Yard Sale post 4 (Iast one)

One of our girls gives great massages.  She's doing a scalp massage.  Delightful!  This was on one of our sale days during a lull.

 This Barbie bike was one of several really old Barbie items we got.  The only ones that sold were clothes.

 This was one of the very first things that sold.

 I thought this chandelier lamp thing was pretty neat, but very taste-specific.  It did not sell.

 One of the girls, exhausted.

 Some interesting items in a cart.  The monkey sings and dances.

 Some unique lamps.  These did sell.

 Someone gave a whole collection of owls.  There was also a lot of owl jewelry.

 Some pretty glasses.  My mom got these.  I was glad, I really liked them.

So that's it.  Yard sale over, profits close to $4000 with more money still coming in.  I love that our congregation is so generous--they donate all this stuff to us so that our youth can raise money for their big trip.  They are going back to New Orleans, and it's going to be hot.  The last trip was also to New Orleans, but I didn't go because I had just had Karina.  This sale really helps take care of the cost; it's over $1500 per youth to go.  It's worth it though!

Yard Sale post 3

 Baby clothes

 This is where the pile of doom used to be.  What a difference.  Now it's electronics.

 And here are the seemingly hundreds of TVs that did not sell (only one, a very large one).

 Baby clothes expanded

 Stuffed animals and some shoes

 Shoes

 Linens

 Frames

 Baskets

 Books

 Outdoor/rec

 One side of the gym

 Full shot of the gym, looking the long way down

It's amazing how much work we do in a week.  It's all worth it though!

Yard Sale post 2

 I am cleaning out an old sewing table that was full of cool old sewing stuff.

 Making progress on the clothes.

 Furniture is looking good.

 Holiday table

 Books

 This pile will become the garden/recreation area.

 Toys are getting organized.

 Office supplies

 Holiday

 The signs we use to organize

 Another shot of the sewing table.

 Price cart. Notice Karina's goldfish, colored pencils, and book.  I had her there for two full days; the first day she was perfect.  The second was not so pretty.

 Trash and a pair of leather motorcycle chaps.

Yard Sale Update

Blueviolet asked how things were going, so I'm giving you a quick update.

It is going great, to sum up.  Other than being really tired from working so hard, and having Karina there two full days with me, it's great.  The kids have worked soo hard, and compared to last year, when it felt like Kelly and I did all the work, it has been awesome!  Everything is set up and ready to go, we've already had a ton of presales (as usual, to church and school people) and we're just gearing up for the influx tomorrow morning.  We always get the serious people, like dealers, first thing Friday morning, which isn't our favorite part, but once that part is over, it's a piece of cake.  The sale days are the easiest of all.

We have a ton of toys, more clothes than we've ever had before, more shoes than ever, and a ton of furniture.  We have fewer books than before, fewer linens, and fewer household items.  We have gobs of stuffed animals, too, which is different from years past.  The clothes, though, they just took over the gym!  We have about four tables plus three racks of hanging clothes.  We have a bunch of beautiful prom dresses, some nice coats and jackets, and a bunch of baby clothes, too.  I found a Benetton denim jacket for me and a nice warm winter coat for Karina.  I also got a cookbook stand and Bill and I got a new coffee table and cabinet for Karina's toys in the living room.

I have been trying to take pictures along the way, but it's been pretty busy, so hopefully I have enough.  I'll probably be able to take some more tomorrow once the crowd thins.  I am planning to have a good long post with lots of pictures after the chaos dies down some.  Look for it sometime next week, hopefully!!

And thanks for asking about how things are going, Blueviolet!

It's Yard Sale Time Again!

Our mostly annual youth group yard sale preparation has begun!  Yesterday we were down there all day, from 9-5, doing the initial bulk sort.  We have SOOOOO much stuff!  You thought last year's was crazy, wait til I share the pictures from this year!  I had to have Karina with me for the morning, and she was not feeling like herself.  I actually thought she was getting sick.  I think she was more just out of sorts and cranky about knowing her dad was coming to take her away at lunchtime.  She was pretty good most of the time, but at one point, she walked up to me, arms outstretched, and said, "Mommy, don't like this place."  It was so cute, but I felt so bad!  I didn't have the heart to tell her she'll be there all day Monday and most of Tuesday as well!  By then it should be more organized and maybe there will be some toys to distract her (we have tons of them this year; it's just a matter of finding ones she wants to play with).

After this sale is over, I'll do a blog post or two with pictures of the chaos and the organized space, you know, before and after!

Happy Birthday, Nana!

Today was my grandmother's 85th birthday.  We celebrated quietly at our house with hot dogs and hamburgers and cake.  Karina provided the entertainment, hee hee!


I think I've posted about her before, how she married my grandfather during WWII after only three dates, and then came over here on the Queen Mary alone at age 19.  She raised 3 wonderful children and then let my family move back in with her and Pop when my parents got divorced.  We (my brother David and I) grew up in Nana's house, with her and Pop and my mom.  I am just so lucky to have such a wonderful woman in my life, one who has been strong and gracious and done amazing things.

She is one of 12 total siblings, three of whom died as young children.  Only she and her sister are still living; Moira still lives in Scotland.  My grandmother grew up in Edinburgh; her mother worked to support the family because her dad contracted encephalitis during the war and eventually had to move to a type of nursing home.  He wasn't able to be at her wedding.

Nana and Pop moved around a lot at first, and finally when my aunt was in 5th grade, Nana put her foot down and told him she wasn't uprooting the kids anymore.  They stayed here in my hometown ever since.

She worked as a school secretary all the years I remember, and practically ran the school.  When she retired, they had to hire two people to replace her.  She managed that even though she had no high school education and had left school at age 14, as was common then, to go work to help support the family.  She worked at Woolworth's.  That's where she met Pop (he gave her a whole pack of gum when she asked for some, instead of just a stick, as most of the guys did).

I'm really proud to be Nana's granddaughter.  I'm happy that my mom gave me her maiden name as my middle name, and now Karina has it, too.  I don't want to expose too much of Karina's personal information, so I won't tell you what it is, but it's a Scottish surname, and I love it.

Happy Birthday, Nana!  I love you!

PS I tried to find where I posted about Nana and Pop's story, but I can't find it.  Maybe I never did?  I guess I'll have to look again tomorrow, and maybe do a new post to tell the whole story.