Bring on November

So lets see...
The tagsale was a huge success!  We have raised over $3,500.  With some large donations and money that we have been saving we are nearing $5,000.  Over the next month or so I will be ebaying/craigslisting some really great items that just never ended up going.  (like the tons of baby stuff...I may just do better online anyways?)  On Monday we have to go to an Immigration office in Hartford to get 'fancy' fingerprinting done...once the govt Ok's those and sends them back to us (taking a few weeks?) we can go on the child refferal list. 
THis was quite an experience and I've learned alot from tagsalers.
 1st of all- I want to become a tagsaler...what they walk away w/ for the price they paid is seriously incredible.  It was hard to figure this whole thing out.   So there were 2 types of people I figured out:  the hard core tagsalers that live for this and they expect the cheapest of the cheap- when I say $1 they actually put the bundle of glasses down and raise their eyebrows. I was selling clothes for 50 cents...a lady pointed out a stain so we said 25 cents...she still wasnt satisfied!  The 1st day I had a custumer tell me that I would never sell anything! 
On the other scale we had just random stoper by's- people who dont do tagsales often but just decieded to stop- these people, when I say a price their eyes bulge and say, 'wow...ahhh...ok.'  I had a custumer laugh at my low price and he offered me $10 more than I was selling something for!  I also had a custumer who kept telling me that my prices were too low.  So you cant really win I guess...

Interesting stats here though:  I had at least 4 people ask to use my bathroom...and yes I kid you not...one man asked to use my nailclippers, walked around the tagsale clipping away, gave back the clippers and then walked away w/out paying.  (I think that may have been is tactic- stun and run!)
I had a few people give us doantions w/out even buying someing, even strangers.  I still can not believe this but a man walked up our driveway, asked me if I was Jill Turner, shook my hand and introduced himself as an adoptive father himself who saw the little blurb in the paper about how this was an adoption fundraiser, and then he handed me a wad of cash and walked back to his car.  A stranger- a man I cant even remember what his name was, went out of his way to hand us $100.  That man will forever inspire us to love and to give and to bless others generously. 

Today the Veterans of America truck came and carted the leftovers away.  They did not take any furniture- so we have to just figure out what to do w/ that...thinking maybe the curb but it's alot of stuff so Im a little leary.  I have a huge load of stuff to sell at Once Upon A Child too.  We finnaly have the tables at least down, the circus looking tent is still up, there are tarps all over our back yard trying to dry out, and there is a really big ugly pile of wet cardboard and garbage to be carted to the dump...Im praying before winter comes!  It's not too pretty here at the Turner's to say the least! 

In the midst of breaking down the tagsale, Mike had to move his office out of the garage and into a 'shop' across town.  I honestly dont think that we have ever been in a crazier time!  We try to laugh through it and take it one day at a time.  Although I must say that my expectations are usually to high...meaning my
 to- do lists for the day have been taking me a week to get through!  I should just write down, 'coffee- feed kids-clean-repeat.'  The Turner's dont like unorganized caous. Yes, there is a difference:  caous we can handle, hey we love kids and want more right?!  But the type that is going on here well we keep telling ourselves that this is just the 'season' that we are in.  This may sound contradictory but last night we were both saying how we cant wait for this baby to come home so that our lives can get back to normal!  Mike actually used the word 'organized!'  I know it sounds funny- (baby's do NOT bring organization into the home) but I totally know what he meant- My mind is in a million places at once right now and busy w/ stuff that I dont like being busy with (if that makes sense!)
Too much skimping down on school, too many skipped playdates and homeschool group, not enough yummy homemade meals, too much movies for the kids and not enough movies for the adults...
I hope I'm not complaining- this is something we seriously love doing- Im just Really happy for November to come!