Wind Chimes

I have heard people say they love the sound of them and I have heard others say they hate them!  My daughter in law thinks they sound creepy! Lol

I love them!!

I have been home for almost a week now and every single night I can hear the ones I have hanging outside by my bedroom window chiming.

I have missed them! A simple thing really but I guess one of the perks of getting older is becoming more aware of life's simple pleasures!! 

Time to start my day! Dentist appointment!  ( not so simple or pleasant) I would rather stay in bed and listen to my chimes chiming!!!

Know When To Fold 'Em

While I am truly grateful to the owner of the company where B J works for lending us her fold-out "camping" table, it was time for us to do something! It is hard to tell from this pic but it has another fold out side (next to the window). There is just not enough room in the apartment to open it up completely but it has worked out fine for the two of us the way it is.  By the way, the chairs also fold up. They are flimsy and they scare me! I never feel secure when I am sitting in one! 

We found this little drop leaf table at the Canton Flea Market last month and got it for a great price $250.00, at least I think it was a great price since I have found similar ones on the internet for $500.00 and over. The owner had it shoved in a corner to make repairs on it before she displayed and priced it! Lucky her for not having to make the repairs and lucky me for getting a bargain! With just a little work it will be fine and dandy and I know just the man who can make it happen! 

It has been riding around in the back of my car for about three weeks partly because it is heavy and we dreaded carrying it up the stairs but also because we need to return the borrowed table to make room for it.  We bit the bullet (rather we grunted and groaned) last night as we hauled it up the stairs because I have to pack the car for our trip home today. 

I am now on the look out for some chairs.  I don't know exactly what I want but hoping it will be a "know them when I see them" moment!  One thing I do know for sure is that they will NOT be "fold up"! So far I have avoided a "Funniest Home Video" clip with the ones we have now and I want to keep it that way!! 

Off to pack!! Have a great Friday!! 

danke schön

Definition: thank you very much

I never knew that! I always thought it was a song sung by Wayne Newton.

Danke schoen, darling, danke schoen

Thank you for all the joy and pain
Picture show, second balcony, was the place we'd meet
Second seat, go dutch treat, you were sweet...

We stopped at a flea market last Saturday on our way back to Ennis from San Antonio. It was an interesting one with a good mixture of families renting tables to sell household items, to collectors and dealers who had some great items to sale. 

I bought this platter from a little old lady who fell into the category above of a family selling some of their household items. She reminded me of an Eskimo.

It was only 8.00 and in perfect condition with only season cracks.  She spoke little and broken English as she tried to give me a deal on some other blue plates she had but I didn't really care for them. Only the platter!  As we walked away she said, "Danke Schoen!"  And although I had never heard those words spoken other than in a song I somehow knew what she was saying to me. Thank you very much! 

With those words in mind...I want to share...

I know having this blog allows me to share things that normally I would never do. For the most part I am a very private person. And while I may reveal a few things here and there on this blog or on Facebook there are details about myself and my family that will forever remain private.

 However... for some reason I felt led to share with you what took place in my bedroom this morning!

Here goes...

This morning the love of my life, my soul mate, held me in his arms...

 Lol. Wish I could see your faces!

And he prayed for me, for us, for our family...and just when I thought he had fallen asleep because of the long span of silence he wiped the tears from his eyes, the ones that had him choked up so he could not speak. 

After the prayer, he then whispered sweet nothings in my ear...

Actually they were "somethings"! He talked about Valentines Day and what the day meant and then he began to list all the reasons why he loved me! The serious ones and the way too many silly ones!! 

It was a moment I will cherish always!

What?

You didn't think I was going in a different direction with this, did you?

Shame on you! 

However, since I am spilling the beans I will go ahead and tell you something else you may want to know about me... I deal with struggles and challenges. Everyday. Personal, job, family...

Bet you aren't shocked by that, are you? Because who doesn't?  Right?

Despite the challenges and struggles, I still have an over abundance of blessings in my life. Don't you?  All in the form of a risen Savior, hopes, dreams, children, parents, husband, friends, job, food, house, clothes, health, freedom... I think you get it! Too many things to list!! 

I can't turn on the TV right now without seeing Valentines Day commercials.  They leave us feeling like we are failures if we don't go out and buy  flowers, candy, and diamonds. 

I would not trade all the flowers, candy, and diamonds in the world for the gift I received this morning!

Danke Schoen, darling,  Danke Schoen

Saving Myself From Stir Crazy

I haven't kept it a secret that I can go stir crazy in my apartment!

It's hard to believe that we're coming up on our one year anniversary in Texas!   We never dreamed our house in Mississippi would still be on the market after all these months!  Selling it may not solve all of the stir crazy woes around here but it will surely solve many of them! 

We have no room for friends  and family to come and stay.

We have no privacy. The man who lives under us sits in his recliner by his window ALL day and keeps up with our comings and goings. I am not afraid of him and he is probably just a lonely person but regardless he still gives me the creeps! 

We have no outdoor space!

We have nowhere to work on projects and hobbies.

We have NO extra space for storage or just to spread out.

We have no laundry room!!!!!

And I could go on and on but all I am doing is stirring my "crazies"! 

With our one year anniversary coming up, our apartment lease is about to be up and we have a major decision to make! I have tossed and turned; stewed and struggled with what to do, and still have no clear direction.  Do we stay or do we go? 

Do we stay in this apartment?  Do we work on patience and contentment in order to avoid higher rent, new deposits, and just the hassle of moving in hopes that our house will sell soon so we can buy one here? 

OR

Do we find a place where we can be more comfortable despite the higher cost? The problem is that even though we may be more comfortable I am afraid we will still not feel "settled"! That may not happen until we have a place of our own! 

AND

Do we find another apartment or do we rent a house? A bigger apartment would only solve the indoor space problem and not the privacy or outdoor space problems. A house may require maintenance and upkeep that we have enjoyed taking a break from. 

These thoughts have been "stirring" around inside my head ever since I have been here.

I am praying that within the next two months God will show us what to do by either providing the perfect rental house for us or giving us peace about staying where we are.  

Have I stirred anyone else's crazies with all of this?? 

In the meantime one of the things I do to solve my weekday "stir-crazies" is weekend outings! And it just so happened that yesterday's outing was in Canton, Texas! 

OMG. I just wrote three paragraphs and didn't save them!! Ugh!! Here goes again. Oh well, what else do I have to do today? a. watch Super Bowl pre-game b. go outside in the freezing rain c. rewrite blog

Answer: c

Occasionally I grieve over something I walk away from because I regret not buying it!  It is usually something that is a steal of a deal, rare or unique, or something I love or have wanted for a long time.  The hubbies encouragement or discouragement usually helps me with my indecisevness when I don't know whether to buy or walk away. 

This happened a couple of years ago when I walked away from a plate rack in an antique store in Vicksburg.  I loved it, have always wanted one, it was very old and unusual, but we both thought it was a little pricey. I left it there and have regretted it ever since. 

It took two years of searching to realize how rare and hard to find these plate racks are and to decide the price was not so bad after all. I declared I would buy the next one I found and loved no matter the cost. (Well maybe NOT on the "no matter the cost"). 

I walked in a booth in Canton yesterday and there it was!! Hanging on the wall!  I was not making the same mistake twice. The owner took 100.00 off the price! I knew it was meant to be! 

Never mind that I have no wall space to hang it on OR that it's making my tiny little abode tinier and the walls are closing in tighter!

 Just call me CRAZY!!!