Flea Markets and God Appointments

 

Had an experience like this today at our local flea market. It was one of those "God appointments"...the lady really needed someone to just be kind to her, and I am SO thankful God nudged me to keep talking to her. She said that she thought God must have sent me right then. I'm not saying this to pat myself on the back...but as a reminder to myself and to others...be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is nudging you to do or say...don't just walk away and say I wish I'd said something. If God is speaking to you, then say what He puts in your mouth to say. We never know when it might be just the lifeline that person needed at that. very. moment.

And then I proceeded to buy a couple of things from her, whether or not I needed them is not really the question...again...I was supposed to be there for that appointment. So here is what I bought:

This vintage aluminum colander...why? Because it is just like the one my mother had, and I've looked for one like it ever since we let hers get away. I love this style of colander, because the spaghetti noodles won't slip through the holes like they do with my plastic one.

And it makes a great helmet when you need one. I tried it on like this at the flea market, and had several people offer to buy it from me after I had already bought it.  I guess they liked my "style".  One person said he wanted to make a lampshade out of it. Another said he'd been looking everywhere for one of these. Sorry guys! I got there first! And for a $1.00 you just can't beat the deal I got!

How do you like it?

Ain't life good?

This was my other great deal for $5.00...a  vintage Franciscan Ware Apple  teapot, made in California, USA.  In pretty much mint condition.  It reminded me of my grandmother's everyday china, but I think she had the Desert Rose pattern instead of the apple...or did she have this one? Can any of my relatives remember? Cousin Becky? Sister Doris?

I looked it up to see the value, and discovered that these were handpainted, which makes them more valuable, BUT, apparently they have a high lead content...so...I don't know...my grandparents used this brand of dishes everyday and they lived way up into their 80's.  So I don't know that  that really is a problem. I will probably just keep this for my teapot collection anyway.

While at the flea market I saw some other interesting stuff:

I've seen this tinker's truck around other flea markets before, but this was the first time I was able to walk all around it and take some pictures. Kind of unique and interesting, wouldn't you agree?

Can you see a cute little face looking out the window? He was patiently waiting for his master to return.

It's not every day you see something like this, is it? I thought you'd enjoy it.

Now for those of you who read Lily Grace's adventure early this morning, you will note that she said we would be making some chicken pot pie this afternoon to take to a friend who just got home from the hospital this week.   Lily promised to help me, so I thought I should share her picture with the finished product:

There you have it! Yes there are two casseroles of chicken pot pie. One for our friends, and one for us for supper. 

Lily also helped me cut up some watermelon.

She said it sure was delicious! No she didn't eat all of that...but we did sample quite a bit while cutting it up.  (Oh, that is something else we bought at the flea market today).

And guess what! When we took the food over to our friend's house, her little granddaughter was there helping her.  So Lily was so happy to make a new little friend. Her name is Milee. Isn't she sweet? She loved Lily too. I think they could be very good friends. They kind of look like each other, don't they?

Then we came back home and ate our own chicken pot pie. Lily wanted to taste it since she helped make it.  If she keeps eating all this good food, she's going to bust her britches and we'll have to find  her some new ones!

Well, I think I will close this post with a verse found in the little devotional book given to Lily Grace by our friend "Auntie Opal".

Yes, Amen.

Have a blessed weekend my friends.

and remember to 
"Love each other" just as Jesus loves us!

And if you think to, please say a little prayer for my flea market "friend" that I met today. 

I know she would appreciate it.

Thank you.

Thankful Thursday!

I wasn't sure if I would have time to write tonight, but as the evening hours wore on I kept reflecting on how wonderful our day was today, and I just felt like it was something that needed to be remembered.  Many of us who blog do so to remember special moments in our lives...and to share them with you, our friends. Why do we do this? To give thanks to the Lord for the good things He is doing in our lives, and also to encourage one another in our daily walk.  When we see and hear about the good things that others are doing to bless other folks, it encourages us to want to pass that blessing on to others...at least that's how I feel about it.

Today was a lovely day.  I mentioned last night in my post:

"Tomorrow will be another busy and wonderful day. Having some other friends/neighbors from our old neighborhood coming to visit, and they are also bringing lunch! Wow!!! We sure are blessed with friends "old and new". I think we are having an early St. Patrick's Day meal: Corned Beef and Cabbage, and all the trimmings! Should be wonderful! "

Well, today was that day, and it certainly met up to all expectations and even beyond!  Wow! God is so good to bring such special people into our lives...and then to allow us to continue that friendship even after we have moved away! What's neat is, the two couples in this group of neighbors are snowbirds, so they only come down south for a while during the winter months and then they are gone back to their northern homes for the rest of the year.  But their winter homes were in our neighborhood at our previous home, and so we became friends! The other gentleman of the group was our next door neighbor right behind us, a very unique and kind man who loves to cook and also loves to give gifts.  I just realized that I last wrote about this particular group of neighbors almost exactly one year ago HERE, when they visited in our previous home for a lasagna dinner!

This year they insisted on bringing the main course and dessert and the delicious home-made cornbread. I provided the salad(s).  Here's a few pictures from our day:

Actually, this picture is from the internet, because I forgot to take a picture of the corned beef and cabbage, red potatoes and carrots that our former neighbor who loves to cook brought. He cooked this whole meal in his pressure cooker, and it was so tender and delicious...we all wanted seconds!

My friend Dee made this delicious cornbread...the perfect bread to compliment the main course, slathered in fresh creamy butter...


I made a tossed green salad, served in this pretty new bowl that I got from "The Pioneer Woman". I love her dishes!!

And here is what's left of my dish of Lime Jello Cottage Cheese & Pineapple salad, also known as "Aunt Marion's Lime Jello".  We usually had this wonderful concoction at Christmas, but I made this today per my hubby's special request. Here is a link to a recipe I found online that is pretty much exactly the same:  https://homecookingmemories.com/lime-green-jello-salad-recipe-cottage-cheese-pineapple/

For dessert we had this wonderful pecan upside down cake, baked by my friend Joy:

I don't have the exact measurements for this recipe, but basically she mixed maybe two cups of pecan halves with brown sugar, tablespoon of water and melted butter, and put that in the bottom of a 9 x 13" baking pan. She then mixed up a yellow cake mix as per directions on the box, and pour the mixture over the pecan mixture, and baked it probably however long the recipe for the cake mix called for. I may need to contact my friend for more explicit directions, but there are some recipes out there on the internet that sound about the same. Click HERE: This one sounds about the same for the topping, but she used a cake mix for the cake, and didn't do the confectioner's sugar on top.
She served it with cool whip on top.  It was DELICIOUS!!!

Here's these two lovely ladies now...you can tell they are a lot of fun! They were chuckling before they went into the kitchen and washed and dried all the dishes! (Laughing at me telling them NOT to wash the dishes) And they were still chuckling even afterwards! What a blessing!

And here's the guys who came along.  We were also celebrating the man on the left's 80th birthday!! But we forgot to put the candles on the dessert, so we sang Happy Birthday to him after the fact...

While he tried to mix up the numbers so they didn't say "80"....nice try!

 Oh yes, my hubby was there too.  He said we've celebrated his birthday enough for one year, so we didn't sing to him again...

I forgot to take a picture when the table was all set, but I wanted to get a picture of these lovely crystal candle holders again.  If you looked at the post from last year, you'll see that I featured them then as well. They are certainly worth mentioning. Our friend was pleased to see that I was still using them.

Yes, it was a wonderful day...such a blessing to have such dear friends want to travel all the way to our new home and even brought most of the food just so that we could all be together again! That truly humbled and touched our hearts. They know that I am getting ready for surgery, and they wanted to do something special without me having to do so much work. God is so good...and we are very thankful for these dear friends.

Here's some more thoughts from the Scriptures about neighbors and friends:

1 Corinthians 10:24 (ESV)

24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

Luke 6:38 (ESV)

38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

1 Thessalonians 3:12  (NKJV)

12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you,

John 13:34-35 (ESV)

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

I hope that you are encouraged by these verses as well as by the example of these dear ones who showed such love today. I know it is an encouragement to me, and an inspiration to be more willing to go the extra mile to bless someone else along life's pathway.  It doesn't have to be a full course meal, but even just sending a card, or calling a person on the phone to chat who may be lonely, or stopping by for a visit and taking a little gift of some kind...a plate of cookies or a little cake or nut bread or something you've made by hand. (or not! we aren't all that crafty...so it doesn't have to be home-made).  I know I often have "good intentions", but then I get busy and I never get around to doing what I had thought to do.  I'm not a big fan of Nike, but I do like their slogan..."Just do it!"   Don't keep making up excuses or wasting time and energy on things that are not worthwhile.  Look for ways to bless someone else along the way.  (I'm talking to myself here!)  

Very thankful for these blessings today.  How about you? How has God blessed you today?