Its all about the hunt.

Dittos for Kiddos, Inc. is a children’s consignment event held twice a year in Abilene, Texas.  We have been proudly serving families in the Big Country since September 2000!!  Our Spring/Summer sale is typically held in late February/early March.  The Fall/Winter sale is usually held in late September/early October.

Our consignment sales give you the opportunity to sell your gently used clothing, toys, and equipment and receive 65% of your selling price with no long wait for your items to sell. AND, as a consignor, you also have the opportunity to shop for great bargains before we open to the public.  Clean out and cash in as you sell and shop for great bargains at the best children’s consignment sale in the Big Country! 

I love finding great quality items for not so great price. Like my sister, I like to find nice things and not pay a lot for them – thus I have many thrifted items in my closet too.

I didn’t know about this until last year when I was pregnant. This is such a great place to get GREAT used items at pretty reasonable and sometimes cheap prices! Last fall I went and I found a Graco swing for $35, and floor play mat for $10, and a rocking chair with a vibrating seat for $15. All used, but in great condition. I also was looking for bedding, but I did not find any that I really liked…but oh well.

I also went in the spring, but I did not make it on the first day and well, it was really picked over and did not purchase anything that day.

So its was that time of year again. My friend in the office consigned some things and received the early passes that you get as a consigner. She gave me her Guest pass to get in just a little bit earlier than the general public. So I went. I knew what I was looking for and headed straight to the toys first. LB needs some age appropriate toys. I walked around 5 tables and found lots of stuff. Some I thought was a little overpriced so I put it back but I did end up getting a plastic dump truck with some large lego blocks, a Vtech steering wheel, a Little Tykes hammer that makes noise when you bang it and a shape sorting toy.

Then, I headed for the books. I was looking specifically for Dr Seuss books. I found one for $2 – I thought that was a good deal since any place I have found them lately new they are 10-15. Then, I found a stack of 3 Beatrice Potter books and I found a board book about all kinds of trucks.

On to the clothes. I did not have many 12 months or 12-18 month size clothes so I was on the hunt for great deals – especially shirts with collars- J I guess Im always surprised at what some people think their clothes are worth – high and low. So, I looked through like eight rack of clothes and I came out with some really good clothes.  I splurged on 3 individual items. I bought him a London Fog jacket for $6, a super cute Chaps collared shirt for $6 (new with the original tags), and another short sleeved collared shirt for $5. Everything else was $4 or less. 

The truck & blocks were definitely LB approved! 

Now, do you Ditto?

There's a first time for everything

In the month leading up to Dittos for Kiddos, I was going through many of LBs things and I was wondering if I could consign anything just so I could get a Consignor Pass. The consignor pass gets you into the doors before anyone else to get the really good stuff. About two weeks ago I tried to put LB in his swing -- I did, but after about 5 minutes, he did not want to be in the swing any more. He wanted to be able to get out and move around.
So a few days later when we were driving to town, I told JT that I was thinking about consigning the swing and a few items of clothing that LB never wore. Now, if you know my husband, you know that he does not keep things around. If you havent used it in the past year, you should just through it away. No sentimental value either. So I was completely shocked when his response was...Why dont you just keep it. We will use it again later. To which, my response was, "Where am I going to store the swing? It does not fold down flat and I dont really have a great place to store that size of an item."  He just told me, we will find a place to put it -- like the garage or the store room -- just keep it and get what you can at the sale. It will all work out.
I just thought that it was funny that he told me to keep something rather than throw it out or try to sell it...

Fall Photos

We took LB out to the Disability Resource Pumpkin Patch this past weekend. We got some great photos of him. I love him so much! Here are a few for you to enjoy.

Daily Deals

So I subscribe to a lot of junk mail for the DEALS.  The other day, I found a great deal that I could not pass up.

Zulily is a place where you can find daily deals for moms, babies and kids.

http://www.zulily.com/invite/ttiemann069

Today, I purchased a Red Trinity Women's Hydration Pak by Camelpak. This bag is made in the US and I have wanted one for a long time.  This bag is normally $100, but today I got it for $45. I think that is a pretty good deal. All you have to do is sign up. They send you an email everyday of their newest deals. Each deal usually lasts a few days, but some deals are so great they sell out quick. Try it out using the link below and let me know what you think. 

I cant wait to get my pak in the mail! 

Monarch Butterflies

Last week we had an abundance of Monarch Butterflies descend upon our campus
on their way to Mexico for their annual migration. 

They are so beautiful!

Did you know that a group of butterflies is called a swarm or ramble or flutterby.  

These pictures do not do the butterflies justice as there were so many, but here are some
pics for you to enjoy. 

These two...

Yesterday as I was leaving the parking lot at work, I called my husband. We usually call each other around quitting time just to check on the status of where we are and whoever gets home first starts dinner.  Well, this call was different. When he picked up the phone, I asked him what he was doing...he said he was driving around looking for the dogs.
I said, "What?"
he said he got home from work and found the back door to the yard wide open and that Rosie & Ace were no where to be found, so he was driving around looking for them.
He talked to the farmer plowing the field next to our house and they told him that he saw the dogs around lunch time heading south on the county road so he headed that direction.
In case you didn't know, we live in the middle of a cotton field. Our closest neighbor is half a mile away and the next closest, well...are not close at all.
He told me he called all the neighbors to be on the look out. and then he hung up the phone.

I had to Walmart for bottle liners and bananas bc he needed to take something for their morning meeting.
I just started to pray.
at this point, there is nothing I can do but pray.
I went to Walmart, got what I needed and headed home. (I live an hour from work and commute in)
And...the weather was turning grey like it was going to rain and lots of lightening.
I thought, great, looking for dogs in the rain and mud...just what I need on a night when I have to bake something too.

I was about 20 minutes from the house when he called again. The farmer next to our house called him and said that he saw the dogs heading for the house. He asked the farmer to stop his truck and let the dogs catch up with him and he would be right there.
When he arrived, the dogs were there and MUDDY!
He told Rosie, "load up" and they both jumped in the back seat.
He called me to tell me he had two very muddy dogs in his back seat and that they smelled awful. We're not sure where they had been all day, but my guess is, they had fun running across the country.

I was so thankful that they came back home. They must have realized that it was going to rain and headed back home.

When I got home, I made banana bread, he cooked dinner, we ate, I gave the baby a bath and then proceeded to give the dogs a bath.

These two...