I've been gone for a while. Ok, a long time. Actually, a year! I can't believe I started one more thing, and then put it on the shelf. Well, I guess I can believe it. Anyway, I'M BACK. It's been a very full year, with my husband, Vince, returning from a year in Iraq, PAIN, Ephraim having his extra kidney removed, multiple doctor appointments (for him and me), moving (30 minutes away) into military housing, PAIN, Ben's return from the USA, Ammon's graduation, Gideon's graduation (in PA), PAIN, five kids home for the summer, and FINALLY (after a year of telling everyone that's what is the matter with me) an official diagnosis of Lyme Disease.
What does any of this have to do with the subject of this blog??? Each of these unique--and stressful--life experiences present opportunities for great SHOPPING. For many of us, stress is the motivator for spending money. Or, shopping is the temporary fix for stress. Just make sure that you're not spending outside your means, or it will be a huge trigger for MORE STRESS. We shop when we're happy. We shop when we're in pain (physical, emotional or spiritual). We shop when we're traveling, moving, celebrating or mourning. Opportunities abound!
A trip to the doctor in Landstuhl (over an hour away) usually results in a detour to European Country Living. www.europeancountryliving.com If you have a chance to visit, you must! They have fabulous furniture and home decor items, specifically targeted at Americans Who Don't Like Contemporary European Furniture. The leather furniture we bought there a couple of years ago was actually made in California, and shipped to Germany. Crazy? Maybe. But certainly attractive and comfortable, which is more than I can say for most sitting implements here. A trip to see the Infectious Disease doctor this summer resulted in our taking advantage of a great ECL sale: EURO = DOLLAR. You can't beat that! So, after twenty years of marriage, we have a lovely new set of bedroom furniture. Solid Acacia wood (not just veneer) at a really good price. It's a bit of a squeeze to fit it into our Military Housing bedroom, but it works. As a bonus, Sophia now has a new (used) queen-sized bed and antique dresser. Which, in turn, gives us a quite comfortable guest room (sorry, Soph!), should we ever have visitors. HINT.
There are so many opportunities to buy cool things when you are moving. For instance, none of the many windows in our new dwelling had ANY kind of covering. So I got to spend hours shopping (physically and virtually) for curtains. HOW FUN IS THAT? I eventually decided that the most attractive, cost-effective and convenient option was right at the PX. I bought long taffeta drape panels, which block the light quite well, for a dang decent price--less than $50 per window. The living/dining area are a lovely rust color. Sophia's room got a mossy green, Ephraim and Noah's are navy, and the master bedroom has kind of an Oxblood red. With a couple of additions from IKEA (sheers), we are all set. I was able to reuse the one set of blue velvet drapes (IKEA) that we had in our other home, and converted a former valance I had made for the kitchen in Gross-Gerau into a long window treatment in the new kitchen. Quite nice.
What about PAIN? What kind of shopping opportunity could that possible provide? After a year of unrelenting pain in my hands and feet, and many days that I can't even get out of bed, I have found one thing that can (usually) distract me, at least temporarily, from the pain. As you have already heard, I love the German flohmarkts. When I'm driving down the road and see a big, florescent sign that says "HUETE: Trodelmarkt (or flohmarkt), something just takes over, and my car automatically follows the signs. Huete means TODAY, and so I seize the day! In addition to the very cool UGLY West German vases (and I have added quite a few to my already sizable collection), I have found several nice little old oil paintings. For very little Euro, which is always the goal! Most recently, I discovered a great treasure. An antique PFAFF treadle sewing machine in an oak cabinet. For an avid (rabid?) quilter like me (I also own a very modern PFAFF), that was a golden flohmarkt moment. After a bit of cleaning and polishing, I have a beautiful antique. I just need to fix or replace the leather belt, and it will be totally functional (which is more than I can say for myself)! It was made in Germany in the late 1800's. It cost 65 EURO, and the guy delivered it for an extra 10. That's less than $100. Heck of a deal!
Yes, my home is beginning to bulge. Our current home is smaller than our former one. That means I have to get rid of some things that I love a bit less, or that I know someone else will love enough to make it worth parting with. Come to visit me, and you're likely to go home with a bag (or suitcase) of goodies. After all, I do need to keep shopping!
