Gratitude...By Faith

These days I am not feeling particularly grateful. I feel overwhelmed and emotionally tired. I feel paralyzed by too many ideas floating around in my head and not enough time or resources to implement any of them. I feel grumpy and frustrated and irritated. And try as I might, I just can't change all of these crazy feelings.

This is when we must walk by faith...not by feelings. I don't feel like offering the Lord my "thank you" right now. But I must choose to. When we take those steps to go against the tumultuous feelings and just do what we know is true and right, then usually, when we aren't even paying attention, our feelings do change. How do we know what is true and right? We must look to His loving Word.

He tells us to be thankful. Over and over again. He knows it's so good for us. Gratitude changes us from the inside out. It's an act of faith in His perfect character and it brings Him glory. And studies show that thankful people are physically and emotionally happier people. God's commands always bring life to us!

So every day of November (and maybe-to-be a new lifelong habit?) I am choosing something...anything...to be grateful for. It's an act of faith right now, and whether or not my feelings change, I know that living the true and right is the key to heart-peace.

Tuesday Unwrapped: The Lost Necklace

I loved this post over at incourage today...it spoke to the way that I seek to live...

To seek the beauty in the midst of chaos.

I really want to notice all the blessed goodness that surrounds me all day. Because goodness is God. And I want to notice God in the everyday-ness or should I say everyday-mess? Seeing His goodness leads me to a grateful heart, and a grateful heart is where I want my focus to be as Thanksgiving approaches. I really don't want to skip a month of focused- gratitude because I am manically planning Christmas.

So every Tuesday I hope to participate in Tuesdays Unwrapped. I want to take time to really see and be aware of the small, unexpected good stuff that Jesus is bringing my way. And to write it down here so that it can be a sort of memorial...so that my foggy brain can remember all the ways He is showing me His love.

This morning I woke up all out of sorts. My favorite necklace had been MIA for at least several days and I was getting worried. I love that necklace and wear it almost every other day. I feared that one of my young sons had taken it and hidden it (one of them has had a recent fascination with "gems"). After asking them several times if they had taken it and getting the answer "no, mommy", I decided to start the house-hunt. No chores, no schooling, no nothing until I find that necklace.

I completely cleaned our entire upstairs in hopes of it turning up. Nothing. Scoured my little boys' bedroom. Nothing. My closet and bedroom...I looked under and over and into every little place I could think of. Next came couch-diving. The longer I looked, the more I ached that I wasn't going to find it.

I told my husband how discouraged I was about it and he gently reminded me to pray. "Aimee, every single time you lose something, you pray and then you always find it." And that is so true. It has happened countless times to me...I pray and God gives me an idea in my head of where it could be, and there it is! Why in the world didn't I just pray?!

So, yes, I paused and prayed. I sat and calmed down. Soon after, I visualized myself wearing it with a brown shirt and green skirt in Savannah ten days ago. Was that the last time I wore it? Hmmmm. "Sam, will you please go look in the red suitcase in the attic to see if my lost necklace is there?" I listened as Sam pulled out the suitcase and unzipped different compartments and then I heard him GASP! I yelled out "Is it my necklace?" And he yelled back, "YES!!"

I am telling you, I felt like the woman in the parable of the lost coin. The joy and relief when something precious is found is unbelievable.

"or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost'. Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner that repents."
Luke 15:8-10

And to think that Jesus and His angels rejoice over us. Isn't that amazing?! I am so grateful today for the gift of finding my necklace...something so dear to me. And more so I am thankful that God used that situation to show me how much He loves and rejoices over me...He seeks me out and rejoices when He finds me. His love is....wow.

Home as a B&B: Final Thoughts

I hope that you have enjoyed and found some inspiration in this week's posts. My goal was to inspire you with some simple ideas for making your home a more warm and inviting place to your family and friends...to learn to have a "Bed and Breakfast" mindset and to view yourself as a Hospitable Hostess!

A few more easy ideas:

• Switch your shower liner to cloth and get a massaging shower head
• FLOWERS! Add fresh flowers to your home and kitchen table consistently...budget it in! Put one flower in a small vase next to each person's bed.
• Set the breakfast table. Even if you are only serving cereal, set a place mat, a cloth napkin, and a spoon. Serve juice in small juice glasses (for young children, I use baby food jars!). Put fruit in a small ramekin. Doing this the night before means that it is ready and waiting for everyone!
  
• Use casual seasonal tablecloths every night at dinner! Light candles...whoever has the nicest manners may blow them out at the end of the meal.
• Have outdoor places to "getaway". I have front porch rockers with comfy outdoor pillows...I go out there daily to read or just look at the sky and trees. We also have a cloth hammock that we all use and love (Target on clearance for $15!). My oldest son takes his books at there regularly to get away!

So did you take away new ideas this week? Are you more excited about your role in your home? I hope so! Above all, have fun being a creative nurturer to those around you!


photo by Pottery Barn

Home as a B&B: The Living Room

Light and Layers.

Those two simple concepts are a good place to start when thinking about how to cozy-up your living room.

When I say light, I mean three things:

1. Open your blinds. Let natural light come flooding in! That is one of the very first things that I do every morning as part of my routine.
2. Reading lamps. Having adequate light to read is a must. Put a floor lamp next to a chair and smaller lamps on end tables. Overhead lighting is harsh...I never turn on the lights that are attached to our ceiling fan. Think triangle when you are setting up lighting...the lamp positioning in your room should form a triangle in order for the full space to get adequate lighting.
3. Candlelight. It is incredible soothing and quieting to light candles in the late evening and sit and read and talk by candlelight. This ritual calms everyone down and gives a peaceful glow and warm ambiance. Some forsake candles when little ones come along but children can quickly and easily be taught to respect the flame and not to touch "mama's things". I recently put a fresh candle on my coffee table...an orange pillar candle (clearance at Target) put in a hurricane ($2 at A.C. Moore) and surrounded the candle with acorns (free from a nature walk!). An easy and warm addition to our living room!
   

By layers, I am talking about giving the guests in your living room textural comfort. Add some fresh throw pillows that are a different fabric-feel than your sofa or chairs. Discount department stores like Target and Kohl's are forever putting seasonal throw pillows on sale. Start thinking towards having a collection of seasonal pillows that you can swap out from summer to winter.

I also think that the layering of throws/afghans/blankets/quilts is a wonderful way to add warmth. I love sitting down on my couch and being able to easily grab a quilt from either couch or my fuzzy fleece throw. One year I asked grandparents to give each one of my children their own monogrammed fleece throw...now each one has their very own to snuggle up under for movies or reading or cuddling. You could even place a basket in your living room that you keep a stack of rolled-up throws -- everyone can have easy-access!

Light and layers is all about creating warmth and relaxation and comfort. A place where guests feel like they are being nurtured. What is one way you can add some extra warmth to your living room this weekend?


photo by Country Living

Home as a B&B: The Bedroom

I think every bedroom needs a "thotful spot"...remember Pooh? For me that means having a comfortable bedroom chair in order to read, relax, reflect, drink a cup of tea, stare out the window or just take a break.

In my little boys' room, I have a wonderful armchair that I bought for $25 at a local thrift store. I bought a slipcover for it, and now we love snuggling there to read. I have one of these small armchairs in my other boys' room for them to relax in. In the corner of my daughter's room is a cushy Beanbag. And in our room is a glider rocker (the one that has been used to rock and nurse all my babies!) and an overstuffed arm chair. Everyone has a cozy little bedroom spot to where they can retreat.

I think it's important for everyone to have a place where they can go decompress, gather their thoughts, settle their emotions, and center themselves. Having a large family means much noise, much togetherness, and not much room for escape! And as much fun as noise and being together can be, we all need spots to be able to go to in order to regroup, refocus, and rest.

That's one of the reasons why I think many are drawn to a Bed and Breakfast. It's a yearning for retreat, for quiet, for contemplation. So in order to bring that feeling into our homes, set up small places of retreat. A carved-out corner. A space by a window. A nook to nestle in.

And one more thing: make your bed. Seriously. Your room will feel so much cleaner and less cluttered if you simply make it up right after you get out of bed. And your bed will feel fresh, not stale, when evening comes and your weary body needs sleep. Teach your children to make their beds...and if not, then make their beds as a way to serve them. All of your bedrooms will be so much more peaceful as a result!

Enjoy your bedroom retreat!


photo by My Little Chickadee

Home as a B&B: The Bathroom

I love fluffy white towels. I really do. And replacing old, worn towels is a simple way to bring a Bed and Breakfast feel to your home. Cut up the old ones to use as cleaning rags or move them to the camping supplies to use on those trips! New towels are not very expensive (and all department stores have big "white" sales every January!) and they really add new warmth and texture to your bathroom.

I keep two towels per person in our home. A small stack of hand-towels. And two washcloths per person. It's also nice to keep some Mrs. Meyer's laundry detergent or some Tide Simple Pleasures on hand just for washing your towels. It feels nice to grab a sweet smelling towel as you get out of the bath or shower!

I also love having simple and easy-to-wash white bathmats. I have switched from ones that have the awful rubber bottom that always disintegrate over time with ones that I found that are hotel-style at World Market...all cloth and spa-like too!

So begin to keep your eye out for sales and enjoy the simple comfort of fresh towels and bathmats!

Home as a B&B: The Kitchen

A Hot Drink Station.

This is a wonderful way to bring the Bed and Breakfast concept into your home. I have a square basket from Ten Thousand Villages that I use to organize a wide variety of teas. A small tea spoon rest, a sugar dish, and mugs are all within easy reach. And my favorite part is my wonderful Oster water kettle. I can get hot water fast and it makes it so lovely that everything one needs for a soothing tea time is all together in one place. To the left (not pictured) is our coffeemaker with a jar of beans already ground and a small basket with unbleached coffee filters.

So instead of just a pattern of randomness on your kitchen counters, set up a cozy hot drink station. Think intentionally as to how to make your kitchen a place where everyone can easily get what they need. I have found that small square baskets and glass jars are very inexpensive kitchen organizational tools and they lend a warm aesthetic.

A hot drink station is an invitation to be soothed and to relax!

And now, friends, I am off to drink my coffee :)