When Steve was a toddler, he tried to take his crib apart with a butter knife. When he was twelve, his parents gave him a motorbike and he took the engine apart. His dad found him in the driveway with pieces laid out everywhere and didn’t scold or reprimand him. He just calmly asked, “Can you put it back together?” And Steve did.
Steve was always encouraged to pursue his love of tinkering and it has paid off hundreds of times in his life.
The apple doesn’t fall far.
Last week, Nathan and Meagan sent us this photo.
Noah and Madison decided to take apart their backyard playset and reassemble it in their playroom.
Here they are, halfway through the process.
And the finished work! (Even though Grayson and Andrew didn’t help they wanted to be in on the celebration photos.)
I couldn’t even do this job and I’m a grownup. Pretty talented kids! (And yes, I AM a proud grandma.)
And speaking of the grandkids, we decided that since Charlotte had a plethora of fallen leaves and Florida had none, we should share some.
When I went to the UPS store with my box of leaves (carefully chosen by Gage for optimal color and shape), the clerk weighed the very light box and asked, “And what is in the box?”
When I replied, “Leaves” his brow furrowed.
I added, “For our grandkids” and the brow unfurrowed.
When I went on to say, “Who live in Florida” a big smile appeared.
As he checked me out he said, “I know they will enjoy them!”
What do you think? Are they enjoying them? (Be sure to watch all the way to the end.)
Gage continues to be a huge help to Steve around the house. Our flooring was delivered recently at the top of our hilly driveway. Steve already had a U-Haul for another job so he and Gage loaded all 2700 pounds of the flooring into the trailer, backed it down the hill, and unloaded it into the basement.
During a quick break, Gage sat in a rocking chair and put on his “old guy” face. He’s always ready for a little drama.
When we bought our king bed 20 years ago, we had a house with a bedroom big enough for it; our next two houses had big bedrooms, too. But this house? The bed made it seem crowded.
(It will be nice to have this “before” picture to compare to when the floors, walls, and curtains are all updated. Also, we haven’t yet found the matching lampshade.)
However, since the bed was fairly expensive, we knew we weren’t going to be able to buy anything similar in a queen size that we would like even half as much with the curved headboard and the cherry wood.
We had just about resigned ourselves to living with the king when I was scrolling through Facebook Marketplace and happened upon the same headboard in a queen size for about 70% less than new. We were thrilled! (We are going to use the same bedspread till we can find one we like in a queen size.)
Steve is still trying to fit his dresser in here so we’re not sure how that’s going to work but we are definitely liking the smaller bed. Hooray for serendipitous finds!
We also found a patio set on Facebook for a great price. You can’t have a deck surrounded by trees without a place to sit!
And speaking of trees, this is about half a block from our house. Trees are my love language; I absolutely adore them.
Sarah and Gage went to his family’s home in Fayetteville this past weekend and had a grand time. Five of the six brothers were there, along with a few unofficially adopted siblings.
Gage even got to play bass guitar in their morning service along with his brothers on keyboard and guitar. It was such an especially significant moment because it was his first time playing bass since he broke the middle finger on his right hand–a finger that is vital to bass playing. He was able to play with no issues, which was an answer to prayer.
If you’ve been reading here any time at all, you know how much I love thrift and consignment stores; Ninety percent of my clothes are pre-loved.
I discovered the most beautiful consignment store I have ever seen. It’s in Belmont, just fifteen minutes from the house. Half of the store contains new items and the other half is consignment. This is the consignment side, believe it or not!
We have been blessed to have a few visitors already. A couple of weeks ago, Buddy and Cheryl Denton, some missionary friends of ours, came for dinner. Cheryl is such a sweet friend and it was so fun to have her and Buddy as our first guests.
And then this past week, Greta, a dear friend from Manteo spent the night on her way to the mountains. We celebrated her birthday and just enjoyed seeing a familiar face!
Tomorrow, my brother and sister-in-law from Minnesota will be arriving for a couple of days. So excited about seeing friends AND family!
I had a chance to take a little trip to the mountains and loved every moment. It’s great to live so much closer to all this beauty.
Well! That was a lot of “things.” And if you made it all the way to the end, you get an official Thing Award.
What about you? Do you remember jumping in the leaves when you were a kid?
What is your favorite season and why?
Mine is fall, just because nostalgic, beautiful, wistful feeling in the air. And it’s a season where I’m reminded that if leaves can become even more beautiful before they die, so can people. (Remembering both of our mothers today.)
Thanks for the “Thing Award”! I always enjoy your Thing posts! I’ve gotten a little behind on reading your blog, but am enjoying getting to catch up tonight. I’m so excited for you to have found the perfect bedroom suite at such a great price. Now to travel out west through your eyes!
Sue Ellen,
Yes, was very pumped to have found a bed at such a good price; I love to find a good bargain!
Fall has always been my favorite season! Primary reasons include the reprieve from hot/humid summer weather, the beautiful changes in the leaves and marching band practices and performances. Lucy and I met in the fall of 1966, our first child was born on the first day of fall in 1976, and our second child was in the fall 1983. As you know, “The Thing” post is always my favorite, especially because of your photos. I loved the photos from your mountain trip! I also enjoyed Gage’s “old man photo.” Please tell Gage if he wants a real old man photo, I’ll be glad to send him a “selfie!” (lol)
Fred and Lucy,
Ha. Love the “selfie” line. You have always got such a great sense of humor.
I can see why you all love fall so much; so many wonderful things have happened in that season–not to mention, it’s just plain beautiful! I am happy to welcome it every single year.
What a creative idea your love-leaf-package is. Your g-kids jumping in them brings back memories of my 5 year old self plunging into similar piles in Blaine, Washington. Still looks fun.
Spring is my favorite season. I’m joyful saying goodbye to coats and cold noses. Blossoms. Birds. Breezes. Yep, love Spring. I’ll hope by then we can browse that delightfully displayed thrift store together. 🙂
Cheryl,
Yep, spring is definitely second on my list; new beauty everywhere.
I look forward to future browsing with you!
Your mountain pictures are beautiful! Watching the kiddos play with the leaves sure brought back a lot of memories of when I was young and also of when my kids were that age and playing in the leaves. Now MY grandkids love to rake up the leaves so that they can jump in them. 🙂 Where I grew up, there weren’t a ton of leaves but definitely enough to rake and jump in. The home we are in now has 6 really huge, great big trees and there are more than enough leaves for playing. I just love the smell of the pile of leaves when you are laying in them. lol
I really do love all of the seasons (yes, including winter!! Colorado girl here…) but I suppose that my favorite would be spring when everything comes back to life, gets green and blooms. Pure heaven!
LeeAnne,
Six large trees would definitely provide plenty of leaf-jumping fun. I love that your grandkids are enjoying raking and jumping!
Winter is fourth on my list but I can imagine if you live in a state with lots of winter sports, it would be easier to love.
Yes, as a child loved jumping in leaves. we would rake them into the ditch to have a larger and deeper pile. What fun. The kids looked like they were having a blast. What a great idea. What a great find on Facebook for that bed. It was just for you! Love those pictures – what a happy camera you have.
Wanted to ask – are you closer to your doctor for your lungs? How are you doing since the move?
Sharyn,
I love the idea of having a happy camera. 🙂
I have an appointment in November to see a new pulmonologist here in Charlotte. I’ll be very glad to not be making a 2-hour trip every time I need to go to the doctor! I’ve been doing okay since the move; maybe noticed a little more difficulty breathing. It will be good to get in to see someone and see where I’m at with everything. Thanks for asking!
Beautiful pictures of the mountains. You’ve gone from beach pictures to mountain pictures.
I think fall is my favorite season also. Besides the beautiful trees, there’s just something about the chill in the air. When I lived in Florida, spring was probably my favorite season as it was flowers and trees were blooming, it was still not too hot – well at least in early spring.
I am impressed with Noah and Madison’s ability to take apart that play set and rebuild it in the playroom.
The consignment shop looks right down your alley!
Phyllis,
I imagine for Floridians spring is a very welcome season with that little bit of refreshing coolness.
Yes, the beach-to-mountains transition has been interesting; I’ve really enjoyed the change of scenery!
I don’t remember jumping into leaf piles as a child as we didn’t have many in southern CA. I love driving around in fall to see the changing leaves now that we moved to MI. Today is actually my 66th birthday so we found a state road 66 to take a drive on. Route 66 would have been more fun, but didn’t feel like a drive to Chicago.
I love the beauty of Fall with all it’s leaves, but I would have to say Winter is my favorite season. I love the snow, the cold, and the stillness of the falling snow.
Love your mountain photos of the tunnels, that looks like a lot of fun…and exercise..
Patti,
Happy belated birthday. I loved that you took a drive on state road 66. That sounds like something I would do! When we go out west, we will definitely be on Rt. 66 here and there. That will be fun!
I’m hoping that in Charlotte we will get more snow. I totally agree with you about watching falling snow; there are few things more beautiful.
How fun to watch your grandchildren play with your leaves, what a great idea. There ate a lot of leaves falling in my neighborhood and I enjoy watching them blow around. Getting ready to settle in for the winter, not my favorite time of year even the snow looks lovely. I am not a fan of being cold!
Cindy,
You brought up a good point. While it’s great seeing the leaves on the trees, it’s also wonderful seeing them swirling down. Such lovely leaf dances.
I too love fall. I am in Minnesota and wished fall lasted longer but I am always amazed at the crisp air and beauty the fall brings, so refreshing. I too love trees, in fact I realized my house picture decor is some form of tree or leaf! Best to you in your new adventure!
Kathy,
I know, right? Fall needs to last five or six months! 🙂
I would definitely love your house since its decor is tree-based. Such a great decorating theme.
What fun for the grandkids! Love their ability to move the play set and to enjoy the leaves together. What I remember about the leaves as a kid was raking them into a floor plan. Eventually they did end up in a pile to be jumped into. These days we just grind them up with our mulching mower. Better for the environment. I did drive by a guy using a leaf blower to low them into the street. Big no-no in our town!
Good luck with all the remodeling! Glad you will be out of town for the worst of it.
Liz,
I love the idea of raking the leaves into a floor plan. That’s the first I’ve heard of that idea but it is such a fun one. I could definitely see our grands doing that if they had a lot of leaves.
I hadn’t even thought about raking leaves into the street being a bad thing to do but I just Googled it and it said in Charlotte, you can be fined for littering! Learn something every day.
Hope you packed the box -pressed down , shaken together, and running over!
Neat we both like trees so much. They are so wonderful to have on this earth. Very thankful for them.
Ruth
Ruth,
Yes, trees are the best. As long as I have a tree within my view, I am happy. I know Mom loved them so much, too.