In these trying times I’m finding pleasure in the simplest things. I’m sharing five of them in today’s post.
Gardening
We have a postage stamp of a backyard but I’m so incredibly thankful for this little escape right now. Working in the yard, planting vegetables and herbs in our raised bed, even pulling weeds all while watching my girls play has been so enjoyable over the past month. In years past, life got so busy in the spring that I was never able to properly tend to things in my yard so this has been quite satisfying for me. Now I see why people say gardening is a stress-reliever! And it’s fun to have mint in my iced tea while I garden!
Bird Watching
I never thought I would write this, but we’ve had so much fun watching the birds come to our bird house just outside our breakfast nook. The JOY my girls get in seeing a new bird gives me such joy. They know so much more about birds because they take Nature Studies at school so they’ve loved teaching me a few things. The Bluejay is my favorite! It’s also hummingbird season and I think we are going to try to make these hummingbird feeders this weekend.
Working in the Kitchen
I’ve found much satisfaction in feeding my family this past month (as exhausting as it can be!). Making recipes I rarely have had time for before and freezing staples like biscuits, rolls and waffles has been messy but feels good to be more frugal and intentional with our food. (P.S. If you don’t have shortening you can use all butter for that biscuit recipe.)
The best part has been doing all this with my girls! Teaching my middle two how to cook basics is something I’ve been wanting to do. It’s also been a way to spend one-on-one time with each daughter. My oldest loves to bake so we’ve made cakes, cookies, and everything in between. This is the Royal Icing/Cookie Recipe we used for Easter cookies.
Listening to Music
Turning on Nancy Meyers’ Kitchen Spotify playlist and lighting my favorite candle while I cook in the late afternoon just puts me in a good mood. Add in my battery powered candles in my lanterns flickering indoors and out – and a glass of Rosé – and I feel like I am on vacation! I shared all of my favorite Spotify and Pandora stations in this post.
My Home
This is going to shock my husband because I often complain about our home, but over the past month I have learned to love our home even more. I am so thankful for even having a safe, secure home right now.
One of the modules in our Motherhood course in about making your home feel like a home. A small, two- bedroom apartment can be the most beautiful place in the world to your children if it feels like home. If love, grace, and truth are in that home. At the same time, a pristine new build can not feel like a home it if is void of those precious things.
Yes, we have our fair share short-tempers and meltdowns, but the love, grace and truth that fills our home overshadows those things. I never want to forget the sweetness that permeates our home right now. The homemade birthday party decorations made by sisters, older siblings singings to the younger ones, dance parties in the kitchen, and lots of reading aloud as a family (we are going back through The Chronicles of Narnia.)
So simple, but so much joy.
Sources:
Pima Cotton Dress c/o The Proper Peony in Our Play Clothes Post
Match strike from Lo Home
Bird Feeder from Wild Birds Unlimited
Everything else linked below.
Shop The Post
What do you think?