Now that we’ve completed the “14 Days of Things I Love” series, there are a few items that I really like but, for a variety of reasons (as you’ll see below), didn’t quite make the list.
1. Wine – I thought about putting this in my “14 Days of Things I Love” but didn’t. While I do enjoy wine, listing it as something “I loved” seemed a bit too lush-like for me. People would be whispering, “Oh, that Sara Tetreault, she’s talking about drinking wine again!” I do enjoy a glass while making dinner and I especially enjoy a glass while one of my kids is making dinner and I’m not!
2. The fourth claw foot – I had no idea how much my bathtub rocked/moved/shifted until we added the missing fourth foot to our claw-foot bathtub. It feels strange to get into my tub (which is also our shower) and not have to position my feet to so that I’m stable while showering. Even my daughter told me how much she likes the tub not moving! I really like them painted black, too.
3. Dusk – You know when you’re driving home from work or if you’re driving kids to and from sports, piano lessons, or school meetings and it’s getting dark outside and people have their lights on inside but they haven’t closed their curtains yet? I love that this is really the one time of day you can see into someone’s house. OK, I know this sounds a little (or a lot!) voyeuristic but it’s the best time to see their wall colors, window coverings, artwork and furniture. I do remind myself to drive slowly and pay attention to the road.
4. Dusk – again – With tweezers, headlamp, a bowl of salt, and my reading glasses, I really like to pluck little slugs off the leaves of my baby vegetables. How dare those slimy creatures make homes on my little tender veggie plants! My chickens like slugs but they like the tender veggie plants, too.
5. Camping – While I do love what camping does for our family (gets us outdoors, gets us unplugged, and provides us with an inexpensive place to stay while traveling), it’s in my honorable mentions category because it’s a killer on my back! Sleeping on the ground is rough even with my very fancy sleeping pad that I bought after our 3-week camping trip (no, that’s not a typo, 3 weeks) we took several years ago. I’m on the lookout for a used mini-trailer that can be towed behind a car and isn’t in need of too much work.
What are your honorable mentions?
How to make those frugal and stylish wine tags in the first picture are here.
“14 days of things I love”
You can read all about the claw-foot here.
My camp cooking supplies container is here.
Go Gingham 
Speaking of camping pads, my outlook on that changed significantly when we bought egg-crate foam as our pads. For $70 at the healthcare supply store, they cover the bottom of our 3-person tent. They have lasted us several years so far and show no signs of failing. They really made a difference in my tent-camping enjoyment.
On my honorable mention list:
1. Community – It’s sort of intangible, but for the last 3 years my family has made more of a conscious effort to get out and socialize, attend discussion groups, and just meet more people. It has included my Cookbook Club, Ignite events, Battledecks events, symphony concerts, art walks, Saturday breakfast potlucks, Day of Zinn at the community college, Slow Food potlucks, and even a sacred fire gathering to bless a new homesite (all of these were *free*, I might add). It is a pleasure to see new friends we have made every time we go out.
2. Freecycle – A great way to give away and receive items for free and keep them out of the landfill.
3. Two-dollar bills and http://www.wheresgeorge.com – About a year ago I embarked on a mission to spend mainly two-dollar bills instead of other denominations, and also track their travels on the wheresgeorge.com website. It has been entertaining to hear people exclaim over the bills, and also see where they go in the world.
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Liana, I love the idea of your camp pads. Our problem is space in the car! The only time we had enough room while camping was when our kids weren’t with us. Your community mention is an excellent one – while intangible community does bring much value to life and can also be entertaining. Thank you!
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Sara – I LOVE your honorable mentions! So many things to be grateful for – you do a great job of giving the little things the attention they deserve! I love dusk too – while sitting in the backyard, watching my chickens with a glass of wine in hand!!!
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Thank you, Annie! You’re right – so much to thankful for. I try to be thankful many times during the day but sometimes it only happens at dinner time before we eat – we take turns saying what we’re thankful for. It’s a good way to reflect on the day and hear little snippets of a school day/work day. Thank you.
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Oh Sara!
I love Dusk too! It is my favorite time of day. I’m usually not out driving but I get that cozy feeling about my home when I walk down the driveway to get our mail. As I turn around and head back up the driveway, I love looking into our home seeing the lights on and curtains still open. It makes me so happy.
I also love that the day is winding down and it will be time to head to bed in a few hours. It makes me feel accomplished…especially when I have had a productive day.
Have a great weekend.
Love,
Mary
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Mary! It seems lots of people share a special affection for that time of day. But not slugs. We don’t like the slugs at dusk 🙂 Thanks for leaving a comment!
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