A Triumphant Return

by Brigid McAlpin

We did not have any scheduled estate sales this week but that did not mean I was not busy with estate sale work. I had four estate sale packages to complete and we are turning the corner and on our way to being fully booked for the month of May. I have been posting a new sale daily for the past week and some new ones came in, so I currently have a backlog of four sales. It helped to have Monday off from physical therapy because it gave me a little extra time to prepare for the newsletter. I was back to PT on Wednesday - it is feeling like a broken record but at least the discovery of straightening out the curve in my lower back when I am feeling symptoms is helping. Hopefully it will not be a permanent thing I have to do because I am not sure how this is affecting my posture.

On Thursday I went in for additional imaging after my mammogram showed some question marks. It was determined that I needed to go for the ultrasound afterwards and after about two hours of uncomfortable tests I received the results on the spot. What they are seeing is normal and I can go back to a schedule of regular mammograms starting next year. Of course there was some concern but I have had absolutely no symptoms so I would have been surprised if there was something wrong. I understand that although I had my past records sent over, this was still my first mammogram in Arizona so now they have a baseline established. The fun continues the week after next when I go for my first colonoscopy in Arizona.

Friday was house cleaning day so the girls and I took off in order to stay out of Irma's way. Last time she came was a few days after Kuochun left for China and it only took her a couple of hours to complete the job. I figured since there was less to do with Kuochun gone it would take about the same amount of time or less but NO! It took her four hours! We spent about two hours in the parking lot at the community college but I decided to head for home just in case Irma had forgotten to text me to let me know she was finished. She was still there so I wandered around the area a bit - spent some time in the neighborhood of homes just north of us, parked on the street where I have my medi-pedis done, checked the office complex near us but decided not to stay there because there were signs posted saying no trespassing which I do not remember seeing there before. Finally, she was finished! I walked the girls and promptly went to sleep. The lack of sleep was getting to me so I was pretty much wiped out on Friday.

On Saturday evening I was walking the girls and I noticed the most gorgeous colors in the northwest sky as the sun was setting. Every day it is a different color combination and this time it was so purple, with a touch of pink. I paused to try and take a photo because it was so gorgeous next to Camelback Mountain but unfortunately someone was coming with their dog so we had to go. It was not the same but I did take a couple of shots from the backyard. I thought it was so interesting that the sky was purple (my favorite color) the night before Kuochun's return!

Kuochun arrived safely Sunday afternoon, about two hours later than I expected. I know people travel internationally every day but when it comes to your person, it is a different story. Per usual, I missed the turn at the airport (but in my defense I was on the phone with Melinda) and Kuochun was tracking my location so he knew. He was in really good spirits, glad to be back. Thankfully he had enough energy to take over the care of the girls right away. Later in the evening he decided he was hungry but on a Sunday evening at 8:30 PM there are not a lot of choices. Most of the area restaurants close at 9:00 or earlier. We ended up going to Portillo's. I ordered the char-broiled chicken sandwich even though I think it is kind of boring in order to cut down on the fried food for the meal. We did order fries and onion rings - the onion rings were totally hot and fresh but the fries not so much. Kuochun went with his go-to Maxwell Street Polish but he always gets it on the hot dog bun as opposed to French bread. I understand in his case because it is less bread for him but I still think the combination is weird. I ordered a slice of the Chocolate Eclair Cake thinking it would be a better choice than the regular chocolate cake. I ate my half when we arrived home but I almost passed on it when I saw the huge ingredient list and high fructose corn syrup as one of the ingredients. Luckily it is not very large, especially when cutting it in half but I will not get it again.

On the other hand, earlier in the week I watched a Facebook video showing how many ingredients Costco desserts have (which I know and I do not eat them anymore) and she said she orders all of her bakery items from Organic Bread Of Heaven in Gary, IN. I checked out their website and was amazed! Lots of choices and everything is 100% clean. Folks who are closer to them can receive free shipping with a $60 order but because of my location I have to upgrade to 2-day FedEx shipping and pay $14.99. I totally get that products with no preservatives cannot be on the road for 4+ days. It was totally worth it though - I received my order on Friday and really enjoyed everything I have tried so far. I must have goofed on my order and the number one item I wanted (sourdough bread for sandwiches) must have flown out of my cart. I did have sourdough rolls though. I was surprised at how heavy they were! I made a sandwich out of two of them and because of their dense nature, two was a bit much. They were very tasty though. I do not crave cinnamon rolls but decided to try them and they were great. About half the frosting sticks to the top of the container but that is OK, less calories as Mother would say! I warmed them up. I also tried the chocolate chip cake (muffin) which is actually double chocolate. I liked it but it had a bit of a date taste from the date syrup used as the sweetener. Dates are not my favorite. I strictly followed the instructions which are to put items in the refrigerator which will be used within the week and freeze the rest. I am looking forward to trying the cinnamon bread and the mini pizza crusts. Next time I go to Costco I will pick up some chicken sausages and pair them with the hot dog buns. I may end up cancelling my Wildgrain subscription because while Wildgrain is better than most it is not perfect as far as ingredients go. So far it has been a great experience and I will definitely make sure the sourdough bread is in my cart next time. Highly recommend!

Because of everything going on I was only able to post six new jewelry items. I think this butterfly pendant by Navajo artist Kevin Billah is so lovely! But I am biased, I love butterfly jewelry. This pendant is solid silver and the Kingman turquoise cabochons are so brilliant.

I also posted the remaining Leander Tahe pieces I had on hand - I purchased these this year. They cost more than the rose pieces I posted last week so unfortunately their pricing reflects that. Upon further examination I can see why! Each layer of the flower is separately done.

I posted a couple of random items as well - the kachina ring which I found at a store in Camp Verde AZ while we were visiting the area last year and these vintage butterfly earrings by Federico. It is very hard to find Federico's vintage pieces in the wild!

Finally, I posted this vintage belt buckle which I found in a bag all by itself. Belt buckles are actually the easiest jewelry items to post because all I need are two photographs - front and back. However, I was "price shamed" by two different men on Facebook Marketplace. The first one sent me a giant laughing face along with his mean comments and the other left the default Facebook message "Is this still available?" along with his disparaging comment about the price. I have no room for negativity, especially in the jewelry world so I blocked both of them. This is not something I ever do but felt compelled for peace of mind. This belt buckle is totally worth the price - it has a big amount of silver and so much workmanship. I am not worried because someone will love it!

As far as sales go, two weeks ago I mentioned that I received a Poshmark offer on a squash blossom necklace. This is the necklace which is absolutely fabulous with natural Kingman turquoise stones and is signed by its artist, Wilson Padilla. I went back and forth with the buyer several times, holding firm to my price of $500 off asking. The price I originally posted was the lowest I was comfortable with but to be generous I made the counteroffer. On Sunday the buyer came up to her best offer yet which was $800 off asking. I thought about it all day and in the end took it because I could use the money. I will miss it, I was looking forward to showing it off at my next pop-up sale.

I sold two additional items on Poshmark which I posted last year. The Federico earrings are stunning with their combination of petrified wood and natural turquoise and I received this concho belt which was turned into a necklace and has no clasp. It would have been fun to show these off at the pop-up sale as well but I am happy that they sold.

To round out the sales for the week, I sold a turquoise chip inlay stacker cuff bracelet on Etsy I had originally posted in 2024 and two recent postings on Facebook with shipping - the kachina ring and the Tom Hawk heart pendant. I will be excited to keep up the momentum!

I did take some more time to clear more jewelry items off my desk. I was able to fill another gallon bag with pieces to go to Mount Prospect for the jewelry caravan. I had polished them last year and luckily they did not tarnish. One bag was filled with cute pins, with Mother gone I did not have an easy way to put them on cards so I had put them aside. I did find some barrette cards on Amazon which have a cute scallop design and in both colors - kraft paper and black. The pricing process went fast! My main desk is large and it does hold a lot. The goal for next week will be to complete the items on the main desk which need polishing and pricing so I can start to turn my attention to the items on the credenza behind me and long low dresser in front of me.

Now that Kuochun is back and after he acclimates to the time change once again I would like to plan a trip to Prescott. Since the new area rugs are on order I need to at least photograph the rugs I would like to sell and get them on Facebook Marketplace. I also have the highboy dresser and one of the nightstands I do not have room for in my bedroom which need to be sold. It would give me a chance to take another load of items up there and get them out of the garage in Scottsdale. It is challenging to navigate a trip with all of the different appointments but highs of 104 both Saturday and Sunday are forecasted in Scottsdale so to me it is a good time to go. There would not be a hurry to get back because as of now I do not have any physical therapy scheduled. It is just as well because the colonoscopy takes two days between the prep and procedure.

The goal for next week is to keep plugging away and making progress! Now that Kuochun is back, it will help a lot. I am looking forward to getting some sleep and feeling better during the day! I was hoping to get further with the organization while Kuochun was gone but he was very happy with what I accomplished. I put my car in the garage on Friday and the other side is pretty clear but there is not quite enough space to get Kuochun's car in.

See you next time!
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