3.25.2009

WordFUL Wednesday - Treasures & Quotes

I've mentioned my love of thrift & consignment store shopping before. I've gotten more great deals than I can even list. Most recently, a pair of Express Jeans & a pair of American Eagle jeans for $5 each. I get brand name clothes & shoes for the kids for a few bucks. And I thoroughly enjoy it!
But I have to tell you that the best part of all is finding Treasures.
If you take your time and really look around, you can find all kinds of interesting things in secondhand shops. These are three of my favorite purchases.










I bought these two paintings together. I really loved the paintings, but was sold when I turned them over and saw the identical stickers on the backs of both pieces. They said:
This craft is custom made from slate reclaimed from the roof of an 80 year old farmhouse in Holmes County, Ohio - home of the largest Amish settlement in the United States.
(the price? $3.99 each.)




This kitty caught my eye, and I thought it was cute in its simplicity. Then I turned it over and read this:

Kind Hearted Woman Sign
In olden days, when hobos were common to the American experience, they had a shared vocabulary of "hobo signs". Chalked or scratched on pavements and fenceposts in front of houses across the land, these simple pictures advised those who might follow.
This smiling cat meant "Kind-Hearted Woman" - someone who could be counted on for a friendly word and perhaps a warm meal. In hobo language, it was a high compliment; today, it still is.

The funny thing is that years ago when I was a child, I read a book that mentioned "Hobo Signs" and I've always been intrigued by the idea of them. So that made this a very special treasure! It's proudly displayed on an outer wall of my home. (the price? $2.99.)


And on an unrelated note...this morning, Shelbie, my 13 year old daughter, forgot to take a shirt to school that she needed for a church activity after-school. The flurry of text messages started early. "Mom will you PLEASE bring my shirt to school??" I told her that I would, and I would meet her after school with it. I saw no reason why she couldn't quickly run out to my van, grab the shirt, then jump in the car with the Acteens leader and zip off to her activity. Well, that was just not acceptable to her! She said she didn't have time for that. She wanted me to get up early and drop the shirt off at the office. Which sounds like a minor inconvenience, but the problem is, this is not an isolated incident, and my children HAVE to start respecting the fact that my daytime sleep is just as important as anyone else's night time sleep. I just can't get up in what qualifies as 'the middle of the night' in my world, and be at their beck and call. So, she didn't get the shirt, and I left a little note for her on her bed. I've decided I'm going to start doing this regularly, with inspirational notes, quotes, or just a few lines to make a point.
Today's note:
"Quote for the day: Lack of planning on YOUR part does not constitute an emergency on MY part. Love, Mom." I thought it would be met with eyerolls, but she actually laughed!


For more WordFUL Wednesday posts, visit 7 Clown Circus. Better yet - join in!

20 comments:

Lori said...

Ok, I LOVE the thrift store finds! I can't wait for the weekend when I can get out to the flea market that opened up. I would love to find those kind of signs for my kitchen. They would fit perfect in there!

Very cute about the Hobo signs and that one is perfect for you!

Love the inspirational thoughts for the kids. There should be a book of them that we could use!

More Than Words said...

Wow..you got some great deals! What's the saying..one persons trash is another persons treasure?

Oh, and I love the quote you left for your daughter!! LOL

Karen in Texas said...

I'm heading to a new Goodwill today and hopefully will get to really look this time. Those are great finds Cyndy.

April said...

I loved this post from start to finish! Amazing finds...or TREASURE! I can't believe what you paid for them, either! Well done, I say!

I love the quote you left for your daughter...hopefully, she'll tuck it away in her memory bank. Great lesson you taught her!

Twisted Fencepost said...

I like your little reclaimed roof slate pictures.
I've never heard of hobo signs. Interesting bit of information. I'll have to be on the lookout for those.
Great idea with the notes from Mom. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

i love your thrifty finds!

been meaning to tell you :: i have a pair of jeans that i splurged on at the gap a few years ago...they fit perfectly and i love the dark wash on them but they're getting really worn and aren't all that pretty anymore. last week i was in sandys and found the exact same style of jeans in my size and they looked like they had never been worn! $9!!! i was thrilled. seriously, this was the highlight of my week.

Anonymous said...

I love your art finds and I've sooooo been there with the drops at school. Oh man...

Keeper of the Skies Wife said...

I love the slate paintings!!! Love the fact they are from an old Amish roof!! Too freaking cool!

Hmmm...I haven't gone thrifting in awhile.

Hootin Anni said...

Amazing!!! And both are truly treasures and 'fell into' the right hands to be sure....you'll cherish them for a long time.

My Wordful this week is all about the birds and bees...errrr, um....maybe birds and cats. Is it Superman in the sky? Come find out.

Aunt Julie said...

LOVE these...especially the kitty cat. I love the finds found at thrift stores!

Momo Fali said...

Don't be surprised when hobos start showing up expecting a hot meal!

Unknown said...

I love thrift stores. Unfortunately , the ones in our area are not that great. Going up to Carson City sometime in the next two weeks. They have some great thrift stores there!!

Good on you for how you handled the situation with the shirt and your daughter !! Well done :-)

Krazy Armstrong K's! said...

LOVE thrift stores!! Great pictures! LOVe that they were parts of an old farm house! Too cute!!
Thanks for stopping by, i've been out of the blogging world for awile...

Mrs4444 said...

My friend has that quote on her classroom wall. I actually said as many words today, when a student insisted that he could not attend math class because he had studying to do for another class. Give me a break! :)

Muthering Heights said...

I've never heard of hobo signs, but your has such a nice meaning!

Tonjia said...

I love 2nd hand stores! You got some awesome deals!

just last week I bought a chenille block quilt for $25, it was a steal!

I worked night shift for 12 years while my daughter was in school, I had to do the same thing as you once in a while. Its their nature. :-)

Brenda said...

Those are some fun treasures to have. And I totally agree with that last saying!

Aubrey said...

Yay for thrift store gems! Those Seven jeans I found for .99 cents? I sold them on ebay for $46!!! Whoo-hoo!

Tara R. said...

When my dad was a kid, he lived in a town with a huge train yard (it's still there). One of his chores was to wash to chalk drawings off the front walk steps to keep the hobos away from the house.

I need one of the planning signs for my office.

♥ Boomer ♥ said...

I so appreciated this post. You are an inspirational mama. You don't enable. You are teaching respect and are loved for it.

I loved the deals you got thrift shopping, and those great pictures and the themes behind them.

GREAT post.