We spent the day doing the fun part of planning our tiny home. We couldn’t decide between two plans. The Trinica…which has the wall of windows in the living room area and the center kitchen, and the Meadow View…which has the rustic look and wrap-around porch with the ouside fireplace. The Meadow View also has the larger bedroom. We finally talked to the guy at the Athen’s Cottage Homes who does the custom designs. He had obviously dealt with people like us before.
We ended up with a hybrid. We’re still in the planning stages, so we didn’t get an estimate yet, but we’re told we can flip things and turn them around without added expense as long as we stay within 399 sq. ft. The upgrades are the things that will add to the total cost.
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The Outside will be along the lines of these photos, except the wall facing the outdoor deck with the fireplace will be a wall of windows. We switched the living room and kitchen around. The windows will look something like the photos below, only the front cannot curve out because that will add to the square footage. We won’t have the huge windows like you see behind the couch. The indoor fireplace will be there with a window on each side. The couch or chairs will be where the cabinets are on the left. Are you thoroughly confused?
We think we got a pretty good deal on the lot, so we have some wiggle room, but you know how it is? The devil is in the details. We will be building an RV port that will also have a garage for one car. There will be a charge to bring the water and electricity from the street to where it needs to be hooked up. (I know I’m not using correct terminology, but you get it.) We are going to build a privacy fence for the dogs, and we will have the expense of the concrete for the RV/garage and the foundation for the tiny home. This is beginning to sound like a big deal doesn’t it?
I’m trying to decide on the colors. I think I want the main color to be taupe with a lighter color on the walls. The ceiling will be stained wood. I like taupe a lot and it goes well with orange. You’re just looking at colors in the photos below..not the floor plan.
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This Photograph Dianna took might be a good color palette for our tiny home.
The picture below will be the design of the kitchen, but since there won’t be a loft, the whole area will be high ceilings from front to back. The fireplace won’t be in the corner. The front door will be where the window is…unless we change our minds.
I’m sure I have confused you enough for one night. We’re going to see the models in Rockwall tomorrow, so some things could change.
I bought Kip his first gift for his first tiny home…A tiny orange fly swatter.
Things are happening to me that I don’t quite understand, but most of it is good. Today, our women’s group met at the The Victorian Tea Room to celebrate three birthdays. Helen had a birthday on December 5th, mine was on December 31st, and Barbara’s was yesterday. As usual it was a ton of fun. I am so grateful to be a part of this group of very special women.
Most of you know that I am going to attend the Jones County reunion being held in Mesa, Arizona in thirteen days. Most of the people attending are Murdoites who retired to Arizona. The added bonus is my brother, Billy, my 2nd Dad, Gus, and Valerie are going to be there too.
Typically, before I attend a reunion of any kind, I gain ten pounds and get a bad haircut, but this time is different. I never lost the last ten pounds I gained before the last reunion. It doesn’t matter, because I’m starting a lose ten pounds in ten days diet. I have three days before I even have to start it.
I did get my haircut yesterday, and its a little shorter than I like it, but short hair has it’s advantages, which I will tell you about in a minute.
It occurred to me that my new, shorter cut was similar to the cut I had when I was sixteen. A mere fifty years ago. Most people wouldn’t be idiotic enough to do this, but I’m going to do a side by side comparison. I haven’t even looked at them side by side yet, so here we go…
I hope this didn’t creep you out. I really did not intentionally try to copy my hairdo from fifty years ago. I remember that vest. I borrowed from my mother. It was three times too big for me, but it was orange. Even though you can’t see it, I have orange on today. When I came home from the party, I changed into an orange top. This was before I went hunting for my sweet sixteen pic. Aside from those comparisons, much has changed.
In the SS picture, I was growing out my “Connie like” hairdo. Not because I was finding my own style. It was because Connie, who was two years older, was growing her do out. The sixty-six year old me opted for the shorter cut, after several years of medium length hair, because it’s easier to color the grey every four weeks. It also costs a lot of money to get it cut more often. We don’t have a Harold the barber here. He somehow knew exactly what to do. Maybe he got the word that as long as my hair was similar to Connie’s, I would be happy.
Some might worry about themselves if they referred to their past lives as much as I do, but I don’t get too concerned. I’m Loretta’s daughter and nothing can change that. My brother is also her son and he will tell you he has all of her “better” qualities. I wouldn’t trade either of them… and Gus is certainly a keeper.
Enough of the past, for now. Here’s an update on the tiny house progress. (Little did Mary Francis, the younger, know that someday she would be living in a tiny house in Texas. I don’t think she would have understood.)
Kip made an offer on a lot today and the owner accepted it!!! He is supposed to call later to give us the information so we can get it under contract. I’ll tell you more when we seal the deal. I can’t tell you how relieved I am. I’m afraid I haven’t been as nice as I should have been about pursuing this idea I agreed to. A friend at the luncheon today told me she knew it would all work out because too many things had already fallen into place. That was what I needed to hear.
I’m sure we will have a lot of fun and nurse a few headaches putting all this together, but I’m getting excited about this new adventure.Does anyone know anything about the cabbage soup diet? It sounds yummy.
My name is Pearl the dog and I live with Pearl the human. If she finds out what I did, Pearl the human will be fummin.
We live in an apartment above a grocery store. It has a lot of rooms for a canine to explore.
There’s a room way down the hall that has a cat inside. I know cause it’s called the cat room, where cats must like to hide.
Today, the door was open and I went to have a look. I sniffed in every corner and nosed in every nook.
I tried real hard to find a cat. I really was dog bent. I smelled high and low and everywhere, but didn’t find a scent.
I heard someone approaching so I hid behind the door. I felt like such a bad dog… like I’d never felt before.
Guess what happened next? I should have never wagged my tail. I bumped the door and it slammed shut. Now the cat room was my jail.
Would someone come and find me? If I barked would someone hear. The more I thought about it, the more I shook with fear.
I heard a human walking by. I couldn’t find my bark. I really wanted out of there. I get scared when it gets dark.
I saw the doornob turning. The door came open just a crack. Would I be in the dog house cause I had planned a cat attack?
I closed my eyes and waited. I soon would know my fate. Would I see kindness in their eyes or be penned up in a crate?
I heard a phone a ringin. Someone yelled, “Pearl it’s for you.” She turned and left to answer it. Now what was I to do?
The door, still slightly open, gave me a great idea. As I nosed it open wider, I heard a cat’s voice say…”I’ll see ya.”
When I got to Pearl the human’s rooms, I turned to look for just a minute. Pearl was headed for the cat room. I was glad I wasn’t in it.
“Why would you want a tiny home? You’re not tiny and you have three dogs and a cat…and you have Kip, who has to have a 60″ television screen. How ever will that work out?” I only have one thing to say. “You are “The Limit.” (That’s Mom speak for you are 100 percent nuts.)
No, that’s not my mother talking to me. It’s me talking to me. I got up there in my head again and tried to make some sense of things.
Oh look…a tiny crown
“Make sense? You sold your small house. I thought you loved that house. Well MG, you agreed to this. The decision has been made and there is no looking back. Onward you go. Don’t even try to make sense, because it’s too late, baby, it’s too late. There’s no time to hesitate.”
Will I ever have a full length mirror again?
(Please make her stop.)
“Now…go out there and make it happen! The right lot is out there and you will find it. It might take a while, but there’s nothing to worry about. You have the RV, silly. You will not be homeless.
Oh, jeez…are you crying over brick and mortar or are you catching a cold. It’s probably just allergies.”
(I just had to get that out.)
At times a new perspective is needed in order to take a fresh look at situations and see missed opportunities or solutions. What do I need to see this through and not stress over every obstacle that arises?
I need to find peace and courage. I was put on this earth to be me. I’m adventuresome, right? I will step forward in faith that Kip and I will find the right lot, the right tiny house, and all the while, stay in our right minds.
We have established that in order to find a lot to put our tiny house on, we will have to look in an area that is not inside the city limits. The evil cities are responsible for the rules that banish tiny homes to the outskirts. To the county we must go. We will buy our tiny piece of earth someplace that is not too far out. Maybe it will have some lovely trees and be in a secluded, but not too isolated area. It’s out there just waiting for us to find it.
It will be a snap for us to move. We were smart to clear out all of the closets and get rid of all the things we no longer use. I have no doubt that we can be very comfortable living in a tiny home….if… we don’t continue to collect “stuff.” All of our belongings will have to take up as little space as possible. I can’t tell you how much I am enjoying our house since we cleared everything out. I’m going to be a very happy minimalist who will have lots of time to kick back and enjoy life.
Mom always said, “Don’t spend your life chasing that last bit of dirt around the corner. Your house will be there long after you’re dead and gone and your hard work will be for naught.”
Mom made a lot of sense. I should let her get up in my head more often…especially now.
There is something I have been wanting to share with you and tonight, I feel like writing about it.
I have been thinking about Connie’s Story and how it evolved. I started to recall the times I had admired someone else and/or their things and wanted to emulate them. You might think I’m psychoanalyzing myself and you could be right, but I doubt I’m the only person who has struggled with finding their own identity. My first memory of admiring someone else’s style was when I was five years old.
I wanted Lois Lillibridge’s shoes.
I borrowed them and I loved them so much I couldn’t bring myself to give them back. I asked her if she wanted the pink canvas shoes I had and she said, “No.” Then an awful thing happened. Her dad died and Lois and her mom and sister were moving away from Murdo.
Picture below:
I’m sitting on the far left. I’m wearing a white blouse and shorts. Lois is sitting in front of her mother, Marce. My mother is next to Marce, on the far right. She is wearing a dress with a white collar and red shoes. Lois and I are wearing identical white shoes. We were both supposed to be flower girls in a wedding, but Mom said we weren’t going so they got somebody else. Then Mom changed her mind. I got to keep the shoes.
That was a game changer for me. Did I take her shoes back to her? No, I didn’t. I remember as if it was yesterday, taking my pink shoes as close as I could to the moving van parked in front of their house. I never went back to see if she saw them and took them with her, but my conscience wasn’t happy with the rationalization I had come up with, and I never could wear the shoes I had coveted and kept.
Through the years, I spread my coveting around. I thought “so and so” had a better family, nicer house, or…excelled at things I thought I never could or would. It wasn’t until I wrote about Connie in the Murdo Girl stories, that I discovered part of the truth.
“Everyone has their cross to bear.” Mom always said this when I complained about some family problems I thought none of my friends had to deal with. I thought I was the only one in the little town of Murdo who didn’t have the perfect family…
I was wrong and Mom was right.
The fact that I wanted to be “Connie like,” makes so much more sense to me, now. Connie Jackson was an unassuming high school girl who didn’t need the idolatry of anyone else to validate who she was. Looking back, I realize it wasn’t her clothes or her hair that I envied. It was the fact that she didn’t need the attention from people like me. That’s what drew me to her.
We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Some have a strong sense of self and don’t appear to be at all confused about who they are. Other’s self-worth is totally dependent on the admiration of everyone in their world.
Writing Connie’s story was a very enlightening experience for me. I wrote about my desire to be “Connie like” long before I wrote the book, which is about a little girl named Hope.
Connie Jackson’s brother, Eddie, wrote stories about the experiences he and his sister had while going to a country school and what it was like to move to town when Connie started high school. Many readers loved the true experiences he wrote about. I graduated from high school with Eddie, but hadn’t seen or talked to him for over forty years, before we collaborated on the book.
Writing Connie’s Story affected me in another way I hadn’t expected. I recently re-read the book and I felt all of the emotions Hope did. She experienced feelings most people struggle with…fear, loneliness, confusion and the sadness that can eclipse happiness and security. Hope didn’t know who to trust. She didn’t know what a happy family looked like, but in the end she got exactly what she needed. She was one of the fortunate. She recognized the good in her life didn’t have to be like the storybook version.
There are other ways Connie’s Story parallels with my story. Hope lived in Murdo, SD…my hometown. Her grandparents lived south of Highway 16, as did mine. There were two apartments above Sanderson’s Store which in real life was owned by my Grandfather and then my Uncle, Jeff. The businesses on Main Street were as I remembered them when I grew up there.
I had a Great Aunt Grace who kept her little black flats on with a wide rubber band. She never lived in Murdo. I’m grateful I got to spend some time with her after we moved to Texas. Uncle Jeff Sanderson told me she lived in Dallas and I must look her up. Grace outlived her husband, son, and daughter. The only family she had left was her grandson.
Aunt Grace was a hoot! Like her sister, (Grandma Mary), she wasn’t more than five feet tall and weighed less than a hundred pounds, but she remained strong in spite of and because of all she had endured.
Many Connies have shown up in my life. My grandmother on my dad’s side was by all accounts a strong and wise woman. Her name was Constance Abbie Francis. She became a widow when she was in her thirties and was left with a couple of hardware stores and three very young boys. My cousin, Abby, (spelled differently), was named after our Francis grandmother, and I was named after both of my grandmothers…Mary Sanderson and Constance Francis. Constance is my middle name.
Content Abbie Bottom Francis Bowers. (she changed her name from Content to Constance
Mary Tyrrell Sanderson
A few years after Mom died her sister, Helen, passed away. Her daughter shared with me that one night, she heard her mother having a conversation with my mother. Helen kept opening the door to let the angels in and out. My cousin also said she had heard her mom talking to someone named Connie. After reading Connie’s story in my Murdo Girl blog, she asked me if there was a connection.
Mom (Loretta), with two of her sisters…Ella Leckey and Helen Haverberg
Could all of the Connie Angels be merely coincidences? I will let you come to your own conclusions, but I believe Connie’s story evolved as it did for all of us to learn from. I don’t write like an expert. All of my thoughts and feelings don’t transfer into words as readily as they do to more experienced writers, but I have learned about myself and my beliefs by sharing my stories with you. I owe you all a debt of gratitude.
There must be a strong bond between those who have passed before us, and those who are still living, that cannot be broken. We can still feel the comforting connection to those we won’t see again in this life. Whether they are family, friends, or people we never knew… If they had a profound and positive effect on our lives, they will remain in our hearts forever. Likewise, we can hope that we will live in the hearts of those we have spent our lives loving. We are forever connected, forever family, forever friends.
You, (or it), are, (or is), driving me to distraction.!! I can still hear Mom say this…her hazel eyes flashing. Everything Mom did was fast. She power walked before it became popular. If I hoped to get a little more sleep on Saturday mornings, my hopes were always dashed. I could hear Mom walking from the kitchen to the laundry area of our basement house, which had a tile floor. Clomp, clomp, clomp… back and forth she went. She wasn’t doing it to disturb me. That’s how she walked. She would find one piece of laundry and walk to the washing machine to throw it in, wash a few dishes and then go into the living room to grab her coffee cup. She might take a couple of puffs of her Salem cigarette, but could rarely sit down long enough to smoke the whole thing.
Eventually, it would start to bug her that I hadn’t gotten up yet. She would stand in the doorway of my bedroom off the kitchen and flip the light on and off a few times before she said, “Rise and Shine!!”
This was my mother, who got many of her mothering tips from Ann Landers or a friend that had read Ann Landers. I wrote about the afternoon I got home from school just in time to change, grab a bite to eat, and get to the auditorium for the basketball game? I walked into my room and everything in my closet was now on the floor, and everything in my dresser drawers was thrown onto the unmade bed. Mom was right behind me, arms folded. She informed me that so and so had read Ann Landers and she said if your teenager refused to keep his or her room clean, you should throw everything on the floor and tell them they can’t leave until everything was neatly put away.
I cried and she caved, but it was all waiting for me when I got home. The older I get, the more I’m like my mother, only a couple of octaves lower.
My brother, Billy, and I are seven and a half years apart in age. I was in the fourth grade when he left for California to go to work and attend college. Most of our dad’s family lived out there and he lived with them for a while. Our Uncle got Billy a job parking cars for the Dodgers. Little did he know that he would spend the next fifty some years of his life in the parking industry. He is finally going to retire the end of this month. He has been a little nervous about retirement. We’re all just going to hide and watch.
Billy and I didn’t spend long periods of time together after he left for college, and I think we both felt a little like only children. When we were together, he would say, “Do you know what my mother said or what my dad did?” I sometimes said, “Hey, it’s our mother and our father.”
Billy and I are really close now. I can’t wait to see Gus and him and of course, cousin Valerie and Ken in Arizona in a couple of weeks. We’ll all be there for the Jones County reunion.
I have no idea how I got off on the subject of my mother, though I shouldn’t be surprised. She has a firm place in my head all the time.
On to other things…
Kip and I left our house about seven-thirty this morning to check out the lots we had uncovered with the realtor, yesterday. The first one was too far away, but we decided to look at it anyway. We took the dogs with us, and apparently they hadn’t gone to the bathroom before we left and were getting kind of antsy. We pulled off the road and let them run around a bit. That’s how we got the jeep stuck.
I know it doesn’t look like we’re stuck, but the tires just kept spinning. We were trying to back up. The second photo is Kip walking downhill to the road to make sure there was no quicksand to get into. I ended up pushing a little and we made it. The lot wasn’t an option anyway, the subdivision doesn’t allow tiny homes.
They do, however, allow people to put a propane tank on their front porch. The little mother-in-law suite next door looks like it could be having some foundation issues.
My tiny home and I will not go where we’re not wanted. They would rather have a house like that in the neighborhood, than this:
This is the Meadow View. You have seen it before in the blog, but I keep coming back to the wrap around deck, two doors to the outside and the outdoor fireplace. After you pick your floor plan, which we haven’t, there are still so many choices on the inside. Here are some pics of the same model, and the same floor plan, but the colors and staging make it look very different.
The island counter is on wheels so it can be moved out-of-the-way or face another directio
I like the stone walk- in shower, below. We can switch it out, but if it requires more space, it has to come from the kitchen or bedroom.
I took some other pictures of lots, but we don’t know the story on them, yet. Our realtor said he would get with us tomorrow after he does some research. In the meantime, I’m rather enjoying our “small home.”
See, I’m a lot like Mom. I jump around a lot and sometimes I have a difficult time finishing what I started…makes me smile, but it drives others to distraction.
You all haven’t been much help in deciding which model tiny home you like best. That’s okay…we have a little time, but once we get the lot, I think it will be downhill from there.
Kip and I met with the real estate agent who was recommended by the tiny home salesman. He is a super nice guy, energetic, and fun. He gathered information, gave us suggestions, showed us satellite views of lots that are for sale, but not listed. They’re called pocket listings. This guy would make a great detective. It won’t be easy to find what we need, but if anyone can do it, he can. Kip and I are going in the morning to look at some possibilities he gave us. I really believe the McNinch TH1 will happen in my lifetime.
Now…what do you need from me to facilitate a final favorite tiny home? Would you like more model choices or more pictures of different styles of the floor plans you have seen. We can alter some things as long as it doesn’t affect the square footage.
Oh fudge…Here are two more models to look at.
The Berry
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See the stairway in the floor plan? It would not be there because we are not going to have a loft. Without the stairway, we could make the bedroom larger.
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You can’t see the walls clearly in these photos, but the walls are rustic side boards painted white. There would be an electric fireplace on the wall with the television above. The kitchen is across from the couch.
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The shower door is not a sliding door. It pulls open. There is a door to the bathroom from the bedroom and another into the hall.
The Mountainview
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The Mountainview is wider and shorter than any of the others, giving it a square design, There is no loft. The space between the bedroom and bathroom is a closet,
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The kitchen…you can see the open barn door to the bedroom. The living room is separated from the kitchen by a long bar,
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Kitchen from another angle…and the bedroom.
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The bathroom – you can see on the floor plan, there is no door from the bedroom to the bathroom. That wouldn’t bother me. Two doors can be a hassle.
If you want me to, I can show more pictures of the three faves we all chose from previous photographs. Tell me in your comments and I will add them tomorrow as well as the lots we will see in the morning.
The Bishop 2
The Meadowview
The Trinica
Remember where the floor plan shows stairs to a loft, there will be added floor space to the living room or bedroom because we aren’t going to have a loft. There is a space for a washer and dryer in all of the floor plans. The ceilings will be vaulted throughout.
We will be busy little bee’s tomorrow. We will be cleaning and staging the sun room tomorrow too. I’ll show pictures of the “small home” soon, while it’s still clean,
Remember when Kip first brought up the idea of a tiny home? I almost cried at the thought of moving again. I love our location and I love our small house…except the floor. I have always hated the floor. Now I have a new floor. I didn’t know if I liked it at first, but it’s growing on me. Unlike the other flooring, this floor will be virtually maintenance free, and with three dogs and a cat, that is a huge plus in my book.
Taken a few days ago
We almost have the house cleaned from top to bottom. Kip has a couple more touch ups to finish on the trim before we can completely put everything in order. We have the sun room to clean too. It’s great extra space, but we hardly ever use it.
The beauty of this whole deal is, everything that doesn’t fit our new minimalist lifestyle is packed away in storage. I know…I know, we will have to deal with it again one of these days, but as far as I’m concerned, the kids can take what they want and we’ll donate the rest to the church garage sale. Half of the boxes already have “church garage sale” marked on them, anyway. Except for my Beasterhops. I have to have my Beasterhops. They’re packed away with my dolls and stuffed animals. I wrote poems and stories about all of that stuff. I have to keep them and write more poems and stories.
When we sell the house, It will be a snap to move out. Our last move from a big two-story house was a nightmare. Even so, in the three years we have been in this house, we accumulated more than we should have. We will keep most of the living room furniture, but there are three pieces I am going to have a difficult time giving up. Unfortunately, they won’t fit in a tiny home. I’m anxious to hide and watch while Kip pares down his well equipped garage and the storage unit behind it. That’s probably when the real tears will flow.
It will probably be a good thing for me not to be three blocks from the Goodwill Store. That has proven to be a little too convenient.
I’m happy we will still be spending most of our time in this area. We really enjoy being with our friends and we love our Church. We are looking forward to spending the hot summer months somewhere cooler. It will be great if this all works out. It’s the unknowns of the future that can sometimes be the wild card.
I’m keeping my crowns too. I love these three great friends..Pat, LJ, and Jean
As soon as the impending bad weather passes, we will be out hunting for lots again. We will go ahead and put our house on the market. If we sell it before we’re ready, we’ll just have to live in the RV a while longer. I keep thinking of Jim and Mary Ann living in the tiny home in the RV park. They’ve been there two and a half years and seem to really love the lifestyle.
Here is another model we like…The Trinica. We would change a few things…like the backsplash, and there wouldn’t be a loft which will add to the floor space in the kitchen. Where the loft is in the photos, there would be high, open ceilings. I would like the neat walk-in shower I showed you in last week’s pictures.
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In the near future, I am going to do a Connie’s Story bonus chapter. A few people have said they wish I had gone into the history a bit more. I have to agree, so stay tuned for that development.
I am going to attend the Jones County Reunion in Mesa, Arizona in February. Val is going too. My brother, Billy, and our step-dad , Gus, are meeting us there. They went last year and had a great time. I will do my best to relay every spoken word to all of you who hail from anywhere near Jones County, South Dakota. I have three other functions looming (around here) that promise to be a hoot, but I can’t tell you about them yet. Please hang in there with me. I need all of you plus some more. I’m a very self sufficient person, but a very needy blogger.
I have another favor to ask of any of you who have read, We Shall See what We Shall See, Connie’s Story, and/or Dakotah’s Story. I need your honest opinions… or you can say you’re speaking for a friend. Please review the books on Amazon, good or bad. I can take a bad review better than silence.
Mom had a word she used when someone she thought wasn’t very bright had a flash of smartness. She would say, “Well, their not alldumb.” I’m not sure that word applies tonight, Mom.
This meeting is now adjourned. Stay warm and well.
One bit of advice Mom often shared with me was to accept compliments gracefully. In other words, if someone tells you they love your dress, just say, “Thank you. Don’t say, “This old thing?”
She also said not to blurt out how cheap something is. No one needs to know that bit of information. She, however, didn’t follow her own advise. I’ll give you an example.
Several years ago, when Mom came to Texas for a visit, she got to see two of my son, Craig’s, high school football games. He had played three years on a youth team with a group of boys, who now played on his high school team. Consequently, I knew the other mothers we sat with at the game quite well. They were all really nice…and very wealthy.
The first game I took Mom to was a nail biter. We thought we were going to lose when out of nowhere we saw one of our guys running down the field with the ball. We were all clapping and yelling as he put more daylight between him and the other team. We were pretty excited when Craig’s team won the game.
It wasn’t until I was at work the next morning that I noticed the diamond had fallen out of my wedding ring. I was just sick about it. Two of my work friends took me to the high school football field where we crawled around under the bleachers searching for the little stone, but it was not to be found.
That night I told Mom and Kip that I was going to the mall to have a cubic zirconium stone put in my ring setting. We didn’t have a lot of extra money to replace the diamond, so I thought it was a good solution. I didn’t really care if it didn’t have a real diamond in it anyway. I just wanted to wear my ring.
The next night, when we got to the second game, Mom looked at all the rich moms and yelled, “You all have to see Mary’s ring!! She put a fake diamond in it and it only cost her forty dollars.”
I had that “fake” diamond in my ring setting for twenty years. Kip had it replaced for my birthday not too many years ago.
Why did I tell you that long story? It’s because I’m about to give it up again.
Today, Kip had to go to a couple of places to look for a replacement for one of the blinds that broke when he was cleaning it. I rode along and asked him to drop me off at a local thrift store that I very seldom frequent. They were having a ‘pay by the pound’ sale.
Here are pictures of what I got for $6.50.
This sweater is what I would call a sage green color. The quality is very good. I threw it in the washer and dryer and it came out beautifully.
This navy blue, (wool), pea coat was part of my “pay by the pound” purchase. The long sleeved T-shirt, grey jeans, scarf and ankle boots are all Goodwill purchases.
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Here are some other things I have purchased in the past several months. Everything I’m wearing except the brown boots is a thrift store purchase. All were new or nearly new.
Remember I told you when we got our house finished, we were going to be minimalists? We intend to keep it very simple and uncluttered. I’m using all white pieces I bought at Goodwill for 2-3 dollars to stage our living room.
I will post more pictures when we’ve totally finished with the cleaning and have it all put back together. We’re hoping that will be tomorrow night.
I was sick most of the day. In fact, I managed to take a two hour nap, and felt a whole lot better when I woke up. I hope the sick feeling I’ve been struggling with is behind me.
I have things to report and new ideas to write about, but first things first, right?
One last comment. I think Mom would have been proud of my $6.50 purchase and blabbed it to the world. She always said, “If Mary has $5.00, she puts it on her or in her.” She was right, but the way I shop, clothes are cheaper than food.
I’m sure I have confused you enough for one night. We’re going to see the models in Rockwall tomorrow, so some things could change.
Enough of the past, for now. Here’s an update on the tiny house progress. (Little did Mary Francis, the younger, know that someday she would be living in a tiny house in Texas. I don’t think she would have understood.)
Does anyone know anything about the cabbage soup diet? It sounds yummy.
Those 70ish Girls 