new old toys

We have a new toy......I guess it would be considered an old toy since it's almost 50 years old!! I've been shopping for a record player on craigslist for a little while, trying to decided between something vintage like a console stereo or an antique Victrola. Money being an issue basically ruled out the Victrola.....for now, but I ran across this awesome Magnavox stereo record player at a thrift store for $30. It worked right from the start but needed some TLC since it hadn't been used, or maintenanced for a long while. Dan's dad is super knowledgeable with electrical stuff, and record players so we were in luck having him at our house this weekend. The boys took the whole thing apart and cleaned it and worked on the wiring, tweaked the arm and needle etc. It plays beautifully, really clear and loud for something so old! There is still some more work that needs to be done.....we eventually need to replace some of the tubes and get a new needle and we've tossed around the idea of wiring new speakers into it, but we kinda like the idea of keeping the old school original ones. I love the sound of vinyl! Dan and I had a date night on Saturday and drove to Chapel Hill for dinner and some record shopping.....there are some good used vinyl stores up there (thanks Hannah!) and we totally scored! We picked up Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Dinah Washington, Count Bassie, Glenn Miller and a couple of ragtime and dixieland jazz records. Like with most things in my life when I'm in, I'm in all the way, and this is no exception. I think I might be addicted to records.....I pretty much haven't stopped playing them since Dan and his dad finished working on the stereo. But hey, I think it's a good thing....used records are cheap, (relatively) we haven't had the TV on all morning and now my girls won't grow up not knowing what a record is!! If anyone out there in blog land wants to get rid of your old record collection I would be over the moon happy to take it off your hands.....and I'll pay for the shipping too! :)