Made Me Smile Monday

{a snapshot from my week. with or without words. something exciting. something ordinary. something special. something silly. just something. that made me smile this week. a memory to brighten my day. to make me smile again. even though it's MONDAY!}

*Pullin' up a comfy seat for a Chocolate Chip Cookie Break*

The Thrill of the Hunt....

  It all started eleven years ago. I clearly remember heading out early one Saturday morning. All. By. MYSELF! My firstborn was 5-6 months old at the time and I think it must have been one of the first times I had gone anywhere alone since his birth. I'm sure it was not thee first but it was just what I needed that day. I felt like I was off on some grand adventure that morning while Daddy and the little guy were fending for themselves back home. My "grand" destination?? YARD SALES!! Uh-huh, all this excitement over fifty cent treasures from someone else's junk pile. I came home that morning and declared (in a sweet, just a suggestion, kind of way, of coarse :) that Saturday mornings from hence forth shall be Mommy's morning out. My sweet husband (who is quite possibly the most unselfish guy around) graciously agreed.

Around here "yard sale season" is only a few months in the Spring and Fall. The rest of the year, I stay home and make sure there is some kind of hot breakfast deliciousness on the table for Saturday morning breakfast. But everyone in my house knows that, in April and May, Mom will not be here when they wake up and it'll be the standard granola for breakfast on Saturday morning. Every once in a while a small person will try to sneak along with me but it almost never works. There are two reasons for this....1. It's Mom's morning out. A couple of hours of "recharging" time for Me. And 2. The number of McDonald's happy meal toys available for purchase at such sales is out of control and they are NOT welcome in my house. Oh the things little boys need when it can be purchased for only a quarter, or better yet, discovered in the free box.

If you have opportunity to implement such a routine at your house I highly recommend it!

A couple of important things to remember....

**She gets up before dawn to prepare for her household......(Prov. 31:15)

Not only do you get to enjoy gorgeous sun rises, but the early bird truly does get the worm.

Here's the proof! 

I got to this yard sale just as the lady was unpacking this from it's box. 

She was practically giving it away and I was the lucky recipient!

**Take your quarters!

 Purgers everywhere will thank you for not clearing out there entire change stash at 7:05 a.m.

**Don't be afraid to "make an offer" but do it kindly and respectfully. If you get there half an hour before the advertised starting time don't expect someone to slash their prices in half for you. If it's almost lunchtime and you will be sparing them packing things up to take to Goodwill, that's a whole different story. If you offer a lower price and they decline be okay with that, it's their stuff, they get to set the price they are asking for it, ridiculous or not!!

**Beware of the inner hoarder that will suddenly rear it's ugly head somewhere between the free box and the quarter table. It may be cute, different, or just an incredibly great deal but if you don't have a use for it....leave it there! 

** Having said that, an eye for what could be is also must have. Be on the look out for things that can be up-cycled or re-purposed. An old travel chest makes an awesome coffee table.  Sheets or tablecloths are cheap fabric for lots of projects. And never forget the power of a coat of paint. Get creative and the sky is the limit!

**Always take an extra dollar or two for egg rolls. Yes, egg rolls are perfectly acceptable for breakfast as long as you've been up for a couple of hours first! :) If you live in this area, you will find at least one egg roll stand, the smell will be tempting and you will be famished from your early morning excursion.

**Aside from the sunrise and the great deals you can also count this as your exercise routine for the day. Wear comfy shoes/clothes and be ready to walk (at least if you'll be treasure hunting in a development, because by 7:30 the whole place will be one giant traffic jam!)

**Go often. Don't expect to find every thing you're looking for in one morning. I have gone out some mornings when it wasn't worth getting out of bed. But, there have also been mornings when I just had to quit because I didn't have a dollar left to spend. Yes, I know it's an investment of time but since it's my "Me" time too it doesn't feel like a total waste if I come home without amazing finds. (Besides, I got my exercise too. :)

**Don't overlook the tools and golf clubs. Bringing home a Dewalt cordless drill or a pair of almost new golf shoes will remind your babysitter (a.k.a. Daddy) that this is a worthwhile investment. I speak from experience!

 I realize this is a privilege not everyone enjoys. There are husbands who work on Saturday mornings.... towns where there are not people who are willing to set out their junk in the front yard and wait for people to come pay them for it....and lots of other reasons.... I am grateful!! God has provided many needs and wants for my family through yard sales. I have found everything from decorative items, to furniture and the kitchen stove, to snow boots and pants, and lots of thing in between.

 I have often felt a bit guilty/selfish for running out on my family to get my bargain fix, but recently it occurred to me that this is really my job. When it suddenly got toasty warm this spring, my daughter had no summer clothes. One trip to the mall and I was reminded really quickly that clothing my family well would not be possible without the time I invest in yard saling. I joke that my family never wears anything new (there is of coarse the occasional clearance sale items or short notice needs) but they do not suffer for it. Almost new Nike sneakers for $2 or the brand new, Walmart, "all man made material," type for $20....no question here!

[this is an old picture. ignore the baby stuff.  i just wanted to show you 

an example of the clothes i've found. this was all from the same morning.]

She has no fear of winter for her household, for everyone has warm clothes.

Proverbs 31:21.

It sure is nice to be able to go to the closet and pull out the next size coat, shoes, jeans or whatever when something wears out or is outgrown. And knowing it cost me a fraction of the store cost helps too! And if you happen to find a Willow Tree Nativity set along the way just consider it an extra blessing 

from God. Yup, I really believe He cares about the little stuff and He loves to 

give good gifts to His children!

Made Me Smile Monday

{a snapshot from my week. with or without words. something exciting. something ordinary. something special. something silly. just something. that made me smile this week. a memory to brighten my day. to make me smile again. even though it's MONDAY!}

The boy who gave up his whole day, including his football game, to volunteer and help his friend fight against MS. Some days I wonder what, if anything, I'm doing right about this mothering stuff. Days like this remind me and make me smile. Love that  boy!!

Playing Catch-up...

There is quite possibly bits of a dozen different posts spinning through my head right now. Some I wish I had written 2 weeks ago, some I have not thought through enough to put words on a page, some deep, some not so deep.......It's all spinning wildly in there and I for one and curious to see how it all comes out here.

We braved the 6:30 a.m. Easter Service this year. Ty has asked to go the last several years. I just can't get excited about the idea of getting many small people up at 5-something to go to a chilly, cloudy "sunrise" service. But with the forecast of a bright shiny sunrise this year we decided to give it a try. It made a very long day for small people who also missed naps at Grandma's house but it was neat to be there.

 I was not organized enough to get a picture of all the munchkins in their Springy duds. We're gonna have to fake 'em later I guess. I do have a few dozen shots of the Little Miss in her fancy shmancy-s. I got a little sucked in to the girly details. Just a little.

bows

and shoes

and ruffles

and pink.

Matchy-matchy, Me and my Mommy.

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My sweet husband took me to a Casting Crowns concert a couple of weeks ago. I'm not really a "favorite band" kind of person but I do love a lot of their songs and several years ago I had told my man that I would be happy with any of their CD's for a gift. He remembered that and ordered tickets. Not because he wanted to go but because he knew I did. Can you say "brownie points??" ;)

My very brave, very sweet, sister kept the whole tribe, not just for the evening but overnight, so that we could go out and pretend we were young and carefree. It was a great concert and I think I won him over, turned him into a Casting Crowns fan, I did!

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This weekend a very special someone in our house turned, NINE! We celebrated with an Outer Space Party. (And an outdoor one at that. 75-80 degree evenings in Mid-April, Fabulous!!)

 Make your own UFO.

  Glow-in-the-Dark Alien Slime. "Cool, Mom!"

 A stubborn little girl slowly makes friends with a determined, "big, scary," cousin.

And solar system cupcakes to share with his school class.

They're actually studying about the solar system in  school right now so I scored big points with the teacher for this one. Ha! Let's just say that little paper picks are one of the easiest ways to decorate party cupcakes folks!

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And if you looked for Made Me Smile Monday yesterday and didn't find it, it's not cuz I forgot or that I didn't feel like smiling. It's  more like this, when it's 85 degrees and my worst problem all day is whether to have a Mango Smoothie or an Iced Coffee, I don't need pictures from other days to remind me to smile! :)

Today was a park kind of day! 

 A park with ducks....

....and friends

 ....and real trains

 Such a fun place!

The plan was to tucker them out so Mama could count on a long quiet nap time.

It worked!!

For one out of three....Oh well! It was still fun!

And another bit of fresh cut Spring for my kitchen table to top it all off!

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You can now consider yourself "up to date" on what's happening around here.

I'm sure you were concerned about that! ;)

I guess the "deep stuff" will have to spin for a few more days. Time to throw something together that the fam will be able to identify as dinner.

Any suggestions??

Made Me Smile Monday

{a snapshot from my week. with or without words. something exciting. something ordinary. something special. something silly. just something. that made me smile this week. a memory to brighten my day. to make me smile again. even though it's MONDAY!}

Operation B.F.H.

Blankets For Haiti.

I mentioned a couple of times before that I was working on a sewing project. We're coming down the final stretches so here's the story. When we were at my class reunion in February one of the ladies brought her sewing machine along. Yes, that's right, a Mommy of 6 brought her sewing machine along on "vacation." I have to admit it puzzled me a bit too. But she explained that she had been working on patchwork blankets to send to Haiti Earthquake victims, but being a homeschooling Mommy with several preschoolers, there really isn't much time for sewing in her days. She was right, it worked fine to run that machine around all our many conversations and she even got some help.

Here's a bit of background info. Melanie (Mommy of 6 mentioned above) has a sister who is married to a Haitian pastor and together they have given a home, a family and the love of Jesus to 11 Haitian children. They have an amazing story and an incredible heart for Jesus and for Haiti. They do not live near the earthquake but there is a community close by of people who relocated after they lost everything in the earthquake. A relief organization built homes for them but Melanie's words were, "they just have n.o.t.h.i.n.g."

This is something I could do. Sometimes Mommies with preschoolers have a hard time "reaching out." I know that wiping noses and changing diapers and all the other things that Mommies do are a ministry all there own but it's still good to see beyond our own little world, to be a blessing to someone else, to give to those less fortunate.

I found some old fabric and set to work cutting and sewing squares. The sewing machine and I had to get reacquainted, we hadn't spent much time together recently, but old friends pick up quickly where they left off. And I had some great little helpers too.

This little guy was my pattern maker. He just loved helping me lay out coordinating colors and make patterns with them. There was even tears a few times when bedtime came around and he had to let Mommy finish without him. 

This boy found it more fun to "drive" the sewing machine. He caught on quickly and did a really good job but he did get some seam ripper experience too. =) It's part of the process for all of us! My mother also got involved and made LOTS of blankets on her own too.

The goal was to have as many as possible by the end of March. I thought probably 20-30 was a reasonable goal, maybe if it went really well we could get close to 50. With all my little helpers, Mom's hard work and the help of a few of ladies from church  a morning or 2, {thank you!} there are now NINETY-FIVE

blankets (almost) finished and ready to ship. (My slightly OCD brain is having a little trouble with that number. Wouldn't an even 100 be so much nicer?? I could do one more, that would make it 8 dozen, but that's not right either, cookies and doughnuts come in dozens, not blankets. I know it's silly, and I really do need to get finished and move on to other projects around here but.......ok, take a deep breath girl, it will be all right!)

 I am humbled and amazed at the way God takes our small offerings and turns them into incredible things. Not only will every house in the community receive there own blanket, my children have learned a valuable lesson about other people who do not have all the things they take for granted. As we sewed we talked about the children in Haiti who don't have soft beds, who don't get to choose between 3 kinds of cereal for breakfast and in fact sometimes go to bed with hungry bellies. We talked about how they don't have lots of toys to play with or shoes to wear. I don't know if there little minds can wrap around those ideas but seeds were planted and they truly were cheerful givers!

UPDATE: That was all written a week or 2 ago. This week my sweet hubby volunteered to take 5 boxes packed and ready to the post office and send them on their way to Haiti. Pray with me for their safe arrival and for God to use them to speak His love and hope into the people who receive them.

{boxed and ready to ship. and in the end there were 99.  so close but....

I'm still struggling a bit with the whole number thing but with a bit of counseling I'm sure it can be resolved.}

How is it Possible?

I took the sweetest little five year old to Kindergarten registration today. Really? How did we get here? It sure doesn't seem like five and a half years ago that I put his big brother on the bus for Kindergarten and then waited impatiently for him to arrive.

I'm not the sappy type. I didn't cry when my firstborn went to school the first day. Or when the second born went off to preschool that same year. (I was actually home alone a couple of mornings a week for a few months.) But they were both excited to go and I was excited for them. I just tend to be more of a "it happens to all of us so make the best of it and enjoy this season while it's here," kind of person. Every season has it's good and bad, it's ups and downs, it's I can't do this and it's I'm gonna miss this, parts. But this little guy, he's been my "mama's boy" from the beginning. He's my snugly, quality time, cuddle bug. He's more than anxious to strike out on his own Kindergarten adventure but I'm not in much of a hurry. There may be a change in the "I'm not a crying Mama" trend just soon.

This was actually my first experience with Kindergarten registration too. How is that possible? We moved in May, so the first boy was not registered in school until sometime during the summer months. We went in for a tour but there was no "formal" assessment or orientation. The second boy was registered through a series of meetings etc. to accommodate for his learning support helps.  So we set out today both wandering how this whole registration thing would go down.

 The final word....The boy wants to go, tomorrow!! They explained to us that they are used to kids having some anxiety the first few days and how to help our children work through that. They didn't explain to us what to do if the child is bouncing off the walls trying to figure out (every day) how soon it will be till he can go to school too.

And since he's my 'quality time' boy, we finished out the morning with lunch. Just the two of us, and "french fries with LOTS of salt." :o)

And now we're officially experiencing Easter break. (How is THAT possible? I thought Christmas was just last week?) I warned the boys that they are gonna have to work hard while they're off school. They are rising to the the challenge and we are declaring war on the weed farm that is our yard/flower beds.

Made Me Smile Monday

{a snapshot from my week. with or without words. something exciting. something ordinary. something special. something silly. just something. that made me smile this week. a memory to brighten my day. to make me smile again. even though it's MONDAY!}