Day 190 - Case for Battery Powered Drill (Throw)

I got to spend the evening being a Neighbor to my neighbor.  The house across the street had water gushing out of their kitchen faucet.  A good bit of the water was not going into the sink and down the drain; it was going onto the countertop and then down to the floor.  They couldn't seem to figure out how to turn the water off. 

We eventually got the water off and then I offered to help remove and replace the old faucet.  My neighbor's elderly father showed up with a new faucet, so I stuck around to help remove the old one.  (There was no way this man was going to be able to get down on the floor and get his head under the sink to work.  He was wheezing just getting up the 10 or 12 steps to the kitchen!)

It took us a couple of hours - literally - just to get the old faucet out.  And it came out in pieces! It had obviously been there MANY years.

Anyway, in the process, I made about twenty trips back and forth across the street to get various tools from my house.  I came across this case that used to house a battery-powered drill ... which I took to the recycling center about two years ago!  So it's just been taking up space on the shelf... feeling useless!

Day 189 - Postcards of Scotland (Give)

More Colin Baxter postcards from Scotland.  I used to have these arranged within a large frame.  I need to pass them along to my Scotland fan - he graduated last Friday and it would make a good graduation gift. 

Day 188 - Hard Rock Cafe Glasses (Give)

I put this pic on Facebook to see if I can find anyone who might appreciate them.  They belonged to Melissa.  I got a lead, but haven't had a chance to follow up on it yet...

Anyone out there want them?

Day 187 - Pencil Holder (Give)

This is another ceramic piece I made years ago (29 to be exact) in Gladys Brandenburger's basement shop.  It was my favorite pencil holder and graced my desk all through high school and college.  It got packed away at some point and hasn't seen the light of day for at least 10 years.

I took it to school and one of the eighth grade boys asked about it.  I told him what it was and that I was giving it away.  He took it to use as a cheap gift for his Mom (or Dad... he couldn't decide!). 

He asked if the pencils came with the holder.  I said, "Sure, take the pencils."  So he grabbed a handful, walked across the room to another student, shoved the pencils at his classmate and said, "Here ... now don't ask me for another pencil the rest of the school year!"


(Some other kid had earlier asked to have the pencil holder to use for target practice with his shotgun!  He got denied.)

Progress Update - Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Looks like we've got dates nailed down for this summer in Haiti!  And they are a couple of weeks earlier than we had anticipated!  July 2nd to 16th!  That's just over a month away!  Our last day of school is June 2!

Sorry to go overboard on exclamation points, but it's exciting - and the reality hasn't even quite sunk in yet.  We've got a lot to do before July 2nd!


(Meanwhile, I'm several days behind on writing about my Gives, Throws, and Sells, but I'll get caught up as soon as I get the majority of my research papers graded!)

Day 186 - Letter Opener (Throw)

Does anyone ever actually USE a letter opener anymore? 

Did people EVER use them?

I'm not sure what prompted me to buy this particular letter opener years ago in Saudi Arabia, but it wasn't out of practicality.  I thought about giving it away, but who would want it?  Besides, I would be afraid that if I took it to school it could  cause some misunderstanding since it looks like a weapon! 

Better to just toss it.

Day 184 - Bag of Boys' Clothes (Give) and Day 185 - Potpourri Bowl (Throw)

Wow.  I turn around and I'm a couple of days behind on writing about my "stuff".  We have just one full week of school left and then it will be summer and I'm not quite sure yet if that means things will get easier or tougher.  We still don't have confirmation of a date to take the kids to Haiti this summer.  Date! - We don't even have confirmation that the missionaries down there even want us this summer!  It's been a bit discouraging lately.  I try to relax and allow it to be God's worry and not my own.  That's the really tough part.

Melissa got cleaning out the boys' closet the other day and found an entire bag full of shorts and other summertime outfits that no longer fit either of the boys (and both our boys are pretty much the same size right now).  She's got someone in mind who can use them here locally.

Then the next day, The Princess made a Throw easy when she knocked this potpourri bowl off its perch, breaking as it hit the floor.  Melissa was sad because it was given to her by a very good friend many years ago.  But she sighed and admitted that it was going to have to go anyway...