday school and back-to-school nights - and anything else the universe can throw our way.

Is it June yet?

And I have decided to make my way back into the working world so that we may continue to feed two always-hungry teenage boys and somehow, someday (someway) pay for them to go to college. So my once flexible daily schedule will also soon be handed over to a boss (hopefully a benevolent boss). I can sympathize with the boys as they hang their heads over their cereal bowls and moan while hoisting their overstuffed backpacks onto their shoulders.

This change in schedule, and life in general, has put me in a bit of a funk - the "doldrums" seems a fitting word. This is not a place I like to be, so to give myself a little lift, I headed to my favorite thrift store yesterday with the other blond and her mom. What we found put a smile back on my face. Most of the merchandise was 50% off as the store tries to clear space on the shelves for fresh items for Christmas.

Yay.

Linda and I had the most fun at the counter where they keep items that are a little more valuable; there you have to ask an attendant if you want to see the merchandise. I have bought several pieces from this area of the store in the past, they are usually still reasonably priced. But there are other things that were just a little too rich for my blood.

Until 50% off day. That made several things just the right price.

I've had my eye on this PA Dutch teapot for ages, it was the first thing I pointed to on the shelf.
Linda directed the attendant's attention to a great 70's picnic basket/ice chest and quickly put that in her cart.Just as I was about to leave, I spotted these two stainless and enamel Reed and Barton bowls on the counter and quickly stashed them in my basket like a kid in a candy store (who's just found out half the candy is free).
So as more meetings, structure, dinners crammed in on the run and becoming a responsible adult all loom, yesterday was still a day to run amok in my favorite candy - I mean, thrift- store.

Doldrums, what doldrums.

Out and About with Evan

Saturday my oldest son was stuck with his mom all day as my husband and younger son went on a field trip to Washington, D.C.

At first Evan was really not into checking out some newly discovered thrift stores in Lancaster...how unusual for a 15-year-old boy. So surprising. But with the bribery of lunch out at a diner - food is a big motivator anymore -- he begrudgingly hopped into the old Suburban with me and we headed northward.

The first place we stopped was a small thrift store run by a Mennonite church, and there were some good finds. Here is the set of Ransburg Canisters I found there...

After that I took him to the promised diner where he wolfed down a cheeseburger, fries and a rootbeer before I finished half my sandwich. It was a nice restaurant filled with people coming and going from Christmas shopping and Saturday chores. I actually got filled in on some of the goings on at school - more than the usual "its fine." He even admitted he was having fun poking around the stores with me.

Next we headed northward again to a place that promised 20,000 square feet of thrift store, great bargains...not so much. It was bigger than your usual Salvation Army or Goodwill, but the prices were as well. Not much for me to buy that would leave enough room in the price for any profit. I did find this Mid-century tea service in stainless steel on sale and decided to get it.

In the end I probably didn't find any great treasures...except one, a few hours one-on-one with a fifteen-year-old who seems to grow up right before my eyes. Priceless.