Snowbabies in Miniature

   THIS IS A TINY SET OF SNOWBABIES, FOUND AT A CHURCH YARD SALE THIS SUMMER.

Snowbabies are totally adorable porcelain figurines that look like little children in winter.

At the mother lode of church yard sales this summer, it was almost magical to find a Snowbaby figurine in miniature!  

It's no more than two inches tall!  

The bigger Snowbabies are also all white and have expressive faces.  

They look like they are covered with snow and are shown doing all kinds of winter activities.

There are dozens of the figurines available to buy from the company, Department 56, which has been producing them since the late 1890s, according to Wikipedia.

Yes!  Cost of the tiny Snowbabies was an amazing buck.

Snowbabies were originally manufactured and sold only in  Germany and then were made in the USA, as well.

Pen is placed in front of the Snowbabies to show how little they are!

Snowbabies, both the big ones and tiny one found at the yard sale, make people smile as soon as they see them!

Zamioculcas Plant Is Growing

 

A year ago for Mother's Day, I bought zamioculcas, or ZZ, plants for three of my local sisters, and one for me!

Now, more than a year later, the ZZ is still going strong as are those of my sisters.

My ZZ needs some plant food, though, since she's not as big as hoped.

Just like a little pet, she gets to go outside in the sunshine for part of the day.

However, come nighttime, back into the little apartment she comes.  

No night outside visitors are going to get the opportunity to eat her for a late supper.

Her thick green leaves have a nice sheen to them.

Sometimes, if she doesn't go out, she joins other plants in front of the open door. 

They love to bask in the late afternoon sunshine.

I love ZZ and am so glad she didn't bite the dust. 

(Actually, the same can be said for me,too! ha ha)

Look for Treasures for Others

 

While daily de-cluttering and holding out hope of having no plastic totes filled with "stuff" are part of daily living around here, thrift store and yard sale shopping are still immense fun.

Why?  Why would someone who dislikes clutter still walk (run?) to thrift stores and yard sales?

Well, a lot of time, it's to pick up little treasures for others.

It might be a birthday of a friend, or visits to loved ones in the process of healing from surgery.  

Whatever the occasion, having a stash of adorable things available, that cost almost nothing, is a ganga.

The little sheep, shown at the top of this post, went to a very loved person who also loves sheep!

Sheepy is watching over her as she heals from surgery.

See?  There's always a reason to justify thrift store and yard sale shopping! hee hee

Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother

This weekend marks the remembrance of a special day in the life of the Mother of God. 

Saturday, August 15, Roman Catholics celebrate the remembrance of the Assumption of Mary.

That is the day that she was taken, body and soul, to eternal paradise.  

Mary is a close intercessory to her son, Jesus.  

A small, wooden grotto, holds a one-and-a-half inch high statue of Mary, behind little doors that open and close.

It is a statue that reflects the Virgin of Guadalupe who appeared to a little Mexican boy, Juan Diego, near Mexico City in the 1500s.

Silk roses have been attached to the tiny grotto that is less than 12 inches high. 

Mary will always be very, very special around here.

Crystal/Glass Candle Holders

Don't ask why, but anything made of crystal and glass attracts attention.

At last weekend's super duper church yard sale, a pair of crystal/glass candle holders caught my eye. 

Ohhhhh, they were so pretty and quite heavy.

There was no price tag on them so when going to the pay station, I asked the check-out lady if they could come home with me for $1.  

She said "Yes"!   Now that was a ganga.

Because it's important for me to live with lots of color, some deep pink candles got fit into the holders.

They are now on the small table used for meals, near some equally colorful flowers.

WHAT WAS THE LAST BARGAIN YOU RECEIVED?