Bargain Hunting

Today was my Bro's last full day in town, tomorrow he heads home. We got to spend the majority of the afternoon with him, which was nice. Since the house is so hot and miserable (we don't have a/c and the fans just aren't cutting it), we decided to take him over to the Goodwil Outlet. Now usually it is somewhat clean but this time, it was just downright nasty to dig in some bins. Actually this is the first time I've walked out of there and felt I needed to scrub down from head to toe. I always say that it's like Black Friday, people clammer when the new bins are rolled out and fight to find the best things. As they always say, ones mans trash is another treasure. 

I found a good deal of books and actually some really cool vintage Golden books, my Brother got some sports books and vintage glass ware and Keree was excited that I found her a princess carriage and also Link & Cockroach PD from Monsters vs Aliens. Now, we are only missing two from the entire set. 

 When we got home, we all scrubbed down and spent a short time visiting with my Bro outside. He was meeting The Girlfriend to have dinner with her parents. As for us, we spent the rest of the night chilling since it was 106 again today and that was without the heat index.

Stormy, Humid, Super Hot Sunday

Last night, we had a few storms come thought. Honestly, they didn't seem so bad but when we arrived we saw this. Thank goodness for once this wasn't our tent but our neighbors. The winds completely mangled this double tent. The only thing we ran into was a few puddles in our covered pavilion space. Didn't hurt anything except one box got wet. When he and his mother arrived, I helped him move his tent and get the tarp off of it. 

 This was our booth space, there was plenty of space and didn't take us long to set-up in the morning. We even had enough time that Keree did some homeschool work in the morning.

 Of course, today was another record breaking heat day. Keree had pigtail braids but eventually I pinned them up so they were off her neck. It was miserable out there and sales were slow.

 Then the heat got to us. Keree and I made scary face at each other.

Since everyone was packing up 2-3 hours early, we finally packed up about an hour before the ending. Keree was thankful to head home because today was also her stuffed Kitty's birthday. Last year we held a huge birthday party for KittyKitty, complete with a picnic lunch and cake. This year it was a little more low key. But we still remembered to sing Happy Birthday to KittyKitty. We also talked with Great-Great and YeYe and they sang Happy Birthday to KittyKitty too. They said we was so polite when we meowed back to him, then Keree got on the phone and translated what he said.

Hot Saturday

This morning, we were up super, bright and early to set-up for our flea market booth. We were surprised at how quickly we were set up but was shocked also that even though it didn't open till 9am, there were customers at 6am. It was super hot and it got close to 100. Luckily, we had a fan and Keree stayed in front of it most of the time. Keree was also excited because at the store, I found Bacon Jerky. I know it's probably not the healthiest but she loves jerky and she loves her bacon even more. She practically ate the entire package in one sitting. Otherwise, we did walk around a little bit, we bought some new cookbooks that peeked our interest for a quarter and then we sat there and read them. There wasn't too many people buying but I honestly wasn't expecting alot between the heat and a holiday weekend. 

Homeschool & Brave Lunch

 Once we got up this morning, we had to run to our storage unit and load the van for tomorrow's flea market sale. By the time we got done, it was almost 11a, so we decided to stop by Subway for lunch. Keree was so excited to get a Brave tote bag. She is downright giddy and can't wait to see the movie. I'm thinking Brave and Merida is going to give Rapunzel a run for it's money in our house.

That afternoon and into the evening, we decided to try out the new free online curriculum. I've decided to give it a try this summer and see where she is in August. I started her at first in the Kindergarten level just to see it and thought maybe for a review but realized it was way to simple. So, I jumped her up to the 1st grade level and even though she's breezing through it, I really don't want to jump her up another grade level just yet. She's really enjoying it and other than having to print the worksheets, it seems to be going well. 

Decisions and Tagging

We spent today mostly working on tagging and getting ready for the sale this weekend. In the afternoon, I spent some time researching homeschooling curriculum options. I am trying my best for Keree not to go back to public school for first grade. I was so disappointed by how little she learned in Kindergarten and since I was already supplementing her learning, why not just keep her home. I think I'm leaning towards one of the many free online options there are and then supplementing with anything else that interests us.

Summer Movie

Even though I was exhausted from the drive yesterday, we had already made plans to meet Keree's friend at the movies. So we were up early to make sure we got our ticket to the Free movie today. It was nice to get to visit with Keree's friend Alicia's Mom and it was nice for Keree and Alicia to get to spend some time together. This was the most time they spent together since they got out of school, so they really missed each other. Today's free movie was Zookeeper. It was a little more on the adult side than a kids movie...but it was still cute and funny. As for the rest of our day, we spent it getting ready for a flea market this weekend. Since we live in such a bad place to have a yard sale, it seemes like a good idea. I'm really hope we do well because we have alot of stuff to sale. 

Muffin Tin Monday

Keree woke up this morning before 4a and of course she was ready for her day to begin. I on the other hand, pulled the covers up over my head and refused to budge until 7a. I fixed Keree a quick breakfast and got her dressed before it was time to head out the door. I dropped Keree off at school. Then ran to the store in search of Halloween deals. I got boxes of tissues for 34 cents a box, 200 ct paper napkins for $1 a pack, 72 ct plastic knives, forks, spoons for 74 cents, boxes of 40 ct individual pretzels packs for $2 and boxes of 24 ct chips for $2.10. I also picked up some packages of play-dough (24 ct for $2), disney card games (18 ct for $2) and bracelets (30 ct for $1) to put in Treat bags for Keree's birthday (which is in February). For Keree's Christmas, I also got a few dress-up things and a cute sweatshirt all 1/2 off because it was marked Halloween. I picked Keree up from school early, I had hoped to get there in time to see them on the playground again but instead got there right as they came inside. I did hear the one little girl, who's been bugging Keree about her brace go "Keree your not my friend anymore." I watched to see Keree's reaction and she just shrugged her shoulders. I asked Keree later why did she say that and she goes "who knows she just likes causin' drama" with attitude. I wondered for a minute where she had heard that because I really try to keep myself from throwing in ghetto words with attitude when I speak around her. But then it hit me, her one Teacher this morning goes, "E, stop causin' so much drama." Thank goodness, it didn't come from me. When we got home, we spent some time outside cleaning up our Halloween decorations. Keree had so much fun trying to pull the spiders off the webs. We also picked up the outside chairs and toys getting them ready to store for the Winter also because I'm highly doubtful we will have anymore super warm weather. When we finally headed inside, it was time to fix our Muffin Tin. This week's theme was Harvest, Leaves and Trees. I had great plans in my mind but when I finally came inside to fix it, I was too cold and tired to do anything spectacular. So instead, I choose some of our favorite Fall Foods. So in the back row is Cranberry sauce, a piece of Toast cut into a pumpkin shape and finally some Green Olives. The front row is some pumpkin shaped cheeses, cornbeef hash and of course some fresh cut corn. Keree dove into lunch, covered her Toast with cranberry sauce, ate all the corn and hash before saying she was finished. Before her nap, Keree did get one big Halloween treat today from Momma. It's a jar filled with a gigantic Marshmallow Frankenstien head. She had seen them for weeks at the store but she knew we couldn't get one because it was too expensive. So when she say it, she couldn't wait to dig in. We then spent the rest of the day and evening getting ready for a show this weekend. Which we are so beyond not being ready for it.

Fall Party

We got a slow start to the morning since we got home so late last night. We decided to check out a local show (which we have been apart of the last 2 yr but was told they didn't have room for us this year) because we were curious. Keree was a little confused because we have never been to a show just to walk around that she can remember. Keree rode in the MeiTai because they don't allow strollers inside the building and I didn't want her to get stepped on because it's crowded. It turned out that it was basically the same people as usual that was there. We were excited to run into our Friend who does Photography letters since we had lost track of her after last season. Keree was thrilled to see "her Friend", then decided to act shy and wouldn't talk to them. We also ran into our Friends who make beautiful wood furniture. They were so excited to see Keree. They became our close friends last year and have recently lost custody of their granddaughter after she lived with them for 8 years. It just breaks my heart that after the parents abandoned her at 1 month at the Grandparents house, the Mother came back to claim her 8 yrs later. We said our good-byes and headed home. We grabbed a quick lunch and then everyone except for me took a nap. We ended up then having to wake up my Brother and Keree from their naps so we could attend our local Adoption group Fall get-together. It was nice to see a few Families we knew but it was also nice to meet some new Families. It had been over a year since we had been able to attend one of the get-togethers because of other obligations. After enjoying a nice fellowship dinner, we gathered all the kiddos outside for a group shot and then it was onto the craft. Each child got to paint their own pumpkins. Keree's pumpkin has two faces, one is sweet and nice and then the other side of the pumpkin has mean eyebrows and glasses. Keree and my Brother spent some time outside playing with the other kids, while my Mom and I visited and listened to the other families. Finally it was getting late and both Keree and my Brother were tired. On the way home, we happened to pass a house and sitting on the curb with a big Free sign was a Little Tikes Jungle Climber. At think at the exact same time, my Brother and I thought the same thing. So after dropping my Mom and Keree off at home, we drove back to where we had saw the climber. We both talked that if it was still there, it was meant to be ours. And we were shocked that it was still there. What we quickly found out, it was a pain to take apart. So instead, my Brother and I hoisted it to the top of the van and after securing it with some straps, we were on our way. We are both so excited for Keree to see it in the morning and play on it. When we got home, we unloaded it and spent a little while marveling at our find before heading to bed.

Away Cheerleading

When we got up and got going this morning, we decided to hit a few yard sales before the game. Our first stop was a church rummage sale. They had no clothing that would fit Keree but I did find a gallon ziplock bag of lace (25 cents), 20 different cookie cutters for (1.00) and 16 children books (4.00 worth). As we were leaving the Rummage sale, we saw a sign for a subdivision yard sale. I was surprised at how many houses were participating but there prices were astronomical. I did happen upon one house, who's prices wasn't bad. I got Keree a brand new TCP sleeper and two winter outfits for $3. Which was more than I usually spend but they were boutique and super cute. So after we were finished, we hurried home and Keree changed quickly into her uniform because we had to drive almost 45 minutes North for their game today. The game today fell right during naptime, so we were trying our best to keep her awake during the drive there. Well about 8 minutes before pulling into the park, she fell asleep and she didn't want to wake up. Of course, when she did wake up, she was in a bad mood. After a short time with the other girls, she started to pep up but you could tell she was just tired. Since the Coach wasn't there and it was an away game, the dynamic of the group was a little different. They tried their best and the parents who were coaching was trying their best. It just amazed me the Parents who weren't helping and haven't every helped were so critical of how the girls were handled. I mean seriously, the parents who were helping was coaching better than the current Coach who sits there and texts the entire time, letting the girls run amok. And not trying to be critical but the League has specific rules regarding what you are allowed to do in your Cheer Uniform. One of the big rules is no colored juice or hot chocolate to be consumed while wearing your Uniform. I understand the rule, I mean how freakin hard is it to get that out of normal clothes, well the Mom who brought treats today brought Kool-Aid Red Fruit Punch. I about died that she would ignore the rule. And of course, being the mean Mom, I am, I didn't let Keree drink her drink. I told her that once she was out of her Uniform, then she would have it. Luckily, she sort of understood and she knows when I say no, there's no point in arguing because I just won't let you have it then at all. So after the game was finished, we decided to head to the Local festival being held. Now, up until this year we have always participated and it's one of our biggest money makers of the year. Well, this year the Management of the festival thought they needed to shake thing up. I was upset to say the least, plus I had so many customers telling me how excited they were going to be seeing me there. That's when I would have to apologize and explain why they wouldn't let us be there this year. I have to say, she really did shake things up this year, the whole feeling of the festival was just down right weird. Usually there is droves of crowds and this year there was hardly anyone wandering around. I think alot of people were upset also that this year she kicked out the local/metro folks and got big business as sponsors. Now, Keree did get to do a few fun things, since they always have free craft stations. Her school, had a booth and she got to make a paper plate crown. And I have to say, we were quite a sight with her in the backpack on my back, with her decorated paper plate on her head.

First Game

This morning, we got a slow start but was able to hit a subdivision yard sale. It was actually a little disappointing because out of 300 houses, only about 30 were participating. Out of those 30 houses only about 10 of them didn't have broken, stained items or junk. Since the bike I got yesterday didn't work for Keree (it's too small). Amazingly, we happened upon one yard sale that had a Little Mermaid bike that was bigger than the one from yesterday and smaller than her current bike. But they also had $8 on it, so I asked them if they would come down in price. They just looked at me, so I just go "will you take $3 for it?" and amazingly they said yes. I also scored two vtech games (wiggles and sesame street) for $3 a piece. The last sale we stopped at, we got a large Little Tikes workbench with tools for $2, 4 pairs of shorts, 6 pairs of jeans, spiderman hooded sweatshirt and some random shirts for 25 cents a piece. So I think we had a pretty good day of garage sales. When we got home, we quickly ate lunch and then laid Keree down for a nap. Luckily she took one, even though it was just for about a 1/2 hour. When she woke up, we quickly got dressed for Keree's first game to cheer at. She was so super excited and she looked so freakin' cute in her uniform. Of course, we arrived about 5 minutes before 3p (when the girls was suppose to arrive). The Coach was suppose to be waiting there at 245p and like usual she wasn't there. The Coach didn't show up until almost 315p and the game started at 330p. They were suppose to hold up a banner and the football players were going to run through it but of course she didn't get her stuff together and didn't even think about it until after the game had already started. Then she wanted the girls to hold the banner and she expected the game to stop, so they could run through it. UGH! I'll just say this again, I love the program, I just don't like the way the Coach is handling things. And more than anything, Keree had fun cheering and that's all that mattered. The game went quickly, it could have been because our team was getting slaughtered. When it was half time the girls performed their half time routine. Of course, the Coach decided to mix it up right before they performed, it was almost like she wanted to set them up to fail. Even though the transition of their moves wasn't that smooth because of the "mix it up", they still all got in their correct spots quickly and it still looked great. After half time, they got to return for a short time with their parents, it was only suppose to be until the time was up, but instead the Coach decided that the girls didn't need to Cheer during the entire 3rd Quarter. Then when the girls finally did go back down to the track to Cheer, she let them run around for most of the time (luckily Keree stayed in ready position instead of goofing off) because she was busy texting on her phone. Then the other time, she spent yelling at her 2 yr old son. I seriously couldn't believe it. I think they performed one cheer during the entire 4th Quarter. But again, I just had to get reminding myself that Keree was having fun and she was with her friends. Once we got done, we headed home, fixed a quick dinner and since Keree was exhausted, she was in bed by 8p.

4 years ago - Meeting my Daughter

Four years ago, I got up super early. We went to eat breakfast on the top floor of the hotel, opting for Bread and Jam and then we waited. As the minutes ticked by, I didn't think the Facilitator was every going to get there, I actually think it was one of the only times she wasn't late. She grabbed a taxi and we climbed in the back seat. As we drove, she tried to make small talk, but honestly my stomach was in knots. I literally thought I was going to puke. My Mom talked mostly with her while I tried to memorize everything we passed. We passed by grocery stores, schools, a whole street filled with toys and baby stuff. As we got further away from downtown, the streets weren't as well maintained. They had huge potholes, I mean the size of a 15 passenger van hole. Then we pulled into an alley and we were at the entrance of where my daughter had spent the majority of her first 5 months and 10 days of her life. The Facilitator said a few things to the Guard and I uneasily smiled. We walked past all the Motoscooter the Nannies and Teacher drove and then we were in the main Courtyard. There was a small playground slide in the middle of it and a flight of stairs next to it. We climbed the flight of stairs and about half way up, I looked at my Mom behind me and said are you tapping this? We then removed our shoes and entered the Baby room. The Facilitator said a few things in Vietnamese to the Nannies that I didn't understand but I did understand my daughter's name, Ngoc. Suddenly, there was a Nanny walking my way, with this itty bitty almost newborn size baby. She had her flipped with her head down, so I couldn't see anything except her body. I kept thinking in my head, there has to be a mistake, there is no way that this is my daughter, they must have not understood the Facilitator correctly. I was really starting to panic. Then about 3 feet from me, the Nanny flipped the baby around and there was that face, the face that had been staring back at me in those pictures. Yep, that was my daughter. Suddenly they placed her in my arms and then within a minute they gave me her bottle to feed her. Now the funny thing was, was my Mom had gotten so caught up in the moment, she didn't tape any of it, she didn't even take a picture until a good 30 seconds after she was placed in my arms. We got to visit with her for a good 2 hours, she was so very sick, running a 104 fever and she didn't move her entire right side. I thought she had a mini baby stroke. We inquired about a few scars she had but they wouldn't answer, even though I know they understood. We went back to the hotel that day and all I wanted to do was get her out of there as soon as I could.

This morning, we layed around in bed until almost 9am. When we finally did get up, I told Keree why today was so important. We looked at some of the pictures and videos we had taken from that day. Once we were dressed, Keree insisted that we all have our hair fixed the same. So she got to wear a clippie to hold her ponytail up just like my Mom and I. She was so excited that we all matched. We headed to a Church Rummage sale a few towns over. This was another rummage sale that only had items and no clothes. Now I couldn't believe how many books they had. Now there prices were super steep, 25 cents for a soft cover and 50 cents for hard cover. By the time I was done, I ended up having over $15 worth of books. Luckily, when I got to the check-out, she goes I don't want to count these all, so how about $2. WhooHoo!! Keree and I walked through the toy section, most of the stuff was tore up and junk, but we did find a brand new Jumbling Tower (sort of like Jenga) for 50 cents and brand new Guess How Much I Love You game. Now Keree came across a sit and spin, she didn't know what it was at first, so I showed her how it worked. For a child, who has major movement sensory problems, she happily hopped on and started spinning. I was shocked and she exclaimed "it's just like the tea cups at Disneyland". We've never been to Disney but she's seen it from other people's pictures. She couldn't wait to show my Mom and my Mom was just as shocked as I was that she was spinning. Keree is usually allowed 25 cents to spend but we made an exception. Keree paid $1 for her Sit and Spin. My Mom's great finds were two Ikea leaves, they are so awesome and she paid $1 a piece. My Mom's other find was a brand new "K" purse for Keree, she paid $1 for it. When we got home, we played outside and went through the books we got. Once it started getting hot, we headed inside. Keree laid down for a nap, while I made Crock-pot Spinach Lasagna. Well I ended up being out of lasagna noodles, so I threw in some penne instead. I also added some zucchini to it. It was so good. The rest of our evening was spent working on Keree's stage backdrop for the Talent Show.

Rummagepalozza & Win

We got a late start this morning and by 9am it was 110 degrees and rising outside. At the last moment, we decided to check out Rummagepalozza. I'm not sure if it was it's first year or not. It was on the tad small side but did have some awesome stuff. When I had saw the ad online, there was a guy who said he had tons of craft stuff. Well he did not disappoint! We didn't even look into his 50 cent section because of all the great stuff in the 25 cents section. I'm don't have an exact number of yards of elastic I got because I stopped counting after 50 yards. We also got lots of other trims and laces ranging anywhere between 5-10 yards. Some vintage Aunt Martha iron transfers, I know there vintage because they had their original prices on them. So everything we got in the top two pictures were $6.00. We were so excited about all the great things we got. We continued to walk around looking to see what everybody had. I was surprised how much some people were trying to charge for their junk and yes, it was junk. What also bothered me, is those people trying to sell their old, used, nasty, stained and way expired carseats, plus they were charging almost the same price as a brand new one from the store. It was starting to get so hot, that we were just going to leave before looking at the rest of the stuff. But as we were walking out, I came across a guy with boxes and boxes of fabric. I was really drawn to the green leaf and the stripe one, which is actually sort of seersucker and lacey. The teal fabric was plain and perfect for appliques. I paid $3.00 for all of them and there was at least 3 yards of each of them. So since there was only a few more stands, we decided to finish looking. I found a Whoozit rattle for 25 cents, I know Keree is totally too old for rattles but I'm a Whoozit junkie. I actually have a gigantic Whoozit that's bigger than Keree. So I totally brought it for myself. At the last booth we visited, I found some random baseball packs for my Brother. I bought him 6 of them for $3, which I could see some of the inserts and they were totally worth more than what I paid for. Our finally stop before heading home, was a thrift store across the street was having a sidewalk sale. Everything outside was 25 cents. I found Keree a Gymboree top and then found my Brother 8 pairs of pants, mostly khakis for work. By the time we left, it was 128 degrees outside, it was said to be the hottest day of the year so far. We were so hot from walking around, we quickly stopped and got each of us a drink before we headed home. We spent almost all of the rest of the day inside but in the evening it started to cool off a little bit because there was a storm moving in. Keree played outside while we worked on the grass. We also finally went to get the mail and I was super excited to see my envelope from SkinnyKidz. I had won a Blog drawing from Mrs. Broccoli Guy a few weeks ago and got to pick one. I have to say they have so many great choices to choose from but finally decided on the Polk-a-dots. I'll be honest, I have been wanting to get once since Laurie announced her new business venture with Jena on her blog. I honestly wasn't sure even with their measurements if they would be small enough for Keree's waist, because she has a 0-3 mos waist. The other thing was, because of the unknown if they would fit her correctly, I didn't want to spend the money. That's why I was thrilled to win one. I handed Keree the envelope and she was thrilled that she had mail. It took her forever to slowly peel the envelope flap open. Once it was open, she hurriedly removed the belt, took a good look at it and goes "Mommy, is this really for me? Is this really one of the belts from the Internet? Oh Mommy, you love me so much, don't you." I told her, that yes it was for her and that we won it. She didn't quite understand until after some explanation I just said it's kind of like when you won Princess Tomato and they gave you catsup, a crown and trophy. She totally got it then. When my Mom came in, she showed her and goes Mommy won it, just like I won Catsup. See, I told you all she was in the contest just for the bottle for catsup. Keree did try her new belt on for just a few short seconds. It was just too hot for any type of pants, even in short periods of time. So I will write a better post later of this awesome belt and Keree wearing it.