The beginning!

I have always wanted to learn pottery.  One of the things that stopped me from learning besides the fact that I don't like to leave the house, was the cost of everything.  I knew that if I took the course I would want all my own stuff, wheel, kiln and everything else that goes with pottery, which is a lot.
 
Within in two weeks of lessons I was hooked and began trying to figure out how I could make pottery in my own home.  My husband was amazingly supportive and every time I said, "well that won't work", he had a solution.  For example my question was, "where would I clean my buckets" because I didn't want to plug up the drains.  So he put in a sink that drains right into the ground.  "Where would I throw" because it is Very messy, he said, "how about the storage room,  we could put all are storage stuff in the old cistern". 

I started looking for used equipment, without much success, so for my birthday my hubby said he would buy me a wheel, which is about $1200. new.  So I was then looking for a used kiln because new they are anywhere from $3000-$20,000.  Not even close to my realm of possibility.

During this time of looking we had a missions conference at our church.  This young man shared a powerful message of giving up everything for Jesus, material possession, home, everything, him and his wife were on their way to Turkey to live as missionaries.  I was so convicted that I just laid on the floor and told God that I lay down my desire for pottery if it wasn't his will for my life.  After the service My husband told me that during worship he saw a picture of a potter forming a jug.  I thought how funny is that, I was laying down my desire and God was showing my husband at the same time a picture of pottery.

So with renewed energy I started looking again.  I phoned a lady that I knew had a kiln for sale even though I knew it was sold.  I thought maybe I could be put on a list in case the other lady backed out.  While talking to her, she told me of a lady that lived close by, that was also selling her kiln.  I gave this lady a call and not only was she selling her kiln, she was selling everything.  2 kilns, wheel, clay, chemicals for mixing glazes, wedging table, lots and lots of wooden bats, seriously everything I needed and more for, drum roll please, $750..  So of course I said we would take it all!

That night we cleaned out the storage room and put everything from the storage room into the cistern.   My husband found two signs in the cistern from the previous owner, God is so funny and amazing, if there was any doubt I was suppose to do this, there wasn't after seeing these signs.

I was in disbelief, no way, this is crazy, who has sign's like that in storage!  There is so much peace when you know you are in the center of God's will.

The lady I bought everything from was so happy that it was going to someone as excited about pottery as she used to be.  She bought everything from a potter that was moving.  At the time she was very pregnant, so didn't get to use anything, turned out her baby had down syndrome so she never did get to use the supplies in the 8 years that she had it.

My husband is amazing!  While I am drinking coffee and writing this post he is painting my new gift store.  Might have a bit to do with the fact that the pottery is taking over the house.  This is my living room, seriously, no room to put the stuff I took out of the kiln last week.

I will post pictures of the gift store when he is finished.  My husband (Todd) is even making me crates out of old pallets to display pottery in.  He is very good to me!