Unexpected Blessings

This morning I was a grumpy person who didn't want to get out of bed.  You see this morning all I could see was the negative.  "It's the last day of summer break.  I have to go clean out and say goodbye to my totaled car.  I have to put on clothes and be nice to strangers."  I didn't want any of these things, but thanks to a kind and loving husband I got myself up and pretended to be a nice person for most of the morning.

By early afternoon I had said goodbye to my car (I only cried a little bit), talked to the insurance company(who were awesome), and ran all our errands.  

That used to be my muffler, but now it's in my trunk. :(

It was a beautiful day in Tennessee today.  It truly felt like fall decided to come a few months early.  So as we were leaving our last errand stop I didn't feel like going home yet and Jared was willing to humor me as long as my whims didn't cost any money. As we headed to the park for a walk I glanced over and saw a FREE sign and a pair of vintage chairs. HOT DIGGITY!  

We circled like buzzards back and forth along the busy street to get a better look.

Me: "What do you think?" 

Him: "They're free."

Me: "Ok, I like them. Will they fit in the wagon?"

Him: "I think so."

Me: "Then I want them."

So we pulled in and the people at the house came out to meet us. 

They ended up being nice people, but I gotta admit I was more than a little frightened.  You see I am a very modest country woman.  I hang out with other people who are, for the most part, like me. These people did not look like me, and well every stereotype of someone who would choose to put tattoos on their face came to mind.  Thankfully my initial fears were unwarranted and not only were the initial sidewalk furniture up for grabs, but they were totally redoing the house and had more inside we could look at for free.  YIPEEE!

So my total haul for the day:

A sturdy (if ugly) ottoman that I plan to totally strip bare and start off with just the hard bones of the piece.

Two vintage upholstered chairs the bones of which are in great condition, but they need a complete upholstery redo.

One vintage and one antique kitchen chair.  The newer of which (left) just needs a good scrubbing and refinish.  The older one (right) needs to be rewoven on the seat and one of the side bars needs repair, but the finish has worn in a beautiful way.

So today's lesson: God blesses in the most unexpected ways and through the most unexpected people.  These people didn't know that by placing what they thought was trash on the sidewalk they were giving me a blessing, but they did, and for that I am so very grateful.