Crazy Night, Crazy Day

Supplies obtained!!! Many thanks to Trash 2 Treasure in Fort Lauderdale for all our reuse art supplies. Saturday afternoon, tons of yarn, baby food jars, Pringles cans, fabric, pine cones, and sign making supplies all crowded up the trunk of my exasperated significant other. Whose pre-arranged car lending was nearly rescinded after I spent the morning thrifting at that lovely spot in East Boca (where you can park and walk to 5+ thrift stores without crossing the street).  It was impulsive and selfish and awesome and it was so productive!  

Besides my gorgeous new (to me) hat and blouse, I got us men’s cotton socks (25 cents a pair) for the rice packs and a couple t-shirts (50 cents) to turn into bags. Plus, I know at least one resale store, Diva On A Dollar, who will be having a big Black Friday sale.  That had been bothering me.  Here we are teaching re-use and sustainability and sending parents right over to the mall.  So I’m compiling a list of thrift stores, consignment shops, and garage sales in the area having Black Friday sales.  I know Etsy has one, and I’ll list it, but I want more places to actually go.  So today I need to call all the local thrift stores and find out what their sales are.  Maybe I can even talk them into some cross-promotion?  

I haven’t been able to find any calendars to add our event to online, but next year I’ll have enough notice to get in the local parenting magazines.  Hint: if you’re reading this, a few facebook shares wouldn’t hurt.  ;)

Good news!  In the 3+ attempts to publish this one post (certain helpful people think an open blog post looks as though one is done with the computer) I have noticed the link button and so will no longer burden posts with cumbersome urls (the 90’s called and they want their lazy links back).  That’s what I get for trying to hammer these things out at naptime and between diaper changes.  (Potty-training gods- why have you forsaken me?)  

Because of the whole car thing, I won’t make it to a whole foods to get fair trade ingredients, but I looked into Morton salt and they get their salt domestically and in the Bahamas, and fairly, it seems.  So that should be OK.  I've made a couple of yet-to-be-returned calls about epsom salts and I haven’t even thought about flour yet, but hopefully there won’t be an issue.  Ya’ll let me know if you know more about this than me.  It will save me some google research time.

Ok, back to Saturday.  After plundering the T2T warehouse in a rush to bring the car back, I got home and underpacked for Off The Grid Night sleepover at UUFBR.  And apparently bringing an opened but mostly full bag of baby carrots to share is rude or something so we stopped at Publix on our way and got there late.  So I unpacked DH’s car in the dark into one of the classrooms and stayed the night- sans child- and had a great time.  In the morning after staring unproductively at the coffee maker for half an hour, like a chimpanzee trying to work out an algebra problem, I went right to making signs.  

Here are my worries about the signs.  I didn’t know how to appeal to the idea of bringing your kids someplace to have fun while you run errands and I’m worried it came off as “your kids are terrible, drop them off and run away.”  My cell phone number is the only one I have but putting it on the signs makes me nervous.  Also I have this terrified fantasy where Boca Police show up with signs in hand, arrest me, and charge the fellowship a $20,000 fee.  So there’s that.

After service (in my jammies) was lunch where I camped out in front of one of the signs with a sign-up sheet and discussed Occupy with my lunch mates.  (gotta love a church that argues :D )  I got 1 sign up, but a definite “maybe” from the teens.  Then in 2nd hour “Ladies’ Sewing Circle and Terrorist Group”  Diane, Gri, and Sarah helped make adorable yarn characters and Ojos with me.  Alexis Moore helped us raid the R.E. supply closet in case no one has a key on Friday.  Note: self: call Gloria and make sure I can get into the building at all.   
So I have to call Gloria and local thrift stores, and pickup ingredients, and make a box of all the stuff from home I’ll need and hope and pray that somebody shows up to this thing at all, and then I’ve done all that I can possibly do and can start cooking for Thanksgiving (got to call and ask what I should make, too).  I’m so excited.   Wish me luck!