Upcoming Event: Bake Sale Fundraiser

A Year Ago

Can you believe a year ago, when the sun came up, our front yard looked like this?

We had a yard sale to earn money for our adoption and to spread the word. (click here to get the details)
When the sun set that night, our lawn looked like this, are you curios to know if it recovered?
Ta da, it did and this year it looks even better with Charlee in it.

Be Careful What You Wish For

To say we are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support for the outcome of the yard sale, is like saying we had a little snow this year.  There are no words to really describe the experience,  all we can say is it was evident that this was bigger than we are. We have been humbled by the love and generosity given to us by so many. We witnessed God's hand in our life.

2 Months to prepare

Over 45 people donating

Over a dozen "pick up" trips

3 car garage, room in basement, back porch FILLED

over 900 price stickers used, and still not enough

1 newspaper add, 1 email, 2 web listings, 3 blog posts

10 signs posted

9 people working the yard sale

8 hours of selling

Cars parked 2 blocks away, and people walking

So many hours

So many helpful hands

Countless customers

$2460 earned and growing.

These pictures help, but there is no way to share the whole experience with you.  You had to be there to believe it.  But here is our attempt to explain the miracle we witnessed.

Thursday night,  our garage is full, our back patio is full and stuff kept coming . . .

So the Tetris King  went through and re-stacked things and we got everything in, and the garage door closed.  All day Friday we continued to receive things, we were not able to get everything in the garage.

I started pricing and organizing everything the saturday before and every time I thought I was done, more would arrive.  I kept asking myself what was I doing and who's bright idea was this.

Karst, fixed what he could and put things together.  He knew who's big idea it was, and was smart enough not to remind me.  He stayed up until one am, Thrusday and Friday.  If you know Karst and his need for sleep, you will appreciate what that sacrifice was about.

So Friday came, I met my parents in Wyoming and picked up my youngest sister Channelle, so she could help me get ready.  We picked things up from Karst's grandparents and mom.  Collected more items from friends here.  Her and my sister Rebecca made these signs.  I wanted to get 15 signs put up and I had mapped out where I wanted them.  However at 2 am I was informed by a police officer that it was illegal to post any signs in West Jordan.  I didn't have to take any down, he couldn't promise they would still be there in the morning and I shouldn't put any more up.  Luckily the ones that went up stayed up.  Of the 4 roads I was going to put signs on only 1 road had signs.

We were a little anxious about getting all of the stuff out of the garage and set up to sell before the early birds started coming.  Although we said it started at 8 am we wanted to be ready by 7:30.  So we got up at 4 am to start setting up, and the greatest neighbor friends in the world came over at 4 am to help us.  My friend Christie arrived at 5 am with 2 carloads full of more stuff.

I really tried to prepare myself and Karst, I tried to have everything planned and to let everyone know who was helping us know the plan.  I had it mapped, scheduled a nice spreadsheet done.   Needless to say I started feeling very overwhelmed, because we had so much stuff and what if we didn't get enough people or what if they didn't buy and what if all the price tags fall off and it is all chaos. What if we have to put this stuff back in the garage at the end of the day??  Lucky for me I had such great help they took over in my moment of panic and got as much out as we could and kept things going.  We didn't have space to put out our personal things we wanted to sale. 

We had everything out by 6:30 ready to go.  Look at how full the tables were and there were things in boxes on the floor.  We ran out of grass, sidewalk and driveway to put everything.  People started coming at 6:30.  By 7:30 they were non stop until 3 pm!!  We took all the signs down at 2pm.

As we watched people come and go and the tables start to empty off, we filled them again with the boxes that were on the floor.  

The people never stopped coming, there was always at least 5 people walking through.  The traffic was scary, they filled the court and both sides of the street on 48oo West.  There was some horn honking.  Luckily we did warn our neighbors we were having a yard sale, and gratefully no accidents happened..

As people would buy things, some of them would leave things, things they were getting rid of and wanted to help us earn the money we needed for the adoption. Several people paid extra or just gave money to help our cause. And during the middle of the day when a lot of the furniture had gone, my friend Becky and her family brought another truck load!!  It was just so overwhelming, the love we felt. We had 9 people working  Everyone commented on how incredible it was, to have all this stuff, all donated, all the people.  They kept asking us how we got all these people here, they have never seen a yard sale like this.  

The people watching was just one of the great highlights we got.  All kinds come and go at a yard sale, and for entertainment sake, it was worth it.

This was at the end of the yard sale, the tables had bare spots, but not enough so all of a sudden everything was about a quarter, people still kept coming.

My sister Channelle sold soda and chocolate at the corner, thanks to the nice weather I think we did really well with it.

Our wonderful exhausted friends who helped us at 4 am. Gaye went and worked a rest stop for a walk for her job in the middle of the day and then came back and helped until it was all done!!  How can we ever repay them?

My sister's Ashlynn and Rebecca, helped out so much they kept things flowing and helped make everything smooth.

Alisha, Rebecca's daughter came and she helped a lot.  Whatever she was playing with another kid wanted and much to her displeasure it would sell. I think she had a lot of fun, playing store and dress up all day. 

She even decorated my side walk for me.

Karst and Justin helped load things for customers and Justin even delivered a few things for customers.  How amazing is that?  They were so good to do whatever they could to help sell everything we had, even if Karst sold the hutch I wanted for half of what I was willing to take to part with it.

Here is everyone but Justin and Ashlynn that helped us with the yard sale.  We could have never done this without them!!

We hope someday our yard will recuperate.  Can you believe this damage was done in 8 hours? I love this picture because it is evidence of miracle we witnessed.  There were a few things of value left that we will try to sell on line.  And about 3 car loads left that went to the DI.  By 3:45 we were in the house done with the sale.

To all of you, who helped in anyway with our adoption yard sale, we can not say thanks enough.  When the day was through and we were figuring out what we did, we just couldn't stop crying, the feeling we had of love and gratitude.  It was just unbelievable and overwhelming.  We dreamed big, but this was bigger then we imagined.  

THANKS

Albrecht Family
Amy Smith
April Beach
Aryton Family
Ashlynn Westbroek
Brookheart Family
Channelle Gilbertson
Christie Redford
Clark Hoffman
Dennis Larson
Diane Barker
Diane Nesbit
Edwards Family
Gaye Hatch
Gilbertson Family
Gilmore Family
Hanson Family
Harward Family
Jamie Jorgenson
Janis Hatch
Jeff (neighbor)
Jeff Friechnecht
Jen (Amy's Friend)
Jennifer (christie friend)
Justin May
Kim Vanwagner
Lerwich Family
Leslee Donio
Lynch Family
Marcy & Eddie Jones
Martha Hayes
McGerry Family
Nielson Family
Opoulos Family
Randy Hatch
Rebecca Hatch
Robb Enger
Stephanie Anderson
Taunya Allred
Tommy Hatch
Tracy Allen
Tricia Quintana
Voda Family
&
Our Heavenly Father who was mindful of our needs.

THE YARD SALE IS ALMOST HERE

Guess what is almost here?

Our Adoption Yard Sale

And what does that mean??

Time to come see what treasures we’ve gathered for the last 2 months!!

 

Time to figure out what we have been doing all this time,

 Find the  stuff you can’t live without,

 The stuff that can go home with you

and give us back our garage.

 

What kind of STUFF?

Well here is a small sampling:

 

YDaybed YDesks YDishes YChairs YTables

YDressers YSinks YTV YEntertainment Center     

YNightstands YCake Pans YSewing Machine YPictures

YCurtains YLamps YShelves YBooks

 

 

So pack the kids in the car,

grab your spare change

and come to our

 

ADOPTION YARD SALE

SATURDAY MAY 17^TH 8AM – 3PM

7^th

 

Email us if you have any questions.

 

Come be a dream maker and help us get one step closer to our adoption!

 

Thanks for you love & support                

   Karst & Kim Hatch

Wacky Wednesday

Okay do you know what is totally crazy?  It is the last day of April and it is SNOWING!!   Now I know for many of you in Wyoming, that is nothing new and is almost expected, but here in the "big city" it is not a normal thing.

 

So while I had planned this elaborate beautiful post filled with wit and awe, that won't be happening tonight.  I have ran out of time.  Tonight we were gathering more stuff for our Yard Sale.  And of course we didn't take tarps, we just went for the quick grag.  We went to some friends who manage an apartment complex about 20 miles away.  So by the time we got home it was all snowed on.

It was really quite a site.  I really wanted to go and grab my camera showing us trying to get everything unloaded and in the garage before it got too wet, but I knew that Karst would have gone right over the edge.   Thanks to a helpful neighbor it did not take as long as it could have. So I just finished the task and took the pics after.

I have to say the out pouring that we have received from people for our yard sale, has just been shocking. Now before we can unload anything we have to re-stack things to make way for the new treasures.  It has been really fun.  I don't think Karst is having as much fun as me, but maybe because he has to do all the heavy lifting.  Sorry for the lame Wacky Wednesday, cross your fingers and hold your breath and maybe next week it will be good.

Adoption Yard Sale

Guess what is almost here?

SPRING

And what does that mean??

SPRING CLEANING!!

 

Time to figure out what is taking all of your much-needed space,

which stuff was so loved and couldn't be lived without,

that is now taking up space for the real things you need.

 

What to do with all that STUFF?

Well there are always a few options:

 

YYou can close the door and walk away praying that the ugly couch just gets up and walks out.

YYou can try to give it to some poor college student who doesn't care that it is Tangerine orange.

YOf course you could put it in the back of your pickup and take it to the dump, because you have time right?

YOr you can load it up and take it the DI or Salvation Army because you know they have a need for 8 matching lamps with polka dot shades?

 

This year you have another option . . . are you ready?

 

DONATE IT TO OUR

ADOPTION YARD SALE

 

You ask: “Donate to an adoption yard sale; what is going on?”

As most of you know we have been approved for

adoption and are waiting to be picked.

Well, because adoption is not free or cheap and

because we are trying to earn and save all of the money for the adoption,

we are going to have an adoption Yard Sale on

May 17th

 

WE WANT YOUR CRAP,

(okay not really the crap)

Just the stuff you would give to the DI or someone you liked.

So furniture, shelves, curtains, lamps, baby stuff, books, knick knacks, etc.

Only NO CLOTHES.

So after you have cleaned and pulled and discovered your old treasures,

you don't even have to load them in your pickup,

just call or email us and we will come and pick it up for you

and try to sell it for at least a quarter to pay for the gas we used to get the stuff.

We have space in our garage we can store stuff until May.

 

So let us know when you have it together and we will be on our way.

Please mark May 17th on your calendar to come to the Yard Sale,

because that treasure you wanted will probably be here

and the money will all be going to a great cause . . .

 

OUR BABY!!!

 

Thanks for you help & support

Karsten & Kimberly