Sabbath Keeping

"How long, you simpletons, will you insist on being simpleminded? 

How long will you mockers relish your mocking?

How long will you fools hate knowledge?

~ Proverbs 1:22 ~

"He who buys what he does not need steals from himself." ~ proverb ~
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." ~ Leonardo da Vinci ~ 
"I recommend to you holy simplicity." ~ Francis de Sales ~
"Seldom or never do we hear anything about simplicity as an essential discipline of the spiritual life. Most of us have only a vague idea of the meaning of the world.  ...Simplicity means "absence of artificial ornamentation, pretentious styles, or luxury. It is "artlessness, lack of cunning or duplicity." 
"Where there is simplicity, words can be taken at their face value. There are no hidden or double meanings. One says what one means and means what one says. There is no "joker" concealed in the language to nullify its obvious intent. Simplicity does not mean "easy to understand." Paul was not always easy to understand. Nor was Jesus. Men are still wrestling with their great utterances. But both Jesus and Paul are characterized by simplity. Their intention was not to confuse to deceive but to clarify and illumine.
Where there is simplicity there is no artificiality. One does not try to appear younger, or wiser, or richer than one is--or more saintly! Moffatt's translation of 1 Corinthians 13:4 hits it exactly, when it says: "Love makes no parade, gives itself no airs." ~ Albert E. Day ~
"The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak." ~ Hans Hofmann ~
"Beware the barrenness of an empty life." ~ Socrates ~ 

"The more you have, the more you are occupied. 

The less you have, the more free you are."

~ Mother Teresa ~

"When you have cleared all of your clutter, you can be of greater service to those around you." ~ Michael B. Kitson ~
"The greatest step towards a life of simplicity is to learn to let go." 
~ Steve Maraboli ~ 
"In order to seek one's own direction, one must simplify the mechanics of ordinary, everyday life." ~ Plato ~ 
"Unnecessary possessions are unnecessary burdens. If you have them, you have to take care of them." ~ Peace Pilgrim ~
The waste of life occasioned by trying to do too many things at once is appalling." 
~ Orison Marden ~

"It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. 

Hack away at the inessentials." 

~ Bruce Lee ~

"It is vain to do with more what can be done with less." ~ William of Occam ~
"Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials." 
~ Lin Yutang ~
"the art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook." ~ William James ~
"Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough." 
~ Charles Warner ~

"Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; 

wisdom lies in their simplification." 

~ Martin H. Fischer ~

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius...and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." ~ E. F. Schumacher ~
"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be 
beautiful." ~ William Morris ~
"Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art." ~ Frederic Chopin ~
"How many things are there which I do not want." ~ Socrates ~
"Dress to enjoy your day, not so that others can enjoy you." ~ Courtney Carver ~
"Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like." ~ Will Rogers ~ 
"To be simple is to fix one's eyes solely on the simple truth of God at a time when all concepts are being confused, distorted, and turned upside down." 
~ Deitrich Bonhoeffer ~
"To poke a wood fire is more solid enjoyment than almost anything else in the 
world." ~ Charles Dudley Warner ~
"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery ~
Voluntary simplicity means going fewer places in one day rather than more, seeing less so I can see more, doing less so I can do more, acquiring less so I can have more."  ~ John Kabat-Zinn ~
"The cost of a thing is the amount of life which is required to be exchanged for it."
~ Henry David Thoreau ~ 

"And he said to them all, 

if any man will come after me, 

let him deny himself, 

and take up his cross daily, 

and follow me."

~ Jesus, Luke 9:23 ~

If you'd like a name added to the prayer list, please let me know. Names will be kept for one week, around the world, people are praying.

Sabbath Keeping ~ Miki and Timi ~ Max ~ Rui Mota ~ Debbie ~ Sandra ~ 

Home again, home again, jiggety-jog...

~ Periwinkle Colored Bowls ~

Do you remember the old Mother Goose nursery rhyme "To market, to market..."? It goes:

"To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,
Home again, home again, dancing a jig;
To market, to market, to buy a fat hog;
Home again, home again, jiggety-jog;
To market, to market, to buy a plum bun,
Home again, home again, market is done."

I've been to market, several actually, and loved them all. Petticoat Lane, Old Spitalfields, Borough Market,  Old Truman Brewery Market and others. That's when I wasn't wandering around museums or getting lost on foot -smile-. One place I found myself was Covent Garden and spent a pleasurable hour at a small tea shop before venturing, again, into the "unknown".

Londoner's are mad for "vintage" and I couldn't believe the prices! Wool coats from the 1960's were $100 and better. A long, champagne colored Victorian petticoat was $80 but "just for me" the price was reduced to $70. Shoes that had seen far, far better days bore rather precious prices as well. Now, I don't mind wearing thrift store clothes...after all, there's the washer and dryer...but I draw the line at OPS's...other people's shoes. That makes me a trifle squeamish and I've had my arm up to the shoulder in the rear end of a ewe, helping out with the birthing process.

I'm home and settling into a familiar routine. When I got home, a week ago today almost to the hour, the temperatures were above freezing since the first of the month. We've had our share of fierce January winter weather and the warmer temperatures and rain have melted the snow. We're now seriously into mud season but that will change as temps drop again before true springs arrives.

Today is Vintage Thingie Thursday over at ColoradoLady and I've several offerings, beginning with the periwinkle bowls at top. The one on the right belonged to my MIL and we just purchased the left one at a recent auction. These are beautiful bowls and the left one has a "raw" lip where women would sharpen their kitchen knives. I've seen Grandmother Bennett do it time and again and always thought having a bowl serve more than one function was quite useful. These are my 'go-to' bowls for making cat head biscuits and they are "just right" for making six to eight biscuits. 

~ Hand made Scottish tea cozy ~

This lovely little tea cozy was hand sewn by...??? Someone's Gran, do you think? It has a bit of lace, some batting to keep the tea pot warm, an embroidered thistle and the words "Frae Scotland"; frae means from.

~ Thistle and "frae Scotland", embroidered all

~ Top handle ~

This is so clever; the center square where the thistle is located, has an opening and this little rectangle was stuffed inside. It's to hold the tea pot lid on whilst pouring tea; I love this! It shows someone actually meant for this tea cozy to be put into good use and so it shall.

Home Sweet Home and it's dear to me even with the rain and sleet that's absolutely pouring from the skies as I'm sitting in the sunroom updating my blog. It's below freezing and the wind chill is horrid, taking the temps to around 10 above so it's a good dayi to put the tea pot and cozy into good use. I'm headed to the studio and will play Loreena McKennitt while I work, perhaps an audio book later. I promised to catch up with everyone and I will, eventually. I want to visit your blogs and see what I've missed.My desktop computer crashed and the computer doc has been called and will arrive sometime today to take said computer to the shop. Hmmmm...didn't I just say that a few months ago? Seems like an all to recent happening but maybe it's my memory that's playing tricks, once again.

My studio time these past few days has been productive. I've finished one fleece throw, have two more to finish, a scarf for me and a couple of baby quilts pieced with batting and bottom and ready to be sewn. I am so blessed to be able to stay home and work on things that bring happiness so many times beginning when I purchase the fabric and begin to think of the project. Happiness is such a simple quality yet so necessary to our daily existence; so many people struggle to be happy and that is so sad. I find happiness in such simple things: a breath drawn deeply, a good body stretch, a baby's face when they see their quilt for the first time, an adult's face when they realize they were thought of and then action followed thought. Does that make me a simple person? Probably so but it also makes me a happy person.

Until next time,

Blessings ~ tea cozy ~ periwinkle bowls ~ home ~ warmth ~ happiness ~ simplicity ~