"Curb Alerting" Jersey style

Last weekend Penny Boyle from our ward here in Jersey invited me to go "curb alerting" with her. Every year this one county has a clean out every June where you can put whatever you want out for the garbage collectors. They can put it out starting saturday morning until monday evening for a tuesday morning pick up. Penny has learned through the years to get the streets that they will be collecting from and maps out a route to go looking and collecting. I was amazed at what people were throwing away. Brand new items, items that worked, etc. They would have signs on 10 foot lighted Christmas Trees, refridgerators, generators, power washers, etc that they still worked. As you can tell, we found a lot to take home. You can't see it but we got a bicycle built for two, a complete diningroom set with the customs table pads, a queen size posted bed with carved posts, etc. It was an adventure. I could've come home with more, but had to keep telling myself that I would just have to move it back to CA. The next day, I was agonizing over not getting the double bed complete with headboard and footboard and rails and a tray table and a........... I was unable to go with Penny the next day so called while she was out scouting and told her that if the bed was still there if she could pick it up. Well it wasn't there because while we were loading the queen size bed that you can see in the truck, the owner of the double bed came running down to us a few doors down to tell us she had the cherry bed. She said she was surprised that no one had picked it up yet. Well we told her it was because she didn't have a good presentation and propped it up for her and made it look grand. Shouldn't have done that.....it was gone. While we were loading the diningroom set, the young man from the house came out and helped us load it. I have some great stories of our afternoon curb alerting. Like I said, I can't believe what people throw away. Wish I knew about it when I was furnishing this house with Craiglist. The items on the curb were just as great if in some cases better than what I paid for.

Don't you love this caravan. The gentleman that put them together drives it in parades around the state. You can drive it from either side. I wonder if it has a reverse? Anyway it was in the area we were doing our curb alerts.

Here are the goodies I came home with. This 3 drawer dresser....don't you love the lines. This cute little lamp is great. You just touch it and it goes on and off and brighter with each touch. I also got a large pot for one of the pumpkin plants, a small white dest with carving on the edge, and a Pampered Chef pizza stone.

This is the 12 foot wooden ladder I found. Going to display the quilts I have made on them. Looks good in the 20 foot high ceiling familyroom.

I didn't get to go back on monday with Penny to check out any new things that were put out. But guess what Penny found and brought back for me. A Woody doll.......I was so excited to have the Woody doll to go with Jessie. Can you believe someone would throw a toy out on the curb, let alone Woody and Jessie? Surely they have not gone to see Toy Story 3!

Penny also brought back 20 yards of 54 inch wide red cotton/poly blend fabric. Can you believe it? A brand new unused bolt of red fabric. The wheels are turning........valances and dust ruffles in the patriotic bedroom at the lakehouse, tablecloths......oh the list could go on and on. Best part......it was free.

This is Woody and Jessie happily reunited once again. Just look at the joy in their eyes and the love they radiate. We find them all over the house in different places, doing different things. Why, just this morning they were upside down hanging from the banisters.

Don't you just love toys.........and especially Toy Story 3.