New Shoes

Knox got new shoes last night. We dropped off Hunny at his EMT class at 6 and then went on a shoe hunt. I was looking for a pair of little sandals--either leather or TEVA type, 5 dollars or under. Funny how when I go shopping, I always have a vision in my mind of what I am looking for.

He has worn socks all winter, except for dress-up, and those are little suede boot-style shoes that do not look good with shorts and are getting to be on the small side. We went to GB Shoes, and I was surprised at how expensive they were. No boys shoes except for tennis shoes and a little pair of sandals all over the 20 dollar mark. Nope!

Next I headed to Burlington Coat Factory, which has some good stuff. I always forget to check there because I don't go there often. I found a cute little pair of sandals, TEVA style in dark brown and priced at $4.95. Works for me, and they were exactly what I had in mind. The ones that I've seen at yard sales and thrift stores this year were really worn out, so new it is.

The Knoxster loves his new shoes, they make a thumping noise when he bangs them on the floor or car seat. Also they seem chewy. He worked on one all the way home last night, and had it off and in his mouth by the time we got home.

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We also visited the "Free Zoo"---Petsmart. Knox loved looking in the window at the cat rescue area and also the birds. He laughed and laughed. I think we will be visiting there often. He must take after his Daddy, who has a soft spot in his heart for animals.

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Hunny is one month down on the evening EMT classes. Four more to go. Since he was previously certified, it doesn't seem to be at all hard for him. There have been some new advances in training though since he was trained in New York years ago. Greenville Tech has a $50,000 mannequin to train on. They can get a pulse, intubate, etc. I think thats pretty cool. There was an article on CNN on something similar a couple of weeks ago.

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He also starts his finals this weekend, and will finish up next Friday. There will be lots of studying around our house this weekend. This is his last semester at Greenville Tech, and he is in the process of transferring for the fall semester to the University of Memphis to work on his Bachelor's in Fire Science. He is quite excited about it, as it is the realization of a long held dream to be able to go to college. Lord willing, he will be taking a full load of online classes this fall.

Knox has less than 2 weeks at daycare, and then he will be staying home with Daddy fulltime. It will be like a pay raise not to have daycare costs. I really do not know where the money has come from this winter to be able to pay for daycare, heating bills that were a third to half again as much as last year, and of course gas for the car. Two trips into Greenville everyday really start adding up. The heat has been turned off for a couple of weeks now, so we should see only a tiny bill there until October.

God has really blessed us according to our needs. We've had to do our part and live frugally, but only God could stretch a budget this far. There is no way, humanly speaking, that we should have been able to do this. We have so much to be thankful for.

My 1st Forays Into Yard Saling

I was about 12, I think. Our neighbor, Mrs. Parson, was having a 2 day sale and her friend Iris was going to sell her deceased mother's things. I still remember laboring over the signs for her, and there were many. It was a big neighborhood event. I bought a little milk glass vase. It was fifty cents I think. An antiques appraiser (another neighbor) kindly looked at it for me and pronounced it to be worth about $6.00. I was hooked.

Over the next several years, I bought depression glass, silver, etc. I enjoyed reseaching the items and finding out what they are, where they came from, and how much they were worth. I still have a silver teaspoon that I got at a Goodwill for 17 cents--it is from the 1700's and the bowl and stem were made separately and welded together. Lets just say that its not silver-plated.

I still look for antiques and treasures, but it seems that now everyone has watched a little too much Antique Roadshow, and the items are priced at more than I want to pay. Plus, I have more pressing needs, such as baby clothes, and furniture.

When I was 20 or 21, I spent a day yard saling with a couple of newly married friends. I bought an ice cube tray that popped out heart shaped cubes. They were a little miffed that I would buy that---couldn't I see that they needed it more, being newly married and all? I still have that ice cube tray. My husband thinks its a little strange to make heart shaped ice cubes. They do melt, you know. I think its romantic. ;-) I mainly yard sale alone now.


Some of my best finds: I got a large oval antique mirror for $2...a 2 gallon Brita water dispenser for $2, a low dresser for $15 (its been in every room of my house and is currently reincarnated as a changing table for the Knoxster), a bust of Beethoven, casserole dishes, Tupperware, pans, a new wicker/iron patio set of chairs and small table, canning supplies, alarm clock, fabric, a queen size bed, boxsprings, and frame for $20 (it was in the spare room of an elderly couple). Lots of this stuff was new....some of it sat a while before I used it, like the 5 yards of white eyelet fabric that I bought for a dollar in Virginia. It finally became 2 dresses for my flowergirls. Last summer I picked up brand new shirts for Shawn for 50 cents each.

So, I love spring...and the cool air of a Saturday morning coupled with the promise of what might be out there just waiting for me....its motivation enough to get out of bed early on a day when I don't "have to".

Deep Question:

If, in fact, taking one small paper clip from work is stealing...what about using a company pen to write in a personal calendar? If a person brought in her own Post It notes from home, would that negate the "theft" of the paper clip or the ink?

What do you think?

Yard Sale Finds!! And Other Updates....

Well, it was raining cats and dogs most of last night. There were very few people having yard sales today. I decided to make it an all inclusive trip and took the trash to the dump on my way.
The first yard sale I went to had 2 elderly ladies sitting under their carport---perfectly made up. Noting but a couple of occasional tables, a lamp and some clothes.
The second one, the man was just sitting. There were lots of unopened cardboard boxes sitting out with him. He admitted to "having a few" during the thunderstorms last night. He invited me to open the boxes. I found a nice trivet and an enamel pan to plant a houseplant in. I had flashbacks to when I was six and going through the boxes in my parents attic--no permission of course.
The last one I went to was at the Methodist church. And boy, no one could say they were disorganized or expensive. I got toddler size shorts and pants for Knox to grow into, yellow linen napkins for a dime apiece, a couple of handwoven guest hand towels with the tags still on (also 10 cents each), a Paul Detlefson framed print of "The Old Mill Stream" and lots of books!! A quarter apiece!! Five Little Peppers, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Eight Cousins, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and a number of other paperback childrens classics. Mere Christianity, a Eugenia Price novel that I didn't have, 3 of the Mitford series, and a stack of antique books of poetry (Ogden Nash,English prose, etc), music, etc. I can't wait to go thru them. I'd like to reread some of the children's books.
I spent just over $9.00 total. It ended up being a good yard sale day. Books by my favorite authors for a quarter each can't be beat and they were all in very good condition.

Our local Ace hardware had it's grand reopening today, and I went to pick up a couple of red-flowered hanging baskets for the front porch. I got a free bucket, and a T-shirt for Knox.

I almost stopped at Hardee's for breakfast but the drive-thru line was clear around the building both times I went past. So I came home, and made a double batch of homemade biscuits, and we had eggs, sausage and maple syrup with them.

This afternoon, I returned my library books, paid my fine and picked up a few scrapbooking supplies at the Dollar Tree. I painted my mailbox and the bench on the front porch bright red, and about 25 minutes later we got another thunderstorm. I must say, they do look really nice. I have a white cushion for the bench. We are going to paint a verse or saying on the back rail of the bench, but haven't figured out what yet.

The Knoxster is back to his mellow, happy self since his 2nd tooth came thru this week. He got a little boo-boo on his cheek at daycare. One of the kids scratched him. All he really wants to do right now is to be held standing up. No sitting, no laying, no trying to crawl....he has his sights set on walking. He is able to stand by himself if he is holding onto something.
Good night, everyone.

Dreaming.....

Yesterday morning, I was slightly peeved at my husband for waking me up.
I was right in the middle of a lovely dream about shopping. Meredith, my sister Mary Ann and I were shopping at this huge, wonderful thrift store.

There were enough bargains to go around for all of us thrifty ones.
We were not fighting over bargains.
No one was having to put dibs on anything.
Everything was beautiful and/or new.
Everything was super cheap.

I was finding everything that was on my list. Christmas gifts, dining room chairs....

Really.

The birds must have been chirping outside my bedroom window, "cheap, cheap!"

Nothing like combining my favorite things, shopping, sleeping, and thriftiness.

Here's hoping all you yard-salers find everything you are looking for this weekend. I'm praying for an estate sale. I want some dining room chairs. Ideally, they would be like the ones I saw at World Market last night for $116 each, but marked down to about $5.00.

Nobody said I couldn't dream.

Convicted by Accusation??

I had wanted to write a post on the Duke LaCrosse Team Debacle, and was mulling it over and getting so irritated with the media for the biased, feminist coverage they are giving this. I came across this blog post by mzellen, and I encourage everyone to read it. She says it best. Here is a quote....

A very dear friend noted a couple of weeks ago that "every man in America is one
false accusation away from having his life ruined." It seems that by merely
making the accusation, a man can be convicted, without ever having been to
trial. And it appears that the best evidence in this case is the accusation.

We listen to an AM radio show every morning from 7 am to 9 am with Tony Beam (Christian Worldview Today). Tony's rule of thumb is that the real story is always hidden away in a news article, after all the blabber and fluff and opinions and a lot of the time you have to go to the third or fourth or fifth paragraphs to get to the real meat of the story.

The real story is that these guys have rich parents and this stripper is contacting lawyers to do a civil case. Its all about the $$$, folks. She is seeing an opportunity to pad her pocket at the expense of some youngs guy's lives and reputations. So far, there has been no real evidence to support her claims.

No, I don't agree with having strippers or exotic dancers to a party. It is just totally against what I believe. For those of you that want to legitimize that industry, well, strippers do what strippers do. It is the s*x industry, plain and simple. We once had a neighbor who was an exotic dancer. There were things that went on in that house that I have no desire to remember or recount. It was not just a job, it was a perverted lifestyle. It was 24/7--who she was. And yet, she wanted to be considered a fine, upstanding member of society.
(As my disclaimer, I am sure that there are girls who have been pulled into this and it was not of their own will.)

I also believe that those we associate with will either lift us up or pull us down to their level, and in this case, living life on a higher plane of morality certainly would not have hurt these guys.

What are your thoughts?

Two Laptops are Better than One Chicken Wipe

Check out Anybody Home for her post from today on Two Laptops. This is too cute. I like this lady and her grandson is adorable. I also love her decorating style. I'd like her for my neighbor.

Also check out Antique Mommy for her post on Chicken Wipes, or You Wipe Up my Life. I just found her blog yesterday and she is so funny.

Highlights from our New York trip--April 7-11:

1. Knox made out like a bandit, coming home with clothes for his Easter present from Grandma Audrey, and 8 stuffed animals...all gifts. He got a lot of attention, and had many kids to play with. He loved it.

2. Knox loves dogs. He thinks they are hysterically funny. Cats are also funny, especially those triangular shaped ones without tails in Ohio. Stuffed ones do fine unless the real ones are around.

3. We had lots of fun visiting everyone----family and friends. We saw people we had not seen since our wedding and Shawn's sister, whom he had not seen in 10 years.

4. We had lots of great Italian food, Michael's, Olive Garden, Pizza Hut....
****Real Calzones are deep fried.****

5. We learned that Motel 6 Erie, PA, is not a cheap place to stay. Needless to say, it was going to be the most expensive Motel 6 in history, and the second most expensive hotel I ever stayed at. (Holiday Inn's and resorts at Myrtle Beach are cheaper). We got in around 1:30 am. Shawn promptly fell asleep. Knox had to sleep on the floor---they did not provide a crib, and the saggy bed was too small for a little boy who likes to sleep with his feet up on Mommy and head-butting Daddy. I woke up several times to rescue him from the grim, dark unknowns of Under the Bed. The toilet was running (loudly), the sink was stopped up, and the ice machine was broken when I went to get ice for Knox's bottle. Front Desk Lady was of little help, but I did report my frustrations about the above toilet, etc, etc. She wanted to move us to another room. I declined, since everyone else was asleep already. I got into bed, and fell asleep, when the phone rang at 2:30 am. It was Front Desk Lady who wanted to send up the repair man to fix the toilet! NO! We want to sleep. I told her (again) that I would talk to management in the morning. And in the morning, management caught up with Hunny as we were loading the car. Suffice it to say, that he had heard of our discontent and refunded half of our bill, which now became the price that we would pay at other Motel 6's.

6. We visited Gram, who is 96, at the nursing home. She loved Knox, and she told us stories....how she grew up on a houseboat on the Erie Canal. Her cousin fell off the gangplank and drowned. She was so surprised to see us and we had such a good time.

7. The relatives in Pittsburgh have an eel, many fish, 1 boa constrictor, and 2 cornsnakes.

8. On the way to Ohio, we stopped to help at the scene of an accident. A lady had flipped her SUV about a minute before we got there and was pinned inside the vehicle. We were there before the police, fire trucks and ambulance. They had to cut the vehicle so that they could get her out. She was talking and alert, so we pray that she was OK. Knox loved watching all the lights and traffic. He keep looking out the window, and everytime Shawn moved he said, "da da." He also made appropriate "noises" when he was "driving the car."

9. The spring scenery was beautiful, although there was no sign of spring in New York. Except that it was warmer than real winter. It was lovely heading back to the warm South. Our car did better than expected, the alignment that Shawn got done really did make a difference in the gas mileage.

10. Knox did wonderfully. He did much better traveling than I could have ever imagined. He does have a habit of staring at pretty ladies until he makes eye contact, then he gives them a "look-at-me, see-how-cute-I-am-when-I-smile" sweet smile.

New Tooth!! WooHoo!!

Knox has finally presented himself with a new pearly white edge of a tooth. When I rub my fingertip over it, it reminds me of running my fingers over the blade on my scrapbook trimmer. Trust me, he knows what to do with it too. And its not trimming photos. The good thing is there is not as much drool as there was previously.

The weather has really turned warm here--it was in the high 70's during the weekend. Therefore....
We spent a good part of the day Saturday cleaning up outside. I worked on flowerbeds, we washed down part of the house, raked leaves, branches and twigs, and mowed part of the lawn. The only nice thing about the new septic system that was installed last summer, aside from the obvious fact that the toilet/drains are not backing up and gurgling everytime we wash a load of cloths, is that in the digging up of the back yard there appeard lots of medium sized rocks, large enough to edge the flower beds in front. So I moved a bunch of them to the edges of the flowerbeds.
My Easter Lily was mowed over, we found hills of red ants, we broke the rake, also, the shovel, and I did something painful to my back. This necesitated lying around the rest of the weekend, reading library books, and taking large doses of ibuprofen. (I finally feel recovered this morning.) But it does look nice. With all the trees removed from last year's tornado, it seems the grass is growing better. I'm looking forward to getting some geraniums, and some basil and oregano when we come back from New York. My lemon balm, rosemary, and chives wintered through. We all enjoyed being out in the fresh air.

Yesterday then, for supper, we burnt one of the piles of branches and leaves and had a weinie roast. We ended up picnicking inside the house because it was starting to rain. Hot dogs, deviled eggs, BBQ chips, and pickles...would have reminded me of the Lake Creek Lawnmowing Days, except we had sweet tea instead of Koolaid. (My son will NEVER drink that unhealthy stuff with sugar and colorings, and PRESERVATIVES!!!!) Trust me, we don't want a preservative!! We will stay with sweet tea, which is the only way that I can get him to drink from a sippy cup...he's a good little southerner already! My Hunny says thats OK as long as he doesn't think that mac 'n cheese, red jello, and banana pudding are veggies. (And if you don't know what I mean, come visit us and we will take you to Bu-ucks Drive-In or Pete's Restaurant.)

And if you have read thru all of these ramblings---you are indeed patient and I am blessed to have you for a friend.
Have a lovely day, everyone---the sun is shining now and the tornado watch has been lifted. PTL!!!

National Athiest's Day

The fool says in his heart,
"There is no God."
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does good.
2 The LORD looks down from heaven
on the sons of men
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
3 All have turned aside,
they have together become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.
Psalm 14:1