Treasures

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.  Psalms 31:24

God sure is good to me.  I wanted a cute three-ring binder to store some of my information in, but I didn't want to pay $4.99 for one.

I knew I was going to WalMart last night, so throughout the day yesterday I prayed that God would give me 2 binders for $5.00 in the clearance section.

Went to WalMart, guess what I found?  2 Carolina Pad binders and 2 pretty tab inserts, all 4 for $5.00.  God sure is good to me!!

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.  Luke 2:1

My Aunt Jean started buying me one piece of the Avon Nativity set for my birthday each year when I was a teenager.  I thought, why is she buying these for me?  What am I going to do with these? 

She passed away in April of 2000.  It wasn't until after she was gone that I truly came to appreciate her gifts.  I am missing four of the pieces.  I will purchase them on eBay someday.  I want to complete the whole set.  Out of all my Christmas decorations, I cherish these the most!!

I HAVE BEEN BLESSED!

"Offer unto God thanksgiving,..."  Psalms 50:14a

This year has been a very difficult year for me physically.  I have had three operations, two within five weeks of each other.  I have been down for five months with a back problem.  I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. 

I have had some very dark and hard days.  There was no one to turn to except God.  He is the only One to turn to in times like that.  I cried my heart out to Him. 

God is my Saviour, Friend, Refuge, Rock, Great Physician, plus many more.  I can run to Him and hide under His wings and He will comfort, protect, and keep me.

When I thought no one cared for me, God told me He does.  He is the only One who will be there for you when no one else is.  God is faithful.  Through it all, God has been good!  I have been blessed, and have many things to be thankful for!!!  I can even be thankful for pain, it means I am still alive!

Thank You, Lord, for Your blessings on me!!

"...the goodness of God endureth continually."  Psalms 52:1b

I have a huge jump on my Thanksgiving meal.  I made cream cheese corn, pumpkin bars, cranberry salad, fat potatoes and taffy apple salad today.  I will bake pies tomorrow and clean the house a bit.  Then on Thursday all I have to do is bake the turkey and the rolls. 

This year is a different kind of Thanksgiving for us.  My dad passed away in October last year, and I wanted the holidays to be as they normally were.  This year my mom wants them to be a little different.  I will only have my family for Thanksgiving.  Why am I making almost everything we usually eat then???  Because it is so good!!  And there will be leftovers-no cooking!!

BE THANKFUL

"I thank my God upon every rememberance of you,"  Philippians 1:3

If you have people in your life who mean a lot to you, tell them while you still have them.  They may know that you love them, but it sure is nice to hear it!  Whisper it in their ear or write them a note.

Here is a picture of my wooden bowl on my dining room table.  I love these "mercury ball" acorns!!  I bought them on clearance at a cute store in our area called The Clay Basket.  The round ball came from Hobby Lobby, with my coupon, of course.  They are new, but they look old. 

FALL MAGNETS

"For thou art the God of my strength:"  Psalms 43:2a

Here is a picture of my refridgerator.  I try to buy some seasonal coasters then put a magnet on the back of them and change them out with the seasons.  I collect Scrabble pieces and made the saying magnets by gluing the pieces to popsicle sticks.  Our church has an annual craft and bake sale, and I make the Scrabble sayings and sell them there.

THRIFT STORES!!

"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised..."  Psalms 48:1

I went thrift store shopping yesterday and found lots of goodies!  Here's the list:  Dearform slippers, 3 dressy blouses, 1 table runner, 1 "vintage" tablecloth, 4 glass jars, 1 pair of Mooties Tootsies suede shoes, 5 packages "vintage" little glass bulbs, 1 pair black leather Naturalizer boots, 1 pair brown boots, 6 frames, bag of Spanish Moss, 2 "vintage" Christmas doilies, message board, 1 cute pink Liz Claiborne purse with brown lining, 1 small Yankee Candle, a nwt ($42) long down to my toes flannel gown with an eye mask, 4 packages of canning lids, a decorative pillow, 2 pillow shams, a curtain topper, and all for $100!!!!!  I don't know how much the Naturalizer boots cost brand new, but I am pretty sure I got a terrific deal!!  I am going to change my bedding to my winter quilt and the last 3 items will give the whole room a change lift!  Did I tell you I LOVE THRIFT STORES!!

The 2 light wooden frames were still wrapped in plastic with a store price of $8.  Plus I got to spend the whole day with my mom.  That is the greatest treasure of all!!!

WHAT A BARGAIN!

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
  Psalms 46:1

My son purchased a Hamilton Beach single-serve coffee maker for $30, and after using it a couple of times found out that coffee gives him heartburn.  I "took it off his hands" for only $20.  I was wanting a Keurig, but didn't want to spend that much money.  I also received two packages of Senseo Pods, a container of sugar, and a container of creamer.  What a bargain! 

Treasures

"For thou art the God of my strength:"  Psalms 43:2a

I found this cute little metal orange cup at a thrift store.  I filled it up with some flowers that I bought at Michaels.  I love the way it looks.  It is up on my cabinet that my sister-in-law gave me.  Her great grandfather built it.  I love it!  It is filled with my treasures.  I will share them later.

CAKE STANDS

"Blessed be the Lord..."  Psalm 41:13

Did I mention that I LOVE thrift stores?  I wanted to make a cake stand so I bought some plates at a thrift store.  This summer I used white ones with a red trim, now I am using green ones.  I placed the bigger plate on the bottom, and the smaller one on top.  I used sticky tack to adhere a silver metal candle holder between the plates.  That way I can switch the plates out if I want to use the silver candle holder again.  I put some ceramic gourds and wooden acorns on the plates.  A couple of weeks later I found a cheese dome at a garage sale and put that on top.  You can use the dome or not.  I like it either way.

Ethan Allen Chair

I found this Ethan Allen Comb Back chair at an area thrift store for only $2!!  I passed it up without looking at the price tag.  My mom called to me and said how much it was.  I thought to myself (I do that a lot) 'where am I going to put it?'  Then I thought to myself 'it is only $2.'  I got it.  I sanded it a bit and put some stain on it.  Now it sits in the room that is supposed to be a dining room, but it is where my computer armoire is.

November Already??

I am an empty nester, who likes to make things with her hands and craft.  I have done just about every craft out there from woodworking to stained glass. 

I love to go to garage sales and thrift stores.  Most of my house is decorated in "second hand things."  If I like something, but the color is wrong, I will paint it.  I have painted things from lamps to furniture. 

I love old things, vintage things and retro things.  I am always looking for a new craft to make.  I especially love Christmas crafts.