it's the simple things

Frugality is a virtue with its own rewards. Being content with simple pleasures guarantees you can garner your resources for the things that make your heart sing that cost, well, more.

After the flood, when so many of the things we had paid a little too much for ended up in the pile of filth, flotsam and jetsam that were our earthly possessions, we realized the truth in that old adage, "The most important things are not things."

Over the last year and a half, we were blessed to be able to imagine an existence less encumbered by things. It's been a great lesson on living with less, for less. Here's the story of a few things we accumulated for starting over, bargains every one, beginning with the picture above. It hung in the Conner Street rental house as a touchstone, reminding us we would one day return to the lake. Frame & mat, Wal-Mart, $5.00; print, enlargement from magazine illustration, 87 cents.

Wing chairs, garage sale, $30 ea.

Fabric and leather cases, Eastland Drug Moving Sale, $12 and $17, respectively.

Collection of old Bibles, gifted to us from family and friends, priceless.

W's for Jim's study, Hobby Lobby 1/2 price sale, $5, and Double Exposure consignment shop, $4

Stemware, Eastland Drug Moving Sale, 90 cents ea, and Amber's Sale, 1.00 each.

Custom ironing board cover, home sewn from this fabric bought for 50 cents a pound!!

Washing powder canister, Hobby Lobby 1/2 price sale, $25 (Not as big a bargain as most of these things, but the thought of it had been making my heart sing for a long time); scoop, Amber's sale, $1.

French metal plaques, Eastland Drug Moving Sale, $5 ea.

Closet drawer label brackets, e-bay, $2.95 for 6; drawer pull, Wal-Mart, $1

Shoe adoration sign, Amber's sale, $2

Shoe storage, Wal-Mart after-Christmas sale, 45 cents per box; labels computer generated free

Nightstand, Furniture USA, $82; lamp & shade, Wal-mart $14

Headboard--free, new, still in the box in Aaron's Rent-to-Own dumpster (taken with permission).

Sharper Image spice rack, garage sale, $1.50

A motto to live by, Frame and mat, Wal-Mart, sale, $3.00; wording, computer-generated, free.

Pasta bowl, $2.39; oversized dinner plate, $1.99; tan bowl, $1.99; sugar canister $7.00; dinner napkin, sewn from yard goods, 82 cents--all Wal-Mart.

Vase used as umbrella stand, Tuesday Morning, $7.00

Wreath sculpture, Eastland Drug moving sale, $7.00; antique books, cadged from the dumpster, free.

Doorknob shelf, Eastland Drug moving sale, $2.00; aprons, Wal-Mart $5.00 ea., home-made monogram, 27 cents.

Those are a few of my favorite things, and they do make my heart sing. They're fun, but they are just things. God Bless. May you all have so much more than things.