A New Kind of Crazy

We have taken the last 2 months and sorted through our possessions and cleaned out our closets in preparation for a yardsale to raise money to meet the rising costs of this adoption. We have come to realize that with any adoption the numbers you plan on and the numbers that you end up with when you are done are two distinct tallies. I am not a fan of this game. I would not do well in the construction business I fear. I want to come in on time and under budget. Doesn't happen in building a house and it sure has never happened in an adoption. This time is no exception as fees are accumulating and expenses adding that we were not informed of beforehand.

Yet, unlike construction you cannot choose to go with a lower grade of flooring or switch out the fixtures. The kid you love is the kid you love and nothing will keep you from going forward.... nothing that is except cold hard cash to pay for the procedural legalities. I think it is the one sad fact that keeps great kids out of great, loving families .... that mammoth gap of fiscal ability to pay for the legality.

We have pleaded and applied for a reduction of fees regarding this adopting given the circumstances and given the fact that we were taken unawares by the multitude of medical needs that would require so much money. We have met a brick wall in every turn, even those working within the system are a little surprised to find no give in their organizations.

So we are working all the angles we know, and one of the least favored by my dearest is the dreaded YARDSALE. Yet, it is our greatest opportunity barring more unpleasant sacrifices that could be made i.e. kidney donation (that's a joke, really). Our friends rallied around us when they heard we were having the fundraiser and donated lots of their good stuff to us. So much so, that our garage was full to the rafters with saleable items.

We were blessed and all ready to hold the sale last weekend when weather impeded our progress so we rescheduled for today. We prayed all week for great weather and we advertised all over the place. Today was beautiful and we had a crew of 3 families come and help us haul it all out early this morning and set it up for sale. Friends lent us tables and even one friend gave us the seed money for the cash box! What great friends!!!

We had a fair amount of traffic but the one thing we hadn't factored in was that we were near to a flea market and everyone stopped there first and spent all their easy cash before coming over to our place. You should have seen our place -- corner to corner display of great, good merchandise all for the taking at rock bottom, out the door prices. There were antiques at real show stopping prices and some great buys along with a flood of run of the mill yardsale items. I was surprised at what sold and what did not and to whom. Then there was the guy who haggled down a $10 item to $3, and before he got it to the car changed his mind and brought it back for a refund. No problem, we sold the thing full price within the hour, but it was funny!

There was also a great chance to sew goodwill within our neighborhood as lots of folks had come looking if not buying. We gave toys to the kids and of course the buttons had handfuls of lollipops to give away as their job during the day. You would think that I would have at least one photo from the day but NOOOOOOO I was too busy to even think about it.

In the end we sold about a third of the loot, took about 5 trailer loads to Good*will and put the remaining third of the best quality loot back into the garage to decide what it's fate shall be at another time, when we are not so exhausted. Nothing came back into the house, except for the kids.

After all this work the eager buttons gathered around the table as we counted the money. Amazingly, even with the spendthrifts, we still made a profit of $600! Woohoo, God is great! We are exhausted.