Thrift Shop Bargains

So, it's all over. Thrift Shop is done and dusted for another year. I've just enjoyed a hour's nap and I'm feeling more refreshed than I did this morning.

The 84cm sausage dog that our middle
son bought.

I'm so thankful that the weather, though rainy, wasn't anything like a tropical storm can be. We didn't have strong winds and the heaviest rain happened over night. Quite different to what it could have been like if those two typhoons which were headed for us earlier in the week had joined forces and camped over us.

Yesterday was exhausting, especially the morning. I was on registers for the whole morning, from 9 till 12. From about 9.30 to 12 I think there was only once or twice when we weren't serving someone. It was continuous and tiring!

This is Shyni, my neighbouring register "girl". There were about
eight of us working on the calculators on Saturday, each with two
helpers, who either called out prices or packed the bags. Lots of workers
to make it as efficient as possible.

I just had to buy this, it had my name on it.

My brain started to short-wire at around 10.30. Simple things became hard. All I was doing was hearing/reading prices and inputting them into the calculator, then receiving payment and giving change. Who could think that would be so hard? Of course I was doing it somewhat bilingually. My Japanese numbers (speaking and listening) got a good work-out yesterday. But I think it was mostly the constancy of it, not even little breaks. Every time I thought we were at the end of the line, another person joined before we were finished with the
current person. Eventually in a short break I ran off and bought some caffeine. That cleared things up a bit.

Our eldest son always finds some kind of
book or game that involves "brain" stuff.
Either trivia or other mental exercises.
Sounds painful to me, but he enjoys this
kind of thing.

I was blessed to be teamed up, for the first two hours, with a former maths teacher of my eldest son and a fellow wrestling mum (a Japanese lady). I met her last year doing the same thing and am looking forward to spending time with her at the long wrestling meets that we've got coming up in the months ahead. These ladies rescued me a few times when I made mistakes (thankfully fairly easily reversible mistakes), like entering 200 yen and 150 yen in without putting a "+" between them, so that the total became more than 200,000 yen!

"Daz" the dragon. 190cm dragon, purchased
by our youngest son.

"Daz" at his full length.

The shop closed at 1pm and then we cleared out the gym and cleaned, but not before we had 1/2 an hour "free" shopping. Anything we gleaned in that time was free. This shopping time is only for those who are committed to help in the cleaning up, that usually takes till 4.30 or later. For the first time, my whole family joined in. The PTA hire strong high school boys to do the heavy lifting (all the shelving etc. gets stored in the basement under the cafeteria). My high schooler got hired for this. The rest of us were volunteers and I was so encouraged to see my two younger sons working with diligence and enthusiasm.

I even got to have another go at using the power drill in dismantling the clothes racks. That

A cute eco-friendly bag. I have one of these already,

but it is showing strain. I regularly use it, so I figured

another would be handy.

was great fun until I was totally shocked by a fellow mum saying, "Don't you think that you should let a man do that?" I was so shocked that I shot back, "Why?" a bit sharply. She didn't answer, but clearly her intention was that I give the drill to her husband who was standing quietly by. Rather than make a scene, I finished the set I was working on and handed it over, but I was seething

The colour in this photo isn't great, but
this is a pink scarf that I persuaded my 11 y.o.
son to accept. I guess I'll be blogging later about
the pink volleyball game we'll be attending
this week. I might even get a photo with all of
us sporting something pink! Quite an effort for
this family of boys.

inside. I'm well aware, though, that at the tail-end of Thrift Shop, when everyone is tired, it is easy for tempers to flare and for things to be said that shouldn't be. I'm thankful I was able to hold my tongue and temper. I still can't imagine why she said that to me. It felt like her husband was a bit embarrassed by the whole incident. It certainly left me feeling unhappy.

As usual, I've snuck around and taken photos of just some of our Thrift Shop haul. I've done very little purchasing myself, with our big packing-up job next year very much on my mind.

I've heard along the grape-vine that it was a very successful Thrift Shop, with the gross earnings being relatively high. That's great, considering the weather was so, well, wet.

One of the piles of books around. I'm
guessing we've acquired more than 20
books from Thrift Shop. Most of which
the boys bought. How can I protest about
boys that go hunting for (cheap) books to
buy?

These cars almost derailed homework on Thursday
night. Amazing how much enjoyment boys
get from these plastic-metal toys, even 14 y.o.s!

Headphones. For our middle son
to listen to music when the rest
of the world is bothering him.

What's this called? It also has been a source of distraction
at bedtime.

CAJ hosted the Red Cross Blood Donation team. I tried to give blood, but my haemoglobin was 0.5g/L under what it should have been to give the 400ml that I'd said I'd give. Strangely enough it would have been okay if I'd said I'd give 200mg. But they wouldn't change how much they would take from me, so they got none from me at all. I would have thought it would make more sense to take some rather than reject me altogether? Still, I still got the 500 yen discount that the students were offering off the school t-shirts. So David and I now have matching ones. Our plan is to use them in the less formal deputation events that we'll be doing in Australia. 

A Lego key ring.

A cutey!