I just can't stop thinking about it...

There are things you learn about yourself as you get older; sometimes they're surprising.  When I think back to myself at twenty years old, there are a lot of things about me then that are almost exactly the same as things about me now.  

But I think one of the fun things about getting older is discovering new interests and passions; there are definitely things I love now that I never imagined I would have loved when I was twenty.  In fact, some things I love now I definitely did NOT love when I was twenty.

Isn't it interesting?  What are yours?

(I'm going to save this question for my next dinner party with friends - I'd love to hear about the ways they've changed as they've gotten older that surprised them.)

I said before that I think in another life I'd make a great florist.  I definitely never saw that one coming.

Another one - I love real estate.  I always did, I think, but now that we have this magical thing called the internet, I can browse houses for sale for fun.  And I do.  A lot.

I think I'd be a realtor if our lifestyle didn't keep us moving around between houses so often.  I'm out of town too much to make it a feasible career.

So all that to say, I stalk houses online a lot.  And one of my favorite things (it was at twenty and still is) is historic architecture.  I 💓 old houses.

Yet I've spent my last eighteen years in a new house, which isn't so new anymore.  (The kind of house I always said I'd never live in.)  I won't go into the details of why we've been here all this time now.

And I won't go into the details of why now we're thinking of moving (maybe in another post), but we are, and since I hope this is my last move (short of the nursing home) I really hope to finally live in an old house, as I've always wanted.

Two weeks ago, on the way to The House of Goodwill, we took an hour detour to tour an amazing old Victorian with a real estate agent.

Here are some pics of the house, still for sale:

A HUGE Victorian, built in 1899.

These are "porch goals" as they say 😀 

Sweet tea, anyone?

Maybe lunch with a neighbor...

This staircase!  It consisted of three  curved segments, with a window seat on the huge landing in the middle, next to a large stained glass window.

This house has six fireplaces!  (We are fireplace people, for sure.)

This is another HUGE sitting room space in the upstairs, connected to a small room with that big stained glass window.  There were also lots of huge closets in this house.

The woodwork in this house was just breathtaking.  The two bay windows in the two front living rooms were just so pretty.  We were there in the evening, and it had just started snowing.  It was like these bay window spaces were built for Christmas trees.

They just don't make them like this anymore, that's for sure!

I've been thinking about this house for two weeks.  The house was absolutely spectacular, and in so many ways, exactly what I'd want.

But there were a few drawbacks, and I'm still thinking about them.

Perhaps the most significant: the house is in the middle of nowhere.  (Nowhere being a village of 3,500 people.)  Is that I want?  I don't know.

One of the reasons we're ready to move (and leave Nashville) is because of the population explosion that doubled the size of the city from 1 - 2 million people in just a decade.  It just doesn't feel like the same place anymore.  And it seems like wherever I am, there are too many people, too much traffic, long lines etc.

But would I like nowhere?  I don't know.  I might.  I might not.

And although the property comes with three acres, the lay out is a bit odd.  There are very near neighbors on the sides of the house, and behind, and a shared driveway.  It seems perhaps former owners of the house sold some land to family members, because I can't figure why else the house behind would be in the kind of strange place that it is.

Neighbors aren't necessarily a bad thing, either.  It depends on the neighbors.

So it wasn't a total slam dunk.  And we're probably still a year from being ready to move.  I'm still working on The House of Goodwill and I need to stay focused.

But, wow, it was amazing.

I'm still dreaming about it....

The $5 amaryllis update and a big surprise

My husband has accused me on multiple occasions of trying to turn The House of Goodwill into a gardening blog.  I'd argue that it's more about celebrating all the little inexpensive pleasures and flowers are definitely one of them.  (Or they can be.)

That said, I think maybe in another life I'd make a great florist.  Growing and arranging flowers has become one of my favorite hobbies as an adult.  I mean, they're just SO beautiful!

So I promised I would share an update on the $5 amaryllis bulb from WalMart that I mailed to my mom in Florida at Christmas.

Here's a pic of the text she sent me after it bloomed:

So maybe I didn't inherit my "flower presentation" skills from my mom either...😉

I think this hot pink amaryllis bulb was named "Ferrari" on the package.

Beautiful!

And here's a pic of the one I bought myself:

I picked one for myself that I had never had before; it has beautiful striated, soft colored red & white petals.  Lovely!

I even gave a beautiful white amaryllis bulb to my sister-in-law (who laughs about her black thumb) as an early gift in December, and I saw it blooming profusely at Christmas.  Mine did not cooperate timing-wise, but it was worth waiting for!

And finally, I received a VERY surprising surprise when my dogs started barking like crazy at the door recently.  When I went to the door to find out the reason, I found a big, long FTD box sitting outside on the porch.

What was inside?

Wow!!  Look at these colors!!

These were truly unexpected.  And the card inside read:

And now I know why I got that random text from my mom asking which house I was at that week...I was so touched by the unexpected thoughtfulness...and I felt a little guilty about the $5 amaryllis I sent her!  (I mean, I could have mailed two $5 amaryllises, right? 😉)

It was a surprise I will NEVER forget.

So when we drove to The House of Goodwill on Friday, the roses went with us:

I'm not sure how my husband always gets the flowers there in one piece; that's his job.  I just hand him the flowers/plants when we're going back and forth and say "these need to get there."  Somehow he always manages to do it without casualties.

And since my $5 amaryllis had taken it's time blooming, it had to go too:

The House of Goodwill's official mascot, the "duck" loves the amaryllis as well!  I'm thinking my duck needs a name..?

Seriously, if next December rolls around and you've never bought yourself a $5 amaryllis from WalMart or Lowe's, go do it!

They last much longer and have way fewer calories than a peppermint mocha from Starbuck's.  (And they probably cost less too...)  

And don't forget, they mail well!

A gentleman and a gentle man

When I think of people I really respect, people I greatly admire and want to pattern myself after, a handful of people come to mind.

One of those people, my father-in law, passed away last week after a ten-year decline due to Alzheimer's.

It was one of those expected unexpected deaths; we knew as an 86-year-old with Alzheimer's it was just a matter of time.  But although his mental decline was great, he was physically strong, even till the end.  We often commented on how sad the dementia diagnosis was; if not for that who knows?  He probably could have gone strong into his 90's.

In the end, his heart failed due to lack of nourishment.  He was refusing to eat and drink, and apparently refusing IV feeding as well.  Ironically, he had just beat COVID.  His vital signs the evening before he passed were normal.

But I don't want to remember the decline.  I prefer to remember him as he was: one of the kindest, gentlest men I have ever known.

At my wedding in 1998.  

This is the only photo of us together that I could find on my laptop.

But his gentle nature and natural humility belied a strength of character that commanded respect.

Clifford Cole had a character of iron.  He was a good man.  He did not tolerate disrespect, crassness or meanness in any way.  He and my mother-in-law, Edie, were always serving someone.  They were active in their church, always, and opened their home generously to anyone in need.

It seemed over the years that I was always meeting someone who had lived with my parents-in-law for some period of time when they needed support.  If you stopped by their home to say hello, you most likely received a dinner invitation.  The welcome mat was always rolled out for all who came.

He had a servant's heart, and a gifting to serve.  For us, it seemed he was always fixing something when he was around.  Whenever he came to visit he usually undertook some type of helpful project around our house.

He taught my husband all kinds of useful skills, and was a wonderful model as a husband.

He was a camp director for years, and a substitute father for many.

I loved him dearly.  I will greatly miss him.

When I think of someone who truly embodied the concept of goodwill, he's the man.

Matthew 5:9

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."

2 Timothy 4:7

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

My dear father-in-law, I look forward to the next time I see you again. 💕

Back to work

Friday evening my family and I came to The House of Goodwill for the long holiday weekend.  It was the first time here this year; the first time back since we left the week before Thanksgiving.

When we left in November, the trees still had some leaves.  They are all off now.

When I stepped out on the back porch, there was a view of the lake (as well as the neighbors' houses) that I had never seen before!

Directly behind our house

It's neat to be able to see all of this; since all these trees usually obscure the view.

(Which makes for great privacy in the warmer months.)

I can even see the barn and the pasture land where I hear the cows all summer across the inlet.

Santa brought me an electric blanket for Christmas; it's been warm enough that I've been able to have my coffee and read outside almost every morning (with my blanket).  Without all the leaves on the trees, the bird show has been even better.

It has been so utterly and perfectly quiet in the morning hours.  (And really all day.)  The geese are the only sounds I hear outside.  It's just so peaceful.

My family left but I stayed this week to paint.  I need to get the hallway and foyer finished; it would be hard to paint with my dogs here as well as three humans coming and going.  So my husband and son are doing work and school back at the home/house while I'm here working by myself.  I really don't mind being alone too much.

I thought I had some "before" pics of the hallway, but I guess I never took any.  I'm painting more 1970's molding, taking it from dark to white.  It's about a five day process to degloss it and put the five coats of paint it needs to cover it.

Here is how it looks after a day of deglossing and one day of painting:

The hallway is shaped like a T.  Here is the section leading to the foyer.

3 door frames to paint.

3 bedrooms are off this section of the hallway.

Fortunately, the door frames have already been done (I did them when I painted the bedrooms they are attached to), so here I'm just doing floor molding.

I'm also doing this small segment of the foyer.

The foyer is so big (ie - it has TONS of dark molding everywhere), that I've been working on it in segments.  It's a lot easier to eat an elephant that way!

I'm also painting the baseboard molding in the master bedroom closet - I never did it when I painted the bedrooom, but want it to be consistent with the rest of the house.  No pic of that.

Nothing particularly fascinating work-wise going on at the moment.  Just lots of painting to do.  (And praying.  And audio book listening.  And music.)

Thank you God, for such an enjoyable project.  Thank you for peaceful mornings.  I'm so grateful.

You win some, you lose some

I was out antiquing at the end of November, and found a few things I really liked.  One of those things was a set of plates:

A set of Holly Hobbie plates from the 1970s!

I loved these immediately, and I thought they'd be perfect for The House of Goodwill because a) these were popular in the decade the house was built, so they fit the retro feel I want, b) I love what they say ("Happiness is having someone to care for") True! ("Count your blessings, not your problems") SO appropriate, and c) they remind me of my childhood.  They even work with my colors.

Anyway, I had never seen these before (that I recall), so I paid the big money for them ($10.50 each).

So, OF COURSE, within a couple of weeks, I saw them again.  Where?  Take a guess.

Both of these plates, as well as one other, I saw at Goodwill.  

Here is the third:

"Happy is the home that welcomes a friend."

Perfect for an airbnb, don't you think?

So of course I bought it, to complete the collection.

The Goodwill price?  $2.99.

Of course!

This ONLY happened because I bought the others two weeks before.

But considering everything going on in the world right now, I should probably file this one away under "things that are not real problems."

I did make a couple of other great finds at Goodwill that day:

My collection of avian-themed plates for wall art keeps growing.

I just loved these; they were a couple of dollars each.

This beautiful twin-sized blanket and pillow case looked new.

The colors and print are perfect.  $10.

With all the money I've saved at Goodwill (and thrift stores) over the years (hundreds? thousands?) I guess I can't get too upset when I miss out on saving EXTRA.  In the end, I've saved tons of money shopping secondhand.

I keep being asked how I'm doing with my $5000 budget for furnishing the house, and I finally have some time to tally up my expenses.  I'm curious to see how I've done.  The report will come soon!

In defense of homemade

I know a lot of people who don't want to give homemade gifts.  Sometimes it's because they don't have time to figure out what to give and/or to make it.  This I understand.

But I know others who don't like to give homemade gifts because they don't feel like they're giving a "real" gift.  Because a "real" gift involves spending money - more specifically, buying something new from a store.

I get it, because even when I make someone something that took a lot of time and effort, I often still think I should buy the "givee" something so they know for sure I'm not being cheap at their expense.  This isn't so much about my thinking regarding something homemade, but rather how I think the receiver will think about receiving something homemade.

I wonder if some of this has to do with age?  When I was kid, I'm pretty sure if you'd asked me, I would have told you I'd prefer a shiny new gift from the store.

But now, since I can afford myself most things people would give me as gifts, and because I'm busy enough that I truly understand what I'm getting when I receive a homemade gift with hours of time put into it, I find myself experiencing great joy when I'm on the receiving end of something homemade.

Or maybe it's just because I have a lot of stuff - what do I really NEED?

Who knows.  But all that to say, I received some AMAZING homemades this Christmas.  And they all involved food. 😋

Here are a few pics:

On Christmas Eve, my sister-in-law Linda showed up with a pan of homemade cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning, made from a recipe of her mothers.  A gift full of memories and meaning.

She also surprised us with homemade cupcakes, mints & marshmallows.

SO good!!

(I think they were made by other family members as well.)

My neighbor Teresa showed up on Christmas with a basket of homemade sourdough bread, some artisan cheese & butter, and homemade spiced pecans.

It was magic.

(I forgot to take a photo before we ate almost everything...see below.)

I told Teresa how amazing the pecans were (as well as everything else) and she showed up a few days later with more!

I had made my own attempt at spiced nuts this year, and they were good.  But Teresa's recipe was the best I'd ever had.  She gave me her recipe, which was very simple.  She also taught me something important.  Apparently, one of the keys to amazing spiced pecans is using homemade pecans.

I had never given thought to the quality of the nuts used.  But according to Teresa, it makes a huge difference.  She is from Mississippi, where fresh pecans are abundant.  She swears they are much better (as in fresher, bigger and plumper) than what you'd find in a grocery store, so she only uses pecans mailed to her from her sister in Mississippi.  Interesting.

You can't argue with an amazing final product.  And now I know how to make them too!

These are truly one of the most addictive things I've ever eaten.  I can't say that they're healthy.  But for a holiday splurge?  Perfect!

So if one lesson I learned from the Christmas holiday this year is to never underestimate the quality of a Tractor Supply dvd, perhaps the other is: sometimes the best things in life are homemade.

Not free, because giving gifts involving homemade ingredients (like mail-order pecans) are definitely not free.  I'm not even sure they qualify as cheap.

But they definitely come from the heart.

Whatever the cost, I love homemade!

Cheap Thrills

Last Saturday night felt like the holidays were winding down, and I decided to spend the evening with a Christmas chick flick, something I do once a year or so.

Since we don't get the Hallmark channel here at the home/house, I looked for something on Netflix.  I started two different movies, and got through about five minutes of each before turning them off to look for something else.

In the first five minutes of the first movie, the main male character was at a Christmas party ignoring a woman trying to talk to him while he stared at his phone constantly, while the girl he was with did backflips between taking shots.  After the third shot of her underwear I lost interest.

While I know that these are probably the cynical, jaded characters waiting to experience the true meaning of the Christmas spirit and be transformed, I couldn't wait that long.

The second movie wasn't much different.  So I watched something else instead.

You can blame it on my age, but I think I've always pretty much been the same in this regard.  I was longing for something gentler.  Something sweeter.  Something purer.  Just something else.

Flash forward to Sunday afternoon.  I had three baskets of laundry to fold, and it seemed like a good opportunity to watch something on tv.  I saw a dvd I had bought at Tractor Supply (yes, really) that had six "holiday" movies on it.  I think I had seen one.

To be honest, most of the movies on the dvd looked a bit questionable.  (As in, "are these going to be worth a two hour investment of my life?")  So why did I buy it in the first place?  Another good question.  I guess the answer is, because I hoped they would be good.  I like inspirational movies.  I like the idea of a world where people are kinder, gentler, less vulgar - and these movies looked like they might work.

That said, I still hadn't watched them.  I wasn't sure they would really be Friday night fare.  But Sunday afternoon while laundry folding?  Perfect!

So that is the long version of how I came across the best Christmas movie I had never heard of.  Really!

The movie is called, "The Great Rupert."  Ever heard of it? 

The color photo on the dvd cover led me to imagine this was some kind of 1980's kids movie.  Turns out it was made in 1950 and is a family comedy.

I highly recommend this, even if you're NOT folding laundry during the holidays.

Don't let the cover fool you, this one's in black and white.

The Great Rupert has it all: an unemployed trained squirrel who can dance and do tricks but fails to find work with an entertainment company; a grinchy tightwad man who's hoarding all his money; an out-of-work family who lost their jobs at the circus when the father's knees gave out and they could no longer perform their human pyramid; and an enamored young couple who spontaneously perform a (beautiful!) duet on the tuba and harp one Christmas Eve.  Really.

On top of that, the picture is grainy and the audio has a slight buzz.

But it was great!  Really!

How great?

Well, I might actually watch it on a Friday night in a future Christmas season.  I mean, my husband and son missed this.  And they NEED to see it.

It was also sweet, kind, gentle and perfectly captured the spirit of the Christmas season.  Really.

Halfway through the movie, I was entranced.  I could not wait to see how this movie was going to wrap up.  I won't spoil it, I'll just say - The Great Rupert came to a very satisfying conclusion.  I ran out of laundry to fold and STILL kept watching.  It was two hours very well spent.

Some scenes from my tv:

Rupert is awesome early animation - a little mechanical squirrel.

Here's a pic from the internet.  I want a squirrel like this!

So what did I learn from my weekend experience?

Probably this: when you need a break from the modern world, never underestimate the power of a good, cheap dvd from Tractor Supply.

Or something like that.

Some holiday reflections and a new year's resolution

For the past few days, I've been thinking about new year's resolutions; ones I made last year and ones I should make this year.

I actually did pretty well on last year's goals, though I didn't nail them all.  The coronavirus and our long lasting foster placement made achieving a few them a bit difficult.  (That's my excuse, anyway.)

I wanted to crochet my first project; I did practice crocheting lines but didn't actually start and finish a project.  (This is a new skill for me.)  Goal not met.

I wanted to read twenty-five books.  I read twelve "real" books and listened to the rest as audio books while I painted.  Goal met.

I wanted to visit and catch up with at least two friends or family members I hadn't seen in years.  When we took our Cincinnati trip, we tied in a visit with my aunt and uncle we hadn't seen in probably twenty years.  I was grateful they were willing to allow a visit despite the coronavirus.  

Covid killed plans for any other visits, though.  Goal half met.

I wanted to learn the French alphabet and French pronunciation.  While I'm actually still working on those parts of it, I have been doing French lessons and have achieved a 450 word vocabulary so far.  Studying French has been what I've been doing for fun and relaxation since the kids left, and I've spent countless hours.  Goal more than met.

So overall, I mostly had success.

On top of that, we kept two foster kids for ten months of 2020 (which was about six months longer than expected),  and I almost completely furnished and half painted The House of Goodwill, which wasn't even in the plan last January.

Oh, and I started a blog. 😀

As for this year, I plan to continue with French and read the Bible in a year again.  (I like to do this every other year in Spanish.)  I'm still formulating the others.

But I know what my main goal of 2021 will be.  And it has a lot to do with good will.

As 2020 unfolded (or maybe I should say - unraveled) our world got smaller and smaller as life began shutting down and travel opportunities as well.  Like most everyone else, our social lives shrunk dramatically.  It actually seemed like a good year to buy another home and commit to working on it, as there wasn't much else going on anyway.

I spent the majority of the second half of the year at The House of Goodwill, painting and working with just my family around.  It's one of the longest stretches of my life I've gone without much social contact.  Since we just bought the house, and aren't very plugged in socially there yet, it was a little isolating.  While it didn't bother me too much, I did find myself truly looking forward to returning to the home/house for the holidays, to be back at church, back in town and back near friends.

One thing I've learned from the coronavirus: I need people more than I realized.  And I no longer take time with family and friends for granted.  (Social media and Zoom just aren't the same.)

So the major goal for 2021?  More intentional time spent with loved ones.

I plan to set specific goals in the next few days.  I know that will help me make them.

Here are a few of the highlights pics from the last few months:

We need more game time in 2021!

(Incidentally, the game we are playing here, Masterpiece, was one of my favorite childhood board games.

So I was thrilled when I found a fully intact game at the bottom of a dusty pile of stuff in an old thrift store for $2 a couple of years ago.)

Christmas Eve was really special with in-town and out-of-town family.

My son has a friend who was unable to be with family for the holiday, so he joined ours for the evening.  He really loved the Christmas carol singing, telling us his family never did that.  Having him join us was probably my favorite memory of Christmas.

This is my beautiful Colombian friend Martha teaching my son to make bunuelos, a traditional Christmas pastry in Colombia.  I am so blessed to have her to help us celebrate his roots.

This is San Cocho, a traditional Colombian soup our friends made when we visited for dinner and games.  It's wonderful!

In a year where we've had to dig a little deeper to find and show our love sometimes, when others - and ourselves - have often struggled to show grace and kindness in trying moments, I want to celebrate the positive times and the good that was there.

And going forward I want to be kinder, gentler and more loving than I was in 2020.  I'm not sure exactly how to make a specific goal for that, but it's something to reflect on.

I don't always know what it means to be like Jesus in every circumstance, but this is what I'll strive for.

Oh, and about the crochet goal I didn't meet this year - my neighbor Teresa taught herself to crochet last year and is already quite advanced.  She offered to help me learn this year.

Learning crochet + quality time with a friend?  That's two goals at once!  For sure!

Happy New Year!! 💥🎉🥂 

May peace, joy and good will find you in 2021.