I'm Done

...and just like that I'm done. I know I set out to do 52 weeks but I got bored of it and I'm doing so many other things I just don't have time to do this anymore. So that's it. I contemplated continuing the journey but for what purpose? Just to say I did? Naaah...I'd rather move on to bigger and better things so that's what I'm doing.

So ciao everyone. Au revoir. Salute. Paco Paco. Arrivarderci. Aloha. Cheerio. TTFN. Dobra Genia. Das Vidanya. (...and don't check into the spelling of any of my farewells!).

Buh-bye!

City Chase

Yesterday my friend and I went in the Mitsubishi City Challenge. It's like the Amazing Race all in one day. You get a clue sheet with 40 clues on it and you have to decipher them then choose a route to take you to 10 Chase Points where you then do a task at each one. There were over 500 teams. We think there were close to 700 teams actually. Anyway, we crossed the line and placed 36th! We were sooooooooo excited! The City Chase is an amazing experience to share with a friend. We made so many great memories. I woke up today smiling at all we shared and experienced together.

Below are the 10 tasks we had to do (all the tasks have titles):
1) Boot Camp - this was an obstacle course we had to run through twice.

2) Using Your Head - I had to put a helmet with a bucket on it on my head and my partner had to throw a ball in it. Then I had to move 10 yards further away and she had to do it again, then I moved 10 yards further back 2 more times.

3) Burn It Off - At Goodlife Fitness we chose a chocolate bar. It had 240 calories on it so we had to burn that off on the eliptical.

4) Knee Slapper - There was a HUGE line up at this one which was at Absolute Comedy. Luckily, my partner figured out that the first 25 people who went to Boot Camp got a Front of the Line pass so that's why we did Boot Camp first and we did get the pass. So we got to Knee Slapper and simply walked to the front of the line probably saving us an hour! The thing is, we got there and moved so fast that I didn't even know what the task was by the time my partner got up on the stage. We had to pop a balloon with our butt and then there was a piece of paper inside that said Jackhammer. Next thing I know, she goes up on the stage and says she's going to imitate Britney Spears singing while using a Jackhammer! She was so funny but the 'judges' weren't really laughing (everyone else was though). Finally, they gave us our Chase Point if my partner promised to get off the stage!

5) Serve 'em Up - This was at Jack Astor's. I made a drink and then my partner had to balance the glass on her forhead and pour the drink into it.

6) Tissue? - In Yorkville we had to each produce a real tear! Do you have any idea how hard that is??

7) Footie - At Fionn MacCool's we had to answer trivia about the World Cup. My partner went inside and asked the bartended who knew all the answers!

8) Unchain My Heart - On the Danforth they tied us together with a chain and gave us some mathematical clues that we had to figure out to get the combination to unchain ourselves.

9) Tied Up - At Korry's Clothiers my partner had to tie a bowtie around my neck.

10)Chase Point #1 - This was cool. If you raised $50 previous to the race and registered that then you got this Chase Point simply by showing up to one of 2 locations. Always a good bet!

Oh, Craig? I know I've been ignoring you but really...City Chase?...Craig?...City Chase?...Craig?...City Chase?...Craig?....sorry, I have to go with the City Chase on this one Craig. I know you think I'm using you but that's life sometimes so just suck it up.

"Busy, Busy, Busy", said the magician in Frosty The Snowman

How beautiful is the weather tonight!?!!! How can I talk to Craig when the weather is so gorgeous? I know, I know...I need 2 items this week. I may miss it and have to get 3 next week. I know, it's piling up. I can't help it. I'm so 'busy, busy, busy...'

Another Miss

Okay, I missed this week too. I have NOTHING left to sell!! I'll try to make up for it next week. Okay?

Stop the Banging!

I need to calm down. Have you ever had your roof done? Sitting in the house while they do it is NOT the thing to do. It sounds like they're ripping the house apart! I can't stand it! Can't wait until it's done. I can't believe how hard they work though. They came here at 7:30am and they're still here almost 12 hours later!

Week 22: Bag of Books

I got carried away tonight with other activities and almost forgot to post my weekly buy/sell item! So with just under 2 hours to this weeks deadline here it is...wait for it...wait for it...I bought a bag of books! I know. Not very exciting and no stories to go with it but a bag of books for $2 is a pretty good deal and I bought them from a garage sale advertised with Craig so it's all good.

Other than that, yesterday I went to St. Jacob's. I haven't been there in about 10 years and it has changed quite a lot. The farmers market is massive and I bought some really great fresh meat and vegetables and fruit. I could spend a whole week-end there. Love the main little strip just outside the market too. I'll definitely be going back in the fall.

BUY: $2
CATEGORY: Garage Sales

Updates from Past Posts

A couple of updates from previous posts.

Roof:
Remember as a lark I posted my roofing shingles for sale and all the lude comments I received? Well the roof update is this...of course I didn't sell it, never intended to. I just wanted to see the crazy comments I would get. The roofers will arrive on Monday and will proceed to give me a new roof so it's all good.

Boot Camp:
I had bought boot camp from Craig way back in March. I tried it back then but didn't actually join it until April 19th. Well it's been 7 weeks now and I absolutely love it!! I go 3 times a week. Who knew that I would enjoy an ex marine yelling at me 3 hours a week to 'Keep it going!', 'Get it up!', 'Faster!', 'Don't quit!'? It's the best, Jerry! The best!

Books:
I've bought quite a few books, Craig. You don't know that yet because you haven't seen my next post about my last buy. However, I did buy a couple that you know about as well as those cool Monster Mags and I've thoroughly enjoyed them!

Week 21: A Dog, Champaign and a Tree

I know when you see the attached picture you probably think I have a dog or a giant bottle of champaign I need opened. Wrong on both accounts. I thought this little device could act as a stake so I could secure a rope around a tree we have that's leaning to one side and attach the other end of the rope to the thingy in the picture. I think that would work just fine. Once the tree has grown nice and straight perhaps I'll sit under it's shade petting my future dog while drinking a nice cool glass of bubbly.

BUY: $2
CATEGORY: Garage Sale

Notre Dame

What a fabulous long week-end! I went up-north, saw some relatives, played in a tennis tournament, went to a party and spontaneously bought a new bike on the way home from up-north. I really tried to buy the bike from Craig but it was such a pain. I couldn't find anything I liked.

Could it be any hotter today?? It's sweltering!!!!!

So my cousin from California was visiting and we ended up having this big debate about Notre Dame. He thinks that 99 out of 100 people when asked what place they think of when they see that name will say the university. Most of us disagreed and said they would say the cathedral in France. So we did a little poll at the party we went to and we were right. However, we do agree that it may be a Canadian/American thing. I do think that most people in the states would say the university. My cousin had never even heard of the cathedral. Huh.

Week 20: Some of the Best Aromas in the World

Some of the best aromas in the world:

* the unmistakable musty smell just before a rain storm
* a newborn baby
* onions frying in a pan
* something baking in the oven
* my husband
* a crackling fire
* freshly hewn wood
* a crisp winter morning
* honeysuckle
* tomato plants

Thus, this weeks buy is 2 tomato plants from a Church sale I saw advertised with Craig. Mmmmmmmmm.

BUY: $6
CATEGORY: Garage Sales

4 Month Anniversary

This week is my 4 month anniversary! I can't believe I've been able to hang onto this Craiglist concept for so long. I've definitely been tempted to quit but I'm still here! So just to irritate my kids I'll say, "Kudos to me!" (they hate that expression.

Week 19: Nicolas Sparks

Okay, second garage sale find, 2 books by Nicolas Sparks. I read "Two Weeks With My Brother" and thought it was good so why not try his other books.

BUY: .50 cents
CATEGORY: Garage Sales

Week 18: Monster Movie Magazines

So I tackled a new Craigslist category today: Garage Sales! I went to a bunch of them that I found on Craigslist and bought some things at each one so now I can make up for missing last week as well as bank a few for upcoming weeks!

So for last week, week 18, I bought 7 Monster Movie Magazines from the 60's. Quite a cool find actually. They are totally reminiscent of the old movie posters from the early days of movie making. The guy I bought them from said the perfect summer day for him as a child was "an orange crush and a Monster Mag!" I find them quite fun to look at. People collect these too. I might even sell them back to Craig at a later date!

BOUGHT: $1.75
CATEGORY: Garage Sales

I'm Back

Okay, I know I've been really lame lately and there hasn't been much action here but I have a new sense of energy now and have a plan to catch up. I know I missed last week so I have to buy or sell 2 things this week. Not only will I do that but I might even do 3 items so I can bank an item for next week. So stay tuned and I'll have an update for you by Sunday.

Dear Craig: Please Understand

I don't want to give up on you Craig. It's just that life has been really stressful the last couple of weeks and I don't seem to have much time for you lately. I'm not ignoring you completely and I still love you. Do you think you can understand? Please know that you are still in my thoughts and if I have time this week-end I'll try to spend some time with you.

Love, Me.

Week 18: Nothin'!

Okay, it finally happened. Week 18. The first week I haven't bought or sold anything! I have had NO TIME at all! I've been way too busy at charity events, life celebrations, hosting parties etc... This means that next week I have to buy or sell 2 items. Well I'm telling you right now that I'm not going to let this pile up on me. I'm making a new rule for myself. If I go 4 weeks in a row without any action the game is up! Over. Finished. Kaput. Fini. Done. That's it.

So let's see what happens.

Life is Fragile

Life is fragile. There have been too many deaths surrounding me this week. I don't know if I'll be able to sell anything this week. I'll just leave you with this quote from one of the obituaries, "Make sure you hug the important people in your life and tell them that you love them."

WEEK 17: Thanks For Being in My Life S!

So I bought these tickets last week to see an amazing motivational speaker. His name his Nick Vujicic. If you google his name you'll see all sorts of clips about him. He has no arms and no legs yet he lives an amazingly fulfilling life. They show him getting ready in the morning, brushing his hair and teeth, shaving, dressing, swimming, driving a boat, golfing...all with no limbs! One of my sons needs some of that motivation right now so we are taking the whole family to see him. I need my son to realize that his problems are nothing at all compared to what some people have to live with. We're all really looking forward to it.

So the event starts on a Friday night and goes all day Saturday as well. Turns out we can't go to the Friday night portion so I 'sold' those tickets to my cousin. Yes, I did post with Craig but my cousin got wind of it and is excited to go. Why did I write sold in quotes? Because my cousin is the best you can get and I owe so much to her in gratitude for all she has done for me in my life. How could I possibly sell them to her? Besides, it's my perogative if I want to sell something for free.

As cousins go you can't possibly get any better than mine! I don't use names in my blog so I won't use her name but I'll just call her S. S has got to be the most giving, kind, selfless and modest person around. She would do anything for you at any moment. She always knows the mannerly and right thing to do in any given situation. She's such a sweetheart. She used to babysit me as a child and now she babysits my kids and they absolutely adore her.

Thanks for being in my life S!

SOLD: free
CATEGORY: Tickets

WEEK 16: Nick Vujicic - Check Him Out on You Tube

Where have I been all week? I guess I've been so busy with this boot camp that I joined that I haven't had time to write. I went to boot camp 3 times this week. If I keep that pace up I hope I'll see some results!

This week I sold an Easy Bake Oven. This women tried on and off for 3 weeks to meet me to get it. She took the TTC downtown from York University where she's studying so she could buy the oven for her 8 year old daughter. She has another kid too. It must be tough being a student and a mom all at once. But if you're ever feeling like life is too challenging for you then just go to You Tube and look up Nick Vujicic! I promise you he'll inspire you!


SOLD: $10
CATEGORY: Toys & Games

Week 15: Sale + Fence Update

I don't even think I really heard the voice of the guy that bought my gumball machine from me this week. He just kind of came to the door and I gave it to him and he gave me the money and I think he said thanks. Then he left. So no real story there.

However, I did get a nice thank you note today from the person who bought my fence. She said it's sitting in a pile in her backyard right now and they are waiting for some nice weather before they install it and she'll send me a picture of it when it's done. That's nice. It's almost as if she knows about my blog and wants to give me an update. :)

SOLD: $15
CATEGORY: Household items

Roof Update

So just for a kick I posted my shingles on Craigslist and I told you I'd let you know how it went. Just so you know, I posted them under 'free' to see if anyone had any ideas for recycled shingles...you know, maybe some artist or something like that. Really it was all just done to get cool fodder for my blog. I wasn't serious. Well it sure worked. I only posted it a couple of hours ago and so far here are my replies:

"If they go up there to take them down and fall you get sued." True. Good point.

"Are you serious?" Well, no, I just wanted to see the comments you people would write.

"Are you serious or are you just a cheap C###?" No comment.

So the question is, do I keep the posting up for more insults or take it off now. I think I'll take it off now. Don't want to get sued anyway.

New Roof Blahs

I need a new roof. Drag. Do you think I can get one from Craig? Do you think I can sell my old shingles? What a joke. I guy at work actually dared me to post it. I think I will just to see what kind of reaction I get. Should be interesting. I'll let you know what happens.

Week 14: Hello Bigger Backyard!

"We really want the fence."
"We will definitely be there tomorrow to take the fence."
"When can we come by to pick up the fence? We're anxious to get it!"

Mulitply those replies by 20 and then follow them up with these replies:

"Oh, on second thought, after talking it over with my husband, we won't be coming to get the fence."
"Oh, I didn't realize the labour involved, I was going to come over with my 12 month old to pick it up."
"Oh, we have to take the posts as well?"

So what's this all about? I posted my fence for sale. All they had to do was take the entire fence, including the posts, and they could walk away with it for free. It was my most popular post yet but people kept insisting they wanted it and then backing out of the deal.

Well, today I finally got rid of it. Two guys showed up, took it down and are in the process of taking it away. Apparently the one guy rents a house and wants to block out his landlord that lives beside him so that's why they want my fence.

Who cares? It's gone now and my backyard is now 2 feet wider with the fence gone! Woo hoo!!


SOLD: Free
CATEGORY: Farm & Garden

Stay Tuned

I can't believe it's Wednesday already. I haven't been ignoring you Craig. I've had sooooo many close calls this week with sales but they aren't panning out. I'll have to take some action tonight to make things happen. Stay tuned.

Filtering Through The Rubbish

Lucky I have the ability to filter through the rubbish. I have a posting with Craig right now and it's very specific. I'm offering a 40' lattice fence for free as long as the person comes and takes it down themselves, including the posts, and takes the WHOLE fence.

So I've had a few people that have said they'll take it but when I ask a few more questions it's obvious they can't. Today a woman emailed me and said she would take some of it tonight and the rest tomorrow. Immediatly I think she only wants a bit of the fence and her plan is to take some tonight and then not show up tomorrow leaving me with the rest of the fence and posts sticking up all by themselves. I probably wouldn't even be able to sell the rest of the fence and then I'd have to take it down myself.

So I ask her if she has a truck and someone to help her and remind her that she needs to take the posts down as well. I also tell her that she can't come tonight but can take it all tomorrow. After a bit of back and forth she says that she can't take it afterall as she was planning on coming by with her 12 month old to take a few boards!

A few other people also backed off when I reminded them that they had to take the posts down too. Come on! They are getting the 40' fence for free afterall!!

Week 13: Let's Admit a Couple of Things

This week I sold a helmet to a guy who is trying to outfit his 3 kids in ski equipment. This is actually a banked item as I sold it last week just 2 days before he took off for a family ski trip to Smugglers Notch. I asked him if he needed any other ski equipment and he said he did so since then I've found 2 more helmets and 2 pairs of boots that I can sell him. Hopefully he'll still want them.

I have to admit a little white lie here...the picture isn't of the helmet I sold him. I forgot to take a picture of it so for today's purpose I just took a picture of a much older helmet that I'm sure I'll never be able to sell as it's an original that I wore as a teenager. What a difference! It's sooooo heavy compared to today's models! Let's also admit something else while we're at it...don't you think helmets are incredibly hideous looking?!

SOLD: $20
CATEGORY: Sports

3 Month Anniversary!

Hey, it just occured to me...this week is the 3 month anniversary of the blog! I can't believe all this time has gone by. It seems like I just started this task yesterday.

Today my colleague was asking me about my craigslist challenge and how it was going and if it was still fun or becoming laborious. I told her that I still enjoy the challenge of trying to buy or sell something each week for 52 weeks. However, sometimes I forget to ask questions to the buyer. That's how I get my little stories about them and if I don't ask questions, I don't get any stories which is exactly what has happened to my last few sales. With that in mind, I'll try to be more pro-active with the questions!

WEEK 12: Broken But Gone

Well it only took close to 3 months but I finally sold the crystal decanters. The drag is that I had 6 perfectly good decanters to sell and between transporting them to the buyer I broke one of them! Oh well, I got rid of a big box full of stuff today and that always feels good.

SALE: $50
CATEGORY: Household Items

WEEK 11: Geronimo!

I have to pat myself on the back for a moment. Here I am on vacation but have a one day break where I can get home for 24 hours and I've made a sale! I just sold 21 Geronimo Stilton books to a lady buying them for her ferocious little reader. It's a win-win all around...I get rid of the books, she gets a pile of books for her daughter and my kids get to split the money (I told them I'd let them split the money when it comes to kids books or toys that get sold).

Now, back to the slopes! :)

SOLD: $60
CATEGORY: Books

Dear Craig: No Rest For The Vacationer

I want you to know how devoted I am to you. Here I am on vacation and STILL trying to feed this beast. Yes, I'm still selling. I can't tell you that I'll be successful but I want you to know that I'm still trying. Good luck to me.

In the meantime, have I told you how amazing the Spring skiing in the mountains is? Sunshine, warm weather, no hat, moguls, 6km runs...this is the life. I feel sorry for people who don't enjoy skiing or winter for that matter. It's got to be one of the best pleasures in life bar none. Glory and bliss. :)

Week 10: Things Are Looking Up

It was a tough week. It's hard to sell anything while sporting bronchitis and a migraine. The whole world seems to stop functioning, or maybe I should say I stop functioning. The world continues to rotate while I stay fixed, stuck in time, concentrating only on breathing and that spot on my forehead behind my left eye that causes so much pain that I have to lay in a dark room with ice-cubes on my forehead for 3 hours. The kids run wild, work suffers, the house is a mess and so am I.

On the bright side, things are looking up and I'm starting to feel better. The migraine is gone and the breathing is better. I honestly thought this was the week I wouldn't sell anything but luck was on my side and I sold 6 framed prints to a man who told me he was out of work. Once he found out where I worked I think he was hinting for me to hire him or put in a good word for him or something like that. It's so sad to think of all the people that were laid off last year.

SOLD: $90
CATEGORY: arts & crafts

Does It Count?

Does it count that I sold something this week and then told the guy to wait a couple of weeks? Come on? I'm sick. I should get some leeway. The story is, I posted my most successful post yet! I have a 40 foot lattice fence in the backyard that I want down but it's in good shape so I'm offering it for free to someone who will take it away for me. I had about 15 takers in a matter of hours! The problem is that the ground is still frozen though so we have to wait a few weeks for it to thaw so the posts can come down so I'm delaying the sale.

This just makes things extra hard for me this week. Bring out the worlds smallest violin please...

Sick Contingency Plan?

So what's the contingency plan if I'm sick? I don't feel like selling something this week. I'm just trying to breathe! Something simple better drop in my lap or I'm done for this week. If there was a cure for the common cold I'd buy that but, alas, there is no such thing.

WEEK 9: So That's What Calves Are For!

This week I sold a 'Spiderwicks' book to a lady who bought it for her daughter. No interesting story to report with the transacation so instead I'll give you an update from last week's transaction which was boot camp! Yes, I joined boot camp last week and Friday was my first class.

It turns out that a former Marine is running the camp and although there were 3 other people in the class with me, this Marine gave me way too much attention! (Whenever he wasn't looking at me I tried to cheat!) The class was supposed to be 1 hour long but I think it ran closer to 1.5 hours. It was non-stop moving and stretching and pushing yourself to the limit! Tony, the Marine/trainer, really needs to learn how to count though. Whenever he said there were 3 seconds left it turned out to be about a minute and then when he said we could rest for 10 seconds he would count as fast as he could to ten.

The next day I thought that I'd be feeling it the most in my abs but I was completely wrong! It turns out that I haven't used my calves my entire life! How do I know this? Because I haven't been able to walk on them all week-end!

SOLD: $10
CATEGORY: BOOKS

Dear Craig: Good for the Soul

People come and go throughout life. Some people touch it for a moment and you continue on unchanged, some people linger in the background much to your chagrin or happiness but they are a constant, while others seem to drop in for awhile and are able to leave a lasting imprint on your being and you remain forever marked by their presence.

It's many years (even decades) later and I found myself thinking of one such person last night. He was the Camp Director of the overnight camp I went to when I was 10-14 years old. Simply, he was an amazing influence on us. He seemed to single me out and made me feel very special. In retrospect, he was such a natural born inspirational leader that I'm sure he made every single camper feel the same way.

I've often wondered what happened to Walter over the years and so I looked him up on Facebook and found him. He's retired now but we exchanged a few emails and I was able to tell him what a great camp director he was.

Once in awhile, it's great to reach out to someone from our past like that and I encourage everyone to do the same. Feels good for the soul.

WEEK 8: Boot Camp?

This week was down to the wire. I didn't sell anything but I did buy something...grant it, it was free. It still counts though as I found the ad on craigslist and made the decision to buy, not sell this week.

So what did I 'buy'? Bootcamp. Yes, I signed up for bootcamp to get my sorry a$$ into shape. It starts at the end of this week so we shall see how I fair. I must say, I'm really looking forward to it! I'll let you know how it goes in a post next week.

BOUGHT: free
CATEGORY: wanted

Being Lead Astray

I've been lead astray, Craig. Four people this week have virtually told me they want what I have and just haven't bothered to show up as arranged. Don't they understand that I'm in a challenge here!? They can't tell me they want something and then not bother to show up can they?

I'm thinking of buying something this week anyway...stay tuned...

Dear Craig: Please Get Rid of the 'Fun Police'!

Dear Craig,

I've decided that in between writing to you about my weekly sales, I'll write little letters to you so that you can get to know me a bit better. Perhaps if you know me better you'll buy more things from me.

So here's what I'm pondering this week...why does it seem that the 'fun police' keep winning? I belong to a ski club and have done so my entire life. As a kid I skied all day, tobogganed on the hills all night and enjoyed dressing up in wild costumes for Mardi Gras where you had to be able to ride the t-bar and parade down the hill in your costume. As we got older, we would have events where we would drink gluwein (mulled wine) during Spring skiing while soaking up the sun riding the bumps. We would go to the bar after skiing and either ski or walk down the hill at the end of the night (in the dark). Once a year there was the torch light parade where 30-40 instructors would ski down the hill at night with lit torches in each hand. It was beautiful.

I have kids of my own now and guess what? They aren't allowed to toboggan on the hills at night because they might hurt themselves and sue the club. They can't walk or ski down the hill after 4:20pm precisely or they'll get chased down by the ski patrollers. Mardi Gras costumes are banned because they might catch on the lift and hurt the skier so they changed it to crazy hat day and now it's just nothing. The torch light parade is gone too, I guess someone might hurt themselves and sue the club. It's the 'fun police'...they're winning the battle!

Well Worn Used Shoes?

So I was combing the 'wanted' section of craigslist the other day and noticed an ad from somebody wanting used shoes. Well worn, used high heels. He (I'm assuming it was a he) would pay $20 per pair. Why did I assume it was a he? Not sure. Seemed like some sort of fetish. Why would anybody want well worn used shoes? He specifically said to not bother cleaning them up or anything. What? Did he want to smell them or something? Check for DNA? I just can't wrap my head around it!

WEEK 7: You Meet All Kinds

The small Asian women stood on my doorstep bearing gifts, a Sears catalogue which she had found on our porch and a bag of cookies. Graciously I accepted the cookies but asked her why she had brought them.

"I want to be your friend," she commented with a sardonic smirk that made me smile and laugh all at once.

You see, in our previous conversation earlier in the evening, she had asked me if I ever taught stained glass. I told her that I only did that occasionally with some friends. She really wanted me to teach her so she decided she would be my friend! I concluded with telling her that if I ever decided to teach the craft, I would give her a call. She thought she might take it up when she retires in 3 years which was a shock to me since she looked about 40 but was actually 57!

In the meantime, I fixed her broken window which took only about 7 minutes since all it required was some soldering. She waited while I worked and asked if she could see the other windows I had made within the house.

You meet all types of people in this weekly challenge and with each confrontation I gather a little snapshot of a person's life. In this case, I got to enjoy some tasty cookies while contemplating our transaction.

SALE: $5
CATEGORY: General

RV'S?

RV's, Appliances, Boats, Cars...a few of the categories that I am yet to sell anything in! I NEED to sell something in each of these plus 32 other categories in order for my challenge to be a success by the end of the year. So far I've done the easy categories. It's time to get creative. What could I possibly sell in the RV category?!!

WEEK 6: Chasing a Dream

Wow, this was a delightfully easy week! I just sold a bookshelf to a lady who is starting her own pre-school. She's chasing her dream.

I need to do that one day. In the past I've chased many dreams... I've travelled to almost 40 different countries, I backpacked for a year and a half around the world, I survived a month long Outward Bound Survivor course, I've bungy jumped, I've snorkled the Great Barrier Reef and have actually flown a 1945 Piper Cub...but my greatest dream was chasing down the 2 boys in my life that my husband and I flew half way around the world to adopt! All my love and devotion goes to them.

All those accomplishments were so long ago though...it's time to chase a new dream. I just have to imagine the possibilities first. I think I'll make that a goal of mine for 2010!

SALE: $30
CATEGORY: BABY & KID STUFF

WEEK 5: Thou Shall Not Judge

So normally I'm pretty good at judging a person's character. I must say tonight was difficult though. I was cutting it close this week but finally made a sale to a women who claimed that her son's hockey equipment had all been stolen so she needed to replace it on the cheap. Her emails were friendly and she seemed so genuine on the phone as well. However, when we met in person I didn't get the same vibe. She was a little abrupt, a bit cold, in a hurry.

You see, I was trying to figure out if I should cut her a really great deal or not as we hadn't previously agreed on a price. I was thinking of selling her everything for only a dollar if she really needed the break but I was confused over the matter so I just settled on $20. That was a great deal anyway so she got the benefit of the doubt and I really shouldn't judge or assume anyway. You know what they say about the word assume...it makes an ASS out of U and ME.

Attached is a picture of the lot she bought minus the pants. Apparently they were missing a strap or something like that. What do I know about hockey pants?!

SALE: $20
CATEGORY: Wanted

This Week...Buy or Sell?

I'm feeling like I might actually have to buy something this week to fulfill my commitment! I was trying to avoid that. I'll work extra hard on Craig tonight to see what I can do.

Feeling the Pressure Again

Okay, I've had it a little easy the last little while with my craigslist sales. Not a lot of bites this week...feeling the pressure! It's always about this time that I question my resolve to this insane game I started. It's time to sh*t or get off the pot!

The Polite Truth

Do you prefer the polite answer or the truth? I know, you want a polite and truthful answer. People sometimes mix these up. They feel that they will hurt the person's feelings with the truth so they politely tell them something they think the person would rather hear. Well I say just tell the truth (and yes, you can be polite...no need to be rude about it). I deal with a lot of people in sales, not just because of my craigslist adventure but because of my job - and people...just tell me the truth! If you don't want to buy it...say so. I won't be offended. So to all you craiglisters out there, I say this, "Don't waste my time deferring a negative answer. If you don't want it, say so. I'll love you all the more for it."

WEEK 4: God Speed to Haitian Adoptions

So this is week 4 of my little game of buying or selling something on craigslist each week for 52 weeks. Since I sold 2 items last week I get to carry one over for this week! So this week's item is a snowboard that I sold to a guy in his 30's who pulled up in a champaign Mercedes! What's with the cars? The guy I sold the clown head to pulled up in a black Porsche! Can't wait to see next week's Jag or Bentley!

So the money from this weeks item is charity bound as the board was actually donated as a silent auction item to my charity a few years back but it never sold so I had to take the matter to Craig and Craig never lets me down!

For those of you who don't know, my husband and I co-founded a charity in 2002 called Orphan's Hope Kids to Canada. We give financial grants of up to $10,000 to people adopting children from overseas who can't afford it. To date, we have raised over 1 million dollars and have offered grants to over 100 families adopting children from close to 20 different countries. We are the first charity of it's kind in Canada so the demand is overwhelming.

In my home office, I have dozens of pictures of orphans that we have helped adopt over the years. Last week, in the wake of the Haiti catastrophe, I looked at the wall focusing on all the Haitian children we have helped adopt over the years. My eyes settled on a picture of 3 siblings. There are actually 2 pictures of them. In the first, they are standing outside of their orphanage looking quite depressed. In the second, they have huge smiles on their faces as they had just found out that they were all being adopted together into one Canadian family!

Well, it turns out that I was too hasty in putting that picture on the wall as they are yet to be adopted! I called the adoptive parents last week and after much worrying, they had just found out that the kids were okay. They are now anxiously awaiting word for when they can get their kids home to Canada! My thoughts and prayers are with them and a few other families from our charity who wait with bated breath for word on when they can adopt their Haitian children. God speed.

www.orphanshope.ca

SALE: $120
CATEGORY: SPORTING

Banking Items

I knew this would happen eventually. I sold 2 things this week. So, what to do? Since it's my game and I make up the rules I'm going add a 'banking' rule. Here it is...if I sell more than 1 item a week I can bank the extra items for weeks where i don't sell anything. I think that's fair..it helps for when I'll be away too!

More Cakes

I said I would post a picture of the pizza cake I made on the week-end if it turned out. It's definitely not one of my fav's but here it is. Since I don't like it that much, I'm posting the skateboard cake I made last year. Maybe down the road I'll have to do a cake posting on craigslist!

WEEK 3: What to do With the Twig in your Mouth

So, week 3 is a short and sweet scenerio. I sold an IPOD charger to a guy who is training to run a triathalon in October. Now he can use his Shuffle when he's training to amuse his mind during the tedious running. It's his first triathalon. I asked him why at this point in his life he decided to do a triathalon and he told me that he wanted to get it done before he started having kids. I commented, "Ya, 'cuz we all know life stops after kids." (eye roll)

So why do people think that life stops after kids? Many peeps I know dropped all their extra curricular activities when they had kids. I think you need to pare down but I don't think giving them all up is the solution. You need to continue to have an outlet just for yourself, otherwise, when the chicks leave the nest you'll be left wondering what to do with the twig in your mouth.

SALE: $10

CATEGORY: ELECTRONICS

Beer and Fudge

Okay, I know I just did a posting about 10 minutes ago but then I started reading a blog of a friend of mine and she starts off by saying that you can't look for friends. Immediately my summer of '88 popped into my head contradicting her so I thought I would share.

The summer of '88 was basically the best summer of my life. My best friend and I flew out west to work for the summer. We were between years in University. We didn't have a job waiting for us. We just went out there with a hope, a wish and a prayer! The first day we trudged up the main street of Banff kindly asking the hotels to hire us. By the end of the day we were begging them!

Long story short...we ended up getting a job at the Chateau Lake Louise where we proceeded to have the best time of our lives...dancing every night, hiking, mountain climbing, lots of parties!

Fast forward 2 months down the road...a friend we met in Lake Louise decided she was going to Whistler to find work so we decided to join her and ended up getting waitressing jobs. However, the joy and friendships we had in Lake Louise weren't present in Whistler. The set up just wasn't the same. We actually had to hitch hike back and forth to work everyday which kept us removed from a lot of the action in the village (our hitch hiking stories is fodder for a blog of it's own).

So, getting to the finding friends part. One day we decided to look for a couple of cool guys to hang out with around where we lived. There were a row of townhouses there so we decided to just knock on the doors looking for cool guys. Guess what? It worked!! The first door we knocked on there were 2 guys living there. They were drinking beer and eating frozen fudge. We pretended we were looking for someone else and when they said that guy didn't live there we just kept talking to them anyway. Soon we were sitting at their kitchen table eating fudge and drinking with them! We actually hung out with them for a good portion of the summer.

Now, that was many years ago and I was just a university student and didn't think much about what my girlfriend and I actually did. But now I'm thinking about it from the guys point of view. They're just sitting there by themselves minding their own business and 2 university chicks unexpectantly knock at their door. Five minutes later their sharing a drink with them! I wonder how they tell their version of this story?

Okay, I'll be more active blogging (thanks Jay)

Okay, I have to admit that I'm new to blogging. I was planning on posting once a week when I made a sale but a friend told me I have to do it more often than that. So, just a short note to say I'll try to post 3 times a week. That's it people. I can't do any more than that.

I do have to tell you that although I only did the one transaction this week, I had a lot of action with Craig last night! I had a lot of people interested in things so hopefully next week won't be so difficult because I was swamped this week. Not only was I having my affair with Craig but my son's birthday party was Wednesday night, my husband's is this Saturday and my mom's is soon. I make special birthday cakes for the kids so that usually takes a few days to pull off after I first come up with a plan. So this week I'm making a pizza cake. If it turns out well, I'll post a picture of it next week. Here are 2 pictures of cakes I've made in the past.

WEEK 2: This is Not EBAY!

Okay, I'm only into my 2nd week here and I'm not so sure I like what I've gotten myself into! In some ways it's really interesting and fun but in other ways I'm wondering what I set myself up for! This is not easy! Why were the things I sold in the past so easy to sell and now it's so hard?! I'm chalking it up to being January and people just don't want to spend money right now. That's what I'm going with anyway. The thing is, I'm not even doing this for the money...I'm doing it for the challenge...just to see if I can do it!

Anyway, I did make my second sale of the year. It's a growth chart. I actually had a lady from the States contact me to see if I would ship it to her. I told her that the reason I'm on Craigslist and not EBAY is because I don't want to ship anything to anyone! So I was showing the craigslist posting to a couple of colleagues I work with and one said to the other, "You should buy that for your daughter." So she did :) Thanks colleagues! So there you have it. My second sale.

SALE: $10

CATEGORY: BABY AND KID STUFF

WEEK 1: My Giant Clown Head

So this is my first week and I've made my first sale! This clown's head has been in my family for over 50 years. It's from the Eaton's Santa Clause Parade and a friend of my mom's bought it for her when my mom was in her 20's. Can you believe that I used to have this in my bedroom as a child!

I had a great experience with this sale making me realize that it might be the stories told to me from the buyers that will be the best part of this game. The buyer had been in the Santa Clause Parade with his friend for about 20 years. In June, the friend will be turning 50. The buyer purchased the clown's head as a gift for his friend and is really excited about giving it to him.

So I met the buyer on a busy corner in downtown Toronto. He pulled up in his black Porsche. I told him that I would be easy to spot as I'd be the one holding the clown's head and he told me that he would only buy it from me if I stood on the corner wearing it! So I did. He said I was a good sport. What he didn't know was that 5 floors up a group of my work colleagues were squished up against 2 windows looking down at the transaction as it happened. I really wanted to turn around and wave at them but I didn't want to scare off the buyer!

Needless to say...a great transaction today! The clown's head went to a great home!

SALE: $25
CATEGORY: ANTIQUES

WHAT WAS I THINKING?!!

Okay, this is week one of my little Craigslist game of trying to buy or sell something each week for 52 weeks. I have one thing to say right now...WHAT WAS I THINKING?!!! So I've posted a few items so far and nary a bite...well, one nibble but the guy hasn't contacted me back yet. To top it all off, I've just realized that my 'weeks' to sell from Jan-Mar are really only 5 days instead of 7 because I go away every week-end. That leaves me just 4 days left in order to sell something! Please people... BITE!