Thanks for the night out Ghost Buddy :)

Hey buddy. 

This blog's for you.

Thanks for stealin me away for a night out.

Thanks for budgeting and buyin us some dinner....

Thanks for lettin me shamelessly lay down on that $5,000 couch in that ridiculously expensive store that rhymes with Manthropologie.

Thanks for bringin the cheese as you excitedly posed with various items we couldn't afford in that store...

Though there was one item that truly saddened you with it's unattainable price tag.....

Thanks for steppin away to talk to a random security guard while I had my fill of people watchin and makin fun of over sexualized rich white teenagers makin a fool of themselves to salsa music. It was embarassing just bein white at that moment......

 Thanks for agreein that next time we'll eat at Ruggles so we can make fun of people during our meal.....

 Thanks for sometimes evaporating and becoming my best ghost friend.....

 Thanks for accidentally photobombing while you instinctively try to fix my hair......

 And thanks for squeezin off a little smidge of your ghost powers for me.....

I love ya Buddy!

My last bit of childhood has been infringed upon!

It seems like when you blog, interesting things start happening. Or is it that you're just more attuned to noticing the quirkiness of life? 

My buddy, Delena and I did a quick sweep through the resale shop the other day. She needed a specific colored shirt and I just came along for the ride because we really don't have fun money anymore. I thought to myself  "At least I can look through the Free Toy bin."

But it was a total WHAH WHAH moment when I got there......

 I asked my buddy if she thought  it could possibly be because of me, hoping that she would extinguish my extremely vulnerable feeling of insecurity. She said "Yeah, probably."

True friends just let you deal with those harsh realities, I suppose.

 So today I have decided to pay a little tribute to all the wonderful free toys that I have acquired over the years. I just put some of my favorite ones together......

 I did take notice of Ava asking me "Can I play your toys?" while setting up. And I said yes :)

 Darn, I forgot to grab the other Fraggle Rock car. It's a radish with Red at the wheel. 

Wait, oh yeah. I paid for that one somewhere else so it didn't count. 

 Check out these sassy ladies. The pink McDonald's girl was actually taken the day I saw the new "policy". Last one, I promise!!! But geez! You can't just cut folks off like that, ya know?

 Me and Delena decide which toy represents people that we know from church, he he..... My sister, Coley is the lips because she's a loudmouth. We're not doin it mean spiritedly. We just have a colorful brain.

 Remember candy tubes with character heads? Michael Keaton Batman head still had it's 1989 candy in it. That is, until Gabe ate them one day. ewwww..... I love those 70's dudes, I shoulda had the middle guy pulled out so you could see his bell bottoms.

 This guy isn't old but he's notable because I found the head first on one trip and waaaay later found the body. If it was body first, obviously I wouldn't have taken it. It just wouldn't be logical.

Hope you're out in this pretty, sunny weather :) 

And if you're free toy bin hasn't become so anti communism, then pick up a toy in my honor.

Mother's Day around here

Gotta do the Mother's Day recap, no gettin out of that!

 Ava made me a sweet little candy pouch at school. Bummer that the candy never made it to my mouth. Ava claims "it was an accident".

 Still love her :)

 Yeah, that's me. And quite accurate, I am categorized in the "Apple" body type. 

 Sarah was stoked to finally give me her gifts. I made her wait since Friday so we could do a proper Mother's day. My brood is so loose and informal, we often don't really honor or celebrate events or holidays like everybody else. I don't know why exactly, we're just total slackers about things. I'm really hopin and tryin to be more "present" in those special little days and opportunities to make a big deal about each other.

And where's the boy, you ask?

Well, he's off bein a three year old, scratchin his boy butt somewhere ;) He'll get with it when he's older ;)

It was a good little moment, it really touched my heart the way my girl's were so happy to bless me.

A beautiful moment, indeed.

A Rainstorm and a Yard Sale

Hello, hello!

Can I just say, I really am happy to be back at the party! You guys are pretty amazing and just made my day with your sweet comments :) Blogging was a start of me recording our little history, and I'm so glad I documented our journey through the home buying nightmare. Blogging was my vent for some pretty steamy days livin with my folks and readin ya'lls blogs was a major boost in my depleted funny bone marrow. It sounds so silly, but bloggin got me through ;) Thanks, all you wonderful strangers who I feel so kindred to. You're the best strangers I ever knew, hands down.

<3 <3 <3

So yesterday mid-blog the power went out in a storm. I thought "Is this a sign that I'm not supposed to get back on it?" And then I thought "Nah"  ;) 

 When the lights go out, kid's instinct is to put on a winter parka....

 Take groovy photos......

and contribute to the candle lighting.

 Around lunch we we set out to get some fast food so we wouldn't have to open the fridge and let the cool air out. On the way back, I saw what suspiciously looked like the remnant of a yard sale at my corner neighbor's house. So, I circled the block rationalizing stopping at a yard sale in the rain, just intending to get a good peek at what hadn't made it to the shelter of the warm, dry garage......

 My neighbor saw me parked there and came out. He told me that everything was in the garage and I was welcome to come in and look. Boy, do you ever have those moments where your yard sale/flea market nuttiness is just laid bare for all to see. When there aint no hidin it and you just shamelessly yet sheepishly just be "THAT lady" ? 

I said "YES!"

 Momma made a good decision :) It was priced to GO. His kids toys were all like a quarter to a dollar. His kids, by the way, are 37 and up. Jackpot!

 This freezer bag was a quarter. Didn't even look through it. Just grabbed it.

 Please don't hate me, Rae. I promise I'll love them like my own kids.

                              This little bassinet, he said "I don't even know what's in there. A quarter?" 

 And this is what popped out!

 A whole dollar for this. I'm not a Cabbage Patch fan, at all. But a dollar makes me a fan of anything.

 My granny and Aunt Alice used to sell these at the flea markets! I was SO happy to buy this and I have already freaked out/entertained my kids endlessly with it :)

 A fifty cent new member of our family. We're talkin long term commitment ;)

 Quarter bags (gallon freezer bags) of vintage barbie clothes and furniture.

So back to shameless yard sale ladyin', I exceeded my $6 budget and asked if I could make a pile to get the next morning, asked my sister for $20 and then went back today to collect the loot. I helped them set up and while I was there my mom showed up! She was on her way to see my granny and wanted to stop by. When she saw my van crammed full she probably thought I spent all our grocery money!  Ha ha! 

I felt so exposed! You know how you wanna just look through someone's loot?? I saw that glint in her eye.

I love our family dynamic  ;)