The Necklace

I do not own an abundance of jewelry, although I do have a few nice pieces. I've never been big on 'bling' but do admire it on other people.

BUT, on my vacation, filled with SHOPPING and visits to antique malls, I found a beautiful rhinestone necklace for a mere $14.00, on sale from $20.00. Fourteen dollars, what a deal.

Sadly, I don't have it. The husband God gave me wouldn't let me buy it. Apparently, he believed that my buying a mink purse (with a mink coin purse!), three cookbooks I will only rarely use, and baby plates (my baby is 20, and he had better not touch these plates) was enough purchases for me. He bought a lamp.

This is one of the difficulties of shopping while on vacation. We have to drive a long distance between our favorite stops, and if you don't buy it when you see it, you won't get it. So, I wanted to buy it. It won't be there next year, I'm sure of it. It was an incredible deal.

I suppose I could have thrown a fit, but that would have been rather unbecoming. I'm not a spend-thrift. I'm also not particularly shallow. But, I did really want that necklace!

In deep sadness, I will move on with my life. I will try to remember the truly wonderful things about my vacation. I will cherish the memories of family. I will hold tightly to the ties that bind us together. I will dream of becoming a person of integrity. But, secretly, I will always wonder why I'm not worthy of the $14.00 rhinestones, which would have looked smashing on me.

The Cookbooks

Last week I was on vacation. One of our stops was at the beautiful town of Greendale, WI, home of 'Taste of Home'. While shopping there, I purchased three wonderful cookbooks. Originally, these sold for $24.99 a pop, but I bought them 3 for ten dollars. What a deal.

I have been pouring over the recipes in these books for days now. For hours at a time, I hold a cookbook on my lap while watching TV, dreaming of making these lovely recipes for my adoring family.

Then, a sudden shock comes over me. I can't cook. I actually HATE to cook anything that doesn't all go in one pot. I love stews, soups and chilis. I like to bake cookies. That's it. But, every year we go to Greendale, and I stock up on cookbooks.

It must be the lovely pictures, or maybe it's the IDEA of cooking that is so appealing. But, I'm not good at it.

I've been told by my family that I make a few things very well. Isn't that kind? My husband will ONLY eat my potato salad. I make a vegetable beef soup that I just can't get enough of.

Today, I will make a concerted effort to cook. It won't be pretty, but I will put on a brave face and walk boldly into the kitchen. First, I will have to CLEAN the kitchen, but I do think we still have one.

What I did today...

Some people have really exciting lives, or so I am told. So far, I do not, but that is just fine with me. I am not searching for excitement.

These are the things I AM searching for, or at least am searching to understand them...

Dementia. I do not want my mother to forget me. Just the thought that someday she might, is horrifying to me. I once wrote an obituary for a classroom hamster that died on my watch, because I felt it's life had some meaning, and I did not want to forget her. I can't imagine forgetting one of my children. I once forgot one at school, but they didn't notice.

Prophecy. I want to understand it. At least I think I do. I've always worried that I would arrive in Heaven and not know what was going to happen next. Someone would lean over to the confused me and say 'didn't you read the Book?'.

Why love hurts. It seems as if it shouldn't. But it does. Why?

Those very detailed dreams, full of scenes and people, and complicated plots. I couldn't come up with them when I am awake, how do I pull it off when I am asleep? I have places in dreams that I return to over and over again. Why? Especially the office building in a downtown that has airplanes that land on an escalator. I'm always waiting in a doctor's office waiting room that has really bad magazines. Oh, and I forget where I parked, but I can't ask for help, as I don't know what kind of car I drive (this has been true in my awake life - i only knew that my car was blue). Also, there is a baby in a hospital nursery which I go to see when I am in that particular dream spot.

Today I went to Walmart and bought new underpants - 7 pair. And new socks - 6 pair. I went thrift shopping too, but didn't buy a thing. It was 'loud stupid people day' at the thrift store. Why is it that the lower the IQ, the higher the decibel level? I almost asked them, a mother and daughter, if they were aware of how loud they were talking. But, secretly, I think they were well aware, but just thought we were all interested in what they had to say to each other. Actually, I was.

Why is it that I wait until really late to take off my makeup? The water on my face wakes me up, which keeps me up even later. Tonight I think I will read something funny, as I can feel myself becoming depressed. Depression starts for me as a feeling of having itchy blood running through my veins. It is hard to scratch ones blood.

Like it was yesterday...

Like it was yesterday, I remember the day my daughter was born. 22 years ago today. A beautiful October morning, much like today. It was her due date, so I was sure it WOULDN'T be today! I remember going into the bathroom, and hollering out to my husband NOT to go to work, as IT WAS GOING TO BE TODAY! I called the doctor, and the nurse told me to stop in at the office before going to the hospital. I made arrangements with my mother to watch our 22 month old. We dropped him off at noon, went to the doctor, who sent us right to the hospital. At the hospital we watched a soap opera with a woman having a baby. I'm sure THAT kid is 44 by now. Seemed like we had just arrived, when they moved me to a gurney and said we were going to the delivery room. That surprised me, as I hadn't even moaned or screamed yet. In the delivery room, the nurse said 'now don't push yet' - and I thought 'why would I do that?'. The doctor came in, and then said to the nurse 'you'd better get her husband!'. That seemed funny to me too, as I hadn't had any drugs yet. My husband came in and so faithfully stood by my head. The doctor, nurse and intern were in deep conversation and said again, 'don't push yet'. Well, to me, who was sure I still had HOURS to go...no moaning, no screaming, no drugs...decided to push just a teensy little bit. Thankfully, she didn't fly across the room and hit the wall... but, only MINUTES after that, there she was! Cute and cuddly and quite clean for a newborn. She would not take her eyes off her father, who got to hold her first. She even turned her head to him whenever he talked. It was amazing. He followed her to the nursery and even got to witness her first exam by the pediatritian, who was also his pediatritian, who pointed out again that she responded to his voice. Truly amazing. I called my mom at 4:00 to tell her that it was a girl, and she just laughed. When she heard the 'baby noises' she HAD to believe it.
To my mom's at noon, to the doctor by 12:30, to the hospital by 1:00, baby at 3:30, back in a regular room by 5, in time for dinner - which I ate, heartily! It was a truly wonderful amazing day, and it still feels as if it were yesterday.
Dana Nicole - 10/11/82 - 8 pounds, 5 ounces

Thrift Shopping Made Easy!

I never used to like to thrift shop. I don't really know why, I guess I just figured that I had enough junk of my own. But thrift shopping has quickly taken over as my number one favorite kind of shopping. It used to be antique shopping, with craft store shopping tied with book shopping for second. I absolutely hate to grocery shop, and if I go to the mall, I stay in the book store while my husband goes everywhere else.

There are a few steps that will help you to become a better thrift store shopper. First, you must get used to the smell. All thrift stores tend to smell the same, and it is an acquired smell. I used to hate it. Now I nearly swoon when I open the door.

Second, you must first scan everything quickly, and then go back slowly and look at everything of interest to you. This is because you can never be sure what's available. I know that I will want to spend the majority of my time looking at the books, but I always first look at the clothes. I'm not too terribly interested in size, I scan labels looking for quality stuff that I know will last.

Thirdly, you must put up with screaming bratty kids. It isn't legal to hit them, so you actually have no other choice. Not that I would hit a kid, but I have been tempted. For some reason screaming bratty kids are a staple in the thrift stores I frequent.

Finally, be prepared to stand in line for a while. Customer service is not especially high on the list at most thrift stores. Sometimes the help looks very tired, which might have something to do with the third item.

Now, once you get your fabulous thrift store finds home, you are on your own as to what to do with them. I have a room filled with the wonderful book finds I've gotten in the past year. If I started now, I will be a very old lady by the time I finish them all, but, I HAVE THEM!

I would never have discovered the wonderful world of the thrift store if my husband hadn't lost his job. I do not know what we would have done for affordable fun if we hadn't discovered thrift shopping.

Don't tell my husband, but today I found a perfect Land's End cashmere sweater for $3.99. This will be his birthday present. He will love it. I wasn't shopping for a cashmere sweater, I was merely reading the labels.

More on thrift shopping later...