Another Sneak Peek, 8.5.18

Another sneak peek at our house:

Please excuse the crappy, iphone photos. I did my best on these first few photos to show the finished lower level (which isn't used much except for toys, but is pretty spacious- half bath, family room and bedroom). There are only a couple of windows on this side, which makes for a dark space. But... that makes it super cozy and great for slumber parties with my grandkids (they love sleeping down there!).

Yes, all of our beds are on the floor.  When you have a small dog with a previously torn ACL and small grandkids, you sometimes choose to just go with beds on the floor! (Headboards, footboards, frames, etc. are in storage and will be for sale soon, stay tuned!) 

Photos upstairs are a little better, since there is a lot of light. (But still, I'm no photographer and no decorator, obviously!) So, here are the three bedrooms, upstairs.

          

And the living room, which, as you can see, gets great light in the morning.

And the recently painted and stained deck.

Call us if you're interested in this cute little house on a hill (with a "seasonal" lake view across the street!). It will be listed this week!

~ Juli

Thank you progress, 8.4.2018

More Thank You notes going out today!

Since talking about it with my daughter the other night, I've been thinking about how odd it may seem to be randomly sending thank you notes to people who have inspired me.  But if you know me well, you know that saying what I think/feel with my voice is not an area of strength for me. (My yoga buddy and I believe it's because we are products of the 60's!) And so, I write. It is how I collect, gather and organize my thoughts about what I think, feel, believe, etc., into some sort of cohesive, coherent statement.

I occasionally sit in on a philosophy group on Wednesday afternoons, where we all share how the Yamas and Niyamas of yoga relate to our lives. It has become easier for me to share (with my voice) with this particular group of people, because we all share with each other. Wednesday night's meeting was particularly emotional for almost everyone there. I realized, at the end of the session, that everyone there had somehow stated, within their story, how grateful they were to have that safe space to freely share.

Writing is that for me- a safe space, where I can freely share. And so, I write. Thank you notes, letters, blog posts, Instagram posts, etc. I have been criticized for sharing too much, but I have also been thanked for sharing so much. And that is the point, to me. I don't share unless I'm at a place with the particular story where I think it will be helpful or useful to someone else. So, not only does it provide comfort to me, I am hoping, the whole time I'm writing, that it may be a comfort to someone else.

One lesson that I have learned over the years, though- if you are emotional about something you've written, wait to press "publish" or "send" or before dropping it in the mailbox or in someone's lap. Definitely sleep on it. Or run it by a few people first. I have recently started to run my written word by my husband and/or kids before sending and I can honestly say, they have saved me from myself many times!

But, with thank you notes, I think I'm safe in not thinking it to death before sending. Because there is no way to misconstrue "Thank You" or "I love you". And if it is, it's not about me.

 So, I write!  And I will continue to write. Have a great weekend!

Be Still. Be Strong and Be Happy!   ~ Juli