A Long Awaited Gift to Myself

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

I'm sharing happy news today. I finally took the plunge and bought a storage sofa with reversible chaise. I hadn't arranged for assembly prior to delivery but when the delivery men arrived I realized I didn't want to have to deal with all the packaging and set up myself or wait for DH to be available because he has such long days as it is. So I asked the delivery men whether they had an assembly service.  They did and they were willing to do it on the spot. Of course I had to pay them for the work and they were good enough to give me a discount. 

The two gentlemen were efficient and moved my old sofa and chair to another area.  They didn't have a haul away service for sofas.  They tried very hard to assemble the new sofa but had difficulty putting both of the arms of the sofa onto the body of the sofa.  After numerous attempts they asked if I would contact the furniture store and let them know the issue and I agreed.

The sofa minus one arm

I called the store and they tried helping me over the phone. When that didn't work they arranged for a technician to attend and deal with it. The technician arrived promptly at the appointed time on Monday and while he worked I learned the trick to how the arm is supposed to be attached. I don't know why the assembly men didn't know that.  They were trying to attach it in the complete opposite way though I have to say their way was the more intuitive way and I would have done the same not knowing any better.  I wasn't provided with any assembly instructions so I'm not sure if they were disposed of along with the packaging.  But now I know what to do if I ever need to take the sofa apart and put it back together again. I already know I'd need help with that because the pieces are too heavy for me to do it alone. My DH is very strong so he could do it and I could help him if needed.  I made sure to tell him the 'secret' to assembly when he arrived home later that day.

The storage part of the sofa is in the chaise as most of you will already know.  I wasted no time in filling it with things that were occupying floor space.  I'll be getting rid of most of the stored items eventually.  I'll no longer need the excess cushions and numerous reusable bags. After I deal with these things  I'll be keeping bedding in the chaise. The sofa pulls out to make a double bed which is one of the incentives in purchasing the sofa. I'm expecting company this summer and so I'm so pleased that I now have a more comfortable space for my cousin to sleep instead of on an air mattress.  I'm also pleased with the price and the multi-year warranty I purchased.  These days it seems like so many little things can go wrong with new items and it can cost a lot to have someone attend to deal with it. The sofa itself is quite comfortable.  

I call the sofa a gift to myself  because my DH didn't think we needed a new sofa. He liked the leather sofa we had. I did too but it had lost its comfort level and really needed to be restuffed or filled.  We'd been propping ourselves up on other cushions. So it was either repair the sofa which I was planning to do, or get a new one.  Since we need a space for occasional guests to sleep and a place to store blankets  I concluded that a new sofa was needed. The hardest part for me is just to decide what I really want or need then to find a good quality item at an affordable price.  The extra tariffs that have been imposed by the US Administration and those that have yet to be imposed, will have a direct impact on pricing of many goods and commodities.  So it's a good time to act on big purchases if you have the need and the means. In fact, I may be purchasing another large item in the not too distant future once I make a space for it to be assembled.

What about you dear reader? Do you have a storage sofa? If so, are you happy with the purchase?

Friends & Clutter

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Matthew 6:21

Yesterday I met a friend I haven't seen in a very long time for lunch. It took us three, almost four weeks of telephone tag to organize a luncheon date. Normally, I would give up after two phone calls due to low energy levels. But this time my friend was good at her own follow up, so we managed to get together.

I tried an organic green and beef salad with blue cheese. This is the second time I've tried it. The first time was absolutely pleasing to the eye and delicious to the palate. This second time was not nearly as aesthetically pleasing. Can one use the word "aesthetic" when it comes to food presentation? I'm not sure. But oh well, I just did! The salad plate was missing the eye catching red grape tomatoes I'd had the first time around. Sadly too, the organic spring greens mix looked as if they were wilted by the hot sun we've been having.

I did request, and receive, some grape tomatoes which made the salad look more appealing and I found that the taste wasn't too far off the mark. My friend had a veggie and cheese omelet with multi-grain toast. She didn't complain or comment so I guess it was fine. I didn't get photos because we were both a little hungry by the time lunch was ready.

Besides eating, it was simply nice to see my old friend again. As always when we haven't gotten together for awhile, we have a lot to catch up. But our luncheon and conversation did not seem rushed which was nice. She had to come downtown today for an appointment not too far from where I am staying. She was taking some kind of course for diabetics at the hospital in the neighbourhood so it was easy to schedule a get together once we finally did connect by phone. She later reported that her regimen of diet seems to be keeping the diabetes in check and that was wonderful news!

It seems that she and I are both at the stage of down-sizing and decluttering for potential moves. In her case, she needs to start thinking about the long term future as a senior citizen and is looking for a place with medical care on site and an elevator rather than stairs. In my case, I simply want to simplify for two reasons. Firstly, to make any future moves easier. Secondly, I just have too much accumulated in my small apartment, especially books and clothing.

My involvement with Kenyan missions made me realize how much "stuff" I have accumulated and how much I used to spend weekly or even daily; most of which was totally unnecessary. What I spend on one meal out can be translated to a set of bedding sheets or a mattress for a villager or school supplies for an orphan child, even medicine for a sick child or widow.

[Victor receives school supplies]

[Mercy, another child who needs your help]

I'm learning to be more frugal, do with less and send more to the mission field. I'm not feeling guilty about it. I've just come to realize that material things and accumulating more of them, holds little value in the big scheme of life. I've always realized this, but these past few years I have a much deeper appreciation for what this really means.

By consuming less, I save more of the green stuff. Both green money to send to Kenya and the green earth which we inhabit. Involvement in Kenyan missions has prompted me to examine my spending habits very carefully and make some adjustments. What I learned in the process about the kind of steward I am was quite eye opening.

I've always tried to be a good steward but I think there is always room for improvement. For the last two and a half years, I've been embarked on a continuous quest for improvement in this area. May I challenge you to look at your own spending and see if you can do more to help the Kenyans? There are really so many more needs at several missions. Much more than I can meet on my own. If you want to do something and see the results first hand, let me know.