Sunday, June 19, 2011

Sunday Morning

"To everything there is a season ...."
Ecclesiastes 3:1

The quote I chose for today has a special meaning to me.  When I was 28, John & I were living in Florida in our first home.  Our daughter Kati was 2-1/2 at the time.  I was a stay-at home mom & making ends meet was tough.  My days consisted of taking care of Kati & the house.  This one particular summer my 18-year-old niece decided to come for a visit for 2 weeks.  Every day she went to the beach, went shopping, met kids her own age & went to parties in the evenings, etc.  Meanwhile there I was sitting at home with Kati, taking care of her & worrying about the mortgage & all the other bills.  I was feeling somewhat sorry for myself & also somewhat jealous I guess.  I had a very good friend back then who was 10 years older than I was.  I mentioned to her how I was feeling & her response was "Remember Shirlee, to everything there is a season."  She went on to explain that not so long ago I had been 18 & it was me who was going fun places & doing fun things without any responsibilities to worry about.  I was now in a new season ... making a home & taking care of my family.  I had my season of being 18 ... it was now my niece's turn to have that season.  What my friend said really made an impression on me.  She was right!  It was light a light bulb went on in my mind & it really turned my thinking around.  Over the years there have been times that I have needed to remind myself "to everything there is a season."  Not quite in the same way as back then but it really helps to remember these words from time to time.  Many seasons are behind me but there are still many seasons ahead.  I'm sure these words will serve me in the future as well   : )    

Yesterday I woke up to rain & storms & was able to get a few much needed things done inside the house.  Wouldn't you know it ... woke up this morning to more rain & storms.  In fact, we had quite a downpour!  I'm sure the plants are loving this.  It's been so very dry here.  Looks like I'll be getting a few more inside things taken care of today.  Unfortunately there are so many of them that it's hard to choose which one to do first!  A friend (I wish I could remember who she was!) said to me not long ago "Instead of sitting & trying to decide what to do, just pick 1 thing & start doing it!"  That is what I did yesterday.  I got some dusting done & swapped out my meager spring decor & replaced it with some meager summer decor.  My decor really isn't all that meager ... it's just that, as I've mentioned before, we have been struggling with "should we stay here or should we leave" & so I still have things packed in moving boxes from 2 years ago.  I know I've got some pretty neat stuff, not that I can actually remember it all, but it's all packed away until we decide what we're doing.  Here are some photos of the few things I did get to do.  The first one is the top of my pie safe.  I added a more summery doll & the Americana sewing drawer I purchased on Etsy last year.

      
Unfortunately I still have Billy Jacobs' Spring Fever print on the wall there.  I thought I had a summer picture to swap it out with but I don't.  It will have to do until I find one   : )   The next few photos are of my dry sink.




The same Etsy artist painted the breadboard here & the sewing drawer on the pie safe.  The last I heard from her she was taking a break from painting but I hope she starts doing it again because she really has a great talent!  That little heart-shaped pillow was made for me by a dear friend in Italy.  It says "Love and Blessing for this special home."  Thank you again Laura ... I love it   : )   

I decided to give you a closer look at the dolls on top of the dry sink.  Three of these dolls were made by Trudy Honeycutt who some of you may know from Crows in the Attic Primitives.  She has a blog with links to her Etsy shop & sources for her patterns (click here) & also sells her things on Simply Primitives & Lemon Poppy Seeds.  I just love her dolls!  The little one in the plaid dress wearing a bonnet ... unfortunately I cannot remember who made that one   : (  She was an Etsy purchase quite some time ago.  



Next is a picture of my hutch.  You will probably think "I don't see any Americana decorating here."  That's true but it was pretty much covered with papers & dust so I'm proud to have it clutter free ... for a while at least   : )   I always declutter stuff & think it will stay that way but it never does   : )   


You will notice that I have a few pieces of Polish pottery.  Not prim decor, I know, but a couple years ago my husband was working in Germany & I got to be there with him for a while.  We took a bus tour to Poland where I bought most of these pieces.  My maternal grandparents came to this country from Poland so I wanted to see their homeland.  Having this pottery sort of makes me feel connected to my roots.  

Finally here is one last picture.  It's not a very good picture but do you recognize these wool apples???


They were made by my good blog friend Trace.  She had a giveaway a while back for 5 of these apples.  I really hoped I would win it.  I didn't, but I knew that I was going to try to get some for myself anyway   : )   After the winner was announced I contacted Trace & asked if I could buy some & she said yes ... & here they are   : )   My scale is not in a very decorative spot right now but don't the apples look wonderful in the little pan?  If you haven't visited Trace's blog, you really should pay her a visit (click here).  She's a delightful person with a really enjoyable blog   : )

Well, surprisingly it's not time for bed ... lol!  Seems like I've been writing this post all day!  If you've made it this far, I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my home & that you will have a truly blessed day!  

5 comments:

Angela said...

Good Sunday afternoon Shirlee, It's so nice to have a few minutes to sit and visit with you. Love all the pictures of your home. The dolls are so cute and I love the painting on the sewing drawer. Mr. P. has several old drawers in his woodwork shop, but I am not blessed with a talent for painting. Not when it comes to detail. Love it. So neat to have a pillow all the way from Italy. I'm sure it is a special gift . Love the pottery in your hutch. I have so many treasures that are NOT prim but I don't care. I decorate with what I like and what is special to me. I think an interesting combination makes great decor. Is that a huge trencher standing in the corner next to your hutch? Love it girl. Show us more. Thanks for sharing and have a great day. Oh, did you get the problem with your glasses taken care of? Hoping all is well. Until next time.
Angela

renee said...

Shirlee,
I think you have been doing just great with everything! I will have to remember about the seasons! I must be in the season of change, although which one I am not certain of! LOL!
It has rained here, and it looks like we will be getting quite a bit of it this whole week.
I love the polish pottery, it is quite beautiful!
I hope that you all are having a good day today!
Blessings,
Renee

Trace4J said...

OH SHIRLEE!!
We have alot in common friend. I love polish pottery. I have been collecting it for a bit now. Haven't to much since we built our new home and moved. Money has been tight. But oh I love the hard work by the talented artists.
Love the dolls and apples too..
Hugs Friend
Trace
www.grannytracescrapsandsquares.com

jennifer768 said...

Shirlee I see lots of beautiful goodies ! Love the dry sink and the hutch. Trace's apples are great .

Thank you for sharing the story behind everything has a season. How wise your friend was to make that statement.I needed to hear that today so again you have my thanks.

I think that we probably do live close to the same area. Where are you located in Kentucky? I am in Russell Springs,Ky.

Hope that you have a great week,Jen

Earlene said...

Hi Shirlee,
I like your pics and I think we may have the same wall color. Old Gold 3?
Yes Back-In-Tyme is worth the trip and it is a little less than 4 hours for me. Are you on the way from me? I got a chuckle out of eveyones comments on my blog about this upcoming show.
Nice to hear from you.
~Earlene~