Brandon and I decided to have our long overdue yard sale this morning. I had originally planned to have this back in June, but things were so insanely crazy that month that we decided to wait until it cooled off a little. I have participated in a yard sale before, but never had my own. My friend Joia was going to come bring some things and set up a table with some of her tutus, etc. as well and I was very excited about that. I already had most things stored in a closet ready to pull out, but not everything would fit in there.

Yesterday I cleared the kitchen table and piled it up with little goodies and treasures that I felt we needed to part with. I went to self help (a place on base where you can "purchase" things for your base housing or "rent" them to do yard work) to pick up the yard sale signs that I had been told we needed to use. They had passed out letters months and months ago telling everyone they could not use our own yard sale signs, but had to use theirs. So I went on Thursday and got two and then went back yesterday for more b/c I wanted to give others the opportunity to advertise as well. The kids were so excited and Sophie fell flat on the pavement and skinned both knees pretty bad. (this is key later) We got our signs and went to get the cash. The bank on base won't give me cash b/c we don't have an account there. We do, however, get to watch an excavator tear down an old building which almost blew Christopher's cute little head off his body. (You just have to see his excitement in person, priceless!) The BX wouldn't give me quarters and after I complained enough-- and the kids acted up enough-- they decided to help me out.

We come home, it's pouring. Literally sopping wet, pouring outside. I started pricing things and saying little prayers that it will not rain the next day and our yard sale will be a success. It stops raining long enough for us to run around the neighborhood and drop signs off to proudly announce our yard sale the next morning. A couple hours later I'm frustrated with the house being filthy (due to the enormous amounts of rain we've had lately), my children talking non-stop for 8 hours straight, not being able to eat lunch without someone needing something, laundry everywhere and toys covering the floor. I woke up in a good mood and excited about the day, but the rain is quickly turning my mood in the wrong direction. None of these things had bothered me until the afternoon. Next thing I know, some man has pulled up in front of my house and is carrying all of the yard signs I'd put out. I open the door fuming and he informs me that you are not allowed to advertise for yard sales on base. THEN shows me, in bright yellow highlighter mind you, where this is written in the hand book. If my child wasn't standing at my feet and I knew nothing would happen to my husband I would have clocked the guy right there for him just telling me the most idiotic words I have ever heard anyone say. I calmly, but sternly, tell him that I have seen other people use these signs and other ones and he tells me that they were wrong too. I think I just said something like, "FINE!" and slammed the door in his face. To use the words of an old roommate, "WHO DOES THAT?????" Seriously, that is the stupidest rule I have ever heard.

Anyway, last night, Brandon and I get the kids to bed, he's exhausted, but we go out and pull out all the big pieces that are in storage that we wanted to try to sell and get to bed around 11:00. We wake up early this morning and I go back out and put the signs out again, b/c I don't care and nobody knows where we live so how else will they find us. Joia arrives with all of her cuteness in tow and we sit and wait. It's drizzling out, but we are hopeful that people still come. Around 7:30 a woman shows up, looks at some larger pieces and you can tell she wants them, but is afraid to buy without checking with her husband first. She leaves with a toddler puzzle and I'm left with $1. Nobody else comes for almost 30 more minutes and those three people leave empty handed. Around 8:30 we decide to close up shop and Joia heads home. Not after a cute little photo session with Sophie first, but the photos have not been downloaded yet. Another car pulls up, the wife gets out and buys a bouncy seat that my friend Wendi left for us to sell and I'm left with $5. We put everything that is not fabric into the storage place outside and close the doors feeling defeated and frustrated.

We had such high hopes for this day. It just wasn't meant to happen. We decided that instead of going out of town next weekend we are going to try again, but at Joia's house. She doesn't live on base and it will be much easier to advertise. And here I was thinking that we'd be buying that deep freezer we've been wanting for years. Oh well. I shouldn't have been thinking about that new vacuum we really need but can't afford b/c that's what I really wanted. No more carts before the horse here guys. It hurts. SOOOooooo..... if you live in the area and would like to come check it out, or know people who love yard sales, tell them to get in touch with me. It's really good stuff, not junk we are selling. We just literally have no more room in our house and have got to get these things out of here. Some things are still in the original boxes and we only need so many candy dish sized glass bowls. (We have roaches here guys, and you know how I feel about candy anyway, so we have never and will never use them!)

I guess there's always Craig's List.....