Category: Going Places

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Vacation and no internet service

Usually when I take a vacation, it’s on the weekend, but I decide to take a few days during the week and go to some flea markets in Indiana. It was a great ride, and I loved taking in the scenery, but it’s so darn dry in that state from lack of rain…like most places I’ve visited that everything looked very dry.

I decided to take my lap top and at the little motel I stayed at advertised that they had free internet service, but they didn’t. Or, there was something wrong with the connection. I’m will however never stay at this particular motel again.

The owner or manager of the motel was not helpful at all, and actually acted like he had never heard of the internet or for that matter, computers in general. Even at the desk, everything was done by hand in a log. Guess I was sort of roughing it, but it was kind of relaxing and they had a pool.

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Great garage sale finds

Because of this season, I love all of the yard sales, garage sales and the barn sales. Oh heck, I love all the roadside sales we veer right into while taking road cruises.

Today, since most garage sales start on Thursdays, I didn’t think I would find much, but one’s man junk is another man’s treasure. I’ve been wanting to find my daughter a ceder chest to uses as a “hope chest” since she will soon be leaving home and moving out of state. To be honest, this is sort of tearing me apart, but I did find a Lane cedar chest that she can be proud to have. I got the man down by bartering, from 100.00 to 45.00.

This chest does have some dings and a bit of scratches in it, but it is old. I’m pretty certain it is an antique, but will have to check with a friend who deals with these kind of things. I’m sure it isn’t worth more than what I paid for it, but I’m happy with it, and know my daughter will be, after I clean it up some and use some natural scratch cover on it. Now I can start stocking it!! 🙂

 

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Shopping with mom

Yesterday I went with my mom to “pick up a few things” at her favorite super store. I actually thought she would stick to her short list this time and not buy items that weren’t on this list. Wrong. We went down every single aisle in the food section of the store. Granted, both of us got some great deals, but it took nearly an hour and a half to go shopping for “a few things” that my mom didn’t even really need.

I enjoy spending time with my mom, there is no doubt about that. When she asks me if I want to go to her favorite store though, I have to remember that the list grows and to know that we are going to be in that store for quite awhile!

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Weekend mini vacation

The kids and I are planning on going to Devils lake this weekend. Contrary to the name, the lake doesn’t have grass around much of the lake, and it’s probably the only lake I will actually go swimming in. I have an aversion to seaweed and mucky bottoms, so since this lake has (as far as I’ve noticed) a hard packed sandy bottom.

I think my kids are looking forward to this little mini vacation. It’s going to be nice to get away for a little while, go swimming and just kick back. Usually we rent a small speed boat or a pontoon boat for a day, to go out and meander around the lake, then visit a favorite restaurant that is on the point, which we actually have to dock up to.

So far there has been a unanimous vote that we are leaving early on Friday morning, but I’m thinking that the kids won’t be ready until early afternoon. This generally is always the case. I don’t care, I just want to park myself on the beach and enjoy my time relaxing.

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Shopping for summer

I’ve noticed this month is the best time it seems to shop for our summer clothes. I went to some various stores last week, and didn’t find many sales so instead I sort of held off in hopes of finding better prices on clothes and shoes/sandals that we could wear this summer.

While picking up some bath and shower items that my daughter and I were low on, I had to pass the woman’s clothing section. Wow! The store I was in had so many sales I nearly forgot the bath things. I got my daughter the basic skinny strap tanks she loves to wear for only about 4.00 a piece, compared to 11.00. I went a bit nuts on these, buying one of each color I could find. They will be put to good use though, as she wears these as “undershirts” in the winter also. I’m saving a lot of money so I’m glad I waited a week before buying these kind of items. I also got some great storage containers on sale to store the winter clothes after they are organized. I like this kind of shopping!

The shoe department at that store didn’t have much to choose from in way of sales, but I went to a popular shoe store at the mall and found great sales on sandals there. Some were buy one and get 50% off another pair, which was great, as most of the sandals were only about ten dollars. So all in all, I did pretty good this morning and it’s still early. I needed to come home to get my daughter so she could pick out her own short and underclothes!

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Needing LA movers

Recently I got a long letter from my cousin Mere, who is moving back to Los Angeles and was looking for a reputable Los Angeles moving company, she told me in the letter. While reading what she had written, I received a blow by blow description of the “horrors” she had experienced, when she had used her first moving company while moving there the first time. She wrote practically a book about what happens to her belongings. After the fourth page, I was ready to go and move her myself.

My cousin did however find a LA movers finally that she seems happy with and who she seems to trust, yet she still is unsure of if she will use them. The way I figure it, if the company can give a estimate or even a quote on the price of moving belongings, and are reputable, I’d go with them. There aren’t too many out there, or at least in my area that I would trust.

It makes a difference when moving to have movers that know what they are doing and give a person peace of mind, because there is enough to worry about without worrying that something is going to happen with one’s things. When I asked Mere if she was going to use the one Los Angeles movers she had written about, she said she was now seriously thinking about it. I hope so, so I don’t get another horror story letter, once she is settled into her new place!

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Plans changed with saleing

It’s nearly midnight and I’m thinking that today’s plans were not what had been planned in the first place. I love it when there are NO plans. The kids and I did hit some garage sales, but then we passed a place to eat. Once that was finished, we decided to go real shopping, as they call it.

We found some great bargains on summer things. I actually thought that prices would be low after the holidays, but I was pleasantly surprised at the great sales we hit.

Now everyone is in their bedroom waiting until tomorrow to figure out plans and what they all want to do without me tagging around. Fine by me. I need to play in the gardens and call some blogging buddy about her bale gardening. It would be good to meet up with her again and we could do a quick see what we can see and find trip. Maybe some flea markets or antique shops.

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Auctions in the area

The village news is all filled with various farm auctions in this area, a long with the contents of barns, sheds and outbuildings. It’s sad to see some of the very old homesteads being sold. No doubt the houses will leveled and the land sold to make sub divisions. Some of the families are not able to, or just don’t want to contend with the cost or the hard work that it takes to run farms now, so a lot of these places are going to auction because of those factors.

The great thing about these auctions, is I’ve been finding all kinds of treasures, that I actually have had my eye out for. I make lists of items that is listed in the paper and then compare it with the list I have had been adding to in my journal, and it’s a good system so far, that saves me from spending a lot of money on things I don’t need, but just want.

There is an auction this Saturday that my whole family would like to go to. I should be able to round them all up early for this. Hopefully, they won’t overbid me, as this will be the kid’s first auction.

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Getting away from it all

My daughter and I are at other place that we both love, and have left the guys to fend for themselves over the weekend. It’s good to go a bit South for awhile, to get away as there has been a bit of turmoil going on over stupid stuff that I just didn’t feel like dealing with this weekend. My daughter and I just needed to get away. My daughter Iris, is a sensitive young lady and she is the kind that likes and wants to keep the peace, but I could tell she needed the break as much as I Having my two sons stay with their dad for a time might be a wake up call for them, and it might be a good one…I don’t know. He lets them get away with basically anything, and I’m kind of tired of being the bad guy all the time. Of course, they will indeed take full advantage of the fact that their father when home, tends to get lost into the sofa and television and doesn’t have a clue what is happening around him. Yes, I am a bit worried, but I’m leaving that worry to fate. What happens if anything, will.

In the mean time, once we got here it was like we breathed a deep one and then relaxed. It’s so peaceful here.  I am however a Mom first and foremost, and indeed want to call to see if everything is going alright. BUT, I have to have Faith it is and then let it go.

Tomorrow I think Ris and I are going to go shopping. I need to try and find some film for my old camera and also want to get more acrylics to finish a painting I’ve been working on here. I’ll also take Ris out to lunch and to any shops or stores she would like to go to also. We’ll go to mass on Sunday and it’ll give me a chance to get updated on what is happening in the community and the congregation. It’s Lent and I’m anxious to catch up on what is happening and if there is any volunteer work that needed to be done, that Ris and I usually sign up for if we know for sure we can get down here. Other than that, we have plans to do things around the house and in general…relax a bit.