As Mary would say, "Bloom Where You're Planted."

There are some places in my home that make me feel good. My kitchen early in the morning. My bed...any time of the day! And this little space on the top of my dresser. I love everything here. The vase was used in our wedding. The hydrangeas were dried from my yard. The pictures are of me and my husband on our wedding day. The little wire dress form was picked up at the thrift store for a $1! The trumpeting angel was a gift from a dear friend that I haven't spoken to in years. The cyclops popsicle stick man was made by my son and I absolutely love it! The picture in the background was a gift from my mom. It's a beautiful watercolor and she framed it herself! I probably should have moved the candle glass with the smoked up edges for the photo...but when I took this picture I was just goofing around with my camera, figuring out lighting settings and such. It's one of those "keeping it real" things...!

Little spots like this make me feel good. Why shouldn't every spot in my home? These next few months I am going to work on changing some things around here. I have let things go over the years. We moved in 12 years ago...and the plan was to live here 2 years or so and move on. Well, life happens...and here we are. I am guilty of seeing this house as temporary all of these years...and treating it as such, too. So...nothing has really gotten done. I just never wanted to invest the money in our "temporary" home. Now, I wish I would have. Because obviously it's not temporary. We DID update the kitchen last summer...and I'm so glad that we did. I really am enjoying it. We've also fixed up the bathroom...partly out of necessity...partly because it was so dang ugly! We've done little things here and there...but we could have done more.

Over the next few months...as finances allow...I am going to do a few things around here:

• Install a picket fence in the backyard to enclose a larger garden space.
• Frequent the "oops" paint shelves in search of bargains to freshen up every room in our house.
• Have carpet professionally cleaned.
• Continue to clean closets and storage areas and selling at yard sales or donating.
• Build a chicken coop in my backyard to house at least 4 chickens for fresh eggs.
• Organize, organize, organize...and KEEP IT THAT WAY.
• Purchase mushroom kits and grow my own edible mushrooms.

I have decided to live life...regardless of where I am. I can't keep waiting for the ideal situation to do the things I want to do in life. If I keep waiting until "later"...life will have passed me by. And I'm just not willing to let that happen. Care to join me? Let's bloom where we're planted...shall we?