Yeah for no rain! Our sale day weather was crisp yet balmy. The extended garage sale season was so delightful. We had a decent turn out of costumers despite it almost being October!

Dawn (Hostess) has a son named Jack. His first costume was a Jack-o-Lantern. Future costume ideas include a Jack-in-the-Box and a Jack (like the little metal toy).

Autumn has fully arrived so I will have to wait until next year for more g-sale shopping or hostessing. I have already placed priced items in storage for a May 2009 sale. I think it is a sickness. Or I guess you could call it a hobby or maybe necessity.

Notice the freshly cut hydrangea bloom on our hostess table. Our trip to the mall for rolling racks was diverted for a quick stop to the frontage road berm in front of Sport's Authority. Snip. Ahh! Nice.

Our little not-babies-anymore girls stopped by for a visit after nap-time. In order of appearance: Nora, Dawn, Jess (me) and Molly.

Dawn's Mom made us aprons for our price tickets and cash. They worked out so well! Thanks Mrs. Dawn's Mom. Dawn selected an apron that matched her lower level couch pillows. She looked marvelous indeed.

My apron was the first toile item I have ever owed. I felt oh so interior designer-ish wearing ottoman fabric!

Baby clothes at our garage sale:

• Stories of who wore what and when to help remember our child’s blurry days of babyhood.
• Taking clothes out of the pricing box because we were not ready to see that one go
• Pink rack, blue rack and sliver of green and yellow because Dawn did not know what she was having…she is one of those.

In the doings of the sale I found opportunities to silently pray for some of our customers. It seems that there always happens to be a hand full of people that appear to be needing love. I tend to let few items like a snow suit or an extra stuffed animal or book get tossed in without charge.

Just throw it in!

So many people have been generous to me via hand-me-downs that of course I can’t resist paying it forward. Let this be an encouragement to you to spread the love with second hand clothes. What have you been hanging on to in the attic for someday when your neighbor could use it today?

I am in the process of co-hosting a garage sale with a girlfriend. She is the garage hostess due to her prime location and her sweet garage interior. I am the co-hostess that brings a lot of junk and a few tables.

I am not going to give a how-to guide for garage sales. I will however tell you about my time and what joys or sorrows I learned along the way.

Making a great garage sale experience successful is beneficial. It just depends on how you define success.  Some are in it for the money, others for the glory. Me, I’m in it for the experience.

Sort, purge, group, price, display, sell, sort, fold, sell some more, de-tag, save some, donate some, box it, give it, done.

Somewhere in-between the “doings” of a sale I hope to find something special. Yes, I usually find something special to buy that the other hostess is selling but I mean something intangible.

Pricing until the wee hours of morning with a friend is bit like nothing else:

• Commiserating over sore butt bones from sitting way too long in a sea of memories (our kids’ clothes)
• Laughing over the silly items in the price box only because we are too giddy to do anything else
• Sharing of personal stories over tea on a much needed sorting break

Check back to hear more from my weekend experience with my garage sale.

P.S. Hostess’ Mom sewed canvas/fabric aprons for us to wear and sell. So cool!

Fall is here and with it came new seasonally inspired art, games and books.

Some mornings we are laid back and let our spirits lead us to do fun stuff.

After writing a letter to Grammy K, Ry works a finger loop loom while Molly reaches for the scissors. Ehem...I can't even pick up the camera for a second without my little one climbing up something.

Other times we have a goal to do a specific project.

A trip to the mail box inspired us to gather a leaf collection in a mason jar. I keep a small bag full of "junk" crayons from restaurants to use for rubbings or shavings.

Occasionally we have a theme. Our recent theme was based on the book Sam and the Firefly.

Written by P.D. Eastman, Copyright 1958, by Beginner Books, Inc.

Sam meets a quirky firefly named Gus. Together they create words and shapes in the night sky using Gus’ light. Gus finds out that with great power comes great responsibility

Our interpretations of the illustrations using black paper and sidewalk chalk.

Firefly tooth brush gets buzzed around during our bedtime routine.

Batman shadow puppet in Mom and Dad's bed.

Flashlight art on the wall. Ryan made a lot of circles.

We read nighttime stories with flashlight. This book was Slinky Malinki by Lynley Dodd.

What a day!

Love,

Jess

This week at Org Junkie Menu Plan Monday is all about Family Favorites. Our favorite busy week food is mac-n-cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches and soups/stews that came from the freezer.

I am prepping for a garage sale so the dinners are going to be simple to maximize my pricing and sorting time!

Monday: Grammy Lu’s House

Tuesday: Ribs on the Grill, corn and rolls

Wednesday: Mac and Cheese, broccoli, ham cubes

Thursday: Grilled Cheese, pineapple slices, tomato soup [Set up night for the sale]

Friday: Trucker Stew

Saturday: White Chicken Chili

Sunday: Tamale Pie

Here is an image summary of how I captured Summer 2008 through my lens.

Here is a tribute mosaic for Summer 2008. The season of learning by doing.

Ryan learned how to: ride a bike (with training wheels); play soccer; scale a climbing wall and the ABCs.

Molly learned how to: run; climb; say kitty and that screaming is funny.

Peter learned that: a year of working out can help hit the softball farther, that letting his wife take over the garage with 1/2 finished projects is not as bad as originally anticipated and making new connections with fellow believers has been worthwhile. (written by me about him)

I learned that: playing in the water is still fun; how-to use an orbital sander and my meal swapper group has been a HUGE blessing for without which I wonder if I would have cooked all summer!

I Love You toast on You Are Special Everyday plate.

As a Mom I find it is second nature for me to encourage, build-up and compliment my kids. Yes, I also find it second nature to growl, snare and fuss at my kids but that is for another blog post.

I credit my parents for raising me with the ability to express verbal praise. They loved me verbally before I was ever born. I heard their voice throughout the years even when I believed very little in myself.

True, I am a part of the self-esteem generation that was given a gold star for every little thing in school and told that losing was okay as long as the game was fun. Compliments for compliments sake are useless. However, promoting confidence is helpful. There is a fine line I guess.

Comforting yet hollow ringing from teachers,

Good Job for your C-. You are really showing an effort! No F!

Obligatory but heart felt praise of caretakers

You can do anything! You are so smart and beautiful!

They leave me with a thirst for more. I can always count on God to tell me the truth.

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Gen 1:31)

Stamp I Love You on your skin because you are precious.

Ryan's Nature Box

Nature Box

1. Cut a hole in the top lid of a shoe box. We have a flip top kid’s size shoe box for our nature box.
2. Cover box with butcher paper (brown craft paper or a grocery bag). Use a bit of tape and wrap the paper on the box like a gift. Wrap the lid and bottom separately.
3. Adhere a piece of felt under the lid hole. Slit felt with an exacto knife to create a hand passage way into the box.
4. Decorate box with stickers, magazine clippings or drawings. Label with letter stickers or marker.
5. Cover box with clear packing tape or clear contact paper to help the box hold up over time.
6. Bring box outside and start collecting!

Molly on our nature collection tour of the yard. Notice she brought a book.

Ryan shows off his collection of twigs.

Mini Fall Trees

Materials: Branches or twigs, old play-doh, fall colored tissue paper, glue, and brown paper
Directions:
1.    Stick little branches or twigs in a ball of old play-doh.
2.    Glue bits of fall colored tissue on the twigs for leaves.
3.    Wrap the ball in a piece of brown paper.
4.    Tie a piece of string or yarn around the brown paper.

Ryan starts his tree with green play-doh.

Even Molly creates a mini tree glob. I only had to fish play-doh out of her mouth 3 times!

Target had awesome jewel and metallic toned tissue paper.

The mini trees are great for my seasonal hound Ry. He loves decorations but sometimes I just don’t want him playing with the ceramic tiles, glass urns and faux berries. You know? So, Ry decorates his table with his own mini trees Win! Win!

This entry is inspired by the age old question, “How are you?” I have always felt cheap for saying “Fine and you?” Really it gets complicated doesn’t it? Here are some facets of my day of how I really am.

5 Trying Times

1. I had clean scrub tops. I had clean scrub pants. I did not however have any tops and pants that matched.
2. I did not leave enough time to brew coffee this morning.
3. My son threw a water bottle at me while I was driving.
4. Molly screamed all the way home from the babysitters due to several cutting molars.
5. I forgot to take the freezer meal (Lasagna Florentine) out of the freezer the night before.

5 Lovely Times

1. I received a bouquet of flowers at work with sunflowers and cabbage of all things. It is so beautifully fall.
2. I took an alternate route to the babysitters house that led me to a hidden lake and a row of Black-eyed Susans. Is this flower really PC or what?
3. The Olive Garden. Yes, a spontaneous trip to Olive Garden with friends, (Hi Kobies!) made our night.
4. I rocked Molly to sleep in my arms while hearing Pete and Ryan reading together in the room next door.
5. Ryan rubbed my forehead as I cuddled with him before bed. So sweet.

5 Telling Times

1. We stopped at a gas station on our way home from the babysitters to use the bathroom.
2. I almost ran out of gas by the time I got home because I did not want to take the extra time to actually get gas at the gas station while stopping for the bathroom.
3. I left two sippy cups in the car. They are probably spoiling as I type this.
4. The front tire leaks air. Someone has to fill it up like every other day because we are trying to be frugal and save up for new tires.
5. That someone is Peter because I usually let more air out than I put in…this fact is so mortifying I can’t believe I am telling you.

I am a OrgJunkie junkie. Every week almost 100 people post their menu plans to view. I love having “virtual” accountability to menu plan. OrgJunkie motivates me to get cooking! This is my first time linking up for OrgJunkie’s Menu Plan Monday.

Monday: Lasagna Florentine (carry over from last week–Culver’s called my name last Saturday night!)

Tuesday: Italian Calzones

Wednesday: Pork Roast, cooked carrots and whole wheat buns

Thursday: Corn and Bean Quesadillas

Friday: Light supper before Square Dance…um…maybe chicken noodle soup and crackers.

Saturday: BBQ Ribs (wood-smoke on the grill) and corn. It WILL be sunny!

Sunday: Chicken Fettucine with broccoli and mushrooms