Funny Story

(I had to document this story for my sons to read someday when they are older.)

On the morning of Christmas Eve’s Eve (Wednesday), I decided to take the boys to Wal-Mart to spend some of their Christmas money they had received.

Of course, I had a ton of stuff I needed to get done at home…baking, wrapping, cleaning, etc.  But that’s not very easy to do with four boys running around the house.

So I decided to focus on the boys, let the other stuff go, and enjoy the day with them.

We headed off to Wal-Mart and spent an hour in the toy section trying to get the most bang for their bucks.  I was proud of myself for being so patient with them, and we really did have fun.

When we left Wal-Mart, the boys began to beg me to go get something to eat.  I didn’t have much money, so I said we could go to Wendy’s and eat off the “value” menu.  They agreed and off we went.

We shared some burgers and fries as we sat around a big table and talked excitedly about Christmas and Santa’s approaching visit.

I was filled with joy as I looked around the table at the four precious lives that God has blessed me with. 

My oldest son, Jonathan, said, “We’ve had a good morning Mom, haven’t we?”  Of course I agreed.

He placed his hand on my shoulder and lovingly rubbed my back and said…“You have spent the whole morning doing stuff for us Mom…(then he smiled so sweetly)…let’s do something for you now.”

I looked back at him and smiled, then he said…

“Let’s go to Goodwill!”

I laughed out loud!

Not Macy’s, not the mall, not a great boutique…but Goodwill!

He knows his momma well!  I actually agreed that it was a great idea, and we went there after lunch.

It ended up being a great trip, and I found some real goodies.

I found three DVDs that looked brand new for $2.50 a piece.  I thought they would be great little extra gifts for the boys at Christmas.  (I didn’t let them see me buy them.)

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Then I found this adorable little Lowe’s apron for $1.00 that looked brand new too.  I got it for my 2 year old for Christmas to go with the tools he was getting from Santa.

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He wore it all morning on Christmas day.

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Also at the GW,  I found this adorable little white soup tureen for $1.50…Merry Christmas to me!

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I had to buy this little Christmas tree for the boys’ room.  It was only $3.00.  I had been promising to get one for their room for a couple of years now, so I thought this would work.  IMG_4836

They loved it!  Next year, we might put white lights on it with some sports ornaments or something.

Lastly, I found this adorable red tin basket with greenery in it for $2.00.  I knew I could use it somewhere. 

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I played with it for while, putting different decorations in it…

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This is my woodland Santa ornament that I made many years ago.  Hopefully I will be able to make some more of him, and he will be for sale in my Etsy shop next year.

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But my new “find” ended up under my kitchen cabinets on a black tray with faux snow…

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I love the contrasting colors.

See why I love going to Goodwill?  My boys love it too.  They are probably going to kill me one day when they realize that not everyone thinks it’s cool to shop at Goodwill.

But for now…they think I am the coolest Mom ever, especially when I let them pick out a 50 cent toy at Goodwill! 

Ahhh….good times…good times….

Have a blessed day!

39 Comments

  1. Ah Traci you made me smile. You and your hubby are raising some mighty fine boys there. How sweet of your son to think of his momma. He will be a fine husband someday and I think they will always think Goodwill is a fine place to shop because you did and you always made everything beautiful with stuff from there. Yes, good times, good times.
    Have a blessed New Year!

  2. Traci I love your story. My two sons love shopping at Goodwill and the Salvation Army. You never know what treasures you might find.
    I love the red tin basket.
    What a great mom you are!
    ~ Jill

  3. That is so stinkin' cute! I'm sure that's what my boys will be saying some day. :) Right now, my three year old says we're going to go "look for treasures." You did find some great stuff. I can't believe those DVDs were there. Fairly recent ones for $2.50. Great deal!

  4. Aw, how sweet! I just realized that you have four boys! I have 6 sons and 1 grandson! They are all mama's boys. :)
    Merry Christmas to you and your family.
    Sandra

  5. Sweet! Sweetsweetsweet! My son too thinks it's normal to simply go to the thrifts for our stuff. Little does he even know about regular retail. YET. :)

    Glad you took the time to chill with the boys. Sounds like fun!

    Donna

  6. Oh Tracey…
    Hi sweetie, and Happy New Year is coming. I just cannot believe this year has gone by so fast. I just thank you so much for spending 2009 with me, and I so look forward to 2010.

    I love your GW finds, and that tray with the snow and basket on it, is absolutely precious. It was the perfect place. I am so thrilled that you are instilling in the boys the wonderful things they can find at GW, because it will sure save them money one day.

    Tracey they all look so precious in their pic. I love the little guy in his Lowe's apron. You will have to stop by and take a look at our 2 year old grandson in his goggles, as he got a Black and Decker set for Christmas from us, he loves tools. So cute.

    Have a beautiful New Years sweetie, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

    Country hugs…Sherry

  7. Sounds like the perfect day! Isn't being a mom the best job in the world and the sweetest!
    Wendy

    P.S. (Maddie is almost 13 and still thinks it is cool to go to GW…sometimes friends want to travel along, too….for that great find!!)

  8. Blessings Traci!
    I luv Goodwill AND Salvation Army.
    Your red metal basket on the black tray with artificial snow is my favorite. So cute full of character.
    God Bless you for shopping with the boys!!! Sweet memories in the making.

    Thank you for the kind comments and the visit. Appreciate this! Have a great week as 2010 approaches.

    d from homehaven

  9. That was such a sweet story! I have very fond memories of going to Goodwill store with my grandma we were younger. We used to find all kinds of cool things there. I haven't been in years. Maybe I should take a trip there. :)

  10. what a funny story & you definitely have your priorities straight (not the GW shopping but putting them first). you made me really laugh! such cute boys!

  11. Oh my gosh, that is just too cute! If your little one likes doing projects, Lowes actualy has a free workshop 2 saturdays every month & Home Depot does one the first sat of each month (for free!). My girls love going! You can find info on their site if you have any near.

  12. Love it! :) My Sweet Girl sometimes out of the blue say's "let's go to Goodwill". I love it…I know she is totally MY daughter. ;)

    You won the giveaway on our blog so I emailed you. Email me your preference and address sometime.

  13. Hi Traci! Thank you for sharing such a beautiful tender moment with us. What a wonderful day ~ one that I'm sure you'll never forget. You're a great Mom and it shows!

    Thanks for the smile you've put on my face…Tracy :)

  14. Aren't kids wonderful? I love that they thought of you. Your oldest is turning out to be quite a great young man- some woman will be truly lucky to get him later in life. You've done well with those boys.
    thanks for stopping by my blog and giving your opinion on the name..why is it so hard to come up with a name?
    tammy

  15. You're my kind of girl! I love going to second hand stores too, and so do my kids, it's so fun to find a treasure! It looks like you found some good things and had fun with your boys!

  16. Awww…Your son was so sweet to think of you. Your boys are precious. I had to smile whenever he said "Goodwill". Sounds like me and my boys. One of the first things that my oldest told me whenever he moved 4 hours away was that I was gonna love it becuase they had 3 Goodwills and they were huge ones. Everytime that I go to visit them, he has to take me there. We always find great treasures and my son shops there all of the time. He calls me sometimes after he has found something 'awesome'. I guess I did actually rub off on him when he was little! LOL

    I love the little apron that you found and your baby will have hours and hours of fun wearing it and playing with his tools!

    Hugs,
    Lee Laurie

  17. Your boys are totally adorable…and yes, precious gifts from God. Thank you so much for sharing this story. You are creating beautiful memories with them.

    Wishing you and your family a happy, healthy and abundant New Year!

  18. Oh how I lOVE this story!!! My kids too…know that if I have a choice…we are off to Goodwill. In fact, my kids call it; GW Boutique! ha.

    What great finds you found…..and how exciting that they worked perfectly as additional gifts for Christmas.

    Praying you had a WONDERFUL Christmas with your family…and a MOST blessed New Years.

    Love ya friend.

    Kim~

  19. What great boys you have, Traci! That is a great story. I guess they do know you well to suggest going to Goodwill. : ) You did get some great finds. I love the red basket with greenery in it ~ so versatile. Love your black tray. I have a red Santa tray that is a bit scratched up and was wondering if I should paint it. It is very similar in shape to yours and there is nothing else wrong with it.

  20. My kids love Goodwill as well, and know how much I enjoy the bargains I find there. I think we're doing our kids a great service by showing them how to re-use rather than buying new.

  21. Sweet story! How absolutely precious you have trained those boys well! ; ) Glad you found some Christmas Eve goodies, and even more importantly, shared a great day with your little guys!

  22. Traci,

    Just wanted you to know what a blessing your blog is to me. I'm reading it every day, and even making copies of it for Mom (she doesn't have internet). Our thoughts and prayers were with you all this Christmas – I remember too well how hard our first Christmas without Daddy was for us.

    You'd be so proud of Kathy – she made us all some of the coasters and a couple other things she found on your blog for Christmas this year – it was really special. I however am more like Cyndi – the "craft genes" seemed to have skipped me!

    Happy New Year,
    Your cousin Linda Carol

  23. So funny coming across this post today.

    We hit "GW" (as we like to call it)yesterday and scored big!

    A big color t.v. for my DS9's room for only $15, and a brand new, unopened Indiana Jones Lego set for $1.51!

    Got to love the GW!!!!! Never pass up an opportunity to shop one!

  24. You are not alone – my youngest turned 5 in November and when I asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday he said, Go to the thrift store and buy all the toys!! Love your story, and your great finds!

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