Sunday, October 3, 2010

a bit of happiness.

oh man, after i wrote that post this morning, i went to church and the sermon really hit home. the pastor spoke about suffering -- so appropriate and what i needed to hear. i know the word "suffering" sounds a bit dramatic, but sometimes, it's really what i feel like we're doing during this wait and through a lot of this journey from infertility to adoption.

the point that really spoke to me was when the pastor was talking about rejoicing in the midst of suffering. though it sounds crazy to think that one would rejoice while suffering, his point was that there is more to life than just the here and now and that in the grand scheme of eternity, this time of suffering is often but a moment and a mile marker on the road to heaven that builds our faith and brings us closer to God. and, as he said, if you can rejoice through suffering, you can rejoice through anything...amen.

so, i am going to choose to rejoice. and as contradictory (and perhaps a bit disingenuously so) as i may sound from this morning's post to this, i find that i usually have to make the choice to rejoice before i actually can.

i rejoice in the fact that our choi boy is being lovingly cared for by his foster mom. i rejoice because our son is in good health. i rejoice in the fact that we even have the means to adopt. i rejoice because we *do* have a son and we will be with him soon.

and, so, i'm going to focus on things that make me happy.

like finding great deals! :)

yesterday, my friends amy, christine, and i went to a local children's consignment sale and we found some incredible deals for our little ones. i was chatting on fbook about it with dana, and she requested a post seeing all my goodies. so, this one's for you, dana!

because we thought choi boy would be home late summer/early fall, the vast majority of clothes we had for him were t-shirts and warmer weather clothing. my shopping mission when approaching this consignment sale was to find some fall/winter clothing for choi boy, and my goodness, the sale delivered! look at my finds:

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how cute is this outfit? i love the orange plaid with the brown pants. it reminds me of fall foliage.

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i heart this striped sweater so much. and the navy pants have such great detail with yellow stitching.

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don't you love henleys? and this one is thermal, too! and how sweet is that embroidered dinosaur (ahem, apatosaurus)?

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this jacket is my *favorite*! i love, love that it looks like a miniature version of a man's jacket. and how can you go wrong with blue suede shoes?? choi boy will have to grow into them, but they are stinkin' adorable.

the best part about the jacket?
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it's REVERSIBLE! i didn't know this until i got home, so it was like i got a surprise extra jacket! so rad. rad, indeed.

and finally, of course i couldn't leave without some books:
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but not the hippopotamus (jeepers, that is a hard word to spell!) is my favorite sandra boynton book, and i love the carl books, too. have you seen my duckling? is another sweet one that i love because there are very few words and you have to really look at the pictures to get the story, very much like the carl books.

the best part was that most of these items were new (some still with tags) or very much like new.

and the grand total for all these finds? $23.75. score!

happy now. :)

i just threw all these clothes in the wash and did my first load of choi boy laundry. kind of exciting! and a random question for you mommas...i know you have to wash before wear with infant clothing, but do you have to do the same with new toddler clothing?

22 comments:

  1. Great finds!! I love consignment & garage sales! In fact, I have that exact same striped sweater for our little guy -- from a consignment sale!

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  2. you did get some great stuff. I went to a consignment sale last week too, and just did my first load of baby laundry. it was kind of fun.

    there is a lot to be happy about, thanks for reminding all of us to remember the good things going on in our lives.

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  3. That is some great stuff! Which reminds me that my son barely has any clothes for fall. Oops. LOL. Choi boy will be very well dressed.

    And I always wash clothing before wearning.

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  4. I love that you were able to find some peace with the situation. That is amazingly difficult to do. Good for you!

    Uhm, can I come shopping with you?! I LOVE what you found... and those prices are AMAZING! I'm having some serious envy over here...

    I always wash clothes before wearing... for all of us. I've also found that S's skin is sensitive, so as tempting as it may be to throw the newest purchase on him, I wait.

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  5. Sooo happy to hear you rejoice Grace!! So many times saddness can get in the way of everything else we have in life. It's so true though that with the fertility/adoption process you feel like you are suffering. I have felt that way for the past four years. What has helped me is when I am sad or get even more bad news, I think of something positive about it. Like you just did with Choi boy being healthy. It's so true, he's heathly and in a loving home. Thank you for posting pictures of your adorable finds!! I'm so loving these fall finds! That jacket is A-dorable and that plaid outfit...sooo CUTE! Those blue suede shoes are the sweetest...can not wait to see those in use! Soon...very soon!! :)

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  6. I'm so glad that the sermon was so fitting today. Isn't it great how that happens? :)

    I love all your finds! The jacket is adorable, and those shoes are too cute.

    I always wash before wear, too. And I loved washing Joel's clothes for the first time. It is exciting!!

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  7. Make a choice to rejoice. I love that. Grace, you are so strong and I love your perspective on this. I think that rejoicing through suffering might be the hardest thing to do, but I bet if anyone can do it, you can!

    Guess what? We bought "But Not the Hippopotamus" today! We must have been on the same wave length :) Max LOVES his Sandra Boynton books!

    I *usually* wash new clothes before putting them on Max but not every single time. I do, however, ALWAYS wash the ones from consignment shops (where, btw, I always find awesome stuff for super cheap).

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  8. SWEET FINDS!!! My goodness, you found awesome goodies. I esp. love the blue suede shoes! How many kids can say they have those? And books too??? My goodness, woman, you are gifted!
    As for your question, I wash EVERYTHING before the girls wear it and always will. There's so much junk on brand-news clothes and plus things are usually softer post-wash.
    And don't feel like your warm-weather finds will go to waste - layer, mama! (who doesn't love the t-shirt over long-sleeve look?)
    Then you can double the wardrobe!

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  9. Yes, you did SCORE! I cannot believe you got all those outfits and the books for only $23.75!!! I absolutely love the reversible plaid jacket:-)

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  10. ahhhh love the striped zip hoodie and the reversible jacket. can't believe you got so much for so little! go you! continuing to pray he comes home soon. and learning to rejoice is so hard sometimes huh... you're right- you make a decision to do it. great reminder thanks.

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  11. How great the sermon really spoke to you today. I love when that happens.
    Great finds for Choi Boy! He is gonna be one stylin' dude.
    As for washing...I usually wash all his clothes first. But when he first came home I definitely did, so that the smell was consistent and comforting for him. Be sure to have lots of clothes washed before he comes home. You don't want to do it when he comes home. And if some don't fit...that's ok.

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  12. You found some great stuff! I love the striped sweater!! Can't wait to see Choi Boy in it! :)

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  13. I LOVE the little jacket!!! SO cute! It being reversible, even sweeter! I remember being so excited to do my first load of H's laundry before he came home. There is something so exciting about folding tiny little socks!

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  14. Grace it's so wonderful that you were able to find some peace during the wait. That sermon came at exactly the right time for you! Good for you for focusing on the positive and finding great deals. I especially love that first outfit and the shoes - adorable!! And books, love them all!

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  15. Grace - which one were you at? We did Christ Church in Fairfax Station...but we got there right at 8! Would have been fun to bump into you :) On the clothing...depends on skin type. Both of our girls have more sensitive skin, so I still use Dreft. That, and I just love the smell of it! But if there are no skin issues, you can do Choi Boy's clothes with the rest of your laundry, no problem. LOVE your finds and what great prices!

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  16. God is so good. His message always comes at the perfect time. Sometimes we miss it or choose not to listen...so happy that this one brought you peace!

    Look at that jacket! So.so.cute. Si wants it!:-)

    I wash all Josiah's clothes first - new or 2nd hand. I remember doing my first load of laundry for him before he came home....it was something simple, but significant in a way. It made me smile.

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  17. God is so good to remind you through His Word about His peace in times of trials. And praise God you are choosing to rejoice when everything in you may not want to. I think I wrote a post on surrendering at least every other month while I was waiting for Joel. Sometimes I would feel so frustrated at God...wondering why the wait was so long? But one blessing I have to say is that when Joel finally came home, I didn't feel like a babysitter or a stranger...those months of longing, praying, waiting were used to bring such a "juhng" for him in my heart that as soon as I held him he was my son.

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  18. Isn't it great that God sends you a message right when you need it? I still remember the trauma of the wait but he got me through it. He will for you too!

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  19. Love those blue suede shoes! I hope hope hope you get some good news this week!

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  20. SUPER cute clothes, and SUCH a bargain!!!!! It's amazing to hear exactly what you need to hear from a sermon, isn't it? I hope peace fills your heart this week (and that you also hear some news about EP!!)!

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  21. making the choice to rejoice....love this and will remember this one. :)
    you hit the jackpot, sister! LOVE the little blue suede shoes and jacket. Glenn has one just like it....but unfortunately his isn't reversible.
    And I too LOVE "But not the Hippopotamus"!!! I used to read this to my niece and it was one of the first books I bought for Noah. gotta just love the ending........"But YES! The Hippopotamus! But not the Armadillo. :) tee heeee! :)

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  22. Sounds like going to church was exactly what you needed. Now we just need to get you that travel call...
    LOVE consignment shops! You can find the best things - and not break the bank. Great finds!

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