Hi, all! Welcome to another rip-roarin’ round of Saturday Steals. Stay tuned at the bottom of this post for a list of this week’s participants.

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My steal this week was sponsored by that old pal…your friend and mine…FATE.

Fate brought me to this steal, and with any luck, Fate will keep us together.

Let me set the stage…

My sister and I were driving down the street yesterday around my nephew’s nap time in the hopes that he might doze off and give us a few hour’s respite from building blocks and train tracks, which are lovely in their own right, but not at 2 p.m. after waking up at 6 a.m. Don’t get me wrong; we love the kid. He just wears us out.

We decided to drive down the street where we once lived as a family years ago for a trip down memory lane, and to see how all fared in that neck of the woods.

I was driving George Jettson, my sister was sitting shotgun, and wee nephew was tucked snugly in his car seat in the middle of the back seat.

I had just turned onto the street when out of the corner of my eye I spotted a large rectangular sheet—I thought at first it was plywood or drywall—propped up against a garbage barrel on the curb a few houses down. Not thinking much of it, I continued driving. I had nearly passed the stiff tan sheet when something caught my eye: a white piece of paper tacked to the board with the word “FREE” scrawled across it in pink and yellow highlighter.

Never one to pass up the word “FREE”—not since the days of dumpster diving with Aunt Linda for some good old-fashioned white trash ’90s fun [and I only aspire to be half as great an aunt as she]—I slammed on George Jettson’s brakes, threw the car into reverse, and screeched back in front of whatever it was that was going to be free to me. It was mine.

Imagine my delight when I realised it was not plywood—something I have little use for but would’ve taken anyway because hello: FREE—but in fact an enormous cork board, just the thing for an aspiring writer who has been mentally decorating her soon-to-be home office since last semester.

But it gets better.

It was not your average everyday run-of-the-mill bulletin board, no—it was framed with a pretty thick, decorative piece of trim!

It was an aftermarket beauty.

Just see for yourself:

The cork itself was in great shape.

See what I mean about the frame? Lovely!

It was so big it took up the entire bed of the truck—the truck we RACED home to switch out for George Jettson so we could pick it up without anyone else stealing it first.

Don’t believe me that it’s big? Well I’m six feet tall, so there’s a reference point for you.

And the best part? Whoever was giving it away didn’t even bother to remove the 10 thumbtacks already stuck in the cork, so BONUS FOR ME.

Special thanks to my sister who hopped in her truck and went back to get the board for me all by herself. Five months pregnant, she is, but I was too embarrassed to do it myself so she did it for me. Hi, my name is Camile, and I am a ninny. And now I hang my head in shame.

But not as much shame as the person who gave away the cork board for free. Thanks, Fate.

Now if I could just figure out how to get it back to Canada. It’s bigger than my entire car, let alone the trunk. Any suggestions?

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So let’s hear it! What did you steal this week? New participants are always welcome, so do feel free to join in the fun. Simply write your post at your own blog and add the hyperlink to the link list below.

Let the fun begin!

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