Monday, September 23, 2013

Neat and Tidy

 Lizzy turned one year old!  She liked sharing her cake with sister Sam.  Doesn't she match this Eloise Wilkin art?

 There is a Eloise Wilkin group over at Flickr.  You can look at all her artwork (almost).  I especially love the way she draws interiors.  Everything looks neat and cozy, as if a mother who loves her calling purposed to serve her family. 

 The color the cupboards are painted is brilliant, don't you think?  This is from We Help Mommy all those years ago!

Eloise Wilkin's  art has blessed so many children and mamas for such a long time.  Her work sends an invitation that says, "Come home."  I like to fluff up our bed and get it ready for us to climb into.  I like to arrange surfaces so they look cared for (I also am quick to let my arranging become scattered again, I must say).  I admire people who have a way of tidying and straightening that results in simple beauty.  I had a friend, a long time ago, that had such neat and tidy ways.  She could make towels behind a curtained cupboard front look pretty.  She built white shelves in her kitchen and the way she placed her useful things on those shelves was masterful.  My granny's kitchen drawers, with dishtowels neatly folded, made an imprint in my childish mind all those years ago.  Sometimes simply seeing these careful arrangements of useful things makes the observer feel assured, someone wanted to prepare a place.  There is a marked difference between "checking things off the list" and sincerely enjoying the work.
So, off I hustle to school.  I am going to clean the desks, staple the papers, finish a few charts, and try to send that message to my students.  
Have you done any arranging lately?  What have you tidied?  What have you folded?  Sometimes simply wiping surfaces can give a feeling of sweet satisfaction.

17 comments:

Sherry from Alabama said...

Lizzy and Sam are DOLLS! They do indeed look like the art print, only cuter.

I'm so glad you mentioned the Eloise Wilkin's Flickr group. She is one of my very favorite illustrators. I'm going to check that page out right now. Hope you have a great week, friend!

Aida said...

Your grandkids are so cute PomPom. I will be checking out Eloise Wilkins' Flicker account.
I am definitely on the verge of spring cleaning. Something I'm not looking forward to but you need to do what you got to do.

Enjoy tidying your desk.


Blessings,

Aida

April said...

That picture of Sam and Lizzy is precious!

Bonnie said...

What beautiful pictures...the real little girls and the drawn ones. I love the idea of preparing a home. It goes right along with nurturing people. I made homemade grape juice, soup, and jelly this week. The best part was having my family home to share it with. Have a wonderful week.

TexWisGirl said...

cute girls. :)

Farm Girl said...

I love that picture of the girls and the cake. I hope you have had a wonderful weekend.
So many nice things to look at. I have a golden book with pictures by Eloise Wilkins and it is one of my favorites. I still sit and look at the pictures and wish I had a house that looked like those. So homey and warm. It is Monday so of course I have folded laundry.
I wish my drawers were cleaner but oh well.
Have a lovely day today.

Leslie said...

I love Lizzy's "fountain" pony tail and that there are a few in the art you posted. Today is my day to tidy. The dishwasher is loaded, laundry is running, and my floors are crying out for me to clean them. :)

Anonymous said...

Such a sweet post PP, those girls of yours are precious. :) Loved the illustrations too. I know just what you mean about the difference between checking off lists and enjoying the work. I do make lists, but I prefer it when I just look at what needs done and just do it. :) xxx

Gumbo Lily said...

Those girls! They do look like they came straight out of an Eloise Wilkin book. I am also a lover of EW's books and art. Simple homey stories and pictures. The neat thing is how they captivate a child's attention.

I've been painting a kitchen window and it feels like I am tidying my kitchen. Clean, fresh, neat. I'm going to go clean a stove & fridge for my DIL so it's ready when they move in.

Happy@Home said...

What a sweet likeness there is to your little granddaughters and Eloise Wilkins illustration.
As a young mother I bought We Help Daddy for my boys and became an instant EW fan. I now have quite a collection of her books.
I have no doubt that you will be sending that message to your students today.
I've been tidying all day. Washing clothes, vacuuming and adding fall touches as I go.

Happy@Home said...

Oops I forgot to ask how would I access the Flicker account? Am not too familiar with how Flicker works.

Elderberry-Rob said...

I love the picture you showed 'a little tree branch is a twig' so sweet! The girls are sweet too.

cards4ubylouise and other treasures said...

Sweet-ness!

Fat Dormouse said...

Ha! Folded?! What's that???! You'd be hard pressed to find neatness in our home. Dust, now, is a dufferent matter - there's plenty of that!

magsmcc said...

Oh, you make me yearn here! Clean and interesting shelves... There's a children's illustrator/writer whose books portray home to me- I must find the names. Doesn't a year make a wonderful difference? xx

M.K. said...

I love her illustrations and have a very large book of hers here somewhere. It was Anna's. Precious!

Maggie said...

Happy birthday to little Lizzie. Love those cosy illustrations too. We've been sorting through all our books in the last few days and trying to let some of them go. This is hard as we both get emotionally attached to books even if it's unlikely we'll ever read them again. We've found some lovely old children's books with beautiful illustrations. I might blog about them. You've inspired me! Xx

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