Sunday, November 14, 2010

Swap Party Follow-up!

i'm so bad- i didn't take a single picture of our Housewares Swap Party on Saturday.
i have excuses... like i was too tired on friday to take pictures of the set-up
(long run day).
and i was too busy keeping julia away from the lovely items on saturday morning.
and then i was having too much fun chatting & eating & getting free stuff...

have you ever heard "excuses only satisfy the person who makes them?"
yeah... well, i wish i had taken pictures.
it was really a great morning!

about 15 people signed up to come, but 3 were unable to come (missed you ladies!), so there were 12 of us all together. the limit was 5 items, and most ladies brought 3-5. the majority brought their things on thursday or friday, which helped me know how much space to designate for displaying items. we put everything in the dining room, which made it easy to snack on the yumminess that everyone brought while watching the swap action!

we divided into groups of 4, so 1-4 went first, then 5-8, then 9-12 went twice and back down the line. there was a great range of housewares: candlesticks, wall decor, bowls, baskets, lamps, plates, framed pictures, empty frames... all lovely stuff! of course, there were items leftover... i think most everyone took home 1-2 of their own pieces on top of their new goodies. but that's to be expected... i could have made a Goodwill run, but i'm not that nice.

what did i get? a great basket, a framed drawing of the St. Louis Cathedral Arch, and a baby gift... no i'm not pregnant. i'm quite happy with my 'stuff!'

so would i do it again? absolutely. maybe a 'holiday decor' swap, definitely a clothing swap, FOR SURE a children's toy swap... and another housewares swap will be due after Christmas, i'm sure!

best part of the morning? sitting on the couch, sipping coffee with 4 ladies who i never get enough time with... totally worth it. thanks for playing with me, friends! : )

Friday, November 5, 2010

housewares swap!

Time to clean out your closets & basements... find those lovely housewares that you never use... and turn them into something you love!

i'm shamelessly copying Nester and her Swap Party... i found several boxes of beautiful things that i never use, and i know someone out there would be able to use them! so here's the basics: you bring stuff you like but don't use. you pick up some stuff that you love & will use all the time! you eat some food, talk to some friends, and have a morning of fun. win-win-win, if you ask me!

here are the details:
- Saturday, November 13 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at my house! let me know if you need the address.

- 15 women only!! if you RSVP, i'll let you know if you're on the waiting list or if you're IN! if this works, we'll do it again.

- drop your items off at my house on thursday or friday (11th or 12th), and i'll make our display tables organized & beautiful!

- you'll receive a 'tag' for ea
ch item you bring, up to 5 items. this means you will get to choose 5 new items to take home with you!

- items accepted: housewares & home decor, which includes lamps, pictures, frames, decorative accents, bowls, platters, pitchers, vases, table settings, silver ware, baskets...

- items NOT accepted: appliances, pots/pans, utensils, paper goods, books, food...

- groups or pairs of items will be counted as ONE item (ie: a pair of lamps, or a set of matching dishes).

- NO VALUE WILL BE ASSIGNED TO YOUR ITEMS, so if you'll feel cheated out of your Tiffany lamp being swapped for a Target mirror, don't bring it!

- please also bring an appetizer to share! hooray for a fun morning with friends! (please, only nursing infants- no older children may attend!)

- questions? leave me a comment, email me, facebook me, call me! just don't stalk me. i don't like that.

* this is not an exclusive event by ANY means! first 15 women to commit are IN.

thanks again to Nester for the idea... she's kind of my source for all things pretty & fun! : )

Thursday, November 4, 2010

a blog post

i wish i could blog while i run... i always think of good things to write about while running.
(well, i think of things. whether they are good is completely irrelevant because i cannot blog while running. that would actually defeat a good portion of why i run: to have a little peace!)

so then i'm home & i'm not alone & i can't pull any coherent sentences together.
for example, see the above sentences.

anyway- i'm thinking of things to write about. but right now, my kids are watching a VeggieTale for the second time in a row and eating Halloween candy instead of the pancakes i made for them. Matt is sick for the 6th straight day and i'm pretty sure it's the flu. i feel badly that he is sick... but selfishly, i'm worried that i'm going to get it. is anyone else like this? your spouse tells you that he or she threw up, and your first thought is: "get away from me!" my second thought is, of course, "i'm so sorry- can i get you anything?" but is quickly followed by my 3rd thought: "what has he touched that i need to wash or disinfect, and how many vitamins can i take to prevent getting this?" i'm a very self-centered person, as it turns out.

so instead of continuing to blog right this minute & ignoring my children, i think we'll do a little christmas shopping. retail therapy, yes? not with my kids! someone will lick the wall in a public restroom before the day is over (julia) and someone will probably pee or scream at a very inappropriate time (caroline). someone else will spend more money than they should & feel guilty later & spend insane amounts of time doing returns next week... that would be me.

i think (if i had time) i would write a blog post right now about how no one told me that 'having a baby' meant becoming a parent. being a parent involves teaching that baby how to be a person, and that's really super hard. i'm not very good at it most of the time (hence the screaming in the background, which you can't hear because this is a blog), and i can't imagine having another child anytime soon. but congratulations to all of you with 3+ kids- i'm sure it's wonderful & you are better at this than i am! : )

i probably shouldn't post this- i'll offend someone or make someone think i don't love my children. i love them- i just don't want more of them to love right now.