Confession

Napkins.

I. Love. Them.

It is an illness, I think.

(But a rather pleasant one, if you ask me.)

Then again, it could be genetic, because my mother suffers from the same thing.

Here is a peek at my napkin nook. (Don't laugh.)

And here they are all spread out. These are my spring/summer/general napkins.


Of course, my collection of Christmas napkins, and my wonderful collection of fall napkins are in storage boxes in my attic. And there are a few packages hiding out in my laundry room...

But you need to be well-prepared with such things. You never know when you're going to need lovely napkins to go along with coffee...or dessert...or a party...or a family celebration.

These sheep napkins were a stocking stuffer from Ron...and matched the table runner that Ryan and Sarah gave me! (I think they know me well.)

I keep a stack in a basket by my coffee pot.

Sometimes the napkins inspire the table setting, as did these beautiful toile napkins that Mom chose for Mother's Day.

And sometimes the napkins are chosen to go along with a specific theme, as these bandana napkins that Bekah helped me select to complement this Father's Day's western theme...

...or these florals which were carefully selected to set a beautiful table for Bekah's American Girl birthday tea party...

... and Kati chose these gorgeous fan-shaped napkins for her Jane Austen-themed birthday dinner party.

Even Sunday afternoon dessert tastes better when you can wipe your fingers or blot your lips with a cheerful napkin.

I swoon at beautiful tables. If Ye Olde Farmhouse had more storage, I'd probably collect dishes. But napkins are easy to store, they add color to a table set with basic white dishes, and they really don't cost a lot! What's not to love?

I collect cotton and linen napkins too, but they cost more for the number that I want (family celebrations can have anywhere from ten to twenty people), and require more space to store.

So there's my confession. Now you know.