Are you ready for spring? I have declared it officially spring here in my corner of the world…. Not that it really matters what I say! Regardless, Easter is this weekend, the daffodils are starting to bloom, and we are finally starting to see a few nice days sprinkled in here and there. So now that I am officially ready I have to double check—is my house as ready for spring as I am? Is your house ready for spring?
Purge and Refresh
You know what I say every time the season changes—purge! Take a good look around your house and try to really see what someone entering your house for the first time would see; do you still have scarves and mittens on your coat rack? Do you have heavy throw blankets on your sofa? Do you have your snow boots sitting by the door?
Along the same lines, how long has it been since you have had people over? A lot of times Easter breaks a long stretch of company-less days. If you haven’t had any company over a for a while, I suggest taking a look around; is the mail on the counter? A stack of returns by the door? A layer of dust in the less used rooms? This might be a good time to take care of some of the boring tasks.
Clean
We’ve all heard about doing a good spring clean and while this might not be Little House On The Prairie where a real deep scrubbing of everything is needed after winter, it is a good time to tackle some of the chores that only need done every now and then: shampooing the carpets, changing the air filters, and cleaning the insides of your washing machine, dishwasher, and coffeemaker. Check out my post onHow to Spring Clean Your Home here!
Your Entryway
What is hanging on your front door? What mat do you have down? Do you have salt stationed by your front door? I live in Pennsylvania—I know we have a very good chance of still having to use salt before summer, but it can live in a less obvious place now—I shouldn’t need it daily!
Bedding
Do you change your sheets to flannel in the winter? Depending upon where you live you could probably pull out the summer sheets. If you have a spring comforter or quilt, time to pull that out too. If some of your bedding has seen better days now is also a good time to check out what sales companies are having on their bedding.
Flowers
Nothing says spring like fresh flowers! Cut some flowers from your yard or pick up a cheap bouquet from your local grocery store; adding the little pop of color will really lift your spirits on the gray spring days! I also have been putting some of my dried flowers to work and they have been doing a nice job adding pops of spring color in my home!
Colors
While I recommend using a cohesive color palette(see that post here), if your palette is fairly neutral or if you are only using color in small doses, try introducing some spring colors into your home. Pastels are often associated with spring but I’m not a big pastels girl. I prefer adding extra touches of bright yellow and vibrant green to my decor instead—again flowers are a great way to do this.
Vignettes and Centerpieces
You know I love my vignettes! I love giving a nod to the seasons with my vignettes and centerpieces! For this time of year I love adding some green moss balls, mixed with pinecones and twine balls. I’ve already mentioned that I love incorporating dried flowers, as well as fresh cut flowers into my decor, I also don’t mind a bird or bunny figurine dropped into a vignette. I tended towards a more dyed down neutral color palette in the winter so I am reintroducing color by also displaying some of my more colorful serving ware!
If you are so inclined to create a spring vignette, remember these few things:
Vary height
Vary texture
Use an odd number of items
Add something organic
Corral all the items using a tray
I hope this helps to energize you to get your home ready for spring! If you know of anyone else who you think might enjoy this post, please share it with them! Even if you share this post with one person, it helps me so much and please know I really appreciate it!
If you are here, chances are you just might like my writing. (wink) If you Drop your email address in the box below I’ll save you time by emailing you the link every time a new post comes out!
“Hosanna!” “Hosanna!” people are shouting, waving palm fronds, then a man steps forward, unwraps his coat and lays it on the ground. Then another, and another- soon the path in between all the people waving palm branches is covered so that the man, the man that they are honoring with all this, can ride in on a donkey (a colt really) and not even touch the ground! But He is crying- why is he crying? Is it because he is touched by the people’s obvious love and adoration of him; or because He knew that this too would pass, and quickly?
Have you ever been in the middle of a really hard season? Perhaps you were experiencing the loss of a loved one, or maybe you were experiencing health issues, or maybe financial hardship after financial hardship keeps hitting your family. I have been in seasons of hardship that have felt like they would never end, but one thing we can cling to is that this world will give way to an eternal one, where everyone who believes in Him, will get to live eternally without the trials that we endure in this world!
We like being told that hard seasons won’t last forever, but we don’t like it when we are told that the good times won’t last forever, yet there are many biblical instances that warn of this! Starting in Genesis chapter 37 we read the story of Joseph: Pharaoh has a dream which Joseph interprets as a foretelling that there will be 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of famine in Egypt. Proverbs 6:6-8 tell us to consider the ant and how she stores away food for winter. Then there is the parable of the rich fool who, after a bumper crop, built bigger barns to store his food and then settled in, not worrying over eternity, but enjoying an easy life without a thought to the future (Luke 12:16-21). We don’t want to think about the good times ending but they always do.
Jesus knew both the hard times and the good time would pass; as will this world. He knew when Martha got caught up in the worries of this world, that it wouldn’t matter in the end. He reminded the lady at the well, that she would thirst again, nothing on this earth is eternal. Except for Him.
Jesus also knew that while He would have to subject Himself to a tortuous death, He would also rise again to bring life eternal to everyone who believes in Him. The things of this earth shall pass away, the hard seasons shall pass, the good times shall pass, but all the fixtures of this life eventually give way and we find ourselves in one of two worlds that will not pass away, be it heaven or hell.
This Easter season let us reflect on what cares to occupy our minds most; do we get all wrapped up in the decorations that we put out, the candy we love to snack on, the egg hunts that delight the children- or do we focus on Him and His sacrifice? Do we reflect most on His sacrifice for us so that we can spend eternity with Him, or are we busy spending so much of our lives focusing on things that, too shall pass?
If you are here, chances are you just might like my writing. (wink) If you Drop your email address in the box below I’ll save you time by emailing you the link every time a new post comes out!
I have read several books lately that, yes, have been compelling reads, but more than that have made me think about them after I finish reading them. These are books of substance with thought provoking themes that would make great discussions for book clubs! These books were not light reads, but were still ones that I was glad to have picked up and that I look forward to discussing with others who have read them.
The Yellow Wife
by Sdeqa Johnson
This one had some disturbing content. It is one thing to know about the atrocities committed from one race to another, but it is another thing to read about these experiences in the firsthand narrative. That disclaimer aside, I was glad I read this book! My attention was held the whole way through it!
The main character of this book, Pheby Delores Brown, was based loosely on the story of a woman who really lived. Pheby is the illegitimate daughter of a plantation owner and as such has been afforded certain rights not usually granted to a slave; she has also been promised her whole life that she will be freed on her 18th birthday, a date she eagerly awaits. Then without warning Pheby is sold, ripped away from the life she knows and is sold to a man known as the Jailer, who has gained his wealth selling people into slavery and disciplining any slave who attempt to run away. Pheby becomes his unofficial wife—the mother of children who he claims. As the mother of these children she is treated better than other slaves but a slave she still is. She is forced to ready young slave girls who come ready for auction; Pheby must help these girls to look their best so they can fetch the best prices before the auction where they will be sold into a life of prostitution. Pheby despises the roll she plays in these girls lives, but what would happen should she refuse?
The Children’s Blizzard
by Melanie Benjamin
It was an unusually warm day in the middle of winter 1888, after a long stretch of bitter cold, spirits were light as people in the territories of Nebraska and Montana went about their daily lives. Most were dressed lighter than they normally would be that fateful day. It was nearly time for school to dismiss when the air started to change and a blizzard began. Many of the teachers in these schools were young women—barely 18 years in many cases—that had to make what they didn’t know at the time to be life and death decisions. Should these teachers send the children home from school early or wait it out in the school house? The children could be caught and perish in the cold, but how long would the blizzard last? Would the flimsy school houses stand up against the blizzard?
We follow mainly three characters, fictional though somewhat inspired by people who really lived, as they face these fateful days. Who would survive and who wouldn’t? And how will the others live with the decisions they made?
Ribbons of Scarlet
by Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie, E. Knight, Sophie Perinot, Heather Webb
The French Revolution was inspired in part by the success of the American Revolution but went far differently than the American Revolution did. Through the pages of this book we follow six different women who all hail from different stations in life and have different outlooks on the Revolution. This book is a collection of six stories interwoven by six different authors (one author assigned to each story) which gives this book depth and character as each author uses their expertise to depict the circumstances surrounding their character. I greatly enjoyed learning more about the French Revolution and enjoyed the differing perspectives this book offered, but I confess, books of this nature are not my favorite from a purely enjoyment-focused point of view as I just start to really get into one character’s story when it’s time to switch characters! Still this book offers a lot of topics for consideration that we might think to be contemporary in nature but which were, in fact, still being fought for over 250 years ago!
Being Mortal
by Awtul Gwande
This book is non-fiction but deals with themes we all have to think about sooner or later. Gwande is a physician and has taken a close look at the aging process and how the elderly are treated in this country (America). Being of Indian descent, he saw the aging process of his grandfather in a country where the elderly live at home among the different generations. Living out one’s old age at home among family has long been regarded as the paragon to which it would be nice for us all to aspire, but Gwande points out the difficulties with this style of living also. Gwande goes on to discuss the pluses and minuses of assisted living centers and nursing homes; the last part of this book discusses medical treatment in the end stages of life. If doctors discussed more straightforwardly the prognosis of the terminally ill would it allow patients to make the discussion of ending treatment sooner in exchange for fewer higher quality months or years, rather than perhaps living for an extra year that depletes the patient so much then cannot enjoy it? As you may have gathered, Being Mortal is not a light read but if you pick this one up I think that you will be glad that you did!
P.S. If you know of a friend who enjoys a thought provoking read please share this post with them!
Hey! May I Send You Something?
If you are here, chances are you just might like my writing. (wink) If you Drop your email address in the box below I’ll save you time by emailing you the link every time a new post comes out!
You might be ready for spring but is it your home? Don’t forget your front door! Your front door is the first thing people see so setting the tone is important! If you don’t yet have a spring wreath check out this post for how to make your own Easter wreath or spring wreath- these are super easy! One doesn’t even require any glue!
Gather your supplies
What You Will Need:
A Grapevine Wreath (mine is 12 inches)
Faux Moss
Brown Moss
3 Small Faux Eggs
Dried Flowers (if desired)
Hot Glue Gun
1. Decide where on your wreath you want your nest to be located; I like mine around 4-5 or 7-8 looking at the wreath as if it were a clock.
2. Start by gluing a small amount of moss onto the wreath. Be liberal with the glue- this is your foundation for your wreath and you want it to be secure! Also, use enough moss to be sufficient to be the bottom of your nest- this is where your eggs will go!
3. After you have your base as big as you want, start to build up the sides of your nest by placing a small amount of glue on the edge of the moss to build up the sides. Work your way around the edges in small chunks, (so your glue doesn’t harden before you get to it!) taking 4-5 sections to make your whole way around the nest.
4. Once you are happy with the edges and your nest you will take the brown moss and repeat the same process that you did in step 3 around your green nest base.
5. You get to glue on your eggs! Don’t forget to lay the eggs out before you start gluing to make sure that they fit the way you want them to.
6. If desired, place a small amount of glue on the end of the flower stem before sliding it into the wreath.
You’re all Done!
No Glue Spring Wreath
What you will need:
A 12’ Grapevine Wreath
At least 3 different faux flowers (or artificial)
Flower arranging wire (any wire that isn’t too heavy a gauge will due)
Ribbon
pliers
1. Cut your flowers to the length you want: I like to have my greenery or filler be the tallest, feature my main flower front and center, and tuck the little flowers around the edges.
2. Arrange the flowers how you want them to appear on your wreath.
3. Cut approximately 1 inch of wire. Lay the flowers on the wire and twist the wire closed. Use your pliers to tighten the wire so that it securely holds the flowers.
4. Place the bouquet where you want it on your wreath.
5. Cut a piece of ribbon (about 16 inches depending on how long you want your ends to be) and slide it under the wreath.
6. Wrap the right side of the ribbon clockwise around the wreath, then wrap the left side around the wreath, this covers the bouquet and wire nicely so that they don’t show.
7. Securely double-knot the ribbon, you want it to be tight so your bouquet doesn’t move! And tie a pretty bow!
8. Display your pretty wreath!
And that’s all there is to it! I hope if you are needing a wreath to welcome people into your home that this helps inspire your creativity and that you can have fun creating your own wreath- happy spring!
Hey! May I Send You Something?
If you are here, chances are you just might like my writing. (wink) If you Drop your email address in the box below I’ll save you time by emailing you the link every time a new post comes out!
So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.
Ephesians 5:16 NLT
I graduated high school ready to shake off the shackles of high school and get going with life. I was ready to get started doing what I wanted to do with my life. We spend the first 18 years of our lives doing our time; as babies, we have to learn the fundamental skills to live, then we spend 12 years in school learning life skills and the basics for life, as well as getting an understanding of what further education we might desire—if any! I had made the decision to pursue beauty school. It was a short program that would leave me with skills I could use to build my future. Success would be up to me. If I worked hard I could build my book of clients; I could find a niche and start to specialize in what I might specifically like to do—hair on a cruise ship, wedding hair … there were so many options! It was going to happen to this world—it was not going to happen to me!
It was much to my chagrin then that two years later I found myself absolutely miserable in what was supposed to be the career of my dreams. I sought the opinions of people in my life who I respected and asked whether I should throw in the towel or keep going in the beauty industry. I was largely encouraged to keep going so for another year I kept going. And I was miserable for another year. By this point, I was even more defeated. I felt like I had just wasted another year of my life.
After much deliberation, my husband and I decided that it was time for me to leave the beauty industry. The next few years were rough as I tried to figure out exactly what I wanted to do—go back to school, start a business, work a job in which I could work my way up…. To spoil the ending, everything worked out. I started a business and when that still wasn’t quite right, I started a second one. All the while I felt like I was wasting time. I have always been hyper-aware that life is so very short and I have never wanted to waste a moment of it, so this season was agony for me.
There are seasons of life when we will simply be doing our time, working towards an end we cannot yet see. This was one of those seasons for me. During these times we may feel like we are not good stewards of our time as Ephesians 5:16 urges. However, sometimes seasons like these are faith-building seasons where we have to trust God to show us the next right step to take—not necessarily the whole path! We need to remember that just as Jesus told the lame man to get up and walk, we need to just look at the next right thing in front of us and take the first step. It doesn’t have to be the first step of the mapped-out plan for the rest of our lives that we might like it to be; it might just be the first step that we can see, but I believe that if we are seeking God with all our hearts, He will illuminate the way before us as we need to see it.
Romans 12:6 says that we have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us, and we are to use our gifts accordingly (paraphrased). Each of us was created with certain gifts. And we are to use that gift. As a side note, just because you are unsure of what your gift is doesn’t mean that you don’t have one!
My personal conclusion this far through life is that it may not necessarily matter what we do, but it does matter that we are using the gifts that God gave us! There are many different ways to use our gifts and skill sets. In the work I do now I use the same gifts I’ve been given as I did as a cosmetologist. But applying these gifts in a different way allows me to feel more fulfilled than I did in my first field.
If you are feeling unfulfilled and restless in what you are doing in your life, I urge you not to spend your life doing something in which you feel unfulfilled. There is so much opportunity and so many different ways to use the gifts we’ve been given. For a season we may just have to do our time, but let us not get stuck in this rut! As the Bible says, our days are short on this earth—let’s do our best to use our time well.
If you are here, chances are you just might like my writing. (wink) If you Drop your email address in the box below I’ll save you time by emailing you the link every time a new post comes out!
