Joining Amanda at Soulemama for this moment.

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.

We’ve made it in. Not quite coming up for air yet but popping in to say hi. I’ve been missing you all and missing this space. Wishing you all a most wonderful weekend!

xoR

During all the packing and cleaning and sorting and packing I gathered a box of things to donate. The new house had a box of encyclopedias and those crazy curtains I’d also decided we would not be keeping. Off to the thrift store I went bringing my sister because I needed her brawn to help move those heavy books. No really, I needed her, don’t let Dan tell you otherwise. We weren’t planning the thrifting genius that followed (although we were hoping for it).

My first stop in any second hand store is the housewares. I’m always on the search for vintage glassware, bakeware, and mugs but vintage pyrex is my favourite find.

Because I am not the only person yearning for those colourful beauties they are not as easy to come by as they used to be. Usually the best I come across is a well loved (aka well worn) bowl. Without much kitchen space to spare (hopefully that’s about to change) I’ve had to be discerning in what I bring in.

On this particular occasion though there was no need to deliberate. I nearly pounced on the small stack of Pyrex I spied as I turned the corner to housewares. I loaded my sister’s arms with two bowls and by double-happy occasion nabbed a cast-iron pan from the shelf below.

The best of the two bowls that came home is a medium sized cinderella of the Horizon Blue pattern. My mother-in-law has already stocked it with fruit at the new house so I admire it every time I come in the kitchen. The second bowl is a medium solid green bowl – much like my mom still has in her kitchen back home. At $3 apiece I was very pleased! There were a couple of wannabe Pyrex polka dots bowls that I passed up. I saw another woman carrying them around 2 minutes later – I was selfishly pleased I beat her to the real thing.

The cast-iron pan is a medium to the two we already have. A bit more pricey at $12 but I’ve noticed a scarcity of them recently as well so it happily hoped off the shelf to us.

And the only good reason I can find for my sister living across the country – she wasn’t going to compete with me for these (to me) treasures. Although, for the record, I’d gladly give her the bowl in exchange for her move west.

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joining Cory for thrifty thursday

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal

into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our

past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

~Melody Beattie

In the name of gratitude and truthfulness I’ve decided to post a little piece of reality here once a week. Likely just a single picture. See my original post here.

A little while ago, I turned on Netflix for the kids while I frantically cleaned for a showing. I cued up Sesame Street from the last viewing and it began at this song. How suiting, how very suiting.

I’ve warned Dan to prepare himself for when I start crying – only four sleeps left in this house and sappy ads, and children’s stories are making me cry. There is an emotional floodgate getting ready to burst its dam but for now I’m busy with the many details of moving.

P.S. Someday soon I’ll be able to talk about something other than moving, I promise.

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If you’d like to join in with a reality check of your own, please add a link or note in the comments!

Our last weekend in this home has come to a close. There has been plenty of packing happening as we send load after load off in my in-law’s truck. It’s starting to look laughably stark around here. It’s a strange thing after being packed to the gills in this space for so long.

These have been long days. Late bedtimes, late nights, paint rollers, garden digging, baseboards and plinths. Packing boxes, moving shelves, uncovering long lost marbles and dinky cars. Bike rides, little boys as race cars, painted toddlers, and shifting light. Friends with ice cream and a newborn, a friend with a paintbrush and work gloves, friends with offers of moving and meals.

So much goodness in these busy days.

Transformation, elbow grease, cold feet, and excitement – this is how we’ve spent our weekend.

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How did you spend yours? We’ve a got a showing today in our house that is pretty much torn apart – I’ve got lots of cleaning to do but stop by and distract me for a few minutes okay??

Joining Amanda at Soulemama for this moment.

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.

Sorry I’ve been missing this week, friends. Things have been crazy busy around here while we pack and renovate. Not much longer until we’re in our new home! I’ve been missing writing here and checking in with all of you. I’ll be popping in again next week for a quick hello. Happy Weekend!!

xoR