When we awoke to an absolutely gorgeous morning on Saturday, we knew that it simply could not be a day spent working inside, no matter how much we would like to have our door project completed.
So, after chatting for a few moments on what to do with our day, Dan and I decided that we both had the urge to do some garage sale-ing. We have not been to many yard/garage/barn sales this season. This is mainly because we have been very intentional about ridding our home of items that we don't really need and are leery of bringing more in!
But after all, it was an amazing day for walking around outside and hitting a yard sale or two sounded like lots of fun. We looked in the local paper and found the most perfect sale for us! The ad claimed to have educational books and materials for sale - again perfect for this first-time homeschooling family!
This particular sale happened to be out in another town in a more rural community. Even better. Now our day was to include a drive in the country!
Our directions led us to this farm. It was a darling alpaca farm, complete with a barn filled to the brim with homeschooling books and materials for sale. This, to us, was a gold mine. After filling our arms with books, books, and more books, we talked with the owner of the farm and discovered that she homeschooled all five of her children. She was kind and knowledgeable, and just a delightful person to have met.

I mentioned to her the angora goat giveaway at Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm, and she seemed genuinely interested. So I would be thrilled if, the next time we visit the alpaca farm, there is a small herd of angora goats roaming her pastures!
From there our travels took us to a small town known for its cute shops and antiques. With three young children, cute shops and antique stores are not so fun, but we did manage to walk through a couple.
I have mixed feeling about antiques. Mostly I think they can be mildewy, dusty and just plain too old. I know, I know....this is part of the charm, but I have just never quite gotten into it. That being said, my grandmother used to own an antique store and there are things left from it that are fabulous. And I actually have come to appreciate old quilts, fabrics and fancy work. I have slowly gathered a collection of them over the years, and would love to share them someday. (Now there's a future post idea!)
We also wandered into a small woodworking shop, where they made these wonderful-but-expensive owls.
This was exciting to Marianne since lately she cannot get enough of owls. We have read owl books, purchased an owl stuffed animal, and are looking desperately for an owl costume pattern. (She wants to be an owl for Halloween.)
The bear was Hans's favorite part of our day. Aaahhh, so easy to please...
Our last stop was to look at fabric, because this town also happens to have a great fabric store. Did I need any new fabric? No. But how could I resist letting each of my daughters choose their own flannel fabric for a new nightgown pattern I have?
(Can you guess who chose the fabric on the bottom?)
We ended our day-long thrifting adventure at a rummage sale at the local fairgrounds. As with any good rummage sale, the key is to arrive early. We got to this one about an hour before they closed, so as you might imagine, the pickings were slim. And all three of our thrifting kiddos had just about had enough.
So homeward bound we were, complete with a carload of new books, new fabric, and a day spent not working on the doors! (It was definitely worth it!)