My Mom’s right. Every time I call her I tell her I am organizing something and after 11,680 phone calls, give or take….. that is alot of organizing. One would think by now everything would be organized after 32 years of marriage and 2 homes later ~ welp, until I think of new ways to organize.
If you have been following along on FaceBook ~ I have been placing one or two ‘home’ projects on my to-do list to complete each week. The plan seems to be working better than looking at a long looming list of never ending things to do. I just keep that list tucked away for reference.
This week I accomplished (yeah!….accomplished) Organizing the Linens and Making Suds.
Pulling all the linens from the closet, bedroom and kitchen ~ the bed sheets, blankets, afghans, quilts, napkins, doilies, and curtains too.
Some from friends, some from family, some purchased and some keepsakes and heirlooms for sure.
First ‘weeding’ out the mis-fits to toss, donate, sell or give.
Some decisions were easy, some not so much.
There are afghans and doilies made by Jerry’s Aunt Tisha, there are embroidered pieces and pillow cases from his Gram, there are crochet hankies from his Aunt Flossie, there are quilts made by my Mom….not to mention the countless gifts made and given from friends close and from afar.
There is a quilt made by my own hands ~ early 1990’s, making coverings for our bed. I still adore the colors.
A pillow made from a quilt made by my Mom…
(I will be sure to share more about the source soon!)
And a very special note tucked inside an embroidered piece from Jerry’s Grandmother. She holds a special place in my heart.
Is this not the sweetest keepsake?
All the linen (keepers) have been laundered, pressed and tucked away.
I even placed a dresser scarf onto our bedroom dresser. I never thought I would do this ~ but here I am, adding a dresser scarf to my decor.
The wooden jewelry box is the one piece I have from my Dad. He picked it up after a fishing trip to Canada in the 70’s from a souvenir shop, I treasure it.
And I just had to share….my Mom makes the most beautiful cross stitching samplers and such. I asked her if my initials are on the back of this one ~ I have a brother and 2 sisters so I want to be sure this is mine…… insert smile and a wink.
Waiting to see how she frames it….sometimes it is a wooden frame, sometimes a quilted frame or even a pillow. She follows a few cross stitch bloggers….so many ideas.
And here is a quilt by her hands over our sofa. Another treasure.
~*~
And speaking of laundering ~ I made my own laundry suds.
Still thinking about whether this is something I would do on a regular basis.
The ‘recipe’ is from a source on Pinterest.
Classic Homemade Laundry Suds
Supplies
- 1 Gallon Bucket
- 1 Gallon of Water
- 1/4 cup Baking Soda
- 1/4 cup Super Washing Soda
- 1/3 cup Dr Bonner’s Castile soap or other brand
- 15 drops of your favorite scented essential oil (I used lavender, but I think next time I will use lemon or citrus)
- 1 spoon to stir
- a drink dispenser (or other container)
Directions
- Add a little bit of hot water to the bottom of the bucket, Add 1/4 cup of Super Washing Soda to the water and continue to mix it, adding remaining water.
- Next, add in 1/4 cup of baking soda, followed by 1/3 cup of Castile Soap, Continue to mix until dissolved.
- Add approximately 15 drops of your favorite essential oil to the mixture and mix.
- Pour your mixture into a container of your choosing. I used a drink dispenser.
I think that most of us have those keepsakes that we just can’t give away. I have the crocheted doilies from my grandmother. And while we don’t use them on the arms of the sofa and chairs anymore, I see in my mind’s eye my grandmother’s living room and our visits there. Priceless!
I think you’re right! They go back in the drawer like stacks of photos….always bringing memories of loved ones and in our case the homes they kept 🙂…thank you for reading!
So many treasures! Loved looking at your “stuff”!
Thank you….walking down memory lane while cleaning ❤️
I love reading your blogs. It gives me a new found love, energy of the things I cherish most from my mom, my grandmother. Plus gives me ideas too. Thank you Amy.
Thank you so much for reading….it was a walk down memory lane while organizing these beautiful linens.
I enjoyed reading this post. I have many keepsakes as well and find it hard to toss much of anything that someone else made!
Thank you! I pretty much just tossed a set of old sheets and the rest went back on the shelf, lol! Just can’t part with keepsakes 😉🙂