Tag Archives: Magnolia

Handle With Care

I won my bet with Gary over the wreath from the post, Don’t Rush the Seasons. He said the wreath would make it’s debut by February 14th, but we’re nearing the end of March and it’s still not on the front door.

The wreath is more fragile than I anticipated. Reading the fine print on the box I learned it’s made from curled pieces of paper and is designed for indoor/outdoor use. It can hang outside in a covered area protected from the elements, but I’m not sure my front door qualifies as protected. It won’t do well in full sun, which living in Texas I have yet to see anything that does well with that.

It bothered me leaving it in it’s box, so over the weekend I unboxed the wreath and hung it on my bedroom door. It fancied up the entrance to my sacred space.

I’m not used to it there, so when walking by the door, my shoulder brushes against it. Then I noticed little pieces of paper on the floor and realized how fragile the wreath really is. If it can’t handle a little brush of the shoulder, how’s it going to hold up being outside in the elements? There’s a floral spray I can purchase to give it a protective coating to toughen it up for outside, but is that a solution?

I’m happy it’s out of the box and love seeing it on my bedroom door, but similarly to the flowerbeds in my previous post my front door remains wreathless for now. It shows me how fragile life is and if we took the time to read the fine print of life itself, I imagine much like this wreath it would say, handle with care.

Don’t Rush the Seasons

I did something completely out of character. I made a purchase even though it’s not quite time to use it. Of course, I could go ahead and use it, but there’s a peculiar sweetness in the anticipation of holding off until the right time.

Twice a year I go in search of a wreath for the front door. Spring/summer and Christmas. Sometimes I use the same wreath the following year, but most times I’ll give it away once the season ends. It’s still Winter here in Texas, and it’s been relatively mild as I see fellow Texans itching for Spring, but I really want to wait for it to arrive instead of rushing toward it. A friend of mine has already hung a Springtime wreath on her front door and she’s been working in her yard.

From previous experience, I don’t trust buying wreaths online. The photos look amazing, but once the wreath arrives I’m disappointed in the lack of quality. The other day I was at Target, strolling through the Magnolia section of the store and didn’t really have a wreath on my mind, but there it was sitting on the bottom shelf as if it were waiting to be noticed. There was no hesitation in stepping over to take a closer look and knowing instantly that was the wreath for this year.

I’m excited! Once home I thought about going ahead and hanging it on the front door, like my friend, but my heart pressed the pause button. It’s only January, and February can be an unpredictable month for weather, so I vowed to wait to enjoy it Spring through Summer. It came in a sturdy box with a lid, so I closed it up to wait. Every time I see that box, it brings a smile to my face like I’m ready for the next season, but for now will slow the pace to embrace this season we’re in.

Take a break from reading and let me read this to you: