Ode to the Avalanche

Saturday I went to an auction. Yes, I was a bidder, and boy did I bid! I loved hearing the auctioneers talk. When I first got there I got the giggles so badly because I was imagining my beautiful Brian Humphreys of the Bar J Wranglers singing The Auctioneer Song. Man, I love the Bar Js and I love that song for some reason. Anyway, my friend Jen, who truly is a great friend, told me about this auction. It was just a block from her house. She watched my kids while I raised my yellow bidding paper and bought a few tea sets. Everyone at the auction kept telling me that I needed to buy a tea set for my girls. I bet there were 40 tea sets for sale. I got 3 tea sets for $12.50. I really didn't want 3, but they kind of came together.


Kelsey and Kendal had "tea" yesterday afternoon and they loved it. I think they each drank about 32 ounces a piece. What a good way to keep your kids hydrated! Anyway, as Kelsey was carefully putting her little cups away, she said "Mom, having tea is so much fun, can we do it everyday about this time?" It was so Britishly cute!

So then after a few tea sets, I bought a 6 foot tall white bookcase. The ones you see everywhere, white pressed board stuff. But the kicker is I got it for $7.50. It looks great in the girls room and keeps some of the book clutter that Kendal loves so much out of the living room and Kelsey's hundreds of stuffed animals off her bed.

After that purchase I walked to Jen's house since the poor lady had both of my girls. She loaded up Charlee and I loaded up Kendal in strollers and we walked back down the the auction. That is when it turned bad, really bad. I bought this red sofa. I had scoped it out as did ALOT of people because they were all sitting on it, and the part I liked best was that the auction paper said it was a hide-a-bed. I need one of those! I feel so horrible when my sister in laws come to visit and I get out the air mattresses! So I wanted it, but I figured it would go a little too high for me. Well, I bought it with my amazing yellow card for $90. It is new I think and there is plastic on the new mattress.

It is squooshed in my front room, so this is a horrible picture. I forgot to mention the other 6 chairs I bought for the time share. They were bidding 4 dining room chairs for $20 and I had to buy them! I had the other chairs from the yard sale 2 weeks ago that were needing some attention. I figured it would cost me about $200 bucks at JoAnns to recover them, and here were 4 perfectly nice golden upholstered chairs for $20. SCORE! Plus, I really didn't want to do the work! Anyway, so the time share table I bought 2 weeks ago, 6 chairs I just purchased (2 more red ones) and the couch and love seat from the living room are all in the front room, along with my new red sofa. There was a blue sofa there with a brown slip cover there that I moved into the garage.

After I bought the red sofa, I stuck around to see what an amazing bunk bed set would go for. I was already in trouble, why not get in REAL trouble? I let the bunk beds go, darn it, but I bought us a bed! Look at how pretty it is! We have NEVER had a headboard or anything fun like this before. I got the new headboard, foot board, frame, new mattress, and new box springs for $195. I think it is so pretty. I need to get a longer dust cover though, our other bed wasn't this tall! Oh, I do have a problem with this new bed though. I keep walking around the bed and crashing into the foot board. I have a killer bruise and bump on my left thigh. I am used to walking around a SOFT cornered bed, not a foot board!

At this point in the auction I went and paid my bill, took the girls home, fed the poor darlings lunch, and went back to start loading the chairs into my car. I was a little irritated that Matt had our wonderful 8 foot bed truck muzzle loader hunting when I really could have used it to haul all my junk home! It is okay, he needed it too right? So I got all 6 chairs home making a couple of trips in the car (it was only about 3 blocks from my house). When I went back the second time for the chairs they were auctioning off some more nice furniture, some pretty NICE wicker chairs, a sleigh crib, a changing table, a bunch of screaming yellow/gold victorian chairs, etc. There weren't as many bidders at this time and when they got to the sectional sofa, not one person was bidding. I got it for $50. Can you believe it? 50 dollars! I knew Matt was going to skin me alive after buying the bed, so knowing that part of the sectional sofa had a recliner made it all seem a little better.

Here is the new sectional sofa in the living room, hence the 2 living room couches sitting on top of each other in the front room! I know the rug hideously clashes, but it didn't look so bad with the other couch. I will work on a new rug, the problem is that it will cost more than the sofa! Another added bonus is that there is also a hide-a-bed in this sofa. I didn't know that until Jen and I tried to lift it. Kelsey thinks it is great, she is sleeping on it right now.

Well, there is my Saturday treasure hunt. I had plans to take the girls and the Rowsers to Deer Creek Reservoir and play in the sand and water and have a picnic. NOPE - instead I made Jen help me load and unload my furniture all day. She truly is a great friend, thanks Jen. Since my truck was out of the county, we used her Avalanche. It saved the day. I have a new respect for her so-called truck. She calls it a truck and it makes me giggle because to me it is NOT a truck, it is an SUV with a little bed like thing. But you know what? It hauled a 3 piece sectional sofa, a red sofa, a 6 foot bookcase, and my entire new bed to my home. Now what is that? I guess I won't giggle anymore when she calls it a truck. I love the Avalanche and I love Jen for grunting all day with me. We both have sore bodies from lifting and unlifting my auction finds.

The funny thing is that all Jen bought was a computer monitor. She did want the bed, but she was too nice and just let me have it. Thanks girl, you know I need it! Another funny thing it that I put the initial 4 chairs I bought for the timeshare a few weeks ago on the front lawn with a free sign. Some nice, young father in a mini van came and got them. Jen also sent him to her house and gave him more treasures out of her garage. When the Proctors were helping me move the sectional sofa from the garage into the house last night at 8:30, he stopped back in and took my blue love seat with the suede brown slip cover! Sweet, evidence long gone!

Matt got home from hunting today at about 5:30. He was surprised to see his house COMPLETELY rearranged. I got everything in its place last night. The Proctors helped me with the sofas, thank goodness! Matt thinks I am amazing for the $50 sectional sofa with HIS recliner and Kelsey's hide a bed, I hope everything else grows on him as well!