Mother lode in Watertown

This morning I crawled out of bed at 6a and drove to Watertown, TN to the annual mile-long yard sale. I was a bit skeptical that I'd find good stuff. You know how those annual neighborhood sales can be -- people have long since purged their treasures and moved on to their broken coffee pots and mismatched glassware.

But this was yard sale heaven! Junk as far as the eye could see. My mission was toys for Caroline. I've been feeling bad about how slim her inventory has gotten. And I know I'd feel even worse if I boxed up the rattles, cloth books and link-a-doos that she hasn't touched in months. So I put on my walking shoes and did the entire mile, which is at least two miles because you gotta tote all the loot back to your car, sometimes in several trips. The seasoned salers, I quickly figured out, pulled Radio Flyers. Or those little upright rolling baskets, the kind my grandmother used to take her clothes to the apartment laundry room.

By 10a my car was stuffed. Here are some of my larger finds, all for about $20. And yes, I'm obsessed with tables and chairs. But Caroline is obsessed with coloring, so a good match. (One of these items is for your house, Mama Norma. Guess which one! Think art.)

I love the old school desk. And it blends right in with our rustic decor.