Keep Bloomin'

My sister sent me this little sentiment and it was too sweet (and true) not to make purdy and share:

Have a great day!

Lucky Subway Art Download

I almost forgot to share this download today. That would have not been so lucky! Here you go...

Just click on on this link {Lucky Subway Art}. You'll print it and cut around the gray line. It'll fit perfectly in an 8x10 frame:

Just a little St. Patrick's Day fun for you!

Kiss Me: I'm Irish (or at least my first name is :-)! Happy St. Patty's Day to you!

My Favorite Room

Well, it's not really a room. It's more of a hallway. Or a back entry way. Just a passthrough, really. But in our house we lovingly refer to it as the mudroom. Yes! I now have a mudroom (kindasorta), and it's my favorite "room" of the house.

{It's so small, I can't even get a complete photo!}

You might think that I'm being overly dramatic if I were to say that this space has changed my life, but it's changed my life. There's a place to drop our keys... We shed backpacks and jackets right there before they can escape into the rest of the house. No shoes are ever left in the middle of the floor anymore (Okay, so we're still working on this one)... Hats, scarves and gloves have a drawer of their own... And I have two (2!) drawers designated for all the extra stuff I've never had a proper place for (gum, change, random screws and nails I find, nail clippers, etc).

It's a mere 4' x 5'. That twenty square feet added to my home has seriously made my everyday life around this home so much simpler. So, yes, a few designated hooks and cubbies in their own little space has turned into my favorite room of the house.

Mommy Stress

I've discovered a love for podcasts as of late. It feels like purposeful radio listening (kind of like what the invention of the DVR did for my tv watching). I can tune into something of interest instead of switching channels on the radio or thumbs-downing Pandora. Don't get me wrong... my in-the-closet-country-music-loving self will happily to tune into (and sing along to) some of my fave stations, but I've just recently found a huge amount of value in the podcast.

One of my favorites is the Focus on the Family Broadcast. This is where I heard Lysa Terkeurst talking on "Mommy Stress" say this:

"70% of mothers will admit to having struggles with the complicated role of motherhood, and I'm convinced the other 30% aren't telling the truth."

Amen to that, sister! She has lots of encouraging words for moms. I know I found encouragement from listening to her during a stressful string of days (and days) recently.

Next time you see a fellow mom with that look on her face, pass on a kind word or even a squeeze. And if that frazzled mom is you, feel comfort that the rest of us are right there with you. No need to try to hide it for appearance's sake. We're in this journey together!