Going to an estate sale is so much fun.  I do not see it as morbid at all.  It is exciting to see what others have collected and enjoyed throughout the years.  When I buy something from an estate sale, I feel as if I am the ultimate recycler.  I will enjoy and treasure what someone else loved and enjoyed.

Recently, Friend Susan was conducting a sale that advertised Navaho jewelry.  That got our attention.  Since we are still in the New Mexico mode of thinking, we thought we would take a look. The squash blossom necklaces and bracelets were gorgeous.  Our bad – we thought we could wait until the items went to half price on Saturday, and then go back.  Well, someone came through at the end of the day on Friday, and bought all of the silver and tourquoise jewelry.  Bummer!  You win some and you lose some.  It wasn’t meant to be.

But, I did buy cookbooks.  I love vintage cookbooks, and I read cookbooks like other people read novels.  There were so many choices, and I did try to restrain myself – but they were so reasonable.  Paperbacks – 75 cents, spirals – $1.50, and hardbacks – $2.25.  For less than 20 bucks, I got a bag full of books.  One cookbook would cost more than that at the bookstore.  Take a look at what I got.

Anything that has Texas in the title appeals to me.  The Texas Celebrities Cookbook is a Sesquicentennial cookbook with recipes from famous Texans – Harold Taft, Henry Cisneros, Chip Moody, Mrs. Phil Graham just to name a few.  The Calf Fries to Caviar was written by two cooks from Lamesa and Tahoka – near my neck of the woods (or I guess I should say my neck of mesquites – since there are no woods in West Texas).  I think there will be some good stories in the Taste and Tales from Texas…With Love.  It is so interesting to read the notes that go along with the recipes.  Potluck on the Pedernales is from The Community Garden Club of Johnson City.  I loved the quote on the index page.  “Kissin’ don’t last, cookin’ do.”  A Little Taste of Texas is a surprisingly good mini-cookbook, and  the bluebonnets on the cover made me buy it.  I have high hopes for the recipes and stories in the autographed copy of Texas Country Reporter Cookbook.  

I didn’t stop there.  Other cookbooks were calling my name.  Trust me!  I did leave shelves, and shelves, and shelves of books at that sale.

How about the Will Rogers cookbook?  What I am looking forward to reading are all the wonderful Will Rogers’ quotes.  There is even a recipe from Her Supreme Highness Princes Grace of Monoco for Farcis (stuffed vegetables) in this book.  How cool is that?  Do you really think she ever cooked?

Want to read what Bill Clinton ate in the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion, or to be more exact – what Eliza Jane Ashley (don’t you love her name?) cooked for Thirty years at the Mansion?  There is no doubt in my mind that this is the chef that gave my mother’s friend the pepper steak recipe.  Then there is The Carter Family Favorites Cookbook (as in President Jimmy Carter).  I wonder what recipes they have from Miss Lillian?  How many ways can you cook peanuts?  I’ll let you know.

On the way home, there was an estate sale around the corner from my home.  It was a good sale with good prices. I found this vintage glass pitcher that almost matches my Mama Jenny’s dessert bowls.

Mama Jenny was my mother’s mother. (Other cousins called her other names, but I always thought of her as Mama Jenny)  We think she got the bowls from oatmeal boxes.  These pretty little bowls are the only things I have from my grandmother.  Many years ago, Mother, Super Sister, and I began adding to our collection of the bowls.  Now I think Super Sister and I have enough bowls between us to serve Cox’s Army.  We do love our little bowls, and they are just the right size for a serving of cake and ice cream or better yet banana pudding.  All this is to say, that is why I wanted the vintage pitcher. ( No, it does not look yellow in real life.)

The last purchase of the day was a Pairpoint dessert server.   Be still my heart.  I do love this piece.  Figured it out!  There was an overhead light on the stove that made these items look yellow.  (Now I know.  I have so much to learn.)

What a wonderful day!  I had an afternoon of entertainment, and I have something to show for my efforts.  I was so tempted to go back Saturday for more books (further reductions) and a set of napkin rings, but I was good and resisted the temptation.

Hope you had a good weekend,

Blessings to you and yours,