Where Do You Get Inspiration?

This morning a friend said she liked my blog and that I should write more.  hmmmmmm

I thought of responding with I don't really have any inspiration lately but..... I remembered a magnet on my refrigerator that says..

She who refreshes others will herself be refreshed...

So, I started to think about that..Is that why it has been so hard lately to write a blog?  I needed to give away what I needed in order to get it..

It has been a very long dry spell..maybe even writer's block.  But, this morning, I am picking myself up, brushing myself off and giving away what I am so desperately in need of...writing inspiration..

and a few pictures of my family room.  As you can see, I was decorating bohemian style before boho was cool.  More on that at a later time..

No staging here..  This is how we live every day.  I do not have the desire nor the energy to make everything perfect and then photograph it and blog about it.  No..  What you see is what you get.  Any day of the week.  If you stop by my house, this is what you get....us..and real life...

I hope you gather a bit of inspiration from your visit to Hidden Art of Homemaking.
I would love to have a comment from you about this.  As you can see, I am reaching out to you with a bit of inspiration in hopes of gathering some back.....Are you in need of some inspiration too?

Much love,

Mona

Do Not Despise Small Beginnings

It has been five years today......

On March 12, 2010, I wrote these words....

"This is my first attempt at blogging. Since I love homemaking and I have been doing it for more than 35 years, I want to share my experiences with women(and men)that are aspiring to make their home all that it can possibly be. I am a wife, mother, grandmother, gardener, seamstress, cook,thrift store shopper.. I love all that is involved in making a home a good place to be ..and a place that the family wants to be. a safe haven...Maybe there will be some of you that are interested in joining me on this journey as I learn how to blog.. :-) we will see..I know it is something that I will enjoy even if it only for me and my family...."

I had no idea of the path this blogging would take me on.  I have learned photography and have taken thousands of pictures...Yes, thousands...  I am on my 3rd camera since that small beginning..  I can remember so well the first time I tried to add pictures to my blog..Oh my goodness alive y'all....
I never got them in the post and almost gave up trying but quitter is not in my DNA so I persevered..

I was truly like this stack of bricks when I posted my first blog post..  a whole lot of potential but nothing really identifiable..Is that a word?

I learned to set a table thanks to several very encouraging ladies..namely Diane at Confessions of the Obsessed..  She is a treasure trove of unlimited knowledge about all things for a tablescape..and beyond..  She can identify anything I ask her..a hidden jewel for sure...just ask her and see..

She helped me identify the Dansk Kobenstyle baking pan from this picture..  I now have an entire collection of this vintage cookware and had never even heard of it before..  Thank you Diane....

And there is Kathleen with her blog crawls and Alma with her blog crawls..  I could go on and on but these two helped me to meet many women and forced me to be creative and learn to set a table beautifully and to take photographs so I could join in these parties...

I told a lot of my stories in the first years and then kinda ran out of steam..  I wasn't sure anybody wanted to hear them anymore.  And it took a lot of time and emotion to write those posts...

Yes..... I even wrote about my divorce... and a lot of you read it....

A lot has happened in the 5 years since I began this journey..  I am not in any way ready to throw in the towel.  It is an outlet I enjoy..  A world I like being a part of..  I appreciate all of you and have been thrilled at each and every comment I have ever received..well, not so thrilled at the few negative ones..

So, Happy Blogiversary to me.  the journey truly does start with the first step..

Love,

Mona

Friday Flowers #4

Recently we visited this gorgeous field of flowers in the mountains.  We have been there before and I wrote about it here .

These flowers never cease to amaze me..dahlias, zinnias, hydrangeas..  and the weeds.  Yes, I said weeds....

 When I was editing the new pictures, I realized how many weeds were showing up in this field of flowers..At first, I was going to delete all the pictures that showed weeds but that would be almost ALL of them...  So, I started to ponder..Even in our beautiful and happy lives we have some weeds..
All of us do...  Most of the bloggers out there delete any and all of our pictures that might show anything less than perfection...  Well, I am not one of those bloggers..  You just might   will always get some weeds in my blogging...

The beauty of the flowers far out weigh any distraction of the weeds.. See, you are now looking for the weeds.  LOL  don't do that!  Focus on the beauty of the mountains and the flowers..

The test of the weeds is this...  DO NOT focus on what is bad...focus on what is good....
the silver lining thing...  You know..there is always something positive that you can find.  I am not saying deny the truth but I am saying don't let the negative take over your perspective...

I think we all NEED to leave the weeds in our pictures so that others can see them too..and know that we are not perfect.  Just beautiful in our own being...that whole REAL LIFE perspective..

Well, that turned a real negative into a positive.  I am positive that these flowers are absolutely stunning....

 Thank you for stopping by.

Love,

Mona

A Different Light

Have you ever thought of the saying 'seeing things in a different light'?  The more I learn about photography, the more I learn that it has a lot to do with the light.  There are so many settings to adjust to the light and so many different ways to catch the light of the times of day...It has so much to do with how we see the light too... I was finishing up the supper dishes when I saw this light on our grass.....I HAD to capture it.  or try to anyway.....

Here are a few minutes of the light as I saw it...all from the same spot over about 2 minutes...

Are there some things in our lives that we need to see in a different light?  to listen to someone's input?  to change our long madeup minds?  to examine a little closer? 

I know that as I get older, sometimes it is easier to listen to what others  have to say even when I have made up my mind about a matter....

I believe it is wisdom to learn to listen.  and be willing to be wrong about something that we are just certain we are right about..just a little food for thought today.

I have been trying to decide on the BEST smartphone to buy to replace mine and had made up my mind...but, because I listened to my son, I did a little research and changed my mind.....
I think there are lots of life issues where we need to open up a little bit (humble ourselves....ouch) and LISTEN!

Light surely changes things quickly.......so, let some light in today....

Are you ready for shedding some new light in your life??

thanks for stopping by today...

Love, 

Mona

Partying at Marty's

Inspire Me Tuesday

Green Is My Color

I have been thinking about the color green all morning while I picked my garden..  It is my favorite color and I think it is beautiful...

But, you know when it is NOT beautiful?  when it is associated with 'green with envy'...or with jealousy...that is the down side of the color green.

And why?? am I thinking about all of that this morning??  I am going to tell you in just a short(I hope) post...so if you don't have time for any of this, just come back tomorrow when I will have a lovely tablescape to look at and nothing too philosophical...but if you have time, hang on....it's good...

This morning I was having a conversation with 3 friends that I have known most of my life..we talk frequently and I love them dearly..it was just some chit chat..nothing too deep....BUT...I mentioned how I met my husband and the replies I got were astounding to me....they were GENUINELY happy for me...and for the life I now have..and there was not an ounce of JEALOUSY anywhere in their words to me....it felt clean..and joyful..and uplifting..and filled with genuine and real love for me...WOW!!!  just WOW!!

I tell you it got me thinking about how wicked and awful jealousy and envy are.  There is just no room for jealousy in a Christian's life....NONE!   There is no reason to justify feeling it or try to blame another for it.  It is just plain out wrong....and we need to just stop being jealous...and rejoice with others when something good happens to them..I suppose that the only way out of the prison of jealousy is to just make a decision to rejoice over that person rather than be jealous of them.....

I had someone tell me recently that they had jealousy issues like it was a badge of honor they wear..There did not seem to be the desire to get rid of the jealousy..to make a different decision....

It was the wholesomeness of these unjealous friends that caused me to realize just how absolutely nasty it is to be around someone who is jealous and envious.

I read this verse this morning..

Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers..

I propose to you that jealousy comes from our souls and if we allow it to stay there, maybe it  effects our overall health and wellbeing...just some food for thought......

Put down your jealousy and envy...don't try to justify it,,,just plain out and simply make a decision to rejoice with good things for others..and see what happens in your life if you do this from your heart...
I know this is where I am today.  I want people that I encounter to walk away from me saying, I am glad I came in contact with her today..She lifted me up...How about you?  don't be a person that teaches by your actions what not to do....

I think that is all I need to write....thank you for staying til the end...

Love, Mona

Mushroom Beauty

With all of the rain we have had this summer, there is a new type of plant growing in our yard....mushrooms...
Lots and lots of mushrooms....I guess they have just been lying underneath the ground dormant for years..I don't know very much about them except they are pretty....

These pictures were all taken at the end of the day when the sun starts to act just right for photography....some call it the golden hour......It gives the earth a rich and beautiful depth to the colors.....Once again, I am calling attention to a detail that we can easily find if we just look for it.....golden light on brown, tan, and white mushrooms...The colors are worthy of being a pallette for an entire room...or tablescape.  wink, wink..Diane and Alycia...there are your browns.....



Next, a few photos taken in early morning when I first went outside and the camera lens fogged up...interesting to me...hope you like it too.....

Have you ever thought about getting your color inspiration from nature?  All of the colors of paint in my house..inside and outside were taken from nature..with green and gray being the strong influences....It's another whole blog about the gorgeous grays in a stormy sky... But for today, it's the browns of mushrooms and mulch. not the store bought mulch, but the natural kind....real bark..Find the color schemes in nature around you and DREAM......in color....

Thank you for stopping by..I hope to see you again soon..

Mona

Here's where I am linking up  The Clever Chicks Blog Hop    

                                           Metamorphosis Monday

Come on over and see what's being talked about....there is lots of inspiration there..