Simple living, simple work

Be cheerful, for it is the only happy life. The times may be hard, but it will make them no easier to wear a gloomy and sad countenance.”

-The Royal Path of Life

The past few years, I set up a Fall/Thanksgiving tree.

It's not something I have always done, but since doing it the first year, I completely fell in love with the idea and I find that it's a good transition into Christmas.  This tree sits in the den, and our real Christmas tree will be bought and set up in the living room.

It seems that the minute I get the tree up, everyone is drawn to it and I find that the kids hang out more in there, not to mention Mister Marley.  This is his favorite spot, he sits like a person and just watched the outside of the house.  He is such a sweetheart!

I've been working around the house, moving things here and there and getting things ready for the home inspection.

Curt and I have been painting, touching up and just making sure that everything is up to par.  As I've mentioned here many times, being able to purchase this home and make it ours, would be a dream come true for us both.

The past couple of days have been so cold with some mornings in the 20's,  and really only a nice fire going, some long sleeves and comfy slippers, seems to make it better.

I live for these moments.

Condensation on the windows, dark mornings and pretty lights.

I was thinking about my life the other morning and the kind of person I am, or rather who I have become.  One thing is pretty clear, and that is, that it's taken me a long time to be completely content in who I am and how I live.

I used to think that I had to live like everyone else did, and if I liked something but it didn't fit into what others believed or thought was the cool thing, then I had to hide it, or pretend I wasn't interested, or even change it.  But as I did that, I realized that I wasn't living the life I wanted and at one point, I got so tired of having to justify myself or what I believed in, that I just stopped.

"Why would you want to live a simple life, why do you like doilies that is such an old people thing, why isn't your house decorated with the latest color scheme, why don't you want to live in the city, why do you want a farmhouse/country kind of look no one wants that."

Why?

Because I do, that's just who I am and what I like.  I am all about the simple things, simple life, simple house, simple daily chores.  Canning and crocheting, cups of coffee, washing dishes in the sink, flowers picked from the yard and brought in to display on mason jars.

“The secret of contentment is the realization that life is a gift, not a right.

Next to faith this is the highest art –

to be content with the calling in which God has placed you.”

– Martin Luther

I will be completely and fully honest right now, and tell you that aside from homemaking, being a wife and mother, I am totally winging everything else in life.  It's almost like I feel out of place constantly and wishing to be surrounded by like minded individuals.

I'll scroll through social media, or watch TV and it becomes glaringly obvious that I don't fit in and don't want to. 

It's such a strange thing to me, it's like missing something that you never had, like living in the wrong era.

And so I block out the outside world views and move on, dusting a window here, washing a curtain there, preparing a meal for the family or kneading some dough for a fresh loaf of bread.

The only one whose opinion really matters, is that of God's and I believe that this is my calling, the life He saw fit for me.  So I'll obey and continue on my path, living this simple life and doing this simple work.