Well... I also used to collect beanie babies, big time. They are now mostly in several large rubbermaid tubs, stuffed in a back closet. I do get out some of the holiday ones... I keep those handy. I use the Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas ones every year. I also collect something called "Rocky Mountain Pottery," also called ROMCO. This collection started by accident, when my in-laws got me a few pieces for Christmas about 2 years ago. I fell in love with it, and have significantly expanded my collection since then, both through buying pieces for myself and getting them as gifts from family. I only get the pieces with the pine cone pattern. This pottery was made in Loveland, Colorado, back in the 1960's through the 1980's, I think. The factory no longer exists so 99% of my collection has come from ebay. Here are a couple of pics I took last year when this subject came up here at the GW... Coincidentally, they are decorated for Halloween... This pottery goes really well in my house... hubby and I try to maintain a sort of rustic style and the pine cones fit in perfectly. Which brings me to my next collection... we collect "primitives" such as an old wood butter churn, wood buckets, old wash stand, old lanterns, etc. We also collect ceramic black bears from a place called Pigeon River Pottery, in Pigeon Forge, Tenessee. If you look very closely, you can see them on the top, right shelf in my first picture above. We bought the first bear when we were on our honeymoon, and have bought a bear each year for our anniversary. So we only have 4 for now, and hopefully they keep making them. We have decorated our kitchen in a black bear theme, which also goes with our whole rustic, lodge theme we have going. My husband has a fantastic collection of vintage baseball memorabelia. Everything from bobblehead dolls, to very old ball gloves (the kind with individual fingers), old cleats, magazines, puzzles, bats, catchers mask, baseball with red and blue thread, etc. Most everything is from 1960's or earlier. All his stuff decorates our office, so I am staring at all of it right now. In our next house, he plans to decorate the entire basement with his baseball stuff. He already has a bunch of stuff that he is storing to get ready for our basement someday... That's all I can think of for now... Buff

Ladypat, my first thought was "those plates would be perfect for a New Year's dinner with those clocks on them!" I think they are really pretty, such a nice shade of green and they look really nice paired with your floral. Your turkey has such pretty colors. I'm really enjoying seeing everyone's neat turkeys this year. Have a lovely Thanksgiving and thanks so much for taking the time to post pics for us to enjoy. Luvs

Just thought I'd ask. Am just curious :D I'm 35 lol

Hi Mama! All is well - a little over 3 weeks to go, and definitely ready. I've had a very happy and uneventful pregnancy thus far, but definitely starting to slow down and get a little uncomfortable at this point! And I think it's pretty normal to not know much about bed bugs until you are faced with them. Trust me, I also thought they were something that only happens in slums to people who live in filth! And then we got them from our upstairs neighbors - he is a dentist and she is a professor, so as educated, well-off and white collar of a couple as can be. But their son came back from college in NYC and brought the bugs back in his belongings. They then made the worst mistake one can possibly make: went to Home Depot and bought a "fogger". This device does nothing to eradicate the existing bugs, but does send them scattering to all your neighbors... And then a year later we got them again, this time from the neighbors downstairs who, due to age, did not realize that they got infested (at the time we thought it was only our two units) and let the bugs get way out of hand to the point of coming up two stories again. That's probably way more than anyone ever wanted to know about our bed bug experiences, but figured I'd give some background: we've been through this more than once, have worked with a fantastic and very helpful pest control company and I've done so much research that my husband jokes I should just open my own bed bug eradication service to not let it all go to waste. Here's the thing: bed bugs are a nuisance, but they are definitely not Ebola. Let me calm some of your fears: There is definitely a resurgence of them in our country, and anyone who travels should take reasonable precautions when staying at hotels: keep your suitcase on those folding racks, don't put belongings on the bed, and launder everything shortly after coming home. I personally know the signs to look for, so I will do a quick inspection of the bed frame when we check in, but for most people that's probably not necessary. The whole house will need to be treated only if the infestation gets out of control. In our case both times the only things that needed to be treated were the bed and end tables and mattress (thorough steaming) and all the bed linens/covers/mattress pads were washed and dried after each treatment. So as long as you are vigilant and catch the first signs vs waiting a year to call the exterminators, it will likely be a relatively simple and inexpensive treatment. Signs to look out for: dark brown/black spots, similar to a dot left by a fountain pen. You will see these on the sheets and anywhere where they are hiding (bed frame cracks and slats and underside of box spring is where they will go first). They are very obvious if you know what you're looking for. Bites are actually not a great indicator: our first infestation happened in the summer, we sleep with the windows open and my bites looked just like regular mosquito bites. A good percentage of people also don't react to the bites at all, my husband is one of them, while some will get huge purple welts that last for weeks. And the whole "they bite in threes" thing is not true either. Regarding thrift stores, after this experience I absolutely will not ever consider buying used upholstered furniture or anything that goes in the bedroom. Yes you can give it a good steam before bringing in (we bought the same type of steamer that our pest control company uses), but if it's a nicer piece the steam might damage the finish, and if it's something less expensive at that point it's just not worth it. Washable items I'm perfectly comfortable purchasing, as long as they can be laundered right away. And if you've bought too much for one load, keep what doesn't fit bagged and in the bath tub (bugs can't climb up the slippery sides) till you can get to them. And last but not least, if you notice any signs, DO NOT try DIY treatment. Go to https://www.bedbugcentral.com/bedbugfree and find a certified professional in your area. The BedBugFree certification means that they are up to date on all the most recent research and treatment methods. The last thing you want is to go with the cheapest "spray and pray" exterminator from Craigslist who will use outdated, harmful and ineffective pesticides. Once again, that turned out to be way longer and completely off topic on a laundry forum, but maybe someone will find this helpful! I know that there's a lot of shame and stigma associated with having bed bugs, so most people prefer to keep it a secret, but I feel that raising awareness is very important these days.