cff October 2016 | Simple and Serene Living

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

CHANGING SEASONS

Fall weather has finally arrived. The scorching 90 degree days that were still with us early last week are now a thing of the past. 

Those temps have given way to daytime highs in the sixties and seventies. Sunny blue skies and soft breezes make for perfect days, and signs of Autumn seem more welcome now.

fall autumn pumpkins stand

Pretty trees seem to be fewer this year due to the dry summer we had. 

fall autumn red leaves

There seems to be an awful lot of browning going on.


What is really nice though, is seeing the flowers that are blooming. I love that the lantana is still holding on and since there is no frost in sight for the near future I am hoping they will be here for awhile longer.

flowering lantana fall flowers

Now that the weather is finally changing it is bringing up thoughts of changes that I personally want and need to make. 

I have to bring in more added income than I have been this past year so I am going to try some new things. I was raised to not talk about money, but we live in a changing world and I need to shift my thinking. 

I have to learn to promote myself more, which is hard for me to do. I have always been good at promoting and helping other people, but now I need to shift that focus to myself. 

fall autumn tree red leaves

So as the seasons change around me, I will be changing too, and I'll talk more about that later this week. 



Tuesday, October 11, 2016

FAMILY TREASURES IN MY HOME DECOR

There are things in my home that make me smile. Not necessarily because of monetary value, but because they are family treasures. Each one of them holds meaning to me. 

I love looking at this china in my old pine cupboard. 


I remember when I was a teenager that my father bought this set for my mother as an anniversary gift. My mother took very good care of it and there is still a full set for twelve plus serving pieces. 

Looking at this china brings back wonderful memories of family dinners.

Family pictures are another thing that I value. I look at them and see the people that came before me. 

There are some family members I knew, like Uncle Charlie,


and some that were gone before my birth.


And then there is my greatest treasure. She isn't worth anything to anyone but me, but to me she is priceless. I was so worried when I was going through my storage boxes that she would be gone and when I found her I felt almost like I did the first time I saw her.


I was five years old and all I wanted for Christmas was a Betsy Wetsy. I was also very specific about which Betsy I wanted. She had to be one without the fake hair or the plastic face. So I went to see Santa to plead my case. I didn't trust my parents to get it right.

I think that may have been the best Christmas of my life. The moment I walked into my living room and saw Betsy was so exciting. I slept with Betsy for the next six years and I always took her with me wherever I moved. Being without her and not knowing her fate was terrible for me. 

Yes, it has been sixty years since I first got Betsy, but every time I look at her all of the feelings of sixty years ago come back to me. It was a time of innocence and joy and it reminds me that the simple things in life are the best.

How about you? Do you have family treasures that you have held onto and that mean a lot to you?