House Tour...the first room

This post is mostly for my friend, Jewels, who claims she may never come for a visit but needs to see my house.   I love her for so many reasons and honesty is one of them : ).  So, Jewels, this "series" (look for tag housetour) is for you!  Lord willing I am going to take you room by room through my house each week.   I'm over trying to have it "done" for these posts and will just try to have the pics be "as is" if you were to hop on a plane right now : ). (Ok looking back I probably would've fluffed the pillows and moved the piano music stash next to the couch). Xoxo

So this first room is the living room...aka the cleanest room in my house because no one is ever in it.   So naturally I thought I'd start here (and its the first thing you see when you walk in the door).   The commentary is exactly what I'd say as if you were here too!  You know me and my disclaimers : ).  (Btw I spared you  the rundown of where I acquired each piece and how much it was. ie the green chair in the corner was free from our neighbors who were "downsizing" into the house next door).  Almost everything else is unchanged from our house in Maplewood.   

Wish me luck on feverishly tidying up the other areas!   (Want to make you feel at home!) 

#thankful2014

So lately I've been feeling the winter/I'm stuck at home with an infant blahs.   Not as bad as I've had before but I felt them rearing their ugly head.   That feeling of being unsettled, discontent, wanting more.    All feelings that if I did a hard stop, I would realize, aren't worth it.  Each child reminds me that sacrificing of self for others is hard!

  I read a book last year called "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp and it takes you through the journey of how giving thanks each day really changed her outlook on life.   Now I don't think there's a magic pill, or set of rules that we can follow to live the ultimate life (at least this side of heaven).   There are going to be hard days and hard seasons that are just...hard.   But, I do think there is something to be said for not dwelling on those hard things.   Is it possible that if we were to just look around we could see all that we have and things just wouldn't seem so... Hard?   

Ann voskamp says " Live like life’s an emergency and your soul ends up dead. Life is not an emergency. It’s a gift. Why race past the gift? What else are you trying to get to — the presence of God is in this present moment.

Slow and see and unwrap the gift of your life — or your life will unravel."

So I've decided to take her up on her "joy dare".   I hope that "at the end of a year, over crumpled pages counting One Thousand Gifts — I can choke it back, brave and defiant straight into the wind, because my very cells know now forcertain who God is… and I know for certain who I am: God is unwaveringly good — and we are unfathomably loved".   

Some things to keep in mind:  "And don’t confuse the idea of personal pride with radical gratitude. You aren’t actually thankful for something if you think you actually earned it. That’s pride, not gratitude.You are only actually grateful for something if you see it as actually a gift -– as anunearned gift that was bestowed unexpectedly upon you."  -Ann Voskamp

I will be sharing my gifts on Instagram not only because I hope they encourage others, but also to keep some sort of a log that I can then print at the end of the year.   Also pictures are easy : ) Right now my posts are private, but if you want to follow send a request to leahwarren via Instagram. #thankful2014