These are a few of my favorite things!

While spending a lot of time in the house this weekend, I kept myself busy by taking pictures of things I love in my house. I was inspired by my friend Diana's blog, but I have a little different take on it. I end up being the one in the family who spends the most time within these four walls, so maybe that's why I am the one who does the most nagging about how it looks and how clean it is (or isn't). But as I took another look at the things I have around the house, I realized that these things bring me joy, and that they are out for that specific reason. Here are the things I love in my house....

I found this plant stand years ago at a garage sale. It has a marble top and it may very well be antique. The seller wanted $10 for it, which is a fortune at a garage sale, especially for a cheapie like me. I almost passed it up, but I am so glad I didn't. It is a perfect place for this beautiful plant from Glenn's uncle's funeral.

A couple years ago at an Enrichment meeting we were sharing our favorite books. One of mine is "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd. Another sister (who happens to be our neighbor) did not like the book at all, and we laughed about our differing opinions. But a few days later, she brought over this little beehive for me. I love how she acknowledged my love of the book, and now I have a cute little momento to go with it.

I have had countless pictures drawn for me over the years, and I have loved them all. Many of them are decorating the wall down the basement stairs. But for some reason, this one, drawn a couple of years ago by Emma, has remained the sole piece of art on our refrigerator. I love how colorful it is, even if the outfits don't match, as Emma pointed out the other day. It is a wonderful reminder of how much Emma loves me!

Sister Myers, the woman we bought this house from, left many of her belongings for us when she moved out. All I will say is that we had a huge garage sale soon after. But she left a wood filing cabinet behind that I really do love. It serves as a table (or catch-all for junk) near the front door, and also doubles as a - wait for it - filing cabinet! I think it is a great piece of furniture. Maybe with the new couches we will put it to better use.

Another messy room in our house is the laundry room. Mittens, boots, shoes, socks, snow pants, scarves, vacuums, towels, swim suits...you know how it goes. But I love the color that I chose for this room. It is the only place I let myself go a little wild with color. Years ago I found these silver metal containers at Marc's, and I am so glad I got them back when the room was peach. I love these shelves Glenn put up for the laundry supplies and how the white and silver go with the blue. If you find me staring blankly at the walls in here, it will be because I am trying to find my happy place among the clutter.

I love Russian nesting dolls. I think this may be in part to a skit on Sesame Street. My mom has remembered this fondness, and has gotten me two sets--this one from San Francisco, and a Santa set when she was in Switzerland. I also love the hugs mirror they are standing in front of...a $2 garage sale find. Now that's a price I can handle!

This picture was taken one year when we went down to Tennessee. We went in November, so we weren't spending much time on the lake. We did a photo shoot, and I love how this one turned out. I look at it all the time and love my kids all over again.

I haven't always loved my bedroom. Up until this summer we had a pretty ratty quilt on the bed, one that had survived over ten years of marriage and kids jumping on the bed. I knew the colors I wanted--blue and brown, one of my favorite color combinations--but was having trouble finding the right set. You know, not too flowery or anything. I found this set at fell in love. I love that it even came with curtains! Glenn is not wild about all the pillows, but when it is all made up, the bed is gorgeous, admit it, Glenn. We have always loved our headboard...and it is a celebrity one at that! Next time you watch "Everybody Loves Raymond" (because I know everybody is watching the reruns) take a closer look at Debra and Ray's bed...it's just like ours!

Also in our bedroom are 3 posters of vintage New York photos that I found for $2.50 at JoAnn's (not even a garage sale!). I love how they look in there, and wanted to add our personal pictures from our trip to New York in 2006. I had this window in the basement forever, and it made a great frame for all our favorite snapshots. I love looking at this, too--brings back great memories of a wonderful vacation.

I don't want the focus to be on things-- you'll notice that there is not much value (at least monetarily) on the items I've listed. My point is that on those days I feel "snowed in," whether it is literally or not, I can take a fresh look around me and have warm and happy feelings. We may not have cleaned the kitchen or put away all the laundry or made all the beds, but I am surrounded by little things that can bring a ray of sunshine to those cloudy days.