Something I Didn't Know

This is the first in what I hope will be an ongoing series of posts on things that I didn't know.  Now and then as I am looking for homeschool information, or reading the news, or just following rabbit trails on the web, I will come across something that I find fascinating that I did not know.  Usually I think, "How could I not know this??"  I'm a fairly well read person, and it's not common that I have absolutely zero knowledge of some bit of historical, scientific, or cultural weirdness.  When it happens, I like to share it.  I will say to husband, "Did you know...?"  So with this series I will share some of those tidbits.  Sometimes you will think, "How could she not know that?  Is she living in a cave?  Illiterate?  Completely absorbed with American Idol?"  No, none of the above, just sporadically ignorant.  Without further ado, I give you the first installment of "Something I Didn't Know".

The Potsdam Giants:

I stumbled across this information while looking into acromegaly (a syndrome often associated with gigantism).  So in the span of about two minutes I went from relaxing on a site designed to induce laughter, to hunched over my keyboard, reading with fascination of the Potsdam Giants.

The Potsdam Giants were a Prussian infantry regiment.  It was founded in 1675 by King Frederick William I, and was composed of taller than average men.  Such was the King's desire for tall men to fill these positions, that kidnapping and enslavement were used when voluntary compliance failed.  Tall men from noble families were purchased, those from lower levels of society were taken.  The King let it be known that his preferred gift from foreign rulers was tall soldiers.  He paid these soldiers far more than the average wage, in hopes of attracting more tall men to this service.

As the King's fondness for tall soldiers became known, teachers "turned in" students who were exceptionally tall.  Parents often attempted to hide tall sons, but other members of a village or community would pass along news of the tall boy's existence in an attempt to curry favor with the king.

Much of what I read leads me to believe that Frederick William I's interest in tall men went beyond the desire for a formidable army.  I won't go further here, but this was certainly one of those historical tidbits that caused me to think, "How could I not know this???"

So share with me in the comments, were you familiar with the Potsdam Giants?  If so, how did you encounter this knowledge?.

Thrifty Finds

I thought I wouldn't have much to post this week because I was out of town at a kids' shooting competition Thursday through Saturday, but I managed to squeeze in a few goodies.  In addition, I had a few things from last week that I had not posted.  The result is not a thrifting megapost, but I think it will do.

At a yard sale this week I got these.

Moss rose.  I love moss rose, and have had trouble getting mine to return each year.  I hope these from a very old, established bed will do better.  Do you find it odd that I would find plants at a yard sale?  It's quite common around here.  Earlier in the spring I got several lovely hostas, and a week ago I was in a thrift store and they had a couple of bags of these for $1.

Hen and chicks.  I got so many of these for $1 that Rachel used some to make potted plants for Mother's Day.  (that went very well, btw, and i will post about it later in the week)  I love these little guys.  I ordered seeds for some mixed variety and mixed colors last year, but nothing ever came up.  It was a bad year for plants in Arkansas last year.  We had 100 year flooding in the spring, followed by a summer of record 100+ days.  Ick.

Ok, back to the finds.

Most of this odd assortment came from the yard sale where I got the moss rose.  The exception is the lovely orange Old Navy sweater for Rachel.  There are several little glass bottles with Rx on the top, some Happy Meal toys from the 1990's, a Fisher Price Little People wagon, and a funky little gold and red poodle pin cushion/thimble.  Here's a better shot of that.

A weird, quirky little piece.  I might let Rachel keep it (she's my sewing buddy), or I might put it in my Etsy shop, along with some of the toys.

At the same yard sale I got this great box purse.

Again, it might end up in the Esty shop.

Here are a few finds from last week that I saved because A) I thought I'd have next to nothing to share, and B) I was too lazy to photograph them last week.

Isn't that cloth calendar from 1975 great?!  I might keep that.  The vintage Santa book is actually a thrifting buy from a few weeks ago, but it was on a shelf with this other stuff.  The illustrations are very cute.  The other two items are a glass baby bottle, and an old ink bottle.  Both might just be donated, but the ink bottle was very cute, and might end up on Etsy, and the baby bottle was in a box of stuff I bought for $1 because it contained an air vent diffuser that I needed (not interesting enough to post here).  Here's a close up of the calendar.

Yeah, that's cute.

I'm linking up with Me and My Shadow for Magpie Monday and Her Library Adventures for Flea Market Finds.  (if ATG returns, i'll link there.  anyone know if she's coming back?)

ETA: I just discovered Hey What's for Dinner Mom? and The Penny Worthy Project, so I'm linking up there, too.

Thrifty Finds

Just like last week, it has been a good week for thrifting.  This is mainly due to the fact that I can hit some garage sales each week.  I ♥ thrift stores, but for pricing, garage sales are even better.

I thrifted on Tuesday, while the kids were in their chemistry class, but all I bought was one pair of pants for Rachel.  She is going to begin doing a feature on this blog about thifting for teens.  Keep an eye out for that.  I hit some yard sales on Friday, and here, in no particular order, is some of what I got.

Very nice rain boots for Bekah, an unopened container of tile adhesive, and the Kit Cat clock.

It's missing the tail, and I'm not sure how old it is.  The reproductions for sale on Amazon right now take one AA battery, and this one requires two C batteries, so I hope that will help me date it.

I also got another pair of rain boots.  They were 25 cents because they have a hole, but I plan to do a crafty thing involving flowers.

The two metal containers are for the Mother's Day plants Rachel is making to sell.  The turquoise Tupperware sugar container was 25 cents, and it's staying with me.  The old books are for Bekah, who loves readers from the 1940's and 50's.  In the back left is this.

It's an odd little purse that I found at a garage sale that had no other odd items.  I don't think it's old, but it has a retro feel.  Rachel loves it.

Next are some ET glasses and a book about playing games on your Little Professor toy and another about science experiments.  The science book we'll keep, and the other items will go in my Etsy store.

I got these two items at the same sale.  They were mixed in with some typical yard sale clothes, shoes, and stuffed animals.

We have several of the vintage Betty Crocker kids' cookbooks.  They are cute and have great illustrations.  Here is a close up of the tiny can of dental paste.

I haven't decided if I'm keeping it or listing it on Etsy.

Well, that's enough for now.  I will be at a shooting competition with the kids on the prime yard sale days next week, so I'll save the rest of this week's haul for next Monday.  I'm linking up with Me and My Shadow for Magpie Monday, Her Library Adventures for Flea Market Finds, and Apron Thrift Girl (if she returns) for Thrift Share Monday.  Go see what everyone else found.

Saturday Night Retro

What a week!  I know that I am not the busiest person I know.  In fact, I have friends who have 10+ children and run small family farms, so there is no doubt in my mind that I am not the busiest person I know.  However, it has been a busy, busy week.  I intended to get a couple of blog posts up during the week.  I even worked on them some, but didn't get anything finished.

I was able to finish a few DIY projects around the house, and I hope to blog about those soon.  I haven't done as much of that type of blogging as I thought I would.

Ok, on to the cool, smooth tones that will help you unwind on what is a beautiful, warm evening with a huge full moon (it's at perigee this weekend) here in northwest Arkansas.

First up:

Ahhhh, that's better. Who's next?  How about...

Ok, let's go back and listen to that one again.

Done?  Ok,  The last musical interlude for the evening is from one of my favorite musicians from my childhood.

I am so relaxed now I can barely type.

On Mondays I do a post about my thrift store and yard sale finds.  Many of them are vintage items (that's how this ties into Saturday Night Retro).  This week I will be showing an old wooden Fisher Price Little People toy that I found.  Here he is with two other Little People finds.

 My sister and brother and I played with Little People endlessly in the 1970's.  My kids have all played with them, as well.  Some day soon I'll do a retro post about my little collection of vintage toys.  Have you collected anything as an adult that you loved as a child?  Share with me in a comment.

Thrifty Finds

Are you ready for this post?  I don't know if you are.  It has been a FULL week on the thrifting front.  It started Tuesday, while my older kids were in their two hour chemistry class.  I went to one of my favorite thrift stores in northwest Arkansas, Potters House (Romans 9:21).  The really great thing about PH is their pricing system.  They have five different colored price stickers, and everything that gets priced in a given week has the same color sticker.  As things have been in the store for some time, the prices go down.  A chart on the wall tells you what colors are on sale that week.  It works like this: an item is full price for the first two weeks on the floor, 25% off during the third week, 50% (sometimes 75%!!) off during the fourth week, and 50 CENTS (sometimes 25 cents!!!) during the fifth week.  That's right, any item that is entering its 5th week on the floor is 50 or 25 cents.  That really helps them keep their merchandise moving, and prevents seeing the same things at inflated prices on every visit.  I try to visit at least once a week, and on Tuesday I got this gem.

(the desk, not the girl)  I had noticed it a few weeks earlier, but at $25 it was a bit more than I would pay.  I'm a cheapskate?  Maybe, but I'm also a frequent thrifter, and I really try to keep my actual expenditure low for each week.  Anyway, this little 50+ year old beauty was in very nice condition, and I was a bit surprised it made it into the third week (25% off) on the floor.  I was even more surprised to walk in on Tuesday and find it 75% off!  Yes, folks, a hair over $6 for this lovely.  And as you can see, it is the perfect size for Bekah (the height of both chair and desk is adjustable).  She is the only one of my kids who still does most of her homeschooling in the actual schoolroom, so this little desk is prompting me to rethink our school room.  Since the other two kids do most of their work in their rooms, I think our little 3 desk, 2 computer L-shaped set up might transform into a bunch of bookcases, some computer nooks, and this little cutie.  She'll get some cleaning, sanding, and painting, and be quite a jewel.

And speaking of bookcases, there is a reason that I am contemplating adding to the 10 that we already have in our home.  We are book fanatics.  I'll do a post some day on just our bookshelves.  Most are filled with like groupings of books, such as theology, classics, textbooks, vintage kids books, etc.  I add to our book stash almost every week.  This week was no exception, as you'll see.

So I said it was a full week, what did I find?  Well, let's start with fabric!  I have a fabric addiction, and this week I indulged it.

The three pieces across the top are all still available at Hobby Lobby for around $6 per yard.  I have about 4 yards of the polka dot, and about 2-3 yards of each of the other two.  In the middle are two pieces I got from Potters House, and the bottom two are darling vintage fabrics from an estate sale.  The one on the right is so vibrant.  The total cost for all was under $5.

Next is a random collection of awesomeness.

The shirt is for me, and that is embroidery on the front and at the neckline of the back.  I walked into a small charity thrift in a neighboring town, and this was on the mannequin by the door.  I loved it and hoped it would fit me or Rachel.  It was my size, and when I paid for it the nice lady pointed out that since the date on the tag indicated that it had been in the store for one month the following day, she was giving it to me at the 1/2 price that any item that's over a month old gets.  Nice.  The Seal A Meal was from the same store, and is for Husband.  He likes to dehydrate fruits and veggies to use on camping and backpacking trips, and he has expressed a desire to try the vacuum sealing as well,  This came with a variety of bags, so he should be able to get a good feel for it.  The hat is for me.  It was 97 cents at Potters House (i know!!).  I will get a lot of  use out of it during outdoor shooting competitions and Boy Scout events this summer.  In the center is a darling little brass set for the girls' dollhouses.  At $4 it was actually one of the most expensive things I bought this week.  Last is that cute set of (retro?) measuring spoons from a yard sale.

Are you bored yet?  I hope not, because I'm not finished.

Along the top are three sets of new twin size sheets for the kids' beds.  I had not even thought about new sheets, but when I saw these still in the packages, for $2 per set, it made me realize that most of their sheets are fairly old and pilled, so why not?  Under the sheets is a huge enamel baking pan that I got at a yard sale for 50 cents.  On the left is a complete set of books about American history (our family's favorite subject).  I got them for 50 cents for the whole set.  That's the Potters House magic again.  The set was priced at $19.99 when it went on the floor, but because it was in its 5th week, it was 50 cents.

In the center is a milk glass Holly Hobbie mug.  It's very cute, and will be in my Etsy shop soon.  On the right are some canning jars.  I got about twice that many from two different sales.  We are being overrun with strawberries right now, so we will be making jam soon.

Next are some planters and pots that mom and I picked up for Rachel.  She is planning to make some mixed arrangements to sell at our little farmer's market for Mothers Day.  We'll probably put them on Facebook, too, so if any of our local friends are interested, let her know.

Joshua told me he wanted some black and white Converse All Star type shoes, so I told him I'd keep my eyes peeled.  While at Potters House (see what i mean?) about three day later, he found a pair that were his size and 25% off, so they were around $1.  He also found a pair of the real deal for Rachel.  Later in the week she found the pink pair for $2 at a yard sale.

We are almost at the end of this post.  Are you still with me?

I found these goodies at various yard sales.

The four books along the back will probably end up in my Etsy shop, but we are enjoying them for now.  They are all from the mid 1960's through early 1970's.  The book Twenty and Ten is for Bekah to read, and the crayons are for ME.  Yes, me.  The colors are all unusual, and the tips are sharp.  Don't judge me.  The little dress is very cute, but after I got it home I found two holes.  Oh well, it was only 25 cents, and can either be creatively patched or cut up and used as fabric.  Last is the old book.  It's an interesting story (i think).  Rachel and Bekah and I stopped at a yard sale in a neighboring town.  It was pretty, umm,  how should I put it... junky.  Most of the stuff looked like it had been in boxes or at the bottom of a toy box for a long time.  The odd thing was the books.  They were really, really good books.  As in, the content was interesting and cerebral.  Much more so than I would have expected from the other items for sale.  But they were all in terrible shape.  I think they had been stored in cardboard boxes in a damp place like a garage.  I love old books, and will overlook some damage, but these were too far gone.  I chose this one because the illustrations were amazing!

Don't those just suck you in?  I don't know what I'll do with them, but they were too enchanting to leave behind.  Do you have some display or craft ideas for book illustrations?

So that is my haul for this week.  I actually found a few more items, but I had either already put them away, or I forgot about them until after the pictures were taken.  This is a really good example of how great the thrifting is in my area.  All of the things in this post, the shoes, books, hat, dishes, fabric, sheets, planters, desk, and everything else, cost less than $35 total.  Seriously.

I'm linking up with Me and My Shadow for Magpie Monday, Her Library Adventures for Flea Market Finds, and Apron Thrift Girl for Thrift Share Monday (if she returns).  Go check out everyone's finds.

Thrifty Finds

I'm late on this post, but at least I didn't talk myself out of doing it!  Mild illness and a heavy schedule has really got me dragging.

My brother lives about an hour away, and he came down on Wednesday to hit some flea markets and let me cook him a birthday lunch.  We didn't buy a lot, but it was fun.  Rebekah used her own money to by this crocheted doll dress for $1.75.

(eta: again my lack of focus is showing.  i didn't even see bekah's cardboard playhouse in the background until i looked at the finished post.  i don't have the energy to retake the shot, and my photo editing software is behaving badly, so you get a glimpse of the playhouse, which normally lives behind the couch, hidden from view)

On Saturday, as I was driving Rachel and Joshua to their shooting sports practice at 8 am, we passed a sign for a benefit sale for the Veterans of Foreign Wars.  Zowie.  If there is one thing I love more than a yard sale it's veterans!  It hurt to pass that one by.  After I got the kids settled in I realized I needed to go to the post office, so of course I had to run back by that sale.  And two others.  All three were for charity, so I think it was fine.

The owl is painted on the back of the glass.  That piece is already in my Etsy shop.  Speaking of my Etsy shop, I had my first sale this weekend, and an inquiry about shipping another item to the Netherlands.  Yippee.  Ok, back to the finds.  On the far right in that picture is this.

This is the milk glass juicing attachment for an old stand mixer.  Complete with chrome spout. I have an old stand mixer, but I don't have the juicer.  Well, I didn't have the juicer.  The lady taking money at the church sale didn't know what it was, but I filled her in.

The cute painting is also from that church sale, and it is an actual painting.

 

I don't know where it's going, but it was too pretty to pass up (especially for .75!)

Also from that sale, I got these vintage clip on earrings.

Rachel and I sort of collect vintage clip ons.  (i have had so much trouble with picture rotating themselves at random in this post, that i'm not even going to mess with that one)

I'm linking up with Me and My Shadow for Magpie Monday, Her Library Adventures for Flea Market Finds and Apron Thrift Girl for Thrift Share Monday.  Go check out the goodies.

Saturday Night Retro

Tonight's retro came about in a strange way.  I was driving Joshua to meet his Boy Scout troop for camp, and I had my XM radio set to the 70's on 7.  I'm pretty knowledgeable about 70's music, particularly anything that enjoyed some popularity.  In high school in the 80's I used to fill the time by making lists of my 100 favorite bands or songs, and ranking them.  Other than the heavy metal, most were from the 70's.  So imagine my surprise when a song started that I had never heard, and it was good!  It caught my attention immediately with the music, and I glanced at the radio to see what it was.  It said the band was "Osmonds".  Well, my thought was, "Oh, I didn't know there were two bands called Osmonds."  Then the vocals started, and I was rocking along with it, really enjoying it, and wondering about this "other" Osmonds band.  Then I heard him.  Donny.  Unmistakable.  I was floored!  This was an Osmonds I had never encountered.

Listen to that and tell me it's not better than you expected.

I was 8 years old in 1976, when Donny and Marie had a hit with "Deep Purple".  In my neighborhood you were either a Donny Osmond girl or a Shaun Cassidy girl.  (some older girls were David Cassidy girls, but we thought they were weird.  now i know they were the smart ones.)  I really only knew "The Osmonds" as Donny, Marie, and a bit later, Jimmy.  The only song I knew that included the older brothers was this.

But the bulk of my Osmonds experience was more like this.

Yeah, not quite the same.

So there's your retro for this week.  Have a little fun and poke around the web for old Osmonds songs.  Who knows what you'll find.