Living in Eclectic Calm

Hey everyone!  I hope all of you who were affected in any way by "Snowzilla 2016" are safe and warm and maybe starting to dig your way out.  We watched with surprised shock as the snow just kept falling.  Our son and family live in the very northeast corner of VA and got hit pretty hard.  They didn't lose power, thankfully, and were able to look for the fun in it....a 5 & 7 year old make it difficult to do anything else!  I'll take our hot summers any day, over all that snow, and I will try not to complain about it....key word "try!"

Do you ever feel that your mind is in a race with your body, and your body is losing?  That happens to me a lot, and even more so now while my body is in healing-mode.  I make a lot of lists of ideas to appease and calm my mind, and some of those things come to fruition but many don't.  I try to keep our surroundings simple and inviting.  Once the holidays are over, it's always nice to just decompress.

Do you have a favorite cozy spot?  A place where it doesn't matter how often or seldom you actually use it, just looking at it makes you feel calm?  I try very hard to live in the "present," and not dwell on the past...it's gone, or worry about the future....it's not here yet.  It's nice to simply be calm and have your surroundings reflect that calmness.

Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the latest trends and the next holiday or event....always reaching for the "brass ring," so we can be like everyone else.  I've learned a lot about myself over the last six months.  I've gotten quite comfortable with who I am and how I do things.  

Don't get me wrong.....just because I don't jump on every trend, doesn't mean I can't shake things up a bit with a splash of color here and there, and I love trying new crafts and such!  You should look at my Pinterest boards! 

Do you have a decorating style?  I don't know for sure, but I think we are all suppose to have one....it's one of those "trendy" things people talk about.   Have you ever taken one of those quizzes that are supposed to tell you what your decorating style is?  I have taken several of those from different sources, and my style always comes out "Eclectic."  Why oh why couldn't it be something like Classic Southern or Country French?  Eclectic.....really?

Actually, I'm quite okay with having Eclectic Style, but there was a time when being "eclectic" just sounded like "hodgepodge" to me.  Maybe that was because early on in our marriage, we had lots of hand-me-downs and some plain old cast-offs.  It's so funny that now, everyone is clamoring for those "olden" things!  

Back in my early "eclectic" days, as a young wife and mother, all I really cared about was that my babies (and hubby, too) were loved, fed & clean, and that our home was clean and comfortable.  I didn't have the skills to actually decorate a room, and I certainly didn't have the money.

As our family matured, so did my confidence and skills to decorate our home.  Our expendable income increased a bit and we were able to swap out most of our hand-me-downs for things that we truly liked.  I still never felt the need for everything to be overly coordinated or too matchy-matchy....less hodgepodge, more eclectic, I guess!

Today I've really come to terms with my decorating style.  I cherish some olden things we've inherited from loved ones who are no longer with us.  Most are not antiques or worth all that much, but they hold memories.  

I have no problem mixing the old and the new and maybe even throwing in something trendy once- in-awhile.   

The most important thing for me, is that our home always reflects the love that grows within its walls.

Thank you so much for stopping by today.  I'm trying out a bit of a different writing format and hope you enjoy it.  Just thought it would be fun to try something new for 2016.  Now I'm off to watch the big playoff game.  Come on Cardinals...put your bun warmers on and play it like you mean it!

 I often party with these lovely bloggers:

Monday

Cindy at Dwellings--The Heart of Your Home for Amaze Me Monday
Maria Elena at Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays at Our Home

Tuesday

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life  for Inspire Me Tuesday

Wednesday

Suzy at Worthing Court for The Scoop

Thursday

Pamela at From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday

Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace at Home