books.

are you a book person or an e-reader type of person?  maybe you are not a book person at all.  maybe a magazine person.  maybe a tv person.  i am a book person.  i love the feel of a book in my hands.  i love the smell of a book.  i love the look of stacks of books anywhere and everywhere.  i love books.  i love the idea that there are many books on our shelves that i have read and many left to discover.

shelves of books make me happy.  makes me feel blessed.  books can be expensive.  may people don't have books.  i love to share and give books.  a book makes the best gift.  my mama recently cleaned out her book collection, to make room for more books i am sure.  we are a book family.  she gave me 5 large boxes of books and said that if i would take them to the half price book store then i could have the money.  bonus.  i of course went through them.  OldestBoy and SportsBoy went through them.  and then i called my book loving neighbor sue (hi sue!) to go through them.  she came down, sick even, and left with a paper bag full and a smile!  books are happiness. 

books bring knowledge.  books bring adventure.  books bring comfort and peace.  books can save you.  they can bring you out of that dark place.  they can help you see more clearly.  if you have a chance, give a book to a child in need.  give a book to anyone.  you never know how it may help or change them.  sometimes it can just be the idea of escaping from regular life for a while.  a little bit of relief from the everyday stress.  whatever the help, know it was somehow needed.  i love books.

little mama.

choosing to be content.

I have been thinking about this subject for awhile now. Contentment. We as humans, and especially women  I think, compare too much. We compare ourselves, our skills, our families, even our children's skills with others.  And especially with other mothers.  We also compare our homes. We compare how big or small. How they are decorated.  And even the money that goes into them.  We always assume that everything is wonderful behind those walls and that things comes easy.  I can tell you from experience that things are not always what they seem.  You never know where someone is in their journey.  I wish we could be more honest with each other about where we are on our own road.  I think it would let us all off the hook of comparison.  It would help us all be more real.  More authentic.  It might be ugly but at least it would be the truth and that is what I am always looking for.  I would much rather be in a space decorated with love and pennies.  Than a house decorated to the nines with lots of money and a family trying to be someone that they are not.  Lets try it, be as honest and kind as you can to people and maybe it will spread.  Share a little bit of your struggle with someone else and you never know how it may release them from the comparison trap. 

I choose to be content with my old thread bare sofa.  It shows love and time with us.  We are thankful for a place to cuddle and read, a place to lay and watch movies when we are sick.  Even if it does have a few worn holes and stains from our big Boxer cuddling at our feet.  I choose to be content with a home with no architectural elements.  Instead it is full of mementos and old photos.  Old blankets and handmade pillows.  It is full of found treasures.  Rocks and driftwood picked up on nature walks and cheap camping vacations. 

I choose to be happy with a less than perfect house, a less than perfect life.  My Lord tells me that he is not finished with me yet.  I am so thankful for that promise.  I can easily slip into the comparison trap.  Magazines, blogs, and TV all tell me that everyone has more, is doing more and is achieving more than I am.  But I have come to the realization that I am in the most perfect place for me and my family.  Maybe you are exactly where you should be.  I could be out achieving "more" and doing "more."  I could have my children in every activity and sport available.   But that is not where the need is.  I am needed here.  In our home.  With these boys.  And this WorkinMan.  This is where the Lord wants me.  I need to be reminded of that when I look to the outside world for approval and contentment. 

There is a wonderful blog called www.notsorandomstuff.blogspot.com  She has written about this same subject very well.  It is titled "around the house."  Check it out.  It is a good read. 
What are your thoughts on this subject?  Do you feel the need to pull back sometimes and
go inward to really see all you have?
Do you see yourself falling into this trap?
How do you put it in perspective?

Thanks for stoppin by...

Hope your weekend is lovely, full of relaxing,

cuddling, crafts, reading,

and being with those

you love.

Little Mama.

Finally.

Well Friends. I finally did it. After much thought I have finally started my own blog. WorkinMan and OldestBoy have been my biggest cheerleaders! They have encouraged me and told me there was a need for me out there in the big big world. I have opened the door a crack and we will see how far this thing takes me and us. I plan on sharing our daily life, good and bad. We are real here. No sugar coating. No bluffing. In the photos I post I will do my best for them to be real. No cleaning up quick before hand! Ha! Keeping it real. I am no photographer and am even worse with technology. So we will see how this all goes. Thanks for joining me and being along for the ride!