When our children were small, we were much like many other young families; more month than money. Nevertheless, we were happy with our children an' we tried to enjoy every minute we could with them. Naturally, we also tried to find ways to stretch the paycheck.
One of the ways we managed to do that was by not buying furniture. That is to say, we did have some furniture, but we were very creative in building some of those pieces we couldn't buy. Take for instance, beds. Did you know you could build bunk beds with nuthin' more than a couple of closet doors an' cans of food? True story. Similarly, there are other ways to overcome the need for furniture. In fact, we devised ways to have a dining room table with a wrap-around bench (also from cans of food), a couch from a wooden box, chairs, night stands an' several other articles that were quite comfortable, as well as useful, under the circumstances.
Then came the day when we hit the jackpot. In California there is somethin' called Flea Markets. They are often set up at drive-in theaters an' basically, it's kinda' like a big garage sale, with many of the sellers working from the trunks of their cars or their pickup trucks. There are also stalls with tables, of course, but the overall effect is a rummage sale party.
We had brought our own arrangement of items to sell, including tools, crafts an' toys that the kids had outgrown. As sales tapered off, we took turns walking around with the kids, looking at what others had for sale. I discovered the perfect doll baby in a wooden cradle that I jus' knew my little girl would love (an' she did, for many years) an' my good hubby-buddy found a very nice set of bunk beds. The arrangement we had been using was for the boys to sleep on one of the makeshift bunks an' our daughter to sleep on the other one.
With the kind help of the sellers, we managed to get the beds home an' then set up, leaving the previous arrangement intact. That's when we got the greatest shock of our lives. At three, our youngest son suddenly exclaimed, "My OWN BED?!?" Until that moment, we hadn't realized how important it was to him to have his own bed. I don't think I have ever appreciated a piece of furniture as much as I did at that moment. And the memory has brought me many hours of delight.
Until the next time, keep a hug on.
~ Yaya
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6 comments:
Aw, I'm so glad you son got his own bed. That was a big day for him.
Great story. Your family is very creative.
hi miss yaya! wow is so cool you could make furniture out of doors and cans. having my own bed was real cool for me so i could know how you son felt happy for having it.
...hugs from lenny
I shared the bottom bunk with my sister from the time I was 4 (when Jeanne got out of the crib to make room for Marty, the newest baby) until I was 10 when my oldest sister entered the convent and freed up a bed in our room!
OH! And I got my own room when I was nearly 21 when Jeanne got married and moved out of my parent's house!
Hi, Bev. Yes, it was a big day. He was so thrilled. Somehow, we had never realized how important it was to him. Necessity is the Mother of Invention an' we've had a lotta' reason to be inventive. We aren't sorry; our kids seem to have developed their own style of creativity, as a result. I am the proud mama of four very talented artists.
We used to build all kinds of things, Lenny. We used cans of food because that's all we had, but I'm glad we had only food, instead of only furniture.
Wow, Joanie! You had a crowded life. I got my own room when I moved out on my own. I found that it was really lonely, actually. I din't know how good I had it, 'til I got away from it all.
Thank ya'll.
~ Yaya
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