I am a huge dork.
But, if you really know me, you already knew that.
I've been thinking a lot lately. A lot...about many things...but in particular about joy.
Trusty ol' Dictionary.com tells us....
"JOY-noun
1. the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation: She felt the joy of seeing her son's success.
2. a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated: Her prose style is a pure joy.
3. the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety.
4. a state of happiness or felicity."
Joy...delight...elation...felicity (ooh, like that one!).
"JOY-noun
1. the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation: She felt the joy of seeing her son's success.
2. a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated: Her prose style is a pure joy.
3. the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety.
4. a state of happiness or felicity."
Joy...delight...elation...felicity (ooh, like that one!).
Good stuff.
Try to follow my not-so-organized thought process...
So, I am really terrible at interior design. Really terrible. I am so not creative, and so do not have an eye for design/flair/fashion...and don't really have a consistent personal "style" (and that can be said for both my home and my personal clothing/style as well). I really admire my friends who DO have an eye for design, a strong "personal style", and just a fun "flair" about them.
One friend in particular, does an amazing job of putting her home together...and does a fabulous job of not spending a whole lot of money to do it, either. Whenever I go to her house...I think to myself, "now this place feels like a home." It is so warm, so inviting...so fabulous! She puts colors together well, places furniture in a comfortable way, and chooses fun things to hang on the walls and place on her mantle. She has an amazing personal flair and sense of style that is unique and inspiring. I look forward to going to her home, not just to visit, but to see what new exciting changes she has made to her already-adorable home. She inspires me.
Our house, on the other hand...well, I could do better :). Currently we live in a duplex that is fairly sizable...we have three bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs, and on the main level we have a powder room and a large "open" kitchen/dining/living room. We recently finished our basement, which consists of 2 storage closets, a "back room" with the furnace/etc., and a larger "theater" room/"man cave." So, it's not huge by any means...but it does give me lots of room to play around with decorating and style...and a lot of room to look, well, boring.
I'd have to describe our home's current state as a combination of dorm-room decor/utilitarian and something off of Hoarders: Buried Alive (ok, that may be a BIT of an exaggeration). We do have "things" hanging on the walls in all of the rooms (except for the basement bathroom and theater room/man cave). However, none of the "things" really "go together" or fit into any sort of "theme." It's all kind of...random... haphazard.
If I had to say something positive about our home decor...I'd say we did a fairly decent (not quite "good," though) job of staying within a color scheme that goes together fairly well. Our home is full of earth tones...deep reds, a variety of browns, silver/chrome (Jeremy spent what seemed like an eternity switching ALL of our door knobs and trim pieces to silver/chrome..aside from the powder room where the sink, doorknob, and towel hook are gold), and greens. I will say that I do enjoy these colors. Maybe they are boring. I don't know. But I do really like them...they make me feel good (again, remember, I did warn you that I am a huge nerd). I'd always wanted a RED room...and now I have TWO (our powder room and our office are both a lovely red).
I decided to try to grow up a bit this weekend and try my hand at incorporating some "adult" decorating schemes into our home. I picked up some glass vases in a variety of hues (mostly brown/green) and placed them in what I feel to be a "pleasing arrangement" on our fireplace mantle in the living room. I picked up a wrought iron easel on which to display our wedding photo album (the one that was professionally done...the one that cost an embarrassing amount of money...the one that has been sitting in its brown cardboard box under our coffee table in the living room for 99.9% of its existence). I also picked up an inexpensive wooden plaque that reads: "Start each day with a joyful heart"
And, thus, I adopted a new mantra.
One of the highlights? This little piece of "art" cost me just $2.99 plus tax. (Thank-you, Gordman's!)
I brought it home and placed it on the mantle, to the left at an angle.
I expected Jeremy to make fun of my efforts and the statement immediately (he thoroughly enjoys to tease me :)). He likes to poke fun at any displays of extra-girliness I portray...in a loving manner, naturally ;).
Much to my surprise, he didn't. He joined in the "decorating fun" and re-arranged the mantle (I will say...he actually does have a more artistic eye than I do (well, he WAS an art minor in college ;)). I daresay he was even a bit proud of himself for his efforts.
Now "Start each day with a joyful heart" is displayed prominently in the middle of the mantle.
I think it's cute (feel free to disagree if you visit ;))...and it appeals to my ever-expanding nerdy personality.
I think it's a great reminder to myself...start each day with a joyful heart.
I look at this message multiple times a day...as I am packing my husband's lunch in the morning, (what started as an expression of love...but I am ashamed to admit sometimes feels like just another chore), even though I am rushed and have to leave the house without drying my hair or applying makeup...again...be joyful.
As I walk in the house at 7pm after a long day at work because I have yet to discover ways of maintaining a good work-life balance...have joy.
When I return from an amazing run and am sitting on the floor, stretching under the ceiling fan...delight in life.
When I wake up late and need to rush around to get ready for work in 20 minutes in order to make it to my 7:30am appointment on time...breathe, and be elated by the promise of a new day.
I am sure it probably sounds strange...but it is helping me to internalize this joy, this often overlooked but amazing emotion.
Best $2.99 I've ever spent.
It's not much in the way of "decorating"/discovering a personal style for my home/making my home more inviting and "cute"....but it's a start :).
So, I am really terrible at interior design. Really terrible. I am so not creative, and so do not have an eye for design/flair/fashion...and don't really have a consistent personal "style" (and that can be said for both my home and my personal clothing/style as well). I really admire my friends who DO have an eye for design, a strong "personal style", and just a fun "flair" about them.
One friend in particular, does an amazing job of putting her home together...and does a fabulous job of not spending a whole lot of money to do it, either. Whenever I go to her house...I think to myself, "now this place feels like a home." It is so warm, so inviting...so fabulous! She puts colors together well, places furniture in a comfortable way, and chooses fun things to hang on the walls and place on her mantle. She has an amazing personal flair and sense of style that is unique and inspiring. I look forward to going to her home, not just to visit, but to see what new exciting changes she has made to her already-adorable home. She inspires me.
Our house, on the other hand...well, I could do better :). Currently we live in a duplex that is fairly sizable...we have three bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs, and on the main level we have a powder room and a large "open" kitchen/dining/living room. We recently finished our basement, which consists of 2 storage closets, a "back room" with the furnace/etc., and a larger "theater" room/"man cave." So, it's not huge by any means...but it does give me lots of room to play around with decorating and style...and a lot of room to look, well, boring.
I'd have to describe our home's current state as a combination of dorm-room decor/utilitarian and something off of Hoarders: Buried Alive (ok, that may be a BIT of an exaggeration). We do have "things" hanging on the walls in all of the rooms (except for the basement bathroom and theater room/man cave). However, none of the "things" really "go together" or fit into any sort of "theme." It's all kind of...random... haphazard.
If I had to say something positive about our home decor...I'd say we did a fairly decent (not quite "good," though) job of staying within a color scheme that goes together fairly well. Our home is full of earth tones...deep reds, a variety of browns, silver/chrome (Jeremy spent what seemed like an eternity switching ALL of our door knobs and trim pieces to silver/chrome..aside from the powder room where the sink, doorknob, and towel hook are gold), and greens. I will say that I do enjoy these colors. Maybe they are boring. I don't know. But I do really like them...they make me feel good (again, remember, I did warn you that I am a huge nerd). I'd always wanted a RED room...and now I have TWO (our powder room and our office are both a lovely red).
I decided to try to grow up a bit this weekend and try my hand at incorporating some "adult" decorating schemes into our home. I picked up some glass vases in a variety of hues (mostly brown/green) and placed them in what I feel to be a "pleasing arrangement" on our fireplace mantle in the living room. I picked up a wrought iron easel on which to display our wedding photo album (the one that was professionally done...the one that cost an embarrassing amount of money...the one that has been sitting in its brown cardboard box under our coffee table in the living room for 99.9% of its existence). I also picked up an inexpensive wooden plaque that reads: "Start each day with a joyful heart"
And, thus, I adopted a new mantra.
One of the highlights? This little piece of "art" cost me just $2.99 plus tax. (Thank-you, Gordman's!)
I brought it home and placed it on the mantle, to the left at an angle.
I expected Jeremy to make fun of my efforts and the statement immediately (he thoroughly enjoys to tease me :)). He likes to poke fun at any displays of extra-girliness I portray...in a loving manner, naturally ;).
Much to my surprise, he didn't. He joined in the "decorating fun" and re-arranged the mantle (I will say...he actually does have a more artistic eye than I do (well, he WAS an art minor in college ;)). I daresay he was even a bit proud of himself for his efforts.
Now "Start each day with a joyful heart" is displayed prominently in the middle of the mantle.
I think it's cute (feel free to disagree if you visit ;))...and it appeals to my ever-expanding nerdy personality.
I think it's a great reminder to myself...start each day with a joyful heart.
I look at this message multiple times a day...as I am packing my husband's lunch in the morning, (what started as an expression of love...but I am ashamed to admit sometimes feels like just another chore), even though I am rushed and have to leave the house without drying my hair or applying makeup...again...be joyful.
As I walk in the house at 7pm after a long day at work because I have yet to discover ways of maintaining a good work-life balance...have joy.
When I return from an amazing run and am sitting on the floor, stretching under the ceiling fan...delight in life.
When I wake up late and need to rush around to get ready for work in 20 minutes in order to make it to my 7:30am appointment on time...breathe, and be elated by the promise of a new day.
I am sure it probably sounds strange...but it is helping me to internalize this joy, this often overlooked but amazing emotion.
Best $2.99 I've ever spent.
It's not much in the way of "decorating"/discovering a personal style for my home/making my home more inviting and "cute"....but it's a start :).
Joy...delight...elation...felicity.....
Start each day with a joyful heart.
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