A Couple’s Getaway and I Can’t Afford My Cheap Life

Last fall Bryce and I abandoned our kids to their own devices one Saturday morning and left for a garage sale.

Forty minutes away.

But in the Craigslist posting pictures of a windmill, outbuildings and galavanized buckets were shared.

Sure win.

Also, the drive was beautiful.

And the sale was excellent.

Turns out the lady does Antique Fairs and used to have a booth at a local antiques store.

Needless to say, what she had on display for sale was a fraction of what she owns.

I asked about a private showing and she gave me her card.

Bryce and I had a little coastal getaway planned and decided to give this woman a call and stop by on our way to the coast.

I basically wanted to move in.

She had dozens of lockers, records, old fans, galvanized troughs, wheelbarrows, smudge pots {not for smoking but for pear trees} shell back chairs, metal trash cans, wood frames and industrail lights.

It totally felt like an episode of Pickers except we forgot our flashlights and there was zero rat poop…thank goodness.

As we were leaving I saw this stand, pictured below. 

I thought it would be super fun on the front porch with different sayings.

Once we got back from our trip I looked up how much magentic letters and numbers would be…

Fifty dollars.

I paid five dollars for the stand.

Also, turns out, this is a Quartet Board that Staples sells them for…

TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS!?!?!?

So, give me all your cheap magnetic letter slash number ideas…because we all know I’m not putting fifty dollar magnets on my five dollar find.

I MAY have bought myself this child sized bubble umbrella for Christmas specifically for puddle jumping pictures…

Stripping off the wet clothes.

I love this tent.

My sisters and I got it for Christmas one year from our grandparents.

It was wrapped up in the corner of our living room Christmas morning.

We made guesses as to what it could be.

Skiis was the obvious, but ridiculous,guess because none of us had ever done that.

I remember spending countless hours in this tent.

It was the foundation for every fort build.

I would put it in my room and play with my Barbies or toy bears in there.

I snagged it from my parent’s storage room and replaced the broken leg.

Here’s to hoping it has enough left in it for another generation’s worth of imaginative play.

I’m working on a quilt top.

Bedtime routines.

So there’s this street that is perfectly adorable.

It’s brand new with plans to develop it on either side.

But until then, I’ve been enjoying the vacancy and idealic lighting.

And the following day when my line was complete.

A Fisher Price morning.

Homework.

Helping her get dessert.

Indoor s’mores.

Bryce’s birthday delivery.

This punny saying Bryce came up with.

Baking a cake.

Birthday Mario tournament.

Libby is basically the only household member who doesn’t hate getting woken up by the cat.

Time out.

S.W.A.T. on dinner detail.

PBS and a cushion pile.

Playing hide and go seek, she’s counting.

Bennett’s turn.

This lovely bridge as Bryce and I headed out of town for our getaway.

Coquille Lighthouse, Bandon, Oregon

This is Face Rock. 

Which in my opinion is the lamest name ev.er.

Anyway, it looks like a woman in profile emerging from the water.

Sand drawings.

Helping out.

Again.

Sunday mornings.

Katie!