Sometimes, life just isn't fair...

This last weekend, Gabe and I drove down to Aurora, MO to see his parents and go to Silver Dollar City to look at rocking chairs that I have been coveting for at least 5 years. We now finally have a good excuse to buy one. They are beautiful, sturdy, solid wood, handmade rocking chairs with big comfy cushions. I was so excited to get down and see them. Gabe and I have been going to Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO every year since we have started dating. It’s a fabulous place, especially at Christmas. A big entertainment park with rides and food and shops all based on old time America. They have lots of great shops full of handmade art, crafts, and furniture…..like rocking chairs. Every year, we would go into the furniture store and I would drool over the rocking chairs. I would sit in every one and dream of having my own one day. So when we found out we were pregnant, I immediately thought of these rocking chairs that I have been dreaming of all this time. And where I will put it in the nursery. And what color cushions I will get. And how after babies, we will use it forever in our family room until we can hand it down to our kids…..oh boy, I really can’t wait to get down there!

After a ill-fated drive south (something to do with a lot of dog vomit, but I will spare you the details), we finally make it. I practically run to the store and make a bee-line to the room with the chairs. Only…..no chairs. Where are the chairs????? I start to panic.

I ask the salesman, “where are all your rocking chairs?”.

“We have one on display in the very back”, he says.

ONE????? I run to the back to the one chair. Nope, not the one. “Where are all the others?”, I ask. “We don’t display them anymore and only have two styles still available to order”, replies the salesman.

Devastation.

The kind salesman takes out the catalog and shows me what styles are left. I point to one that sort of looks like the one I like. Maybe, just maybe I might get lucky? He punches numbers on his calculator and shows me the price. $1100.00 with the ottoman. Ummm…No. Devastated.

In the end, I learned a valuable lesson. About the emotional attachment for a piece of furniture. A materialistic thing. This isn't what life is about. We will get a rocking chair and it will be great and wonderful. It will most likely be from one of those big furniture superstores with bargain prices on factory made knock-offs. I mean, who needs a 1,000 dollar rocking chair anyway?? Not us. Because let's face it, in the big picture, there is much more to life than the perfect rocking chair.

Another Halloween Bites the Dust

Halloween 08 came and went with a whimper for us. Halloween has traditionally been a favorite day of ours. We love to decorate the house, carve pumpkins, and watch scary movies. This year was a complete flop! Between work, baby, school and remodeling, we just didn't have time to celebrate properly. The front porch went undecorated, not a single pumpkin was carved, not a single bushel of mums set out.....how sad. However, the holiday didn't go by completely unnoticed. We did take the time to attend our neighbors Halloween Bash. Finding a couple costume while pregnant is a challenge but we decided to go as Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin. A meager effort. I thought Gabe made a great Charlie Brown. I on the other hand....



I had envisioned a great pumpkin costume. In my defense, I did attempt to make a decent pumpkin from the proper materials. But it was a disaster. So I ended up using an orange T-Shirt in desperation. I really must learn to sew.

The party was great. Being out in the country you can really get creative. They had a live band, bonfire for a weenie roast, and a hayride through the graveyard and spooky woods, and Mother Nature helped finish if off with a nice thick, freaky fog over the whole place.

Today, I am home sick with a nasty cold made worse by being outside in the cold on Saturday night. And when I am sick, I have to clean. Today, the dog hair in this house has me at my wits end. This is the time of year when the dogs lose their summer coats to make room for the winter coats. The Dyson work overtime, but it is impossible to keep up with. Today it has become a mission.
Chey was the first victim...

Wow.
Guess I will take a nap now...