All I want for Christmas is this dining room…

November 25, 2013 | My Jottings

That’s not really true, what I really want for Christmas only God can give. But I saw this dining room in the Ballard Designs catalog that comes to our home, and I stopped when I turned to this page and said, “Wow.”

Now I have everything I need and have long been in a place in my life where I’m not in the gathering mood, but in the giving mood. I’m careful about what comes into our home because I value open spaces and organization. I appreciate having no clutter, and most things I like I don’t buy because I don’t need more than I already have.

But if you’ve read my blog for very long you know I love any kind of Scottish plaid. And you know I love toile. Just take a look at the design of my blog and you’ll see the toile. As a matter of fact, just type in the word “toile” in the search field at the left side of my blog and you’ll see a few blog posts with photos of all the ways in which I have loved toile over the years.

And I like black, and I like red, and I like blues and greens. And we have a fireplace in our dining room, so this look would be something we could easily do.

A little green paint on the walls, a little online order for a new black trestle table and some toile and plaid dining room chairs and, voila! this would be our look.

But I’m not going to do it. I only just dreamed about it a little bit. I’m not willing to spend the money on the (I think) pricey chairs and table, because what we have suits us just fine.

Even though I suppose it’s not healthy, I’ve been daydreaming a bit lately. Wondering what it would be like to have this dining room, picturing what a little cottage in the Scottish Highlands would be like, trying to remember what life was like when my husband was strong and healthy and we could have a normal conversation. When we could kneel together and pray for those we loved. And I’ve been trying to recall if I’ve ever been someone easy to live with, and I’m not sure I want to ponder that answer. I sound like a broken record when I say this, but how thankful I am that the Lord promises new mercies for His children every single morning.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving week, my friends!