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).

Happy New Year

Happy New Year from my family to yours. 

It's Christmas Time

I love selling Christmas decorations. It amazes me how much people will pay. Not me. I went to Dollar Tree to be non-breakable decorations this year because of the baby. Less then $20.00 and I decorated the entire tree, got paper, ribbon and tags. 

Best sale this week was selling my creepy Christmas caroler. Only one sold but it sold for ... $86.00! Can you believe that? Sandra Hasson Caroling Kids. Keep an eye out for them. And today I sold a lot of two Gail Laura 4" Christmas figures. Nothing special about them but they sold for $31.00. Another find from the same garage sale I bought the caroling kids from. 

The best thing is that these Christmas decorations will help make my Christmas a bit more special too. More money for me!!! 

Speaking of Christmas, we went and saw santa this week. My princess was so excited! 

Oh Peanuts!

That is my Princess’ new favorite saying. Whenever something goes wrong or doesn’t go as planned you can hear her exclaim “Oh Peanuts”! I’m not sure where it came from but I find it adorable. But then again I find just about everything my daughter does adorable. I had a woman in swimming tap me on the shoulder earlier this week and tell me how her husband and her always comment to each other about what a pretty daughter I have. It was very unexpected and nice comment. I wish I could take credit but I can’t. I think she’s perfect and I’m the luckiest person in the world to have her.

 

No, my post isn’t about my daughter. I had an OH Peanuts moment recently. When I first looked up and listed the previously mentioned creepy holiday decorations there were several that had sold recently for $60-80.00 but none currently listed. I felt confident mine would sell for a good price. The next day after listing mine another seller listed two in a lot for less then mine and their listing isn’t closing until after mine. I already have a bid for $40.00 on one of my listings but none on the other. Now I don’t think they will do as well. Even if I only sell them for $40.00 I am happy with that profit but I was hoping for more. If only that other seller would have waited a few more days to list theirs. But I guess such is the life of eBay sales and friendly competition.

 

 

Kinda Creepy

This weekend we went out as a family for our 3rd annual cut our own Christmas tree outing. This is one of those things I want to make a family tradition for as long as possible. I think traditions are important. I don't have too many with my family but the ones I have are very special.

When we got home J got out some boxes marked Christmas. We have his and hers decorations and very few ours so we weren't sure what we would find. One of the storage boxes contained some decorations I picked up early this year at a yard sale. The yard sale was held in the back yard of this home and the yard was filled with tons and tons of treasures. I bought a mountain of stuff (literally a mountain) and only paid about $30 for all of it. Have already sold about $200 worth throughout the year of things I purchased that day. The Christmas items I purchased got put away and forgotten. As I pulled out the items out of one of the boxes J exclaimed "that's kinda creepy". I have to admit it was but in quaint old fashion Christmas kind of way.

As I have been known to do with everything that comes in this house I looked up the item before deciding to use or sell. These creepy cute decorations have sold for $60. Off to the for sell pile they went. 

I have two old fashion carolers listed separately for $40 and I already have a bid on one. One persons creepy is another's christmas decoration. 

An update on my great find. The stress control thingy sold for $275 plus shipping. My second highest sale to date on eBay. I wish I could turn $2 into $275 every week. 

Great Find

Since I work full time and always have a bunch of errands to run at lunch I don't usually go to yard sales on Friday. Today I got J to run my errand for me so at lunch I decided to go by the only sale in the area I found. And am I glad I did. 

J actually met me there (we are a yard saling couple) which was good because I hate shopping on my own. There was a box on the table that I had never seen before. I read the cover of the box and turned to J and said "this is perfect for you!" It was a box for Alpha-Stim SCS stress control system. I put it back down on the table and proceeded to look around to see what else they were selling. But something kept nagging me about that box so I decided to look it up on eBay. I almost knocked down an old lady and two kids in my race to get back to the table to get the box. I casually asked the owner how much and she answered $2.00. I quickly paid her and almost did cartwheels on the way back to my car. 

Here are some currently listed:

Woohoo!!!

Shopping Trip

Today at lunch I decided to hit a couple of the local thrift stores. With only an hour I had to do some quick shopping. I only ended up buying three things and two I'm keeping for Christmas. 

The first item that I'm going to list is a new Carter's Teething ring. I didn't bother looking it up but for a dollar I know I can at least triple my money. 

For my princess I bought this Lego Disney Planes set. New in box (box is slightly beat up) for $2.00. This is going to get wrapped up and is going under the tree. 

My favorite find was a Leapfrog Laugh and Learn table new in box for the baby for only ... $5.00!!! I opened the box to make sure nothing was broken and put batteries in it and it is ADORABLE! 

Am I the only cheap ... Oops I mean frugal mom that gives gifts they find at thrift stores and yard sales?

New BOLO

I am a member if several Facebook groups. Recently I saw a post (I don’t remember in which group) about a Bape (Bathing Ape) jacket wondering if it was real. Two things struck me with this post. One, what kind of clothing does someone named Bathing Ape make? And if they were wondering if the jacket was real then it has to be worth good money. I pretty sure people don’t do knockoffs of inexpensive items. What would be the point. So I looked up the brand on eBay and was shocked how expensive this brand is. I looked at their online shop and t-shirts start at $90 and can go as high as $230.00. FOR A T-SHIRT!?!?! Jackets can run over $1000.00.

 

Bathing Ape is a Japanese clothing company which seems to sell mostly street wear clothing. Stuff young people who don’t know the value of a dollar like. They have collaborated with popular characters to make special designs like Spongebob and Hello Kitty so they are hitting two niches. Some of their stuff is adorable but way out of my price range. Luckily that usually means that it’s out of a lot of other peoples price range too. And where do people look when they want something cheaper? EBAY!

 

If you happen to find a Bape clothing item on your travels and are wondering if it is real here are a couple of guides to help out. The last thing any eBay seller wants is to get caught selling a fake anything on eBay even if it was unintentional.

 

http://www.authenticbape.com/spot-fake-bape-aka-fape.html

http://www.bapeinfo.com/fake-bape/

http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-spot-fake-bape-bathing-ape-Part-1-/10000000001249147/g.html

 

(anyone else think their logo guy looks like a character from Plant of the Apes)

 

Halloween and a Jinxed Listing

Doc McStuffins and Lambie!

Maybe it's something about the time of year but I have had the worst luck on a listing for a Ralph Lauren men's shirt. I have stopped buying every RL shirt I find because the market is saturated. But this one had a big logo and decals so I knew it would sell well. Also BOLO for really large sizes because they sell quickly and for good money. 

This particular shirt I listed on auction first. It sold for $37.99 plus shipping. I paid $2.00 so I was happy with that. But the buyer never paid. Listed of BIN for the same price the second time and it sold within 2 days. Again buyer never paid. Thirds times a charm right? I listed it again and it sold within 3 days. I actually had someone in town email me if they could buy it and pick it up but someone else bought it before I could respond. This time when I opened an UPI after waiting a week for payment the buyer paid. Unfortunately when a buyer doesn't pay and you open an UPI case it takes time before you can relist. You would think this listing would have a happy ending since I finally got payment. But no. Since its been a while since I originally listed it and I expected to mail it out quickly I didn't store it where I usually would and now I can't find. So tonight I have to tear apart my eBay room to find it. With my luck I will find it, mail it, and it will get lost in the mail. I feel like this shirt is that jinxed. 

Anyone else ever have a bad listing? 

Flip A Coin

I have been going through all my “to be listed” piles and feel like I haven’t made a dent. I didn’t realize how much I had. Several items I felt weren’t going to get enough profit and would probably sit a while so off to Goodwill they went. It’s sad when I start adding up all the money I have spent on these items but it’s teaching me that I have to be more choosey with the items I buy. I don’t have the time or the space for an item that will sell for $10-15 after several months even if it only cost a quarter to buy.

Most items I didn’t even have to bother to look up. I either remembered them from when I originally bought them and looked them up or from past experiences I knew what they would sell for. Even though I probably shouldn’t be going by past experiences since things can change as Treasure Hunting Mommy mentioned here.The fun part has been discovering items I didn’t even remember buying and researching them. I’ve already sold several of them for a great profit.

This little guy is a Kliban plush fat cat. I’ve seen him before on coffee mugs. I’ve even purchased said mugs to sell. But I hate selling breakables so they still sit in the cabinet. That will be my last sell or purge pile. My daughter must have picked this plush up at a yard sale and brought him home because I don’t remember buying him. I looked him up on eBay and only found this one for $99.99 BIN. Sounds good to me! But this one has tags and mine doesn’t. And I want things to move quickly. Who knows how long this seller has had theirs sitting.

As I fellow seller I feel bad undercutting the other seller. But if mine does sell his will be the only other one listed. So do I start high and hope I at least get one bid or start low and hope for a lot of bids (remember I’m only doing auctions on these new listings)? Decisions, decisions. Maybe my indecisive nature is why it’s taking me so long to get through all my stuff. Maybe I should just flip a coin. What would you do?

Cha Cha Cha Changes

October is going to be the month for changes for me. I woke up this weekend and decided I wasn’t happy with the way my life was going. There isn’t really anything wrong with my life. There are just certain things that I don’t like. And why should I continue living with that. I’m an adult capable of making changes for the better and sticking to them.

I read a while ago that it takes 21-30 days to break a bad habit or to form a new one. That might very well be an old wives tale but I like the idea of giving myself a month to start and make changes. At the end of the month I can evaluate what worked, what didn’t, and how to proceed. Having a smaller goal also helps me see that I am accomplishing something. So instead of wanting to lose 60 lbs overall I can say 3-5 lbs in one month. That goal is much more doable. So here is my top list of things I want to change this month:

1. Stop eating out so much. I signed up for Mint.com several months and have the app on my phone. It is constantly yelling (not literally cuz that would be weird) that I am spending way past my limit on eating out. If I was to look at how many times I eat out in one week … I think I would faint so I will just say it’s way too much. Unfortunately eating out is so convenient. With working full time and running around after work for gymnastics, swimming, and soccer (yes I became that mom) and countless other appointments the last thing I want to think about is coming home and cooking a full dinner. So I’m going to pull out my crock pot. For those days I have something happening I will put something on and have it ready to go when we get home. Piece of cake. My second biggest offense is breakfast. There are several fast food places within a block from work. In the morning I’m usually running late so stopping at one of these place is so easy. But I found something on Pinterest the other day which should really help me. Did you know you can freeze breakfast burritos? This weekend I cooked up 3 different types of burritos. They are ready to go each morning and I can pop them in the microwave when I get to work.

2. Lose weight. I'm fat. First step is admitting you have a problem. Hopefully #1 will help with this. Eating out doesn’t help maintain good weight. I am so unhappy with the way I look I never take pictures. I don’t have any with the baby except a few candid shots people have taken and I only have a few head shots with Princess. I want to get married in March (I know I was suppose to get married earlier this year but there is a long story as to why I haven’t) and I have my dream dress already. Unfortunately it’s too small for me. So I want to lose 3-5 lbs this month. I know I can do it. I’ve done it before. I just need to stick to it.

3. Organize my home. I think purging all of the unnecessary things in my life will help me feel “free”. In order to help my accomplish this I am doing a couple things. First, I am NOT going to buy anything new for the month except the essentials. Shopping freeze! Second, I need to purge eBay items. So for this month I’m going to run a lot of auctions starting at a low start price. If I’ve had something for a while I want it sold or gone. I will relist each item  twice. If it doesn’t sell it will be donated. I buy most things for a dollar or two so I will still be making a good profit on the items. What I have left over will be organized in the garage. If I showed you a picture of my garage now you would scream and call Hoarders. I want to look like Kari from She Thrifts.  Her storage is so organized.

4. Save money. I think #1 will help with this also. Eating out costs a lot. And I still have a dream of being a slum lord (but a nice one). I can’t buy property if I don’t have any money. But also Christmas is right around the corner and I have a wedding to pay for soon. My goal is to put $250 into savings. 

The main change this month is out of my control. We have court this month for baby on October  23^rd. They are suppose to move to terminate services on both parents. I am praying it happens finally. This month the baby will be 14 months and she will be with us 13 months. I just want something finalized. Living in limbo is so hard. I don’t think court will go easy. I know Dad will contest. And even if he doesn’t he has 2 months to appeal. But very rarely are the decisions made the department over turned. So at least it will be a step in the right direction. The mom has said that she has come to terms with losing the baby and is happy that she will be in a good home. She can see how much we love her and care for her.

I have learned from past experiences that sharing your goals with people helps you be accountable so I am sharing with you. And this is something that I have never done, but I am posting a full length picture of myself. I hope by March (wedding) my weight loss will be noticeable. Now don’t laugh.

Childhood Memories

We all had our favorite toys growing up. Those ones that we couldn't lived without. I had 3. One was a glow worm, the second was a dolly, and the third was a Fisher Price Happy Apple. I don't know if anyone remembers the Happy Apple. It's exactly what the name implies, a happy smiling apple. I would hold it from the brown stem and swing it around all the time until the stem broke. I loved that apple. Somewhere in one of our moves it went missing. Sob.

This weekend I was at a local flea market and what did I see from a distance? A Happy Apple. I ran to it. It was all in slow motion like you see in the movies. I thought I wouldn't be able to reach it in time. But I did. It was like coming home when I scoped it up.

I showed it to mom and she remembered it right away. I paid my dollar and was once again the proud owner of a Happy Apple. And this one had its stem fully attached. I took out a wipe and cleaned it up. Then I called Princess over and told her what I had  found. She was really happy to have the same toy Mommy once had. It touched my heart to see her play with it. I know it won't become her favorite toy but both girls can get some enjoyment out of it for a while.

It's funny how It never occurred to me to try and replace the apple from eBay. There are plenty for sale.  When I saw the Apple and how happy It made me I wish I had bought it sooner. It made me realize and experience the reason people look on eBay for replacement toys both old and new. A favorite toy isn't just an object. It's a feeling you get and memories you cherish that surround that toy that you can't put into words. Selling toys I have sold several replacement toys to parents that emailed me how happy they were to have found the toy for their child because they had lost it and they were so upset. It always made me feel good from a sellers point of view to be able to provide the toy for them (and make a profit). But now I appreciate it even more. 

Anyone else have a favorite toy they replaced from childhood? Or am I the only weird one?