THRIFTING

A long-awaited old scrap quilt

I had a fun day going to an antique store and a couple of thrift stores.  This antique store never ends...it has room after room and at one point you wonder if you will ever find the front of the store again, or will you be lost forever in the past.  The name of that store, by the way, is Past and Present.  There are so many things to see and, of course, everything is way too expensive for me to buy anything, but I like to go and LOOK and get ideas.  I usually keep my eye out for old quilts in good condition and mason jars and furniture pieces and anything else that strikes my fancy.  So, I came out of there with nothing this time....sad.  

My next stop was the Salvation Army.  I like this place.  It's big and roomy.  I don't take too much time looking at clothes.  I'd much rather spend my time looking at the junk.  You never know what you will find.  It's like treasure hunting!  I looked through the glassware hunting for mason jars, old or new.  I have some ideas for a few different projects using them.  I didn't find anything in that section, so moved into the next room where the linens and furniture are kept.  I need something for a curtain at the kitchen windows because the hot sun bakes in there all morning.  I didn't find any curtains or sheets or cloth that said, "Take me!" so I moved on.  The end of the row had blankets and puffs and I checked out the two top shelves. I decided to bend down and look on the bottom shelf because sometimes stuff gets shoved to the back and people don't see it.  I saw the edge of an old scrap quilt and pulled it out with a "What's this?"  I unfolded a beautiful, old scrap quilt...just the kind I had been looking for!  My hands searched quickly for the price tag and I barely breathed as I found the tag.  Wow!  I couldn't believe my eyes and had to look over my glasses to make sure I had read it correctly.  Ten dollars?  Yes, that was the price all right!  I folded it back up and casually put it in my cart, so as not to draw attention.  I was so excited!  But, it didn't end there!  When I took it up to the cashier, I found out that linens were 25% off and the total price came to $7.50!  Now, I didn't need that quilt but the Lord saw fit to let me find one at just the right price for me.  Can i say? SO COOL!!  Truly the Lord is good!  Thank you, Lord!

 I went to the next thrift store and found 2 small canning jars for 25 cents a piece.  We like to use them for drinking glasses and it doesn't matter if they are old or new, clear or blue.  They are rugged and goes along with the rustic feel.  I also found some thick, plaid valances and curtains that will go perfectly in the boys room with their red walls.  All for the big price of $5.00!  

That's all I had time for today but I am looking forward to more thrift store bargains.  And....Saturdays are yard sale days!!

ANNIVERSARY THOUGHTS

Mike and I,  Mother's Day 2012,  by the Shenandoah 

I can hardly believe we have been happily married for 23 years!  The Lord brought us together and He gave us 6 wonderful children.  It hasn't always been easy!  We have a very active family and we have had our share of accidents, sickness, ER visits, and hospital stays.  Maybe more than our share!  A large family means many bills and Mike had a job to meet those needs but he traveled a lot.  That is hard on a growing family.  It can be hard on a marriage.  Murphy's Law always came into play whenever Mike was away.  Anything from squirrels in the house, to a busted, frozen water pipe, to 2 flat tires at the same time, to getting up every 2 hours to fill the old woodstove on extremely cold nights, to chimney fires, to ice storms, to just plain getting on each other's nerves because Daddy was away too long.  That list could go on and on but that's just my side.  Not forgetting Mike who had to deal with all of this over the phone, trying to calm me down, giving me instructions, encouraging me, telling me that "Yes, Kerry, you CAN do this, because you have to."  Oh how he missed all of us!  We, at least, had each other.  He was alone, without his wife or his children, going back to an empty hotel room night after long night.  And did he ever stop loving me?  Not for one second!  What held us together?  Was it just our love for each other?  That is a big part, for sure, but that is not all, because what really held us together through all these years was the grace of God.  We both relied on the Lord to sustain us, to strengthen us, and to hold us together.  We have leaned hard on Him and He has upheld us.  We had to learn over and over how to trust in the Lord.  Our love for each other grew and it is wholly because of God and His great love for us.  Our "motto" truly is:  God is good, all the time!!  Happy Anniversary today, May 20, to my dear husband, Mike...I love you!!

Our House

Purchased in September 2011

The house that God picked out for us when we moved from Maine to Virginia was not the one I would have chosen.  But through God working in my heart, I came to realize that God's ways are perfect and He knows what is best for us.  I love this house and the 12 acres that it sits on, complete with a good-sized pond.  There is lots of wildlife and we enjoy seeing and observing birds, deer, rabbits, muskrats, turtles, and whatever else happens to meander in on the farm.