Second Hand Ramblings

Well, this weekend flew by! Nothing terribly exciting, but it was nice, and sometimes that’s exactly what you need.

We spent a little time with the kids Friday night, although I wasn’t feeling great for a while. I’m fine now, though, so all is good.

We had talked about going bowling tonight, but the kids weren’t interested. With school tomorrow, they probably didn’t want to spend the evening at a bowling alley. They’re at that age where they still enjoy doing things with us, but they also have friends they’re constantly talking to and don’t want to be gone too long. I get it.

Honestly, it worked out fine for me. Gary and I would usually rather be home anyway, especially after he’s worked all day. I love that he was willing to take everyone bowling, but the kids made the decision for us, and I never even had to get out of my pajamas today. Can’t complain about that.

I didn’t talk to many people today, except my sister-in-law. Her husband had several jobs to bid on, so we ended up on the phone yakking while she packed up some things she’d bought for me last week.

She’s my antiquing partner in crime, even though we don’t live close enough to shop together in person. There’s a V Watts Trade Mart and a Purple Cow near her, so sometimes I tag along on FaceTime while she shops. If I see something I like, she’ll grab it for me. If I’m unavailable, she knows my taste well enough to find things she thinks I’ll love and ship them my way.

We’ve turned long-distance thrifting into a little hobby.

The funny thing is that we’re both germaphobes. Neither of us is interested in secondhand clothing, especially shoes. Absolutely not. Puke. But we love hunting for unusual, interesting, higher-end pieces. She’s especially good at it and researches inventory online before she goes, looking for things worth checking out.

I have a few places around here where I can find nice things, but goodness, the prices! Some shops have beautiful merchandise and recognizable brands, but they’ve gotten carried away with what they charge. I love a good secondhand treasure, but I’m not paying practically retail for somebody else’s stuff.

The shops near her seem to have much better deals, and sometimes she finds things that are downright underpriced. That makes the hunt even more fun.

What I enjoy most is that it’s become something we do together. She genuinely collects several types of things, while I’ve never been much of a collector. I just like unusual, eclectic pieces that catch my eye. My taste is a little bit of everything, and somehow it all makes sense to me.

We’ve been saying forever that we’re going to visit their new house in Denham Springs for a weekend, but everyone always seems to have something going on. I’d love to make it happen over spring break or sometime this summer. They’re planning to come here first, but I want to get back to Louisiana to see people, visit places, and take care of a few things on my agenda. We haven’t been back in a long time, so hopefully we’ll get there eventually.

For now, most of the things I’m buying are going straight into boxes for our next house.

Since we’re planning to move next year, there’s no point in continuing to decorate this one. We’ll eventually be painting, preparing it to show, and packing away almost everything except the basics. Still, that hasn’t stopped me from shopping for my future home.

I don’t know what the next house will look like or where these pieces will go, but that’s part of the fun. If I find something I love, I’ll figure out its place later. Hopefully, we’ll have more space, which opens up all kinds of possibilities.

I’m enjoying collecting little pieces for a home I haven’t even seen yet. When we finally settle somewhere new, I’ll have a completely blank canvas, and as an artist, I can’t think of many things more exciting than that.

Anyway, I think that's enough rambling for one Sunday night. I'm getting sleepy, and Monday will be here before we know it. Nothing particularly eventful happened this weekend, but I wouldn't change a thing.

Hope everybody has a wonderful week ahead.

Goodnight, y’all.