Thursday, April 11, 2013

Around Here


After a very busy weekend away, it was nice to return home on Sunday afternoon. Fortunately, we had taken some time to tidy up before we left. Nothing worse than coming home to a giant mess.


Shortly before we left on Friday, I had received an exciting package. A little while ago, I won a big giveaway over at The Closet Intellectual. One of my prizes was Tabetha's beautiful handmade fox pillow. Because she is such a darling, wonderful person, Taby also sent me not one, not two, not three, but four owl pillows.


I adore owls and I will cherish this sweet, handmade family of four. My daughter has tried to claim one or two, but I have told her that, while each one represents one member of our family, they are to stay together for now. Check out Tabetha's original contest post to see the other great prizes I won. I don't believe in saying, "I never win anything." I have won plenty of things just by trying and believing it can happen. Change your attitude and see what happens. That being said, I don't buy lottery tickets...but maybe I should.


One area that I didn't manage to fully clean before we left was my mess-magnet kitchen counter. I bragged about getting it cleaned up in this post not so very long ago. Unfortunately, clearing it off just makes it more attractive to family members looking for a spot to dump random stuff. That includes me. That's my notebook on the right.


Of course, when you return from a weekend away, there's always laundry to be done, and a mishmash of items to be put away, like my daughter's entertainment paraphernalia and the booze we didn't end up drinking.


Monday saw the other three off to school/work and me enjoying a quiet cup of tea before starting my own writing work.


Jolene took some time to chill after her busy weekend climbing those mountain steps.


I am trying to get back into reading "Simple Abundance" daily. I have been reading it for years, but I am inconsistent with it. To help me along, I have one copy upstairs, one copy downstairs and one at my parents' house. If you don't have a copy, you should really pick one up. Look for it a secondhand stores and library book sales.

Today, declare to the Universe that you are open to receiving all the abundance it's waiting patiently to bestow. Each day offers us the gift of being a special occasion if we can simply learn that as well as giving, it is blessed to receive with grace and a grateful heart.
"Simple Abundance" April 9th entry


26 comments:

  1. I neglected to properly clean up before our little road trip and came home to a mess. Whoops... The washing machine and dryer are on as we speak, three loads done and another two to go...

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    1. Most of the time I don't quite get it all done before we leave on a trip either!

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  2. Love the Fox Pillow ♡ :)

    Have a wonderful Day!!! xoxo

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  3. I love posts like this - I always love getting a sneaky peek into someone's home!

    Louise
    www.marvellousmissm.com

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  4. Yay!! They all made it in one piece-- & I thought those colors would match your sofa pillows, so double yay! So glad you like them!

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    1. Yes, they arrived safely in their giant box. ;) How kind of you to remember my sofa pillows and match them up. I love the hit of red with the fox too! I love them all. :)

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  5. The fox pillow is so cute - what a haul!!!

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  6. What does it say about me that I immediately noticed the Bacardi?? LOL

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    1. I guess you're ready to party! I like that. :)

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  7. You are so VERY lucky to receive your foxy pillow and the bonus four owls!! What a generous giveaway :) The little family all looks adorable together (love their giant eyes). Enjoy the remainder of the week Jo! Wendy

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    1. I am lucky indeed Wendy. I enjoy seeing them whenever I come into the family room. :) Have a wonderful weekend. :)

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  8. Love the cushions - really cute and cosy.

    And, your kitchen counter really doesn't look that messy to me.

    Kate x
    Kate at Home

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    1. Thanks Kate.

      The counter is not at its worse right now, for sure, but the mess is building. ;)

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  9. The owl pillows are so sweet; what a wonderful gift! And Jolene is a cutie.

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    1. Thanks Heather! Jolene certainly is cute, thank goodness, because sometimes she drives us nuts. ;)

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  10. Hah I love the photo of your pup at the end :-)

    YOu have some really beautiful art in your living room - What's the stories behind the paintings?

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    1. Jolene loves any cushy things, like blankets and pillows. I'm afraid she just got a little bit of blanket that time. ;)

      I'm glad you like the artwork. We bought frames first and then needed to fill them. ;) So, the middle piece of art I got on Etsy. You can't see it in that picture, but we have another piece from the same Etsy artist (whose name I forget at the moment) above those three. The two pieces to the right and left are pulled from a Botero book. We saw Botero sculptures when we were in Italy for our honeymoon years ago, so they remind us of that. We also framed a picture from a calendar of John Lennon's works (which is also above the ones shown). We have some original art in our house, but we supplement with whatever we like...prints, thrift store pieces, our kids' art, my husband's art, etc. (Nothing from me I'm afraid ;)

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  11. Love your collection of pillows, they look so cute all lined up! I'm such a messy person, but luckily I'm married to the king of kitchen tidiness. He loves cleaning that counter and pretty much reorganizes it nightly :)

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    1. I'm afraid I'm always picking up pillows when the kids toss them on the floor. How lucky you are to have a "tidy king." I wish someone else would organize my kitchen counters every night. As I type, they are all covered with dirty dishes, plastic bags and all kinds of other crap. :)

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  12. My mom has had Simple Abundance since I was small, so that was a throwback to see it here! Love your new little pillows- so cute. And oh boy, my piles could eat your piles for dinner.

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    1. Gosh now I feel old Ruthie. ;) I wasn't small when that book came out. Seriously though, it has some great nuggets of wisdom. Get it from your mom. :)

      I love the pillows too!

      You are funny. :) But my piles are growing. I hope your piles are hungry. Jo

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  13. I think I have Simple Abundance somewhere in the house. Those pillows are great!!! (Lucky!)
    Even a little bit messy your home still manages to look beautiful.

    Jolene- lol!

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    1. There must be so many copies of that book in print. I see it everywhere.

      Yes, the pillows are awesome. :)

      Thanks (about the house). I need to try to look past the mess sometimes, but I can't help it, it irritates me! :)

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