Simple Pleasures

Friday, June 19, 2015



I've been thinking a lot lately about the little things that bring us joy in life.   And the importance of focusing on those simple things, because oftentimes those are the things that bring us the greatest return!


This is the painted wooden door above one of the beds in my guest room. 

I've come to the place where I love and value the simple, uncluttered look in my house that sort of happened accidentally when we finished building and moved in.




Even though my plan was to add a lot of beautiful things to my guest bedroom, I've made the choice to leave it simple.  And I love it.  I especially love having company in my guest bedroom!



One of the my favorite things in my bedrooms are the 100% cotton sheets.   Especially in the hot summer time.  They give off the softest most cool feeling of any fabric of sheet.




But the 100% cotton leads to wrinkled sheets when you get them out of the dryer.  


(I think most of the wrinkles would be eliminated with a clothesline, which I haven't gotten on my hilltop yet!  Smile!)


But the next simple pleasure I love is to iron sheets, especially in our guest bedroom for company!    I enjoy every single minute of standing in front of the ironing board ironing sheets and pillow cases.




I think it is the most satisfying feeling to know that when our guests climb in bed at night in my house, the sheets are welcoming!





I was teaching Jillian, my grand-daughter, how to put the freshly ironed sheets on the bed to create a perfect corner!








I love how it looks when it has the "hospital corners". 

  Martha Stewart has a great video tutorial here.  





I like to have my flat sheet just a tiny bit long at the top and fold it over the bedspread.  Especially these sheets with the little decorative edge.  




It won't surprise you when I say that I love 100% cotton pillow cases, shams and comforter too!  




Not much makes me happier than getting my guest bedroom ready for company.  




Unless maybe it is the very special thank-you card that comes in the mail when my company goes back home!  



23 comments:

  1. Like you, I am leaning more and more towards simplicity! I looooove your guest room!!
    I also very much enjoy ironed cotton sheets...but I haaaaaaaaaaaate to iron!
    Great post! Love you!

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    1. I don't love to iron everything! Just fun things like sheets! :-) Ha Ha!

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  2. My simple pleasure is pining vintage ( cotton :)) sheets on the line. Sleeping in a bed with lined dryed sheets is delightful. Your room is beautiful!! Love your look.

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    1. Dear Lu,

      Oh do I ever need a clothesline on my hilltop! Pinning sheets on the clothesline was something I enjoyed even as a little kid.

      I want you and Rod to be our company soon! Very soon!

      Love you loads, dear friend of mine.

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  3. Thank you again for the wonderful time I had at your House on the Hill. Just delightful! Had to say this from the last picture;) Love the calm farmhouse guest room and the door over the bed. My mom ironed sheets and pillow cases when I was a little girl in the 60s. The big ta doo was when my mom allowed my sister and I to ironed the pillow cases. Oh my, memories Dori, Kathleen in Az

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    1. Hi Kathleen!

      You had me going for a second there! :-) I think there are probably a lot of really wonderful Kathleen's in the world, and you are one of them!

      Oh yes, I remember ironing the pillow cases when I was little. I had forgotten that!

      - Dori -

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  4. Your home is beautiful! I love white cotton sheets, my grandmother always got the best she could afford and always white cotton. They were dried on the line until it got too cold, and I still remember sliding between those soft, crisp sheets that smelled of fresh air and sunshine and drifting into sleep. It's why I dress my beds the same way :)

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    1. Kathy,

      Don't you love how so many of the things we do are because of the wonderful memories attached? And it wasn't until I wrote this post that I realized how desperately I need my clothesline. But I'm not saying anything to my husband until next spring... we are working on landscaping this summer and fall. (Landscaping as in building porch railing, etc.! :-) )

      - Dori -

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  5. I really loved this post. I'm not fond of ironing sheet but since I have a clothesline, I "press" sheets by hand while I hand them out. I pull and smooth them as I hang them and they come back in from the line very smooth indeed. Sometimes it's still nice to press the pillow cases.

    I'm curious where you found such a pretty sheet set? Will you share?

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    1. I need a clothesline on my hilltop SO badly! :-)

      The sheets are from Target - a part of their Simply Shabby line. They have a few different styles in that line and all of them are gorgeous.

      - Dori -

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  6. Hi Dori! Your post brought back a memory for me- i remember when my mom showed me how to make the "envelope" with the bottom of the sheet on the bed for a nice, clean look.......back then a properly made bed was something every little girl should know how to do! Every morning i never left my room without spreading up the bed and placing the pillows just right so it looked tidy and finished. Boy, with two grown sons and a daughter i think i failed on that routine more than I succeeded.........and even now it bothers me to see a room without the bed made!! Love the simplicity of the room, I would be one happy guest sleeping on those sheets!!

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    1. Hi Devon,

      I have a hard time seeing a bedroom with an unmade bed too! :-) I love that my daughter has taught her little girls to make their beds and that Jillian gets so excited to show me! It's kind of a lost art isn't it?

      - Dori -

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  7. Your blog looks lovely by the way. Dori I have the same sheets. But no I never want to iron them. I hate ironing. Ugh, wish we lived closer I could milk your cows as a trade off and you could iron my sheets. Haha.
    That room is lovely. xoxo Lisa

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    1. Hi Lisa,

      I know, I love those sheets from Target! :-)

      I'm sure we could find something to trade... like maybe you could landscape my yard like yours?! Ha Ha!!!

      - Dori -

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  8. Those corners remind me of nursing school! I appreciated those sheets when I was there! Lovely and very relaxing room!

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    1. Angela,

      The only thing that is sad about you moving only an hour and a half away is that you won't need to spend the night anymore! Maybe you still can! :-) I've loved having you and your kiddos.

      Hugs,

      Dori

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  9. Simple Elegance! Less is definitely more. How restful your guests must feel when they spend time in that room. I've never been a fan of ironing, but I think it's because our iron is not very good. Do you have one you could recommend?
    I think I'll have to check out Target for those sheets! We prefer 100% cotton too, and they are sometimes hard to find.

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    1. Daisy,

      I do not have an iron I would recommend. I know there are some amazing ones on the market, but mine just won't die so I never can justify buying a new fancy one! :-) What I have is a Rowenta, which I've heard are very good irons, but I really don't know. Maybe that's why it has lasted so long! :-)

      Dori

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  10. Work hard in your yard or garden all day, take a shower and climb in a bed made with 100% cotton sheets! Oh, what a feeling...I melt into slumber!!! Amy from NC

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  11. Hi Dori, I found your blog today on MJF Girl Gab. I know you have been here for awhile but I just never took the time to follow-up on your blog. I am so happy that I did!! I have been the MJF Farm Sister of the Year and you can find me on the Chatroom as Red Tractor Girl. I so resonated with your love of all things MJF as I feel the exact same way!! Total inspiration and life changing!! Your House on the Hill is simply BEAUTIFUL. What a view and what a lovely farm you and your hubby have built. Congratulations on now having all the building done and able to just enjoy every inch. I excitedly read all of you blog posts so see how the house project went from dream to reality. You two have done a job extraordinaire!! Oh my, no detail was left out.

    As to the nursing corners on the bed?? I remember well my learning days in nursing school. It is a habit I have never forgotten or stopped doing either. I wonder if it is a dying art form?? Lol!

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    1. Winnie,

      I have heard about you! I think you are famous in the MaryJanesFarm circle!!! :-) Thank you for writing to me and for reading my blog! I hope you'll come back again!

      Yes, we do love our house on the hill tremendously.

      I think the nursing corners on the bed are definitely a lost art. All the more reason I need to remember to keep teaching my grand-girls!

      - Dori -

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