Just Like Grandpa's

I had my first real successful yard sale find today in a long while. I probably hadn't been to a yard sale since i was a grade schooler with my grandma and grandpa.

Growing up in Tucson, my parents would let me spend a lot of weekends with my grandparents. At first i thought this was just to be kind and help me develope a great relationship with my grandparents. Now that i have a kid, i know it was to save their sanity. :o)

One thing, every weekend that i will always remember is that Grandpa would make sure Grandma had the newspaper on Friday evening. We'd sit at the dessert table or in the living room of their trailer and Grandma would mark all the sales she'd like Grandpa to take her to the next morning. I think i remember him later in the evening "x-ing" out all the ones that were way too far to travel for a bunch of 50 cent knick knacks. :O)

This morning, i took Ri to her first yard sale at a church up the street from our house. When we got there, everything was pleasently marked "Items sold by donation to fund Awana camp". Can't beat that!! Ri dove right in, digging through boxes and finding a Cranium game and a Lite Brite. I found some 32oz canning jars with lids and rings that i picked up, but pretty much everything else wasn't really worth storing at this point in our lives.

We got ready to pay our tab when out of the corner of my eye i saw it.

Immediately a flood of memories came back...and i started getting that panicked racing in my chest when i start to think that there is never anyway i'll be able to get the thing that i see and really want.

A desk, not just any desk, but a good ol' metal desk. Just like Grandpa used to have out in his metal shed. A desk i remember watching him sit at to work on the tax papers people would hire him to complete for them. A desk i remember sitting at with him while he was putting all his life's important pictures and keepsakes in a sticky photo album. A good ol' fashioned desk with drawers that still work!

A desk design like i have been looking months and months for--lots of drawers with a single filing cabinet attached.

A desk that will cure our kitchen of it's "junk drawer". :o) And a place to put my tape dispenser, a pencil sharpener, scissors, and the stapler! Woo hoo!!

And more importantly, it fit perfectly in the van for a mere $40 donation! Double Woo Hoo!

Even though it was in pretty good shape, i thought it could use a little touch up. So i decided i'd paint it glossy black to go with it's pristine white formica top!

When it's all finished and installed in the house (Lord knows how we are going to lift it in the house--better eat my Wheaties in the morning, eh?), i post more pictures. Happily, i was interrupted by my bro-in-law tonight. He called Hubbie to ask if they could get together and we had a pot of spajiggy on the stove, so there was plenty to share.

It was such a beautiful day, we had dinner on the deck and i was able to enjoy the last of the sunshine, rather than painting away until sundown.

Now it's time to sneak off to my friend's house and restock her refrigerator with dinner and milk. Her family will be home from Hawaii tomorrow and i'd like to give her a little Mom's day break from dinner duty.