My Choices

I  wonder if anyone even notices the things around me that I consider special.
 

We don't use paper napkins and you will rarely find paper towels in my kitchen.


My liquid dish detergent is not in the DAWN bottle ..it's in a crystal looking  bottle dispenser that is actually an Avon bottle [No, I don't collect avon bottles-just spotted this and it had my name on it]  I scrub my kitchen sink and hand wash dishes with a natural loofah sponge, just like those I grew near the farmhouse in Texas. In my bathroom I no longer have the sweet little nylon net bath scrubbies..I have natural loofah sponges not because they are fancy, exclusive or expensive but because it's one of those natural things I love.  I no longer buy potpourri, I make my own [no perfumed scent] from flowers, petals and blooms from our yard or herbs from my own herb bed near the kitchen door. It's not a snob thing..it's a NATURAL THING.


We don't stock styrofoam cups for you to drink from and rarely ever  have disposable plates-even for a large crowd.  God has blessed me to have a wonderful stock of dishes and flatware so why in the world would I use 'throw away' for people I love to invite to spend time or share a meal with us?
 

Oh yes, you were likely wondering about the paper issues.  When our daughter was in first grade and the three boys were about 5-7th grades I noticed that I was spending an exorbitant amount of money on items we could not eat when I did my grocery shopping.  I began looking for napkins on sale, fabric on sale and started making sets of cloth napkins-we were not trying to show off just trying to save money.  Oftentimes guests have walked by napkins and ask where the napkins are.  Years later I discovered the wonderfully cheap and very practical packages of flour sack dish towels at the dollar stores and Wal Mart and today those white, simple, no lint dish towels are on my list of "Jonell's favorite things."  They will bleach clean and are inexpensive enough that it's easy to restock several times a year.  It just feels like such a luxury having the kitchen drawers full of enough and some to spare that I can use them just as freely as we would paper towels.  Still after all these years even my children will  ask : "Mom where are the paper towels."

 

Another change over the years has been a move to buying ALL WHITE TOWELS AND LINENS.  Everything matches, the towels all bleach and for me the all white towels give me the feel of luxury in my bathroom.  I have chosen in recent years to buy the best bed linens I can afford to purchase..even if that means I only have two sets of sheets. These choices give me a feel of quality, abundance and comfort in our home. 

 It just doesn't take much to make me happy -such simple things in my life feel like abundance.

This works perfectly in this house for my bathroom. You guessed it, All white cotton shower curtains and matching window curtain [ something of a 'spa look']

 

A new bride, a young mother on a tight budget,can make a difference in her quality of life by making some basic choices..perhaps like these

Please note, these are my preferences, my choices.   I will not be offended if you use paper napkins & paper towels or serve me food on disposable plates.  These choices have nothing to do with making judgements concerning how you do things  when you entertain.  These are choices that make me comfortable and enjoy  life. ..at the Harrison House. 

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