IDHTBPTBB

IDHTBPTBB
No, the letters above are not Abby typing this post. That is the acronym for the favorite phrase at a blog I like to frequently visit, Nesting Place. (<---LINK! Caution: You will become instantly addicted if you visit the blog! Go ahead, but don't say I didn't warn you!) The blog owner, known as Nester, tells us all that "It Doesn't Have To Be Perfect To Be Beautiful" when it comes to decorating our homes. On Monday, she issued a challenge for us to show something in our home that was not perfect, but was beautiful to us. Today (Thursday) I give you my submission. Yes, I realize that I'm 3 days late, but anyone that knows me, knows that that is not unusual. Ha, ha!! Anyway, below is a picture of an antique sewing machine that has proudly been on display in my home for over 15 years. How does this picture look to you?
First, let me point out the imperfections that you would see upon closer inspection...then I'll tell you why it's beautiful to me.

1. the paint is faded, chipped, and discolored on the sewing machine
2. the rubber belt that once ran from the wheel at the top to the wheel at the bottom has been replaced with a black nylon rope
3. the tiny knob on the center drawer has been replaced something (I don't even know what it is) and was not ever stained to match.
4. there are several places where the wood has been chipped off or broken
5. those are fake flowers...oh the horror!
6. that picture shows my mom with her first three grandchildren. However, now there are five and we keep saying we need to retake the picture, but we never do.
7. I'm quite sure if you were to super-enlarge this picture you would see dust on everything and see that the floor needs mopping.

Now, do you want to know why it's beautiful to me? Get comfy...this may take a while!

First, this sewing machine is beautiful to me because it belonged to my grandmother Davis...possibly her mother...I'm not sure. I never knew this sewing machine existed until April 1991...about a week or two after my grandmother passed away. We were in her house cleaning, moving things around, etc. In the back bedroom, was a tablecloth-covered table which held her electric sewing machine. I knew the machine had quit working a while ago so I asked Perry to take it out to the trash. While he was gone, I removed the tablecloth and was going to move the very tired-looking table aside so I could vacuum. Ugh...that table weighed a TON! I couldn't figure out why such a tiny little table would be so heavy so I started examining it a little closer. I noticed some hinges on the left side and quickly realized that the top lifted up. Tucked inside was a very old, original Singer sewing machine! I was so amazed with it's uniqueness that I asked Perry to take it out to the truck so we could take it home with us. I can tell you that it was NOT beautiful at that time, but it was unique so that's why I kept it. That, along with the fact that it belonged to my grandmother, made it special to me. My grandmother only had one child, my dad, and had always wanted a daughter. I was her first grandchild and I was (obviously) a girl. It was blatantly obvious from the first moment she saw me until the day she died how much she loved and adored me. I can proudly say I felt the same way about her too. She didn't have a lot of money, but she still managed to create lasting childhood memories for me. I distinctly remember her saving her Downy fabric softener caps and tin pie plates so we could have tea parties outside under the shade trees. We used pieces of tree bark as bacon and daisies as fried eggs for breakfast parties and mud pies were her favorite dessert after lunch. She had saved many of her old dresses, high heels and costume jewelry and let me play dress up with them. Boy, I sure looked like I had stepped straight out of a fashion magazine when I finished...or at least that's what she used to tell me. And let me tell you...I still miss her every single day of every single week of every single year that passes.

OK...wiping away tears now.

So, another reason why this sewing machine is beautiful to me: my father-in-law completely transformed that dilapidated table I found into the beauty it is today without even being asked because he knew it was special to me. The day Perry and I removed it from my grandmother's house, we went back to his parents' house to return their truck we had borrowed. We put the sewing machine in their storage house because we didn't have a place to put it at the time and also because it was truly a mess. We lived in Mississippi at the time and came back to Alabama to visit about every two weeks. The next time we came to visit, Perry's dad said "Come out to the storage house. I want to show you something." I followed him outside and he removed a blanket to reveal the stunning beauty that now proudly sits in my home. I choked up and tears welled in my eyes. It was beautiful. I still do not know how in the world he took that old, worn-out *almost* piece of junk I left there and made it look like it does today. I am so thankful that he saw it's potential, recognized my love for it, and turned it from something that looked like it was ready for the junkpile into one of my most prized possessions. I truly appreciate his humble yet hard work on it. This sewing machine will always have a place in my home and I am very blessed to have it...and the memories that go along with it...forever.

OK...here are a few more reasons why it's beautiful to me. I'll try to keep these a little bit shorter.

See that large square black piece at the bottom between the legs? That is a pedal that moves the large wheel which moves the needle up and down. That's how it sews. It was a very basic concept. Anyway, both of my daughters have loved to sit and play on that pedal. I never showed Emily how it worked and she nor I ever showed Abby how it worked. Yet both of them figured it out and it was a favorite play spot for each. When I look at it now, I can clearly see both of them as crawling infants contently playing and making the pedal go up and down with utter glee. Sweet memories!

The picture is also a prized treasure for me. I took the picture on a day trip to the beach with my mom, Emily, my nephew Tyler, and my niece MacKenzie. It was in March and the weather certainly was not made for a trip to the beach. However, it was the last day Tyler and MacKenzie would be there before moving to North Carolina and mom wanted to make it special for them. She and I packed up the car, loaded the kids in, and took off for the beach...which is always a favorite spot for kids. When we got there it was very cloudy, cool, and windy. Yet the kids had a blast! They built sandcastles, chased sea gulls, and went for a long walk down the beach hand-in-hand with mom. That's when I snapped this picture. I just love the innocence and simplicity of it. No, it's not professional quality, but that doesn't matter to me. It's just reminder of another sweet memory.

The fake flower...most people HATE fake flowers, don't they? Well, I don't love them either. However, if I have to choose between spending time with my family or spending time carefully pruning and tending to flowers, I choose my family. And so that leaves me with fake flowers. I'm okay with that choice for now. One day my kids will be grown and gone and then I'll have plenty of time to tend to live plants. Or maybe I'll just spend it talking to them on the phone and driving to visit them. Oh, and the dust accumulation and the lack of mopping can also be blamed on my preference of family time over cleaning time.

So there ya' go...my imperfectly beautiful sewing machine and it's tablescape. I'm certainly not perfect nor is anything in my house that I created, but it is very much loved and appreciated. I am very blessed.