Re: Simple homemaking pleasures

house_cat · ‎03-09-2010

@151949 wrote:
@froggy wrote:
Having a pretty tablecloth on the table and setting the table every night with pretty dishes.

When I first got married I found my MIL (deceased) had left behind a stack of neat old vintage 50's tablecloths. I asked DH if he minded if I used them and he was totally indifferent so I too got the bug and started collecting vintage tablecloths. I have one on my table every day at home. The colors and 50's prints make me smile. Alas mine are all starting to wear out after 30+ years of use. I need to go in search of some "new" ones. Love tablecloths.

Me too! I'm forever on Ebay searching for something fun. I have several, but I need 60x84 and that's harder to come by than some of the other sizes.

~ house cat ~

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

My DR table is octagon shaped so i use 70" round tablecloths. If I find a really pretty square one though I just put a coordinating color round one on and then layer the square one. My MIL had many small square ones. DH tells me she used to have bridge parties and used them on the card tables. I have a fall table topper that is a small(36") square that has cut out leaf shapes and the edges of the cut areas are embroidered in fall colors.It is just beautiful and I can keep it out from Oct thru Nov.

house_cat · ‎03-09-2010

@151949 wrote:
My DR table is octagon shaped so i use 70" round tablecloths. If I find a really pretty square one though I just put a coordinating color round one on and then layer the square one. My MIL had many small square ones. DH tells me she used to have bridge parties and used them on the card tables. I have a fall table topper that is a small(36") square that has cut out leaf shapes and the edges of the cut areas are embroidered in fall colors.It is just beautiful and I can keep it out from Oct thru Nov.

I agree. You have to be creative. I have an oval one that I love, so I put a coordinating oblong tablecloth underneath. It looks nice that way. I have several small square ones from my great aunt. They are my favorites, but I don't have a table that size. I used them on my buffet in my first house, but I don't have room for that anymore.

My maternal grandmother used to do a type of stich work in which you remove stiches from the cloth to create a lace effect. I'm not sure what that's called, but I have a couple of gorgeous, very large tablecloths that she made. They are white and ivory and I've always been afraid to ruin them. In addition, they are very hard to launder. I made drapes out of one of them for my dining room in a previous house. They looked so beautiful. I still have them, but they don't work in my current house.

~ house cat ~

Spurt · ‎03-20-2010

@lucymo wrote:
There are so many pleasures in homemaking these days that were not available even in my younger days. One that comes to mind is a vaccum, no more having to (some still do) hang rug on line and beat the dirt out of it. My other favorite is the Microwave. I use it constantly to reheat food, coffee, frozen dinners from leftovers, just love it.

@lucymo The microwave, vaccum, and washing machine (along with air conditioning) are my favorite innovations

Animals are reliable, full of love, true in their affections, grateful. Difficult standards for people to live up to.”

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

When I do housework, I am thankful that I have the house we live in, the clothing that has to be washed, and the things we have to take care of. Do I like doing it? No, I don't enjoy doing it.

I liked the farm chores better when I was growing up. But running the vac and dusting and washing windows? Not things I enjoy doing. I like to cook, but to me that is a whole different thing.

Spurt · ‎03-20-2010

After I've vacuumed, dusted, mopped, and scrubbled I like to light some real candles, relax, and enjoy my nice clean home!!!

I also like the feeling of folding and putting away fresh clean laundry......

And let's not forget decorating----I change up my decor seasonally or for holidays and I love the new refreshed look of my home!!!

Animals are reliable, full of love, true in their affections, grateful. Difficult standards for people to live up to.”

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

I had the cutest large green gingham curtains in my old house's kitchen that I had made from a tablecloth of my grandmother's. I hated leaving them behind but I was intending to put shutters on all the windows in my new house. I saw the new owner at the dentist's office about a year after we moved and she said she had hung all new curtains EXCEPT the kitchen - she kept the pretty ones in there.