Time to Appreciate Routines

es, it is time, when I finally solve another small part of happy-life equation! I think the key to it in routines.

I should tell you first, of course I love, I absolutely LOVE un-expectable (seems like I misspell it, sorry!) nice and good things happens to me. Things like a first flowers in the garden, kiss of the very first winter frost on my cheek, phone call from my friend, good book…
But lately my life became more stressful, much more stressful then I really can handle. My car starts smoking once and I swear! Oh, gosh – it was the most horrific and dreadful swears in Russian! Likely, it was nobody around who can understand it! Then I found myself crying in the shower one morning few months ago. After all I found I can’t see local news anymore – story of Kwame Kilpatrick finally rich a point, when it is time to make a Hollywood thriller. I even wrote series of articles on Scandal for my Russian audience! But I can’t and I don’t want to know about it anymore!

Economy going down, gas prices up, war is still here, president’s campaign having crazy twists every single day, our medical bills coming every second like a snow flakes at Christmas morning, my daughter’s car have recall, bla-bla-bla… NO!!! Stop it! I want routine! I don’t want any changes in my life anymore!

And I do have routines, which give me comfort and illusion of static life! I worship them!

I brush my teeth every morning (just joking!). Not THAT kind of routines I talking about!
Tea for example! I love to came home and make a tea – not from tiny bags, (Shhh, I call them “Tea in the condoms”) but real, reach in flavor and color loose tea I keep in the special tea-box, decorated with roses and blooms. I love time of tea!

It is ritual. I boil water, I preheat my old green teapot form Prague
(I just realize, this teapot already 23 years old and travel with me thru the countless places all over the world!), I carefully measure small spoon of tea, I wait precisely 3 minutes, then I remove leafs of tea. I took off the shelf my favorite green cup, put in two slices of paper-thin sliced lemon, add spoon of sugar and … ahhh… it is my time after all! I repeat ritual once more very late in evening. And so on – every day of my life.

And sure, my needlepoint is another routine. I sip my tea and make few stitches, more sip and more stitches… It is almost perfect time of the day, what can be more pleasant!

However it can!

Another routine – treasure hunt! But it is guilty pleasure... I try to give up an addiction of checking thrift stores and flea markets around. Anyway I can’t buy all linens and china I love ( don’t get me wrong – I want to! I just can’t afford to buy ALL of them!) But I still do shopping, and still feel guilty...

There is some new treasures I found Monday - honest, I didn't mean to buy them, but I can’t resist! And who would be?
Who can resist having prettiest small tea-set? It is smaller then posy next to it! And each cup, and creamer, and saucer decorated with roses! Look at this!

Who can resist having $2.00 crispy clean runner – blue and cherry-red! It promised me endless possibilities – I can make bag for pajama, two tote bags or I cover my diary in lovely linen… I must have it!

The routine of ironing vintage linens – ahhh… It is only time when I enjoy to take an iron in my hands. Well – I think it is normal… I think… Do you think so? Who would be happy to iron piles of shorts or pants?
But linens - Oh, I love ironing linens!

That’s why I didn’t move too much with my needlework yesterday – I only have time to stitch tiny bird in the bottom and fall asleep early…
Happy Routines to you too, my dear-dear friends!