Monday, September 28, 2009

These hands

These hands caught me as I fell when I was a toddle, they brushed the dirt from my clothes. They bathe me, comb my hair and put the clothes on that I wear. These hands take care of me. They are also the hands that held onto my mother when I was a child and later held my own children and caressed them and wiped the tears from their faces when all was not well in the world.

These hands held onto my husband as we said "I Do" and he placed a ring on my left hand, as I did his. They have held my new babies as I looked at their tiny hands and wondered if my own were ever that small. These hands also held eight new grandbabies.

These hands held my dad's hand as he struggled in his last days and lost the battle with the cancer that he had, and they helped me to find the right words as I searched through the scriptures for the answers when my own daughter lost her husband in an accident. They held her and her babies through the storm.

These hands have drove a combine, tractor, truck, pulled calves, lambs, baby piglets, and milked the cows. They have gathered eggs, held baby chicks and later fixed them for a meal that my family would eat. They have tended a garden and canned the bounty that God gave us in the season.

These hands have made cookies and all of the favorites of my family and they have washed, ironed and mended the clothes that they wore. They have made dresses, suits, coats, prom dresses, pajamas and even the undies and labored in love at the sewing machine into the night.

These hands have also pointed out that what a child was doing was not right and they have spanked bottoms when the occasion arose. These hands have also blown kisses as my loved ones drove of to other destinations, and reach to embrace them when they returned.

They have made telephone call, written letters, reached for a hug from my loved ones and folded in prayer to the Father who gave these hands to me. These hands are the ttools that I use in each thing that I do. I must make sure that they are the tools that glorify the Father in all things. Although they have ached, are chapped and have arthritis in them these days, I thank God for these hands.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Garage Sales

i thought that I would take some pictures for this blog but I didn't and Haven't. I have put my camera somewhere. It is not like my cell phone. I cannot dial it when it is lost and finally find it in the car or some other out of the way place. I am sure that it is in the camper though and I don't want to go out and get it. I will just have to tell you about the wonderful things that I found on Saturday. I had decided that I was going out for a day of fun even if it was alone. I started my adventure on a street with a lot of garage sales and The Librarian and her husband came driving down the street. Did I mention this is in their town and I live 56 miles away. Mileage makes no difference when there is a "townwide garage sale day".
It is an adventure that can last all day or just an hour or two. I put a certain amount of money in my pocket and determined to only spend that amount. Sometimes that doesn't take too long...depends on the finds.

I have a few things that I look for but usually something just catches my eye. I have bought Currier and Ives dishes for my older daughter and added Fiesta ware dishes to my younger daughters collection. I am looking for Currier and Ives again for The Professor. I look for a bargain. Last year, I got a $4 sewing machine and it works great. My mother in law is using it now.

Saturday, I bought 2 new purses,caps for hubby, books some figurines made in occupied Japan and some really good things at an Estate Sale. This lady had made quilts and done a lot of sewing. I bought three quilt tops. One is big enough for a king size bed and two are baby quilt tops. I also bought a box full of quilt blocks for $7. That was fun, just to look through. The most fun thing I got was a gallon jar full of needles, and pins. Now I don't know why anyone would have that many pins and needles. They are still in the packages. There is sewing machine needles of every size and for every make of sewing maching. There are dozens of packages of embroidery needles, sewing needles, needles for leather, needles , needles and more needles. There were also boxes of pins and even a few snaps, zippers and buttons. It was fun just counting all of them. I shared with my daughter. She had bought another gallon jar of buttons on cards. Some of them were quite old and very interesting. I opted to let her have them all as I have a stockpile of those myself.

It was a short day, My money ran out before we went too far but that was just as well. Someday, when I am gone, my children may have to have an estate sale too and I bet people will wonder.....Why in the world did this lady have so many needles!!!!! and material and books and dishes and junk and blah, blah, blah.