Tell The People

My sweet momma is 87 years old and has Alzheimer's. It is a terrible disease that has taken away much of the person she once was. Yet there is much of her personality still intact. One day I asked her how old she was. She answered that she didn't know, so I followed up by asking how old she thought she was. "I don't know.....twenty?" Her reply made me smile, after all, don't we all feel like we're still twenty down deep inside.

On another occasion when I asked her age, and again she had no idea, I told her how long she had lived and that she had a wonderful life. Then I asked, "Have you done everything you wanted to do?" She quietly shook her head. "What more would you like to do, momma?" Her answer touched me deeply and has rested on my heart, "Tell the people I love them." Wise words from a wise woman.

The past few years have instilled upon me some very important lessons: Life is a very precious and fleeting thing. We can't take it for granted. Each and every day is truly a blessing.

As we gather with family and friends this holiday season I hope we can all honor my dear momma's wish.

Have a Memorable Thanksgiving

and Don't Forget to

 Tell the People You Love Them.

Surrounded By Angels

I took a little blog break to spend time with family. 

In particular, this new little one and his sister. 

 Meet my fourth grandchild and first grandson. He was born on April fools day. 

He is a sweet soul who loves to snuggle.

   When he was just one week old my daughter and I took him and his big sister to visit the cherry blossoms in D.C. (they live in a neighboring state).

   We wanted to capture the memory with photos so I held him next to 

a branch brimming with blossoms.

   He was as content as could be and kept sleeping. I began talking to him to see if I could get him to open his eyes. I asked him if he remembered seeing his Poppie---the name my husband chose to be called instead of grandpa. (This little guy was born just a few days past the year mark of my husband's passing.) As soon as I asked the question our sweet baby gave the biggest grin which just kept getting 

bigger and bigger and lasted several seconds.

 Then my daughter asked him if he was sad that we couldn't see and be with Poppie. Immediately his grin changed into a pout that looked as if 

he was about to cry but stopped just short.

 

 

   Both my daughter and I started to tear up. We knew we had been given a tender reminder that angels are closer than we know. This is not the first confirmation we have had over the past year. There have been MANY. It is a fact that we are all surrounded by angels, both seen and unseen. You just have to be aware of the signs; like when a friend calls to lift your mood at just the right time, or when a stranger offers to help, or when you feel that calm assurance that, despite the odds, everything will be okay. It is consoling to know that we are not alone, that there are indeed angels among us.

And in case you have doubts about this little guy's reaction, he has never since smiled so long and big nor had such a sad face as he did that day. 

We know it was an affirmation straight from heaven. 

Catching Up

Hello friends! How are you? I have been so sporadic at blogging that I feel a bit out of touch. I thought I would take some time to catch you up on my life.

Last Saturday our family honored the year mark of my husband's death. It has been a year since my sweetheart unexpectedly passed away (typing those words still seems very foreign). We spent the day talking about the events of a year ago in the field where it all happened. Then we created a happy memory by going out to dinner, laughing, eating and enjoying being together. There are days I have a hard time believing this new circumstance of ours and yet I feel an odd sense of relief knowing I have survived the worst year of my life. I know that our survival was a result of many prayers and much love and support given by family, friends and even strangers. For that I am profoundly grateful.

In the wee hours of Monday, April 1st, my darling daughter delivered her second child...a boy. I am so thrilled to be the nonnie of three beautiful girls and now a handsome baby boy!

Throughout this past year the importance of home has become even more significant to me. 

It doesn't matter the size of our house or it's location. Our house does not need to be magazine-shoot worthy but it does need to give us that sense of JOY that no other place can. Home should be where we feel comfort despite all that is happening in the world. It should be a place where we delight to come at the end of the day; where we feel a sense of warmth and well-being. Our homes should be where we house our happy memories as well as our sad; where we have beautiful traditions as well as mundane routines.

My whole purpose for writing this blog is to share the ways I find joy in my home. I am passionate about helping others feel about their homes the way I feel about mine.  I hope you find inspiration here in creating joy for your home.

Thank you for visiting! I truly appreciate you for being so supportive in the many aspects of my life.

 

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.
 

Joys Jots: A Life Well Lived

When I began this blog I wanted to remain anonymous. I am a very private person by nature. This blog was only meant to be a place to share my creative projects, not my life. But since this blog began I have had my fair share of "adventures" that have opened my life and made it more public. This has caused me to reexamine my goals. I believe life gives us experiences, both good and bad, to teach us. We can choose to learn the lessons and share with others or we can mope, complain, and grouch to others (and occasionally we can do both). I hope you don't mind if I begin to share some life lessons that come my way in the form of "Joy's Jots."  My goal is that in the sharing we might both to have more JOY in our home and in our life.
  
Just days before Christmas my husband's co-workers came to our home on two separate occasions to surprise us with multiple boxes of gifts. I was humbled, delighted, and beyond grateful for their kindness and charity. My sweet companion passed away nearly nine months earlier and yet his co-workers still loved him and missed him so much that they wanted to give to his family. They had already been incredibly generous to us after his death. What is most amazing is these are not people with whom he had worked with for years and years. After losing his own business my husband had taken this job just over a year and a half previous to his death. He was one of the oldest employees and many of the others were the age of our oldest children. They barely knew my husband and had only met the rest of our family at his funeral and yet they came bearing several gifts, months later, to bless our family. We laughed and cried as they told stories of the fun times and memories they had working alongside their beloved co-worker.

On Christmas morning I sat contemplating and staring at one large pile of presents. My thoughts were of gratitude. I was grateful for the givers and thankful for the life my husband lived. These gifts were given to our family because my husband had lived a good life. He was a man with no enemies. He never burned a bridge. He formed friendships easily, even with people he had only talked with on the phone. He always tried to see the positive. He would fill the room with his large personality and infectious enthusiasm. He worked hard, loved life, and enjoyed people. He made it a point to let others know of his love for them. The way he lived was a gift to all who knew him. Now, even in his death, his life was still bringing his family bounteous gifts. 

 

It was sobering for me to realize just how much living a good life can affect others long after we are gone from this earthly existence. It caused me to make a resolve to live better, to give more of myself to those I love, and to be more useful to my fellowman. 

We rarely get the opportunity to truly witness how our actions affect those we love but those stacks of boxes were a very tangible evidence of the gift of a life well lived. 

A Hole, An Honor, and A Winner

QUESTION:
What do you get when two grown boys wrestle in the hall?
ANSWER:
A home-improvement project that suddenly gets a little closer to the top of the list! My sons couldn't believe that I was standing right there when the foot went through the wall, and that instead of getting mad I just smiled and shook my head. Perhaps it's because I already had plans to give this hall a makeover or perhaps it's because I have finally come to realize that a hole in the wall can be more easily repaired than an unhappy memory.

I am honored to announce that Joys of Home has been nominated for the JDR Annual Industry Blogger Awards in the Interior Design category. If you have a few seconds, I would be THRILLED if you would click over here to vote for this humble little blog. Thank you so, so very much!!!

I am excited to post the winner of the Cutting Edge Stencil giveaway. Random Generator picked:

Lynda said...

As I have said before, I love everything that you do! Thanks for sharing with us. There sure are a lot of beautiful wall stencils on Cutting Edge. I would like to pick the "Anna Damask" stencil for a wall in our new home and a dresser front that I would love to do. Thanks!

Congratulations Lynda! Please email me with your mailing info.

A Shelf Story

You've seen the shelves in our family room before but I don't think that I've told you their story. Several years ago I dragged my husband into a quaint little consignment shop. While I was there enjoying all of the furniture and home accessories, my hubby stood enamored with metal items piled into an old wooden crate. He was so excited with the contents, asking if I knew what they were. I was clueless as to their use so he explained to me and the shop owner that the vintage metal pieces all fit together into a shelving system. Once I understood what that old crate held I was enamored too! After a little dickering on the price we walked out of the store as happy, chippy shelf bracket owners.Sometimes it really pays to drag a husband into a quaint little shop!

Belated Greetings

Christmas is over

And New Year's is through.

I've neglected my blog

and several projects too.
But I've made some new goals
I'm determined to keep.Get back to blogging,finish projects. . .tackle the heap.I'm excited to host
some great giveaways too.
I hope you'll stay with meas I share my life with you.

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.

Bouncing Back

I'm back! Wow, it has been an event filled summer. I was blessed to witness the births of two beautiful granddaughters. They are happy, healthy and growing quickly as babies do. I have also said my earthly goodbyes to my mother-in-law and brother-in-law. As a family we have peace knowing that our loved ones who have passed are out of pain and in a much better place. We know that we will see them again and that they too are happy and growing.

Because it has been a "life and death" summer I have neglected my home and my blog. I am looking forward to fall (and praying that it will be less eventful).

I have several projects in the works and many more planned.I have appreciated your kindness, thoughtful comments,
and patience!
Thank You!

And now, a week late (so sorry!), the winner of the Vinyl Crafts giveaway is comment #26 Lacee, writer of the blog Mommas Like Me. Congratulations Lacee!

A Take Home With A Story

Last week I posted about our day at Lucketts.
Today I'll show you what we took home.
You already saw the beautiful mirror that my daughter purchased. It's new green paint looks fabulous in her living room.
She also got a few old bullseyes. We hung the set above her kitchen window to give it a little architectural interest.What did I take home?

I fell in love with these
two good-sized pieces of vintage architecture.
An old corbel and what I think is the base or the top to a column. The nice thing was that they both fit inside my carry-on bag.

The not-so-nice thing was that when my bag went through the x-ray machine I heard the TSA agent call for a "bag check."
Then another TSA agent picked up my bag and tested it for explosive matter.
She asked if she would be hurt by anything when she opened my bag.
I explained that it was just filled with a couple of old architectural pieces.
When she opened it she told me she had to call her supervisor.
The supervisor came over to examine my bag.
After I told the two about the wonderful store where I purchased the pieces they decided that I appeared to be a reasonably sane woman and I likely wouldn't be using the blocks of wood to knock anyone over the head in order to hi-jack the plane.

Don't you just love it when the items in your home can lead to
a great story?!?!Don't forget to enter the HouseHold Words Giveaway

Delayed by Delivery

Wow, it's been a while since I've blogged! But I have a perfectly wonderful excuse. My only daughter, who up until a couple of weeks ago looked like this, delivered a beautiful baby girl. I was thrilled to spend time many hours of "girl time" with the two of them (thanks to my sharing son-in-law). It was so hard to leave this gorgeous bundle of happiness. But my boys were at home and apparently I'm the only one who knows how to buy fruits and vegetables. They would still be eating hotdogs and bacon if I didn't return.
Now that I'm home and there are healthy snacks to be had, I'll be back to blogging and sharing some of the photos I took of our girl time.