Raindrops keep falling on my head...

While I was ecstatic that the rain came yesterday validating my decision to cancel my garage sale, I have to say I was disappointed it decided to actually stick around and continue to rain on and off all day.

After my cookie baking, I went to downtown Tacoma to keep my friend Holly company while she worked the Tacoma Art Showcase. Tacoma has come a long way over the past few years. There is no longer the "aroma of Tacoma" and the downtown is going through a total renewal now that there is University of Washington Tacoma branch there. The once very scary streets (when I was in college, I had the misfortune to take the greyhound home and found myself downtown at the bus station at 11:00 at night- VERY scary. I would NEVER do that again) are now full of cute shops and restaurants. I think it has everything Seattle has, but everything is more reasonably priced and there is actual street parking. Anyway, Tacoma is trying to build up it's artiness and they have hosted this art show/walk thing for a few years and this was the first year for Holly's gallery to participate. If it hadn't rained off and on all day, the crowds might have been larger. At about 5:30 the skies opened up and we had a dozy of a shower. At that point the festival, which was scheduled to run until 9 came to very soggy end at 6. Oh well, for the amount of folks who were there, we had a lot of people come in and get info on the gallery and artists being featured.

Holly had some really cool looking art. My favorite by far was the work of local artist Kathy Hastings. She is a photographer who kayaks around the docks in Seattle taking pictures of rusty ship hulls. Be sure to check out her "waterlines" series. A-Mazing!! There was one little piece that I especially liked. It was a picture of a number six, the blues in the piece were just so pretty, completely "my shades" of blue. Holly being the super sweetie that she is, gave it to me as thank you for keeping her company.
She didn't have to do that, I had fun just hanging out and enjoying the interpretive dancers tell the story of how tortoise got this shell not once, but twice.



So here is my new real art. I just love it. Right now it is hanging in the kitchen. The red walls really make it pop. I'm not sure if it will stay there, but I'm liking it for now. If you also find yourself moved by Kathy's art, contact Holly and she can hook you up. Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday. The rain seems to have moved on and I'm thinking a trip to the pool may be in our future. Happy Sunday everyone :0)

The Sweetest Sound

For all the griping about rain we Washingtonians do, can I just share how HAPPY I was to hear the pitter patter of rain this morning. I feel that my decision to donate my stuff was rewarded with this little summer time shower. I now feel less flakey which is always nice. Since it is raining, my own plans of garage saling are probably not going to happen. I will probably spend the day packing up my stuff to donate and then I will be making cookies.
Ben is camping this weekend with some friends. I asked him if he wanted me to make some cookies to take on the trip. He said yes and when I asked him what kind he wanted he said he wanted me to make the ones that were round. Well, that narrowed it down. We spent the next 15 minutes going through my repertoire of cookie recipes without luck. He felt it might help if he drew a picture of the cookies. It wasn't until he mentioned the "little guy in the white hat". The Pillsbury Dough Boy?? I was wracking my brain to think when I would have made Ben cookies from a tube, but then I remembered we had made cake mix cookies a few times and ding, ding, ding, those were the ones he wanted.
These cookies are the EASIEST cookies ever and they taste pretty good too. They kind of remind me of the Lofthouse cookies with the pink frosting, but they are much more moist. I usually don't frost them, but when I do, they do not last long. Anyway, I told this story to Joji and now he wants me to make up a batch. So today I will be making the cake mix cookies as well as White Chocolate Macadamia and Peanut Butter Chip cookies. (Today is my buddy Matt's birthday and so I'm taking him a big thing of cookies)
I hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday. I know I will be :0)

Cake Mix Cookies
One box Pillsbury Cake Mix (I use the White, if you use a chocolate mix add 2 T of water)
1 stick of soften butter
1 egg
Combine ingredients and drop by rounded T on a cookie sheet 2" apart
Bake 9-10 minutes @ 350 Makes 2 1/2 Dozen
Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezey :0)

Knowing When to Say When

I finally broke down and started pricing my stuff, but then I realized that the amount of stuff was a lot less then I had originally thought. Not only that, the ratio of "fun stuff" to clothes and kids toys was way out of balance. Suddenly it hit me. If I was driving by my own garage sale, I probably would not stop. Ouch.
As I sat looking at my stuff I began to calculate what the potential take was (of course I cut in half to be realistic) Some how the idea of giving up my Saturday for 50 bucks became less and less appealing. So I made the executive decision to cancel my sale.

To make myself feel less like a flake, I have convinced myself that donating all of the stuff will ensure good thrifting karma in the future. The clothes will be taken to our local school clothing bank. I know Ben will be a little disappointed. He was really good about letting his stuff go with the promise of cash, but I'm sure he will understand. I will bring him with me to the clothing bank so he can see the good he is doing. Ben is a sensitive kid, he will get it.

So now I am able to go to bed without the stress of a garage sale hanging over my head. I will sleep peacefully and not dream about pricing, hanging signs or the frantic last minute rush to get it all done. My day is now free. What is on the agenda?? Garage saling of course :0)

Who is your 80's hunk

How fun is this??
I LOVED Jason Bateman on Silver Spoons and It's Your Move. I always thought he would have made the perfect Chandler Bing. Oh well, I'm glad to see he is working more these days. I think he looks as good now as he did then.

Your 80s Hunk Is

Jason Bateman

Who's Your 80s Hunk?

Yes, I'm putting off preparing for my garage sale. I'm secretly wishing a big storm would roll in and then I would have an excuse to take everything to Goodwill. Anyone know a good raindance??
:0)

Are you worthy??

So with my garage sale pending for Saturday (the ONLY day with raindrops on the five day forecast) I thought it might be fun to share the rules that my mom and I use to determine if a garage sale is worthy for us to stop.

1. Have good signs.
Nice handwriting and easy to read are a must. If your signs are trashy looking it makes us think that your stuff will be too. You also get extra credit for bright colors.
Putting the date and time of the sale are also appreciated. Nothing is worse than trying to track down a sale that was held two weeks ago.
If you don't live off the main drag, put signs at every turn. You want folks to find you right??
2. Curb Appeal
Part of the garage sale dance is the slow the car down to peruse your stuff. Make sure that folks can see what you have before they have to get out of the car. If everything is hiding in your garage, we probably won't stop. At least have a couple of good "teaser" items close to the curb so it makes folks want to see more.
3. Displaying your wares
One of our big no no's is having stuff on the ground especially clothing. We do not want to be crawling around to see what you have. Make sure stuff is either folded nicely (yes, it will get all messed up, but refolding it will give you something to do during the down time) or hanging up.
Clean your stuff. It sounds simple, but no one wants to buy a dirty anything.
Organize by categories. Like stuff with like stuff. Think like a store. We are much more likely to stay and browse if it looks like you put some effort into your displays.
Cover those tables. Stuff just looks nicer when on a table with a tablecloth or sheet.
4. Pricing
Have your stuff clearly marked. Nothing drives me crazy like an unpriced garage sale. Don't ask me what I think it is worth, because it will probably be a lot less then what you want.
Don't tell me how much you paid for it. I don't care. If you are trying to get rich, put your stuff on Craigslist or ebay. It is a garage sale and folks are looking for bargains.
Expect to haggle. I need nothing that I'm buying. The thrill is purely in the hunt and the thrill of that great score.

There you have it. Our "rules". Of course now we must also follow these rules ourselves which means some work between now and Saturday. Today will be spent pulling out more items to sell and start pricing. Most stuff will be $5 or less. I have a couple pieces of furniture. I have a waterfall vanity that I bought about 15 years ago (at a garage sale) from a man to claimed to be Stevie Nicks' uncle. He told me that he use to change her diapers on it. Don't know if it's true or not, but make an interesting story. Will keep you posted on the progress.

Catching up

I'm breaking down and having a garage sale with my mom. I'm not sure why, I ALWAYS swear I will never do another one, but here we go again. So now the house is topsy turvy as I pull stuff for the sale. I'm really trying to be ruthless. I need stuff gone. I need to have emptiness in my life. Does anyone else feel that way??? I want to open closets without the contents crashing at my feet. I want to end the never ending game of Jenga that seems to be my house right now. So slowly, I purge one room at a time. It gets a little overwhelming, but I'm telling myself it will be all worth it.
One of the biggest challenges, it the pricing of stuff. I'm torn between what I would pay for stuff and what I want other people to pay for my stuff. I pulled a ton of clothes from Ben and it is nice stuff. My gut says a buck an item, but I think I could get two. I have to remind myself how much I hate at garage sales when folks tell me how much they paid for everything and what a deal their over priced stuff is. I will probably go for a buck. I have to remember who is my clientele. Around here there are a lot of Hispanic and Russian families and they will be the ones who are buying the clothes. I want the stuff gone, right??
As for the "fun" stuff, I think we will have a pretty decent selection. In fact I think most of the stuff will probably be other garage sale treasures that have served their purpose and now someone else can give them a new home. Isn't that the beauty of garage saling?? You get your stuff for cheap and then there is no dilemma of "I paid so much for this, I just can't get rid of it". It is actually a little bit freeing. I will definitely post more about the garage sale later this week. My mom and I have all these rules for garage sales we attend to we must make sure our sale will be up to snuff.

About a million years ago Marie and Timi tagged me. So here are my VERY interesting answers (hehe)

Four things you should know about me before you invite me over:
1. If you have a beautiful and immaculate home, DO NOT tell me about your lack luster housekeeping skills. This makes me dislike you. If you have lack luster housekeeping skills, I will not judge, but understand and welcome you into the sisterhood. You will also score extra credit bravery points. (However, I do draw the line at dirty laundry on display, no one wants to see the not so whitey tighties.)
2. If you we are just hanging out, please do not fuss. If I'm there for an actual event please DO fuss. When I "entertain" I make sure my guests are well fed and taken care of and I appreciate when others do as well. If you throw a party please provide more than a roof. I guess I'm old school, but unless you are hosting an official potluck, don't invite folks and expect them to bring their own food and drink.
3. I will always want "the tour", but will wait until it is offered. I understand there are public and private spaces in a house and will respect the fact that not all rooms are showroom ready. I do love looking at houses and seeing how they are decorated. I find it so inspiring, so please don't feel offended if I steal a really cute idea from your home. I'm kind of a house junkie.
4. If I'm coming over, have a plan for your kids. They don't have to be gone, just make sure they won't be bugging us every two seconds. I'm there to see you, not watch you parent the entire time. I love kids, but a front row seat to a tantrum is not fun for anyone.

The ABC's of Me
A: Attached or Single: Married 10 years
B: Best Friend: Jenny P.
C: Cake or pie? Cake with butter cream frosting
D: Day of Choice? Thursdays
E: Essential item? Diet Mt. Dew
F: Favorite color? Blue
G: Gummy bears or worms? Worms the sour kind
H: Home Town: Federal Way
I: Favorite indulgence? Pedicure
J: January or July? July
K: Kids? 2
L: Life isn't complete without? Beauty in everyday things
M: Marriage date? April 3, 1998
N: Number of sibs? 2 brothers
O: Oranges or apples? Apples
P: Phobias: Heights
Q: Quote: Less is more
R: Reasons to smile: my kiddos
S: Season of choice? Fall
T: Tag 5 folks Timi, Jamie, Jenny, Laura, Holly
U: Unknown fact about me: I have small ears
v: Vegetable? Artichokes
W: Worst habit: Not finishing things and following through
X: Xray or ultra sound? ultra sound
Y: Your favorite food? Depends on my mood
Z: Zodiac sign: Cancer

Whirlwind

Just a quick post to let you know that I have not fallen off the earth. I have just been either super busy or incredibly lazy. I'm in the process of getting ready for a garage sale with my mom. Every year we vow never to do another one and yet here we go again. This time I'm being really brutal. We just finished Ben's room and it now holds 25% of what it did yesterday. One room down, how many to go??
The joke around here is that you need to "tap in" when the mood hits. Well, the mood has hit and I figure it is now or never to get rid of the stuff that is strangling our house. Whatever doesn't sell is NOT coming back in, but being loaded directly up and will be taken to GW. (This serves two main purposes: 1. It will be gone 2. I can't shop there for a while when there is a chance MY stuff will be on the shelves- it really creaps me out)
So there is my life right now. Busy and crazed. I'm hoping by doing this we can enter the school year with a little calm around here. Okay, I've taken long enough of a break. For those who have checked in and left comments, thanks. I'm hoping later this week to catch up.
:0)