No time for blogging...

We're too busy enjoying our new home with a great yard during summertime!

My thoughts exactly...

Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. I was so excited for people to open the gifts I bought so long ago (I got all my shopping and wrapping done before december- just in case!). I loved giving my dad this awesome Detroit Tigers mug I had found, a great t-shirt for my brother in law Jason, and a pretend birthday cake set for Izzy (she loves to pretend birthday parties with her dolls and me).

Isabelle got some wonderful gifts, her favorites included:

• a 6 week ballet class
• a diaper bag for her baby doll
• money to buy herself a new baby doll
• a tea party set- real china for a big girl!
• a pretend hair styling kit with blow dryer, curing iron, etc
• matching jammies sewn for her and her baby doll by my mom

Paul and I didn't exchange gifts this year which was kind of a bummer- but we got a few wonderful gifts from other people- including a netflix subscription for 6 months which we are totally geeked about!

What was your favorite gift to give or recieve this year?

Date Night Fun

It was a real treat to get an impromptu date night last night. My mother-in-law stopped by at about 11 am to drop something off and asked if Izzy wanted to run errands with her- sure thing! Izzy loves to shop and loves even more to spend time with her grandma.

So I was anticipating a drop off around early afternoon in time for nap/rest time.

Well, 3pm rolled around and I had an appointment downtown for Liliana so I left, but Paul was home for Izzy.

Well, on my way home, I get a call that Izzy was off to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner. Whohoo! Date night! Gotta love it. Plus, we had just received a gift card to Olive Garden so we could go out to eat!!! No cooking + date night = happy girl.

We had a great time (you must, simply must try the new Manicotti formagio with chicken or whatever its called- simply to die for, roasted red pepper alfredo sauce with spinach and chicken and manicotti my oh my- it was so large it fed me for dinner, and Izzy and I finished it for lunch...so three meals!)

Paul and I had a great time together, but what made date night even more fun was the conversation next to us (is it bad we love to eavesdrop on other conversations when we are out?)

Well, it was these two old ladies probably in their 70's or early 80's. The first clue I had that it was going to be a fun evening was the introductory sentence.

"Well, I called ahead. I wanted to make sure they had spaghetti. And they do."

Really? You called an Italian restaraunt to make sure they had pasta? Isn't that like calling a steakhouse to see if they have steak or McD's to see if they have cheeseburgers?

Paul and I tried not to bust out laughing. Let's just say the rest of the evening got even better. One of my favorites was-

"Do your dishes come with bread?"

Olive Garden Virgins perhaps? Do they not know that one of the best features of this place is the all you can eat amazing salad and even more divine breadsticks? I don't know...but it sure gave us plenty of fun on our date night :)

You Know When Your Kids are Growing Up in a Different World...

You know your kids are growing up in a different world than you did when...

your 3 year old daughter looks at you funny when you proceed to pretend stamp books while playing library....

And then proceeds to get out her pretend laptop computer and 'scan' them all in....

And then demands a reciept for her books.

This one time at band camp....

Early August. Hard to believe. Every time August comes upon us, I can't help but think about August's pasts- back to school shopping, scheduling, last days of work, and of course Band Camp!

Yes I was a band geek, and probably always will be.

My senior year band camp was 9 years ago. 9 years ago I was more formally introduced to a guy named Paul who would eventually become my husband 5 years later. Boy was it an introduction!

It started one night in the middle of the week when we were sitting around the campfire. Paul and I were talking and sitting with a group of friends we happened to share. We were being 'set up' by my girlfriends at the time. But, we got to talking and found out we had quite a bit in common. One of my father's rules was that any guy who wanted to date me had to talk to him first (and ask permission!). Well, Paul's dad had the same rule (other guys had balked at this idea). It was great.

For the last night of band camp there was skit night where sections or classes could put on a little skit. For our senior year, my classmates wanted to go big and funny. The concept was is that it would be a skit about all of the funny/naughty things that happen at band camp beyond the eyes and ears of the director and leaders. They thought it would be hilarious to have two of the most innocent, unsuspecting people be caught 'making out' in the woods. So who did they pick? Well me (I was the perfectionaist, 4.0 people pleaser, drum major leader, christian girl) and Paul (the nice christian guy who wouldn't say or do a bad thing to save his life). I was rather mortified of the whole idea (I was worried what my teachers might think!) but played along. So 9 years ago we snuck out of our 'dorms' and into the woods to later come running back- with Paul tucking in his shirt all for the laughs.

Little did I know I would marry the fellow.

It was funny. We made it funnier because we would have never done such a thing. I'm still slightly mortified.

At least I marry the guy in the end right?

So band camp 2000 was a great time. Fire, skit, and a bus ride home next to a boy! Yes, we sat next to each other. A month or less later he became my first boyfriend. 5 years later he became my one and only when I said "I do".

Kind of like a fairy tale don't you think?

This one time at band camp....

Mini Vacation

It has been a long time since we were able to get away (January I believe). So, we headed up to the cottage Thursday and stayed up through the big Morgan side reunion/birthday party on Sunday. We had great weather and a wonderful time. Izzy had a great time at the beach- the girl loves her sand and water! She cried when it was time to leave this morning. I didn't get my camera out much (I was having too much fun or I was just resting a lot!). But here are a few fun pics.

This is the glazed over look we'd see every night...she nearly fell asleep in this chair! Enjoying the Sand

Love this shot! Such a genuine smile


Who knew it would be fun to try and slide down with the swim ring

what a beach bum!

Garage Sale Bible pt.2- Selling

I'm off to hit some (hopefully) great sales this morning- so I thought continuing my post on The Garage Sale Bible would be appropriate. This time- its for sellers. I've only actually done a few sales myself, but from those experiences, and from my experience as a life long shopper- here is what I look for in great sellers:

1. Price everything clearly. Don't just put signs up that say "make an offer"- it puts both buyer and seller in an akward situation. Put prices or a pricing system on everything. Its annoying to have to ask how much each item is. It puts pressure of buyers and makes your accounting much more simple!
2. Don't sell crap. I know this is somewhat ambigious and subjective- but there are a lot of sellers out there who think it is perfectly ok to try and sell their stained and ripped clothing, broken vases, and toys without key parts. Don't sell anything you wouldn't put your kids in. Don't try and sell something that is grossly stained. (I'm talking like those nasty formula stains on the front of jammies and those blow out stains from you know what). Put them in a free box, donate them, or turn them into cleaning rags around the house. As a buyer, if I see a stack of stained, rippped clothing- I'm not going to look much further. You may have great stuff- but once I see you trying to sell me that stuff, I will be less motivated to look further. Don't try to sell me a Dora book that requires the special pen, but you misplaced it- or the Thomas book that was magnetic and is missing all of the magnets (especially for more than 25 cents!).
3. Remember your stuff is worth more to you than it is to someone else. I know that cute frilly dress was a memory for you of when Jane giggled for the first time at her Grandpa, or the throw pillows that came all the way from your Great Aunt Ruth all the way from Alaska mean so much to you. But, I don't really care. I'm not going to pay anymore for it because it meant something to you. Price stuff at a fair market (garage sale market, not retail!) value, intrinsic value aside. Having a friend, who is distant from the memories each of your items hold, help price items can be helpful.
4. Be willing to wheel and deal- or put a sign up that says otherwise. 98% of the sellers I come into contact with are willing to put together a package deal for lots of items or are willing to be flexible on some of their pricing. If you are staunch on pricing- put up a sign that says "Pricing firm". But, you will get more sales if you are willing to work with buyers. I'm not saying you have to take a bath- but a lot of the time, its just a buck or two- or just to get to a nice round number so you don't have to worry about change. (I had a lady yesterday who nearly had a heart attack when I offered her $7 instead of $7.25 for the pile of clothes I had...I would have paid the $7.25, but I was just trying to make our lives easier by not having to worry about change! This my friends was a fair barter, not unreasonable, and you as a seller should just take it!)
5. Organize! Keep your sale clean and organized for easy shopping. When you go into a department store- clothes are nicely folded or hung in size order- do the same. If there is an outfit- pin or tape together all the pieces so they don't get lost in the shuffle. Label your tables and racks for easier shopping. Don't pile books- keep them in a box or crate for easy flip through. Think of your garage and yard like a mini store and organize it as such. Make sure you as the seller are easy to find- with a cashier station easy to locate as well.
6. Have change available- think small bills and quarters. Chances are, inexperienced buyers are going to come along with a $20 for a $1 purchase. You must be prepared to make change.
7. Forgoe the 10 cent box. Maybe have a quarter box for little trinkets- but for those old mcdonald toys that you are just trying to get rid of - I promise you- you will get rid of them faster and make a harried mom with a whiny child very happy and pleased if you just put a free box out there! (plus, if you are willing to give my daughter that little trinket for free- i'm much more likely to buy something from you)
8. Greet your shoppers, small talk is ok. In fact, silence is rather akward. But, don't try to oversell your items. Let the buyers ask questions first about the items before offering your two cents of what a wonderful product it is and how you don't know how you can live without it. (think about that- especially for household things- if you are selling it- chances are you didn't like it enough to keep!)
9. Have batteries in toys or batteries available to test toys. Have an electrical outlet to for buyers to test electronic items. I'm not going to buy it if I don't know if it works or not!
10. Clearly label your sale at major street corners and then at every turn leading to your sale with the same color/design sign so buyers can easily find you.
11. Advertising. Want to get the most traffic to your sale? First, advertise on Craigslist (free online classfied website and basically one of the best inventions since the computer itself). If you have a lot of big ticket items and feel as though your sale may be hard to find, go ahead and advertise in a small, local paper (for you GR area people- the advance). There is a fee- but can be a good source for buyers. Finally, if you live near a larger development, find out when their neighborhood sale is and do it at the same time, but open an hour earlier! You will be much more likely to get high traffic if you coordinate sales- people like one stop shopping!
12. Pricing. Its subjective, I know. But, do some research before pricing your items. Shop around at other sales. See how much things run retail and clearance and price accordingly (aka, not any higher than a clearance price for brand new items). You will not recup your cost for the items. Kids clothing and toys are not an investment- don't expect to get a return on them. I know some of you paid a boatload for the entire Gymboree collection. If you really want to get your money's worth- sell it on ebay or something like that where other gymboree collectors and lovers will pay top buck for it. Yeah, as a buyer I would maybe pay a little more for a name brand (simply because you can tell the quality is high sometimes), but I'm not going to pay a ton more. For example- I won't pay $12 for the gymboree dress, i just won't. Especially if there is a more generic brand dress hanging there for just $4. Garage sale buyers are out for good deals on gently used items. If you want to sell collectors items for top dollar- this is not the avenue for you.
13. Have fun! Enjoy your day. If you aren't- it shows. I don't like shopping at a sale where I feel like I'm inconviencing the seller. It was your choice to have a sale- be prepared for weather, bordeom, hunger, etc. Bring a friend. Find somewhere for the kids to go for the day.

Any other suggestions out there for buyers?

Funny Girl

We have a comedien in training amongtst us. Our little Izzy girl has found herself to be quite funny- or wanting to be!

Some examples:

• When daddy is leaving she shouts "goodbye mommy!" and then gets this goofy grin on her face.


• She all of the sudden said "knock, knock" from her carseat one day. I responded, "Who's there?" She just laughed and laughed and thought that was so funny. So now she says "knock knock", and I say "who's there?" and she says, "Its me, Isabelle!"


• She has named her stuffed dolphin 'whale'


• On Palm Sunday- "God came into the city riding a camel!"

Then there was this conversation this morning:

"I want to wear a dinosaur shirt mommy"

"I don't think we have a dinosaur shirt, I think they onloy make dinosaur shirts for boys"

"Well, sometimes when I'm a boy, I will wear a dinosaur shirt"

25 Random Things...

I was tagged by my friend Christine tagged me from half way across the world via facebook. I'm afraid my answers will not be nearly as exciting as hers. Here we go!

1. I'm a pastor's kid- but I like to think I turned out pretty well.
2. I have a weird obsession for the Olympics. My dream is to someday attend a summer Olympic games and go to all of my favorite events.
3. My all time favorite food is macaroni and cheese
4. My parents made me get my tonsils out over spring break of 2nd grade- which was also over my birthday. It was a bummer of a vacation and a birthday!
5. I've had glasses since the 3rd grade. I even had bifocals from 3rd-10th grade. Usually they are for old people. I liked wondering around my third grade classroom with my head tilted up just looking out of the bifocal.
6. Two of my favorite TV shows of all time are Full House and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman
7. (an idea from Christine) My first movie in a theatre was The Little Mermaid
8. I was incentivize to learn how to swim underwater by my aunt in Florida who said she would take me to see Kindergarten Cop if I swam the length of her pool underwater without stopping.
9. I am an extreme perfectionist and people pleaser which made me very successful in school settings, but has been hard to work with in real life.
10. I played Anne Frank in high school and my "temporary" black hair dye lasted for 6 months.
11. I was drum major for three years in high school
12. I am completely uncoordinated and have horrible eye/hand coordination. The gym teacher paired me with the special ed kids all the time. I like to think it was because I was nice to them (you know how mean high schooler's can be), but maybe it was my complete inability to make contact with the ball and racket.
13. I traveled around the great Midwest with a traveling drama troupe in college. Spending nights with random couples from random little tiny churches is always an adventure! I should write a post about the lady I stayed with in central Florida sometime. Think lonely widow filling her life with the love of animals- of all kinds.
14. Paul (my husband) was my first and only boyfriend. We met at Band Camp.
15. I am a child of the 80's- I wore stirrup pants, multiple pairs of colorful socks, and long t-shirts tied on the side with a scrunchy.
16. My favorite Christmas present was the Christy Miller book series- love those!
17. I've been on missions trips to: Guatemala, Jamaica, Grenada, Bangladesh, Southern China, and The Bronx.
18. I want to go to: Africa (Uganda most likely), Northern China, Australia, and South America. Maybe a layover in Spain.
19. Teaching is my passion and I enjoy learning how to use the skill sets outside of a typical classroom.
20. I think the tv show The Office in the funniest television since classic years of Friends.
21. I didn't start drinking coffee until I became a mother and understood the real meaning of sleep deprivation.
22. My worst habit is not shutting my dresser drawers all the way.
23. My least favorite chore is ironing.
24. I collect children's books.
25. I have fallen through the ice on Green Lake.

You all take a try!

New Izzy-isms

Betcha didn't know...

kitchen is actually pronounced "chicken"
swimming pool actually is a "swimming poop" And you wear your "swim soup" while enjoying it!

Kids mimick us....

As overheard while in the kitchen cooking dinner, "Duckie, you need to change your attitude!"

During playtime in the basement, "hurry up baby! We need to go to the store"

Creativity abound...
Izzy draws people as a circle with lots of dots in the middle and sometimes a straight line coming out of it...one person she drew only had two dots and she exclaimed, "Oh no! He only has two eyes!"

My friend Debbie tagged me to do a picture game:

Here are the rules:
1. Go to the 4th folder in your computer where you store your pictures.
2. Pick the 4th picture in that folder.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag 4 people to do the same

My picture is:

Its a blurry one- I rarely go through and delete photos! Paul took this at the top of our stairs looking down into the living room. I think it was supposed to show the mass chaos of toys that Izzy had created. Not really sure. Funny though!

I tag these people to do the same!

-Becky

-Sarah V.

-Jason

-Nikki

Merry Christmas!

We wish everyone a blessed and merry Christmas!

Numbers

Started throwing some numbers around:

Dhaka, Bangladesh is 11 hours ahead. ie: 3 pm Michigan time = 2 am Dhaka time
Kunming, China is 13 hours ahead. ie 3pm Michigan time=4 am Kunming time

Average daily high currently in Dhaka=85-90 degrees
Average daily high currently in Kunming= 60 degrees
Low for Dhaka- 65 degrees
Low for Kunming- 40 degrees

We will travel over 17,000 miles in this journey- possibly closer to 18,000- wow!!!

We leave on the 18th of November but don't arrive in Dhaka until the 20th.
We leave Dahka in the wee early hours of Dec. 1st and arrive in Grand Rapids at 11:30 at night on the 1st. How crazy is that?

Children's home in Dhaka: 400 kids and 50+ staff on a 4 acre parcel
Kunming population: 6.2 Million souls

Just some fun numbers for you to think about!

Parade, Grease Stains, and Pina Colada's

How's that for a random title post?

Parade of Homes is over for the fall. Fall parade was much slower than the spring, but we kind of expected that. We still had a little over 200 people through the spec model. Hey- if each person told one person, just think of the word of mouth publicity! Haha. Yesterday I most certaintly did not forget to set my alarm for church, therefore we all slept in past the first service and past the point of being able to get out the door before the second service. I would never do that! Ha! Because that series of unfortunate events, we were blessed with a little extra time to tear down all the decor and furniture in the parade model and move it back to Paul's office/sales model and other furnished condos currently for sale. The tear down went great, Izzy watched Elmo on a 56 inch plasma tv screen while we loaded our pacifica with all the goods. 4 trips later, it was done, or at least half way done.

We took a short break to have lunch with family who just came home from their vacation in Mexico, and then for Izzy to come back and have an afternoon nap. After only an hour, she awoke, much to my dismay, but again, it blessed us with more time to finish setting up the sales model again.

Much to our horror, when we arrived back at the sales model, we realized that a black, greasy substance had been tracked all over the carpet. (alas, it was from the bottom of my shoe, but we still do not know the source!) Enter state of panic and frazzle as we figure out how to solve the grease stain dillema. Mom Spica came to our rescue and took Izzy off our hands as we got on our hands and knees using my Mom's miracle product Greased Lightning. It took the spots right up! (I also use this stuff when normal stain removers don't work and it gets spots right out!). A few hours later, the sales model is furnished and cleaned, and we're off to drop our Pacifica off to the car doctor. Its getting new brakes while we're away.

Now, we hit the waiting game before I get to sip my first Pina colada of my vacation. Bags are packed, house is cleaned, list of things to buy before we leave is made, and we wait! Sometime around noon Paul and I will drop off Izzy (already choking up!) and then make our way to Detroit to fly out really early Wednesday morning. And get this (I do have the greatest husband in the world!), PAUL suggested we stop at the outlet mall in Howell on our way!!!! Whoot!!!! Bargain shopping will help hurry the wait for that first glorious sip of pineapple coconut goodness.

So, if I fail to find internet or find other things to do :) Have a great week, and hopefully I'll be back tanner and not too much heavier than when I left.

xoxoxoxoxox
Peace out yo!

Busy Two Weeks

Not this is that exciting to any of you out there...

The parade home is staged and ready to open today. I'm glad its almost over with. The place turned out really well. There are some really neat features. Minus the square cabinet knobs. Those are really cool looking, but man are they sharp!!! I have three huge bruises from being punctured as I decorated the kitchen last night. Note to self: Don't have sharp cabinet knobs, danger to self and kiddos.

So as the hubby gets busy with the parade hours, I'm off to the north to spend some time with the parentals and the lil sis. If I don't go now, it would be early november before I see them!

I've got Bible study, Discovery Village, a lot of birthdays and more in the next couple of weeks.

But, the most exciting thing is that two weeks from right now, "I'm leavin' on a Jet plane!!!!" to the warm, sunny, relaxing venue of Mexico!!! Two weeks from now Paul and I are headed on our "honeymoon". We are super excited and can't wait for the next two weeks to fly by.

West Michigan Mom's Sale

A little piece of info to all you moms in blogland (or to the like 4 people who read this thing!). There is going to be a great indoor event for kids clothes, toys, and furniture. West Michigan Mom's Sale is having its first sale on Saturday the 27th from 9-3. Basically a mom will rent out a table to sell of her kids toys and clothes and sell them to all of us bargain shoppers. There is also a room full of big toys and furniture. The great thing about this sale is that each seller is in charge of their own table so you can wheel and deal a good price! Its modeled after the moms2moms sales they have on the east side of the state.

If interested check out: http://www.westmichiganmomssale.com/

Its going to be held at the Homeschool building on Burlingame between M-6 and 54th street.

Maybe I'll see you there!

What can you get for $32.56?

So what can you get for $32.56 in today's economy? About a gallon of milk! Haha, just kidding. One of my favorite places to shop is goodwill. Its the best. Its hit or miss. Its awesome. Today was a HIT day! Here is what I got for $32.56.

-Old Navy Jeans
-Khaki cordoroy pants
-White Sweater
-2 short sleeve shirts
-3 long sleeve shirts
-Pajama cami
-Pink tennis shoes
-5 books for Izzy
-Thomas the train train set (wooden tracks with trains in orginal box)
-VHS movie
-CD of toddler tunes

Yeah, it was a good morning!

Alone

We are ALONE! My parents were itching for some Izzy time, so they picked her up last night and have her until Tuesday afternoon. Mondays also just happen to be Paul's only day off. We have an entire day alone!!! No working!!! Just us. A preview for our vacation in a few weeks. This will help us get through the final push through Fall Parade of Homes. Paul's been working 7 days a week for the past 3 or 4 weeks and has to work 7 days a week from now until October 14 when we leave. We are going to treasure this day! But, as we sit in the living room in our PJ's we just wonder what to do! What do we do today? Any suggestions?

6 Things I've Learned: A Motherhood Meme

With inspiration from my friend Sarah, I thought I'd record 6 things (only 6??) that I've learned since becoming a mother a little over 2 years ago. I'm still in my toddler stage of motherhood. I'm past the infancy stage of everything is new and exciting. I'm not quite in the maturity of childhood as a mother. I still throw tantrums when parenting doesn't go my way. I'm off discovering new things all the time, learning new vocabulary,learning my boundries. So, that being said, I'm no expert, but I've learned a lot in my two years as a mom.

6. Baby food carrots stain like no other! Don't put your daughter in a cute outfit alone for even a second with a small container of baby food carrots within reach. Do not underestimate the length of her reach or her speed. Your cute little outfit will never be the same.

5. My daughter will never wear all of the outfits given to her or bought by me. I'm a bargain shopper (garage sales, goodwill, etc.). I tend to overbuy simply because its cheap. Now she has more clothes than one could possibly wear in a season.

4. When you think you can't take it anymore, add some humor to the situation. One time when Izzy was like 8 months old, she just wouldn't stop whining. Nothing would make this child happy. Finally, I emptied her little toy box and stuck her in it. We had a rousing time of baby in the box. She thought it was hilarious and started to calm down. I gained joy from her laughter and we both ended up in better moods. Humor can help take care of a lot of ill feelings.

3. A toy doesn't have to be a toy. Izzy has found more entertainment out of a box I turned into a play house, a tube from wrapping paper we decided could be a horse, and anything with holes she can make bubbles with in the bathtub.

2. Every child is so different. I know I have had only one kid, but just comparing her temperment and personality to other kids we are close to really shed light on how different God creates us all. We don't come out as blank slates- there is a personality behind that 7 pound ball. There is innate temperments and desires that I could never have fostered. My daughter's sweet motherly nature with her baby dolls is not something I fostered or taught- it is a gift given to her from the One who gave her life. Even her lack of sleep the first year of life (Izzy didn't sleep through the night until 13 months) set her apart from others. It will be interesting to see what a second baby will bring (someday!) and what kind of temperments and personality they have.

1. I never knew how much sorrow I could feel for someone else's tears and joy from someone else's laugh. When she cries I want to fix it. When she laughs, I can't help but be put in a better mood. She is contagious. And those eyes could just melt my heart.