$18.00

Today my adventurous (and brave) little family accompanied me to a small town about 20 minutes north of us that was having neighborhood-wide garage sales in conjunction with a community festival. (So Raechel, evidently things are not slowing down quite yet in Chicagoland. I'm predicting end of September, very beginning of October, will be the end of our season.) We found lots of great bargains, walked and drove through many new (to us) neighborhoods, chatted with friendly people, and even saw two guinea pigs. The boys named the guinea pigs Charlie and Lola. If you watch this episode, things will become clearer.

Okay, enough with guinea pigs. Here are my deals:

$4.00: three small Christmas trees and one slightly larger, more artsy Christmas tree

The artsy one actually kind of looks like a Bonsai, with its own funky pot and twisty stems and everything. Cool. I plan on using it as a centerpiece or other table piece, and I'd like to put the little trees in the kids' room so that the more dorky ornaments can stay off of my nice, adult, color-and-theme-strictly-enforced Christmas tree downstairs.

Note to people planning on buying us dorky ornaments that deviate from my planned colors/theme: DON'T.

$1.50: two twiggy grapevine wreaths, one bundle of dried sticks, and two bundles of sticks with white crystals glued to them...oh, wait, no, the crystals are now all over my floor posing a choking hazard to my infant

I guess the gal selling all these (and lots of other decorating stuff) was purging her home decorating business so she could go out and get a full-time job. I thought that sounded like it sucked, personally. Because decorating? I love it. Decorating and getting paid to do it? I love that, too. Working real, grown-up full-time jobs (besides mothering full-time, obviously)? I hate that.

Anyway, all this stuff will and already has come in handy around my twiggy, wreathy, dried natural-y home.

I should note here that I have played the bassoon for, oh, something like 16 years. The Italian word for "bassoon" (or rather for its forerunner, but it's still used today) is fagotto. As in "bundle of sticks." As in "faggot." (Or "fagott" or "fagot," depending on the translation.) As in I cannot tell you how many countless times I have opened up a new piece of music only to have the word FAGGOT scream at me from the top of the sheet music. I got very used to it, but occasionally some innocent (usually a brass player) would stumble by and scream or have a heart attack or impale himself on a nearby oboe. Thus the power of words. And double reed instruments.

$.50: two almost-new boxes of disposable nursing pads

There's always a story, right? (Note: If breastfeeding makes you squeamish, move right along to the next set of items.) First, PLEASE CALM YOURSELVES PEOPLE, WE ARE NOT PREGNANT. But I am not ruling that out for the future, and these things come in handy. And they are very expensive, so I did the whole grab-them-off-the-table-and-then-glare-over-your-shoulder-at-nonexistent-other-crazy-future-lactating-women. (Really, who buys nursing pads for future lactation? ME, THAT'S WHO.)

The lady who sold me these was really kind and wanted to know about my baby, since she obviously assumed I was still nursing. I had to mumble about how I wasn't and, you know, well. Huh. I looked really stupid, basically. She then proceeded to tell me that she nursed her daughter but never needed these because, you see, she never lactated unless she was actually breastfeeding. I wanted to punch her in the mouth. As it was I just stared at her for a moment, then let loose with a, "Are you KIDDING? I go through four nursing pads and two handkerchiefs EVERY HOUR for the first TWO MONTHS I'm breastfeeding!"

She backed away very slowly. I walked away, happy and deranged.

$4.00: a copy of Brisingr (by Christopher Paolini), a copy of Bridget Jones's Diary (by Helen Fielding), and a pair of tennis shoes for Charlotte

Those shoes kind of look like clown shoes in this picture. I assure you, they're very cute in person. And this has certainly been a week of books for me! You don't know what that means beyond this post, though. I'll talk about that later next week.

$6.00: two Baby Einstein DVDs and three pairs of truck- and emergency vehicle-themed pajamas (Note: The pajamas are NOT for Steve. Just so we're clear.)

The DVDs might just be my tuck-and-run find of today. My kids shiver with enthusiasm when I articulate the words "Baby Einstein," so finding these in DVD format, virtually unused, for virtually no money at all, was a very special treat for us. I was thrilled to find "Baby Shakespeare" and "Baby Bach" and hope to have Jack reciting Hamlet's soliloquy by next month. Stay tuned for the inevitable video recording.

$2.00: some fun girly clothes for Baby Charlotte

Those blue pants have frogs on them! I would totally wear them if they were Mom-sized.

And...this final find I'm not including in my total because it's not for me, but I'm sharing it with you because it's so darn good.

$5.00: changing table

Someone dear to me (who wishes to keep the news quiet for now) is expecting a baby, and I've had a hand in getting some furniture together for the new babe. In last week's garage sale rundown I had mentioned finding a crib for $10.00 for this same special someone. It too is Jenny Lind (that's the spindle style) and will need some TLC before looking absolutely fabulous. And just a few weeks before, this gal had found a vintage wooden highchair at a sale, also a Jenny Lind style, for $10 or $15, I can't remember which. Suffice to say, this new baby will have a stylish suite of furniture that has cost his or her parents very little beyond some elbow grease and refinishing supplies.

That, my friends, is enough to make me happy. Although a pint of Phish Phood wouldn't hurt.

Go to Raechel's site for more garage sale fun. Happy hunting, friends!