OK, HERE'S THE REST OF THE STORY...

Greetings, dear friends! Thanks for hanging with me while I took time to get my wits about me...I wanted to be in tip top storytelling condition to share with you the most wonderful day I've had...

It started out not so great...raining, storming, awake since 3 a.m...undaunted, I still went for my 5K training at 6. I did feel better afterward...however...

On the way home I drove by a few neighborhood yard sales...and found a 2 piece DREAMY AQUA piece of furniture...(God thing #1)

Without stopping to give it a closer look, I headed IMMEDIATELY to the ATM and withdrew $100. (Hubby dear and I have an arrangement...any purchase less than $100 we do not have to discuss with one another). Okay...so I was prepared to pay $100 and no more. I'd haggle if I had to...(although doing so would have caused me something akin to a full blown anxiety attack) but I'd do it if necessary. I stiffened my resolve and and marched up to the "dream-come-true" piece and saw the price tag...$50! WOW...REALLY?!?! (God thing #2) I whipped out the cash and paid the matron in charge and told her I was going to take my dog home and then I'd be back to pick up and haul it home.

Meanwhile, when I got back, a woman had just gone up to the cabinet and saw that it had a sold sign on it...I got there just in time to hear her say, "Oh shoot. That is a beautiful cabinet...but I really don't know where I'd put it anyway..."

She asked how I was going to get it home and pointed to the PT Cruiser. I had the seats down, the windows open, and by golly I was going to get it home if I had to strap it on top of the car like a prize buck!

She said, "How far away are you?" I told her a block and she said, "Oh my goodness, just throw it in the back of my truck..." (God thing #3) I told her she was too kind and went to get the cabinet portion and haul it to the car...at which time the yard sale matron said, "Hey, don't lift that...I'll get my son and brother in law to put it in the truck..." (God thing #4) and so they did and the woman who volunteered her truck said she had just recently had back surgery, and would they mind riding along to unload it? AND SO THEY DID. (God thing #5)

WELL, once here, the two helpers scampered away as quickly as they could, so as not to get "shanghai'ed yet again. NOW,the "blue monstrosity" (as my two makeshift movers called it) was MY problem...

The microwave cart was fortunately on wheels, and so made its way out to the hot tub relatively quickly...(God thing #6) and the desk or bottom portion of the cabinet was not heavy and scooted nicely. OH NO! I hadn't even MEASURED to see if it would fit in the space! By faith I pushed it into the assigned spot and voila! 3 inches to spare! HOORAY! (God thing #7)

And now there's the troublesome task of getting that hutch on top of the cabinet...(Hubby dear was away today, and I wanted to do all the work myself, and surprise him when he gets home) so I just HAD to find a way to move it myself...don't you see that?!?

(It occurred to me that I didn't measure the top part either...what if it's too tall? What if it's too wide? What if it won't...) I decided not to worry about that and instead to think of a way I could hoist the rather heavy top onto the base unit. Hmmmmm what was it that guy said, "Give me a lever and I'll move the world?" Okay...a lever. I went out to the garage and found 2 1x4s and tried several angles and configurations...and then...and THEN...I DID IT! IT FITS! IT FITS! (God thing #8) And what about the microwave?! ABSOLUTELY PERFECT FIT...(God thing #8)

A wonderful porcelain top with drawers and shapely legs...behold:





And the top to display all my red/aqua/retro goodies (can you hear angel choirs singing? I CAN!):

This will be the "holiday cubby". I will keep current crafts in this section...I made the pinwheels and the tall "Uncle Sam" hat. I simply taped striped paper around a tall thin glass, and then cut a circle out of starred paper for the "brim." I made 7 pinwheels in all...

And remember this chair?



Now it has a permanent home!











A drawer for my vintage linens!

Now I have my blinds, my vintage metal table and chairs, and now my hoosier-esque cabinet!

See the pinwheels with the vintage straws? The printed PDF came from Skip To My Lou! Aren't they great? I added a little daisy sticker in the middle to hide the brad. The darling salt and pepper birdies came from my kids for mother's day...they were black and white and just BEGGING to be painted red and aqua!

I suppose you could assume that all of today's happenings were lucky "happenstance", but I prefer to believe God knew I needed a little "pick me up" today, and went about orchestrating the universe to comply. With so many God things happening in one day...I'm feeling quite the spoiled little girl of the Daddy of the Universe!

Thanks for sharing in the joy! I couldn't WAIT to get it home to take pictures to show you!

Hugs and kisses,
Paula Clare