Yard Sales and Other Adventures

Hello again! 

It is hot, hot, hot here in Ohio.

Wanna see how hot?

That is just how hot it is here!!!

Weather bug on my laptop says the temps are 91 degrees.

Weather man says it's only gonna get hotter until Tuesday when a cool front rolls in with some storms.

*Sigh* 

I can't complain though! We are having absolutely glorious weather.

On top of that, my hubby's vacation started yesterday (Friday). 

He doesn't have to go back to work until June 1st!!!

Yay for family time.

Speaking of family time, my family LOVES to go to yard sales. I'm not really sure if it the curiosity of seeing other people's stuff or if it is the great deals that can be found. But over the past two very glorious and hot days we have been following yard sale signs and we have come home with some pretty good deals.

First, we have this wonderful hand crank ice cream maker. This is a very old ice cream maker. I had been pricing them online but the reviews for the newer ones were not very good. This ice cream maker I got for only $10. It has a plastic outer bucket. With an aluminum inner bucket.

This pictures shows the inside of the inner bucket. 

I bet my family is really gonna have a blast making their very own ice cream this summer. I know I can't wait.

Next we found this golf practicing net. We paid $3. My hubby and I dabble in the game of golf a bit so this is really gonna help us be able to practice in our own yard. (We just hope we don't hit OVER the net)

My darling son Sj loves all things puppet like and he has been wanting to get a nutcracker for a long time. So we found this little 8 inch tall nutcracker for $2. Sj loves that he can move this "King's" mouth with the little lever in the back.

We also found a brand new bike at a yard sale. This bike in stores ranged from $50 -$75. We paid only $25 for this bike for my oldest son Eddie. He desperately needed one since his was stolen off of our front porch last summer.

We did buy a few more things I haven't photographed. I found a tshirt and a nice skirt from a girl I knew. I think I paid $1 each for them. My oldest daughter bought an antique jewelry box for only $0.75 and she bought a wallet for $1. The wallet was a steal because my daughter found a $20 bill and some change in the wallet. However, we promptly returned that money to the seller who welcomed it back with tearful joy and the words of " You just don't know.....well thank you so much" with a sigh of relief. I am so proud of my daughter for not wanting to keep the money. It lets me know she is learning a few of the morals and values we are trying to get into her thick skull..:)

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My hubby brought home a surprise Thursday from his job. You see, he had been talking about a momma cat who had had kittens in a pallet at work. They brought the kittens under some shelter but the momma just wasn't a very good momma. All but two of these kittens died. Well his boss lady had been trying to find someone who would throw these poor little kittens in the trash compactor (yes horrible!) and on Thursday she had finally found someone. Well my hubby just happened to walk by as the guy was opening the compactor and rescued the kittens!

This little guy here is the sickest of the two. When he arrived here he was on death's door. He was so weak he couldn't walk around or eat. So we warmed up some cows milk and dropper fed him. Yesterday afternoon we finally got him to eat some canned cat food!!!!!! He has more pep now but is really scared. My daughter named him Doemo.

This little stinker is the 2nd kitten. She was better off than the first. She is solid black! She loves to play and cuddle. (She is laying right beside me on the couch right now)

Luckily, these kittens are fitting in with the others. Daisy is starting to let them suckle with her babies AND she is cleaning them and not hissing them away. She is a great mommy.

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The kiddos and I also went to the skate park on Thursday. While we were there we noticed some baseball games beginning so we decided to watch one. Luckily they knew some of the kids playing and I knew some of the parents who were there.

Here you can see my boys watching the game.

When we got home from the baseball game we were all famished so I started making dinner. My boys wanted to help.

Here you can see Eddie at the stove browning the hamburger meat and Sj at the sink stirring up some mashed potatoes.

Our dinner that evening was Sloppy Taters.

Want a recipe?

You will need:

1 1/2 - 2 lbs of hamburger meat

1 can of sloppy joe sauce

instant mashed potatoes (make enough for 6 servings or how ever much you need for your family)

milk

butter

parmesan cheese

shredded colby jack cheese

Directions:

Brown the hamburger meat and drain. Add sloppy joe sauce and heat through.

Prepare mashed potatoes with milk and butter as directed on the box.

On a plate put a spoonful or two of mashed potatoes in the center.

Top with a spoonful or two of sloppy joe mix.

Shake some parmesan cheese on top of the mix and then top it off with a handful of the colby jack cheese.

I serve this with sweet corn ( I always use fresh or frozen)

Well that is all for today my friends. I'm gonna go cool off somewhere! 

Warm hugs 

Erin