Grab Bag...

i was at a dollar store with my daughter last weekend.  they were selling grab bags.  remember those?  i loved them when i was a kid.  not sure why as they’re usually filled with strange things.  my daughter’s was no exception.  for one dollar she received one glove, a yellow pencil, a comb, and an apron large enough to fit a squirrel.  but what fun it was to open!

i kind of get that feeling right before i walk into an antique store.   you never know what you’re going to find!   not that i need anything, but it’s always fun to look.

so right after we left the dollar store, we headed over to a big antique mall.  god bless my daughter for liking them as much as i do.  well, that might be a little exaggeration.  but i think she’s getting the bug!  i give her $10 and tell her to find something she loves. 

want to see what we found?  

my tastes are definitely changing.  i’m sure a year ago i would have walked right past this rusty old dump truck.  today, i couldn’t wait to see it holding a truck load of pink impatiens by my front door.  the creamy-yellow color and all the rust in all the right places makes me happy.  and for $10, it made me really happy!  

and any brown transferware i find needs to come home with me.  i found this sweet little pitcher with the word juice on the front and the manufacturer's logo stamped on the bottom.  

this little $14 pitcher now holds my honey sticks near my bags of pomegranate green tea.  

notice how this little vignette has already changed in one week?

my husband loves that about me. 

i hear this from him often:

"now where's the salt?  last week it was here, now where is it?

it's like a treasure hunt every time i need salt."

 and unfortunately, you can insert the words "tooth picks", "vitamins", "straws" -- you name it -- into that sentence above.

sorry, sweetie.  i'm working on that.

so since this post is titled grab bag, i thought i’d throw in a few other items i recently found that i want to share with you.

while buying my dark chocolate candy bars at cost plus last week, (remember, dark chocolate is good  for you!  must be 71%.), i found these lovely forks with these pretty green handles.  i have a similar set of silverware with cream handles that my sister bought me as a birthday present from ballard designs a few years ago.  only those forks weren’t $1.29 a piece!  $1.29!  i ask you -- what can you buy for $1.29 that is this cute?  nothing! 

(bad angle - sorry!)

and while i was returning one thing at homegoods yesterday, i found another thing that i just had to have. 

maybe because it's almost easter, it reminded me of jesus' crown.  
i’m guessing you could put a candle in the middle of it or place it on a stack of old books, but i immediately envisioned it with an english ivy tucked inside.  and i had the perfect place for it.  

love it!  love it even more for $14
(i'm telling you, this shade of green in our dining room 
is pretty.  it just doesn't look pretty in photos!)

and the last of my favorite finds, comes not from an antique store, but from the internet.  

i know i’m getting old when i choose comfort over style in the shoe department.  if i try on a pair of shoes and they’re not comfortable immediately, then they’re back on the shelf.  the old me used to buy a cute pair of shoes, hope they would get comfortable in a month or two and then one day, walk by a trash can and throw them away.  (i’ve done this twice after leaving a wedding!)  and please don’t think it’s mean of me to not donate them to goodwill.  no one should walk around in uncomfortable shoes all day! 

so imagine my delight when i found these cute things!

it was love at first sight.  and first fit.  i honestly felt like i had slippers on when i put them on and went to costco.  

i found them at the dsw shoe website dsw.com.  i bought them without even trying them on.  (not sure what i was thinking there, but it worked out beautifully).  i ordered them in navy blue and black.  two colors i wear a lot during summer.  they’re called reef wedge sandals, made by lifestride, are $44.95 and shipping is free.  everyone seems to like them.  and i make everyone try them on so they can feel how incredibly comfortable they are.  and cute!   and since i’m not a big shoe lover, i can guarantee you i will be wearing these most every day of summer.  and i just received a $10 coupon in the mail from dsw, so i might splurge and buy the red ones too.  or the ivory ones.  or the ....

though this week brought me cute forks and comfortable shoes, my joy is not found in these things.  or in any thing at all.  

my joy is found in Him.

my joy is found in Jesus.