windowsill

“The voyage of a lifetime starts at the windowsill.”

~Khang Kijarro Nguyen

~

Recently, as I was going through my photo files, I found quite a few windowsill shots.

I didn't realize I had so many of them so I decided to include them in a post.

So often I'll walk into the kitchen and find the late afternoon sun filtering through the petals

of whatever happens to be in the vessels (or the vessels themselves) that's sitting on the sill...

...and creating such a lovely still-life display that I have to stop whatever I'm doing
and go grab my camera.

Sometimes, depending on the time of day, the scene is more of a silhouette...


...and sometimes it's just fun.

~
As you can see, my windowsills are quite shallow.
You can be sure that the farmhouse will have nice deep ones. 😉

AT MY WINDOWSILL

Early in the morning,

When all is still,

I sit and wait

At my windowsill,

And watch the sun

Come over the hill,

To paint the sky

With beauty and skill.

~Linda B. Ross



Most of the photos I came across were taken of my own kitchen windowsill 
but I found a couple from other places as well.

Remember our beloved cabin in Virginia?
These colored bottles always made me smile as I caught the sun sifting through them.
When we moved out, I gave the blue ones away to Adam and Carrie.

Now I get to enjoy them sitting in their windowsill when we come visit them.

It's always fun to change things up for the seasons.
Anyone else ready for fall?

"Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are window through which you must see the world."
~George Bernard Shaw

BOUQUET

Today, while I was busy at my tasks

She came to me, and proudly held to view
The flowers she had gathered, with the words
"See Mommy! I have picked them all for you."

I smiled with high delight, and gathered close
The limp grey weeds, the wilted dandelion...
And placed them all in water, in a vase
Upon the window sill to catch the shine!

I often think, Lord, this must be Your task
With prayers and deeds we bring to You each night,
How poor and small they are, they fall so short!
And yet, how beautiful within Your sight.

To understand our aims, unworthy deeds ...
And bless the "flowers" shining through the weeds!

~Charmain Blattner

"Give me a window and I'll stare out it."  

~Alan Rickman

So tell me...what's in your windowsill?


Sharing at:
Amaze Me Monday

Word of God Speak

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1
~
Many years ago, this old bible was given to us by my mother-in-law.
I don't remember how long we've had it in our possession
but I think it had been in a box with some other old things she had given to us.
I don't even recall seeing it until after she had passed away.

There is nothing personal written within it's pages so surely it did not belong the family
and whoever previously owned it wrote nothing inside either.
It wouldn't surprise me if she found it at a rummage sale or flea market.
Since there is no evidence inside, it's pretty much a mystery.

I can't even find so much as a date of publication or printing on it...

but one look can tell you it has been around for many years.

It's been on the top shelf of the spare closet in a plastic bag, bound together by heavy string,

actually not a very nice place to keep this beautiful old bible, really.

The things is, it's so very fragile...you can barely even turn the pages...
no doubt that I had to be very careful as I was taking the photos.

 As you can see, the spine is nearly worn through.

And it's also very heavy.

Of course it isn't practical at all to carry it around.
A bible like this would most likely have been kept on a table or possibly the mantle.

The actual dimensions are 14" x 18" x 5" thick.

The inside boards are embellished with a rich sapphire and gold paper edged in gold trim.

It really is so very beautiful and has wonderful pictures throughout it's pages.

There's just something about old books...the smell and the way the paper feels against your hand.
I try to imagine the people whose fingers have touched it's pages and what their stories were.

I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;

I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.

Job 23:12

   

When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank.

Exodus 2:3

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Colossians 3:16
~

When I see this big old family Bible, a picture forms in my mind's eye...
I see a family from long ago, sitting in a semi-circle by a fireplace or maybe around the supper table.
The room is dimly lit with only the glow of the burning embers and oil lanterns to read by.
A father is reading from the Scriptures as the mother and all of the children,
and maybe even Grandma and Grandpa, are all listening intently.
The scene is truly heart-warming.

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Romans 10:17

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Psalm 119:105
~

GOD IS SPEAKING

Can you hear God speaking?
He’s talking to you now.
If you don’t it’s because you’re not listening
Or you don’t understand how.
The whisper of the wind,
The rustle of the breeze blown leaves,
The patter of the rain,
His voice is all of these.
The smile of a stranger,
The sunshine in the morn,
It’s the twinkle of the stars above
As another babe is born.
The Lord’s language is simplicity,
Not made of nouns and verbs.
It’s in the blooming of rose,
It’s in the growing of the herbs.
His words are in this beauty,
Seen only by the wise.
It’s what we take the time to view,
And what we will recognize.
Our Creator gave us everything,
We need not ask for more.
Give him thanks for what we have,
Give him thanks for what’s in store.

~ George C. Clements


But he answered, “It is written,

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Matthew 4:4

 

THE VOICE OF GOD

When we hear the voice of God

Speaking to our hearts,

Do we obey and follow Him

Or are we slow to start?

For when the Lord speaks to us,
We need to heed the call
And do the things He wants us to,
Giving to Him our all

I know at times it can be hard
To know the Father's will,
We need to listen to His voice,
For He speaks when all is still

Many times we fret so much
And rush so much about,
We then find all our busyness
May cloud our Savior out

So this is why we take some time
To be still before the Lord,
So He can speak into our lives
And show us so much more.

~M. S. Lowndes



The Lord is able to speak to us in many ways...

through His written Word,
through other people,
through the beauty of creation,
and through just about any circumstance we can imagine.

What a blessed people we are to have a God who created us just for this purpose!

What are some of the ways God speaks to you?

I Was Vintage When Vintage Wasn't Cool

 

If I was a betting person, I would bet that most of you vintage loving friends have pretty much always been that way. I may be wrong here...maybe you're a follower of trends and have jumped on the vintage bandwagon that has been so popular the past several years. Or maybe you are like me and just can't remember a time when you haven't taken a shine to the old-fashioned, crusty, rusty, aged, antiquated, and time-worn objects of yesteryear.

I'm sure there was time when I was growing up that I may not have given much thought to many of those items that were surrounding me...like that old iron chippy white bed that my brothers slept in. Yes I said brothers....plural for brother...two teenaged boys slept together in the same double bed. What I would give to have that wonderful old bed! And just over in the next room (we girls had to walk through the boys' room to get to our room... homemade house problems) was another old metal-framed bed, a dining room buffet and ancient dresser where we put some of our clothes. There, three sisters shared one double bed and I slept on the old roll-away...after I graduated from the baby crib that many of my predecessors had slept in before me...it was in my parent's room downstairs and I was 4 years old before I moved on up to the second floor. Remember the Waltons? That was us.

I guess I just took these things for granted since we didn't have much money and we basically used a lot of things that had been passed down to my parents, most likely from their families. There was nothing fancy or new in our home but it was cozy and warm, adorned with large floral prints...either displayed on the wallpaper (that must be why I still love it) or in the drapes, along with hand crocheted doilies, embroidered dresser scarves, chenille bedspreads and frilly lampshades.

~

And speaking of vintage floral prints, I recently found this gorgeous Waverly fabric at a local thrift store. There were eleven yards and it looked as though it was just cut off the bolt...I paid five bucks for it and I was thrilled! I may use it for curtains or maybe I'll get really adventuresome and upholster a chair and foot stool. It would also make some gorgeous throw pillows.

 

Thinking back to our first home (apartment) after we married, I would describe it as eclectic...no real décor theme but cozy and comfortable with some old things mixed with a few newer ones. Some items we came by on our own, others given to us Jim's parents and mine. As a wedding present, Jim's parents wanted to buy us a bedroom set. We decided we wanted antiques so we went to a local dealer and picked out our new (old) oak bed with the tall, curvy headboard, a matching dresser and an old oak wash stand. Today it resides in our guest bedroom.

 



And then I have this weakness for vintage linens. Surely there must be a local chapter of VLAA out there close...(Vintage Linen Addicts Anonymous).

Remember my friend Susie who gifted me with so many of her treasures a couple of years ago?

I'm looking forward to finding just the right places for them in the farmhouse. I've also shared with you before a collection of vintage jewelry that had belonged to my dear late mother-in-law.
 

I get it out every now and then to just look at it or use it in a photo shoot.



I recently found this stunning necklace (below) at the same thrift shop I got the red fabric. I don't think it's really that old but it looks like it's right out of the '30s or '40s...it more than likely is right out of the 2000s...ha! I really don't care though since I really liked it and considered it a bargain for $5.



 

 

And every once in a while, those of us who enjoy olden things, get extra excited when we come across a deal of all deals...like the glider we bought for only $40 at a yard sale several years ago. Those folks just weren't aware of what they and what they could have gotten for it.  Some of you may remember, all she needed was a little face lift. 😊

 

My friend Bonnie who blogs at Vintage Girl 901 (and really knows her vintage stuff) happened to see my bowl and pitcher in a Facebook post and commented on what she'd give to find a McCoy like that one. I didn't have a clue what she was talking about....I proceeded to tell her I had gotten at a yard sale for $2.00 and I could almost hear her chin hit the floor.

 

 

She told me to look on the bottom and sure enough, McCoy was engraved on it. I googled McCoy turkey bowl and pitcher and hit the mother load, finding tons of them in many colors and range of prices. If I like something, I really don't care much about how much it's worth since I plan to keep it...but I have to admit it's fun to know I've gotten a great deal! And talk about deals...remember Sophie?

 

Thirty-five bucks and she was mine. You may remember that I rescued her from a fate worse than death. She had been severely mistreated and I just had to give her a new home. It kind of breaks my heart when something so beautiful is left in ruins.

 

I still need to do a little work to her (the machine) and have just added it to my already long list of things to do.



Jim also shares my fondness for vintage items...in fact, sometimes I think he's got it worse than me. One of his favorite pastimes is browsing flea markets, yard sales and antique shops...it seems he has a weakness for old dishes and has brought home more than I know what to do with. Recently he brought home a couple of really old lamps and these decorative wall plates made in England.

And then there was this vase....♥♥♥.



This very old spinning wheel was given to us by Jim's mother. She had acquired it from a pair of old spinster twin sisters (say that 5 times fast) who lived in their neighborhood when he was growing up. Their last name was Good so they became loving known to all the neighbors as the Good Girls...go figure!

When my mom became too ill to continue living in her home alone, the family came together to go through her things. These are some of what I kept of hers...they probably wouldn't even bring twenty-five cents at a yard sale but are priceless to me because when I use them, they conjure up sweet memories of her.

So this post has been all about old things that add a little extra joy to my life. As I was writing, it became obvious to me that I would be leaving out a very important truth by not adding this final thought. Yes, I admit I do like to surround myself with these timeless pieces and sentimental treasures. Many of them bring a peace and comfort to me by just having them around. But when all is said and done, I would gladly give them all up in a heartbeat if I had to choose between them and my real Treasure...the One whose unending grace saved a wretch like me. Would the Lord ever ask me to do that? I have no idea. I do, however, know where my true peace and comfort come from and it doesn't come from things. I never want any of these possessions to possess me and if and when I am ever asked to give them up, I will do it.

~

A visit to an old junkyard several years ago inspired me to add this verse of scripture to one of the many photos I took that day.



So what about you? Is your fancy for vintage something that you acquired as a trend or were you like me...vintage when vintage wasn't cool?