Tuesday, March 31, 2009

needful things....


Fresh flowers were one of the first things to go last year as I became more budget conscious.  In the spring I had plenty of fresh and intoxicatingly lovely lilacs from the yard and towards the end of summer I had a plethora of hydrangea (which I adore) but other than that my house has been unadorned most of the past 12 months.  For the past 3 weeks (since the house has been on the market) I have been sure to have flowers in at least four or five different places and I am enjoying their company so!  It's amazing how the scent of a rose or the promise of spring seen in a tulip or daffodil can lift the spirit.  I may have to pare it down a bit but I'm not going to let flowers slip out of my life again....what have you given up that you miss?

7 comments:

Sleepandhersisters said...

Hydrangeas are my most favorite flowers too...

I have a friend who has a flower budget each week...

Not having enough time alone is something that has just happened over the years... and I miss it, but would much rather have the people I live with around me then all the time alone in the world.

Tara Thayer said...

I used to get my nails done pretty regularly. Mostly my toes, because a manicure lasts about one and a half hours on hands that do as much as mine do. In the summer, I still feel a little funny if I don't have nicely turned out toes, but like lots of other things, I'm sort of over it. I think it comes as much with the confidence of age as it does as a by-product of downsizing our budget.
I still buy flowers, though. All summer long I make all sorts of arrangements out of anything green or colored, but when there's nothing to take for free, I will still buy a bunch of eucalyptus, or daisies,or tulips, or whatever.
And I still buy wine.
Hmmm. I guess there's more I still keep than I've given up.
But we don't eat out, or travel much.
Things that make home beautiful and joyful are non-descretionary around here.
Thanks for getting me to think about this. Best wishes, tt

tangled sky studio said...

katherine-i know we have lots in common....and time-yeah i know.
tra-what a great response (i'm glad i know you). i don't do fingers or toes anymore either and wine never went on the short list but somehow flowers ended up on the "extras" list. thanks for commenting....

belinda marshall said...

i agree you should have flowers!

i miss the freedom to just buy something that i see and love and want! am pretty sure i'd have lots more art in our house if i wasn't being so careful moneywise!!
other than that i guess i've become far less materialistic over the years, which is not a bad thing.

i really love your crop circle piece from your last post :)

M.A. Wakeley said...

I miss having flowers in my living room and dining room. Without a car during the week I don't stop off to buy them, so I'll wait until they begin to sprout from my garden to bring them indoors.

p.s. i love hydrangeas too.... especially purple or the lovely orangey pink ones.

artslice said...

It's this time of year more than any other I find myself buying flowers for the table. Just can't wait any longer for that burst of natural color!

ps Mr. Darcy is wild and puppy-ish as ever... not getting very far on the potty training tho :( BTW, I'm planning on starting a new pr of knitted socks. What's on your needles today?

the nest said...

Hi Beth! Just today I bought some flowers... first time in a loooong time.

I think I've lost a grip on alone time. I'm gradually chipping out a chunk now and then. But as Koji finishes 8th grade, and I wonder where the time has gone (!), I must revel in this time together, whatever it looks like, and not dwell too much on being alone.

Silver lining, silver lining, silver lining...!