yard sale finds

When you are a single mom with limited childcare options, yard saling early on Saturday morning is not always possible. I try to go once a year but rarely even got that done!

This year has been a record year! I have friend who doesn't drive but loves yardsales. The more treasures we find, the more we want to go! Its like an addiction.

Clothing find of the day! $1 each for practically new kneelength shorts and aeropostle shirts! 

We had discussed going this morning, but I refuse to take the big van and Nesiah. It just doesn't work with the early Saturday morning yardsale traffic. So my friend's husband said that maybe he could watch Nesiah and one or two of the others...

 After much discussion we finally at  the decision at 9:30 last night. 6:30 am is very early when you have 6 kids to get out of the house! 

I dropped Nesiah, Elizabeth and Lee off with friend's husband. (I have never left my kids with a man before... but he is a foster father and I do trust him!)

We had no real game plan, because it was such a last minute plan.  First we hit a local church yardsale, where I found a ton of great deals! Lots of nice clothes and some homeschool books! 

I prefer for my girls to wear knee length shorts but  they can be hard to find. So when I find them, I snatch them up. I found  several sizes for now and some for next summer for all 3 my girls! 

David found a swim shirt for a $1

Science for David for next year! So tickled with this find! 

$3 snowpants for whomever is in that size next winter! NICE PANTS! 

Brand new $1 sketchers for Elizabeth for next year! (I keep a box of shoes in larger sizes in the attic, so we are rarely caught with kids needing new shoes NOW and being forced to go out and spend for new.)

A $5 practically new jacket for either Nesiah or Elizabeth for next winter! Same thing here, I keep a bag of coats in my attic for the next season! 

$1 babygate for the steps, outside by the pool

We left the first yard sale, drove for 20 minutes and did not find the yardsales we wanted! So we ended up heading to a local developement. We hit a couple on the way. We have a pretty good system by now and we work as a team! lol Stroller goes in and out of the car in developments, kids help etc.. 

                                  

laundry hampers..

 I have a new plan for laundry and these at .50 each are perfect for my plan! They are in new condition!! 

cute little riding toy for a dollar! 

Mr. Potato Head and his whole collection for a $1! 

6 books ranging from $1 to .25! 

A $2 bike helmet for sonny boy! 

I have been praying for a bike, something to go riding with the kids.

When we were all done, I brought R and the kids back home, then went back to the one yard sale with the van to pick up a bouncy horse and a trampoline that she had bought! On my way, I passed one that we had missed completely. I saw the bike. $10 bike direct answer to my prayer!

This was my DEAL OF THE DAY!!!

A $10 wet/dry vac! Just this morning as I was loading kids into my explorer, I was appalled once again by the amount of DIRT and food in my vehicle. I decided it was time to look at buying a shop vac.... And hour later, God provided one! #LOVEIT

Second deal of the day...

A free rope hammock! It is filthy and a bit tattered but this is a $100 item, that with some tlc will work perfectly out by the pool!! I don't have a pic of it!

Friday Encouragement

The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. 3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. 4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. 5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. 6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD. 7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. 8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek. 9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. 10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. 11 Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. 12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. 13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.


My heart is heavy today... so many hurting kiddoes and mommas in the world. 

God is still faithful, he is still in control. He still loves us.

We can trust that in our pain, He carries us. He is our strength.

His work in us is not complete. The grace that carries through the pain... The worship that comes in the pain. The offering of tears... 

Sometimes life is just life...

I rarely have a week like this... not a single appointment all week! Not one!

We planned to wrap up all our school work, our spring cleaning and our yard work.  Oh, and work on some behaviors, some therapies for Nesiah and relax...


On Monday I found out that my friend's son was in the hospital with a major brain tumor. Mr. and Mrs. S were some of my closest friends during our journey through cancer. We had lost contact in the last year or so... So I was absolutely shocked to see the updates on facebook. 

Sadly it was just as shocking for them! Apparently they took their oldest son, age 10 to the hospital on Sunday for headaches and by Monday he was having major surgery on a softball sized brain tumor!! What an awful life changing reality! You can follow his story on at caringbridge.org/damiensmucker and please pray for them!!! God will grant them strength and grace for this journey!

So life goes on for the rest of us, even tho our hearts ache and our thoughts are constantly with them!

So back to our life, I did not get much done on Monday, some cleaning here and there. Lots of schoolwork was done. I promised the kids chinese if they finished off math and grammar by Friday night. A goal that would require determination and dedication from all of them, but was very attainable!


Lee of course was up to the challenge and finished all his 4th grade work by Tuesday evening! He worked hard all day!

The kids have also been playing in the pool... not for long periods of time, just long enough to freeze!

We got fabric for new curtains for our basement, cleaned out the bathroom (which we had turned into a coat closet over the winter) and readied the outside for pool parties and such this summer! 

We have the most perfect set up,our  basement is actually like a studio apartment with a bathroom, the side  door goes out to the pool area. The little garden shed out back holds all our pool supplies! 

I also worked on our homeschool portfolios. Sigh. I STRONGLY dislike those! I need to fix my printer (google has taken me down many a bunny trail, and several hours of working have not repaired it!) so that I can print out all my paperwork for portfolios! I scheduled physicals and dentals for all the big kids. Plus specialist appointments as needed. (the next 3 weeks are full of medical and school (Nesiah) appointments)

Yesterday I enjoyed a good book on the kindle, tucking headphones into my ears to tune out the world... little ones slept, boys hung out in the club house they are building and the girls "worked" on school work. At the end of the day, feeling terribly lazy and still weighed down heavily by my friend's situation, I went outside, worked up my flower beds, hoed my garden and stained my picnic table, while the kids played with neighbor boys! 

Today we did some grocery shopping, making stops at all the different local places I like to shop, because they carry the cheapest items! lol

We got home and started school. Two kiddoes were NOT impressed and gave me quite the run for the money! Why oh why do I have to teach long division?!

 David worked very hard at finishing up his school work. He is done with grammar but math will take some good hard work, as we had him redo 3rd grade at the beginning of the year! 

I had planned to take some summer dresses to get altered and my fabric to make some simple curtains..But by the time I quit (read: quit not finished) school, I was too tired!  

Dinner was a delicious treat from my favorite local store. Corn on the cob, baby new potatoes, baked beans, and peaches! I am soooo ready for summer! 

We have revamped our schedule for summer. It has opened the door for some changes and it allows me to get a walk (on the treadmill) and a half an hr of "worship" time in while the kids clean up from breakfast! It also allows more time for me to work with Nesiah. The kids already noticed in a couple days time that she is happier! 

Next on my agenda is a load of wood chips for my butterfly bushes and a sand for the final touches on the pool. Hopefully that will happen on Friday! Then officially everything will be caught up! If the kids school work is done, summer school started, new routines settled, pool set up, garage and barn cleaned out, house spring cleaned,  I can relax and enjoy summer, even if I have two doing summer school! I hope by the time the appointments are all taken care of, the trip out of town that we have planned and homeschool evals done, it will be warm enough to spend leisurely days at the pool hanging with my kiddoes!