Happy Thanksgiving!

Can you believe it is Thanksgiving week?! As I look back on the year there are times that seemed to just drag on. It was a tough year. At the same time, it is hard to believe that we are already celebrating Thanksgiving again.

I have so much to be thankful for: a husband who loves me even when I am unlovable, three beautiful children, God's nature all around me, health.... I really could come up with quite a list. God is good.

I am so thankful for this adorable turkey. My Sweet Girl made this at school. If you know her, you know that her hands are in almost constant motion (see photo below). I'm sure it was not an easy task for her teacher and aides to get this project done. I love it!

Another thing to be thankful for is that her legs are getting stronger. Yes, the porch post is providing some balance behind her, but otherwise she is standing on her own. There was a day when we didn't know if she would ever bear weight on her legs. Now we believe that she will walk one day. God is so good!

This will probably be my last post for the week. Tomorrow we are heading to Branson to celebrate Thanksgiving with my inlaws. It will be fun to get away for a few days. I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving!

{"All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God." 2 Corinthians 4:15}

Blog Boredom

No, I am not bored with all the wonderful blogs out there. I am still amazed at all the creativity I see from everyone. The "Blog Boredom" title is just directed towards my blog. I figured I needed to do a new post, but didn't figure you wanted to read about kids with the sniffles, dr. appointments, laundry.... Just not much exciting to blog about.

Living in the south has some advantages. Like the fact the "garage sale season" lasts longer down here. It has slowed down, but there are still some good sales scattered here and there. For lack of anything else to show you, I will post a few photos from a couple weeks ago.

Wow! This is a really poor photo of a really neat "Mother" pin. The shape is unique. Have you ever gone to a sale and almost felt guilty about buying things? This was a house full of things a man was selling of his mother's. Nothing priced. Things still in cabinets and drawers. Almost seemed too personal. Was the man still grieving the loss of the woman who once wore this pin? I just wonder.
Here are some more odds and ends I picked up from different sales. I love old wooden boxes - beauty and function! The music in the background is a fairly large book - The World's Best Music.
Old bulldog clips of varying sizes. A wooden spool? A unique money clip. Large pins. They are about 4 inches long. Does anyone know what their original use was?

Look at this old softball. After looking on ebay I am guessing it is probably from the 30's or 40's.

Have I ever told you how much I love old books? Well, I do. I started collecting antique school books when I was in college and it has just grown from there. They are an inexpensive way to decorate. The more "battered" ones can be used, page by page, for crafting. Some can be resold in my booth. Some just seem to cry out, "Take me home and love me." Like the one above. I read Heidi when I was a girl, but I am sure it wasn't the 307 page version. And I know it didn't have these delightful illustrations. This book (c. 1924) was illustrated by Frances Brundage. I didn't know anything about her before. Now I will be on the lookout for more books and postcards illustrated by her.

Well, for having nothing to blog about I still managed a fairly long post. Thanks for reading (or at least scrolling through to the end)!

{"Honor your father and mother so that you'll live a long time in the land that God, your God, is giving you." Exodus 20:12}

Borrowing Eggs

A couple of Sundays ago we pulled into our driveway and were met by two of the neighbor kids. The little girl handed me the note below.

I quickly came inside, took an egg out of the refrigerator, padded it with a paper towel and put it into the plastic cup provided by the little boy. Off they went across the yard to their house.

(Before I forget, make sure you click on the photo to see the scripture on the egg carton.) Back to borrowing eggs..... I am so thankful that my neighbor felt comfortable asking me. Sure we go to church together. Sure our kids play together all the time. But how many people ask to borrow and egg or a cup of sugar from their neighbor anymore? I think it is sad that it doesn't happen very often.

First, stores are open 24 hours a day now. It used to be that if you ran short on an ingredient and it was after 6:00 or the weekend, then you had to improvise. Second, we don't know our neighbors anymore. Don't you think that is true? Am I going to ask my neighbor for an egg if I have barely spoken two words to her in the past? We are too busy to get to know the people next door.

Thankfully, we live in a friendly neighborhood. When we moved in everyone took the time to come introduce themselves. We are not afraid to ask favors of each other because we know each other. Also, we live a few miles from town. Running to the store for eggs is not convenient. So, if you need an egg, sugar, milk....come on over. And I hope you will sit on my porch and visit for a spell while you are here!

{"Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." Matthew 5:42}

What A Week!

In my last post I mentioned that my husband was gone to a conference eight years ago. Well, actually he goes to the same conference every year - same week, different location. So, this week he was in Tulsa. Sweet Girl got pneumonia. Yep! I drug all three kids to the ER in the middle of the night on Tuesday. My Sweet Girl was having trouble breathing, gagging and vomiting up "gunk" and of course, crying. The nurse says to me, "Is she always this irritable?" Ummmm, no.....and neither am I!

On a brighter note, here is a quick view from my front porch. I love this time of year! I wasn't sure how much "color" we would get down here, but we ended up with quite a bit. The last few days have been windy, so now a lot of the leaves are on the ground.
This afternoon the boys and I went to the state park for a church youth party. It was a gorgeous day! We roasted hot dogs (my boys are on the left and far right)....
made s'mores....

played in the leaves....
and went on a hike.

Tomorrow is a Holiday Open House downtown. I spent the week trying to get my booth ready for Christmas. Isn't it too early for that? I've already had to go in a couple of times and fill in bare spots where Christmas things have sold. Never did remember to take my camera with me. I will try to do that tomorrow.

I did find some time to hit a few garage sales and was pleased with the outcome. Again, I haven't taken pictures. This is some of what I bought: old suitcases, a wagon wheel mold from a foundry, an end table, Christmas ornaments, a really old softball, a beautiful old music book, some white dishes, Santa mugs, rick rack and seam binding, buttons..... I had a van full!

I woke up at 5:15 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. Now it is 8:00 and I am ready for bed. I think I will curl up with the newest Country Living for a while and then go to bed.

{"And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations." Revelation 22:2}

Eight Years Ago...

Very early in the morning, eight years ago today I went into labor with baby #2. No big deal except that I was at home in KS and hubby was at a conference in WY. I wasn't due for three more weeks, but I guess the baby had his own opinion on that. So, I got my three year old son out of bed, drove him across town to my dear friend's house and then drove myself to the hospital. A while later another sweet friend came to the hospital to be with me. She stayed by my side and was right there....

...when this guy entered the world. He was healthy and strong. That was definitely a day to give thanks. I had a healthy baby and I had wonderful friends who were there for me. In case you were wondering, hubby got home a couple hours after delivery.

Here is a quick little project I did a couple of weeks ago. I've had this old screen window (minus the screen) for several years. In this house I decided to hang it in the dining room, but it was looking pretty bare.

I found these chippy old plates at the thrift store. I'd never seen them do this. The white "paint" has come off around the edges and the underneath is black. Most people would probably look at them and think "trash", but not me.

I turned them into "treasure" with a few simple steps. I took a couple old dictionary pages and printed "Give thanks" on them. Then I just cut them out in a circle and glued them onto the plates, added plate hangers and ribbon and hung them in the windows. I do think I still need a punch of color somewhere, but at least I have more than a bare wall now. Not bad for a quarter! I think that is what I paid for the two plates. Everything else I already had.
This old scale came from the antique store. Yes, sometimes I do a little shopping of my own when I stop by to check on my booth. It was half price and I just thought it would be fun in my kitchen. It looks good outside with the pumpkins and gourds, too!



Just in case you think all I ever buy is things for the house or to resell in my booth, I thought I would tell you what I got for $20 at a garage sale on Friday. For boy #1: 1 hoodie, 1 jacket, 4 shirts and 2 pair of pants (all Aeropostle or American Eagle). For boy #2: 1 hoodie. For Sweet Girl: 1 skirt, 1 shirt, 1 pair of shorts and 4 pair of pants (all Children's Place). I have no idea how I would afford to clothe three kids without garage sales, thrift stores and hand-me-downs. I promise you they wouldn't be wearing Aeropostle and American Eagle!


I hope each of you has a wonderful week. Hubby is out of town all week, so it is going to be a long one for me!

{"She has no fear of winter for her household, for everyone has warm clothes." Proverbs 31:21}