Imperfections...

One of the things I like to do to decorate our home is to fill antique bottles with flowers and put them all over the place. I place them on random window sills, in the bathroom, on the table, in the hall, wherever strikes my fancy. In the summer I use wild flowers that I pick, in the winter I buy roses or simple mixed bouquets from the grocery store. I get a lot of mileage out of flowers this way, and it makes me smile to see them all over the house. When my husband was going to the grocery store a few days ago I asked him to please bring me some red carnations. I like carnations because they last a long time, and are simple and cheerful. I wanted red because I thought they would be nice and Christmas-y. My sweet husband did as I asked and brought me a big bunch of happy carnations. Pink ones. My first thought was that pink was NOT a Christmas color, and I was a bit chagrined. But I gathered up my bottles, went out to the woods and cut some pine boughs, and set about to arranging the little bouquets. They looked very pretty when I arranged them, and I got to laughing at myself... I almost got stuck in "perfect" mode. My pink carnations are not what I had in mind, but they are just lovely and I am enjoying them so much. I am also enjoying the lesson that things don't have to be "perfect" to be wonderful. A light, fine snow came down all day on Saturday. It would have been the perfect day to go pick out our Christmas tree. But I worked, so that was out! Sunday, as we went to our favorite place to pick out our tree, a cold rain was drizzling down.

The experience would have been so much more picturesque if it were snowing, but we had fun despite the lack of "perfect" tree buying weather.

The little sign on the window was perfect though... I love to live in a place where this is possible. I wish for you some lovely imperfections, too.