In January 2006, I went to Mississippi as part of a work crew to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It was a big ask to take 7 days away from my young family to volunteer, but my husband and children were supportive. The opportunity presented itself through our church and it felt like…
Historians credit Marie Antoinette with the invention of the pocket handkerchief. She was so broken up at leaving her home in Austria that she cried all the way to France and wiped her eyes with bits of lace torn from her dress and lingerie. Anticipating future tears, she made it a point always to have…
The first stop on our Baltic Sea tour (in 2007) was Amsterdam. Though it was not tulip season, we quickly learned about the importance of the tulip in their history. During many palace tours, I would spot one gorgeous tulipiere after another. What is a tulipiere? A tulipiere or tulip-holder is an ornate vessel in which to grow…
I am officially embarrassed to say that this was the condition of the middle room of the basement. I cleaned it 18 months ago, but it’s an easy dumping spot for, well, just about everything. I know the intention was to “put it away later”, but things just kept accumulating. After taking donating three carloads…
Do you have lots of dishes and china? Some people collect shoes. I collect dishes and stemware. Fortunately, we have cupboards in the basement to store the items we do not use everyday. But, like most parts of the house that are out of sight, they can get messy and cluttered. My new project is…