missing - explaining - thrifting

In case you haven't noticed most of my posts recently have all had one word for the posting title.  I am kind of enjoying the simplicity of it.  Today, though this post couldn't be summed up into one word so I chose to use three simple words to describe the last 24 hours. 

MISSING....

Our last 24 hours started here...

The Daddy-O's beloved Grandmother passed away four years ago this month.  Bug was just a tiny life growing in my belly then.  I was near the end of my first trimester.  I had the pleasure of letting her in on the secret of the babe in my belly a week before she passed.  I think it was just as hard as losing her as it was with my own grandmother. 

The Daddy-O and I have missed her immensely.  We all always take things for granted when we have them.  With the place that the Daddy-O and I are at in our life we sure could use Grandma and her great wisdom. 

EXPLAINING....

Bug and I have been having a lot of conversations lately trying to explain life, death, and God.  It's never easy trying to find the right 'simple' words to explain these things.  I've been to see Grandma a few times since she passed but I have never brought her new flowers and a flag. 

You see the Daddy-O's Grandfather passed long before I came into the family and as I have heard....Grandma liked to keep blue flowers and a flag on Grandpa's grave---blue; because it was his favorite color and the flag; because he was a veteran. 

Yesterday on a whim I packed up the kids and headed on over to Grandma to bring her some new flowers and a flag for Grandpa.   

Squish, though missed out on the fun. 

Now lets come forward to today. 

THRIFTING....

After I dropped the kids off at my parents house this morning I headed on over to my favorite thrift store, The Family Attic.  I hadn't been in there in a while and I was hoping to find some great fabric or bed sheets to add to my growing fabric collection. 

After browsing for awhile I found this buried...

"This" is the plate on the left--the one with flowers.  When Grandma died I was given her collection of these corelle dinner plates.  Instead of keeping them buried in a box I chose to use them.  To me it's like always keeping a little bit of her around.  Well, in using them three or four plates have been broken.  It saddens me but I would rather still have them there always in our presence.  I have thought about going from thrift store to thrift store trying to find them to replenish my collection but the thought of dragging two little boys around in the dead of summer has stopped me from doing so.   

So when I found this plate buried in a collection of other plates I took it as a sign from Grandma saying "thank you" for the flowers yesterday.  Maybe that's kind of corny but I miss her very much and I'll take any little sign (or plate) to let me know that she is still around. 

Here are some of my other thrifty finds....

A pastel blue and cheerfully pink and orange stripped flat sheets.  These will probably hang out in the travel trailer until I find a good use for them in a sewing project.

A 1984 version of Candyland.  HOLLER!!  The newer versions of the games I grew up with just aren't the same.

A late 1980's version of Aggravation.  This was a game my grandparents always had in their motor home and I have many fond memories of sitting in their motor home playing this game with my cousins, sisters and best of all--my Nana.