Abundance of gratitude...

for Friday

To keep me grounded, is to remind myself, of what is truly important; gratitude for the simple things.

Today I am grateful for
...a day off from work
...the joy my home brings
...laundry that is done
...the thought, that later this evening, I will be able to gaze upon fresh flowers in my home
...the blessing of feeling life is good once again; instead of feeling, the gloom of depression

This vintage toaster...

is what I envisioned, with its shiny chrome and cloth cord; when I was in the market for a new toaster. For some reason, unbeknownst to me; I have a vivid, fond memory of, cloth cord.

I looked at many and then I saw this one. As close to retro perfection, as I was going to get; for the price I could afford. Sadly, no cloth cord.

Cottage Flair...

one source, for that collection of mismatched vintage dishes, I want to to aquire

Cottage Flair

I stumbled across this...

vintage china; through a link from another gorgeous site, shabbyfabrics.com.

They have the most exquisite fabrics, I have ever seen. Visions of aprons, cloth napkins and clothes pin bags are dancing around in my head. I have a sewing machine, though sadly no skills to utilize it.

http://www.katiesrosecottage.com/catalog.php?item=1049&catid=3&ret=catalog.php%3Fcategory%3D3

http://www.katiesrosecottage.com/catalog.php?item=852&catid=3&ret=catalog.php%3Fcategory%3D3

This one took my breath away, as I know the perfect place to put it. I have a rather large wicker basket, that I have turned upside down; and am using as a nightstand. The only downside is that, what ever is put on it; doesn't always stay upright. I saw this and instantly, I knew where the perfect home for it, should be. I love to dream.

http://www.katiesrosecottage.com/catalog.php?item=908&catid=4&ret=catalog.php%3Fcategory%3D4

Lovely finds...

from a catalogue, named Tender Heart Treasures. This is one of a handful of catalogues, that does not end up recycled. I do not own any of these quite yet. Hopefully very soon.

A gentle reminder to myself,

to...



and that...

Victorian Trading Company

You never disappoint me, with the beauty your catalogue holds.

Back on path

The journey to cloth was put on the back burner, as my motivation for most anything has been; due to this stick with me like glue, fog of depression, that has been with me. Its rough at times; though only a little bump in the road.

The cloth grocery bags are on top of the refrigerator and they haven't made it into the store, quite yet. I think moving them to the back of the car, they will have a better chance, to get used.
The original cloth napkins, I had my eye on, were no longer available, so I bought some other ones. I soon sent them back, as the feel of material (not cotton), was not pleasing to the touch. I haven't found any others that, I thought were lovely until today. I can always count on finding just about anything I am looking for at Amazon.com and usually do. I was searching and found these 100% cotton ones, for a reasonable price, 12 for $15.99. I ordered 2 sets.
I don't know if I will ever completely go cloth for cleaning. I still use cloth dish cloths for washing dishes and flour sack towels for dusting. I recently found some very nice vintage looking dish cloths; at of all places, the 99 Cents Only Store. Paper towels are used for any other cleaning.

My heart was full

As a parent, there are times that our relationships with our growing children are anything but close. My first born, is 28. He was a child that when he turned into a pre-teen and then a teen, there were issues, that made him very difficult to love at times. I love him unconditionally, but there were more times that not; that I was so frustrated at his behavior and even more frustrated at my lack of parenting skills, to deal with such behavior. When he was 17 he moved to a different state, we saw each other rarely and spoke on the phone, every once in a while. Even though our relationship remained strained, through the years; my heart never gave up on him.

Its been a while since I have spoken to him. Last week, I did. It was one of those conversations, that as a parent you always hope and wait for. He is getting his life in order, his perspective on what is important in life, has changed. My heart was full and I told him so, over and over again.

When he was little I used to tell him he was my shinning star and that on some days he would shine bright and other days even brighter. This was one of those days that he shined like no other.

I used the last of the paper towels, last week. I did not like using flour sack towels for general cleaning. I do continue to use them for dusting. So, I am back to using paper towels for certain things.