Confession Time

I have a big ugly confession to make.... I love dollar stores.  There!  I've finally said (written) it!

You have no idea how much I love going to those crazy little stores and pouring over their "made in china" treasures.  My most recent purchase included a pumice stone that was actually made of some sort of hardened styrofoamy rubbery thing.




I also bought some little storage boxes.  These things are THE GREATEST!  I try my best to get organized and somehow it all seems to fall apart but thanks to the dollar store, with all of their storage items, I continue to work on it.

I had this toolbox and the removable insert shelf thing had all of these picture hangers, screw eyes, nails, nuts and bolts floating around in it and every time I'd drop the toolbox or tilt it these things would go flying all over the place.  I first thought of my old standby to contain them - sandwich bags.  But then, I remembered that a woman from church had given me some dried herbs from her garden in some little bitty storage containers.  I had saved the containers so I hunted them down and they WORKED PERFECTLY!


You can find all sorts of little treasures there.  Over the years as I have lived in different locations I've tried all of the local dollar stores and have been very lucky to find really useful things.  Mixing bowls, storage bowls, old movies, ear buds for audio devices, seasonal socks, silk flowers, gift bags, reading glasses to match every outfit.

Boy do I feel better having confessed this weakness.

What are some of your favorite dollar store finds?

I Wanna Ride!

http://instagr.am/p/UW-xLAKX-o/
Reminds me of my childhood.  Indoors and doubledecker!

Resolutions

In October of 2010  Krista Tippett   interviewed His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Professor Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr of George Washington University; the Most Reverend Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori of the Episcopal Church, and Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks of the British Commonwealth for a special program called Pursuing Happiness.  

While listening to that show, I was just captivated by the following statement by Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks....

"The definition of a Jew, Israel is at it says in Genesis 34, one who struggles, wrestles, with God and with humanity and prevails. And Jacob says something very profound to the angel. He says, "I will not let you go until you bless me." And that I feel about suffering. When something bad happens, I will not let go of that bad thing until I have discovered the blessing that lies within it."

He continues...

"When my late father died — now I'm in mourning for my late mother — that sense of grief and bereavement suddenly taught me that so many things that I thought were important, externals, etc., all of that is irrelevant. You lose a parent, you suddenly realize what a slender thing life is, how easily you can lose those you love. Then out of that comes a new simplicity and that is why sometimes all the pain and the tears lift you to a much higher and deeper joy when you say to the bad times, "I will not let you go until you bless me." Thank you."

In 2013 I resolve to be positive.  I resolve to search for and find the blessing within the struggles.