our week was full of slow, quiet mornings and hectic afternoons brimming of laughter and chaos.  i mentioned earlier that it astonishes me how quickly we seem to have settled right back into our life in our little home.  yet, i am still working on the girls' room and there are some very blank walls in our living room.  i am trying to not be bothered by this, to be fair we moved in just two weeks ago - but there is something about a blank wall that does not comfort me.  i have a hundred ideas for some of the spaces and can not seem to commit - save for one - the area above the couch - i just ordered one of my own prints as a 30x30 gallery canvas wrap.  i have never printed my polaroids larger than 12x12 so this will be an interesting experience!

the rest of the house is doing quite well - and there is a peaceful calm in the home that did not exist before.  i have a strong inclination that is comes from the without - without baggage, without stuff, without 10 sets of dishes - without.  some of you may remember my post on things and about what we should hold on to and what we should purge.  well, purge we did.  years and years worth of things that no longer held a place in our hearts - we gave so much to our local Goodwill, they most likely took inventory for a month.  we did have to replace some things when we moved back into the house - but as opposed to have 20 different cooking utensils, I now have four.  instead of opening cabinets and having tupperware fall on my head, we have one set of four glass containers for leftovers.  instead of a random set of silverware, we are using my grandmother's silver - everyday.  it feels simpler, cleaner, easier.  and as i search for meaning in why our adventure had to be post-poned, i wonder if it was simply an exercise in learning to life simply.  too hot to go outside this weekend?  clean out our kitchen cabinets - you will feel like a new person...

have a lovely weekend friends...

xoox~jla 

Comments

[Anna]

Jen, I'm sure not to the extent you did recently!, but I just spent a few days 'organizing' and cleaning my bedroom and kitchen. I know what you mean - less seems SO much more comforting, rich and it feels clean all the time. So simple. I'm SO GLAD your move back in was simple...that it's not been overly taxing. How awesome for you and your family!

[Rachel]

That is exactly what we did for the move from san antonio to boston for a year and then here to KC. I had to purge tons of my stuff so we could handle all those quick moves on our own. I mean exactly even down to the glass leftovers and daily silver usage! It feels so good to know we just have what we need and no more.

ps..cannot wait to see the larger print jen! you have to take a photo of it hung over your couch. I have been thinking of doing this to one of mine.

[Denise]

So glad that the move back is going so well. I agree with you on purging, it feels so good to get rid of stuff. Now only if I could stop buying! :)

[meg]

That is such good advice. I have been living like a vagabond this past year; I know I need to go through my old things and throw some things away. After reading your post, I decided that I will do that this weekend. Megxx

[Anne-C]

Hi Jenifer,

I just received my copy of 'For the Love of Light'in the mail today, and I just wanted you to know that I think it is absolutely beautiful and money well spent! Good job, thank you for the inspiration..
Anne-Carine from Norway :)

[Vanessa Voss]

Hello Jen, I found your blog a week or two ago and adore it much. All your photos are stunning. I just wanted to say how much I resonate with this post. I just wrote about the same thing - simple living - on my blog a couple days ago. It's a topic close to my heart. Thank you for your post :)

[Amanda]

Maybe you could take all the things you wanted out of your Italian experience and try and work them into your life in subtle ways.
I forever dream of riding a bicycle to pick up french sticks and flowers in a tuscan village.

[Miss Bebop]

so lovely!!!!

[Mila]

Such a gorgeous picture...
Really touching.

Have a great week!

:) Mila.