The Wilson's Lemonade Stand

"When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. I have several stands around here." -James Brady

Hahahaha. . I love that quote. On Facebook the other day someone posted, "If life gives you lemons and expects you to make lemonade. . . why doesn't life give you sugar and water too?" I have to agree!

Joking aside, lemonade is a simple "Joy of June" that you just cannot pass up. On this journey to simple abundance we have to learn over and over again to enjoy life's simple pleasures and lemonade in June is high on my list. It just simply tastes like summer to have a large, ice-cold glass of lemonade.

I want to share with you a little Simple Joy tip that we do in our house. . .we have a lemonade stand. We always have a large container of lemonade made ready for thirsty little boys, friends, and back-door neighbors. I usually prepare it when I see that we only have a serving or two left. Now, it has to be simple for it to fit my life and bring me joy so I use Crystal Light (Country Time is great, but my mom is diabetic and doesn't need the sugar). To add variety I sometimes cut up a couple of limes and mix in the lemonade or add 1/2 cup (thawed & mashed) frozen raspberries. . .yyyuuuuummmoooo! I keep small paper cups beside our "stand" so the boys can serve themselves. . .an added plus in my book.

So bring a little June Joy into your home and set up your own lemonade stand. . . .then simply enjoy!!!

I love this old fashioned lemonade dispenser. . .check it out!

My Sanctuary!

"If I were a psychiatrist, I think I would like to inspect my patients' bathrooms before investigating any other area of their lives." -Mark Hampton

I have a little "joke" about my bathroom. I refer to it as my sanctuary. I am a wife, a mother of three boys and two dogs, a writer, a full time college student, a substitute teacher, and a new Mark representative. . .the bathroom is the only place I can go to actually pray. Don't think "uuuggghhh". . .the Creator has seen you naked, so get over it!

It came to me recently that this was no joke at all. It was the real me screaming out to make my bathroom a joy to be in. Don't you find joy when you walk into your sanctuary every Sunday. . .I walk into mine every day. . .LOL!

Organizing the bathroom is tough. Here is the first thing you need to do: Throw away the old medicines that your kid was prescribed two years ago and don't act like it's not in there. . I know better! Throw away it all. Throw away that $14 lipstick that you bought but hate; you are not going to wear it. It is just cluttering up your space and robbing you of the joy you could be finding in your own at home sanctuary. Next, really look at what all you have in there. Why do you need 20 towels? Do you have 10 kids? Are you going to go a week without doing laundry? We often clutter our lives with too many things that we think are necessary. I have come to learn that most of us could throw 1/2 of the stuff we own and be just fine.

Clean it all out. Clean your bathroom from top to bottom, slap on a fresh coat of paint if it needs it, update the hardware, and fill it with the essentials that you just love. Look on my counter. That is my makeup bag full of the Mark face cleanser, moisturizer, mascara, and lipstick that I use. The silver tin holds my hair supplies. The vanity set is a treasure to me. It belonged to my mother-in-law and brings me joy each time I walk in my bathroom. On the back of the toilet is a scripture prayer book by Beth Moore. . yes, I really pray there!

Make your bathroom your personal sanctuary. Clear our the unessential so that the Essential can speak to you. Remember this: if an item in your bathroom is not bringing you joy then it is robbing you of joy!

This is the Beth Moore prayer book I mentioned: Praying God's Word Day by Day (click to follow link)

Confessions of this clothesaholic. . clean out the skeletons!

"When we are authentic, when we keep our spaces simple, simply beautiful living takes place." - Alexandra Stoddard

I have been on the road all day and I was wondering which part of my day to share with you, then I read an e-mail from a friend. She asked me about my household organizing and inquired as to what had inspired me to begin on this journey. So. . .here it is!

I am a clothesaholic. . .well shoes too. This is not a joke. This is not to be funny. I am very serious. When the recent recession hit God began to deal with me hard about my addiction. He brought to mind all the money I have wasted over the years on clutter that did nothing but fill up my house and clothes that never got worn. I usually went and purchased something else when I had something at home. . I was just so unorganized that I did not know where to look. I could go to my closet, but that was like finding a needle in a haystack. All the colors and seasons just ran together and I would seriously stand there and say, "I have nothing to wear." There was one point in my life when I shopped on average 2-3 days per week spending at least $150-$200 each time. Let's see 2 days multiplied by 52 weeks is 104. If I spent $150 each day for 104 days. . .correct me if I am wrong, but I get $15,600. I just threw up. .that is almost a year's college tuition!!!

I was not a good steward of the money God had entrusted me with. I am ashamed. Praise be to God that He opened my eyes and is helping me every day. Sooo. . .skeleton out. . .now what about your closets? She asked me how I started. . .I started with the closets. Today's post has a picture of Matthew & Nathan's closet so you can see that their closets have been streamlined too. Start by taking it all out and cleaning your closet. . add great smelling sachets! Throw away or give away everything that you have not worn in the past 12-18 months. . just do it. Try on the rest. . if it doesn't fit. . .it goes. OK, now inventory. . .do you need 8 pairs of jeans. .can you wear them all at once? Do you really need 5 different pairs of . . ok. . breathe. . .cute red pumps. .NO! If you are now mad at me and feel attacked. . that's because you are as guilty as I am. If you decide to take on this journey and simplify. . .just jump in and start with one closet. . .just one you can do it! Need help with getting more organized. . . follow this link. . .Eliminate Chaos: The 10-Step Process to Organize Your Home and Life

The Simple Joy of Simple Foods!

“I am better off with vegetables at the bottom of my garden than with all the fairies of the Midsummer Night's Dream.” - Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957) 'Lord, I Thank Thee'

My, my. . . June offers so many wonderful items from the garden! I do not have a "real" garden. I only have a tomato plant, a bell pepper, and cucumber; yet, I love to shop our farmers market and local grocers for nature's bounty. It is simply a joy to taste of the natural foods that God has provided for us.

Today I want to share with you that my boys love my Eggplant Parmesan. . .we just call is lasagna in our house to hide that fact that it is made from eggplant. I even assemble it lasagna style (picture below is dish 1/2 assembled). This meal is simply made of Eggplant, Italian Bread Crumbs, Spaghetti Sauce, Ricotta and Mozzarella cheeses. I like to have whole green beans (canned) tossed with Lite Italian Salad dressing on the side. Tonight we wrapped it all up with strawberries and blackberries topped with Ready Whip! The great thing about this meal is that it feeds 6-8 people for under $3.00 a serving ( I have a little left over too)! Yes, my entire meal cost me about $17.50. . .simple goodness for a simple price. That is simple abundance!

This journey to simplify my life has me looking at every aspect of daily life even our meals. God designed wonderful foods for us to enjoy. Learning to enjoy these "simple" foods in a new way is fun. I am going to experiment with eggplant more and discover what other dishes I can sneak it in. . .wonder if they will figure it out. . .LOL!

Take a trip to your farmers market or the produce section of your local grocer and try a new fresh food. There are tons of recipes online for all those yummy foods you have been afraid to try. . .simple foods bringing abundant joy to our simply abundant lives. Bon appétit!!

Quick-Fix Vegetarian: Healthy Home-Cooked Meals in 30 Minutes or Less (Click here to check out this great cookbook!)

"I wish that life should not be cheap, but sacred, I wish the days to be as centuries, loaded, fragrant." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

I love Emerson! I do wish for life to be sacred, full, and fragrant. How about you? Part of learning to live in simple abundance is learning to enjoy the simple joys of life. What simple scents do you cherish?

The picture in today's blog is from the gardenia bush in my front yard. It is so beautiful and fragrant. The scent of gardenias brings back memories of playing in my grandmother's yard with my cousins. . .simple times full of simple joys. Since my gardenia bush has been in bloom I have been going out and bringing in a bloom each afternoon to place in my kitchen. When I awake to prepare breakfast for my family I am greeted by a creamy white blossom dripping with the sweet scent of summer. That is simply a joy!

If you have a scent that brings back fond summer memories then fill your home with that scent. Essential oils are an easy way to do this. You can purchase essential oils just about anywhere.Lavender 100% Pure Essential Oil -10ml (Greenals) Rub the oil on unfinished or unpainted wood. I rub them under my tables and chairs, inside my windowsills, and inside my wooden drawers. My favorites are gardenia, pomegranate, and lavender. I also love to have sachets of cedar (you can find at Wal-Mart in the closet supplies. . hangers. . organizers) inside my closets. . .reminds me of grandmother's house.Giles & Kendall 308 Cedar Sachet Bags

Bring simple joy to your life by bringing fragrance into your home. I promise you. . .it is a simple joy that you will learn to cherish!

June's Simple Pleasures

"I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June." -L.M. Montgomery

Wow! It is about to be June 1st. June holds so many simple pleasures for us to enjoy. I am on a journey to simply my life and in doing so I hope to find the Simple Abundance that Sarah Ban Breathnach writes about in Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort of Joy click this link to find her book. . .it has changed my life and I know you will like it!

I first read this book after I had my oldest son who is about to turn 12. I put a few of the Simple Abundance practices into my life then, but now I am back at it full force. One of the things that I have tried to do is to savor the simple pleasures of life. This month I will share with you some of the simple pleasures my family is learning to enjoy and I will let you peek into my home as I work every day in some way to bring Simple Abundance to my home.

This weekend we enjoyed a June simple joy. . .watermelon! Some of my fondest memories are of eating watermelon with my family under the shade tree in summer. Go on. . .buy one today. Keep it in the fridge for 12-24 hours then simply cut it into chunks and share it on the porch or under a good 'ol shade tree. What could be better than this simple June pleasure?

Think about some of the simple pleasures that you take for granted. Write them down and begin to appreciate them more. Life's simple pleasures are often the best and the ones your family will remember most. . .welcome to June!

Simply Beautiful. . .try this!

Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort of Joy (This is one of my faves. . .click to check it out)"Undoubtedly, we become what we envisage." - Claude M. Bristol

Do you realize that you are simply beautiful? You are! Right now, today, just as you are. . .you are beautiful. How do you see yourself. When you look in the mirror do you zoom in on your best or your worst trait?

In this quest to simplify my life I have to realize that I am beautiful, deserving, and worthy of a spiritually, emotionally, and physically clutter free. . .simply beautiful life. I believe that sometimes we don't try to change or think we can because we fail to love ourselves enough to try. Women have huge self worth issues. . .I know I happen to be one of those women. In order to love myself I need to like what I see when I look in the mirror. That is both an emotional and a physical mirror. The physical mirror is often the hardest one to conquer. How you see yourself or envision yourself is what you will become, so for the next step on this journey let's work on liking what we see!

This is me. . .the real me! No makeup, no blow dryer. .  ..I am "primped" free in this picture. Guess what? I don't think it is horrible and I happen to see my very best trait. . . deep blue eyes. They are beautiful. . .maybe I can see myself as beautiful after all. . .what about your best trait. . .do you see it?

I dare you to go one whole day with no makeup. . .no "primped" hair. . . .ala natural!!!! Look. . .really look in the mirror and focus on your best trait. Every time you look in the mirror focus on that perfect smile. . .or those cute freckles. . .or that porcelain skin. I dare you to test this and see if that one positive point about yourself doesn't start off a chain reaction. A positive self image is powerful. . .Simply Powerful!

Ok. . .let me know if you took the test and went "simply" beautiful (all natural) for one whole day. . .I promise this is important . . .you have to see yourself and beautiful, worthy, and deserving of a simply abundant life.

Please share this blog with your friends and become a follower of this blog. I promise. . .you won't be disappointed. . .we have got an exciting journey to Simplicity ahead of. . .we have to know we deserve it first though. . .a SIMPLY beautiful life!!