Joys Jots: The Gift of a Day

Saturday morning I woke feeling horrible. I had the kind of headache that no amount of Tylenol seemed to budge. 
 

I was achy all over and went back and forth from feeling chilled to burning up. I had only enough energy to pull myself out of bed, walk into the living room and collapse on the couch just so that I could have a change of scenery as I dozed in and out of conscientiousness throughout the day.

During one of the rare moments when I was fully awake I thought of the list of chores I had written for the day. It was practically the same list I had every Saturday: Laundry, Cleaning, Groceries, Purchase a Card for a Friend, Bake Cookies. 

Nothing on the list was eventful; most items were boring and mundane and yet at that moment I realized that even the boring and mundane parts of life were precious. Cleaning and groceries were one way of giving my love to my family, buying a card would encourage a friend, baking cookies for another friend showed my support for her and her family. 
   If we are in tune life has a way of teaching us how tender and precious it is. Unfortunately those lessons often come through illness, injury, or death. Perhaps it is because in those unfortunate moments we are finally forced to stop and realize the simple yet significant events that we take for granted every day. 
   Today I am feeling much better. I have added a few more chores to my list and I am happy to be able to do those seemingly boring and mundane tasks. Today I have a deeper appreciation of how those tasks touch the lives of those around me and of how fortunate I am to have the health and strength to do them. Today I am very grateful for the gift of a day.
 

In Remembrance

One of the things my Mother-in-law was know for was her love of jewelry. She was always adorned with sparkly earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. She believed it was important for a woman to look her best, and up until just days before her passing she consistently wore make-up, nice clothes, and jewelry. She taught her daughters: If you spend the time to get yourself ready in the morning then you can focus completely on other people throughout the day.

After she passed I was fortunate enough to receive a couple pair of her old clip-on earrings. I placed them on the tops of the lampshades in our living and dining rooms. They are a sweet little reminder of a life well lived in

love, service, and beauty.

Couldn't Be Simpler

We live in an incredible age!

We have decorating inspiration galore at the touch of a finger. Yet, I fear we can feel that if we are not spending money and/or hours re-purposing, refurbishing, spray painting, sewing, hot gluing, or adding rope onto something then we aren't really decorating.

Making your home beautiful can be
simple and fast.

It's as easy as placing your favorite collection
in a silver tray or pretty bowl.Even simpler, place a pretty rock,
(I found this one at a nearby stream) or shell atop a stack of books.These are simple joys that make for a pretty home.

Colorful Closets

Simple Joys...those glimpses of life that we should take time embrace, the reminders that it's the small and simple things that make life beautiful.

The closets of our home are full of color. . . . .
even when there are no clothes hanging in them. For nearly half of my mother's life she has been making these
yarn covered hangers. (A tutorial can be found HERE)

She has literally made hundreds of them for family and to give as gifts.
I remember taking a trip with a college friend when I was in my late teens. My mom put a bundle of these homemade hangers into my suitcase for me to give as a hostess gift for my friend's relative whose home we stayed. I was proud as well as a little embarrassed (the mixed emotions of a teenager) to present the made-by-hand gift.These colorful hangers have been a part of my life for most of my life. They remind me of my mother's creative and hardworking hands, and of her giving spirit.

They are a simple joy.
Do you have a made-by-hand simple joy?

A Little Glam

Simple Joys...those glimpses of life that we should take time embrace, the reminders that it's the small and simple things that make life beautiful.
There are some simple joys that just happen, others we create. Take for instance my make-up bag. It's pretty enough, as well as convenient. But I have a confession, it often sits on my bathroom counter because I'm (gasp!) too lazy to put it away. One day it occurred to me that I could either put the thing away OR I could put my make-up in something pretty that I wouldn't mind leaving out. I chose the second solution and dumped everything into a shiny silver bowl. It's not much bigger than the bag so when I do put things away it takes up about the same amount of space. And if I need my make-up to go it only takes a few seconds to dump it back into the bag.

What simple joy can you create today?
**Don't forget to enter the Scentsy giveaway here.**

Happy Time

Simple Joys...those glimpses of life that we should take time embrace, the reminders that it's the small and simple things that make life beautiful.
My husband laughs because it makes me giddy when I look at the clock and see this line up of numbers. I actually do a little happy dance almost every time. There is something so serendipitous about glancing at the clock at that perfect time of day or night when all the numbers align. It's just not the same when you wait for it to happen. It can't be planned. It has to be happenstance. . .

a happy happenstance!
What simple thing makes you do a little happy dance?

SIMPLE JOYS

I'm starting a series of posts, perhaps once a week (. . .if I can be that organized). I want show a tiny part of my world that brings me joy---those glimpses of life that one should stop to embrace, the reminders that it's the small and simple things that make life beautiful. It's those little details in the day that are often overlooked, like the sacrificial apple in the fruit basket. The one apple designated to take on all of the other apple's labels so that they could be enjoyed to the full measure of their creation.

What simple joy have you stopped to embrace?