What a Sale!

I am so very humbled by what happened over the last two days during our sale for Sammy's Superheroes. When I was getting ready for the big event, I kept wondering how much money we could possibly make and got pretty excited about the thought of bringing in $150. I've never had a yard sale, so I really didn't know what to expect. I vaguely remembered someone mentioning they made $100 at a sale, so even the thought of $150 was stretching it a little.

Oh, friends, we went so far beyond that! I get teary just thinking about all the people who came through the yard, asked questions about the walk, met little Sammy, and so kindly told us we could "keep the change" after their purchases. With such generosity, we raised an incredible $637 for Sammy's Superheroes!!

Seriously, I cannot thank everyone enough for all of the support and help and kind words and prayers over the last couple days. It may have sounded like we had some rough interactions at the beginning of the sale on Friday morning, but we really didn't. They were just funny and made the experience that much more memorable.

So was I ready for those early birds yesterday? Oh yes. You should have seen me. I dropped Ella off with Mama Bex and the girls at 7am after swinging through the drive-thru at McD's for an iced coffee. I was in desperate need of a caffeine kick. Sammy and I rushed home and I got right to work pulling the boxes into the yard and emptying them on the tables. I had been so busy trying to beat the rush on Friday morning that I didn't get to decorate any of the tables, which made me feel like something was missing. That just isn't my style. So after the little ones were sleeping, I printed table signs, hung paper lanterns in the tree, and dug out a coat rack to hang nicer items. All of this was set out and organized by 8:15am. So what did I do when the first person walked into the yard just a moment later? I smiled, said good morning, and sat to cuddle my babe at the check out table. It was practically perfect.

I had two very lovely surprises throughout the day. The first was when Gillian, John, and little Ruby arrived. They live hours away, and I had no idea they were in town. We got to chat for a good while, which was so good for my heart. They're just an awesome family. Then Beth and Brian strolled into the yard! No joke, this was like a birthday present. B&B are really close friends of ours and we just don't get to see them often enough since they moved to the Cities. They ended up staying through the rest of the sale, had a picnic with us, watched a movie, and even stayed over night! Yes, they are the kind of friends who can drop by and do such a thing. Bless their hearts for excusing the state of my house. Let me tell you, my house is in great need of attention. Great need. Oh, and right when I was starting to clean things up after the sale, dear Amy stopped by and helped me box everything and take down the tables. Can you see why I have felt so blessed after these couple days? Generosity and love on so many levels.

Brian & Beth

Today we're recovering. I explained to Ella that today is a "chill day" meaning we aren't leaving the house and it's okay to watch movies and be lazy. We've all napped, though mine was brief since I wanted to soak in the alone time while the little ones slept. Ella just woke after four hours in bed. Four hours. We all needed that after she refused to nap the last two days. And now Sammy is awake. I'll go nurse him and cuddle him and maybe watch a girly, princessy movie with my Ella.

So, we've reached our original goal of $1000! Yay!! Now what? Well, to be honest, I feel like I should confess something. When I first set up our team and had to choose a goal amount, I entered $2000. The next day, though, I got back on and changed it to $1000 thinking the first amount was just way too high. Then I started thinking $1000 was too high, but I kept it. We still have an entire month to raise money before the Step Up walk on September 30. I'm really feeling like that first amount was what we were supposed to go after as a team before I got scared. Can we get $800 more in the next few weeks? I say we go for it! If you'd like to be a part of the team, click on Sammy's Superheroes on the sidebar next to this post. We'd love to see as many people a part of Sammy's team as possible!

Have any plans for Labor Day? Pete will be on call, so maybe we'll do a picnic and go to the park. Something simple. Enjoy the holiday!