{paper and ink}

{paper and ink} love:

What is it about vintage

that is so intriguing?

I took some time the other day

to treasure hunt

with my 9 and 11 year old daughters...

 We found a few batons for Clara to twirl

{she's happy!} 

and a few other useful things.

 Then we came across 

a few old typewriters

and were absolutely 

in awe.

Maybe it's the 

'klink, klink, klink'

of the keys

or that your eyes can actually see 

the ink

transferring onto the paper.

I am 'one of those'

that prefer lists on paper 

over notes on my i-pad,

reading a book written on pages 

rather than a nook

and the smell of fresh ink 

as I inscribe

a handwritten note to a friend

 rather than an e card, 

whatever that is :].

Oh, I know those things can be convenient

and save a forest, too.

But there's just something about

paper and ink...

I love.

Typewriters are being listed today

in my boutique.thewhitechair.etsy.com

Have a beautiful weekend!

deborah

small and simple

small and simple

{the many, many things that life is made of}

"One of the greatest blessings in life

is to learn

to be content

with and fulfilled by

 the small,

simple things

 in life;

after all,

these make up the majority

of the human experience."

Dr. Laura

To say it in mathematical terms:

small + simple x lifelong = influence

Have a wonderful weekend!

deborah

unexpected gifts of grace...

 Roses, Hydrangeas and a touch of Grace 

{unexpected gifts}

A couple of weeks ago 

a dear friend
 gave me these pink roses...

for no other reason than to simply

show her usual thoughtful kindness.


She is of the substance

that as time goes on
I have become aware of how much richer my life is
because of her friendship.
One that presses you to become a better, 

stronger, and much wiser woman.

A role model of an inner joyful heart

no matter the
 external influences.

She will even ask about different

things that I have shared with her
 over years of our friendship

and say that she asks only to get an update 

so she can continue to  pray 
with better understanding.

{and she prays}

She has not even once spoken 

ill to me of anyone else 
especially and including

those that have positioned themselves 
as an enemy.
{Really. It's true.}

Full of selfless, kind encouragement 

and never self promoting,

 she prefers to remain quietly

 behind the scenes 
of her highly successful husband

and amazingly beautiful and super high achieving children
that really could all be supermodels but they are all deep
into making this world a better place, 
like their parents.

{and she has many children so this is a huge task}

She brought me pink roses
 on a Wednesday.
Several days later
I took a huge bundle of hydrangeas to her 
from our yard.

She loves this type of hydrangea
 because it reminds her 
of the flowers that grow so well in another country 
where she, her husband and children spent about 10 years
living out 'an adventure.'


I ran into her at a class a couple days ago
and we stayed after to catch-up.
After several minutes she asked if I noticed her eye
as she ran her finger over it.
I said that I hadn't.
She smugly with eyes down told me that she had been hit by a car
and continued on about something else.
{not herself, of course}
Wait a minute, I thought.
"Excuse me, can we go back to where you said 
that you were hit by a car?  
You were in a car, right?"
"No.  I was in a parking lot."
{pause}
I picked up my lower jaw off of the table 
where we were sitting 
and tried to reattach my eyeballs to my face.
My expression was most likely self explanatory...
I did not need to verbalize any more questions. 


"Yes, I was walking to my car 
and this person apparently didn't see me 
and perhaps was in a bit of a hurry. 
The car hit me and threw me about 20 feet.
I landed on my side and face, knocked out... 
the whole CT scan, MRI and tests...
I believe it's a miracle that I'm not gone
or hooked up to breathing tubes, you know?
{and then added "with all the pins and screws that I have..."
that's another story-a book that I want her to write
 called GRACE}
And you didn't even know it did you,
but when you brought over those beautiful hydrangeas
I was laying down recovering and my daughter saw you 
coming up the sidewalk... 
Thank you."


{whispers of grace}


If I mentioned her name here 
it would bother her deeply.
She truly sees herself as a behind the scenes,
'no recognition needed here'
quiet servant.
She's intelligent enough to run a corporation,
{and with her quality and quantity of family- she does}
Eloquent enough to meet with Kings and Queens,
{and she does}
Graceful and caring enough to be a type of triage nurse,
{and she has}
Humble enough to take in the drug addicted prostitute,
{and she has}
Wise enough to lead a church,
{she had to when her husband was hit by a car}
And not so busy that she cannot be a friend.
{and she is a wonderful one, at that}

My pink roses are dry now.
I hung them in our kitchen
against the black chalkboard wall.
Perfect reminders of what a small gift
that a bundle of flowers can be
when received in a dark moment
covered with an indescribable gift of 
grace.


deborah

{images taken by me using instagram}

playgrounds and perfume...

{playgrounds and perfume}

Once upon a time...

in a land not so far away

there was a sweet little girl 

who loved to go to the playground.

{simple joy of a playground}


Then I blinked and she turned 17.

{at the park wearing perfume}

 Now she loves interior design,

fashion, hair, and make-up design,

graphic design, and... design.

All of this 'creativity' can create

quite a mess in a small bedroom...

Art supplies, sketchbooks, clothing, 

make-up,  more clothing, 

homeschooling books, lots of 
perfume bottles,

and beverage glasses from who knows when

that had an unidentified type of juice 

now turned 'science project...'
{ok I'm embarrassed}

This presented quite an organizational challenge, as you can see...


{viewer advisory caution}

{my heart rate elevates just looking at it!}

{breathe!}

{ok, now I'm praying!}


We needed a storage solution that a teenager
and her mom could live with.


Preferably: 
Unconventional.
Unusual.
Unpredictable.
Unique.


Then an idea:
Large open utility shelving, bookshelves, 
or maybe a painted china hutch.
We could make her bedroom a type of
walk in closet.
As long as there's plenty of room
for creativity
and a maybe a chandelier...


Kind of like this:

So with fear and trembling 

that I might encounter

the "Oh mom..." teenager sigh
I went ahead and shared these crazy ideas

 with her. 

And pause... "I love it!"

Yea!

Now we can all be happy.

I won't have a zone in our home 

that looks like a bomb went off

{well, at least one less anyway} 

and she can have a bit of order to her 

own little space.

So off to the trail of

 Thrift Stores

we went!

{little  brother helping in the hunt} 

The vision was simple:
Clean and open shelving 
filling a long wall.
Perhaps 3 or 4 bookshelves to adjoin
and paint white, or ballet pink...
or bright yellow with
plenty of space to categorize belongings.
{sort of boutique-ish}


Not too difficult, right?


But we just couldn't find the 'right fit.'


Then we noticed a group of huge
black shiny file cabinets.
"Perfect for a large office" I thought.
Then I pulled out a drawer.
"Wow, look at how much space there is!"
{idea}


"Crazy" I told myself.
{But I loved it}


So again, I asked 
'rather choosy and set in her own style' 
teenager
 a silly question
"What about file cabinets as storage?"


"Yes! I LoVe it!" she responded.


Enough said.


A few days later:

{neatly in a row}

{everything has a place}

{and labeled!!!}

{and her P.O.D. wall art is still visible}

{and  her friend Betsy is so accessible}


Unique.
Definitely unpredictable.
Certainly unusual
and yes, unconventional.




Just what we were looking for.
Well, sort of.


What have you been up to?


xo deborah

finding the fine line...

I've been thinking lately about the whole world of virtual communication.

I enjoy facebook, blogger, etsy, instagram, and the convenience of email.

I, like everyone else, can get lost in the computer screen for hours on sites like

 flickr and now pinterest.

 I think it's wonderful that there are so many different platforms for creativity

and opportunities for individuals to work from home.

It's crazy how fast a new online site can pop up. 

 I know this may make me sound

out of date or old but, it's hard to keep it all straight!

It can become additictive.

And worse yet, it can promote a loss of a connection with reality.

I have checked my facebook more than I need to.

I have blogged when it may have been better to meet a friend for coffee.

I have put alot of work into my etsy and wondered if it was time well spent.

And now pinterest.

I can find everything there!

Recipes, decor ideas, hairstyle tutorials, exercise plans, even a gazillion + more makeover ideas

for my face, my home, my yard, my garden, my life.

I read a woman's to do list for 2012.

It had dozens of BiG projects listed.

I couldn't help but wonder how all this doing would affect her marriage

and her relationships with her children.

I thought I was having a bad day the other day.

My husband was sick and out of state all week on a business trip.

Our 6 children all had the flu.

I had the flu.

The laundry mountain was HuGE

and my energy had flatlined.

After a few days of doing nothing I got out my computer.

I read several blogs of people that I follow

and I came across a difficult post of a woman who recently

 lost her home, her marriage, and many other, what once were, blessings.

This is one of my very favorite on line people.

It jarred me.

I was so stunned that this woman had been going through all these tragic events

and I was completely clueless.

It reminded me that in the virtual world

what's being presented doesn't always line up with reality.

It is a difficult fine line.

If I am real, there are those who read that as whining.

And I have a conviction that if I'm not real, I am promoting a virtual fairytale image

that benefits no one.

???

I am not quite sure where that balance is.

In the blogosphere of interior design and inspiration

spilled milk and a ripped open garbage bags caused by family dog

aren't axactly inspiring or material for readers who want to sit at their computer

with a cup of coffee and wander into blogging bliss.

I love order, peace, elegance, beauty, simplicity and lovliness

but frankly, my world just isn't so.

No one's is.

I can fall into "Should my_____ be like that?" ditch.

Or maybe it's more like a swamp.

I get concerned about the influences that these images of virtual perfection

can bring into our own homes, our own relationships with spouse and children,

our standards and expectations.

Houses get dirty and need upkeep.

Marriage takes hard, selfless, devotion and humble committment.

Children need both of their parent's love, attention and affection.

The inspiration that I've needed to continue 'make overs' on these most important

priorities has not come from time on blogger, facebook or pinterest

but from being quiet before God.

No electronics needed.

No cell phone needed.

If you find that fine line between being real on your blog

without sounding like you're whining

let me know.

I want to continually stay there and write from that place.

I'd love to hear your thougts on how you stay real in a virtual world.

xo deborah

{images: pinterest}

{realistic} Renewal

Realistic Renewal

I love newness.

Starting fresh.

Reflection and renewal.

But sometimes I forget to stay real

in the vision of what my 'renewed' looks like.

Words I'd like to describe my life:
purposeful
simplified
strategic
streamlined
peaceful
prepared
pure

{yes, kind of like that}

I ran into a lovely young woman the other day

who told me all about a program

that she is involved in right now.

She's living with an amazing, wonderful family

along with several other

college-aged students:

Push-ups and sit-ups for each piece of

clothing left on floor,

{light bulb! watch out Martin kids!}

  cleaning the whole house every week

with other interns,

spiritual and physical disciplines

to prepare these young people

 for real life, etc.

I couldn't help but look at how I'm training my own children.

And another good friend who has a few children

and a very, very busy demanding life

who is so beautiful and intelligent

that is having our whole family over for dinner this weekend...

I started to look at my own life.

Our family schedules.

Chore lists.

Our health habits and spiritual disciplines.

Our corners of clutter
that I constantly clean out.

Last week I went to our local warehouse
 and bought x-large garbage bags
for donations and garbage.

We are always donating to Goodwill

{and then I drive around the corner to the front door
 and go treasure hunting}

One of my mantra's to our children is

do not compare {with others}.

But I need reminded of that truth

just as often as they do.

The rest of the lesson is:

do not compete.

do not complain.

but be content.

Then I woke up this morning and

all 6 of our kids have the flu.

My husband is out of town on a week long business trip.

And I have the flu, too.

I have to laugh.

Then I'm laying in bed thinking

of all the things that I
 could/should be doing.

{Mom's don't schedule sick days, right?}

And then one of my kids came to me

to say that the shelves in the garage fell...

The storage shelves.
"It must have been windy in the garage."

Decluttering these shelves
and the entire garage 
was on my list of things to do

and it is just moved to the top.

A section dropped a month ago and a bottle of beer from my sister to make beer bread fell onto my 5th grader's backpack and shattered.

We washed her back pack but her friends keep saying

"What's that smell?"

Do those women that I admire have dirt in their corners?

Do they have unexpected messes
like shelves that fall?

Does everyone have a maid?!

Does anyone else get sick

when all 6 of thier kids get sick

when husband is out of town

for a whole week!?! {sigh}
{believe it or not this has happened before}

And then I pulled out one of my favorite books

written by Lisa Whelchel.

She's real.

I love real.

Not that the women I've mentioned aren't

but my mind I can become idealistic,
 often only seeing people

at their best.

I read a few pages and then returned to my

little 'hospital of sick beds'.

Real is so refreshing to me.

The shelves and all contents

are still on the floor.

Perhaps tomorrow I will be over the flu

and will simplify, organize and donate
but until then I am going to cherish the
quiet togetherness that only a
simplified sick day
can bring.


Hope that my realness
brings you refreshment, too,
knowing that we all have corners, messes and
unexpected realities.
{darn it}


xo deborah

{images: my messy house and pinterest}

contemplations for newness...



Contemplations for newness from a historic wise woman...

A quote that jumped out at me recently:

{it will become 'wall art' in our home soon}

"I am determined to be cheerful and happy

in whatever situation I may find myself.

For I have learned the greater part

of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by

our circumstances

but by our disposition."

Martha Washington

hmmm... enough said.

What thoughts or inspirations

are "ah ha" moments to you these days?

xo deborah