Spring Treasure Hunt

While we all continue our spring cleaning or in Jewish tradition the leaven removed from your house, we start to toss out things that aren't needed.  Spiritually looking to remove the leaven (sin) in our life is a good place to start, but physically we also clean out the extra items around our houses.

May of these items becomes someone else's treasures.  So Friday my husband and I went to visit a few garage sales.  This is they type of garage sale hunter I am -

• I drive by first to see if anything looks promising from the safety of my car
• If I see all baby items I drive to the next destination...making it a challenge to see how many garage sales I can go by in the shortest amount of time
• I don't talk to the people...yes I am very anti-social...I am out for the hunt, not a new friendship - keep head down
• I move through the garage sale at record speed, finding any treasures in just seconds
• I don't bargain with the people

Now when I go with my husband I must put all my strategies away.  Here is how he conquerors garage sales -

• This is a venue for meeting people - he will talk to everyone and have their life's  stories in just a few minutes.  By the time he in the middle of his conversation I have already retreated to the car.  Stashed in the car are my Starbucks Chia Tea and a book...making the wait bearable
• He will look at everything, pick up, ask questions
• Finalizing his final decisions (mine have already been made and pointed out to him) he will start his negotiations - remember the garage sale owners are now his newest best friends
• He will return to the car with his treasures - we will move forward, only getting to about half the number of garage sale viewings I would have in the same amount of time

So on Friday I had the delight of my husband accompanying me to some of the treasured garages sales produced after spring cleaning.  With him by my side I have to dump my strategies and use his assets.  He returned to the car with stories to tell and bargain treasures for his wife.

My Simple Pleasures this Week.....My Garage Sale Treasures

Two Vintage Tablecloths and 16 napkins...both cloths because I needed the napkins.

My Garage Sale Hero - asking $18.00 he negotiated for $10.00

Two night stand lamps.  The marble matches the tops of my dresser.  The antique brass leaves match the glass on the dresser, side tables and armoire.

Both lamps, without shades, which I will design myself - Bargain $5.00 total for two

A Friday morning of treasure hunting with my Hubby - Priceless - A Pure Simple Pleasure.

Life through the Eyes of a Five Year Old

Both son and mom's pictures...he already has an eye!

Celebrating the beginning of Spring, Benjamin and I went to the Botanical Gardens, after our viewing of the children's musical play Pinocchio.(if you have never seen the musical it is great)  As we entered the gardens Benjamin asked for the camera while voicing, "Oh they are so,so, so  beautiful."  Fifty pictures later he had documented all the beautiful flowers, fountains, and art sculpture through his eyes.  So today we send you a glimpse of our Spring with temptatures in the 80's.

I am painting my toe nails, grabbing my flip flops and breathing in the joy of Spring.
My Simple Pleasure this week....Life through the Eyes of My Five Year Old and Spring.

Spring

by Celia Thaxter

The alder by the river Shakes out her powdery curls; The willow buds in silver For little boys and girls. The little birds fly over And oh, how sweet they sing! To tell the happy children That once again 'tis spring. The gay green grass comes creeping So soft beneath their feet; The frogs begin to ripple A music clear and sweet. And buttercups are coming, And scarlet columbine, And in the sunny meadows The dandelions shine. And just as many daisies As their soft hands can hold The little ones may gather, All fair in white and gold. Here blows the warm red clover, There peeps the violet blue; O happy little children! God made them all for you.

Boys, Tools and You Tube

Now just what is it with me and things...well, things biting the bullet?  You don't see this 50-year-old just breaking down and quitting do you?  Well then, why should my appliances have that luxury?

So my dryer, which has probably tumbled thousands of loads, it was bought when we had a household of seven, four of which were boys and all five were involved in sports,.....decided it was tired.  Sports means a lot of washing and drying.  Now my dryer is having lighter days, only a household of four and only one in sports. Its tumbling days have slowed down, so it should be rejoicing.  WELL, NO!!!  It must have needed some attention because on Monday, my wash/dry day, it decided to throw a fit and it broke the drum belt.  In protest, it said it would not tumble anymore.

Just wait...I am a Rosie the Riveter and I have access to a talented, teenage boy and You-Tube!  So, with our arsonnel at hand, we ran to the computer, found out the name of the broken part and watched a video on how to replace it. No need to wait for days for my modern-day servant to be back in working order...I HAD WET CLOTHES TO DRY! (we are not allowed to have clothes lines in our subdivision).

My handsome, young teenager son being his Mom's hero!

A trip to the parts place, a willing teenage boy who let his mom oversee him, and we had the dryer back in better-than-working order in no time.  The same dryer that had tried to eat my bra....(Do You Hear Your Mother's Voice, post click to read) had lost yet another battle.

My Simple Pleasure this week.....A Working Dryer, A Helpful Son and You-Tube. This Rosie is now looking at all "fixing" challenges with delight...another learning opportunity in our home school house.  Just months ago, my son and I replaced the door handles on my car.  Now technology is becoming my friend. It is much easier to train this teenage son than it was my first son, 14 years ago. The biggest simple pleasure was seeing the pride on my son's face after the job was complete.................priceless.

Just Some Small Additions

Okay, okay I heard loudly...GET NEW POT HOLDERS.  They were so unrecognizable that labeling my picture of  them was helpful.  I have to confess I am so bad at this.  I am not a shopper. Unless it is decorative and a necessity for the kitchen, it doesn't land in that category for me.  Thirty years of cooking for a large household has taken its toll on my kitchen resources.  During Christmas, my kitchen yelled, "UNCLE". It began to protest my negligent...handles fell of my 30 year-old pots, appliances died...right in the middle of Christmas cooking... the nerve of them!  Why is it that all of these things can't survive for a lifetime?  Now, true confession...those pot holders have to be at least 10 years-old...that is just horrible.

So I pushed  my non-shopping body out the door to make myself a kitchen to die for.  Would you like to see what I got?  Now remember, all of these items are NEEDS and not just WANTS...because they are more than justified in my household where they will be put to continuous use.

In honor of the world champion blogger....I have to replace my still-working-but-I-am-not-taking-the-risk Kitchen Aid Mixer.  Look what I got!

Now isn't that just to die for?   A Pioneer Woman Kitchen Aid...I am hoping just having it brings success to anything I cook. It will be the centerpiece in my dream kitchen... with soap-stone counter top and a farmer's sink. If I can't be a farmer's wife, at least I can have a farmer's sink.

Since blogging has enhanced my love for "tablescaping" (I didn't realize there was a name for what I did), I now have dozens of dishes to wash. Instead of just eating on one or two plates, we now have coordinated plates for everything. So I NEED TWO dishwashers.  Think how much I wash when the 10 of us get together for a meal!

I just love the option of two drawers. So when I finally have an empty-nest, I can use only one drawer. But for now, both washers will be filled to compacity with my multiple layers of dishes.

Now, how can I continue all the gourmet cooking I am learning from all these wonderful blogs and the Food Network with my small stove and single oven....heaven forbid. So this non-shopper woman, with 10 year-old pot holders, just ordered one of these.

The subway tile with the wooden floors just finished up my dream kitchen and now it is ready for a good work-out.  Are you ready to come to dinner?

Just in case you heard about a local Menopausal woman robbing the local bank....well, lets just say, she NEEDED all of this and you know you shouldn't cross her when that time comes.

Oh well... a girl can dream can't she? I think I blogged on dreaming at the beginning of the year.

(Back to reality)... Instead, I bit my lip very hard... swallowed all my justification and went into Ross.  Here are my new purchases...I bought three sets!  MY SIMPLE PLEASURE THIS WEEK!  Now I am going to slowly replace some of those older pieces of kitchen necessities...a one-handled colander!!

Carol at Our Sears Kit House  DOES have my dream kitchen. Now... to get my home-builder son to copy it for me one day. Stop by and see it...it is to die for.  If anyone of you has this wonderful kitchen of my dreams....please by all means ENJOY IT!!!  In the mean time, I am so thankful God has given me a working kitchen in our rent home with a gas stove and the best layout I have ever had.  Everything is in working order.  He smiled on me!

Now who knew that mugs were such a sensitive matter?  The comments on my mugs were hysterical and enlightening. No, I didn't throw all of our sentimental mugs away, for all of you who were horrified at that thought... but now there is room for new ones!  The Christmas mis-matched ones have their own shelf.

Texas Snow, Simple Pleasure

I am joining Dayle for Simple Pleasures today.  This week the Lord blew another snow kiss on our North Texas neighborhood.  For us Texans this is a rare site and we cherish the snow visits.  Since we are not good at driving in this winter wonderland we usually just cuddle close and play.  Benjamin was delighted to play outside, while I warmed the fire, cooked and put clothes in and out of the dryer for each new adventure outdoors.  Those little red cheeks didn't stop him, while his bigger brother towered over him in snow fights. We did, however, get a taste of what many states experience with temperatures in single digits and chill factor below zero.  They are now telling us more is to come!

Hot Chocolate by the fire!

Time for me to curl up and read while enjoying the bright sunshine streaming across my snow coated yard. 

Now this snow came just two days after we had enjoyed a weekend of high 70 degrees, which had already moved me into Spring Fever....oh, well, I will have to wait a little longer before playing in the dirt of my garden or relaxing in my summer chairs.
So  my Simple Pleasure for this week, a winter wonderland....what was yours?