Before The Rush

It is Thanksgiving eve, and in homes across the country, the mad rush in the kitchen is about  to begin.

I will post pictures of our first annual Thanksgiving breakfast on Friday, but for now I want to focus on life and the things for which I am grateful.

A couple of weeks ago I had breakfast with a good friend and very wise observer of the human spirit.  As we were discussing life and what we want from it, he asked me a very interesting question.  He asked, "What have you always wanted to do?"  I went to the typical answers - "Well, at first I wanted to be a teacher, then I wanted to be an interior designer."  He clarified, "No, what have you always wanted, what is your purpose in life?"  I had a classic light bulb moment - without hesitation I said, "All I ever wanted to be is a wife and mother."

I have spent more than half my life as a wife, but I never was able to be a mother.  At least not in the biological sense.  Without hesitation he looked me straight in the eyes and said, "There's your answer.  The kids (my 3 granddaughters) are living in your home for your sake."  I never thought about our living arrangement like that before.  I saw allowing my stepdaughter and her young girls to live with us as a favor to her.  What my friend showed me is that God is allowing me to experience that one thing I always wanted but never got.

Suddenly the screaming at 5:00 in the morning because Savannah doesn't want to wear shoes isn't the worst thing in the world.  The peace and quiet I claim to want is really the sound of emptiness.  The toys on the floor, sippy cups everywhere, and girl emotional outbursts are just a part of the life I am being allowed to experience.  The scales have been removed and I see life through new eyes.  Thank you, sweet friend.

So, this year I am especially thankful for my noisy family.  I have the privilege of helping to raise my grandchildren.  I get hugs every night, I see the minute changes that happen to children every day as they begin to discover the world around them.  What a gift.

Cottage Inspiration: Random Lace Wall

I love to daydream and plan.  Sometimes I like it more than the actual carrying out of the plan.  This  picture is one of my plans.  I want to make a random lace display in my cottage.  I will have a rotating selection of designs, displays, and color themes; lace will definitely be apart of the plan.

I found this photo on a search of window display images.  I don't have any claim to it and wish I could remember where it came from.  I find it absolutely delightful and inspiring.  

I have started collecting vintage crochet doilies from antique & thrift stores.  I can picture expert fingers, dainty cotton thread and a minuscule crochet hook working in unison to create lace from a pattern passed down for generations.  The fingers are gnarled from years of hard work, yet given the right tools they produce strips of delicate beauty.  They are someone's history, their art.  I feel an obligation to save them, preserve them and pass along to the next generation an appreciation for a craft fading from our world.

Until next time,

Sheryl

Modern Jane

I love, love, love this look.  Clutch purses are my absolute favorite bag to carry.  They aren't always practical, but they are infinitely feminine and the perfect accessory.

Another thing I love to do is combine looks - lacy and feminine with a bold bracelet.  I don't want to wear head to toe frills, I just want a touch of glamour.  

If you want to summon your inner Modern Jane Austen, what would you wear?

Modern Jane by sherylmeans featuring vintage jewelry

Free people dress
$128 - revolveclothing.com

Fogal crochet stocking
€22 - pret-a-beaute.com

Luna pink shoes
$20 - product.madeinchina.com

Givenchy clutch handbag
$1,945 - barneys.com

Manumit hammered jewelry
£12 - fashion-conscience.com

Dorothy Perkins tahitian pearl jewelry
£6.50 - dorothyperkins.com

Alcozer J vintage jewelry
$245 - forzieri.com

Finding The Beauty

I sit in the same place everyday and all I can see is a bunch of stuff.  On their own merit, these things are beautiful.  As I said last week,  I have collected and inherited many beautiful things.  In this I am very fortunate.  What I am having trouble doing is maintaining a unified sense of beauty in my home.  


As we have made room for our extended family to live with us I have just shuffled stuff around from room to room and, at some point, I gave up.  This isn't their fault, it is mine.  I grew up with a mom who flew off the handle whenever we made a mess or broke something; and I now live with a husband who reacts in much the same way.  Determined not to follow in her footsteps and make things more important than people, I have allowed the pendulum to swing too far in the other direction.  Oh, and for the record, mom has mellowed greatly with age.


Back to the subject of beauty in the home.  I have used the kids and our tight living arrangements as an excuse to let the house go.  Because I don't want them to spill, scratch or break these things I hold dear.  Somewhere between living in a museum and a warehouse must be a beautiful life worth living.  My challenge is to find that place.


The first step is to teach mother and children about how to care for things while providing a safe place where they can eat and play with messy stuff.  Then I can feel comfortable decorating our home.  Providing a beautiful and safe home is the job of the woman of the house.  Yes, I am just that old fashioned.


Here is a montage of some of the things that I consider the beautiful components in our home.

1940's era chair and a book case.

Slipper chair, recently recovered.

Marble top table.

Gentlemen's windsor chair that I found in a group of stuff destined for the trash.
After refinishing it is fabulous.

Antique writing desk in need of refinishing.

I am surrounded by beauty...it is up to me to create a home for my family that is filled with love, beauty and memories.

Live in love....

Sheryl