Cloth Napkins Make Me Happy
Cloth napkins are a make-work item. Like homemade bread, a weed-free flower bed, or a clean kitchen floor, folding cloth napkins is something I choose to devote time to, versus the junk on my to-do list, like buying cat litter and paying bills that I have to do. My laundry pile would be reduced by a full load, if I’d give up my notion that cloth is better. Those big stacks of 500 paper squares, that only cost about $2.00 at Wal-Mart, would be so much easier. But somewhere along the line I got hooked on cloth.
My mom used Vanity Fair paper napkins, well except when guests came over, so I didn’t get my quirk from her. But ever since I’ve been married (eighteen years this summer) I’ve opted for wiping dirty mouths and fingers on an assortment of cotton cloths. I pick them up at outlet malls, estate sales and the TJ Maxx clearance shelf. I may have a cloth napkin addiction. (Does rehab exist for this? If you have a problem…don’t you go to rehab? I bet Lindsey and Brittney wouldn’t be at napkin rehab.)
But while folding napkins this morning I thought about the other stuff I do that creates more work. Is checking out books at the library instead of using the easy one-click buying feature on Amazon worth the extra time? Yes, when I consider how much my reading habit would cost. And I make my own salad dressing, because it’s cheaper and I like it better. But it takes more time. But what about the stuff that seems so urgent? Those activities that suck up our time, only to leave us drained and cranky and unfulfilled, as we spill out of our vans and SUVs at the end of the day. How do you decide what to drop?
When I was pregnant with JP, my number 2, a bunch of woman at a playgroup told me I’d never cook dinner and really I should adjust my attitude about eating sandwiches for the evening meal. But I love to cook. My friend Jenny offered sage advice, “You’ll always make time for what is important.” So cloth napkins are important. And eating dinner together, and going for long walks, and watching So You Think You Can Dance, and reading before bed is stuff I make time for too. But ironed pants and crisply made beds and pedicures and cleaning closets can all wait. They don’t seem important today.
What extra work do you do because you love it?
12 Responses to “Cloth Napkins Make Me Happy”
May 29th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
hmmm… I can relate. I have linen addictions too. While I do have linen napkins, my main addictions include pillowcases and white towels. And when I have the time, energy, and opportunity, getting my linen closet organized - double sheets, queen sheets, king sheets, blankets, towels - oh, it just makes me happy inside knowing that one small part of my life has order.
I can be standing in the middle of total chaos, and then I remember my closet and how nice it looks.
May 29th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
Okay, Kathy, here’s my question. Is your laundry room seriously that clean or do you spruce up for our benefit? I could offer my laundry room photo for the after of a teeny hurricane if you’d like.
May 29th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
No way is my laundry room neat. Those are just the napkins, for which I have this addiction. Go back a few posts, I think I called it Manure Pile, because that is what my laundry room looked like. Currently in my laundry room there are six-week old rags in the stationary tub, a bag filled with the new phone books, a butterfly costume that needs to be returned to the church, and a set of cake pans I bought at a garage sale last summer. No cake has graced their insides. Thanks for holding me accountable for my neatness.
May 30th, 2007 at 7:14 am
I love cloth napkins and table cloths, too. On occasion, the kids will ask, “Mom, where do you want to go for dinner?”
My answer is always the same. “Anywhere with tablecloths.”
You are right about the value of spending family time together. And while I am admittedly one of those SUV moms, we still make time for the simple things like playing board games and reading aloud. In fact, we were all on the trampoline together this weekend — my husband has the wrenched neck to prove it (he just had to jump higher than all the other Type As). We also don’t allow the kids to take friends on vacation. That’s our every-so-often recharging time.
Fun post, Kathy!
May 30th, 2007 at 8:56 am
Cloth diapers make us happy at our house. They are soft on babies bottom. They have no chemicals in them. They typically don’t leak at all. I like the way they look on my babies - much neater than paper diapers.
Homemade bread makes us happy too. Actually, most of our food is homemade (ice cream, cookies, bread, muffins, pancakes, waffles….) because we have some food allergies that make store-bought off-limits. It all tastes infinately better homemade, too. We’re spoiled
May 30th, 2007 at 10:10 am
I love to iron. I iron my sheets & pillowcases for our bed. I don’t iron my older daughter’s linens. She doesn’t get the joy of laying your head on a freshly washed, line dried, ironed pillowcase. But then she doesn’t understand why a bed has to be made with hospital corners either.
May 30th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
Great post Kathie! I so agree with you…..life is about priorities, and your time is spent doing what is a priority. Personally I am a $2 for 500 Mardi Gras napkin girl, however, I don’t watch much TV, I don’t iron either ( Thank God for wrinkle free clothes!!), and we all make our beds, but it’s a far cry from crisp! But like you, I do make time for dinners together, time spent outside, flower gardening, having down time together as a family, and lots of homemade chocolate chip cookies! Good post on thinking about how we manage our precious time.
BTW, I can’t even see the top of my dryer, it’s loaded with unmatched socks……I guess that is something I don’t make time for either….matching socks!!
Have a good day!
May 30th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
BTW, I keep meaning to thank you for the blog traffic….I get a good amount from you site!
THANKS!!!
May 30th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
I tried cloth napkins one night because they make the table look inviting. The kids wondered if they really should wipe their hands and mouth with them. Every time they lifted them to wipe they would look at me I would smile and nod my head they would wipe and smile back. I think it is time to bring them out again. Thanks
May 30th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
Folding cloth napkins makes me think of my choice to homeschool my boys. It would, without a doubt, be easier to send them off each day on the bus….and my house would be much cleanier too! However, this huge undertaking has unexpressible rewards that make it all worthwhile. You really nailed it when you spoke about priorities. We really do make time for what’s important to us. The little things that make a difference.
June 2nd, 2007 at 4:34 pm
Kathy, I love the selections I’ve read from your book, and would love to have it for my daughter-in-law. I am a good friend of your Mother’s, and can easily understand why you are so talented. Where do I get your book? Carol Cessna
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:51 pm
Carol,
Well…you can’t get the book yet, but hopefully soon. Publishers are reviewing it and I hope to have exciting news soon…Thanks for visiting. Kathy