WAKING TO GRAY SKIES AND FREEZING TEMPERATURES, the weatherman says there's a chance of 2 to 4 inches of snow. Opening our Dining room shutters, I noticed the cold effects of WINTER. We are one day closer to SPRING. Praise the LORD!
I purchased Paperwhite kits from Menards about a month ago after they were marked down to $2.50 for a box of 4. GREAT BARGAIN.
I've wintered Geraniums before making me so happy they survived and could be returned to the out of doors for another season. Last FALL, I lost the brunt of my Geraniums when a sudden cold snap came when I wasn't HOME to bring them inside. I was saddened. Reminding myself that Geraniums will be for sale in the SPRING...buy some more. I hope I can get some interesting colored ones. GO FORWARD and don't stay where you are. Do something NEW.
Admiring indoor plants for sale in the stores warms my heart. I like looking at them. I really think I could easily fill a GREEN HOUSE, but would have to discipline myself to take care of each plant and I know for now this is not possible so I will dream on.
WINTER time is a wonderful time to have thoughts about what to plant in a garden, thumbing through seed catalogs and dreaming big. I'd like to plant some heirloom carrots of different colors. Asparagus and rhubarb will take a couple of years to grow so I hope to plant some and watch them grow waiting for their arrival in two years. I have never made rhubarb pie...I will break that pattern and try.
Plans today are for me to stay inside this week-end to deal with clearing off the fold up table in the kitchen making floor space to hold storage tubs from the basement which will be hauled to the COTTAGE next week when the weather warms a tad. I did make headway on the Christmas tubs that were in the COTTAGE's storage shed. That was a good feeling to have carried the tubs to their new storage location. It was actually wonderful placing the tubs in a newly renovated storage shed. More tubs will join these next week.
Each time I go to the COTTAGE, I envision a finished COTTAGE inside and out. I have to think about where each piece of furniture will go and where each piece of china, clothing, dolls, knick knacks, etc. will be. It is a chore for sure that doesn't come easy for me. If it were a game perhaps I would relax and not be so uptight. Morphing with a different decorating style could be a lot of fun. I've got an idea about going with a antique farmhouse vibe. VIBRATIONS make a statement. SHAKE ME UP, BABY. Decluttering will make a statement for me.
I am old after all and what does it really matter if I morph into a farmhouse matriarch from one that really had no direction in a decorating style? I suppose that has been my style. Perhaps, I can change for the better and be satisfied with it. The important thing is that I have a roof over my head in which the structure is filled with what it takes to make a HOME to survive being a HAPPY camper.
We have such an abundance of things to use in our HOMES making it easier to survive and enjoy HOMEMAKING. Fantastic thrift items and casts off that can enhance LIFE are easier to be found at local thrift shoppes. Things do not have to be brand new to make a HOME. New is nice to have and sometimes a must, but not always. Hand me downs are a blessing as are that was once my Grandparents and Parents. Now it's mine.
Bohemian style is alright. Eclectic is alright. Farmhouse is alright. Victorian is alright. Minimalist is alright. Maximalist is alright. Tiny house is alright. Huge house is alright. Tent is alright. Back seat of a car living under a bridge or cardboard shanty is NOT alright.
As I look around my present day Living room, it has a calming affect on me compared to when we first moved in here. The room went from a deep red to a lighter shade of beige with white trim with new wood floors laid, and a chandelier added to the ceiling. Paint can change the feel of a room. The COTTAGE will be painted to our liking. It has some cracks in the walls, so these will be repaired. We'll pull up the nasty stained carpet and see what lies beneath. Hoping for hard wood floors that can be brought back to life. If not, new wood floors will be laid this SUMMER.
LIVING LARGE in a small COTTAGE may have to be my new mantra. LORD, I ask for your peace and guidance concerning this downsizing affair. It's challenging for me in so many ways. Blessings abound in you and through you so I ask for your help. In Jesus name I pray, AMEN.
I sometimes wonder why it has to be so cold in Kansas. It is a time to do deep cleaning inside and give thought to what to do when SPRING comes forth. Plan a garden. During the month of March, some yard work can be started by edging the grass along the sidewalk. Raking left over leaves about the yard bagging them up helps to freshen up the drab. Soon flowers will pop through the ground with the first signs of SPRING! This causes some excitement after living through another cold WINTER.
Making use of cold weather means I am inside more and can box up belongings for our move. I am thankful to be alive. How will I live my LIFE? How will I do things? How will I interact with people?
Amen,
