Sunday, March 6, 2011

Repetition: a good thing

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Wren is such a sweet girl. She often blows me away by how different she is from her friends of the same age. She loves to read, usually spending most of her days immersed in books. While most of her friends have favorite toys like ‘little people’ and stuffed animals, Wren would choose books as her favorite toy every time! She can read nearly all her books (which there are a TON of thanks to her garage-sale-ing mama) by herself, but of course she prefers to have them read to her. There are a handful of books which she considers favorites, each of which we read at least a dozen times each day. Sean and I could recite any of those books by heart in our sleep if prompted at this point. It is so amazing to hear her as she reads aloud to herself.
It amazes me that she loves being read to so much she even asks me to read my books to her as we get ready for bed. She will often sit for a full page or two, and thanks to this little ritual has learned such phrases as “in the meantime” which had Sean and I laughing histerically for a good 15 minutes last week when she said it.

Like mother, like daughter they say, and now I know why! As the other resident book worm, I am also a creature of comfort. I could eat the same meal every day and read my favorite magazines and books over and over. And once every month or so my love of blue stripes rears up and manifests itself on a piece of furniture.
Case in point: this tacky and plain dresser (the harp on top does not belong to it). It was just plain boring.
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So out came the blue cabana stripe treatment.
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I originally planned to only stripe the top, but the front felt awfully bare so they descended the drawer fronts as well in the end.
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When it comes to stripes the faint and faded variety appeal to me the most. I love that they don't scream out at you, they just make a tired dresser feel fun and fresh.
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Another love affair I've been engaged in for years is with round tables. Coffee tables, kitchen tables, side tables, if it is round I'm immediately drawn to it and it seems that many of our clients were as well because it was a popular little table. Then again, maybe it was just the cute baby smiling out at them that sold it.
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{Wren at 5 months old}
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I think this may be the first grey round table we've finished. They've all been white and cream prior to this guy, but we may have just started a new ritual at WhiteBerry.

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Do you have any daily,weekly or monthly rituals?


12 comments:

WhiteWhispers2u said...

Love the dresser! Yes, daily I drink tea or coffee and blog & check emails in the am and if not my entire day is off and I am in a Funk!
Awesome Wren loves books so much.My Grandson does as well and we should read more often to him.It's a Good Thing for sure.~Cheers Kim

WhiteWhispers2u said...

Most important duh! I pray daily too~Cheers Kim

Lovely Little Nest said...

My weekly ritual is to upload my pictures for my friends & family to view every Saturday. I am MONTHS behind, so I've been spending every Saturday afternoon uploading them in hopes of one day catching up!

And that is wonderful that Wren is already a reader! That is a hobby that will, I'm sure, continue with her throughout the rest of her life.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! :)

Sandra said...

Reading to a child is, in my opinion, the BEST gift that you can ever give them. When mine were little, we had a nightly ritual that included, among other things, my reading to them - last thing before they went to beddy-bye! xoxo

GLENDA CHILDERS said...

Rituals ~ I have tons of them ~ add so much stability to my life.

Love your dresser and round table. Also the photo clipped to the wire basket. How creative you are.

Fondly,
Glenda

Sanctuary Home said...

My daughter Tara, who is now 28 was just like Wren. She loved me to read to her, I ran out of childrens books and I started reading magazines and novels to her. She would sit mesmerized. She too, had an advanced vocabulary for her age. Now that she has grown up her vice is buying magazines and books (just like mine). She is a prolific reader.

I love your blue and white striped dresser, and your photos are lovely.
I'd say my ritual is checking my e-mail and reading blogs.
Susan : )
http://sanctuaryhomebysusancooke.blogspot.com/

Mimi said...

Gorgeous Dresser and Wren is so cute! My daily ritual is reading blogs before I go to work. I am naughty because I get so caught up with everyone's blog that I don't have much time getting ready! Enjoy your week. Mimi xx

Anonymous said...

The dresser is beautiful! I love the subtlety of the colour in the stripes. I love how peaceful and calm your aesthetic is.

Robin's Nesting Place said...

Your Wren reminds me of my daughter, who is now 23. She loved books and we read together a lot starting when she was a baby. She was like a sponge and memorized the words to "read" the books herself. I'm not sure when she really learned to read but when we started homeschooling I gave her a book to see what words she recognized. She already knew how to read and was reading at a 5th grade level when she started 1st grade.
My husband and I can still quote those poems and books from memory.
A love of books and reading is a treasure!

Sixty-Fifth Avenue said...

Wren reminds me of my little, who is almost 5 now. She still makes us laugh with the words and phrases she uses because of her love of books.

Anonymous said...

the table is precious and the pic of wren is the reason why!

Krystal Wight Armstrong said...

What a fun post! Love the striped dresser :) And Wren sure is a super cute bookwork! What do you think makes Wren love reading so much? My husband and I have been talking about that recently. Because we love reading & think it's important that our [future] kids do too, and we wonder what one does to help encourage that in little ones! I'd be really eager to read any tips or ideas you think of on how that's developed so happily for your girl :) Maybe a little 'parent post' on how you helped her to learn to already read those books on her own, so young, before school! I'm so curious; how does one do that?
Thanks as always :)

 
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