Spring Cleaning Treasures

I feel like I've been Spring cleaning for the fast four weeks. Constantly I'm tackling another pile or closet or drawer. I've made three trips to Good Will. It feels good to get rid of the extras and just focus on managing the necessities. Slowly but surely things around here are feeling more manageable. The house, however, still looks like a bomb hit. Why does it require a big mess to get things straightened up?

In my purge, I ran across some hidden treasures. It's been fun putting them in their rightful places and on display for others to enjoy. Want to see?

Three items have joined our international guest bathroom. The first is a hand painted card that my sister, Cindy, gave me from her trip to the Ukraine.

Another is a piece of embroidery that my father-in-law, Mike, brought back from the Vietnam War. I salvaged it from their old house during their move. I have no idea what it says, but the embroidery is beautiful. Whenever I see it I have to stop and thank God for His care for Mike during those years. Otherwise, there would have been no Sean.



I also found in the bottom of a pile this great wall decoration. Our first nursery had a "Little Children of the World" theme. This was given to us at our first baby shower and I've never had the heart to part with it. I'm glad to have it one display once again.



I've been holding on to these glass bottles and had to put them to use or they were going to recycycling. I covered them in scrapbooking paper I had left over from my Grandma's recipes project and filled them with grains.




My sister, Vanessa, taught English as a Second Language in Thailand many summers ago. She brought me back this antique fabric piece. It is far too beautiful to tuck away in a chest. It now hangs in our bedroom on a curtain rod attached to the wall and clips. This was so inexpensive (under $10) and easy to do. The year after I received this the Tsunami hit and much of Thailand was affected. I often wonder what happened to the hands that created this beautiful work and it does remind me to pray for the many families that are still feeling loss.