My Kitchens Spring Clean

These last few weeks as time permitted I've been spring cleaning my kitchen.
Such a great feeling to clean and organize cupboards,wash curtains and windows to give this busy space, some needed attention.

                                       this past winter ...

when we put in our new floor I switched the table around,I like the symmetry with the window this way...so simple! why didn't I do this long ago?Now the first thing people say is " You switched your table." (Yes, AND we changed the floor:)

Yes, the kitchen IS the heart of the home....so much happens here. Love and it's labours are poured out here. It welcomes us with it's cozy charms after a long day.
As I thought about the kitchen being the heart 
I decided the heart is like the kitchen as well. 
The heart is central to the body and all we do, see, and hear is filtered through this main corridor.
 Quiet reflections and boisterous gatherings, love and it's expressions or anxiety and strife can take up residence in this chamber which is ours to design.
                                                                   

         and this angle..I'd LIKE a stainless steel refrigerator someday, but I know there are more      important things in life than having matching appliances....RIGHT?

I take care of my kitchen, cleaning up at the end of a busy day spent  making meals to serve my family and friends.
My heart needs cleaning up too at times...it can feel cluttered with unnecessary items that don't benefit anyone. 

                             

So as I clean up my kitchen and admire it's quiet charm, I pray for a heart that matches in perfect symmetry.

                                         

   
                     http://www.adelightsomelife.com/2013/04/home-and-garden-thursday-21.html



544-clean kitchen at present,545-beautiful messes,546-daughter home again,547-rhubarb pie...so good,548-watching the Bible on DVD,549-memories always being made,550-great day shopping in Toronto on the weekend,551-riding my bike again,552-cleaning up yard,553-daughter's who encourage me,554-spring arriving ever so slow but sure....

My Feathered Nest In Fine Form

It's time for Feather My Nest Friday,so today I'd like to share my study/ piano/sitting by the laptop room.

yes, I have a white couch with five children. It isn't spotless ,
                                                         but I'm okay with that.

                 
                 this trunk I treasure, it belonged to my husband's grandmother.
                   I have it filled with photo albums.
                                        
                                                                           
                                                                   




     my kids play piano here.... five kids have had lessons on this piano. I love to hear them play .(most days) Lately Christmas carols have filled this room.

                                                                                                   

                                                       

                                   this light was salvaged from a dump...

             This is where I read and write....

              I fell in love with these drapes when I saw them.
                     They add just that touch of glam which I like.

 This room has a story; like many rooms do, the floor we changed shortly after we lived here. I sold flowers from my garden and then a wood stove to be able to afford it at that time.  The piano was also purchased by saving money in a tin for a few summers of selling birdbaths.
The couch has a bit of a story as I saw it advertised in the newspaper and liked it. I thought it fit perfectly into my then Victorian themed, wallpapered ,living room. After I tired of that; I planned to get rid of it and purchase more contemporary furniture.
 Somehow it took on a new look (or was it me) when I  painted the room a brown colour a few years ago. Now my strong feelings of either like or dislike for the couch have dissolved into a sort of passive oblivion.
 Time will tell how long it remains a stoic member of this family.



Thank-you for visiting, I hope you had a cup of tea in your hand,
and warm, happy thoughts in your heart and home.

The Quest of Contentment

Contentment; it really feels like that elusive attribute to me sometimes. This is the thought I have while I pull out my trusty garden journal and jot down what to plant where and what not to 
                                                                plant there.

  

    Does a human being ever reach that pinnacle of contentment here on this temporal planet?


       I have felt like I am often dancing around contentment in my quest for purpose,
                                         voice and expression.


Don't get me wrong, being a mom is definitely the vocation and epitome of contentment for me.

But some aspects of contentment are that proverbial "pipe dream" that "pie in the sky" maybe
 " some day "dream.
I used to be discontented with my house. I thought I should have a charming two story ,rambling, stone mansion. Instead it is a simple, unpretentious ,brick bungalow. And believe it or not I am actually content with it! It has some uniqueness just like me ,and it is home sweet home.

There are some physical attributes that took me a long time to chalk up to being content about, but thankfully age brings a certain degree of wisdom and I realize what a futile battle some things are.

 

"There is nothing like the thrill of the hunt" oh how I have discovered this to be true, as many times when I have been searching for just the right item for my home, I discover after I have gone ahead and purchased my treasure, I find out my treasure was the quest not the destination.

 

Godliness with contentment is great gain.....1 Timothy 6:6 This is my goal, that thing I strive for as earnestly as this flesh lets me. Thankfully His grace is abundant and His mercies new each and every day as I walk in step with the Spirit towards eternal contentment.