Simple Joys on a Friday

Beautiful soft sunlight streaming through the window...

Fall leaves with gorgeous color...

Harvest decor...

Hydrangeas and white plates

In a Funk - Life is Complex

(image: flickr)

I think I'm in a funk... if you couldn't tell from my previous post.  I'm having a hard time embracing this season and can't figure out why because it's my favorite, as it is for most people!  I haven't even been in the mood to decorate that much.  It's not the inspiration I'm lacking, there's plenty here on this blog and on all my favorites on my blogroll.  It's me -- I can't get my creative juices flowing, lately.  I haven't even picked up my camera in a week and I usually try to take a picture a day.  It's not that I don't want to decorate or be creative right now, I do... believe me, I spend plenty of time getting ideas of what others are doing and I want to, but can't get it on right now for some reason.  It will come back, I know...

(image: my sweet savannah)

I have to admit, I'm not able to multi-task like I used to.  Is this what happens when you're over 40 - you feel like your brain has holes in it?  Is this what happens when you mix age, peri-(pre) menopause, and thyroid all together?  I tell ya, I've been trying to figure it all out and having all three definitely is affecting my quality of life.  When I was younger, I really didn't get it.  Boy am I worried about going through early menopause AND dealing with teenagers all at the SAME time -- is that really the plan the Lord had in mind? Heaven help us!

(oct. 2009)

So I have nothing original to share... no pictures I've recently taken, or decorating I've done or great ideas for fall fun. I'll borrow from pictures of the past, and a few new ideas I'd like to try when I feel up to it.

(image: hooked on houses)

(love her simple, yet beautifully festive style!)

I have been feeling like my list of to-do's is overwhelming.....well, it's a long one! Is yours? Sure, it is. We all have a boat load of things we must do to keep our households running, to keep kids coming and going, to do whatever jobs we are called to do, even if they are strictly volunteer jobs. We must each do what keeps our own bodies healthy and functioning, we must each have a running list of things that demand our attention. And then there are the extras. Emails to read, creative ideas to organize and carry out, hobbies (photography) and continued education to pursue.....friends to have lunch with, meals to take to a sick friend, or to a new mom, or to someone who just needs a little loving. We have relationships that need our attention. Life is complex, is it not? And sometimes that complexity can be overwhelming. The list, especially if it gets sidelined by life, or ignored to do some project, or lengthened as we procrastinate......well, it is ever present. And we fit it in, among the laundry and the errands, and the cross country meets, ballet and the music lessons. But it certainly complicates things, doesn't it?
  

(oct. 2009)

Life is just complex. Even if we could live on a mountain top alone, there are still things that are ever present that you cannot avoid.

(image: flickr)

Life is complex......yet God calls us to be still and know that HE is God.


"Be still and know that I am God." Ps. 46:10


Where do we draw the lines? When do we decide to turn off and be still? When do we decide that we cannot add one more thing to our list, to our plate, to our "to do" jar? I'm feeling a little of that right now....and the holidays loom just right around the corner as well as the kid's birthdays, and expectations are high. We long to have the perfect Thanksgiving and Christmas for our families, and we sacrifice what it takes to aim at that goal. But sometimes it is way too much to expect our families to endure rather than to enjoy. It can become way too complex so easily, can't it?

(oct. 2009)

 I've been later than usual getting out the pumpkins... and haven't done much to "fallify" my surroundings. I LOVE fall, but I'm just a little slow getting into it this year - easing into it I guess, just like the season itself does. All the stuff you see in the stores for Christmas already is driving me crazy! I don't multi-task well, so I surely cannot think yet about Christmas when I am just getting my fall decor out. And so the complexity continues. Juggle this, think about that, wash a load of laundry, call this person, etc. KEEP my list going, otherwise those tasks get lost for sure.

(image: my sweet savannah)

(I love her style, by the way... go check her out!)

 Or I do nothing, because the complexity paralyzes me.....it renders me useless such that it's even hard to get a meal on the table, or put new sheets on the bed. So I fall back to the basics. I narrow down my expectations and do the needful. There are days when I have to limit my reading of emails and blogs because they contain such WONDERFUL ideas, but they skew the view. They make me have unreasonable expectations, and live in a land of "what ifs".....what if I had more time, I "could" do all those projects, and if I had more money, then I could re-do my house, and if I could just be like her, such an incredible mom yet very creative and talented and so organized all at the same time! It all leads to ......the land of dissatisfaction......the grass is greener on HER side. And it either sends me into a tizzy to do whatever I can to try to be all of that, or I have to take a step back and realize what's truly important to me. I have to JUGGLE. I have to discriminate ,with wisdom that is God-given, as to what I truly CAN do, what Heavenly Father wants me to do right now, and what is a good idea, but doesn't work for me now. I have to decide to admire it and either toss it in an idea file, or admire it and enjoy it from afar. And walk away. Choices to be made everyday, but ones that must be made. What about you? Are you paralyzed by complexity? How do you decide what is reasonable for you to do? How do you turn off and take time to be still? Do you keep a running list, do you keep an idea folder, do you manage to do it all? If there was indeed a magic equation for us all to figure out just how much we can do, how much we can handle, we could probably sell it ! We must juggle though, in order to be intentional to do what we know is right for our families.  We must be intentional...so we must decide what is important to us and deal with that first. First things first. Simple things and then be able to add in the rest. Do you sometimes feel paralyzed by the complexity of life and just unplug to get re-centered?

(image: mg photography) 

I absolutely loved President Uchtdorf's conference talk "Of Things that Matter Most" and am going to try and slow down to counteract all the turbulence.  I loved his analogy!  You can watch it here.

Well this weekend, I am going to unplug for awhile, and hopefully be able to relax and enjoy a little getaway with friends in the beautiful mountain loop of Stevens Pass and the town of Leavenworth enjoying some gorgeous fall color like this...

(image: forestwander.com)

(google images)

(image: flickr kashyap)

Shopping fix in downtown Snohomish and Irresistible Fall Decor!

When your last child is in school everyone will tell you to go out and get a pedicure, treat yourself to lunch and go shopping (although on the later, I don't need any more encouragement!)  "You earned it, you deserve it!"  is what I always hear.  Well the luxury of having all day to myself is still an adjustment.  You'd think I would use my time more wisely, have a perfectly organized home, meals cooking in the crockpot and extra time just for me.  Well I'm not good really at any of those things, and most times think I'm just plain lazy.  It's been an adjustment because once she gets on that bus, I'm alone, in the house -- all alone, and it's too quiet!  I want to leave and go somewhere.  Maybe it's hard because it came so quick, or sooner than I/we had thought, (but that's a whole other subject for another time).  I thought the adjustment to having more time to myself would be easier.


Well today, I went out and did some things just for me -- nothing at home, (need to get over the guilt for leaving a messy house and dishes in the sink!),  and had a great time.  I had a doctor's appointment in Snohomish and then ... went to browse in all my favorite home decor and antique shops in historic downtown.  When we were first married and I was having a not so great day (back when they were fewer and far between, LOL), Jeff would come home from work and say, "why don't you run down to Snohomish!"  So sweet that he recognized that I would maybe come back feeling better!  Well I don't go down there as often now, so it was a lot of fun to see all the new things and filled my brain with tons of new ideas.  (I think I have too many decorating ideas swimming around up there!)


I went to my favorite shop Joyworks (shopgirl with a blog, I love it!)  Their new theme was "time to feather your nest with pretty things that make you happy!"  (Sounds pretty familiar, at least in the home decor blogging world,  ie. Nesting Place)  Here's some fun inspiration pics from her shop:

Love the bird's nest! 

I love topiaries, especially faux boxwoods!

Had to get me one of these!

The shop owner and her partner made these pillows, how cool with the burlap!

I then headed over to Faded Elegance, my other new favorite shop. Everything is very French Chic, which is the direction I want to go in my dining room -- shabby, antiques with some french decor!  I think I still gravitate to this style of decorating because it reminds me so much of Nana's house.  She traveled alot in her day and I remember being facinated as a child with all the plates, artwork, figurines, and furniture that she had in her home.  I wish she were still here to help me today.

Here's some pics from Faded Elegance:

Mmm, I love the lamps, the chandelier, the antique mirrors and the pairing of black with the shabby white table!

The lighting is real bad, but fun to get an idea of how things are arranged on the wall!

I know, some of this probably seems so boring, but it's fun for me to go and see the creativity at work in these stores.  Someday, I think I might even like to work in a shop like these two!

Well that's it for now... I had more to share, but have to go get Maddie from the bus.  It's so fun to go down there to get fun ideas for Fall decorating as well, which I will post more of later.  I haven't been in the mood, really to start decorating for Fall, because we've all been very hesitant to let our summer go -- as short lived as it was.  But it's now time and nothing better than a trip to Snohomish to get in the mood along with the new Pottery Barn catalog in the mail as well!

images: pottery barn

Mmm, love that porch, don't you!

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Well, I ended up not publishing this post when I went to pickup Maddie, and got so inspired by all the pictures in my fall inspiration folder, that I decided to share some more of my favorites.  Hope you enjoy all the irresistible inspiration!

image: Centsational Girl

I love how she's added just a bit of color with her white decor and love that poem too!

Time to go out and clip some branches...

better homes & gardens

(images: Becky Higgins)

I love the fall pictures on display.

Beautiful frames, small touches of fall with pumpkins here and there.

better homes & gardens

(oh, I love this, but can't remember where I found it... somewhere in blogland.  If you recognize it, let me know who it's from so I can give them credit.)

 images: Sweet Something Design

Just taking some favorite fall pictures and framing them in black and white frames, is so effective!  I'm gonna do that!

(this is another unknown ...)

I love the idea of displaying framed pics of the kids past Halloween costumes! What a great idea to remember the fun of the season.

Sweet Something Design

Sweet Something Design

Loving the white plates next to the black hutch, with little sprigs of fall interspersed.

(another one I can't remember, sorry!)

I love how cute and simple this is with some vinyl lettering and a little ric- rack!

image: pottery barn

Just loving the white furniture right now...

image: country living

Love the wreath over the mirror!

image: Transforming Home

I love her whole arrangement here with the plates on the wall and wreath on the mirror.

image: Nesting Place

Last but not least, I always enjoy seeing what creative things The Nester does with each season.  Wednesday she's having a fall mantle link up party, so be sure to check it out for more decor ideas. 

Enjoy!

Oh and by the way, I did go and have that pedicure, and it was wonderful!!  Just have to find balance in everything :)

Favorite Scents

I've never done this before but I thought I'd join a Friend Making Monday linky post about my favorite candle scents for the house.  So I'm joining over at Amber's blog.

What are your favorite candle scents?

This is the time of year to burn candles because when it's cold and rainy outside, it feels so cozy when it smells good inside!  For me, my favorites are all about the fall scents!!  I'm really enjoying the scents of Cachet Candles right now that my friend Christina got me hooked on.

My favorites right now are:

Wassail

Anything that includes cinnamon, ginger, orange, lemon, apple and cloves just does it for me -- yum!

Citrus Splash

Studies show that citrus scents actually lift moods.  We definitely can use that here during the rainy months in WA!

Cachet's "Heart of the Holidays"

Top note of almond, with middle notes of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg, blended with bottom notes of vanilla, cream and cake. 

My mouth is now watering!  There is something comforting when the house smells like yummy food.

What are your favorite brands and scents of candles??