I missed my writer's group yesterday - how that happened is a long story (but hey! When aren't my stories long, right?).

I did go to yard sales yesterday - the FIRST one of the day, I missed a huge deal, literally by seconds. There was a table and chair set for outside (on the new deck) that was gorgeous, with six chairs that had floral cushions and a nice glass top for the oval table. This was for sale at the church just up the street from me. I needed to get some change though (one doesn't go to yard sales with a big bill. It Isn't Done) and Tina and I ran to the gas station, where I grabbed up a diet soda. We tore back to the church, I jumped out of the car and ran up to a woman who looked in charge, asking her how much the table was.

"Oh, sorry. That woman right there just bought it."

'That woman' turned and smirked at me - there's no kindness in the yard sale game. She was the victor, I was the unprepared slacker with no change. *sigh* I stared at the table and chair set, which I had already been mentally arranging on the deck, saying goodbye.

I'll admit that I sulked for about a half an hour, refusing to look at anything at other yard sales and being a bit snappish to the kids and Fee. Finally, Tina snapped back at me and then we played a familiar game: How Come it Happened?

"Maybe the glass would have broken and hurt one of the kids," Tina suggested.

"Or a huge tree branch would have fallen on the exact place I put the table, killing everyone!"

"Is a tree going to fall on the house?" Jaime is worried.

"No, silly. We're just pretending bad stuff would have happened if I'd gotten that table - it probably wouldn't, but it helps me to get out of my bad mood about NOT getting it."

"Oh." She sits back again.

"Maybe we'll get in a horrible car accident!" Jeremy says with relish.

I sigh and Fee and I look at one another. "Jer - you're missing the point of the game. Never mind. We're done with it anyway. I didn't get it and I'm going to quit being a baby." Then I mutter to Fee, "NOT a game to play around them again."

"I agree."

We stop at a few other sales, I get more clothes for La Roona and a couple of awesome toys for Noah. Jaime sees a really cool McDonalds station, complete with food. It's got a drive through window, cash register, even a little deep fryer that makes the COOLEST deep frying sounds (I know, gross, right? But I love it).

"I dunno, Jaime - I bet it costs a lot..."

"Only five dollars!"

"We'll take it!"

Tina just shakes her head. She's always fussing because I've bought a large kid's toy - a few weeks ago, it was an easel, with a chalk board on one side and a dry erase board on the other, but for three bucks, how could I resist? Besides, Jaime and Noah play with it all the time.

Fee got an awesome wooden rocking chair for five bucks and some other odds and ends for cheap and then, I stumbled on My Deal.

It was a rather buried yard sale: deep on a back road, down a wending, winding road, a humble garage sale. Fee saw some chairs and gasped. "Is that another set for the deck?" Then her face fell. "Nah - just a dining room table."

I leap out of the car. That's on my list! I race up the driveway, leaving Tina to herd the kids and look at the set. Beautiful! Six high backed chairs and a heavy wooden table. I check the price: Fifty bucks. I can't help myself. "Will you take forty?"

"Sure," the woman shrugs. It doesn't look like she's gotten much play, back here in the woods, but she doesn't know the rules, I bet. Buried yard sales get checked out last - after the easier, more accessible ones. I'd wager she could have gotten more for the set, later, but I keep my mouth shut and hand over the money, telling her I'll be back with my truck. There's no kindness in this game.

I'm overjoyed!! My table is GROSS and I hate it. Hate it hate it hate it. It was free to us about ten years ago and the chairs have gotten so wobbly, I'm afraid to let anyone sit on half of them. The kids have scribbled on the underside of the light wood table in red indelible marker and on the top in ink pen that just won't be scrubbed away. I keep a tablecloth over it, to hide it all.

Now the kids are old enough that there will be no scribbling and the grand kids are NEVER alone for even a second (the beauty of having young aunties and uncles), so they won't be allowed to deface the new set.

I sigh with rapture. I've got a new set of furniture for the living room coming in about a week (thank you Boody Baby) and now I've got a new dining room set as well. Life is good.

I see one more sale, and snag up a couple of gorgeous comforters for my bed, in the perfect shade of green for my room. One is a quilt, with appliqued flowers on each square and matching pillow shams. I'm over the moon - two exquisite and perfect finds on ONE day? It's almost too much goodness. "I need to go home," I tell Tina.

"Yeah - I need to meet Joe soon." She points at the clock.

"It's only ten," I protest. "You don't meet Joe until noon."

"Kath - we still need to get the truck and get these bargains home."

"Oh yeah."

I call Jade and make arrangements to drop Jer and Jaime off at her place, since Gary's working. My truck can seat the four of us in the cab, but not comfortably.

When we get to the dining room table lady's house, she's in a foul mood. "I could have gotten more for that set!" She snapped, waving a bit of paper at me. "Some man gave me his number, if you didn't show up."

"I paid you - of course I'm showing up."

She was so annoyed at me, she wouldn't help load the furniture, but Tina and I manage (I know I'm going to pay for this later, with my back).

It's almost noon by the time we get back to the house. Tina jumps back into her car to meet her hubby for lunch and I go inside, stopping to stare at the dining room. "I can't do it," I mutter.

"What?" asks Jade.

"You have to watch the kids for a few more minutes."

"Why?" she wails. "I need coffee!"

"I need a steam cleaner! I can't bring the new stuff in here on that nasty carpet! It's disgusting!"

"It is gross," she admits, looking around.

"Be right back."

This is turning into a Day. I lug the steam cleaner back home and force the kids into helper mode. First, we cart out the old table and chairs (more back ouch)- we have to take the table legs off the old table. Jeremy asks if he can keep the legs.

"Why?"

"I dunno."

"No."

Then we take everything else out - Jer vacuums for me and finally, the rug is ready for steaming. I know Cameron's due soon - I told Nicole the afternoon and it's already two - so I'm trying to hurry, but there are some stubborn stains on this rug that require going over and over. One thing I like about the dining room rug is that no matter how much abuse it gets, it cleans up like a charm - looking brand new a few hours later.

In between dumping the nasty water from the tank and refilling it with fresh, I've been directing the kids in cleaning. They are great help, really.

Finally, the rug is clean and the littles help me bring in the new table, which has been sitting on the truck. Ouch, ouch, and ouch. But I'm determined to finish this before Gary gets home from work, so I swallow some ibuprofen and keep working.

We assemble the new table and discuss where it should go, coming up with something we all like. After the table's in place, I polish it, while the kids bring the other stuff back into the dining room - naturally, we've washed down the walls first and all the stuff that goes in the dining room, then we all stand back and look. "It's beautiful," says Jaime.

"Can I go play X-Box now?" asks Jer.

"Not yet, we're not done. Yeah Jaime - it is beautiful, isn't it?" I sigh happily.

"Cameron's here!" Jeremy dashes to the door.

Nicole and I talk for about forty-five minutes, but I'm antsy to finish the house up and she can sense it, so takes her leave. Cameron is standing now and crawls over to my legs, where she attaches herself like a limpet. "Arghh!" she says imperatively. I sigh and pick her up.

"Jer - get the vacuum again, please and let's go in my room."

It's not impossible to clean with a baby in the house, but it's certainly more difficult.

Sheets and comforters have been washed and aired on the deck, everything is dusted and polished until gleaming. The bathroom smells of bleach and clean - toys have been put away and all the rugs have been vacuumed. I still need to steam clean the living room rug, but I cannot do that without another adult - not with the baby around, so I decide to wait until morning to do that.

"I'm hungry." Jaime finally says. I look at the clock and gasp. It's six! Where has the day gone? I realize with shame that I've missed my writer's meeting and groan before hastily preparing dinner for the littles and feeding them. Then I flop on the sofa with La Roona, who demands an infinite number of games of Patty Cake. It's another hour before she's ready to sleep.

Finally Gary's home. Jaime runs outside and leads him in by the hand. "And daddy! It's a nice table, all wooden and pretty and we got new blankets for the bed and I have McDonalds stuff and I'm going to cook you a meal, but you can't really eat it - it's pretend ..."

I smile. "Look!"

"Wow!" He goes into the dining room. "It's gorgeous! What a deal! You've saved us a load of money on this one." I'd called him earlier, on his cell, and told him about the price. He looks down and sees the carpet is clean again. "Oh thank you! That looks so much better."

"It was nasty," I admit. "I couldn't put the new stuff in like that."

He also admires the new bed set - "It's all coming together, isn't it?" and agrees to allow Jaime to cook some not really real food for him. He goes off to shower and I start some really real food for his dinner, thinking how much I love my yard sales.

I really, really do.