A Child's Outlook on Success

Nancy is a 62 year old woman who most people would not consider a financial success. She has never married, is still working full time, renting in a lower income area of town, and mostly lives paycheck to paycheck. My six year old daughter, however, has perceived this woman as being a success of sorts. You see, Nancy invites a couple of children from our church to spend each Sunday afternoon in her humble home. At what financial cost? A dollar or two extra for the meal and maybe a couple more for the icecream she always seems to have in her freezer that is just for these special times! She chooses to give. Giving doesn't have to be flashy or expensive. The children entertain themselves with free activities throughout the afternoon and are simply making memories and building this precious relationship with an older woman who loves God. Nancy understands that serving God and others isn't about dollars, but time and words and love.
What does Nancy have to do with success? The average person may not see a connection, but I admire the simple understanding of my daughter, who, at age six, saw that Nancy's success is true inner success. My daughter can be very outspoken around friends she is comfortable talking to and this led to the following conversation. Nancy shared with my daughter that she, at age 62, is considering purchasing a home. My daughter's response: "Nancy, maybe you can help my grandma. Grandma and Papa can't afford to buy a house, so maybe you can help them." Just to lay out a few facts, Grandma and Papa are both about ten years younger than Nancy and both could hold full time jobs or even earn money through entrepreneural work if desired. So, why would this child with her simple understanding suggest for Nancy to help others? Because Nancy is already serving others in a genuine way. Nancy doesn't complain about the cost of the icecream as she scoops it into the bowls for the children. Nancy provides a nice meal without pointing out the cost of the cheese on top of the lasagna. It isn't about the money, but the relationship. Is the meal frugal? Yes! Does my daughter realize that the meal is low cost? No! It is served with love and joy. My conclusion: A person's words can determine how others perceive that person and her success.

Bathing Beauty

So, What Do You Think? A while back I finally visited a really great flea market in Liberty, SC. I love the atmosphere out there. As I stepped out of the van, I could feel the antiques in the air and the bargains too. These mirrors were such a great find at the perfect time. Our home is great and was a good price, but did not include any mirrors. So, when I saw these two I knew I would like them in our master bath and at $14 for the pair I loaded up my bargains. My husband is 6'5'' so I wanted a tall mirror that would not make hime scrunch down to shave and stuff. I didn't like the cheap looking gold paint finish on these babies, though. So, I bought my very first cans of black spray paint and worked the magic.

Other deals in this room: The porcelain watering can was $2.99 new including bath salts. And I love my thrift store candle holder for 50 cents. Oh, and the clearance candle whose scent makes me smile!

I am thinking of painting the cabinet black. Please give me your opinion. Would I have to paint the side of the bathtub surround black also?

We are thrilled to have a jetted tub that works great on tired muscles. We are trying to live such that we get rid of our credit card debt so we shopped for a house below our means. That is easier said than done. Nicer homes are always alluring.

Thank you to my hubbie for hanging the mirrors and to my mom for buying them for us.

I love you both.

Did you all catch the bit of cuteness in the first pic? I'll give you a hint: orange.

Keep it clover!

Gardening

I am so excited about our garden that Mr. Greg and CarolAnn dug up with a big tiller thing yesterday. The plot is huge! At least it sure seems that way compared to the five plants I had to put in it. Seriously, in one corner I put a cucumber plant and in the opposite (diagonal) corner are two tomato and two sweet pepper plants. It is actually kinda sad to look at. I hadn't really expected such a large space to plant in. So, off I went today to search out some more inexpensive vegetable plant options. (After lunch with the kids, hubbie, and -in-laws, then to the car mechanic and three plant nurseries later...) I found a 4-pack of zucchini, I think, for $1.99 and a 6-pack of sweet peppers for $1.99. Hope they survive!

I am looking at the bright side, if our car doesn't work, I can have a garden to supply the groceries, right? I may be stretching things a bit, but I am very excited with this new hobby. I mean, really, gardening is not very expensive (it helps to have friends with equipment), provides nutrition in the edible stuff, and lots of exercise (my thighs are soo sore!!!). Oh, my favorite, family bonding. My girls have really enjoyed picking grass and weeds from the garden. We actually saw a couple of worms too!