Odd Thrifting Moment

Above you see a typical thrifting scene...

someone else's cast-off's that could become your treasure.

The very odd thing for me

was when I walked into this particular store.....

that the quilt you see?

It once belonged to me.

It was made by my paternal grandmother

probably back in the depression days-or shortly thereafter-

made of thriftily saved pieces and parts of discarded woolen clothing.

My reasons for passing this treasure on

include the fact that I had kept it in a box for probably 25 years

and didn't even remember I had it until I was cleaning out a storage shed...

it is old and fragile and would not withstand the cleaning it needed...

we already have enough warm winter blankets & comforts...

we need to downsize and can't keep everything...

Before I donated it to my favorite charity,

 I did take time to photograph it.

I love the autumn-ish colors and simple artistry

of a thrifted comfort from days past,

when our grandmothers stayed home

and cared for their families 

by "using it up, wearing it out, making it do or doing without."

When I saw it displayed in the thrift store a few weeks after I had donated it,

I must admit I choked up and had tears in my eyes...

not because I missed the quilt,

rather the emotion of seeing my grandmother's handiwork

displayed so beautifully---as it should be!

I truly do not wish to have it back...

and I was so happy that the store had not thrown it away.

The way  they chose to display it and the price tag attached

honored my grandmother's creativity and labor

in a way that I could not.

The manager told me that a customer had come in twice and looked at it,

she really wanted it for a room she was redecorating...

my greatest wish is that it go to a home where it will be loved and used!

I walked away from that store a freer woman.

I know now, that things are separate from people and relationships.

I don't have to keep things in order to keep memories...

The people I have loved and the time we have shared

will always be in my heart and my mind.

I am grateful for the photos I have,

they satisfy my desire to "keep" bits of my past

that I no longer need or use,

and they take up so much less space!

And so I am content.

But it was an odd moment...

Sweet Beulah Land

For your listening pleasure...

One of my favorite songs

performed by one of my favorite vocalists.

You can hear more of her music at this page,
and while you're at it,
check out their new website.

May your day be blessed!

We're Back

These cottonwood trees at my poppa's place have been my friends since childhood.
I was so blessed by their autumn beauty the past few days.....
so I wanted to share it with you.

A BIG thank-you to all of you who have been 

praying with and for us the past few days!!!

We can tell.....it is an amazing thing

to be covered by prayer.

A peace that surpasses understanding.....

We were able to load the big yellow truck and drive to our new location

on schedule, with only a couple of minor difficulties that were soon remedied.

A friend at our destination called the day we left and offered to help us unload...

we would never have made our next deadline without his help,

so a big thank-you goes our to Mr. Y!!!

We were able to get the big yellow truck back to its required destination on time,

although we got lost in a not-so-great part of a very big city.....

we finally found the right spot, and were very happy to park it there.

After a day of rest, we loaded up and headed back to the Little Rock House.

We had sore muscles, but no major injuries.

For some reason, Blogger decided to load this photo upside-down...
but even unusual perspectives can be beautiful!

Our return trip was a good one, 

with the exception of four deer who decided to cross the road 

just after dark.....just in front of us.....and stopped to stare at our headlights.

There were no shoulders to the back-road we were on, 

and a bridge loomed just beyond the deer.....

the man was considering taking to the ditch

(we were pulling an empty trailer)

but stomped the brakes and squealed the tires.....

fortunately the noise 

(or was it an angel?!)

spooked the deer enough 

that they took off running again

and we were able to pass on by without harm.

How grateful we are.

Again.....

we THANK YOU for your prayers!

May your day be blessed!

~~~~~~~~~~

(P. S. It has occurred to me that my ramblings

 may not be all that clear to some of you.....

so let me try to explain:

We are selling our Little Rock House where we have lived for 22 years,

in order to move to another state where my parents live.....

my momma in a nursing home and my poppa alone on his farm.....

they need a lot of support at this time of their lives.....

we are going to live  camp in a 5th wheel on my poppa's property 

until we figure out what to do next...

it is a big leap of faith.....

 but we know it is what we are supposed to be doing

and the way will open and be made clear

one step at a time.....

it is a journey.....and an adventure!

We just took the "mother-load" of our belongings 

to our final destination,

but we drove back to the Little Rock House 

in order to finish cleaning up in preparation for 

closing day...

which is scheduled for Nov. 14....

so we won't be completely moved to our new location

for a couple more weeks.

Whew. Hope that made sense!)

Shimmer: A Solitudes Ambient Experience

Graphic courtesy of Amazon.com

This is my latest favorite cd for rest and relaxation.

You can listen to samples of the sound tracks 

at this LINK.

Relax and enjoy!

Fort Sumthun

In my opinion, thinking about moving is far more fun than actually doing it.

That's because we have TOO MUCH STUFF!!!

Which problem I am working on...and on...and on.

Meantime, as I plod away at purging and packing, I frequently hear,

(in a whiny-Treasure's-voice)

"Mama, I'm bored. I need sumthun' to do."

In another of my (many!) opinions,

I think boredom can be a good thing.

It inspires creativity.

Give a bored Treasure a mountain of newly-taped packing boxes...

a few blankets or other warm woobies...

lots of empty floor space...

a wary kitty who can still be bribed with tiny treats...

and you come up with.......

  Fort Sumthun'.

(Several hours of creative play for the Treasure...

lots of attention for kitty...

and several hours of P&Q for the momma.)

Ain't it Sumthun' how often it is
the simple things that are most satisfying?

Looking for Color

We went for a short road-trip last weekend,

hoping to view some autumn glory,

but we were a few days too early.

The foliage has just this week hit its peak.

It was fun to soak up the rich colors while running some errands yesterday.

Love, love, love how the rain intensifies the colors!

Hope you are squeezing the last drops of goodness

out of autumn wherever you are!

Tea for Two

The Treasure loves tea-time with mom,

and she orchestrated this one all by herself.

"Breathe Easy" tea and corn nuts.

Smile.

The Birthday Table

continues to metamorph

and makes the perfect setting.

Such a big girl she is.....and what joy she brings.

I am blessed among women.

The ABC's of Life

Here's a gorgeous autumn display we found 

while at our favorite natural foods store this past week...

I liked the message displayed front & center on the mantelshelf.

(As always...take what you like...leave the rest.)

Poppa & Momma

I know they're mine.....but I can't help it:

Aren't they sweet???!!!

He grins.....she glows.

How blessed I am to have had them all these these many years.

Still together after almost 60 years of marriage.

Sweet.

SWEET , I SAY!

The Week in Blessings: Sabbath~Hike

After corporate worship and food,

we went for a family hike at a local wooded trail area.

I'm trying out my newly thrifted fishing hiking vest,

and I think it is going to work out very well.

(Now to get all those hiking-mama supplies organized in it!)

The Man loves to "knock rocks" as he walks,

he is practicing his flint-knapping skills--

aka blood-drawing skills.

(There's a reason I tote all those supplies in that roomy vest!)

Sights of interest beside the trail.

Some points of interest grow right on the trail.

A happy afternoon spent in the sunshine, fresh air and spicy-scented woods.

Still loving that upper 50's January weather!

Celebrating in creation

the blessings of rest and rejuvenation

intended by the Creator.

That evening we went to a chili cook-off.

The Man's entry was my personal all-time-favorite--no joke.

We all had fun visiting with friends old and new.

A special day of blessing, indeed.

The Week in Blessings: Friday~Wood & Wire

After several weeks of typical winter gray-blah,

we awoke to clear sunny skies

and temps that soared to the upper 50's by afternoon.

Perfect for another day in the woods--cutting wood.

Photos courtesy of the Treasure.

:D

I knew she had found a creek to play in

but had I known my camera ever got this close to it

her photography career would have been cut very short.

Dog courtesy of the friend who so kindly let us cut wood on his property.

Poor fella,

he was called "Princess" in the most endearing of tones--

all day long--until the Treasure discovered he had boy parts.

Then he became "Mr. Princess."

:D

The Man threw in some discarded wire

so we could build a fire and burn the outer coating off

in order to recycle it.

Made the day seem like we were camping.

Almost.

:D

My Man cuts the wood, and then he splits it too!

(I just pick it up and load it onto the truck.)

We were blessed with so much this day:

 fresh air & sunshine, hope for spring's coming,

wood to warm us twice, fire for fun and warmth,

a happy girl puttering about in the woods,

wire to recycle for income,

and lots of exercise.

Blessings indeed.

(And did I mention the blessings if Ibuprofen?

Makes it possible for two middle-aging and

far-too-often-sedentary big kids

to get out of bed the next morning

after being blessed with such an active day!)

The Week in Blessings: Thursday~Thrift Scores

Thursday became errand day this week,

and after dropping off my collection of boxes at the donation stop

I ran into a thrift shop close by...

fortunately for me it was

"buy a bag for $1 and take home everything you can possibly stuff into it--

or pile on top!"

(said with a smile by a sweet nun)

There are two skirts

(navy +  khaki)

and 4 tops

(brown, red, green + gray)

all of which are replacing the wardrobe

that is lost in the move somewhere in another state.

The two sweaters will be repurposed,

the brownish-grayish one is being frogged

(more on that later)

and the baby blue cashmere will be felted.

I am blessed indeed.

~~Thankful Thursday~~Jan 27

Truly, I am thankful for these two amazing and wonderful

people that God has given me for a nuclear family.

I love being part of a family.

They love me unconditionally, warts and all;

they challenge me continually to grow;

they encourage me and help me.

I am blessed among women!

Extra special blessings this week.....

We are grateful for the generosity of a friend

who allowed us to clean up some downed wood on his property. 

We cut, loaded and hauled about half a cord.

What a blessing to be able to heat our home with our own labor!

Not to mention the exercise in the fresh air,

and the family time working together.

Blessings indeed!

And this tool is an incredible blessing.

Cuts those limbs like they were nothin' but butter!

Now, this may look like a box of junk to you...

but for us, it means work which means $$$!

These are pump parts which the Man's former place of employment

called and said he could have free for the taking.

They are being broken down and cleaned up

to be taken to the recycling place

to trade in for cash.

God is good!!!

What are your blessings today?

~~Thankful Thursdays~~Jan 20

I'm very grateful that I was born and live in a country

where I still have the freedom to think, study and choose values for myself.

Although our religious freedoms appear to be quickly eroding,

my daily study from the above tomes

reassures me that my God is in control,

and things are happening exactly according to His plan.

This is my favorite study Bible.

I love the old English language used,

partly for the way it sounds

and partly because it stretches me

to slow down and look up words I don't understand

and really work at increasing my comprehension

of the idea being expressed.

This (green volume) is a book I turn to frequently.

I picked it up at a book sale for $1

and I am amazed at the amount of interesting information it contains.

I enjoy the old black & white illustrations.

There are more modern and colorful Bible dictionaries available,

and someday I may upgrade if I find one I can't live without,

but I'm content with this one at present.

This is my college dictionary...trusty old book that it is,

and I turn to it frequently.

I purchased an 1828 Noah Webster dictionary

at last year's homeschool convention

which I woud actually prefer to be using.....

but it is packed in a box with other homeschool materials

and resides in another state at the moment.

And last, but not least, is

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

with Hebrew-Chaldee & Greek dictionaries.

A must for comparative word studies.

In addition to these four basic references,

I draw from other resources I have on hand,

as well as the internet.

There are some wonderful web resources available

for all kinds of Bible questions.

I also use a pencil and a spiral bound notebook for taking notes,

and I keep my notes and any other material I may copy or print

from the web in the notebook for future reference.

My daily quiet time studying the Word of God

greatly enriches my life

and I am more grateful to God for it than words can express.

What are you grateful for today?

~~Thankful Thursdays~~Jan 13

When the weather outside is frightful.....

(like it has been, and will continue to be, this week...)

...I am more grateful than I can express in words

for this humble little wood stove.....

...and for all the heat produced by a simple heap of dead wood.

It may not be the prettiest of sights,

but it really helps keep our propane bill lower

and provides a kind of warmth

that the most energy efficient furnace can never produce.

What are you thankful for this week?

Leave a comment and let me know!

~~Thankful Thursdays~~Jan 6

Another Thursday to be Thankful for,

the first Thursday of a New Year.

And today I am grateful for...

S.P.A.C.E.

???

Yes, space.

Empty space.

White space on our Family Calendar.

Empty space in our basement.

(A few months ago there was only a path through here...)

Empty space on the basement shelves.

Now, this may look like just another pile of clutter to you--

but to me, it is more empty space.

Every one of those containers is empty.

Even the black trash bag?

Yup.

It is full of empty shopping bags,

to be soon used for either trash, donations or packing material.

But it's all empty space.

I'm glad empty space was God's idea first.

When I look out in the sky,

I see lots and lots of empty space.

It gives me room to stretch,

and move,

and breathe.

Yeah, there are a few things out there.

All in perfect order,

all sustained in that order by His hand.

But plenty of space for all.

Even the trees drop their old leaves,

pause, rest, and make room for the new to come into their lives.

The more I live with space, the more I like it.

I'm getting rid of the old that weighs me down

and making room for the present and the future.

It feels really good.

Thank you, God, for space.