Throw pillows with a funny story

Setting the stage:

People who know me {personally} know I say and do things that most normal people only think of saying or doing.  It's just who I am.  Please note that I do have a [semi] filter so the things I say/do are often pretty funny (not rude).... even if only to myself.  (some laugh with... some laugh at... but either way, it's all good...cause they laugh... right?!)

So here's where this is going:

Back in April, our very large community had a very large garage sale.  Man, oh man!!  I am SUCH a sucker for garage sales!  BUT since we just moved here, and I had a. lot. of crap to dispose of {and I needed some moola to CMA (cover my a$$) for all the "goodies" I've been collecting for the new house} I desperately needed to have my own sale.

  Needless to say, to hold my own, was going to prove to be quite a challenge for me.  I told my best sister-friend that I was going to have Josh run ours, while I went out and shopped!  (because that is just sooo like me!)

 Well, I don't think the hubs found a lot of humor in that~ sooo I ran ours.  

To ensure I would actually HAVE mine, and not skip out and shop,  I teamed up with my best gal pal and brought all my crap to her house!  After we set up, at the freakin butt crack of dawn, the shoppers arrived.  I made small talk with a sweet lady that was scoring big on some of my schtuff, throwing ideas around with her as she was decorating her new home.  She left... went next door and did some more shopping.  My gal pal and mom encouraged me to go over there and see what they had, but I declined.  I was determined I was going to actually PROFIT, not break even. That my getting up at 5am was certainly not going to be for nothin'!

About the time I was saying "nooo.. that's ok...",  I see my new found friend walking across the street to her car carrying a set of black and white pillows I HAD. TO. HAVE!

{this is where my "unique-borderline-cahRAZY" personality kicks in}

I freaked!! 

I gasped!! 

I HAD to get them!

I began muttering run on sentences like "OMGSH, they would totally match my decor", "Holy CRAP!  I've been looking for that print!!", "I'm gonna do it!  I'm buying them from her!"

 

So I grabbed some money out of my {profit} box and ran over to her..  

As she was putting the pillows that I had to have in her car, I was like 

"HEY!  WOW!  I LOVE those pillows!!! Do you really, really love them???"  

She looked at me all wide-eyed and befuddled... (I'm not crazy lady...chill with deer in the head lights looks, already)  

She murmured something like "ummmmmm no?????"   

So I asked her what she paid.  

She said $2.... 

TWO DOLLARS?!?!  As in a dollar a piece TWO DOLLARS?!?!

  

(y'all.... please know... in my head... I AM becoming the Ikea lady!!)   

So, I offered her $5 if she'd sell them to me.

And she DID!

GAHHH!!!!!

   **watch this now for the full affect!**

 I GOT THE PILLOWS!!

I. GOT. THE. PILLOWS!!!!

WOOOO HOOOO!!!!!!!

By now, my mom and BGP were hysterical!  They about peed their pants!

I have no shame, people.

None. 

Bet by now, you're SUPER curious to see these coveted pillows, aren'cha?!

First... here's my couch pillows and why I needed the garage sale pillows....

And here's what the garage-sale-pillows-that-I-bought-off-another-person-who-already-bought-the-pillows pillows look like....

For $2.50 a piece!  

Oh... I forgot to mention.. 

They had never, even ONCE, been used!

See why I just HAD to have them?!  

They. are. perfect!

Have you ever done something so off the wall that you can't help but giggle (even if it's only on the inside) every time you think of it?!

hugs,

k.

Body armor, heart armor, mind armor... bc it all takes a beating sometimes.

If there's one thing I have learned over the past umpteen weeks of not blogging ((truth be told there's actually A LOT I've learned, but let's highlight this one thing first)) it is that life is incredibly unpredictable.

I mean, there you are... going about your day... and then BAM!  A curve ball.  One you weren't quite prepared for.  One that didn't necessarily knock you down, but certainly made you stumble.

So, you grab a catcher's mitt and get ready for the next one.  Only the next one is not a ball.  It's a friggin 2x4.... and it done hit 'cha square in the gut.... took your breath away even.

But you manage to muster on.... now wearing your catchers mitt, your batters helmet, your nut cup cleats, your umpires chest/body guard pad thing; you know.. all the gear you'll need for curve balls and 2x4's.

Then it happens... again.  Only this time it's the rug that gets pulled out from underneath your feet and you go down haaaard... with a THUD!  Flat on your back.  The wind really gets knocked out of ya this time.  So there you lay.  Looking up.  Reflecting.  Praying.  Realizing....

You have survived.  You have survived it all.


And you are grateful.

Because in that moment, you realize how you survived.

It's stronger than that catcher's mitt, that batters helmet, those nut cup cleats, that umpires chest/body guard pad thing.  It's even stronger than the fibers of the rug that always gets pulled out from beneath your feet.

You survived because you have on you the full armor of God.
Without it...  you also realize, you could not survive a single day with even a morsel of peace.

And you are grateful.

**********************************************************************************

We are standing on our feet now, and getting settled into our new home.  Things are good and are moving a tad faster than a snails pace. So, soon... I'll snap some picts of what I've been up to in our house, what I've decorated and redecorated (and will still redecorate, I am positive) and share them with you all.

Til then....

Ephesians 6:10-18.... Rock on!

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

hugs,

k.

Clarity and the value of family

Oh good grief.... Life sure can knock ya clean off your feet!!  

This is not going to be a happy-go-lucky post... it's real life.  My life.

On top of my house being on the market (which can be ridiculously stressful), my husband moving to his new job, me left to parent 3 teenage daughters and ALL that goes along with that (I don't EVEN want to elaborate.)....

My grandfather passed away.

It was somewhat suddenly and we weren't really at all prepared.  Not that you ever are.  We found out after the fact, that he had Leukemia and has known about it.  He chose to either protect his family from the diagnosis or was in denial himself... but either way... It was not a peaceful way to go.
He and my grandmother have been married for 65 years!  Can you even fathom that?!  So surreal... and inspirational!  She is soo incredibly strong and she has a love for Jesus that is remarkable! I know in my heart that she's gonna be ok.

The gift my grandfather left us with was a family reunion that was looooong over-due!  I have not seen a side of my family in almost 14 years and MAN!  We have missed out on so much!  TIME is something that once it's gone... it's gone.  There are no do-overs, no rewinds!  BUT we have the ability to pick up where we left off and cherish one another.  Second chances are the BEST because it helps us realize the value of what we stand to loose. 

hugs.

k.

My Hiatul Come Back

I like the phrase "hiatul come back". To my ears, it has a sort of ring. So I used it despite the little red squiggle line under hiatul... I'm a rebel like that ;) So please know that I know it's a Kristy-ism.

Ok... down to the nitty-gritty... This thing called LIFE~
Since I am not only using my blog as a crafty-fun blog, but also as a "doing real life" blog I will attempt to make a long story short... but since I am not really known for being a woman of few words, I highly doubt it's possible ;)
This is what life has been like for us for the past 6 weeks.. And just to set the ground work... GOD IS GOOD PEOPLE!! HE IS SO GOOD!

My 18 yr old daughter has been diagnosed with Lupus. Autoimmune diseases run in my family (I actually have hypothyroidism secondary to Grave's disease/Hyperthyroidism after having my thyroid eradicated in 2000). Tho the weight of the diagnosis for her was so heavy and so scary and so heart-breaking, let me tell you how good God is..
A year ago we had Jordan tested for anemia because she began bruising super easy.. to the point of "where in the world did this come from" easy. Tests were negative.. blood looked fine. Fast forward a year... She was put on antibiotics in August. Three days after taking her first dose she began aching, her joints began to painfully swell and she was unable to walk comfortably due to the pain in her feet. I took her to the dr and had blood tests run. Tests showed a positive reading for ANA (Lupus). Her dr. said it is most likely a drug reaction and discontinue the antibiotics. However, the blood tests also showed she had a very low platelet count and that concerned him. A normal count is 142,000 to roughly 400,000. Hers were 19,000. Dr. put her on a low dose of Predisone to elevate her platelet count. After a day or two of being on the Predisone, all symptoms subsided. Life was back to being good :) We went back to the dr. a week later for another blood test. Platelets were up to 124,000. Good news, right!? Well, the following week when we had to return for another blood test, her platelet count was at 14,000. Umm..Not so good news! She was dangerously at risk of hemorrhaging bc your platelets are what clots your blood. Hers are not high enough to clot. We saw a Hematologist immediately which led to more blood tests (and a high dose RX of Prednisone).... which led us to a Rheumatologist... which led to more blood tests... which led to the confirmation of Lupus. The type of Lupus she has THANKFULLY has NOT settled in her joints. What she experience previously, was indeed a reaction to the meds. It is however attacking her white blood cells/Platelets. This is where the Lupus has settled. She is negative for Rheumatoid arthritis, but positive for Sjogren's (autoimmune disease that produces dry eyes and mouth). She is symptom free of the Sjogren's, thankfully! At her last blood test, her platelets were up to 199,000!!!! ONE HUNDRED NINETY NINE THOUSAND!! THIS IS FANTASTIC news! Her body is responding to the steroids so she is now on the Lupus medication to PRAYERFULLY get her into a remissive state! She has horrible body aches from time to time, which has been explained to us a Pleurisy (an inflammation of the lining in the lungs). Apparently, the two sort of go hand in hand. Massage helps if we do it at early onset. Needless to say... this has been an incredibly emotional journey for us! I know things can ALWAYS be worse... I know this. But this is my baby girl.. my child. It pains me greatly to see my children hurt and to know her life will be altered just deflated me. After MANY MANY prayers, God spoke to my heart. He showed me the silver lining. He showed me that my prayers WERE, in fact, answered! This is what He showed me....
*Had Jordan not had the reaction to the antibiotics, we never would have seen her low platelet level
*Had we not seen the low platelet level, the Lupus would most definitely have settled into another area of her body (her joints)
*Had we not had to rely on the strength that can only come from God, our relationship with Him would not have had the opportunity to grow as it has
*We prayed for healing if it was God's will... but if her body was to have Lupus, we prayed for the BEST cast scenario... and PRAYERS WERE ANSWERED!

I would have to say that not only is our silver lining there... but it SHINES! Thank you Jesus for mercy!

So.. with all of that said... we are in a better place, moving forward with her new "normal" and all is as it is meant to be. And for that, I am thankful.