sharing that which is useful and beautiful

Haven't been posting lately cause this blog hasn't been an essential element in our lives lately. There has been essential purchasing of the daily kind - tahini, toothbrush heads and then this magazine. There has been essential planting of autumn vegie seeds. There has been essential open fires and essential baking to go with it. There has been some essential and amazing conversation trails as J asks why? to stuff going on in his world. And the impending hard waste collection in our community next week is inspiring an essential cleanout. Lots going to Freecycle. Lots going to be recycled. Lots going to the op-shop. Lots going to Hand Me Downs. Lots going to some other space on the block - from the studio to the shed, from the storeroom to the bungalow, from the carport to my sister's house. That kind of thing. My aim is to have no hard waste out the front on collection day. I remember hearing someone, someplace say to never have anything in your home that you don't actually use or don't think to be beautiful. This has been my mantra for some time now and I am happily applying it now to our home-cleanse. The only space that seems to have been untouched as yet is that top drawer of papers and bills and pencils and spare buttons and pirate eye patches and yoga timetables and..... I am finding it increasingly uncomfortable to have and to keep things that aren't being used regularly. That vacuum sealed bag of beautiful baby clothes we were storing, just in case we make more babies? Gave it all to a friend working with teenage mums who often comments that their babies don't have enough winter woolly layers on in the cool weather. Brrrrrrr. I've mentioned before that I've got a 'thing' about warm kidneys, especially the kidneys of babes. Makes me feel good to know that our things are being used and used well. I watched the small folk share a cup of chai (round block) and a bikkie (red square block) in the playroom on Friday morning. They then shared the 'choppers' (wooden swords carved by their great-grandfather for their father) to 'chop' wood for their fire (pile of old red clothes). When they emerged for a snack, J said he felt happy sharing a cup of chai with his sister. Warms the cockles, don't it? He loves sharing as much as me. A has just learnt how to say "mine" and what that means. So soon she will learn yours, ours and theirs. And then she'll be sharing her felted mushrooms, her 'beautifuls' (necklaces) and her textas with all those she meets. I love that their blocks are cups of chai and that old red velvet dress of mine is now a fire. I love how my small folk demonstrate to me how use what you have in your space to do what you want to do.

This post is also warming the cockles of my heart at the moment. My mama's day was also beautifully simple. A sleep in. A hand made card. A donation as a gift. A ride across to my parents place and a family lunch to follow. Simply lovely. I made a little healing pack of joy these for all the mama's I know using this as a guide. I LOVE how people are sharing their crafty prowess online for all of us to play with. As part of the cleansing process I went though my fabric stash, folding and storing it all neatly so I can see what I have. I'm hoping that as a result I may, too, have some crafty prowess to share. I'll be posting it here if and when when it happens.