making my house a home

Ashley from After Nine to Five and i are hosting the Living the Right Life series to share how we are making changes in our lives to bring true happiness and joy. we also are opening it up to all of you to link up your own thoughts and feelings of how you are living the right life for you!

around this time last year is when i really started to lose it.
it had been a hard year full of disappointments and setbacks, i was tired from going to school and caring for a baby {and not having a break!}, and i was just incredibly emotionally drained.
although i had lots of blessing in front of me, i couldn’t see them.
and although i knew i could choose happiness, i let it all overwhelm me instead.

so something i have really tried to work on this last year {okay really last few months} is finding the beauty wherever we are and realizing that i have the power to make things better.
just so you know, i really suck at remembering this lesson. but it’s still an important one nonetheless and i hope this post will help me stay accountable more.

Source: etsy.com via Megan on Pinterest

one of my biggest frustrations i have had is feeling stuck in our tiny apartment with a very active 2-year-old [next month]. this was one of the first things i talked about to my therapist.
he used the word TRAPPED. 
and i’m pretty sure that sums it all up well.

some days, it feels like the walls are closing in around me & there’s no where to go.
Eli’s crib is literally in a corner because we don’t have space for a cutesy nursery/playroom and need his room for storage. we have to keep the back doors closed at all times because there’s too many things he can get into confining him to a 15’x12’ space to play [or actually smaller cause of our furniture]. his toys are piled in a corner of our living room half hidden behind a chair to give some kind of semblance of order.

it’s not a cute, matchy place with new furniture & brightly painted walls and shelves filled with Target/Anthropologie/insert-the-typical-blogger-store-here knick knacks.
it’s definitely cozy but can be a little too cozy when your kid is all over the place!
[anyone with a toddler that lives in an apartment can probably understand… hopefully]

for a while, all i could think about was how sucky this situation was. i was sick and tired of it all and i just wanted a fresh start, maybe another bedroom, and storage!!
of course, once we plan something and get our hearts set on it, the Lord humbles us and reminds us that He has a different idea of what we should be doing.

a few months ago, i was talking to my friend and telling her all my concerns and frustrations with my space
[fyi: her apartment is SO amazingly cute and organized!]
she helped me see that no matter our circumstances, we can make our homes {and lives} beautiful if we choose to put forth some effort.
even small changes can make a big difference.

feeling empowered by her advice and seeing that she implemented that herself in her life {hence the adorable apartment}, i decided to get to work and make my place something that i loved!

i started developing my talents and finding things that i am really passionate about.
i started making cheap decorations, adding color to the walls to brighten up the space.
i hung shelves and pictures in our rooms.
i started cooking and baking more.
i rearranged bookshelves/cabinets/shelves that seemed cluttered and simplified.
i painted my toenails and bought new lotion.
i listened {and danced} to music.
i sang in the shower.
i opened the windows to let in the beautiful spring air.
i started going outside more [now that’s it’s warmer!]
i found joy in caring for my little family [instead of feeling suffocated by them]

all these things sound very simple and honestly probably very silly.
obviously painting my toenails doesn’t change the fact that Elijah still sleeps in the corner and our closets are stuffed with bins.
but it makes me feel good.
and when i feel good, i have a better attitude about it all.

and that’s what really matters. attitude.
when i made the efforts to change my attitude it made a world of difference of how i see my life.

my life is good.
my life is beautiful.
and i’m okay.

Source: shelbymae.blogspot.com via Megan on Pinterest

 

i shared this post as a guest post on Living in Yellow recently. i liked it so much that i wanted to share it as part of the Living the Right Life series. {sometimes i feel like i write way better guest posts than personal blog posts, ha} but honestly this is something that has been weighing on my mind a lot lately so i wanted to share it again. hopefully you’re not getting too sick of this message!