Yard Sale For Sale

(First a venting.  Then some good news.  Mean, aren't I?)

Can you sell a yard sale?  If I could, I'd sell mine.  Don't get me wrong:  I am so thankful for all of the donations people have made.  I am so thankful for those who have worked or just sat through the sales with us.  I am so thankful for the many people who have bought stuff.  I am so thankful for the people who have NOT bought anything but gave us money anyway.  I am thankful that yard sales plus craigslisting (like that word?) donated items has raised almost $8,000 for us in the last 5 years.  But did I mention that we've been doing yard sales for FIVE YEARS?  Six years ago, I didn't like yard sales.  I didn't have yard sales; I didn't go to yard sales.  Nothing against them.  I just don't enjoy them...from any angle.  I don't like shopping of almost any kind.  Tim is the shopper in the family.  Manly-man that he is, he shops in the style of a woman:  browses, compares prices, checks multiple stores, and even returns the item if he finds it cheaper before using it.  I shop like a man: I want to know what I'm going after; go in and out of stores without slowing down until I find the item; if the first item I find is at a reasonable price, pay it and go home; done.  I like buying; I just HATE shopping.  Now, I have officially lived through 30 yard sales.  That's right.  Our yard sales have taken on a life of their own and "celebrated" the big 3-0!

As I've told many folks lately, my house (and my life) is a lot like those slide puzzles we had when we were little.  Remember those?

You have only one empty spot, and you to rearrange the tiles to a particular order or to make a picture.  The catch is that you can't just move "this tile" directly to its location.  You may have to first move this here so you can move that there so you can move this one over here and then move the desired tile one step closer to its destination.  That's my house.  Before I can move furniture out of the boys' room into V's room, I need to empty her room.  But right now there is only a footpath through it.  Before I can empty her room.  I need to create some (possibly long-term) storage in the garage so I can clean out the house (her room included).  But the garage is packed wall to wall with yard sale stuff.  I could easily be having yard sales through October, and yes I could use the funds that would raise, but I need time to reorganize my house. Fellow-moms, my nesting instinct is going haywire because I can't find the nest to prepare for it for them.  I have piano lessons tomorrow, but first I need to move the computer cabinet in the middle of my living room because it is in front of said piano.  So much for having a TV remote because you have to get off the couch to aim the remote around the computer cabinet to change the channel.  We would sit on the futon instead, but it is still piled with clothes Colton has outgrown.  I'm trying to avoid buying new storage tubs, because I'm hoping to free some up from the yard sales.  Ugh, there's the yard sale impeding my cleaning again!  Maybe we should just sit on the back seat from the Navigator.  After all, it is also sitting in my living room because we removed it to go on our mini vacation (went to visit family...maybe I'll get around to telling you about that another time).  For those of you who have been to my house, you know that my living room is not very big to begin with.

Sometimes I think I'm going insane.  I feel like I'm standing on the ledge of a tall building, and a big yard sale sign is going to come by and just push me off.  I'm reading to just get rid of everything and commit to finding another way to do this thing.

Okay, I feel a little better.  Hope I didn't lose you through that.  Just be thankful you aren't in my garage.  In there, I might lose you.

Now, on to the good news.  We have received a very large grant and had that big season-opening yard sale and had a few other donations come in.  Our total now stands at $9500.  Yea!!!!!!  Thank you, Lord.  We have been trying to get an update from the kids, but we haven't heard anything yet.  I wouldn't have thought it would be too difficult.  We call/email our agency, they call/email the agency in Bulgaria, and they call/email the directors at each orphanage.  Then the process reverses.  It seemed simple at the time, but I first requested information about 2 weeks ago.  As with many aspects of this journey, there must be things I don't understand.  We did learn that our dossier is in some kind of process that will lead to our court date being set.  They think this date may be in October, and we would travel about 4 weeks after that.  Right now that seems a long way off -- at least until I look at my house and think, "I'm not ready!!  I'll never be ready in time!!"

As usual, please pray for us.  Please pray for my kids--the ones there waiting and the ones here waiting.  Please pray for funding.  Please pray for my house to be ready.  Pray for me as I try to get the house organized while trying to start the new school year (just as soon as I can finish the old one).  I told Tim that I feel like I am working 3 full-time jobs (house, homeschool, and adoption) and one part-time job at church.  I'm tired.  My muscles ache with stress.  I'm almost literally nauseated at the thought of another yard sale.  But I am so excited about the work God is doing here.  I'm humbled that he has asked us to be a part of this rather than just reading it in a book as someone else's story.  I'm learning to trust Him more.  I'm seeing ways that I hope I can help someone later when we have solid ground under our feet again.  I'm excited about what Colton and Eli are learning through this process, and I'm excited about seeing M and V again and finally bringing them home.