Dawn I was in a Wal Mart store Thursday and they were removing things and said they were going to put out holiday items. I was thinking Halloween. Maybe Christmas as they didn't have it out yet. But a lot of what I was wanting was done put up for the season. I got my first Christmas catalog in July. And you got free interest till Jan 1st if you bought by mid August. Starting earlier every year. I've made the statement that soon they will start selling Christmas again in Feb. Too much commercialsm for me.

I haven't been on 54 to see the snowbirds around here. Was at Boise City yesterday for the best and most interesting antique sale I've ever attended. Over at ten last night and started at nine. So I'm moving slow and unloading my treasure. Ha. Jay

OK Jay, Don't leave us hanging.......what did you buy?

I didn't know Lowe's sold canning things.

I just bought a box of pints at Wal-Mart with the new lids; also noticed the jars had seam lines down the sides on some. I figured they would break under pressure but didn't.

I try to ignore the Christmas things this time of year.

Walmart was sold out of pints when I went. They only had a few quart sizes left. Sold out of Kerr which was a dollar cheaper a dozen than Mason.
Christmas items in September? The merchants must be worried about the recession and getting sales before folks run out of money. I feel sorry for those out of work who may have some very lean times in the days ahead, especially those with children. I think I will spend any 'Christmas' money I have this year in a little different way.

Barbara

Jay,

I want to hear about your antique treasures too! The Wal-Mart in Ardmore doesn't have any Christmas stuff out yet, but they are in the midst of a major remodeling so everything is a mess. There is one really huge area that has nothing in it and they were setting up shelving and display racks there today, so it wouldn't surprise me to see Christmas stuff in that area in a few days. They do already have Halloween stuff elsewhere in the store.

Glenda, Our Lowe's has a few canning items every summer, probably as a minor seasonal iten for them. Usually their canning display is on the end of an aisle near the kitchen appliances.

They had moved all their 'leftover' canning stuff to the front of the store right by the books and magazines. Everything they had was from Ball and they had quart jars, pint jars, quart lids/rings, pint lids/rings, quart lids, pint lids, the Ball Blue Book and two "Beginning Canner Sets" with a flat-bottomed BWB enamel canner, jar lifter, lid wand, etc. They also had a few copies of this year's updated edition of the Ball Blue Book. Most of the lids left were widemouth only.

Because their stuff was on sale, it was lower in price than the stuff at Wal-Mart, so I picked up a couple of cases of pint jars and some extra lids. I have a good supply of jars, but you never know when you'll need more!

Barbara,

It is that time of year when the canning jars start disappearing. Both the Wal-Marts near us still have a good supply of jars, but that can change quickly in the fall.

I ignore Christmas stuff in the stores at this time of year too. I just hate that they put it out so early....I'm tired of looking at it by November 1st. I generally don't buy any Christmas stuff until after Thanksgiving. I refuse to reward them for rushing/pushing the holiday seasons ever earlier.

In addition to the 'used' jars stored in the kitchen, I have 5 cases of new jars upstairs....one quart, two pints, two half-pints, and I also have some freezer jars, so I think I have enough. Still, it is hard to pass them up when they are on sale.

Dawn

Yep - when I was at Lowes in Moore yesterday, they had begun their Christmas items also. All their shelves were stocked, but they didn't have any decorated trees yet. Their Halloween items were on an end-cap of an isle and they didn't have much left compared to 3 weeks ago when I was there. When I lived in S. OKC a few years ago, Target on SW 44th was the WORST. They put their Christmas items on the isles next to the school supplies! However, Hobby Lobby has had their Christmas items out now for more than a month, but I can understand "crafters" wanting to get working on projects....but the other stores? No way.

So Jay.....what the heck did you find??? I should have joined this forum earlier. Last year I shopped on e-bay for an "aged" galvanized bucket for the garden. Paid $25 + shipping after MIL helped herself to the one we were using, We just loved that bucket because it was just the right size and it was also my FIL mother's "pickin' bucket" in her garden. My DH loved watching the grandkids carry that full of tomatoes and green beans, just like his grandma used to do. I also paid about $20 for a cone-shaped seive with wooden pestal so I wouldn't have to borrow MIL's any more. Our home is filled with antiques, all that have a personal story behind each one. DH remembered today that he has a "coffee grinder" stored somewhere over at his parents place. It's one that hangs on the wall and is hand-cranked. I asked him to high-tail it over there and get that!!!!

This year, I'm watching for end of the season sales on lids & rings. A very dear friends' mother (84 yrs young) decided it was time to clean out her garage and in the process, I inherited 5 boxes of canning jars in all sizes! I'm tellin' ya...I HIT THE LOTTERY!!! Let me know if anyone sees these items on sale somewhere! I haven't seen them anywhere here yet.

pk

The retailers are really depending on this holiday season or many will probably hit the dust. I hate to tell them
but I won't be contributing much. Never really have. I am a real scrooge as far as spending for holidays...but I am not deep in debt either as I see others are.

We better keep it simple and save those dollars for necessities and seed for next years gardens...me thinks lots of people will be glad to have a garden in the coming years.

Why is it that we can "see the handwriting on the wall" and other can't see the wall. LOL At least I think a few more are beginning to see the big picture.

I din't buy as much as usual due to prices. Bought a few things Friday to use. A folding ladder to use when painting ect. Then some things to add to my collections Friday and Saturday and a few to sell. Bought some antique furniture last night. But saw a few things I have never saw before and I've been handling antiques now for over ten years and been to many auctions. One neat item was a four handled cream can. I bought some Roseville pottery, small oak secretery, two oak glass ball and claw foot tables. One a hallway type table. Some US bits, antique child's scooter, two new antique electric lamps. Shades are hand painted and have real glass prisms. Bid as they were too cheap and bougtht them. Will keep them. A painted bull skull but the 83 y/o lady having the sale. Has Hereford cattle with a cowboly on a horse. I will keep it. A few hand made picture frames. Hay knife, chuck wagon coffee grinder, ect to sell. Sure after I post will think of some other things. Most was excellent quality. Had several come up and ask if they could come and look at my "treasures". Handed out several cards. So enjoyed the day. Just like gardeners great people. If I think of anything neat will post it. Need to stay home for a while now. As I've spent my allowance and I'm full again till I sell some more. They had a nice double Secretary that went too cheap but a member of the family was bidding and wanted it so I didn't bid. Otherwise I would of. I carried a bid for a glass top hand gas pump but it went 3 times higher than normal. Jay

I knew I was forgetting some things. I bought my grain grinder a Indian rock grinding bowl and stone. Was found on a ranch this couple owned. I will keep it. It might be my Christmas to myself. LOL. I've always found them interesting from my youth in NM. Have a few of the stones I found as a youth but most of the bowls there were in solid rock along the creek beds. I guess this post should of went in the grinding thread. LOL. Jay

Noooo, I refuse to look at Christmas decorations this early. I simply refuse.

Of course, I do need to get my buns in gear and start making gifts for the year. Santa needs to cut me some slack and outsource to India or Toledo or something. *yawn*

Mrs. Claus, er, I mean Diane

Paula, Lucky you! That's a nice haul of canning jars. Watch Wal-Mart closely for those lids and rings because they ought to go on sale soon. Since they are already on sale at Lowe's, Wal-Mart should be marking them down very soon. Our Tractor Supply Store put their canning stuff on clearance at the end of August and it all was gone in less than a week.

Momfryhover, I've been wondering if they are pushing stuff so early this year because they are desperate for sales.

We don't spend as much on holiday gifts as we used to (all the kids are grown up now), except we buy small gifts for all the volunteer firefighters and their wives since DH is the fire chief. That's my big challenge in the fall--finding the firefighter gifts, but it is fun to do and they get so excited about the little goodies in their stockings and goody bags.

I'm thinking that with so many people unemployed, a lot more people will be watching their spending this year and there likely will be a lot more homemade gifts (which I think are the best gifts).

Carol, I think a few people are catching on that the cycle of endless spending of more and more just can't go on forever. There still seem to be a lot of folks, though, who spend like there's no tomorrow.

Jay, It sounds like you found a lot of treasures and had a really good time. I don't know how you find time for the garden and the antiques as well.

Diane, I need to get busy too. Christmas always seems to sneak up on me. With family members, we don't spend a lot of money on gifts--certainly not like we did when the kids were young. Really, we all have more than enough "stuff" so we just like getting together and having a big holiday meal and small gifts.

The pepper crop has been so prolific that I think everyone we know will be getting Habanero Gold Jelly, Jalapeno Jelly and Salsa.

Dawn

Jay, That's a nice find, but I don't think you will be making many big fluffy loaves of bread from flour ground that way. LOL Maybe that's why they made those little thin flatbreads and tortillas. I would have.

Dawn, Your jelly would be a nice gift to receive. I usually make food gifts for friends also. I have a friend that doesn't cook and she loves to get food for gifts, and it doesn't even half to be fancy. I have done everything from turtle cheesecake to a entire meal packed up and ready to serve. She is a judge and works all day, so a prepared meal excites her. She is so easy to please. LOL

My neighbors usually get a pan of hot cinnamon rolls if they stay home for the holidays. We encourage our children, that have children, to spend Christmas at their own home.

Our son and DIL that live in Africa don't have children, and December is their vacation month so they are here "around" the holidays. Sometimes they go to her family for the day because they have a big party. Last year they treated both sets of parents to a Christmas cruise so we spent Christmas in Mexico. If they are here this year, I need to do something REALLY special.

Usually we have part of our children here for Thanksgiving and that will probably be the case this year as well. We have children in Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Nigeria, so they are never all here at one time.

Ugh.
I don't even want to think about Christmas yet! It's too depressing! I've got Little Bryan's birthday on Halloween and Chance's birthday two weeks after that! He'll be sixteen... DOUBLE UGH! Of course anything he wants costs at least a hundred dollars!
I know, I know... I shouldn't let it get to me so badly. Homemade gifts are hard to do for a sixteen year old tho! LOL! Maybe I can crochet him a laptop? (ha, ha.)
Us poor folks gotta be creative... and right now I'm feeling rather tapped of my creativity. :/
I am doing my first attempt at a jalapeno jam this week, for gifts for family and friends! Wish me luck! :)

Beth

I heard Christmas music in Hobby Lobby about three weeks ago, and haven't been back. No way do I want to think about that already.

Moni