Yesterday morning I opened my eyes and already the day seemed so full. I hadn’t even gotten out of bed yet, but the days fullness — I could feel it in my bones. The night before Zack walked into our bedroom and said like, “Look at this home. There are little messes everywhere and I love it.” And I couldn’t agree more. Sometimes I struggle with wanting to have anything in it’s place. With wanting the bed made or the kitchen clean, or Bauer’s toys set aside instead of in the middle of the room. I feel like the longer we live here, the closer we get to baby arriving, I care less about those things. Because I look at this home — the life it represents, and I love it just the way it is. Things are starting to get crazy around here. I’m scrambling to get everything done before baby arrives. I have days when I feel so tired, mentally + physically, that all I wish to do is rest. And then other days when I think I should be doing more but know deep down I’m doing plenty :) Turns out chasing dreams… moving to California and preparing to have a baby in just a handful of weeks, is tiring. But I love it :) I mean, when we’re out on our daily walk I get to see citrus trees! And this tree is full of them — a simple reminder that feeling full is good.
Are you embracing the fullness of life? Do you see the little messes in your home as bits of happiness? xoxo
I just think this is such a fantastic outlook! And what a wonderful way to start my day. It is easy to get overwhelmed by the messes and business but it is such a wonderful reminder of life’s blessings. Thanks for sharing. And love your blog!
@Lauren, It reminds me of that saying, “a clean house is a sign of a wasted life.” And I never understood that until a few years ago when I found myself seriously frantic over a messy house. WHO CARES?! I finally told myself. It’s not dirty, it’s messy. It’s lived in. It’s a reminder we have hobbies and friends and we are fun. All good things to be reminded of at different times in our lives :)
Not clutter, my little bits of happiness in a life well lived!! I love that perspective because I will really miss little toys and legos making messes around the house when the boys are grown up. Our baby is due in 4 weeks and I love the new baby messes that will be arriving as well, burp clothes, diaper stations, blankies, yay!!
@Jen, WOO HOOOOO! I’m right there with you Jen! xoxo
I’m quite fond of happy little messes too! A table scattered with the bits and pieces of a craft project in progress. A sink full of muffin tins and cake batter encrusted utensils. The blankets of our dog’s bed, strewn across the floor… A home is for living in and those little messes remind us of all the good things happening in our space. They make a house a home! This is such a special time for your little family. It’s so great to hear you are soaking up every lovely moment! xx
I have lived in my house for 12 years. I just painted the foyer for the first time ever, last weekend. It still had painters white on the walls. Mind you everywhere else in the house I’ve painted & I have lots of color. But for some reason the foyer never got painted. As I was painting by the front door I found myself not want to finish. I was painting over little finger prints & hand prints of my boys, the neighborhood kids, man friends that we have entertained over the years. My boys are 13 & 10 & toys are kind of a thing of the past. And it makes me sad how fast the time went. I would love to get one more day with those little chubby hands, those dirty little faces & a day spent in jammies. Those days are long gone & I do miss them.
All I can do is hold tight to the memories & I pray I never forget!
@Katy (lil’ alice), Write them on your heart so you never forget…
Good post! I’m in a season of change right (grad school applications, a potential cross country move, the usual) now so I’m learning to embrace “mess” as part of the dust settling on my changing life. Although nothing will be settles for some time.
Can’t wait to see baby Whiteley pictures! I’m getting so excited now that March is so close.
@Kasey M., Girl! That is a lot!!! …And does cross-country mean near California???? xoxo
I know exactly what you mean! I have one doorjam in my house that I can’t bear to paint because that’s where the boys stood while I measured how much they had grown. Still has pencil marks, initials and dates on it. Guess I will have to break down someday and paint it but for now I just look back and remember all the good times.
@Gayle, I think you should remove that doorjam and put up something new that you can paint over :) And then display your marked-up/memory-filled doorjam as ART! xoxo
Honestly, I get frustrated with the clutter in our house. I’m pregnant with our second kiddo, so it feels like my days are insanely busy just keeping up with our two-year-old. I reach the end of the day exhausted, and often frustrated with the mess surrounding me. (It doesn’t take long for a clean floor to get dirty again!). Thank you for your perspective on how clutter makes our home, our home. I think I would truly miss the messes if they weren’t there. They’re a part of living this beautiful life :)
@Meg, I know, and I am right there with you. I don’t have this perspective every day, but I try to have it most days. Makes me so thankful Zack is supportive of the messes, it would be hard to enjoy them if he weren’t. I’m so glad you commented, thank you! :)
I also say that a little bit of clutter is evidence that someone actually lives there. You can’t possibly have everything super neat and tidy all the time. I mean I do clean daily, but you know things are gonna get pulled out, there’s gonna be stuff on the coffee table, etc. Because we live there, it’s our home. :)