i'm a 6-pallet girl!!

God answers prayers. even the little ones that we think are silly & we think we have no business asking.

friday morning as i was driving to work i was praying. told God i really needed some pallets. i said, "christmas is 11 weeks away & i have no money for gifts, but You've given me the gift of creativity & the talent to make things & i have some ideas but i can't spend any money. it would really be nice if i could find some pallets on the side of the road like all those other ladies in blogland!"

at 12:30 & 12:45 i missed 2 calls from my friend nancy. she was driving in our pastor's neighborhood after picking her daughter up from college or something. i didn't get a chance to listen to her message til i was leaving work at 5. she said there were 4 pallets in front of this house down the street from the pastor's house. they wouldn't fit in her car but she tried & i should go see if they're still there.

OH MY GOODNESS!!!

i thought, "that was 5 hours ago, they're probably long gone," but i drove that way on the way home from work. i prayed the whole way, "God, i know this is a silly prayer & there are more important things i should be praying about, but please let those pallets still be there."

i was following a guy in a truck with a boat through the neighborhood. at one point just down the street from dan's house the truck pulled over to the side of the road & i went past him. i drove all the way through the rest of the neighborhood & didn't see any pallets. i was more than a little disappointed. so i went home.

and i prayed on the way, "God, i'm sorry for being selfish i shouldn't be envious of all my "friends" in blogland who find great deals and get to make things for free and then blog about their good fortune and they even have husbands who find "junk" for them and then everyone lives happily ever after and i know i shouldn't be praying like this, God, but i'm just being honest i want to be one of those women who finds great stuff for free & makes beautiful creations & You know that i have no money for christmas gifts & just NOW WHAT am i going to do?"

well, i know God was listening & He probably even said, "oh my dear, you know that 'patience' thing I've been trying to teach you? I just wish you would learn to do it!"

but, of course, i didn't hear Him.

i went home, got ready to go to my pastor's house for "movie night with valerie & the girls" & my friend joyce picked me up. as we were driving & talking, all of a sudden I.SAW.THEM!!!!!!!! there were 4 pallets sitting at the curb down the block from valerie's house!!!! and it was the house that the boat was in front of because i remembered the PURPLE lawn chairs at the house across the street from it!! the boat was hiding the pallets!!!! i screamed! scared joyce!!! "STOP THE CAR!!!! THERE'S MY PALLETS!!!!" she said, "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" so i told her the story....i asked her if she thought we could get them in the back of her car. and like a good friend, she turned the car around & we went back -- i said, "hurry, drive fast before someone else gets them!!!" (pallets that had been sitting there, undisturbed, for over 7 hours!!!)

i didn't want to just steal take them, so i rang the doorbell & asked the lady if i could have them. she said "by all means & i have another in the garage that you can have!"

JACKPOT!!!!!

ANSWERED PRAYER!!!!!!!!!!

but they wouldn't fit!!

i asked the lady if we could put them in her garage so nobody else would take them & i could come back with my car after we'd watched the movie. i asked her if she could please stay up til 10:30 or 11 pm!!!! pretty brave!! she was very nice & said she would.

i enjoyed being with the girls & watching the movie, but i kept wishing it would just get over with so i could go get my car SUV mini enclosed pallet hauling truck!!!! (amwacs would probably call it a GIRLY TRUCK!!!!)

so a little after 10 joyce & i left - we told the girls that if they were still there when we got the pallets, we would come back & continue the partying!!!!! and we did!!! we got the pallets loaded & went back & had "girl talk" til after midnight!!!! everyone joked that i'd probably make something when i got home, but i didn't even take them out until this afternoon after i had mowed the backyard & cleaned the garage!

i already had that other pallet from my friend amy, so now i have 6, yes, SIX pallets!!!!
i've got plans for tomorrow after church, so i won't be able to do anything with them til next weekend. --- but at least i won't be hauling them around for a month!!!!!

they're all in fantastic shape. some of them have really GOOD wood

some of them have great beat up chippy rustic wood. some of them have wide boards, some have skinny boards. some have lots of boards on the front AND the back!!!

and some of them, like this one, have a whole section that's just PERFECT for one of my projects & i won't have to do too much to it except a cut here & a cut there!!!!

i'll try to let you know about the progress & projects i make, but some of them are going to be christmas presents, so i won't be able to show you those til way later! i've got 7.5 vacation days left that i'll be taking over some long weekends -- perfect project weekends!!!!!! i can't wait!!!!

and i said another prayer, "thank You, God, for such a fantastic GIFT You blessed me with. thank You for loving me enough to know that a piece of wood set out for the garbage would make me so happy!! You know what i want & what i need.....and You give it..... all in Your own time!!!"

"patience."