Finally Home

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I am not sure if I had mentioned it, but I began working at another store that desperately needed an assistant manager as she had been without one for seven months. It is a much smaller store but just as busy as the one I originally worked at. Anyway, I started coming out to this store in Hampstead on July 22 and eventually took a full-time position there. I love my new boss and the rest of the staff. The only problem with the new position was the distance from home. I was spending $80.00 a week just for gas. So, I had to move closer to the job.

So, I moved to Hampstead into a much smaller apartment. The beauty is I am literally 2 minutes from leaving my development to pulling into the parking lot where the store is. I ran on a single tank of gas for three weeks. I didn’t buy gas until the 29th of November when I drove out to Raleigh with a friend to see Home Free in concert. The concert was awesome by the way. I have had a few clips of them performing on my blog before. Here is one of my favorites.

From left to right it’s Adam Rupp, Tim Foust, Austin Brown, Adam Chance, and Rob Lundquist

I just love these guys, but if I am honest Austin’s voice really gets to me.

I am still getting settled. I have my bathrooms and my bedroom just about done. My kitchen is tiny and it has almost no storage so I am trying to be creative with a solution, Two of the apartments would fit into the one I moved from. I am looking for a cabinet that will fit in the hallway from the kitchen to the guest/sewing room. If I can find the right one I think things will be just fine. I am getting rid of a lot of stuff. I have several sewing machines that I have sold and will be delivering them to the Charlotte area this month. I also have sold my long-arm quilter. I am sad to get rid of it, but if I am being honest I don’t want to make any more big quilts and can do small pieces on my other machine. After I get them out of here things should fall into place just fine.

So I am off today and decided to try to catch up with what is going on in the blogosphere and my WordPress family. I have missed it. I am already starting to list my goals for next year and becoming more consistent blogging is high on my list.

Can you believe it is almost Christmas? The time is flying. I got my tree up and got the lights on it and the ornaments made it to the living room when I saw my laptop charger sitting next to the sofa so decided to hop on and write a post. Truth be told, I needed to sit down for a bit to catch my breath. You know how that goes, right? I turned 72 in September. How did that happen? In my mind, I am still in my 30’s. My husband has been gone for 7 years. My grandchildren are 18, 16, and 14 and the baby in the family will be 9. I have finally learned to live on my own even though I never thought I would be able to do it. Life gives us curves to be navigated and mountains to climb but it also gives us the beauty of close friends and great acquaintances, and with God’s grace the strength and courage to live a good life. Ya’ll are part of my life in a special way and I am happy to be home again.

Stupid Questions

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Brought to you by Reena’s Xploration Challenge #294

  • The dividing line
  • Threshold
  • Twilight Zone

As many of you know I work in a Dollar Store. Well, actually that isn’t quite right anymore since our base price is now $1.25. This brings me to the first Stupid Question of the day. When is the Dollar Tree going to change its name to the Dollar And A Quarter Tree? Well, I don’t know I answer. You still spend dollars here right? I call this question the dividing line because I can still get people to wrap their heads around the concept that inflation doesn’t equate to changing a thirty-year-old name of a business, afterall it would take so many lawyers and dollars to change all of the ownership papers, stock documents not to mention we might never get paid again.

Now this next question has met my threshold for the stupidity question of the day. When are they going to change the name of the store to More Than A Dollar Tree? It is at this point that I smile with gritted teeth and as nicely as I can explain the same concept as above and then deal with the indignant response that the name of the company is promoting false advertising. I then smile, hand them their change, and wish them a good day.

But, then sure as it’s almost closing I arrive at the Twilight Zone. In walks, a guy who is about 75 and he starts complaining about the fact that you can’t get anything for a dollar anymore. Now, this gentleman shops at my store every night between 8:30 and closing and he goes through the same routine. One item totaling 1.33 because of the tax, wants his receipt, no bag and he rings the bell on the counter announcing he can’t just spend a dollar anymore.

All of a sudden, you got it, the music starts…

At this point, I asked him when he ever spend just a dollar at the Dollar Tree. He says before they raised the price. I look him square in the eye and tell him he never just spent a dollar since there has been a tax on that dollar for 30 years! At that, he looks at me as if I just solved the mystery of the universe.

In the meantime, every other person in the store is in hysterical laughter. One woman has tears streaming down her face. My fellow employees are hiding in the back because they are not sure if this is the day I will finally lose it screaming wildly as I walk out the door.

Yup, I work in the Twilight Zone.

My Trip To The Office

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Maggie is our host and these are her questions for today. Do you love to argue your point or do you choose to avoid debate? I feel some conflict is unavoidable. What do you think? Are you outspoken on the state of the world? Does dialogue help or hurt? Have you ever known situations when you were compelled to ‘step into the fray’? When periods of conflict have subsided, how do you recover, re-center, and return to a place of tranquility?

Do you love to argue your point or do you choose to avoid debate? I will argue if there is an important issue that needs to be settled. However, most of the time I walk away because most things aren’t that important.

I feel some conflict is unavoidable. What do you think? I agree. There are times when conflict is unavoidable. In my position at work, I often have to correct some action or behavior which can lead to a conflict. It’s part of the job, but I do try to be as considerate as possible while doing so.

Are you outspoken on the state of the world? Does dialogue help or hurt? I am usually quiet about the world’s situation unless I am asked what I think. Then I will add my two cents to the conversation. I often learn other points of view when discussing these issues which I find very helpful. It’s always good to get a new perspective.

Have you ever known situations when you were compelled to ‘step into the fray’? I remember one time when I was in high school. There was a girl in one of my classes who was slow. There were also a few girls who were nothing but trouble makers and they set their sights on this poor girl. Well, they were absolutely awful to her. I kept my mouth shut for a day or two, then I stepped in. The teachers ignored their behavior. It all came to an end with me in the office and a call placed to my father. My dad walked into the office and asked me what was going on. I explained that this group of girls had been picking on this very sweet slow girl and the teaching staff just ignored the situation. At lunch that day those nasty girls took her food and smeared it all over her face.

That was the last straw for me. I got up and stopped it. I hit the leader in the face. She wound up with a black eye. The other two girls backed off. This poor girl who was completely humiliated was in tears. I was attempting to take her to the lavatory to help her get cleaned up, when a teacher grabbed me and took me to the office.

After I told my dad what had happened, he verified it with the disciplinarian. He then asked her what the heck was going on in that school and looked at me and said get your stuff you are leaving. That afternoon I was registered into a new school.

I do think that there are times when we must step in. The above situation is probably the worst situation I have ever been involved in but I would do it over and over again in the same situation. I believe we have to take care of each other and if you witness someone who is being abused and those in charge are not doing anything to stop it you have to step in.

Who Am I?

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Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge #214

The image is from Viktor Forgacs at Unsplash.
Where did all my pieces go?
My arm and hands and pretty hair bow?
My face is dirty.
My eyes are dim.
What has happened to me is a sin.

All alone lying here,
To fade away unnoticed.
My hair a fright, my makeup smeared.
My clothes!  Who knows where?
What has happened to the life I knew?

I was a star, once upon a time.
A perfect damsil, a down right doll.
My favorite color, pink for sure.
My favorite guy was handsome Ken.
Where is he now I'd like to know?

I guess my fame has run its course.
There'll be others I have no doubt.
But will they, can they grab the hearts of young girls?
Who knows? 
Because there is only one Barbie!

Another Day At The Dollar

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Things Challenge #M294

Today’s words are LAX, LAPSE, and TIRED.

Yesterday was Easter and I had to work. It’s mind-boggling to me why a dollar store had to be open on such a holy day but it was. I can’t say it was financially beneficial, but it’s not my company.

One of the things I grow tired of at work is the total lack of discipline displayed by parents with their children. Yesterday, for instance, a woman was shopping with two young boys about 5 or 6 years old. Now, first of all, it was Easter and I am sure that those boys would rather have been home enjoying an Easter egg hunt, but their mom had to go shopping.

As this woman was standing in line to pay for her purchases her boys were taking everything off of the shelves by the register. She just kept saying, pick that up! She never moved. There was product all over the floor. Then the boys took pool noodles out of the box and were having a sword fight which further knocked more stuff all over the floor. Again, she just kept yelling put that away.

Needless to say, if they had been my children, I would have given them a swift slap on their bottoms and made them clean up their mess. I also would not have gotten them the sweet treats momma had for them. But that is me. After all the yelling by the mother, and after her bill was paid the three of them left the store leaving behind a mess.

In what world is this acceptable behavior? I am so weary of the lapse in the discipline of parents today. Don’t they realize that these kids are going to grow up and become our future? How will they function if they don’t learn respect and discipline? My cashier and I just shook our heads and cleaned up the mess.

I had a nice surprise yesterday, my daughter Samantha and her husband Stephen stopped in to say Happy Easter. I am a lucky mom for sure.

Happy Yellow

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Today’s One Word Sunday” word is Yellow.

Photo from Clipart Library

I am not really a fan of Yellow. I could never wear the color so I have spent most of my time avoiding it. Add to that the color attracts bees. I am allergic to bee stings. So, I keep my distance. We had a pool when we were raising our kids so we spent many summer hours in the backyard. The only flowers I used around the pool were marigolds. The bees don’t like them.

When I see the daffodils blooming I know the long winter has ended. They make me happy and I fall in love with yellow for a while. It’s like the daffodils are looking at me playing the trumpet announcing the warm weather is on its way. And that nature is awakening and getting ready to color our world leaving the white blankets behind. Don’t get me wrong, I think that winter is beautiful in its own way too.

It’s Easter today and no Easter would be complete without a peep or two. Dollar Tree had stuffed peeps this year and I just had to have one, well actually I got three! A pink one and a blue one too. LOL And of course the original color was yellow. It’s a shame they didn’t make the original peep which was the chick. I can just hear my kids when I leave this world talking about all the crazy things I have accumulated.

Here’s the whole gang of peeps!

This was a fun challenge and I appreciate that all of you wonderful people here on WordPress run these challenges. It helps me with my blogging so much.

Happy Easter to all and I wish you all of the blessings Christ has to give you during this Easter Season.

Catching Up

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pensitivity101Three Things Challenge #M289

The three words for today are SECRET, HIDDEN, and STASH.

Work has been busy the past few months. More and more responsibility has been transferred to me. So I have been offline for over a month, which I can’t believe. Time passes so quickly as we get older.

As the full-time assistant manager, I train new people, recover the store, return the collected products to the shelves, clean the bathrooms, take the trash out, give exceptional customer service, pack away seasonal products not sold, process damaged products, accept deliveries, respond to the cashier’s call for backup, process exchanges, check large bills, and many other issues that come up including working by myself until closing if my cashier calls out.

The thing is, I like my job, and have no problem with doing hard work. I do, however, have a problem with the hidden agenda the company has adopted to get more work completed with fewer people to do it. It sets up a situation for failure. Know what I mean?

I have also been busy at home going through the fabric stash I have accumulated over the years. I have not had much time to quilt. So I have decided to part with much of it. I have contacted the guilds to donate some fabric to their outreach projects. Once I clear out some of it, I will feel more like sewing again. Right now, in my apartment, it just seems overwhelming.

I have also had some health issues arise. I have had trouble with my hands and have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. My physician is being aggressive with my treatment to help slow its progress. The only problem is I have to go to her office for injections. She is about two hours away. It gets complicated with my work schedule. But I have been with this rheumatologist since 2002, and am more than pleased with her care, so I have no desire to start over with a new doctor.

My secret desire is to sell everything I have, buy a small travel trailer and become a nomad. There is so much of this country I would love to see. I keep watching the reviews on the teardrop trailers on your tube. If I only had the nerve to pack Gracie and me up and take off. When I mention this to my son, he just laughs and says “You are not going to live in a teardrop.”

I can dream!

The Sweater

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My grandmother taught me how to crochet when I was only five. I have been crocheting ever since. It is one of my favorite creative activities. I make crocheted baby hats for my local hospital’s nursery. It is a ministry my quilt guild adopted.

When I was in elementary school, I lived in a different town than my school. So after school, I went to the CYO facility near there until my grandmother was done work for the day. It was a great place to spend time. There was a full-sized gym where you could play basketball or volleyball, and all kinds of classes you could take such as knitting, embroidery, painting, photography, and many more that I can’t remember.


I took a knitting class. It was the first time I had ever tried to knit. I had the most difficult time learning to use two needles at the same time. Finally, I got the hang of it. I would cast the stitches onto one of the needles and work my stitches with the other needle. I would get a good bit done and stop and examine my work. Satisfied that my piece was looking like it was supposed to look, I would continue knitting.


Finally, the day came when we were to pick a project. I decided to knit a sweater. I thought, “How hard could it be?” so I chose a pretty aqua color yarn and the prettiest pink knitting needles. The following week our supplies came in. We dove into our projects with excitement.


I hurried to cast on the stitches for the body of my sweater and began knitting. I became more excited as I watched my sweater grow. It still amazes me when I see a ball of yarn turn into something beautiful and functional. Anyway, the time came for me to start the sleeves.


This is where it all went terribly wrong. I was supposed to drop a stitch every two rows. I lost count of the rows and dropped too many stitches on one sleeve. I didn’t notice it until I was finished. I ended up with a pretty aqua sweater with one sleeve shorter than the other. I was always going to take it apart and fix it. I kept it for years. Finally, when I married and moved into my new home, I tossed that sweater.


Many years after my first knitted project, I took up knitting again. Every time I cast a stitch on a needle or begin to knit a stitch, but especially when I have to drop a stitch, my memory of my aqua sweater comes to mind. Maybe it keeps me focused so that I don’t make the same mistake on my current project.

Another Day Another Dollar

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Source image by Hugo Kerr on Unsplash

When I was young and raising my children I worked as an RN. I loved it. I never felt as if I was working. I used to dream about the time I could retire and do everything I was eager to try. Quilting, photography, and line dancing were some of the things. I did learn to quilt and take up photography, but I could never get my husband to go line dancing.

I always wanted to travel to Ireland, Rome, and Wales, as well as travel through the States. Overseas travel was never going to happen as my husband was afraid to fly. LOL, I did fly to Hawaii with my grown daughter to attend a program her sister was in. It was beautiful!

What I didn’t expect was my husband dying before we were able to see the rest of the country. And I didn’t expect to be working full time after I retired because I can’t afford to live without the income. I wish I had done some things differently in the past. But there is no sense in crying over spilled milk. It is what it is. So, I feel blessed that I am capable of working. And, I have actually grown to love my job. I am just working at a local dollar store but we have some of the nicest customers and my co-workers are great.

I hope to be able to continue to work for another year and then I think I will be in a position to really retire. I have this image of myself becoming a lady of leisure. Maybe traveling or just enjoying where I am and letting my imagination and the wonderful photos I see from my WordPress family fulfill my desire to see distant places.

We all have to make changes in our lives due to circumstances beyond our control. What makes those changes successful is the faith that I am right where God wants me to be and His grace will give me the strength to go forward.