Shopping Stories

                                          And so it begins. Another wintertime.


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"My times are in your hands..."   ... Psalm 31:15


The strangest thing happened. 

See, Tom's and my annual Big Night Out is coming up. His company's holiday party will be held at a lovely banquet hall/inn in Buffalo and we'll spend the night there so to avoid a dark, treacherous, spoil-it-all road trip home.

Well, after much time and thought, I ordered a tunic top for the party, but you know? Two days later, I thought, "Darn. I should've bought something in a more Christmassy color. What was I thinking?" (Just like a woman, all change-her-mind-ish.)

So I decided to order a different tunic, one in red. I'd just keep the other for more casual times, though I could've, later, found something like it at Salvation Army for cheaper. But oh well.

Here's the really weird part. That first tunic was late, so I checked the transit schedule and saw that, yes, it had arrived at our local post office but what the heck? From there it was returned to shipper.

????

Well, days later,  I did one of those 'chat online with someone at our store' things (the guy was super so I later rave-reviewed him) and he easily removed the charge for that tunic from my credit card. Ta da. Easey peasy.

And now I don't have to pay for something that I decided (late) that I didn't really want anyway.

Call me silly, but I believe Grace had her fingers in that somehow. And still I'm learning to always expect goodness.

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life."  ...from Psalm 23

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Oh, and yesterday at Netflix while watching the old (1941) movie, Dressed to Kill, my eyes scanned the rooms for decorating ideas (that's what I do) and in the kitchen when I spied a thermometer, I thought, "Oh! That's something I don't have."

So some minutes later, thanks to Ebay, I bought this metal one---

... which I'll center (and hang a tad higher) between these happy faces (unless I change my mind, of course) ---

And being me, I got this for cheap (have you seen the prices on some of these vintage thermometers? Eegads.).

Oh, and that reminds me. Remember when Tom bought that crazy new car (without my blessing) and I was all, like, "Now we'll be living paycheck to paycheck"?

Well, let's chalk that up to a rather 'deer in the headlights' reaction, ok? (Being human and all, hopefully I'm allowed the occasional hissy fit.) I'm still finding money for books and decor so, crossing my fingers, things are okay in the finance department. 

So far.   :)



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Oh, and since you're not gonna see a lot of Christmas decor at this (my) blog, I'll send you over to Clarice's beautiful Christmas pantry.  You'll love it.


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“A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.” 
― Carl Reiner

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It's a This and That Kind of Friday

Gee, someone create a Slow Down Time Device already, ok? Wasn't it just Monday?

Anyway, can you believe it's sunny and snowing outside my windows?

                                        (In Real Life, it's brighter.)


Happens occasionally and of course, makes me wish snow always brought sunny skies rather than sad grey ones. If only! Oh well, I'll just appreciate sunny snowy days within their scarcity.


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What did I do this week? Besides replacing our cheapo white switch plates with light-catching brass ones (via Ebay), I created my own Daisy Cottage House Tour. Finally! I'd never found one at Kim's blog, so I created a 'tour' by Googling "daisy cottage images" then spending an hour copying and pasting only Kim's photos from hundreds of other folks' pic's.

After placing all the photos in an email, poof! Suddenly there's no need to search through Kim's blog for her best photos illustrating her incredible attention to detail.

If you'd like that email, please ask me at GladOne4@yahoo.com and I'll happily send it to you. 

Oh! Update:  I found a perfect Daisy Cottage page at Pinterest. I'd looked before, but hadn't placed the word 'dear' in front. So here you go!


Hooray! Here's another.

And okay, okay. Just one more.


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Oh, and this book arrived!

See, during our first winter in Buffalo, I'd sit at a little lamp-lit table in our kitchen on dark nights when Tom worked, rain slapping the old, wind-rattling windows, reading Great Lakes shipwreck books from the library. I'd place my stocking-feet upon the low, warm radiant heater and let the books take me away to stormy seas with long ago ships heaving up and down and passengers, sailors, in a panic.

We'd recently moved near two of those Great Lakes, so I felt closer to those long ago tragedies. And all these 23 years later, in my mind, I return to that warm kitchen with the table, lamp-glow and shipwrecks within the pages of library books--and feel gratitude for my own adventures hence, ones within my various dear homes and those across country. Safe, all.

We make our own adventures, each of us. You know that, right?


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"The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore."   ... Psalm 121:8



"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways."   ... Psalm 91:11


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Aren't these ladies cute?

Made me wonder if many 1960's teens now dress this way.  :) Myself, I'm still waiting for that type of Dress Anyway You Wish confidence. Someday it'll come. Probably. Maybe.



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Ever since the Gilmore Girls revival films, I've had this beautiful song swirling around my head. When I listen, I like to think how we reflect The Light when we come away from times spent with Jesus.

(If you do listen, close your eyes and the waltz-y beauty will relax any stray stressed-out muscles you may own.)

Did you watch This Is Us and The Middle this week? Oh my--the surprise endings! And Chicago Fire--special, special show. As always.


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            (Though I'd prefer if it said 'imaginers' rather than thinkers.)   :)


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Oh, and if you have extra time, here are some lovely lines from an obituary from my old home town in CA:

From the moment Dewayne Phelps spotted Peggy Horton during sixth grade, he knew that she was the one for him and recognized how remarkable she was. In 1960, she married Dewayne and, for 47 years, they shared life while taking pride in their two sons. During those years, Dewayne was her constant source of love, support and strength. On Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016, while surrounded by her loved ones, Peggy peacefully passed away into the loving arms of her Savior, and reunited with her beloved Dewayne, who passed in 2007.

Education was important to Peggy. She earned an Associate of Arts Degree from Fullerton Community College, and then a BA from CSU Long Beach. For the next 50 years she would use elements of that education to serve thousands of people ---------

Perhaps the value that marked her work, and her life, was the preservation of dignity. As a teacher she taught there is dignity in being a homemaker or in pursuing a career; as an employer she emphasized the dignity in doing a job well, whether it was working as a line cook, waiting tables or catering an event; and as a social worker she found great value in sustaining the dignity of older adults, especially those suffering from dementia and other age-related health issues. Finally, through her service at Woodland Christian Church (where she was a member), Peggy spearheaded a dignified solution in housing the homeless, who had a special place in her heart.

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Wishing you a wonderful weekend! Tom and I have big plans to make it a super lazy couple of days, indeed.  Heh.


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Again. It's Happening Again.

So remember how I've incessantly whined told you they're cruelly chopping down our trees 'round here? Well, this morning they began destroying another one.

!*&%^$#@

I stood at our window awhile watching the murder, steam swirling from my ears (these trees are huge), then thought, "Perhaps there's something online explaining why the heck this keeps happening."

There was. The dreaded ash borer beetle is wreaking havoc on our ash trees and--lest they spread their evil ways more rampantly--the wood from infected trees is being carted far away. Or burned. Or whatever. 

Oh. Did not know that.

Turns out our city leaders are not in cahoots to make me (and other tree adorers) miserable after all.   

Perspective. Today I find my perspective on this tree situation, changing. I get it. We're all resenting these insects intent upon chewing-up our tree-lined city and there's no, "Let's just destroy a bunch of trees cuz we want to," happening.

And, well, speaking of perspective... 

Last week while lying awake one night mulling over 2016's increasing chaos, this came to me:

You can't argue people out of their deception. Only God can set them free. So what's left is that you pray-- humbly--lest you, too, become deceived in a pride which whispers, "This could never happen to me."

That's about the time Earth tilted on its axis, I recalled some long ago sermons and my point of view toward folks was forever tweaked (for the better).

Anyway, just thought I'd throw that out there if anyone needs it. And you won't even require a sleepless night for it to come to you.

You're welcome.   :)

                   “Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.” 
― Kahlil Gibran, Sand and Foam



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"So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!"   ... 1 Corinthians 10:12


"Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."'   ... Luke 23:34



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So I'd not ever heard of Florence Foster Jenkins until this morning when I watched a recent episode of Mysteries at the Museum and oh! What an interesting, eccentric lady. My favorite kind.

No wonder they made a movie about her with the always-wonderful Meryl Streep. 

Watch an interesting interview with scenes from the movie (which I simply must see someday) here.


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