|
||||
|
Isn’t this the most splendid fruit bowl ever? I had to work on Sunday night, but I left a little “fruit bowl” for my daughter to use in her doll house. I think this was a cup of some kind. It probably went to some other type of toy set, but it makes a very royal-looking fruit bowl, and I am thinking that I can find some fruity-looking beads to go in it and make it look awesome. Lynn Saturday is the day I clean the front porch. (See “my cleaning schedule” in the margin.) I don’t spend all day, no. I don’t have time. I have a schedule that allows me to clean a little, everywhere, every week, so things stay pretty clean.
I brightened up the front porch by putting a heavy rug over one of the storage shelves I have out there and topping it with some greenery and a pretty red candle. The pots are some mosaics I did earlier in the year.
Then I came inside and had this. If you are thinking hot cocoa with whipped cream on top, you are correct! For about 3 dollars, I buy a couple of cans of whipped topping each week to keep in the fridge. It is the perfect finish to a cup of hot cocoa (made with real cocoa of course). It’s a little luxury that does not cost that much. Lynn Time flies. This is the adorable little thing I found for our doll house for 25 cents! And it reminds us of just how fast time flies!
This is another little item that is supposed to be a Christmas ornament, but it makes a perfect doll house accessory. My daughter and I put this in the doll’s kitchen this morning and it gave me a chance to talk about how quickly time passes. She nodded as she played. I shared the thought that because time passes so quickly we need to be extra careful how we spend it.
Another little topic that came up was having enough blankets in the house. I said Oh, we need more blankets! We talked about having a blanket chest and plenty of blankets, in case you have company. I know that’s certainly the case in real life. Now I suppose we need to sew some little quilts and put them in a shelf. I’ll be on the lookout for a makeshift shelf. Lynn I sure did not want to go to work this evening, though I always enjoy myself once I get there. It is very strenuous work: pulling things from the freezer, heavy lifting, a lot of bending and standing and pulling and pushing. There’s a lot to throw out at night and the bags of trash can be very heavy. There’s a lot of restocking to do. The most pleasant part is waiting on customers and selling the wonderful bakery items that make everyone say oooooohhhhhh. At any rate, I took a quiet, prayerful walk through my house, from room to room, before I left for work, just thinking of all that I am thankful for and knowing that I can just trust that — for now — I am doing what I should be doing.
Life is a wonder. Lynn It felt really good to leave this special note for my girl today:
I thought about her this evening and wondered if she was playing house. This basket is so sweet, it’s hard to tell from the picture that it’s only about an inch tall. This is actually a little basket that a deodorant rock came in. ~:-D I am always thinking what could I do with that.
I found something tonight for 25 cents that she is going to love. I’ll show you tomorrow when I can take a picture. Lynn is the thought that came to me.
It’s what I have been saying I’d write more about later. There are so many wonderful thoughts I can share with my daughter as we work on her doll house and play house through the year of 2008. (But why wait? I started this in earnest a few days ago. ~:-D )
Year of the Doll House. It’s like a plan — a vision, a goal, whatever is best to call it — for 2008. Since working in the bakery, I have gained a new view of my daughter. I have a perspective that I did not have before. I am away from her more. She is spending more time with her papa and her brothers, so that’s good, but I see clearly that she needs me, too.
Therefore, when I am with her, I want to really be present with her, in heart and mind, and not consumed with thoughts of things that I want to be doing for myself. As we worked together – almost cheek to cheek — setting up her new doll house, it occurred to me that this might be the last year she even wants to have anything to do with dolls or doll houses. Similarly, my window of time of strong influence over her thinking and her habits is small. Playing dolls with my girl is going to be at the top of my priority list for 2008. Staying close to her is what’s really at the heart of this.
When I’m not home — when I am at work — I want her to know that I didn’t just leave without thinking of her. Every day — every day — I want to have a special something for us for the doll house. It may be a little cup for the table that I have left waiting for her to play with while I’m gone. It may be a note from me about something one of the dolls did that she needs to look into further. ~:-D It may be only a thought shared about what it means to build a house. Every day. Can I be that committed to something? It may be an hour of special doll house play, or shopping together, or making something new. But I want to have this special doll house bond for 2008. She will remember playing, but she’ll remember the thoughts we’ve expressed to each other even more.
I really wanted to share this idea with you. Perhaps this will appeal to your heart too… I’ll keep you posted on our doll house lessons. I have added The Year of the Doll House as a category (see margin) so that you can easily keep up with all posts related to our grand adventure! Also, feel free to use our Year of the Doll House thumb image in the margin, link it back to this post (http://www.amothersjournal.com/?p=263), and join us! There are more thumb images here. Lynn My daughter and I (mostly I) worked for about an hour in her room today to clean out some things to donate to Goodwill. I am sure she will get more things for Christmas, so I wanted to make space, but I also wanted to get rid of some of the “stuff” that has accumulated. Where does the ”stuff” come from?
Also, I had a few new things (thanks to Goodwill) that I had washed and dried and wanted to put in her room. Namely some curtains, a dust ruffle, and some pillow shams. Aren’t they great? Also, I have had a print by Jessie Wilcox-Smith that I have been wanting to frame, and I finally did that today. It is the print called Goldilocks.
Now that her room is pristine, we can get in there and play! We are about to do just that. I am sure you can see the doll houses that we made. They are ready and waiting…
Lynn is the way we spend our lives.
It has really been on my heart lately to be careful with the time that I have been given. How I spend each hour will determine what I accomplish, what my children remember of me, how others perceive me, how I am measured as a wife, how I feel about myself… There’s a little saying that I love:
I have no idea who said this originally, but it’s a thought that runs through my mind at times and slows me down and says, careful what you do… I want to make 2008 a year of more attentive care to my children, my daughter especially right now, and my husband. More thoughts about that later and what my hopes are. I am starting a new book with my daughter. I found this old copy at — you guessed it — the thrift store. But you can still buy it new.
On the Way Home: The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894 I think she’ll enjoy it. She also wants to read Little Women, so that’s on my list of things to buy for her for Christmas. Lynn
I found the sweetest little teaset tonight! Now THIS I may have to purchase. ~:-D
Oriental blue and white rice pattern miniature tea set – porcelain It is a little teaset. Isn’t it cute? Lynn |
Approaching-50 mother of four. Thrifter. Content with lots of clothes bought for very little money. Loves retro. (That could be styles from the 40s and 50s. And sometimes stuff even older than that. And sometimes stuff from all time, all mixed up together!) Bluffs about decluttering but secretly loves STUFF. Goes through stages. Has standing and staring spells before rearranging the entire home. Just because. Tune in each day to see what new outfit comes home from G.W. Boutique next. (That's Goodwill, by the way.) Oh, and she owns a spoiled beagle named Annie. And this blog.   <div align="center"><a href="http://www.amothersjournal.com" title="A Mother's Journal ~ A Bit of Birdsong"><img src="http://www.innatelygray.com/images/abitofbirdsong_120_200.jpg" alt="A Mother's Journal ~ A Bit of Birdsong" style="border:none;" /></a></div>    
To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.
 
I would
|
|||
|
Copyright © 2012 A Mother's Journal ~ A Bit of Birdsong - All Rights Reserved
Powered by WordPress & the Atahualpa Theme by BytesForAll. Discuss on our WP Forum |
||||
for you to leave a comment, but you can also e-mail me at lynn AT thehealthyhomeschool.com
Recent Thoughts