Garage Sale Craziness

Garage sale season is in full swing in southwest Missouri/northwest Arkansas. So is the craft fair season. I love finding unique items, and both of these are great places for that.

Today, I finally hit the road and got a double helping! The plan was to hit a craft fair at the historic War Eagle Mill in Rogers, Arkansas, stopping at garage sales on the way down. I had to refresh my sign-spotting skills and make several turnarounds, but there were no fender benders or road rage incidents. There was a big storm this morning -- it rolled over my house around 4 am -- so many sales were late setting up.

I took home a good haul. Some things will end up on Ebay; others will be in my patio or garden. I will post a couple photos on another blog tomorrow! There weren't any super finds, like the radioactive orange Fiestaware covered casserole dish my mom got for $5, but there were a few good deals. If anyone was looking for "hooker shoes," I found a treasure trove of them at one sale....

The craft festival was big...although I have to admit a few of the booths left something to be desired. It seemed like only a handful had truly handcrafted items. I think the Thomas Hollow Art Festival has a great talent pool compared to this one.

The War Eagle Mill itself was really nice. The mill is a stone buhr mill that operates on the power of the War Eagle River, and it's been around since the 1830s. The current mill is actually the fourth mill on the site. The first, built in the 1830s, washed away in 1848. The second mill was burned during the Civil War to prevent the Union army from capturing and using the mill. The third mill was built in 1873 and was then rebuilt in 1973 on the original foundation.

Despite being on the gluten-free (aka wheat-free!) diet for a month now, I can still buy flours like oat flour, millet flour, and the like. The Mill store even had a gluten-free cookbook, which I snapped up. But when I paid for my purchases, I slipped off the gluten-free wagon a little bit. Let's just say their cinnamon rolls -- made from their hot roll mix -- are to die for.

More tomorrow. I am sneaking out early in the morning to hit some more garage sales!