Shoe Shelves

There are a lot of broken, disorganized, needing-to-be-repaired items around here.  It seems like our efforts towards order and beauty are "two-steps forward, three steps back."  It's just hard to feel like you're getting anywhere.  But part of my writing this blog is to remind myself that hey! sometimes good stuff happens, too;)

My husband and I share a small walk-in closet, plus we store various and sundry other items in there.  Suffice it to say, storage is tight.  I have been using the shelves above the closet rod  to store my shoes.  As you can see, there were too many shoes and not enough shelves:

It was hard to find a matching pair without pulling a few others down on your head.

I thought it would help if we could add a couple more shelves in between the existing ones.  My husband agreed and bought me some 1x12 boards at Lowes.  I painted them white:

And my husband installed them for me.  All in all, this was a fairly painless home improvement project (which is saying something, because our projects NEVER turn out right the first time).

I did donate some shoes that I never wore.  I thought about feeling guilty about all these shoes, but I really don't.  Most of them were thrift store purchases, and others I have been wearing for years.  Anyway, I love how neat and organized they are now.

In fact, for the first few days I would randomly go in the closet just to admire all this order:)

And while I was working in the closet, I filled a tub with clothes that I don't wear, but I either want to use the fabric for something else or think the clothes can be altered.  A lot of linen dresses from the 90s are in there, as well as some unusual knits that hopefully will become something else.

All this to say, a small successful project can lift your spirits and give you the energy to tackle another one!

Family Business

Above the entrance to my living room (it used to hang on my in-laws' porch)

Most of the month of June I spent east on extended family business.  My mother-in-law passed away back in January and my father-in-law is now in assisted living, but all their stuff was still sitting in their house and needed to be dealt with.  Part of my business was getting together with my two sisters-in-law to go through my in-laws' house and get it ready to sell.

The three of us spent an intense week camped out at the house with virtually no contact with the outside world: no TV, no internet, no radio, no newspaper.  We each had our own bedroom where we stashed our loot and slept.  Other than that, we worked hard -- everything had to be gone through -- every drawer, every nook and cranny -- if you've done this before, you know, but this was my first time doing something like this.  However, I am hardly ever in a situation with no distractions (i.e. no kids and no husband), so I was hyper-focused like a machine, I tell you:)

I was a little apprehensive going in, not knowing how everyone would handle things emotionally, but we all got along great and despite the grueling nature of the work we had a good time together, laughing at some of the funny things we found.  My mother-in-law was a "prepper" from way back, so we found many packets of carefully wrapped bandages hidden in the eaves of the attic, books with titles like "Are You Radioactive?", and we emptied out probably 50 containers of civil defense water that had been stored in the garage.

We divided up everything that we could, but in the end it was impossible for three already-full households to incorporate the contents of a fourth house.  Some things had to be sold and some had to be donated.  Plus we (my immediate family) had to rent a trailer to haul everything back to Texas so I tried to take only what we really wanted or could use (although I did get overriden on a few things).  Here is a sampling of some of the treasures we came home with.

This dry sink was the one piece of furniture that my husband was sentimentally attached to, mainly because it had just always been in his parents' home.  This is now in our living room underneath one of my husband's paintings.

The piece I chose was this primitive buffet.  I love these more primitive pieces for myself:)  This is on the wall near my dining table.

I have not found a good place for everything we brought back (nor did I get to make all the decisions about what we brought;) -- this treadmill is still in the middle of the living room.

This little bench makes me happy because it reminds me of my mother-in-law.

As does this little scene painted on a board:

My father-in-law (who has never been known as a handyman) made this stool for my diminutive mother-in-law before they were married.  I thought it was so sweet, we had to take it even though the women in this house are more Amazonian in size.  You never know, there could be a tiny daughter-in-law in my future;)

My mother-in-law loved signs with little sayings on them.  It seemed appropriate to hang this cross-stitch above the pull-up bar;)

Let me leave you with this last sign (which is still searching for its permanent location):

I thought about correcting this and adding an "s", but this is another thing that makes us laugh, and it's a good reminder that even on those days when you can only think of one, one still counts:)

Christmas Wrap-Up

The month of December slipped by in a blur of sickness, so that I felt like there was little more than a week to prepare for Christmas festivities.  The only goodies that got made were chocolate covered pretzels and sausage balls.  The peanut butter balls and coconut balls will have to wait for another special occasion.  No outside lights got put up, either.  But we did have our tree, and as I've said before, for myself I prefer the grinchy look, so the tree was well-adorned in round, colored lights.

Our stockings also were hung with care.

After months of parched conditions, a deluge, accompanied by thunder and lightning, erupted the night of Christmas Eve.  An empty five-gallon bucket on our back patio was filled to overflowing with rainwater by Christmas morning!  Despite Christmas morning beginning with a rainy 50 degrees, by early afternoon we had this:

My three youngest in the front yard

A White Christmas is truly a magical gift.

View from the front door

Here are my sheep, Mocha and Latte, who enjoyed the snow a lot more than they enjoyed the rain.

This is the most picturesque my backyard has ever looked:)

The stockings were pushed to the side to make room for a cozy fire.

The next day we had to make a two-day road trip east to see family.  My older two stayed behind to work. The rest of us drove through an entire day of this:

Along the roadside in Arkansas

It truly looked like Narnia, so beautiful and surreal, and the roads were perfectly clear ---- until we got near Little Rock, Arkansas.  There they were so treacherous--cars were in the ditch everywhere -- that an 8 hour drive turned into 12 hours.  We found out later that parts of Arkansas got 10-15 inches of snow.

Anyway, we made it to see our families.  I hated to leave my older boys behind, but I think they were glad to miss the four days cooped up in the car.  It ended up being good visits with everyone, though sleeping was another issue;)

Now I am home and trying to catch up on everyday life, which has included absolute mountains of laundry and a general cleaning out of closets and drawers.  January does push us to make a fresh start each year, doesn't it?

Hospitality

"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." -- Hebrews 13:2

Cheryl at Thinking About Home has been writing a series, 31 Days of Hospitality.  Today she is making it a linkup, which allows others to contribute to the subject, so I'm throwing in my two cents.  I have desired to write on hospitality for a long time, but couldn't quite get my thoughts together.  It is a central value of my life.  Perhaps that is why it has been so difficult for me to write about it.

A lot of my convictions about hospitality began with my maternal grandparents, who were strong influences on me from an early age (you can get a little flavor of this from my Easter post).  My grandmother had NOTHING fancy, she never drove, she hardly got to go to the grocery store herself (my grandfather would go), they were not perfect people at all, BUT throughout their long lives they sheltered, fed and comforted many, many people.  They were a stabilizing presence in their rural community.  This made a deep impression on me.

Then, when I was around 12 or 13, I read an interview with Mother Teresa that was published in McCall's magazine (this would have been late 1970s).  In that interview she told a story of a young nun who was washing some very repulsive wounds on a patient.  The young nun was doing a deed of mercy, but with an attitude of distaste.  Mother Teresa said no, no -- like this:  and then she lovingly and with grace washed those same wounds in a way that preserved the dignity and worth of the patient.  Her message was 'Do it like it was unto Jesus.'  That article has always stayed with me, and I have pulled it out of my memory to ponder over the years.

Then, early on in my marriage, I read a book by Karen Mains called Open Heart, Open Home that was a major influence in my thinking on home.  Other things I read by Edith Schaeffer (for example, Tapestry, The Hidden Art of Homemaking) and Elisabeth Elliot reinforced some of the ideas or fleshed them out.  Basically I believe that our homes are gifts from God for our personal shelter but are also to be used to minister to others.

My home has looked very different over the years.  I've lived in apartments, rental homes, owner homes, big cities, small towns.  I've lived in different parts of the country.  I've really never been flush with cash.  I don't have someone clean or decorate my home, and every part of my home is lived in.  I've had no children, lots of small children, and now lots of older children.  When they all leave the nest my husband and I will be back to no children.  The hospitality we are able to offer looks different, too.  Many, many people have been through my house for meals, hanging out, spending the night, and a few have even stayed for an extended period.  These people themselves have all been different:  friends, college students, people from other countries, family (although far rarer than I would like), troubled people.  Some people are repeat guests while others are one-time visitors.

If you mistakenly think I'm 'the hostess with the mostest', think again. I am not the kind of person who does anything formal.  I have friends who are great at planning elaborate brunches or dinners, and I thoroughly enjoy being invited to one, but that is not my forte.  My house/yard is never all the way clean or decorated.  In fact if you come over you may immediately feel better about your own housekeeping, or parenting, or cooking;)  However, I do think my particular gift is to make people feel welcome, to give them a safe spot in which to BE for a little while.  A friend of mine stopped by one day unannounced, and she said she had never done that before in her life but somehow she thought I was the kind of person that it would be okay (it was).  I was pleased that she said that because I do aspire to be that kind of person.

Through your home, no matter how humble, you can offer a refuge even if it is just a drink of water (Matthew 10:42).  This is part of our mission as Christians in this world.  If you are lonely or are new somewhere, don't wait for others to extend hospitality to you.  You go ahead and extend hospitality to others.  It can be very simple -- most people would be delighted just to be asked.  And remember the types of people Jesus asks to his wedding feast (Luke 14:15-24)  and do likewise.

Hospitality is not easy or convenient (as Cheryl says so eloquently in her series).  It is not designed to bring you glory or praise.  Hospitality is challenging.  It's a lot of work.  It requires you to spread your food further than you thought it would go.  It inflates your grocery budget.  It makes for a lot more dishes.  It infringes on your privacy.  It exposes your dirty laundry (both figuratively and literally).  It can sometimes make you feel taken advantage of, or at least resentful that YOU don't get invited anywhere.  Sometimes guests are awkward or are in very serious trouble and you feel in over your head.

But we are not required to have all the answers.  Hospitality just asks us to give a cup of cold water in Jesus' name, to share a meal together with someone in Jesus' name, to offer them a safe place just to sit or maybe even to sleep in Jesus' name.  Hospitality does not solve the problems of the world, but it does give rest to the weary soul and buoys up the downhearted.  We will never know in this lifetime what good it may do; we must trust God Himself to bless our efforts to be lights in a dark place.

The plaque at the top of my post was made and given to us by a young woman who once was a frequent guest at our house.  She now has her own house of hospitality.  I hang the plaque by my front entrance as a reminder.  Who knows but we too may have entertained an "angel unawares"?

To read some other thoughts on hospitality go here.

Treasures from Home

My sifter belonged to my great-aunt Mabel

On our recent trip to visit family in Tennessee, I drove.  In case you were wondering, it's about an 18-hour drive, and yes I take two days to do it.  I am too old to drive that far in one day, especially with a car full of teenagers:)  We have flown before, but the cost of seven plane tickets is prohibitive, and then there is still the problem of transportation while we are there.  The other problem with flying is that I can't bring anything back with me.  Since this time I did have the car, I was able to bring back some treasures.

My mom had offered me these pink dishes before, but I had declined to take them, mainly because there is not enough of them to go around for my large family.  But after thinking about it, I decided I could probably add to them through some antique shopping, either locally or via ebay.  I changed my mind and asked if the offer was still good (it was:).  The large dessert or cake plate and the six small serving plates that match it belonged to my great-grandmother (my mother's maternal grandmother).  She died when my mom was ten, so I know her only through family stories.

The dishes are very faintly pink pressed glass, very pretty in person.  They are not particularly expensive and may have been something that came as a promotional item in oatmeal or flour containers. The cookie jar and the goblets were picked up by mom at thrift stores here and there, but she gave them all to me as a set that goes together.  The cookie jar has a broken lid, but I think it can be glued back together.

She also gave me these two glass serving pieces, one square and one for deviled eggs, and this cake dome, which will definitely come in handy to keep flies and greedy dogs out of the treats.

Finally Mom gave me these two cast iron skillets.  The larger one is the right size for making cornbread.  I already have one but I wanted another so that I could make two loaves of cornbread at the same time (necessary to keep everyone happy).  The tiny skillet is just about worn out -- if cast iron can wear out -- but it belonged to my granny (my mother's paternal grandmother), who I did know because she lived until I was 27.  Little skillets like this are good for frying or scrambling an egg or two, and it's always fun to use something that once belonged to someone you loved (or who you would have loved if you could have known them).

And switching over to the other side of the family, these lovely jars of homemade goodness were made by my husband's sister.  She not only let us stay with her during our visit but sent me home with these goodies.  She is a terrific gardener and chicken keeper (and cat and dog and goat keeper, too), and I'm looking forward to enjoying these during the coming year.

It is so nice to visit our families and have little exchanges of treasures, especially since we don't see each other often.    I usually take my mom and sister books I have read that I think they'll like, or toys or games my kids have outgrown that younger cousins might like, or clothes that don't look good on me but might on them, stuff like that.  

It can be good to have tangible reminders that there are people -- even though we live far apart (some as far apart as heaven is to earth:)  -- who love us and think of us despite the distance.  This knowledge helps keep us -- me -- grounded, helps me remember that yes, I am part of a larger group even when I am tempted to think I'm all alone. I think that's how it is with God, too.  Even though He is not physically visible to us, He sends us tangible gifts to remind us that He loves us and to comfort us and to nourish us on the way.  And to remind us that we have a heavenly home and family waiting.  And someday we'll actually be home -- after all, that's where we are headed.

River views from a park near my mom's house

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." -- James 1:17 KJV

Monday Motion

My husband usually takes Mondays off, and consequently our day usually gets off to a leisurely start.  But this week he was up and out of the house early, and so I could set my own agenda.  (I don't know if it's just me or what, but I have trouble focusing on my tasks if there is anyone else around.)  I've definitely been feeling the need to revamp my housecleaning routines, so I decided to use this Monday to do an all around straightening up, and then the rest of the week focus on bedrooms (this week is zone 4-- Master Bedroom on the Flylady system).

I love Flylady, I just need to tweak her system a little to fit my needs.  So I swished and swiped my bathroom, made my bed, did a five minute tidy in my bedroom, and threw some laundry in (with seven people in the household laundry gets backed up if I skip even one day).

I spent yesterday doing some of this:

And I whisked my way around the house with this:

The purple feather shows it is a Flylady duster

I windexed everything that could get windexed:

And I took my trusty central vacuum on a tour of the house:

When we moved into this house I didn't even own a vacuum.  All the floors were either tile or laminate and I thought I would just sweep them.  Which I did, for two years.  Sweeping is quiet and uses no electricity -- two things it's got going for it.  But it's hard to get ALL the dirt up, and I started to crave the satisfaction of watching a vacuum simply -- if loudly -- suck the dirt away.

I was on the lookout for a vacuum -- one that could handle dog hair -- when I remembered that our house had actually come with a central vacuum.  I just had never used it and we didn't have it hooked up.  Why buy a vacuum when there is already an expensive one attached to the house?  We found someone to inspect it and give it a tune-up, and we (my husband)  had to do some minor attic work, and then we were in business.

The central vacuum does a great job and it's only loud out in the garage where the motor is, but you have to be careful, because it has a LOONG hose.  Last year I was happily vacuuming away and had (unwisely) taken the attachment off the end to reach into a tight space by my bed, when SOMETHING got sucked into the hose and got stuck.  I tried for several weeks to unclog the hose, to no avail, so I finally had to confess to the vacuum cleaner repairman what had happened.  He came out to the house (yes, they are a wonderful company -- they make house calls:), and he's probably around my age, very dapper, and very formal.  I explained to him what happened, but the worst part was I didn't really know what had gotten sucked up.  I knew it was some kind of fabric -- my worst fear was that it was a pair of my underwear (YIKES) -- so I told him I couldn't guarantee what was in that hose.  I was trying to make jovial banter, but he took it all with a straight face, bless his heart.  I don't think he quite knew how to respond to that kind of information.

He -- kind of like the Grinch -- said he would take the hose THERE (to his shop) and fix it, and then bring it back HERE (to my house), which he did.  Thankfully, it ended up being a bandana, of all things, and the whole thing ended up costing me somewhere around $20.  So, I am their loyal customer, and I also try very hard not to suck up Unidentified Objects.

My plan -- for now -- is to try to make Mondays an all-around cleaning day, and save more specialized jobs for later in the week.  But housekeeping is not my forte -- if I were a servant I would have to be a laundress or a cook instead -- so we will see how it goes.  The main thing is I have to keep at it because I don't want the dust bunnies -- or in this case the dog hair -- to completely take over my house.

Dining Area

While everything is still tidied up from Easter, I thought I would show you my dining area.  It's not really a dining room -- it's just separated from the kitchen by a bar/counter, but it is a nice size space.  

Below is my hutch.  Sadly, it got badly beaten up during our move here six years ago.  As a general rule I try to practice "defensive decorating." In other words, have things that are already supposed to be distressed-looking, or things that are super difficult to mess up.  Believe me, this is very necessary with a large, mostly male, family.  You don't want to know how many holes in my wall, blah blah blah, that I don't even show you.  The hutch was not one of those supposed-to-be-distressed pieces. But, hey, this blog is supposed to be about finding the good things, so that's what I'm concentrating on:)

Anyway, on my hutch are some pottery pieces I've accumulated over the years.  I don't have any china (although I love looking at many of yours!), but I am very drawn to pottery.  One of these days I would love to learn how to make my own.  My mom even has a piece of pottery -- just a simple crock -- that was made by her great-great-grandmother, who we know very little about but was apparently a potter.  Who knows, maybe some her genes passed down to me?  

Some of the pieces below were made by students at Georgia Southern University and were purchased when we lived in Georgia, others were purchased at art festivals here in Texas, a few were gifts.

Here's a little closer look, although I have to say in person they are much more beautiful.  Mixed in I have a few metal pieces.  The little teapot in the center is something one of my children bought and likes to keep there:)

I do use these pieces, pulling them down to put cookies on or displaying flowers in the vases.  The long pewter platter on the bottom shelf was just used during Easter for a lemon pound cake.

These barn pictures hang on the wall to the left of the hutch.  The one on the left was given to me by my mother-in-law.  It reminds me a little of East Tennessee.  The other one is a pastel drawing of a barn and pumpkin patch by my oldest son when he was elementary-school age.

The geranium painting on the right of the hutch was done by my husband's maternal grandmother.  She painted lots of pictures.  This one belonged to my mother-in-law and she knew I loved it so she gave it to me.  My mother-in-law grows the most beautiful geraniums, so this picture is a reminder not only of my husband's grandmother, but my mother-in-law too.  It makes me very happy.

A few years ago my husband, following his grandmother's example, took up painting himself:)  This is one of his earlier pieces.

These chiles (also by my husband) hang by the door to the patio.

My old dining table is temporarily serving as a buffet.  It's a little too large for the space, and I would love to have something with more storage, but until I find something better it will do.

Above it is a window from the my dad's house.  His grandfather built the house back in the 1930s or 40s.  It's just a small, regular house but so far it has stayed in the family.  When my dad updated it, my sister took all the discarded windows.  She did some stained-glass type painting and gave this one to me (she's nice that way :).

Below is our table.  It was built by my husband and a friend (who is a great woodworker) several years ago from black walnut wood.  It is in constant use.  I love it!  But it is in dire need of refinishing, which I keep procrastinating about because I'm not quite sure the best way to do it.  The chairs are a motley crew of various Windsors.  At some point I decided to embrace the unmatched look -- it goes along with the defensive decorating and my budget ;)

The next two signs -- good reminders for us all -- were given to me by my mother-in-law.

That's the end of my little tour!  I hope you enjoyed it:)

Laundry/Sewing Room

I got my sewing mojo back, largely because of these lovely cubbies that my husband put on the wall for me:

These are four mini-cubby units from Closetmaid.  They are just the right size for my smaller pieces of cotton fabrics.  I love it.  I waste a lot of time just going in there and staring at this wall :)

One of the things I love about this house is that it has a laundry ROOM.  It's the size of a small bedroom, right off the kitchen.  So nice with because my family of seven plus the occasional houseguest = lots of laundry.  I love being able to leave the ironing board up, and thanks to the tile floors I can hang wet things up to dry without any worries.  I did just declutter in here, hauling off to the thrift store a trunkload of outgrown clothes and shoes, and bags of fabric that I could not think of any potential use for.  Remembering that this is a constant work in progress, here is a mini-tour.

This wall backs up to the kitchen.  (Yes, that's another sewing machine, but that's a story for another day.)  The blue basket holds current projects.

I keep my patterns in the bottom drawer of the buffet.  The other drawers are stuffed with various sewing supplies, fabrics, etc.

This is the door, looking into the kitchen.  It is hardly ever closed because it has a pull-up bar in it.  (Again, can you tell I live with a lot of males?  This was the only doorway in the house where we figured we could put this thing up.)

These bookshelves hold my sewing books and lots of past issues of Sew Beautiful magazines (I learned a lot about sewing from those mags).  The pink toolbox was a thrift store find and makes a great sewing "basket."  The stacking boxes are also from the thrift store and hold various supplies like elastic, piping cord, stuff like that.  The feather dusters make a fluffy bouquet.

This is a view of the inside of the upper cabinet.  It holds larger pieces of fabric:  linens, home dec weight, some clothing weight stuff.

In this picture my sewing machine is tucked down inside its desk.  To its left next to the bookcase is a stack of clear boxes that hold zippers, thread, embroidery thread, hot glue guns, etc.  The bags hanging on the shelf hold various projects that need to be completed (sshh!).  I just made the valance (like right before I took this picture) out of a tablecloth I already had.  One of these days I want to redo my ironing board cover.

And I thought about trying to hide the washer and dryer, but HEY!  this is a LAUNDRY room.  It's a working room.  You can see I have lots of ironing I could do if I wanted:) I do have some ideas to make this look better, but a little at a time, eh?

Up in the corner is one of my favorite things in the whole room, a wooden cat painted by my oldest son when he was about three years old.

And here I did start working on improving the narrow shelves, hanging up an old pillowcase passed down from my great-aunt.  The laundry tin was another thrift store find.

I hope you have enjoyed my little tour.  I know I am very nosy about other people's houses myself. And also I like recording it for the sake of my own memory.  We don't always record the details of our everyday life and later on those are some of the things we want to remember.