What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Thankful Thursday/Friday Foto Friends


 
I know, I know, I haven't written a thing this week, and I haven't even been around to visit all of my blogging friends. Please forgive. It just seemed like a busy week, and I couldn't make my brain sit down and settle down and write or read. 

Sometimes you just have to give yourself a break...you know?  I know you all know because many of you have been taking some breaks here and there as well. We need to step away sometimes and give ourselves room to breathe and grow and view things from new perspectives

...or something like that.  Anyway, I am sorry to be so "distant" lately...I hope you are all still out there and haven't gone away...


So, tonight I want to start out by being thankful.  It has been a busy week, but in good ways. We've had some "things" going on, decisions being made about things, steps being taken to begin the process of "downsizing" and cleaning out extra "stuff". 

God has been very gracious...giving us wisdom when we asked for it...patience when we needed it, and hope and reassurance that He is still working on our future plans...His way, not ours.  (That's the BEST way).
(Deer pictures courtesy of my friendly neighborhood deer visiting my yard at noon today)

Let's see, what else has been happening?

Well, last weekend our son and his wife had a yard sale, and we went to help out a little bit...
(and thankfully, the sale was fairly successful...they reached the goal they hoped for and then some...and are going to have another sale THIS weekend as well!)

And one of my friends at church asked if they had a little desk for sale.  I told her no, they didn't, "but I have a little desk that I would be happy to give you".  She was so surprised that I would give it to her and offered to buy it, but I reassured her that I did not want anything for it...just that they would come pick it up.  She was more than happy to do so.  She was thrilled that this desk was exactly what she was hoping for and had actually been praying for.  God answers prayers in mysterious ways sometimes, doesn't He? 
 And then I asked her if they would mind also picking up this sewing machine in a cabinet and take it to the church, for the ladies'  "Sew and Sew" Quilting group.  I've been promising it to them for a while, but didn't have any way to get it there. She was very happy to do so.  Now, I am not telling you this to give myself a pat on the back or from you either...


But I did this for somewhat "selfish" reasons, and some not quite so selfish. 

  1.  It felt good to give something away to someone else who truly needed it and appreciated it.
  2. It helped me to begin the process of "downsizing" and cleaning out and getting ready for our hoped for and expected upcoming move (sometime in the future!)
  3. These were items that I was not really using, and they needed to go where they would be used.
  4. The "Sew and Sew" quilt group makes lap quilts for Hospice House, Ronald McDonald House, and the VA Hospital.   They can use this machine to help make the quilts. I have not been able to participate in the group since we still live too far away to make many trips back and forth during the week, but this is one way of doing my part and helping.
  5. The lady who wanted the desk has the ministry of sending out get well cards, birthday cards, and sympathy cards, etc., from our church to people in the church and community. This little desk would be a way to help her with her ministry
My thoughts were as I donated these items that maybe this would be like planting a seed that will grow into opening the doors for us to finally be able to sell our house and move to the community where our church is and where we want to be able to help serve better in our church and make new friends in that community.  May God bless and honor this prayer and desire of our hearts...in His time.   

Oh, and actually...we did have an offer on our house this week...however it was an extremely LOW offer, one that we could not consider in good conscience,  so we gave a counter offer, but the person was not able to raise her offer...so we will be patient and wait for the Lord to bring someone else.

Now, after all of that excitement, I also got a little creative this week. (I started taking vitamins again, can you tell? I think it's helping...)  Anyway, in removing that sewing machine cabinet from our laundry/utility room area, it left an empty space where we had been storing our containers of soft drinks and bottled water on top of and under that cabinet.  Now I needed something to hold those items still rather than just stacking them on the floor.  I know, I got rid of something, and now I want to put something back, you are saying?!  Well, this is where I got creative.  I decided to create something out of items that we already had taking up space in our workshop/shed.

This is the iron base for an old sewing machine cabinet that I had for many years. The wooden part of the cabinet was falling apart and finally had to be removed/destroyed.  (No, this isn't the one that I have in my house that belonged to my husband's grandmother...this is another that I've had for years).
It was collecting dust in the shed, waiting to be used for something. The treadle and wheel have been gone for years, so it is basically just the "legs". So I cleaned off the dust and spray painted it with a flat black rustoleum paint.


Also, in the shed was this lovely panel of wood, already stained and varnished, which used to be the top to a bench that the bottom got broken off of, and it needed a new home...It just "happened" to fit perfectly on the top of this iron base:



 And so now here it is, the new "beverage bar" in our house...yes, that is "Fresca"...the original grapefruit flavor. My hubby loves that stuff. The coke is for those who don't love that stuff,  and the bottled water is for those who don't love our sulfur tasting well water here...

This little table will also make a great table to hold my portable sewing machine whenever I do get the urge to sew something again...



So, that was my creative project for this week!  I did this all by myself!!!  I am very thankful for the tools, miscellaneous pieces of odds and ends, and the basic skills to do these things.  I am blessed.


And this picture is of my breakfast this morning...yes, those are eggo waffles with syrup and fresh blueberries (cooked for 30 seconds in the microwave to heat them up), sausage and scrambled eggs.  It was delicious...and yes, I DO rejoice in each new day!!!

I especially enjoyed my breakfast, served on this beautiful tray, made on reclaimed wood by my son, at "Ben's Country Woodshop".  This was my one purchase from his yard sale last weekend, and I have been enjoying serving myself breakfast and lunch on this tray as I carry it into the living room where hubby and I often sit and enjoy watching the news (not really enjoying that) or some other interesting program together.  This tray was originally designed to be a laptop tray...but since I don't use a laptop (gasp! I sit at a desk and write on a desktop computer the old fashioned way! LOL), I enjoy it for my own personal dinner tray.  Doesn't take much to make this girl happy!!
Another thing to be thankful for...Ben's Country Woodshop, our son's home business with his wife Rose, along with their online Etsy shops, BRCoastalRusticDecor and Rustic Forest Studio, are really doing well.  They had some real encouragement this past week, as a result of meeting people at the yard sale, that has led to some new opportunities for sales in the local area as well as the online business!  This is a WONDERFUL blessing and answer to prayer...so I just want to give God the glory and praise for all that He is doing in our lives!!!

19 comments:

  1. Pam: You have been busy. I like what you did to make that 'table'. It looks professionally done. I'm certain God will bless you for sharing that desk and that sewing machine. I love the laptop tray. I have a plastic lap desk that has some broken sections to it. I use it for other things beside my laptop, books, doing the crossword puzzle in the newspaper, playing games on my electronic tablet. Peace and blessings.

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    1. Thank you, Cecelia. I do pray that some good things are right around the corner, but in the meantime, we are blessed and thankful for what God does for us each and every day. I hope you are having a good week. Peace and blessings to you as well.

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  2. The treadle table would be a wonderful end table. Very nostalgic and I can imagine it with a Tiffany lamp on it. You did a great job on it Pam. Miss Deer seems to like posing for you :)

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    1. Oh, a "tiffany lamp" would be lovely! I don't have any, but it would be lovely. This little table can be used in many ways. I envision it being used in our future "smaller" home for a possible desk or mini breakfast bar of some kind. I am only sorry right now it is sitting with boxes of soda on top and not out where it can be appreciated, but I do appreciate it anyway! Yes, "Miss Deer" was outside our kitchen window...she didn't know I was watching her, although I think she could hear me even though I was being very quiet and the windows were closed. I was happy she stayed so long...

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  3. I am SO happy for Ben and Rose!! Your deer photos are lovely. What a blessing to have them visit this morning! Great news about the start of your downsizing and a good way to re-purpose the table top and legs! The next offer will be a good one!!

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    1. Oh, Terri, I do hope you are right about the next offer! We are getting so anxious to be moved...but then...we still have to find that "perfect" house to move to...that is going to be a challenge...but I know God already knows where it is so why am I worried??? Thank you for your kind words...I still don't know about Lakeland June 5-8...not sure if we are going or not at this point...I will let you know.

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  4. I like how you told us your thoughts in-between the photos of the deer. Very artsy and pensive.

    I like your new table top on the old sewing table base. And you did all that all by yourself! You are an industrious gal!!

    The tray from Ben and Rose's garage sale is handsome and so useful!

    You may have been quiet this week when it comes to blogging, but you've been very productive in so many other ways!

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    1. Ha Ha, "artsy and pensive"...that's me! LOL. That deer was very patient in letting me take her picture...although she couldn't see me...I was inside the kitchen looking out...I think she could hear me even tho the windows were closed, so I was very quiet...for me. LOL. Thank you for your sweet thoughts and messages. You are a blessing to me...

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  5. Ben and Rose are rubbing off on you. Very nice table you put.together. Deer photos.are.lovely.

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    1. Ha Ha! Actually...if I had the know how to build things like Benton does, I'd be doing it all the time. I love to work with wood and create things...but I'm afraid of the saws... Thank you for visiting. I loved watching this peaceful deer. She made my day...

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  6. Wow that 'beverage table' turned out so pretty! You did a great job putting it together. I've been trying to de-clutter a little too, it feels so good when a few spaces open up! :)

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    1. Yes, it does feel good to clear out spaces and fill them up again with something different...apparently, because that is what I did...but I am so glad to begin the process of "letting go"...I have a lot more to go... Thank you for visiting today. I am sorry I've not been good at getting around to everyone...trying to catch up.

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  7. You have been busy and creative :) Well done. I love that breakfast mug you have, I'm a mug person and have several I've never ever used because they seem too nice for everyday use, lol.Yard sales, or garage sales as we call them over here, can be a lot of fun, can't they, and it's also a bonus when you reach your target :)
    Diana

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    1. Thank you, Diana. It's been fun. I love it when I accomplish something! As for mugs, I enjoy using mine, but tend to get attached to one special one for a while, and then when I get tired of that one, I retire it to the windowsill where I can look at it while a use another one. I like mugs that "speak to me" in some special way, as this one does. Yes, yard sales or gararge sales (technically, his could have been a garage sale, although we were the only ones "in the garage", and all of the garage contents were in the yard!) are a great way to get rid of unwanted stuff. There's always someone out there who will appreciate our "worthless junk" and think it is a real prize!! When we finally do sell this house I hope to have a very large sale...and hopefully I won't have to put everything back inside the house when it is over...that's the part I don't like! Have a great and blessed weekend!!

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  8. I absolutely love the table you made, Pamela - boy, are you talented, or what? And yes, it's good to take breaks here and there from blogging, though I, for one, and I'm sure there are many others, miss you when you're not posting. Thanks for catching us up on your busy week, my friend! Oh, and I think that's wonderful news about Benton and Rose!
    Blessings!

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    1. Thank you, Martha! I love to do woodworking projects, but it was better when our son was still living here as he was the expert and I was the helper and chief "critic". Now he and Rose do their own thing...and I have to do only very simple things that I can figure out how to do on my own...not much fun. Maybe when we move closer to them I can help them or they can help me sometimes...but we shall see. I do hope you have a blessed week away with Virginia and your Mother. Sounds like a wonderful time for all.

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  9. You’ve been n a busy gal . Girl ii know the feeling too . Loving that table . Oh it’s just perfect and that tray ! I love trays as they can be used for so much . So glad to hear all is well your way . I love how your gifting that desk has brought you joy . I love giving to others as it blesses me more than them probably . We surely can’t ourgjve God . He’s so good to to my underservkbg self . Happy Memorial Day Pam . Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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    1. Thank you, Cindy, and Happy Memorial Day to you as well. Yes, our God is all love and all powerful, and through His Son we are free, with a lasting freedom that the world cannot take away. Praise God!!!

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  10. Pam, It appears that you're truly tapping into your creativity, as well as getting ready for the next step on your journey. God is truly amazing!

    Love and blessings!

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