Only at Tiffany's

 Friday...clear all day    Garage Sale Begins 

Who needs 44 little pots?  

A very nice lady was happy to purchase all of them 

Saturday:  weather report was not good,, but when we opened the doors, it was clear.

Soon a gentleman arrived with his sister,  and told us it was pouring up north when he picked up his sister, in Bellingham
he was from Kirkland,   ..
well, I said, I am from Bellevue
He said  " where in Bellevue, I know Bellevue"
I said  " Cherry Crest,  Bridle Trails"
He said "  I have been there"
I said  " Who are you?" ( he was looking familiar, but I could not think of his name)
He said  " I am Louis"
I said  " I know you, you were our UPS driver"
He said  " I know you, and I just talked to Darrell yesterday...
         small world, but not the end of the story

Tiffany came outside and I introduced her to Louis.
They greet each other ...then
Louis said:  What do you do for your job?"
She said:  " I am a personal manager for a gentleman on Mercer Island
He said:  " I was given a tip to do some work for a man on Mercer Island who needed
                  someone who could work on cars"
She said  " that could have been me, who was your contact "
He said: "My friend Alex, he said that guy had a lot of sports cars"
She said:  " that was me, I was looking for some help a couple years ago. and Alex works
              on my cars. So I asked him if he knew anyone who could help with car maintenance"
He said:  " what a coincidence "

                 It is a small world after all

Louis still gets around  

Another gentleman came with his little kids.  They were looking at the bug collection

The daddy took a picture and said his wife might like it. She like all of nature.
A little later a pretty green Rivian stopped at the driveway. I was admiring the vehicle and did not recognize that it was the daddy coming back.  I commented on the Rivian and he smiled, I like it too. That is the company I work for.  And, my wife would like the bug collection.
Feels good to have our collection in good hands.  We enjoyed Uncle Clarence's handwork for many years and it was time to pass it on.

There is a lady who comes every year.  She is very chatty and my daughter says, " she is a little high"
She always buys something.  
We love having regulars who come every year, same time, same station. 

Always something or someone to make each year a memory. 

Last year it was the fire.

I live an exciting life  

annual

 that means, every year

And yep, it happened again this August 

Of course it started months before. We price things as soon as we decide we can part with them. So, when the time comes, the goods are ready.

So, the week of the sale begins. Sheets go up to hide the tools (and clutter) that are not for sale

This year Linda came and helped to get things going.  Not easy when you are not 6 feet tall

Then hubby gets tables from the neighbor and sets them up.

This year we have.....

just a few cookbooks I can part with

Golf balls in abundance

 A little of this a little of that

Electronic and old stuff


Garage sale day is just fun 
We seldom get together for two & 1/2 days
And we just like it
OH, and there is always the intrigue of customers

A few favorites this year:

Benjamin, lives across the street, and he  always comes over several times.  This year, he had all four wisdom teeth extracted.   He was able to swing by and find a nice cozy Stuffy ( I think it was a teddy bear)

Ofra, is another regular. But she lives in Renton.  She has lots to talk about and maybe that is why this year, she came for breakfast. Seems she had not eaten before coming and did not say no to the offer. She told my sister she had never tasted such good French toast. My sister does make very yummy" cinnamon raisin toast "   Her budget was a little smaller this year, but her interests are the same,  her family ( most in Israel) and giving tea parties at the retirement home where she works

Lady with no name, but with an agenda;  She smiled as she came down the driveway and as she began to check over the tables she said she was not familiar with  bargaining.  That however, seemed odd since she asked for a lower price on each item she wanted to purchase.  And, after we bagged up her items, she went back to a little glasses case and with a big smile, asked if she could have it free.
And that has never happened before.

Two nice young men:  they took their time, they liked Damon's shirts, they were polite and even paid a little extra.  And that has never happened before. I think they were my favorites 

I live an exciting life  

Garage Sale

 

It happens every year and it is always on Father's Day weekend.

Though we are still setting up, it all starts about 365 days prior.  We start putting things aside that we want to part with and mark them, so when the day comes, the rest is "grunt work" and fun.

We are usually a trio, Tiffany (daughter), Barb (sister) and me.  but this year, my sister got "you know what".  We missed her, but we carried on and a good friend, Amanda, joined us.  

Maybe you can tell by now that we love this event. We don't get rich, but we always see some interesting people and just have a fun time. We seldom set aside time to just be together, so this puts that into play.

Friday morning
  ( Tiffany  and Amy (neighbor) set out early to put up very good signs )

This is a neighborhood project, so several other garages are open and ready for "company"

Early on, we have a feeling how the day is going to go.  Slow. Quite slow. There is a drizzle almost all day.  

Would you get out to do garage saleing in the rain?      Thought so.

We were delighted when our friends, Al and Judy  from Renton, came by. We pulled up some chairs, made coffee and ate maple bars.  The highlight of the day. 

At closing, we were praying that Saturday would at least be clear.  Amanda told us that two weeks ago when she had a garage sale, on Friday, she earned $5.   We did better than that, but we are not going to brag

We usually go to Red Robin for dinner and..

Regardless of the proceeds for the day, we celebrate

Saturday
No rain.  Not a drop.  So we move things out into the driveway and the customers start moving in.

Favorites purchase details 

Disney car croc..only one, a demo from a sample sale.  Who would buy one shoe?
 A Dad...he said his son had loved that shoe and had at least two pairs, so he wanted it for the memory. 
( daughter and friend looked at each other and me in disbelief, but that is how garage sales surprise you)

We appreciated meeting Virage Sale secretary
She was our favorite kind of shopper. She took her time and paused here and there to examine a few things.  Then she took everything out of the kitchen tool basket 

She found some things that needed a name and we googled them and she bought some and, well, that was fun.

Golf balls. collected at the park and along the road here and there ( it's a long story)  All cleaned up, labeled and priced, by the dozen.
A lady was checking them out (finally) so I called out
" golf balls are half price today"   I saw her looking at the prices and mumbling. I said

 "$3. a dozen"
She said " $2. a dozen"  

 I said "sold"
So, she came up with two dozen and $4.
Not more than 5 minutes later a gentleman came up with two dozen and $20.   

He said "$10. a dozen"
I said "Thank you"

A couple young gals were excited for vintage clothes ( probably about 30 years old )

3:30 Hubby arrives. Help with breakdown ! Yes !

The final scene: 

The sale is over at 4:00, but the doors stay open while we are packing up. 
A few more customers browse and leave, but two men keep looking.
When my Tiffany  and family left for a party, it was 4:30.
The men were still looking around. Hubby  is helping to load up the car. 
 I planted myself by the money box and answered questions. Would we take less for this or that. 
At least 30 minutes have past and they had found very little. 
What about the bag, large old bag, right on the money table?   Yes, it was for sale $1.00

( this bag was filled with the " no sale" items headed to good will, so I  emptied it )   
Along with the bag he wanted one of the caps $0.50, and a cell phone frame for $0.50.   
Was anything on on the shelf behind me for sale?
No!
And then a  "charger" for cell phones they wanted for $2.00. No, it is priced $3.00. They went to their car for a cord, it worked, so they paid $3.00 and very leisurely walked to their car.

I take the money box and head inside. Even now, thinking about it, I am feeling  anxious.

About 15 minutes later we are packed up and secure. I slipped over to Amy,  our favorite neighbor just to say goodbye... she had seen the men, gave me a big hug,  and I followed the big blue pick up home

Another Garage Sale in the books !  

End of story

I live an exciting life

• 

• 

 

Garage Sale of the Century

That is the title I use every year.

  Garage Sale of the Century

We.. my sister and me... have a garage sale each September. Sometimes one of my girls joins us or a neighbor or friend.
This year, it was the husbands.   Nice to have a man around the garage sale ( the truth comes out later)

Set up each morning. Complimentary coffee and cookies
Cushy chairs for shopkeepers
Sister always makes cinnamon toast for breakfast and gourmet sandwiches for lunch 

And the year begins with surprises and much much more 

Greatest fan:  she comes every year And she usually brings treats.  This time, it was nutty biscuits and little cream cookies. Who does that:  Ofra, that's who.  ( don't ask why there is no picture )


Gifting: Neighbor and friend brought several  things to add to the sale ( not for her profit, but mine ) and included some of the most spectacular shoes ever...just my size  Who does that:  Janet, that's who. 

Sweetest Mother :  Lady  with challenged adult son.They walked arm in arm down the driveway.  All he wanted to buy were some notebooks, for drawing.  He knew they were four for a dollar, like Fred Meyer, so that is what he got. 

Sweetest Husband:  came back and bought the antique rocking chair that his wife thought was too expensive ( we both compromised on the price )

Grateful customer:  Little fellow, 5 years old, was offered a cookie and without any prompting said " Thank you".  


Ungrateful  customer:  as he was heading back up the driveway he said " by the way, your coffee is colored water "

Patient husband:  Wife wanted to make a purchase and visit with us. She was struggling and then asked her husband " How old am I?"   He said she was 82.   She had picked out a couple things to buy and while trying to figure out what to do with the change, she said " How old am I ? "    He said  " You are still 82 ", with a very gentle voice.  Then she blew him a kiss.  


Now you see them, now you don't....

Oh...the adult pig is still available, if needed 



Disappearing shopkeeper: Where were those husbands ...time to set up....time to lift up...time to..have some fun  

I think there were some football games that needed some "couching and cheering" 

Preacher :  He pulled out his phone,found his  facebook page, It was a message on the gates..mind gate, eye gate, ear gate, mouth gate. ...  then held hands and prayed over sister and her hubby.  

And that was our last customer of the day.  A very interesting two days.  It always is.  

BTW ...family  always  help:  called in the ad to Craig's list, came by with hugs, brought clothes rack and ideas. 






I live an exciting life 

Through her kitchen window

My sister had no idea what she would be watching at her kitchen sink.
She had been gardening and needed a drink of water.

They live in a  little neighborhood, and very little excitement happens.
From her kitchen window she can see all the 4 houses across the street

To the left, across the street, a young man was walking with a large dog. A very large and active dog and it was hard to tell if he was walking the dog or the dog was walking him.
Many neighbors walk their dogs, so you get to know them.
This was a stranger.
He was moving toward the next driveway and talking very loudly, to himself, using very bad language and punching a fence. 

Mild mannered neighbor, Claudia, walked toward him and said
" I just want to make sure you are OK."

He continued to shout out profanity.

Claudia was not happy about that. She got a little closer and said
"That is not very nice language , I am going to call the police "



 while her daughter is behind her and my sister is now outside and calling to Claudia and pointing to her phone and saying she is calling 911
Claudia does not seem to notice

that is when he attacked her .
Got her down on the ground and was punching her. She was face down and blows came to her arms and back.  



My sister has already called 911...not sure how the Fire Department arrived first, but my sister yelled at them to help Claudia.  They did not, but were on their phone.(  They are not qualified, or allowed to get involved at this point.   They could lose  their job )

By now two police cars have arrived.   They are able to tackle the young man and help Claudia, but the young man escapes and runs next door.   This is a medical office and someone is already taping the rest of the story on her cell phone..

The rest of the story?    The young man assaulted an officer  and pushed his hand through the police car window...  and now there are 6 police cars and just as many officers are now taking care of that young man.

About now, Rog is outside and taking care of the recycle and garbage bins.  He is not happy.  He does not seem to be aware there are 6 police cars and many people gathering with his wife, across the street.  He yells to her " Barb, you need to call  waste management. They did not take all of our garbage again "    I do not need to tell you what my sister replied 

The garage sale had stopped momentarily.   One of the customers said... I know that dog. Mastiffs are very unusual around here and he does not belong to that guy.
Sure enough, young man had stolen the dog, was high on drugs and probably would not remember any of the events of the morning. 

little note:  if you have never seen what it looks like to control someone who is high on drugs, I just viewed an incident, downtown Seattle. documented by Christopher Rufo, on facebook.  Crazy energy and actions .

However,  my sister, Claudia and all the garage sale customers will never forget.

And..the sale went on...

In  a quiet neighborhood with  very little excitement 

Garage sale...chapter two

Yes,  we did it again.  As long as everything was all displayed and we were too tired to put things away....

Saturday September 22...Day Three

3 prayers
good sales for my sister
good sales for my son
Hold back the rain

Got a yes for two out of three, and no complaints

We did call our best customer, just in case she was interested.

She was.

If you have never tasted Adugs..
.they are available at the international Deli in Bellevue
And cards...sweet cards
and 

Lavender wands
Hand made by Ofra.
And she found a little lamp waiting for her


So, at the end of day three, it was worth it.
Sales total $150.
No Rain
Ofra


I live an exciting life

Garage Sale of the Century

Well, that is what we call it  because it is always a memorable time

Memory number one

ok

better start from the beginning of the first day

First customer: $50.00  ( set of antique postcards and coffee 

grinder )

Second customer:  $1.75  ( jewelry..costume )

Rain. pouring rain.  Where are the customers?  

( so thankful for two canopies provided by our girl Anita )

approaching lunchtime and then 

along with a small line of customers..  Ofra


Better  start from the beginning of our friendship

2015  Ofra came to our garage sale on Friday and found 

many things

     She came back on Saturday and found a few more things, including
      cards our Minnesota girl had designed.

The following weekend, we were gone and when we came home, there on our windowsill  was a package from Ofra.

She found a book that had  a cover photo that made her think about the cards she had purchased.  

Who does that?
Comes to a garage sale and returns with a gift ?!?

Ofra does, that's who !

Well, the following years we sent cards to her with the dates of our sales. She came.
She sent a Holiday greeting. ( She is Jewish )

Fast forward to this year.
She arrived about 11:30 with a loaf of bread, a sweet treat, toy and greeting card.
Shalom.   It is the New Year.  Rosh Hashanah
She stayed until about 2:00. She had a bite to eat with us ( BLT without the B )


The rest of our afternoon was pretty light.  Let's say, a handful of customers.

We head to Seattle for the Greek Festival...but that is another story.

Saturday morning is a little brighter and a little less wet.

Guess who returns?




Ofra !  This time she brings a dahlia from her yard, a plate of cookies, napkins and another beautiful greeting card. She also spends a little more $$ and is wearing the very cute jacket she purchased yesterday.

that is a huge memory for us...

On to special memory number two ( and three :)   

B and B  .  They are 10 and; 8.  They live across the street.  They arrive with their zip lock bag full of quarters and do some shopping.

"Hope your sale goes well"  and they are off

Second visit.  A little more shopping.  enjoy a cookie or two
" See you later"

A few more visits.  Always polite.  They did return one item that Mom did not like. 
No problem.  

"How's it going?"  Benjamin asks.  
We are pretty happy they keep coming again, and again.  

By lunch time a few customers have come, but after about 

1:00, we see only one buying customer.
And B and B.  

We decide to move things back into the garage a little early and think maybe we will have one more day of it next weekend.
But that will be another story.

OH.. total sales for 3 of us   $305.00  
and some lessons learned.

I live an exciting life. ( with the help of my sister    )

Sunny day

Yes the weather was sunny.
A great day for

day at the beach
graduation party
stay inside air conditioned home

or
Our Garage Sale 

Well, at the end of the day, the choice was not a garage sale. We always say, it is about being together. So, even though it was the smallest sale in our history, we had a good time. My sister always spends the first night with me at Tiff's.   Then in the morning she makes cinnamon toast.  Plenty of coffee. This weekend, with 90 degree days, plenty of water.  Then for lunch, sister makes turkey sandwiches. 
 It is tradition.
 It is great. 

And despite size, weather, whatever, 

There is always one or two things we look back on - highlights - 

   this year, it was the Grandma who picked up a box of Peeps. She checked the expiration date and commented that they were still nice and soft . She bought it. "I just love them" she said.

   
A huge umbrella had been propped up against the garage wall. Decided to open it up and set it out in the driveway. Minutes later, a couple purchased it and off they went, under the huge umbrella and 90 degree sun.

I lead an exciting life. 

Garage sale of the Century

It sure was the Garage Sale of the Century 2015  

we have one every year, but this year was the best

The lady on the right is my sister
The lady on the left is our first customer to remember
She spent over $70. ( on her first visit and then more on Saturday )
  She came back twice,( once on Friday with more cash and again on Saturday and bought a few more items )
She is an artist  ( a beautiful piece was in her car, so she brought it out to show us )  She also purchased cards with photos  from our farm in Spokane - she likes old things . They were pictures of  the old, very old buildings  that are no longer in use. ( thanks Mimi )
She knows a great deal about life and politics ( on Saturday she had a long conversation with my sister. They sat down in the lawn chairs and chatted for...a long time )
Her name is Ofra and she gave me permission to post her photo  *

The lady on the right is my sister
The lady on the left is our second customer to remember
She  is our neighbor .
 She comes every year ( last year she sat down, opened her hand bag and pulled out some tomatoes for us, from her garden )
She bought the last Downton Abbey bags ( don't tell anyone, she wants her sister to be surprised )
Her name is Mary Ellen and she gave permission to post this photo. 

Not many customers bring cookies when they come to a garage sale
but then, my friend Bel, is not just any customer
and
She brought a box of her delicious home made macaroons.
We thought she would stay for lunch, but she had other plans.










But, the customer to remember the most, I do not have a photo. I just have the story.
A gentleman and a young lady came up to our table to pay for a plaque. It was of Noah's ark.  The gentleman said that his friend was here from China, and she did not know the story, would I tell it to her.  So I did, with the help of my sister. I told her it was a true story from the Bible. She said she was going to go to Church the next day. She spoke very good English and I quickly ran inside to find a Bible for her.  She took it and opened it up and thanked me.
And I thank the Lord for the opportunity to share truth, a real true event and to have it well received. 

*  About a week after the sale, I found a package at our front porch.  It was addressed to " the garage sale ladies".  It was from Ofra.  It was a  story book with  pictures of old buildings that reminded her of the photographs of Spokane.  We have NEVER had that happen before  

This was the garage sale to remember 
I live an exciting life ! 

sale sale sale

Garage sale of the Century 

 The signs were out.  The ad on Craig's list and a post on facebook.

Thursday prep day

Tiff came and did all the heavy moving of stuff and putting up tables

     Sebastian and I were at Bible Study

Then Tiff continued to put out garage sale items

     Sebastian and i were taking a nap

Then more stuff came...friends and family, to be exact.

Tiff left for an appointment, So Sebastian was now my shadow.
 Just about 20 minutes to 6:00 the magic hour to eat,( since Darrell was leaving for Bible Study)

     folks were gathering in the garage to display things and then our neighbor came over. Introductions by Darrell
      and I   headed into the house to finish getting dinner ( me and my shadow ). 

  That was when I felt like maybe there was a whole lot going on and I needed to

     to focus on getting food on the

     table and not on my broken tooth 

Garage Sale day one      Beautiful sunny day

 

  

     Coffee  check

      Cookies   check

         signs   check

 Customers.....a slow stream sort of

First customer was interested in a couple items. One was $1.50, could she have it for 0.50 ?  She ended up with 3 items for $1.75

Then there was a fellow who did not want to break a $20,  so instead of  $1.75, could we accept $1.41 ?

My friend Judy brought donuts.  There were 12.  And Pizza. 

       Always fun to see who buys what and so on

     At one point there were two customers ready to check out at the same time ( each had a few items to add up ) And at the same time a neighbor came and sat right down and began chatting about this and that.  She also happened to have a few tomatoes in her purse which she asked my sister to pull out for her to share. She also happened to be sitting on a few items waiting for purchase.

      Then, coming down the driveway, my friend from BSF, Carol.  She saw my post on Facebook and came by to say hello.  She didn't need anything. Or did she?   A nice compact dining room table that seats 12.   Hmm.  she had to think about it.
My friend Zena brought cookies ( homemade, we kept for the staff )
Dinner at the Burg.  Sebastian, his mom, my sister, Darrell and me...tailgating.
A good nights sleep for all. 

Garage Sale day two 

  Probably got up to 85 degrees

 
And we think many people must have wanted to play on what could be the last warm day in September. 

 But it did not keep Carol away.  She came back and paid for the dining room table.And that was our biggest sale.  The seller, Judy, was very happy.  She said it was an answer to prayer.

My sister always makes lunch for us. Yummy sandwiches and fresh strawberries. 

Today we got visits from both little grandsons and their Moms.   The hose was a great entertainer.

Then off they went, Tanner, his mom and Darrell.

And  soon they were  cheering at the Mariners game. 

 Don't ask who won.

So, once the gang cleared out, I had Judy's pizza.

  Don't ask how many donuts are left. 

A great day for us all.  You should have been there !