Rethinking My Purchases and Other Updates

I have had a frustrating couple of days in the online buying, selling and trading world. My two most recent diaperswapper trades were not the quality they advertised (excellent used condition can mean a lot of different things to different people).

Josh and I agreed my birthday present could be a Beco Butterfly II (the baby carrier I blogged about here) and when it got here, it was a much older Beco, not a Butterfly II or what the seller had advertised on eBay. So now I'm in the middle of disputing that and trying to get my money back.

In addition to eBay troubles, I ordered three handmade diapers from etsy a month ago and I still haven't received them! I emailed those people today too.

I'm thinking about having a clothing swap and / or a yard sale and selling everything instead of ebaying or swapping things online, then going on a shopping strike. (Only after I get an actual Beco Butterfly II.) I've got enough clothes and diapers, and certainly enough stuff. I would like to spend more time trying to learn to sew and garden and less time in front of the computer this summer anyway.

Other updates:
- Bartering is slowing down but I'm still selling lots on eBay.
- I'm having my first huge playdate at the farm this Friday.
- We painted the chicken coop (see below).
- I still love cloth diapering.
- Wool dryer balls contain only trace amounts of lanolin. After sending some emails and doing some investigating, the small amount of lanolin in dryer balls should not affect cloth diaper absorbency but also do not add to the softness of clothes. The friction helps fluff clothing and if you feel you need more softness every now and then you can supplement with a dryer sheet or add 1/4 cup of vinegar (with a few drops of essential oils to cut out the smell) to the rinse cycle of your wash.
- The rag rug did not do great in the wash. The next one I make, I'm going to try tying off the ends or sewing them together instead of just laying one piece into the next.
- Still trying to figure out sewing, but not confident enough to share any projects on the blog just yet.
- Some of the plants didn't handle transplanting as well as others. We still haven't planted the last two beds either, and I'm worried we're going to miss the planting season if we don't get them done in the next day or two.
- Contemplating a clothing swap or yard sale.
- Ben is doing fantastic. His hair is still a little gross from the surgery gunk (we aren't allowed to wash it until the stitches fall out / dissolve next week or so).