9 Ways to Create a Home of Joy

You know that feeling when you walk into a clean and organized home?  For me, it’s almost as if a hush comes over everything and I just want to stop and stare.  I actually get a feeling of joy and happiness that starts in my chest and spreads outwards.  It is a true sense of peace and tranquility.  Because my surroundings are so wonderfully neat and tidy, my perfectionist tendencies are at bay because not one thing is out-of-order or begging to be changed.  I can almost hear the harps…

And, then, I wake up.  That is my dream.  Certainly not always my reality…

But, every so often, when the moon is in just the right phase and all the planets are aligned… if I’m really lucky, I can get ONE room in our home to give me that feeling. Unfortunately, everything doesn’t always come together to make that possible.  It’s way more rare than it is common.  But, it’s a good goal to have, regardless.

So, in order to bring more joy into our home on a more regular basis, I started looking around and thinking about what is truly needed to create a Home of Joy.  Along the way, I discovered there is a lot more to joy than just looks.  (Pretty sure there’s another lesson wrapped up in there somewhere…)

But, for now, here’s a quick list of what I came up with this time around…

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6 Steps for Finding Joy in Back-to-School Shopping

back-to-school

Yep!  It’s that time again.  I couldn’t believe it when I heard the first commercial advertising a back-to-school sale.  It didn’t seem possible.  Didn’t the kids just get out of school? I have no idea how this summer flew by!

The school supply list arrived just a few days after I heard the commercial, so it confirmed that our lazy (ha!) summer days were numbered…

I don’t know about you, but even the thought of back-to-school shopping tends to send shivers up my spine.  It can be a rather stressful experience.  The stores are always chaotic and crowded, and half the time, we leave the checkout without something on the list.  Regardless of if it was forgotten or the store was sold out, it means the same thing – ANOTHER TRIP.  Not really a cause for celebration or one that brings immense joy…

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