August 28, 2010

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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11 comments:

  1. Hi Jonell,

    I've been trying to email you but my note keeps coming back saying I'm not on your 'friends' list.

    Please email me!

    Revee

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  2. sooooooo sorry Revee I THINK if you just fwd that email u got back to me w/o doing anything the problem clears up..no i don't understand it;don't u dare disappear from my life ..second email add is: jonellharrison@hotmail.com looking fwd to catching up with you
    JH

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  3. The flour sack towels I've found are so THIN. Do you stitch them up double ply?

    We do paper towels for hubs and dish towels for me. No judgments, just preferences.

    Just visiting a sorority sister.

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  4. Thanks for visiting and sharing-that's what I want~feedback.
    No I don't double the flour sack towels..rem I use them as freely as I would paper towels-what I like about them is NO LINT on anything I dry, they can be used for everything if u choose even furniture polishing -they bleach and come really clean and when no longer decent for the kitchen use in the shop or laundry room etc and when u toss them..not a lot of # lost-
    btw: I actually use my husband's worn white socks cut in half for furniture polishing or cut up his ratty white t shirts or sweat shirts and share these with him for shop use too.
    WE ARE SO SMART AREN'T WE??

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  6. Oh goodness, I could have written every word of this myself, except my dish detergent is in a sort of stainless looking decorative bottle and not crystal. The crystal sounds nice!

    I have a *thing* about not using paper as well. It's not an environmental thing with me, and it's only partially about money. It's more that I think my family and friends deserve it, just like you said.

    I have an abundance of cloth and linen napkins that we use that I have collected over the years and a large stack of very servicable white ones. How I got them is a long story which I typed but deleted. LOL

    On that (white) topic, I am like you as well and use only white, bleachable ones as well.

    So nice to know that I am not alone in this.

    I saw your comment on my tablescape and I hope that you DO get the courage. I was the same exact way and looked at them week after week thinking how fun it would be to have occasion to play with dishes with other over grown up little girls.

    In the meantime, I am going to sit here with my coffee and visit this blog. If it's anything like my gramma's house, I'm sure to feel at home.

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  8. Debbie you just made my day Lady! We seem to have so much in common..let's keep this connection going ~
    I too do those [special to some] things b/c there is no one more special than my family and friends and that's what I have those pretties for..special people and special ocassions. You have just made me smile INSIDE AND OUT really big!..come by and sit on my front porch ANYTIME

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  9. It's funny how we have those 'special' choices that we probably won't ever change.

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  10. I am so glad to see others are like me. A roll of paper towels lasts forever at my house- I use cloth dishtowels and cloths and also napkins. I just like the feel of them. My dish detergent is in a tall bottle with a pouring spout. It is so easy to wash dishes for just hubby and me, so I never buy paper plates.

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  11. Omy You came back; so good to see you visited again. re your comment: While we have a lovely home, abundance of God given blessings we are not wealthy people..choices like these make me feel even 'materially' well off [we usually say 'rich' don't we?] These are things within my power to control and make our lives better..the dailies, the ordinary elements of our lives ..OH YES add to that CANDLES..I HAVE TO HAVE CANDLES AND USE THEM GENEROUSLY. I wish I had this knowledge in my head as a young wife and mother..could have made our lives so much the better during leaner times..DO YOU THINK WE NEED TO START A CLASS FOR YOUNG BRIDES??what should we call it? Beauty, Elegance and Abundance ANYHOW ?
    PLEASE COME BACK!

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