Children

There was article in the paper about a little girl locally that was found in her home chained to the floor. She was being starved. As the older of the three children she would try to get to the food so they would chain her to keep her away from it. The worst part is that this little girl had already been removed from her parent because of abuse in the past and ended up in this home. If you knew the reason she was removed the first time it would probably make you sick to your stomach like it did me. I breaks my heart to think of the life this poor child has had. 

My own daughters didn't have a great beginning in life and their past might affect them in the future but they are now surrounded by so much love and affection. They get everything they could ever need and most things they could ever want. Even if most of it isn't new. They could care less at this age. 

If I could I would help more kids. But as a single mom it's hard with two kids. I don't know if I could handle another. And if it would be fair to them. And financially ... well I don't think my checkbook could stretch that far. 

There are so many kids that need a loving home. Whether it's short term or for a life time. If you have ever thought about adoption or foster care I recommend it. Look into it. It's hard, I won't lie. But so fulfilling to know you are helping a child and making a difference. 

Joyfolie

I have said this a dozen times at least but it's worth saying again. I don't know anything about name brands. If it's cute and cheap it's for me. But the other day I was looking through Pinterest (I am so addicted) and I ran across the cutest girls rain boots EVER!  Are you ready for this? You might fall over from the shock of all the cuteness. 

Ok maybe you don't agree but I love them. Only one small problem. They are from several seasons ago and no longer available. I tried looking every where for them including eBay and no luck. 

I ended up saving the search so every time an item with Joyfolie is listed I get a notification. And I've realize that this stuff isn't cheap. I've never seen this brand before and might never find it but if you run across this brand it might be worth grabbing. And if you happen to find these rain boots, please please please let me know. My princess would look adorable in them. 

Speaking of listings I will admit at times I get a little lazy with the pictures. If I have a huge stack and little time I might not take as many pictures or edit as well. I usually make a list and go by later to fix. But today I found the listing that takes the cake at lazy listing. I'm sure you have all seen the listings from the actual store whether it be a department store or thrift store. They cant even wait to get home to list. But today I saw a  listing that was worse then that. The seller listed directly from Zulily app on their phone. They took a picture of the item from their phone and used that as their listing photo. But they didn't even bother cutting out the fact that it's from Zulily's website. They could have cropped that out. So now the buyer can go get the item themselves and cut out the middle man. To make matters worse they misspelled the the name of the dress on the title. Please don't become this seller. Don't get that lazy. 

What eBay?

So mom asked me this weekend "why haven't you been listing on eBay?" Oh yeah eBay! 

What have I been doing instead?

Making a money lei. I have to make 3 by May and I have never made them before so I'm starting early. 

Making invitations for Princess' 5th birthday also in May. It's a Mermaid party and I have a lot of cutting out to do and making tons of decorations so I want to make sure I have enough time. I finally got all the pieces to the invitations cut out this weekend when Princess tells me "Mommy I think I want a Frozen party instead."

What?!?! So do I put all my hard work aside and start all over? I know she loves Frozen. She's always singing the songs. But ... I haven't decided yet. 

I do have a BOLO though. After she told me she wanted a Frozen party I went to the Disney Store to get some ideas and found out ALL the stores (Disney, JCP, Target, etc) are sold out of the Elsa costumes. Poor Anna no one wants to be her so you can find tons of Her costumes everywhere. So if you happen to find an Elsa costume while yard saling grab it ... And sent it to me ... Oh sorry I mean list it fast before they replenish the stock again at the stores. 

Bright Side

And life goes on like I knew it would. Break ups are hard but I'm trying to look at the bright side. And luckily his leaving doesn't effect the adoption. I am adopting on my own. So this is me being positive:

I don't have to do things anyone else's way but my own. I don't have to watch shows I hate anymore. I can raise my children how I see fit. I can have more of the bed. I have more money (he hadn't worked in a bit and I was the only one working). And the best part. More room in my tiny house for me and my stuff. 

When he first moved in we bought a storage unit for his stuff for our backyard. Now that he's gone I can convert it into my eBay room. I can store my stuff, set up a mannequin for pics, get organized for good. I am excited for the possibilities. 

The girls seem to be doing fine with him gone. No bad reactions so far. And I'm doing everything I would normally do. Tonight that meant gymnastics for my princess and spending the night getting 20 goody bags ready for her class for Valentines day. I totally think I can do this! At least today. Take it one day at a time. 

 

No Lemonade or Windows

They say when life gives you lemons make lemonade. All I can think of is not getting any of the juice on the open wound. When God closes a door he opens a window. I can't find any windows. Why is it we have so many sayings when something goes wrong and none of them seem to fit when you are really in pain. Sometimes all you need is a hug and a shoulder to cry on. 

When I was growing up I always imagined my life a certain way. I would be the soccer mom with her minivan carpooling all the kids. My perfect hubby would be totally supportive. We would live in a house with a white picket fence. Life would be perfect. 

Fast word to present time. I have two wonderful daughters and I thought I had finally found my soul mate. We were engaged. The girls loved him. And out of the blue he comes up to me and says it's over. Two days later he is packing up and leavea while we are all gone without a goodbye. No warning, nothing. So that leaves me almost 40 and alone, a single mom of two. I counted a lot on him to help me. Can I make it on my own? 

Any other single moms have any advice for one that is feeling low? 

Just Ask!

They say don’t judge a book by its cover. The same should probably be said about a yard sale. I know when I pull up to a location I make assumptions before I even get out of the car. Other times I make assumptions when I take a cursory look around. I don’t even realize I’m doing it but I am proven wrong so often that I should know better.

 

This past weekend we went to a yard sale where a lady was selling lots of kids items. I saw a brand new pair of Dansko girls clogs and North Face snow boots. I assumed she would want a lot for them for several reason: they were still there and it was almost noon, she had given an outrageous price on another item, they were good brands and weren’t cheap to buy new and she would want to make some of her money back. I was about to walk away when a voice inside of me said “Just ask. You don’t have to buy them if the price is too high (it’s only weird to hear voices when you talk back). So I asked and they were …. $1.00 a pair!  I’ve already sold one pair of shoes for $35.00 and they are on the way to the East Coast. I know there have been several other times I assumed something would cost too much so didn’t bother asking. Other times I looked at a person and assumed they wouldn’t have anything designer only to find several great finds in the bottom of the pile of clothes.

 

I need to remember what they say about assuming. Like I always say, it doesn’t hurt to ask.

 

Ramblings

I'm sitting outside on my porch (I would love to say it's a lovely porch but it needs to be painted which is another thing on my Honey Do list) watching the girls play with the neighbor little girl. I should be listing more but my goal right now is 5 listings per week ( I know its a low listing goal but it's one I know I can meet right now)  and I got all of them done today at work. My boss was at a meeting all day and you know what the say about the cat being away. I did list them all on my iPhone but I'm going to go on my laptop shortly and check them to make sure everything that should be there is there. After reading Mrs4jachi post (sorry I don't know your name) it's better to be safe then sorry. I'm going to make sure I change everything new I'm listing and slowly go through the old stuff.

One of the items that I listed earlier already sold. It was a Burberry mens polo shirt. I listed it for $30.00 plus shipping and it sold really quickly. I know I probably could have gotten more but I'm happy for the quick sale. I'm always so scared of listing designer brands that are often counterfeited  like Burberry. I always try and do research before listing to confirm it's real but I'm far from an expert on designer anything. Designer for me is Target or things that I find cheap at yard sales. I always cross my fingers and say a little prayer when I list things like that.

Speaking of yard sales, even though I have a buying freeze I still went yard saling this weekend. I always drive my mom to them (she never learned to drive) and she asked me to go. I did very well though and only spent $4.00 on a bunch of 4 oz bottles of Bath & Body Works Temptations 3 in 1 body, bath, and shampoo. I never heard of them before but they smelled good and they are the perfect size for Princess' swim bag. If I put big bottles in her bag she wastes the entire thing in two showers. I looked them up last night and found out they are discounted so I might try listing them instead of using them. I love finding discounted items. People get used to things and when they are gone they will pay big money to get them again.

It's time to go inside and get to work. I also want to go inside because some people I don't know pulled up next door and I have a huge fear of strangers next door. A couple months ago I learned that my neighbors know my Princess' former family and now I have a fear of someone coming and kidnap her. I never leave her outside if I don't have direct eye contact on her. I know my neighbors would never let anything happen to her but I don't know what her former family might try. I've been trying to teach her the whole stranger danger motto. Hopefully it never comes up.

Just a few random thoughts. Have a wonderful day!

Another Lost Phone

Sometimes the Kool-Aid comes and kicks you in the butt. I have been reading Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover everyday and I’m almost done with it. It’s a great book and I recommend it. Step one after making your budget and writing out your debt is saving $1000.00 in an emergency fund. He says that you will never get around to paying off your debt if you don’t have the cushion in case of an emergency. If you don’t have the cash you will end up charging your “emergency” and the cycle continues. As I’m reading the book I am half heartily thinking “I can do this. But maybe I will just skip step 1. Go straight to paying off debt”. Well last night I realized exactly why he has this step in place.

 

Most nights when it’s not extremely cold or raining we take the girls for a walk around the neighborhood after dinner. It’s a nice little ritual the girls enjoy. Last night as we were heading out I ran back inside the house to get my phone off the charger. I really don’t need it but I will admit having my phone with me at all times is like a security blanket. It was dark when we went for our walk and without realizing it my phone ended up falling. I didn’t realize it was missing  until we got home and we went searching for it but were unable to find it. I have (or had) an iPhone. I love my phone. I do a lot on it. But they are expensive. And I don’t have the money to buy a replacement phone cash. But I can’t be without a phone. So last night after searching for the lost phone I ended up charging the purchase of a new phone. There went $200.00.

 

Now I know I could have gotten a much cheaper phone but I do use my phone for a lot. Including listing on eBay. On my phone I had 10 items ready to be listed. What I do is I take pictures of the items when I get a chance on my phone. Then I take notes of description and measurements and save that on my phone. When I’m ready to list I open up the app, download the pictures and crop as needed and copy and paste description and measurements. I can do that anywhere I’m at including sitting at swimming class, waiting at the DMV, as a passenger while someone else is driving. Even if I am cut short and can’t finish listing an item I can save the listing as is and continue at another time. I love eBay mobile. If I feel the listing needs more I can always go back on my laptop when I get a chance and do a quick tweak. I also find that listing on my iPhone ensures that my listing is mobile friendly. I always go back on my phone and check the listing as a “buyer” to make sure it’s easy to ready.

 

I know most people do their listing on their laptop but with my busy scheduled if I relied on my laptop I would never get any listings done. Does anyone else do their listings on their phone?

Resolution Time

I am one of those people. I make New Years resolutions every year. And I rarely keep them. I have good intentions but some thing happens about week two into the New Year. This years resolutions are probably most peoples top three:

 

1. Lose weight (I started Weight Watchers online. This worked for me before but I did the meetings)
2. Save money. I actually bought several Dave Ramsey books from his website recently. They were on sale for $10.00 which was less then Amazon had them for. I am not drinking the Ramsey Kool-Aid and going all guns blazing into this. I’m not willing to give up things that are probably not necessary like my daughters extra curricular activities to do this. But I did do a budget and have an envelope system I am hoping to stick to.
3. This one goes with resolution #2 but I want to get my bills paid off as soon as possible. I am a living pay check to pay check kind of girl. I admit it. No matter how much I make it never goes far enough. After reading up on Dave Ramsey and making up my budget I added up all my bills. With credit cards and loans I owe … $25000.00. That isn’t including my mortgage. At the current rate I can get it paid off in 5 years but I don’t want to wait that long. So all my extra money will now be spent on paying extra. And to make matters worse I need a new car. With the kids we don’t fit comfortably in what we have. So I will probably be adding another $10000.00 to that total before summer (I will get getting a used new to me car that isn’t from El Ano Del Caldo.).
4. Get organized. Oh eBay you make this so hard to follow through. So currently I’m in a buying freeze until the end of the month. I have plenty to list.

 

This past week I was going through a tote of things to list and was doing some research on a lovey I had. I love selling them. People look to replace lost or destroyed ones all the time and are willing to pay good money. They are small and easy to store. Best of all they are cheap to mail so you can offer free shipping. Of course I would love to find a Fisher Price 1979 vintage security blanket but I haven’t had any luck yet. I’m surprised they still sell for so much. During my research I ran into Playskool Snuzzles toys. I never heard of them before but apparently they sell well. This little Lamb sold for $220.00!!! Maybe Mary lost hers and was trying to replace it (sorry I couldn’t help myself).