Hello, friends.
On May 10th, I saw an instagram post by the podcast 10 Things to Tell You doing a round of 10 of the 10th (a monthly prompt). This month’s prompt was 10 Things Keeping You Sane right now.
I dwelt on that for a while…several days in fact.
And then it felt to late to post my list because it wasn’t the 10th anymore…ha!
What I decided to do was post here and change it up just a bit, so today, May 13th, I’m posting 13 Things Bringing Me Joy.
Life has felt so heavy lately.
I’ve been feeling all the emotions.
And I thought I needed to move just a little beyond a list of what’s keeping me sane to what’s bringing me joy.
I’ve only been aiming for sanity, but I need to aim a bit higher than that. I am aiming for JOY.
Here are the 13 things that are bringing me JOY right now…
She Reads Truth
Last year I signed up for the She Reads Truth Bible Study Subscription Box to get their studies mailed to me every month. Reading the Bible with their beautifully put together studies is giving me joy! Currently, I am studying the Promises of God and these truths from God’s Word are giving me life in what could be a dark time.
Keith
My husband has been working from home since we started quarantine in early March. Having him home has been so good!!
I love that we can have conversations throughout the day. I love that we *get* each other. In a time that seems so contentious and divided I am extremely thankful for my husband. I am thankful that we are on the same page about so many issues that could be divisive. I am thankful that we have fun together and his time at home hasn’t added stress to our household.
Books
Reading is my escape. It’s no secret here that I love to read and that hasn’t changed one bit. I think every time I compile a list of things that are bringing me joy, books will be on that list.
I am currently looking forward to digging deep into Anne Bogel’s 2020 Summer Reading Guide. As a member of the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club, I received an early and expanded edition of this year’s guide. It will be available for everyone tomorrow. I highly suggest that you check it out!
Movie Nights
Friday nights are special in our home for two reasons…Friday Night Dinner and Movie Night. I put a little extra work and care into preparing our Friday Night Dinners and then we head downstairs to the basement for a family movie. We take turns picking out a movie for the family to enjoy. Last week was my turn and we watched and LOVED Little Women.
Shipt
Shipt is currently how I’m getting my groceries delivered. I switched away from using Instacart because of more available time slots, but I have really enjoyed the service. I have appreciated getting texts from my Shipt shopper of the empty shelves when they are out of items on my list. It’s hard to imagine since I haven’t been inside a store since before the quarantine started.
Door Dash
I have also enjoyed getting food delivered from Door Dash. Keith and I have used it for date nights and I’ve surprised the kids with fast food a couple times over the last couple months. This has been a delightful treat to break up the monotony of our week.
Date Nights
Keith and I have been enjoying weekly at home date nights. The kids read upstairs and Keith and I head downstairs to watch a movie or show on Netflix. We’re currently binge watching Stranger Things, but this week we’re watching Happy Death Day and ordering dinner.
Yoga at home
I am practicing yoga at home with my yoga studio on Zoom and this has brought me so much joy! I love that I’ve been able to improve and strengthen my practice throughout this time at home.
Screen-free Sundays
Keith and I have been more intentional about screen-free time. So much of our life is taking place in front of a screen from zoom meetings to social media. We have decided to make Sundays a screen-free time and that has given me much joy. It has definitely made Sundays more peaceful.
Baking Experiments
My girls have been more interested in baking lately. Aren’t we all, really?? As they are now 15 years old, I have decided to release control of the kitchen and let them experiment on their own. EA made cheesecake brownies this week that were delicious and MC made chocolate chip muffins for breakfast last week and a blueberry coffee cake for tea time yesterday.
Puzzling
We recently set up a puzzle table in our living/dining room. I am working on a 1,000 piece puzzle and absolutely LOVING it!!
Printed Scrapbook Pages
During Digital Scrapbook Weekend I sent around 300 scrapbook layouts in to Persnickity Prints to be printed. They arrived last week and I cannot tell you how much joy having these printed layouts gives to me. I’m waiting on an order for albums to arrive so I can start filling them!
Iced Lattes
My current coffee treat of choice is a simple Iced Latte. I learned to make it myself out of necessity and I enjoy it as much as an Iced Latte from Starbucks. It is the best pick-me-up in the middle of the day!!
I hope you are finding lots of things that bring you joy right now!!