Simple Home and Happiness

Gratitude is the key to a life of contentment and joy and yet it still eludes me. I can wake up and whisper gratitude to my heart. I can stir my morning cup to its tune. I can give thanks for my health, my family, my home and then I watch it slip through my fingers as life gets in the way. Running late for school, flat tires, crabby kids, burnt supper, piles of laundry, dirty dishes, arguments with my husband. Pretty soon, my song of thanks, is a repeat in my head of all the wrongs, all that is unfair. Even though I know that if I remain thankful, I can change my own attitude, it is sometimes so much easier to slip into resentment. Gratitude takes practice, discipline. Resentment is easy. How easy it is for me to feel unappreciated when I am folding my seventh pile of laundry, how simple it is to resent the dirty floors I just swept five minutes ago, how enticing to grumble about cleaning up the toys for the hundredth time. But how hard it is for me to be thankful for t

When my kids get home from school, I want them to walk into comfort. I have four kids under the age of eight, so chaos is a fact of life around here. But even with that factor, I want the over all feeling of being home to be a sense of love and comfort even amidst the chaos. This starts with me. If I am overwhelmed and exhausted when we walk through the door at the end of the day, then I set the tone. Its my job, as their Mom, to keep my stuff together. I have a tendency to make a lot of mistakes and apologize regularly for them. But what I have been realizing lately, is that accidentally losing my cool and yelling is very different than giving myself permission to lose it, knowing that I can apologize later. Kids are very forgiving and I can take advantage of that. I take for granted that when I lose my temper, they will accept my apology. I am not proud, just being honest. It's wrong. I am working on it. Being overwhelmed tends to bring out the worst in me, so ther

Source I've been pinning all things Autumn over on Pinterest, so I thought we should do a fun little fall round up over here to celebrate the season. I still haven't had my first pumpkin spice coffee yet (gasp)! So instead I am living vicariously through the internet. Without further adieu, I give you Autumn inspiration. This home  proves you can decorate for fall without going over the top! I am having the urge to paint my front door. A turquoise door like this just says 'Welcome'. I would love to build a entire wall of bookshelves, one that holds books and booze just seems inviting.  Give me all the layers, all the polka dots but probably not going to rock the red shoes to school drop off.  Sweaters and flannel ? Um yes please. Possibly the best part of Autumn is the food. We love this soup .  And doesn't this just look delicious? I might be making these later today. 

SEPTEMBER!!!!!!!!!!! It's finally here. The months will begin cooling from here on out. The season of snakes, flies, mosquitos, grasshoppers, ticks, sunburns etc. etc. etc. is coming to an end. The season for cool nights, dinner indoors, early bedtimes, school days, blankets, fires, warm drinks, and cuddling is about to begin. Don't worry summer lovers, its still suppose to be in the 90's here next week, but its officially September so I can dream. I've got big camping/hanging out on the river plans for this weekend and I am packing on and off as I type. But I wanted to pop in and say hello and make sure you didn't think I would let the first day of September go unnoticed. Enjoy your weekend friends! With love, Me Source