Books for sale!

If you read the post from a couple of days ago, you'll know that we're running short on funds to pay for increased adoption costs .... and if you read the previous post, you'll know that I'm selling off most of my rubberstamp collection to help raise funds ... but what this post contains is actually pretty cool ... I've learned how to link my "store" on half.com, which contains the books, movies, music & games that are up for sale. Here is:

My half.com store -- check it out & see if there's anything you'd like to buy. (EDIT: Guess what? I now have an amazon.com "storefront", too!)

There are some books I have that don't seem to come up in their database, so I'll take photos of them soon & post them. I'm hoping to get a dollar a book, plus shipping costs.

UPDATE: Here are the books that are old enough (or apparently oddball enough) that they don't show up in the half.com database:

Rubberstamps for sale!

Okay, so if you read the previous post, you know we're trying to raise money for unforeseen adoption expenses. I doubt my stamps will raise the $5,600 remaining that we need, but I'm also selling some books on half.com & will just keep plugging away. At this point, every dollar is helpful, right?

So, here's the deal. I had a chance, this morning, to go through a chunk of my rubber stamp collection, and I've pulled out the hook-and-loop fairy tale set, plus a whole bunch of "professionally" mounted rubber stamps. I'll go through the rest of my collection tonight & will pull out the rest of the professionally mounted ones ... the ones that are mounted by me & the ones that are still unmounted will come in a later post.

You should be able to click on the photos to see them larger, so you can make out detail. The largest stamps cost about $15 new ... the smallest ones were $4.50. If you see something you're interested in, please post with an offer. First come, first serve. (Well, the exception to that rule would be if someone offered to buy ALL of them for $1,000...but I seriously doubt that'll happen.)

I'm happy to "hold" stamps until you've seen all of them & can have 'em shipped in one box. I will ask you to pay actual shipping charges, too, please! So, if you're not in the US, you just have to decide if it's worth it to you to pay postage or not.

Set #1


Set #2


Set #3


Set #4


I'll give all of my friends & fellow bloggers about 2 weeks, so you can have first dibs, then I'll start putting things up on eBay and/or Craigslist.

Thanks in advance for helping us out, even if it's just browsing or mentioning to a friend who stamps.

It's been really interesting going through my collection. There were so many stamps that brought back memories & that I wanted to keep, but then I reminded myself that they're just stamps ... I'd much rather be a mom than have a block of wood & a piece of rubber.

UPDATE: Here are the remainder of the professionally mounted stamps I'm interested in selling. Make me an offer! *smile*

Set #5


Set #6


Set #7


Set #8


Set #9


Set #10

Adoption update ... time to get really creative!

Okay, so here's the latest on the adoption process ... and it's not so good.

We met with our adoption worker for our twice-yearly inspection & she had some numbers from the last fiscal year at the agency. The numbers, they are not good. Very few adoptions have been completed solely through the program. So ... after 18 months of being licensed & having our profile active, we've got nothing. And we're being encouraged to consider other options. Only one problem (aside from wrenching heartache & PITA paperwork) ... money.

We'd come up with a solution to fund an adoption with our local agency, and the money is set aside in an account or is standing by to be liquidated at-will. Now that we're looking at national agencies, we're learning that we are seriously short on what's needed to pursue an adoption that's (a) through a legit, trustworthy agency and (b) actually likely to result in placement of a child to us before we turn 42 the middle of next year. How much are we short by? Well, at a minimum, we need to scrape together $12k. Yes, you read that right ... $12,000.

We also had a friend offer to be a surrogate for us. How mind-blowingly awesome is THAT?! We've not done a ton of research on the subject, but at first glance, the cost range for medical care for the 3 of us, plus living expenses & an emergency/contingency fund is right around the top end of the national adoption range. So, that certainly is another option, but it's still beyond what we can do, financially, right now.

We've already looked at taking out various loans & lines of credit & what not. It's just not a good idea, what with our having just financed a new vehicle 4 months ago. And with needing to pay for some slightly-emergency (certainly freakin' unplanned & unexpected) dental work to the tune of $7,500. So, I'm getting creative.

I can get another $5,000 if I liquidate everything I've got on account at Edward Jones. It's supposed to be my retirement money, but it's not in an IRA, so at least we won't take a tax hit that way. I hear from my dad that taxes capital gains are likely to go up in 2011. As in almost-double what they are now. So, I may just cash in everything, although it kills me.

That leaves $7,000.

I think we'll be able to "rent" our points in our Disney Vacation Club timeshare to my brother & his family for about $1,200.

That puts the balance we need at about $5,800. I'm planning on applying to several places for some grants. I'm also putting a lot of books up for sale on half.com. I just had the idea of putting my hoarded rubber stamps up for sale on eBay. I read an article from an adoptive mom about how she financed their adoption process, and she said, "I sold everything that meant less to me than having a baby." Wow. Powerful.

So, I'm in the process of going through a lot of my stuff. And finding grants. And asking for help. If you know of any grants or loans or other avenues you think we should be pursuing, tell us!

Then 12 days after that ....

I moved all of my plants to the front flower bed, to give them lots of sun!



Cross your fingers for me that they thrive & create lots of beans & cucumbers. I hope I've given them all enough room!

And 3 days more brings ...

The first bean that sprouted now looks like THIS:



And the first cucumber sprouted has a new kind of leaf ... one that looks MUCH more like the ones I associate with squash type veggie plants:



I'd say I've got some pretty happy plants! When they're about 5-6" high, I'll risk transplanting them & moving them into full sun. Where they can grow even more, get rainfall easier, and have access to bugs to pollinate them!

Look at what happens in just two days!

To quote Ferris Bueller: Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Cucumbers as of this afternoon ... look! More have appeared!



and the beans? Another one has sprouted & the first has some genuine leaves unfurling!


I hope they continue to thrive!