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!

Saturday, July 6, 2019

Getting My Lamps Trimmed and Ready

I will try to keep touching base with you during the next couple of weeks as I am able.  We are busily packing, packing, packing, preparing for our big move.  Once we actually get moved into our new home I will need to select a new header picture for this blog, "Closed Doors, Open Windows", since the original header will no longer be my view out my kitchen windows...

This will be one of my views at our new home.  I wish this was out my kitchen window, but unfortunately the kitchen is in the front of the house, looking toward the street. And this view is on the back side of the house.  However, I do plan to set up my computer in a special area beside a window looking out to this view...so that is probably what you will be seeing quite often...and we do plan to clear a little of the underbrush out of the way so we have a better view...but first things first...

There are two large oak trees out front that I will be able to see from the kitchen window...Hubby was talking to our realtor (below) while I was busy taking pictures of the scenery.  I did make one unpleasant discovery the other day when we were there...apparently there is a yellow jacket nest in the ground up close to the house.  I unknowingly stepped right into it, and many angry bees came swirling up to chase me away...and one actually zapped me on my ring finger. I had to take off my wedding rings quickly before my finger swelled up too much.  I was not a happy camper!  When we got back to the realtor's office we found a tea bag and wet it and put it on there to draw out the pain from the sting rather quickly.  Good secret to know! Wet chewing tobacco works as well...but no one that we knew was chewing any...LOL.  Anyway...that is one thing on the list to be sure gets taken care of before we move into the house. I don't want anyone else to go through that pain. Some people are very allergic and it could be a bad thing. 

Just so you know, the house we are buying is actually a manufactured home...a double wide. That is what is most affordable and available in this community, and the one we found is newer than most of the others we looked at...and is beside that pond...which made it very desirable property for me.  Yesterday morning hubby and I were having a little bit of a "buyer's/seller's remorse" moment...kind of a panic attack about all the details we are having to deal with, and we needed some reassurance that we are doing the right thing.  First we called one of our friends from our church there and bounced some things off of him, and he gave us some wise advice. Then we called a company that does repairs on manufactured homes and asked some questions that we have about some repairs that need to be made, and he gave us some comforting answers, which relieved our fears and helped us to realize that we are still on the right track and it's going to be okay. 

Then to top it off, our friend that we spoke with earlier and his wife brought some other people from our church down to our current little town and we met them all for supper at a local restaurant in the middle of a major thunderstorm. We had such a marvelous time of fellowship...and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are doing the right thing in making this move. It's not about houses or land or ponds. It's about the people God is leading us to. That's what it is really all about.  God is so good. 

A funny little side note that I don't think our friends noticed (at least I hope not), when we were finished with our meal I got up to go to the restroom. When I came out, our group was already outside waiting for the rain to let up enough to run to their cars.  The restaurant has a front porch where people sit and wait for a table to become available, and it was quite packed.  We said good bye to our friends and then turned to walk across the porch to the parking lot on the other side where our car was parked.  I noticed that all the people sitting on the porch were smiling at me and seemed really friendly, although there wasn't anyone there that I knew.  As I hurried ahead of my hubby to get out of the rain, he called me and caught up with me and said, "You have TP hanging from the back of your clothes..."   Now please don't tell me that that has never happened to you before... and I won't tell you how many times that has happened to me before...but now I know why all those strangers on the porch were smiling so big at me as I paraded by.  All I can say is, my mama taught me to always put TP on the seat in a public restroom...and on a particularly humid evening it might have been wise to take a second look before leaving the room...but I don't plan to go back there again before we move and those people had a good laugh...so all's well that "ends" well! LOL.


Now, on to other more interesting things since you've had your laugh...

Today I decided to prepare our Hurricane Lamps for packing and moving. You may just call yours "oil lamps", but here in Florida we call them Hurricane lamps, because that is usually when we use them the most.  I have several oil lamps, and most of them still had some oil in them, which needed to be emptied. 
 The wicks needed to be trimmed and the burners cleaned and stored safely,


The  chimneys and fuel reservoirs also needed to be carefully washed

I love this dish soap wand for washing glasses and it certainly works well on the chimneys.  Don't ever try to wash the inside of a glass chimney with your bare hand.  It could easily break and cut your hand very badly...

I also have these candle sconces  that needed to be cleaned and packed. 

You may think these are out of style now and why do I still have these old fashioned things on my wall.  Well...turn the wooden sconce over and read what is written and you will understand why these are very special to me.  My Daddy actually made these sconces for me for my birthday many moons ago...

Some things just never go out of style in my book...

Washing and packing these oil lamps made me think about being prepared.  We are certainly getting prepared for our big move from our current home in a couple of weeks.  We are packing carefully because our things will actually have to be stored during the interim time between moves, and then moved again a few weeks later to our  new house.  I am not too excited about that fact and would much prefer to make one big move from here to there, but it just didn't quite work out that way. We are very thankful that our church is allowing us to stay in the empty parsonage during that time, which will be a huge help to us as we will be able to store our things with us there.

But back to the oil lamps and being prepared...I'm sure you've read the story about the ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. (see Matthew 25:1-13 for the complete story).  There were five wise virgins and five foolish virgins. The wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps, and were prepared and ready when the bridegroom came to call them to the wedding feast.  The foolish took their lamps but didn't take any oil with them. 

In verse 6 it says:

"And at midnight a cry was heard: 
"Behold, the bridegroom is coming; Go out to meet him!"

And as we read the rest of the story, we see that the foolish virgins tried to talk the wise virgins into sharing their oil with them, but they said they could not as there would not be enough for all of them. The wise virgins went on to the wedding, but the foolish went out to try and buy some oil, and they missed their opportunity to go into the wedding. Verse 10 says, "and the door was shut."  When they came and knocked on the door, the bridegroom said "I do not know you." (verse 12).  The moral of the story is in verse 13:

"Watch therefore, for you do not know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

We must always be prepared for the return of the Lord...we do not know when He is coming...could be today, tomorrow or next week.  Or our lives could be cut short by disease, accident, or disaster. No one knows, so we must be ready to meet the Lord at any time.  Have your lamps trimmed and burning bright...
Luke 12:35 says "Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning." (New International Version)

So we are getting ready...ready for whatever the Lord has ahead for us. Stay tuned for more adventures!!


22 comments:

  1. I am so happy for you, Pam. I know you are making the right decision. I think double wides make marvelous homes at reasonable prices. We finally have a nice manufactured mobile home park in our area---as opposed to the gravel road trailer parks that we see in outlying areas.

    LOL about the toilet paper. I have also walked around with a skirt tucked up and caught in my underwear to everyone's great amusement. lol

    Love the sconces-the meaning is worth way more than any 'style'.

    Good luck on your move!!!! Looking forward to seeing your new place! xo Diana

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  2. A beautiful post Pamela. My heart is thrilled to hear that things are going well, even if it is scary and challenging. You know that God has you in His very BIG hands and all will be well. Even when the embarrassing incidents happen!

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  3. Your new property sounds great (sans the yellow jacket nest, of course).

    Your story about the TP... could happen to any of us. Now we can all relax and be REAL with each other, right?!

    Getting to stay in the church parsonage is SUCH A BLESSING!

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  4. Its so nice your church is allowing you to use the parsonage. When I was a little girl my daddy's business burned down and our house was damaged. We had to move quickly with no where to go. The priest at the church offered us his parsonage and he would move out. He also handed his little bankbook to my daddy and said he could set up his business in the church garages. We did not take him up on it. He was a self sacrificing man loved by all , but, I will never forget him. I can't wait to see pictures of your new home.

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  5. Love that view out your window Pamela. I feel a little sad that none of those people had the courtesy to come up to you and whisper that you had TP showing. Sad that people would rather laugh than help. We see a lot of double wide homes here in the country and some are really beautiful! I lived in a single wide for a few years when I first ventured out on my own. They called them mobile homes then but it was permanent on a concrete slab. Sorry about the bees, I used to make a past of baking soda and water for the swelling on my kids and it really worked. Congratulations on your new home. May you know nothing but happiness and blessings all the days you and your hubby reside there dear Pamela.

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  6. You will be very busy over the next while but I am so pleased that the Lord has provided you with a home and property and also a temporary place to lay your head. Once it is all over you will have time to look back and see everything in a relaxed manner.

    I do love the sermon and scripture. The moral always does make me sad though that some people are not well prepared and also makes me aware of my need to be vigilant especially in this house.

    God bless you Pam and your husband as you prepare for the big move. P.S. Your tp story brought a smile to my face. I sometimes have that happen but fortunately have been able to catch it before I leave the washroom. I'm sure it has happened to many, many of us.

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  7. Your title gave me a jolt! It's true. The time is close.

    It is so good to hear the story of how God is leading you!


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    1. There is a movie where a woman and a man who have just met are talking in a restaurant. Another woman comes out of the restroom and walks past them with paper stuck to her shoe. The woman from the table gets up without a word, steps closely behind the woman without being noticed, and whisks the paper away with her shoe. The TP woman never notices and, when the rescuing woman sits back down and resumes her conversation, the man is visibly moved by her kindness.

      "All of Me"-- Minnie Driver and David from the xfiles whose name I can't spell... :-)

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  8. Another beautiful post my friend and yes, we call them Hurricane Lamps as well--having been raised in FL since I was 8 (and my folks still in Ocala) and spending 21 years of married life in Alabama...so truly, I am from the south, grin.

    I am so happy for you and can't wait to hear more about your new adventure(s)...and I am grinning and giggling over the tp incident. smiles

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  9. Pam, we LOVE our manufactured home and really have more room here than we did in our brick & mortar home. We haven't looked back and would not make a different decision if we had it to make again. I am so excited for you! Those candle sconces are beautiful and what a wonderful memory to keep on your wall to see every day! xoxox

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  10. Pam: I love the reason you kept the candle sconces. You are right, nothing really goes out of style. This is true if there is a special memory attached to something. We call those lamps hurricane lamps here in Indiana. In the movie"Smoky and the Bandit", Jackie Gleason exits a restaurant with T P stuck to his shoe. It is funny to see that scene.

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  11. Yes, Pamela, you gave us a good laugh with the TP episode! And so glad you are making some progress on your packing, and still taking time to blog here and there - I really appreciated your recent visit to mine, knowing how busy you are. Have someone come out to treat that yellow jacket nest as soon as you can; don't want folks moving your stuff in and get attacked by those vicious creatures.
    Blessings, my friend!

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  12. Hello Pamela!
    It is so good to read your posting and catch up with you!
    Congratulations on your new home and all the best as you plan, prepare and pack for this exciting new chapter in your lives. :}
    It sounds as if you are certainly following the Lords will and your new home will be wonderful.

    I love all your lamps, I have two exactly like the first photo you shared, they were my parents at one time.

    I had to laugh at your TP issue! :} I think that has likely happened to many of us, in fact, my dear mother-in-law was on a home video when that happened to her.

    I love your header now, though maybe you could do something like "Beyond our Back Door" or "From the Screen of my Back Door" I'm just thinking out loud. HA! :}

    Have a blessed week ~

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  13. "It's not about land or houses or ponds. It's about the people God is leading us to." I LOVE that, it is so true. In all of our lives. And those hurricane lamps! My mom used to have those way back when, I completely forgot about those. Thank you for 'sharing' yours with us!

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  14. I'm right there with you on those hurricane lamps...and that's what I call them too. I also have a couple of hand painted ones that have been converted into electric...LOVE old things! I am also in the process of packing such items...trying to de-clutter and getting many things that are not being used boxed up. Gotta be real careful with those delicate lamp globes! I laughed out loud when I read your TP story...something similar happened to me once inside at a restaurant after church on a very hot, sticky day. I got up when we left and my silky skirt was all hiked up in the back, sticking to my butt...lol! My boys were young and of course, they thought this was hilarious!

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  15. Back in the 70's we bought a double wide and loved it. Today they make them better with more safety codes. I love that last photo view. Oh, I have a dish wand like that, my sweet daughter gave it to me a week or so ago.Take care my friend, I'll be thinking of you and praying for you as you pack to move into your new home.

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  16. You reminded me to clean MY actual hurricane lamps (yep, that's what they are) and I do try to stay ready otherwise too. We bought a modular home a few years back and had to remodel all of it. So much had been stolen out of it too. I still need new kitchen cabinets, but that will just have to wait for now. They look shabby chic anyway as they are. I LOVE that you get water. It would be the rest of my dream, but unless a Noah flood happens on the lower part, I will not have waterfront any time soon. Good thing is we are near the Suwannee and can go on our boat.

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  17. Pam, what a meaningful post. Your word picture is meaningful. There is much to prepare for in life: whether it be our daily life or our spiritual life. Always being ready is a great way to live!

    Love and blessings!

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  18. I think most people have second thoughts when engaging in a major change. You were so blessed that God orchestrated a blessed night with friends to encourage you on this journey. The property looks so pretty, lots of green for you to have as a backdrop to anything you might do outside. It won't take you long to make this place 'home.' Prays that God continues to bless you as things move along. OH, btw, we call them hurricane lamps too!!

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  19. So excited for you, Pam! A lovely view and I know you'll find just the right place for your computer. Ouch to the sting but I'll remember the tea bag thing. LOts of prayers and blessing coming to you in the next few weeks! See you on Face Book!

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  20. It's a lot of work to make a big move but it sounds like the perfect place for you. You'll have to let me know if you are still in the same area. I may have missed a post but I like to think of you living not far from me! Enjoy your week! Lots of hugs!

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  21. Oh dear girlfriend, I do not envy your move....one of my least favorite things...but I know you will enjoy your knew home. Especially after the bees are gone! YIKES. You covered so much...the toilet paper was priceless. And I LOVE your sconces. I have a shelve in my kitchen that my Daddy made me, one of his last gifts to me. God bless your move, sweet girl. Blessings from Ohio...Kim Wolf<><

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