My mother-in-law moved back to Oak Park from Des Moines, Iowa last year. She downsized, going from living in a large home to a small condo… plus fourteen thousand storage units that she is now renting.

She’s working on getting rid of a few.

We, along with Brandon’s sisters, have been the beneficiaries of said downsizing. Sometimes the stuff is a little odd (she has an extensive collection of fake food), but sometimes it is awesome. Like these vintage cups and saucers (a set of twelve).

She thought I might like them because they seemed like my style, and they reminded her of our living room chair. She was right. Aren’t they fantastic?

Also, I just got this email from her today:

I noticed somewhere on the blog something about “what do you do with 150 yardsticks?” We have a similar amount of antique ones, some with very entertaining ad slogans on them. When we get our act together, we are making a wainscoting (vertical placement) in the powder room here. (The one with the tree stump sink.) They will look awesome and will provide for some good reading for visitors, seated or standing.

She’s referring to this tweet, but there are three things that stand out here.

1. She is in possession of 150 antique yardsticks. (Please refer to the earlier mention of fourteen thousand storage units.)
2. “tree stump sink”
3. She is conscientiously thinking of both genders when designing her bathroom.

My mother-in-law is pretty great.