When Life Gives You Broken China, Make A Mosaic

I was at a yard sale a few weeks ago and purchased this amazing hope chest for $40.00.

The woman who sold it to me asked for my name and phone number.

“I know I have the key and original paper work on it, so I’ll contact you when I find them,” she said.

Wouldn’t you know it, about a week later I received a phone call from Loretta.

“Can you come over this weekend to pick up the key and paper work on the hope chest,” she said. “I’m moving on Sunday to Seattle and want to make sure you have it.”

Mayer and Reef and I drove over to her place. Loretta was so sweet to us. After she gave me the key and paper work she took me into the garage.

“Anything in here you can just take,” she said.

Mayer and Reef instantly ran to a bucket of trucks and balls she had in the corner. Loretta pulled me aside, anxious to show me something that was obviously important to her.

“This is my box of broken china,” she said as she opened several drawers.

“I make mosaics and this is my collection of broken crystals, china and pottery. I want you to have it because there’s no way I can take it with me.”

Now I know nothing about mosaics, but I loved what I saw. I felt a new passion burning just looking at the different pieces.

“I could learn how to make mosaics,” I thought to myself.

So, I brought home about 100 pounds of broken china and here it sits in my garage. Everytime I pass it I have the thought, “When life gives you broken china, make a mosaic.”

This Sunday, the counselor’s sister, Amber and her boyfriend Stuart came over for dinner. Amber plays so sweet with Reef. They sat on the floor and played with this straw and a raisin for about an hour.

Later, Reef decided to do a little male-bonding with Stuart; soccer punch style.

Due to my current huge belly, I haven’t done much grocery shopping , so dinner was a bit sparse.

I suggest hamburgers, certain I had meat, buns and condiments to spare.

Well, I pulled out the ground turkey, lettuce (a little wilted on the edges, but no one seemed to notice), purple onion, tomatoes, pickles, cheddar cheese, but to my horror . . . I only had squished hot dog buns.

“Don’t sweat it,” Stuart said as he took charge in the kitchen. “I’ll make the hamburgers in the shape of hotdogs.”

He did just that and they were delicious.

I had the thought “When life gives you hot dog buns, shape your hamburger meat into the shape of hotdogs.”

With this in mind, I thought I’d share some of my highs and lows from EBay this past week because when life gives you a bad EBay sale you have a great one to contradict it.

I found this Coldwater Creek dress for $1.00 and posted it on EBay for $9.99. It didn't sell the first week, so I dropped the price to .99 cents. IT DIDN"T EVEN SELL. I might play the game, but I don't make the rules.

These Gap XL overalls were purchased at Goodwill on 1/2 off day for $3.50. They sold on EBay for $27.99. Oddly enough, I wasn't too surprised. Overalls are always an instant hit on EBay.

I found this Coldwater Creek outfit on $1.00 day at Goodwill. The entire outfit was $1.00. It sold for $14.99. Lucky for me.

Hanna Andersson is usually a big sale, but this darling little baby boy outfit didn't budge. Better luck next time.

Another pair of Gap overalls, another success story. This pair of large overalls sold for $26.00.

I found this women's Harley Davidson Medium Shirt. On most days, this would have sold for at least $9.99, but this week it didn't even sell for .99 cents.

These Old Navy Size 20 Board shorts seem like nothing too special, but they sold for $15.50. Let the summer begin.

Ebay has its good days and bad days, but in the end, I always come out ahead. Even with my non-sales, my profit for the week was over $200.00. How can you argue with that! Don't worry. I'll relist the other items. They'll sell and that will be a whole other experience for me to write about.

Payson Rocks

Everyday on his way to school, Payson walks by a house with a rock yard.

He usually stops and admires the variety or rocks, wondering which have crystals or diamonds inside. He’ll hold them up to the sun and watch them sparkle. He loves rocks, but he especially loves these rocks, I think because they are so accessible. Most days he begs “Mom, can I please bring this one home.”

He holds up a rock, certain this one is the treasure.

I remind him they are not our rocks and if he took some home everyday, there’d be no more rocks in our neighbor’s yard.

This type of rational thinking does not go over well with a 7 year old boy holding a rock he really wants.

Last week, this situation took a drastic turn. It turned to tears.

“Why are you crying,” I ask Payson when he walks in the front door after school.

“I wish I could have those rocks,” he says.

Sometimes a mother has to take matters into her own hands.

“You want rocks?” I say, sounding like a military sergeant determined to win a war, “Then rocks you will have.”

I pile 5 kids, one dog and a huge box into the car and off we drive to the gorgeous desert of Lehi, Arizona. It takes all of 5 minutes to get there, but before our eyes is a desert full of rocks.

Rocks for Payson to discover.

My little hunter and gatherer, bringing home his treasured rocks.

Now the rocks sit in our front yard and everyday he breaks several open with a hammer. He runs inside to show me the sparkles inside his rocks, but I just see the sparkle in his eyes. I love you, buddy.