Simple Pleasures & a Winner

I'm attempting to take a vacation from work with my family this week.  My husband, Dave, teaches high school English and is off this week so we have a nice little break.  We're not actually going anywhere this week, so as I'm sure anyone who works from home knows, it's hard to take a vacation at home when your office is right there staring at you.  ;)

BUT...  we're making a list of things to do- and living right near DC we've got a lot to see & do- and I'm trying to focus on family time & enjoying the little things. 

{we have a lot of these in our grass right now...  not so pretty in the lawn but perfect when your 3-year old gives you a bouquet of them}

I loved reading through the comments on the Tracy Porter Giveaway post. 

For anyone who didn't see it, the comments were about simple pleasures in life and you can read them at the end of this post.  It's so interesting to see that so many of us share the same simple pleasures.  It must be in our DNA or something.  I thought it would be fun to list a few of them as reminders that every day we have the opportunity for happiness.  It's in our control and we can decide to be happy & enjoy something, even if only for a few minutes.  I think it's these little simple pleasures that day after day make us love our lives & appreciate them & the people around us:



~ A cup of coffee or tea & taking the time to really enjoy it ~

~Fresh breezes blowing through the house & sleeping with the windows open~

~ Time spent talking with your partner~

~ Reading a book~

~Adoring the things our kids say & do~

~Laughing~

{I love those long laugh-filled dinners...  in the pic above taken this past summer, my family is laughing at the painting of the woman I found & love at an antique market.  I call her "Dr.Lilondy" because she looks like my dad's doctor.  She's hanging in my foyer now across from the Da Vinci sketches.}

~Listening to the rain~

~MOJITOS!~

~Relaxing weekend mornings~

~A good meal~

~ Walks~

~Walking through your garden & appreciating the little changes ~

~Cooking with someone you love  & taking the time to make a great meal~

~Going out to eat~

{Image from womenscenter.missouri.edu}

~ A hot bath~

~ Enjoying the sunshine~

~A nap~

~Watching the sun rise~

~...And watching it set~

~Cuddling with little ones~

~Birds chirping~

~Watching your kids play & playing with them~

~Watching them sleep~

~And let's not forget our fur babies...  Watching our pets play & playing with them~

~ Design blogs!!~

~Exercising: biking, running, hiking, yoga, VOLLEYBALL ;) ;)~

~Flowers~

~ Carry-out~

~A new magazine~

~Sitting on the patio/ porch/ deck alone or with someone you love talking over the day~

~ Getting into a bed with crisp, clean fresh sheets~

{photo of our bedroom by Helen Norman}

~ The water: the ocean, a lake, a pond... it does something good to us~

{me hanging on the john boat with a friend on my dad's pond in high school}

~ Hearing your family laugh from another room~

~ Swings & hammocks~

~A great movie~

~wine~

~Being barefoot~

{image via feefeern.wordpress.com}

~Outdoor showers~

~Creating something, whether it's a craft, a drawing, a vignette... anything~

~Sitting by the fire~

~Music...  classical & relaxing or blasting in the car~

~Watching ducks & birds...  this cracked me up that mulitple people had some form of this in the comments but I so agree!!~

~Candles~

~Being the only one awake at dawn & spending a quiet moment alone~

~Laying in bed with our kids... reading, chatting, snuggling~

~Walking to get ice cream on a warm evening~


...And I thought this was one of the most romantic comments left by Bryan, Jen, Noah and Kiki too! :   "I absolutely love when my sweet hubby is able to call & Skype us from Afghanistan ... he has been deployed there for almost a year and everytime the computer sings that he's online, my heart flutters."

...And, finally, I think it's all about time with the people we love...

{My Geedaddy & my 3 year old, Christian}

I've loved writing this blog for the past 2 and a half years and "meeting" all of you.  Reading things like the comments above and getting little comments or emails makes me realize that there are so many of us out there who share the same loves, passions & appreciation for life & all it's got to offer us.  I know I'm getting super-cheesy, but it really is great to be connected to such amazing people.  Thank you for sharing.




If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Oh & the winner of the Tracy Porter Giveaway (chosen by  a random number generator) is Cindy Ellison of MARKET DECOR!! Congrats Cindy!!!  Thank you so much to Tracy for her generous giveaway!!!   If you didn't get the chance, check out Tracy Porter's blog and store; you'll love her.