I ordered a book last week Called, From Daniel to Doomsday/The Countdown Has Begun.
It is written by John Hagee. I have heard of him before by my late grandma.
I have been in the word more then usual. I think most of us have. I started re-reading the book of Daniel, as well as the book of Revelation. Together. I think Revelation is twice as long, if I’m recalling right so I’ll probably finish Daniel first.
I’ve been choosing two books of the Bible to ponder and read through each month.
I’m finding as I’m getting older, I simply can not quote scripture like I once could. Next August, I will have lived half of my life as a Christian. It really does seem like just yesterday I asked Christ into my life.
I remember where I was, and all my surroundings of that glorious evening.
It brings me great joy remembering , and I do hope I never forget.
I hope everyone else remembers their life changing day too.
When we hear the word, what is the first thing that comes to our minds?
When I was a little girl, it was the dancing scene in the original Cinderella Disney movie. Unfortunately, that changed when I was in a School spelling Bee and had the word and forgot the i. Ever since then, that is what I think of when I hear the word marriage. *sigh*
Moving right along…
What makes a Happy, Life Long marriage?
I think you may get a hundred different answers if you asked a hundred different people.
I asked several of my friends and received many typical, goes without saying answers. Along with some other more interesting ones.
Your basic answers were,
Having a spouse who make you laugh
Having things in common
Not sharing the same bathroom
Not sharing the same bed
Not passing gas in front of each other
Sex every other day
Never going to sleep angry
Having the same hobbies
Having the same friends
Never having friends of the opposite sex
Traveling together
Forgiveness
Praying together
Some of the more interesting ones were,
Having coffee in the morning and sharing a couple blessings with one another.
Reading a chapter of scripture together and then discussing it.
Reading the same book and then discussing it.
Writing each other notes of appreciation.
People watching and making up stories about the people you are watching.
Having your own friendships.
Having the same diet.
Taking turns with the daily chores.
Hiring a housekeeper.
Taking turns with the cooking.
Surprising each other with gifts.
Learning each other’s Love language.
Kissing each other every single day.
Taking a class together.
Going for monthly massages and pedicures together.
Keeping no records of wrongs.
Being able to talk to each other for hours on end.
Going to bed with one another every night and waking up with each other every morning.(At the same time)
Cutting each other’s finger nails
Taking a yearly cruise.
Having a large enough house so each can have their own space.
Having separate bank accounts.
Having an open marriage.
Having the same parenting style, proving you have kids to raise.
My my! So extensive, right?
I do agree with many, but was actually scratching my head at a few.
I think the dynamics of marriage is definitely changing with this generation. I have been married for twenty-five years and things are very much different then they were twenty five years ago. The world is very different, too.
Many people are choosing to not get married at all. It’s more acceptable then ever. Even to raise a family together and not be married is on the rise. I remember hearing about Goldie Hawn and her long time partner as a child, and thinking how crazy it was that they were not married, nor had any plans to marry.
Some people nowadays are even getting married but keeping their own houses and apartments to supposedly, keep it fresh! And never get on each other’s nerves. They simply have date nights, and then go home to their own spaces.
Some people have chosen to remain single and just go out and take care of their needs. They want to be seen as strong and not needing anyone.
Others are marrying their career and pets.
Oh! And in NYC, you can marry yourself!
I won’t get into the utter selfishness this all seems to me, but in all honesty, it does narrow down to that.
Marriage teaches you something new every single day. It’s a selfless act and non stop work that can, and does, have lifelong benefits. You really learn the concept of love.
I got married on a whim. It was not planned at all.
Pretty much a drop of the hat, twenty five years ago. God had a plan that I was not going to get in the way with. Has it been super easy? Absolutely not! But alas’
No regrets.
My husband saved me from myself. And a year later, Christ revealed himself to me and my whole life changed forever.
When I was a teen I use to have kids talk about certain brand names that I’d never heard of. We shopped at K-Mart for nearly everything. That is all I knew. They also talked about places I never heard of. I remember being in the 6th grade when a friend told me she was going to Ontario, and I asked where that was. I can still see her shocked expression and remember her calling other girls over to tell them all that I didn’t know where Ontario was.
In later teen and young adult years I started shopping at the mall, so become familiar with Mall brands. Places, not so much. Although it’s been a while since someone mention a place to me. So who knows. We all have Google now, so really, who cares?! Lol
In latter life, I still had/have people talking about brands and sometimes cars, and electronics. Throughout my life I have had people talk about things that I did not know about. Or perhaps I knew and forgot. And you know what? It never bothered me then and still doesn’t bother me now. That said, pushing fifty, I do know that I’m bothered less and less with each passing year. I was told years and years ago that this happens to almost everyone. (Hasn’t happened to my mother yet, and she’s seventy!) I have come to the conclusion that the more you are upright and bothered, the quality of life seems to fit your feelings.
I remember talking to a lady back in 2001, who later became my very best friend. In fact, this topic is fresh on my mind because I talked to her today and she mentioned TheOffice, a series that everyone on the planet has seen apparently, except me. And again, doesn’t bother me. I just listened to her. Then she explained how something I said reminded her of a particular character of the Office, and we both had a laugh, and that was that.
I have been told in the past that it should bother me. That being in the loop of pop culture and all that, is a good thing.
And it’s not to say that I know nothing about things that are popular, because I do. But it does not bother me when my peers (as a kid) and now as an adult, are talking about something that I don’t know anything about. I don’t feel left out or anything.
Now to discuss a few things, mostly movies and TV shows that my friends mention all the time, that I just have not seen. Some, I’ve tried to get into, such as The Office, Schitts Creek, Modern Family,New Girl, Greys Anatomy, Orange is the New Black, Ozark, The Big Band Theory, Parks & Recreation, CSI, and Family Matters, just to name some off the top of my head. Which took a moment. There really is so many shows I have never seen. And it’s not like I don’t have access to them. I do!
I would say that most of my friends have seen, and are able to quote things from the above.
I was told once that I’m not much fun if I don’t understand a quote from a show. Needless to say, that friendship did not last. Lol
I have learned in life that it’s not what you have in common that bonds ties, but what you don’t.
Being able to except each other’s differences and still be fully able to share our passions and interests is what really matters. And besides, my grandma use to say that I could have a full blown conversation with my shadow if I had the chance.
I’m just not bothered by the little things. It just doesn’t matter.
I had a friend randomly find me on Twitter a few days ago.
She was my very first friend that I made in my little town, back in 2006. We met on free cycle exchanging garden seeds I think, then found out her family lived right down the street from me. We had lots in common. So much so, it was eerie.
She was originally from Florida like me. Had a baby at sixteen and put him up for adoption. Had five kids and was a homeschool mom. Not to mention church history…Very odd to me. But I have found that the Lord puts certain people in your life at certain times to teach you certain things about yourself. Well, and others. But mostly about yourself.
So apparently, a mutual friend from a website that my husband had (GFC) reached out to her on Facebook, and was asking about me. Then a couple weeks later, she said an unknown person also asked her if she knew whatever happen to me. She said it was through a FB game.
I don’t know why, but I chuckled at the though. Maybe it was the way she relayed it all to me. They say that with today’s technology you can find anyone, anywhere, at any given time.. yet, people can’t seem to find me because i am
Not on Facebook or Instagram. I like that! Lol
Anyhoo, she ended up calling me and we talked for a couple of hours and while her life has taken a polar opposite of mine, and she moved back down South years ago, it was nice to catch up. Different lives though…
I left Facebook, I believe five years ago. I’ve honestly lost track. As so much has changed in the past five years. It really was the best thing I ever have done. Leaving that is. For my mental health. I truly believe that social media changes you. I don’t feel like it’s good for anyone’s mental health, honestly.
I had so many online relationships that it consumed me. God! I wish I could have all those hours back. So many people needed a friend to just listen, and the truth is, for that time I was their friend. I became everyone’s sounding board. People needed to talk t try o me every single day in order to get on with their own days. This lady in Spain comes to mind when I think k of everyone as a while. She had shared her daily bearings from her husband with me in detail. Along with her body pain and being forced to work the streets. She felt suicidal on the daily and said that talking to me each day helped her to carry on. I sent her care packages a few times.
I learned that most people need a Therapist to confine in. Most everyone could benefit from a non-bias person to just listen to them. I was that person for years. For many!
And it ended up making me need a person to talk to, listen to me. It was an awful feeling. So looking back now, I realize how how and why having many people in your life never works.
Looking back, I simply could not keep up with everyone’s daily lives. I had people from Israel, Spain, France, the UK, and India, talking to me on the daily. Not t trying mention the US… Telling me all about their lives. Mostly complaining. I remember a couple of sisters who would mention that their country would not allow them to google certain things. They would ask me to google things for them and pass on the information. Nothing shady! Just medical advice and relationship things. Very odd! They were very nice and had dreams to move to the USA some day and meet up.
My eight years of Social Media had its place for sure. No regrets, persay, because I learned an awful lot. About myself, and how much we all have in common. As a whole.
But for my own health, I simply can not maintain that caliber of humans in my life. Even less, as I’m getting older. People come and people go, and where one time in my life that deeply saddened me, it does not anymore. I’m very happy with the few quality friends that I currently have right now. And as far as social media, I only have one friend in Kansas that has stayed in my life and I do consider a real friend. Facebook and Instagram will never have a place in my life. Despite them being valuable with my reselling business. And I’m Told a social media presence would make me more money, but the simple truth is, the cons outweigh the pros 100%.
I sometimes wish I knew what I know now, but in my twenties and thirties. But then again, it was all part of my life journey and walk with God, so I guess not. I simply can’t have regrets because everything happens for a reason and letting things happen organically, is something I’ve always preached. My OCD use to get in the way of that, but no more. Christ truly does heal all. Amen and Amen.
I feel like this song would be so helpful to pray on with everyone, but specifically young people just starting out with their walk with the Lord.
I’ve been thinking ’bout time and where does it go How can I stop my life from passing me by, I don’t know
I’ve been thinking ’bout family and how it’s going so fast Will I wake up one morning just wishing that I could go back? I’ve been thinking ’bout lately, maybe
I can make a change and let you change me So, with all of my heart this is my prayer… oh Lord, keep me in the moment
Help me live with my eyes wide open ‘Cause I don’t wanna miss what you have for me…oh Lord, show me what matters Throw away what I’m chasing after ‘Cause I don’t wanna miss what you have for me (what you have for me)Keep me in the moment Oh, keep me in the moment Keep me in the moment ‘Cause I don’t wanna miss what you have for me…
I randomly bought a box of State Fair corn dogs at Walmart last night and my daughter just had one and said she was comforted and felt good.
It got me thinking about certain things that we are all comforted by. Even for a mere moment.
Obviously food is a main one. For me it’s a grilled cheese sandwich dipped in tomato soup or a bologna sandwich on Wonder Bread.
But there are many things besides food that may comfort us without us even putting two and two together.
Anything that makes one feel comforted for the moment can take us to a more easier time in our lives. Shopping and oddly, getting rid of clutter are also comforting to me.
Both take me back to childhood. Walking around a mall for hours on end and not buying anything instantly comforts me. This is something that I have done for the past thirty years. It started with my mom and then transcended into my teen years with my friends, to my early adult years with my hubby, and then moved on to with my teen girls. Such wonderful memories have been stored in my heart.
Playing board games and doing crafts also issue a sense of comfort to me. Then there is reading and discussing what was read. This was something I started with my two oldest and has always brought comfort to me, hearing my kids different views on materials that have been read.
Of course what was once lengthy books and news programs, have morphed into random online, trending news stories, and even memes with my younger kids. But I think many of us parents can relate to that one. I don’t think a day goes by without one of my kids sharing a meme with me and each other. To some parents, the giggles behind their phone screens bring comfort to me. I don’t see it as a time waster because we have balance. Our parents memories were much different then ours, and our memories are much different then what our kids memories will be. The important thing is, they are Valid and important. Memories and feelings are all valid and important. I have truly come to realize this in the past decade.
It’s these simple moments that really tie a family together. It’s not about thinking the same about everything that make up a loving family. It is about excepting each other’s differences and loving each other regardless of those differences that tie us as one. I feel like having debates with one another and trying to push them, are what divide families. Just look at most of the families that try to have Holiday get togethers and end up
Fighting and at odds with one another.
The movies always focus around this and in most times have that take center stage. Families are like a marriage. It takes work and choices. Choices of accepting one another, forgiving one another and having enough respect for one another to let us each be who God has allowed us to be in order to grow into his will for us as individuals.
That is a chose families make. The only thing traditional about how I raised my kids was that they all have a mother and a father. Everything else has never been seen as traditional, but I’m okay with that. No regrets.Only Love.
My daughter and I spent several hours browsing our local antique country store the other day.
I did actually buy a few things to flip, too. It was so much fun!
She bought a lot too.
The best part of visiting our downtown area, is that it brings back so many good memories to me. When we first moved down here fifteen or so years ago. It was a place my two oldest girls enjoyed being.
With no shopping centers, it became sort of a home away from home on days that we wanted to window shop. It was the library and country store for many years when the kids were little.
Through out the years I’ve bought many terrific things at this one store. It started with homemade honey and soaps and escalated from there.
I also bought a hope chest for my daughter, vintage jewelry and purses, and even an antique hot stove.
They have loads of primitive decor.
Lots of things remind me of my Aunt Edie, who was my favorite aunt growing up. She was a collector of anything g fun and unique, and would always take time out of her day to teach me about what she collected and why. I learned so much from her.
My daughters have also bought several Christmas gifts for me from this particular Country store too. It’s such a sense of nostalgia as soon as you walk in the front door, that has an attached old cow bell. Each Season they have outside vendors with live music and dancing. (insert banjo music here)
I remember one of my daughters enjoying country line dancing one year.
Gosh, she had to be only ten at the time. I can still see her long braids dangling under her bonnet with her little house on the prairie “style” floral dress twirling in the breeze. Such good memories!
When you enter the store you are generally greeted by the owner, Kathy. Along with the smells of cinnamon sticks, homemade eclairs and chocolate chip cookies. And let’s not forget that vintage attic smell intertwined.
It’s a multi level store that takes at least 2-3 hours to look at every vender. Probably more if you really took your time.
So let’s start browsing, shall we?
As soon as you walk in the store, this first booth homes these two pictures…
Looking down toward the back room..
I like to think about the weeks, or perhaps months that some hard working husband put in to be able to purchase his wife on of these sewing machines do she wouldn’t have to hand sew all of the kids and his clothing by hand anymore.
These above are two vintage bottles of perfume. Elizabeth Ardens, Splendid. Perhaps your have heard of it before. It launched in 1994 I believe.
I got VERY exited when I saw these Gucci bags, but unfortunately they were counterfeit.
This planters peanut dish set caught me eye. I wonder how it was used. Probably during family meals. Maybe a way to make kids veggies seem more fun. $50 for the set!
1932 Bag of coffee. Still full. I wonder how the coffee were to taste if you were to use it. Would it be super strong and give you a caffeine high, or very week and ready bitter and yuck.-This section of old compacts and Bakelite jewlery made my day! 🙃
I really wanted all of the above but it was too expensive.
This old doll really made me have the feels. When I see these old olds I can’t help but think of the little girl who was once gifted it and loved it so very much. Another lovely baby doll that probably made some little girl very happy throughout her years . Maybe her father was overseas on a business trip and brought this doll back for her. My daughter bought several of these old 60’s dresses to flip.
More vintage dolls. New old stock.
Hmm, 1986…what was I doing back then.. I was begging my mom to let me date and telling her that I was too old to play with dolls and be home on Friday nights. I was so typical.Interesting. I’ve never heard of this game. It was popular in the 50’s, apparently. Such a lovely cream and sugar set with matching salt & pepper shakers.. And just look at that old pepper on top of the pepper shaker giving it all kinds of character.
The golf dogs are at it again.
Remember when these types of glasses were popular? Fast food places would give them out with certain items. I think you had to pay .99 for them, if I recall.
Old life magazines, an Afghan, A baby carriage, Old mirror and milk can. Old baseballs. 🤔
More old glasses. 1978. I was living in Phoenix, Arizona back then. not too many memories.
This old phone booth. How lovely would this be as decor in a grand room. How technology has changed. This coke can was full too! I was ten at the time. A beautiful mess of clutter. Awe, but she does. 😁
These old clowns were probably used as Devore in a little kids room so she, or he would not have bad dreams..
I still have my original cabbage patch kid. Sure others do too. I remember the day my granny presented her to me. My mom yelled at me and told me to not lose the doll, because my granny had to buy her from a back alley in the bad section of Miami. They were sold out that year for Christmas and it’s all I wanted as a gift. I also remember the year my girls got one for Christmas. I don’t recall them asking, but years later they rebooted and became the it Christmas gift. Looks handmade to me. probably was a special gift to someone dear at one time. I use to make my mom ashtrays all the time in art class. “Have a seat darling, and join me for a cup of coffee”
The amount of decor that people use to have on display in all of their rooms. I think things changed when we started spending more time away from our homes. And now the minimalist movement has most homes bare bones.
I can see this old gas pump set up on display in a mans garage, bringing him much joy to look at while he works on his old Chevy.
I would have loved to buy all of these to actually use. Or, to display on top of the kitchen cabinets in a vintage kitchen.Old photographs. These were very significant to someone, somewhere in the heavens..it’s sad to think they were not passed down to a family member and treasured. Who was this chap? Was he someone’s hubby? Did he go off to war and never return? Was he shot on a freak hunting accident with friends? She looks terribly sad to me. If I stare too long I will cry. She probably had to sit still for hours to capture, well, this look. Was she a happy women? Did she know the Lord? Did she hate her life and end it, leaving her kids motherless? A sweet baby. Not knowing what his life would hold. Did he make it? Was his life all that he expected it to be…A grandmother comforting her daughter, or maybe granddaughter. I feel as though the daughter has recently suffered a tragic loss and is so sad. An Old radio that apparently still works! I think this would look beautiful next to an old record player. thfoyerthe foyer. Rare and beautiful! If two weren’t cracked, I would have bought these to resell. I’ve sold many sets throughout the years. I currently have a cake platter. These ones that glow under a black light are called Vaseline glass. They contain uranium oxide that was banned after WW2.
More random glassware. The metal cake carrier dish was just lovely.
Old pill containers. I use these still for Advil, Tylonal , etc. Old Catholic Bible Old planter that was probably handmade and gifted to a loved one at some point. Vintage water cooler that probably sat outside in the hot sun at someone’s little league, back in the days. Either that, or it was filled with koolaid on the weekly.
Old metal containers. Everything was metal, which yes, was bad for the environment if it was thrown out. Now everything is plastic. Still bad for the environment. 🙄
Vintage Candy thermometer. Maybe it was used for someone’s home business. I can hear the mom asking her child to go get the candy thermometer from the drawer and be careful not to drop it. Maybe she was making taffy to sell at the country fair.
I remember when bandaids came in a metal tin. I guess it was bad for the environment so that is why they changed it to cardboard. We need to ask ourselves, why thirty-one and not thirty?Vintage medicine bottles intrigue me. I have spend hours reading up on old medicines and looking them up on eBay. There is a fascinating story about a man who use to go door to door selling one particular medicine and made a fortune. Then he lost it all and ended up a wanted criminal. It was a story that I always remembered. I think the medicine he was selling was straight up iron supplements, and he became so sought after because it was working at making people feel better. He got in trouble because it ended up being only iron. I would have supported him. I appreciate his hustle. And if it was working at making people feel better…
Those old thermos’s. Now where did the matching lunch boxes go? Come August, that was something I would very much look forward to doing. Choosing my new school lunchbox was always a big deal. After all, lunch time was my favorite part of school. It was not only a time to socialize, but it was a time to sell my lunch and make some extra cash to buy makeup and clothes. Lol
Beautiful old thread Crochet dollies..
Lovely. I have some silver metal ones, similar to these that I still currently use.This metal tray looks familiar too me. I think someone in my family had it when I was little. Very old saloon doors. Oh the stories these could tell! Maybe there use to be a saloon in my town. Maybe these came from it.An old radio flyer that some little tyke probably has many happy times on. I bet it was a birthday gift.
Another baby doll. Looks newer then the others. Maybe it was gifted to a little girl but it was not the one she wanted so she never played with it.
The little girls name was Nelly. 😁
A 1960’s Remington typewriter. Probably used for many years for school or maybe work. I wonder why people locked them up. Notice the key area in the case.
A very old coloring book that I think people would get mad about today and argue about. Why? Because it said Cowboys, making the CowGIRLS, feel left out.
Ohhh there are those saloon doors!
Some little boy colored this page while his little brother colored the other page. 1949 WOW!
Next to the coloring book were these old paints.
A very old 50’s Mele Jewelry Box. if it were in better condition I would have bought it to resell. I have sold many of these in different color waves throughout the years. I remember this particular spice tin. Must be 1980’s.
Vintage sewing notations.
Semi vintage beauty items. Hmm, what do we have here..Religion teaches do many rules.
And finally back home with my bags.
I hope you enjoyed shopping with me. Well, browsing. 🙂
I bought this darling wooden fruit purse with Bakelite handle. I bought this vintage basket weave sewing box. and done vintage makeup, and a vintage, Avon, perfume blue glass bottle.
We ventured out to the city to Sams Club last week. I have not been since February.
First we people watched in the parking lot to access the area. All the shopping pictures and videos online have really done a hatchet job making the larger grocery stores out to be something from a dystopian novel. And perhaps in some larger cities, they are. But ours looked to be okay. Most everyone had a mask and gloves on, as did we. DH is high risk, so our family has been taking strong precautions.
Food was for the most part, well stocked. Signs were everywhere though. Limit One.
Of course you can easily get around that by using their App to cash out. Limit one is something the cashiers eyeball while cashing you out. Just saying.
I stocked up on the basics that we have been running through. Peanut Butter, Bread, Tuna, canned soups, chicken, pastas. That sort of stuff. I have no plans to return for another few months, so I stocked up.
The only thing we could not find were Cape Cod Kettle potato chips, as those are the only chips that I eat. And the store had no pancake syrup of any sorts. I spoke with a worker and they have been out for weeks he said. I guess we are not the only ones eating more waffles and hot cakes at home.
ADHD MOMENT INSERTED- Speaking of, how cute are those tiny eggo waffle machines that every Tom, Dick and Harry has purchased and has made YouTube videos using. I’m having FOMO, but have no plans on purchasing one. I do hear they are only $10. A mom friend of 7, received one for Mother’s Day. Making one tiny waffle at a time.. hmmm.🤔
Moving right along..
We are still good on Meats, but I walked over to them to snap a picture. All were out, except for the most pricy cuts.
There was a sign above that said limit one. I guess I cut it off when trying to discreetly snap a picture. I found other customers watching me take pictures and I got embarrassed. 😐Again with the Jelly. Limit one. They had plenty of Toilet Paper! 😱 I’m so sorry, dude with the red shirt who now has no idea he’s in this picture. We did not need any, as Amazon came through. But I wanted to snap a picture. Canned Chicken was something I bought. We go through a pack a month. I don’t use it for chicken salad, although that always sounds good to me. My kids use it to make semi homemade chicken noodle soup. They also use it for chicken fettuccine.
And that was our documented grocery trip of the month.
I will be working on two other blogs this week. I swallowed a large bug and almost went to the ER, and several days later I fell ill with a fever and chills. I’m fine now, but do want to document those two awful incidents here. 🤓
