Sometimes I need a little help figuring out what to write on a weekly or monthly basis. I look for inspiration everywhere and sometimes it comes from my outside world, from my kids, or from my friends. My friend, Estrella Azul, has inspired me to create a monthly post called “Six Things that Made Me Smile this Month.” I love this topic because it helps keep me focused on positive things that have happened. I know we can all dwell on the bad stuff but it’s important to remember and relive the good. It makes my brain feel better while searching for the good over the course of a month.
Six things that made me smile this month were easy to find because two enormous projects were finished. These were projects that have been going on for over a year. One is the interior of my house was completely remodeled, and the other was the entire landscaping around my house was finally finished on March 10th. Sure, I could focus on the fact that my landscaping was three months late but with a gentle nudge, I’m relishing how beautifully everything turned out. I am so pleased with all the choices.
Completing the interior and exterior remodel was big news for us and we had to share with our neighbors. We had a party this month and that was a huge reason to smile. After all, part of the reason for the remodel was to entertain more. My entertaining skills are not well honed so I’ve always felt that my personality couldn’t compensate for a seriously ugly house so I avoided having people gather at my home. Now I am proud of all our choices in finishes and want to have people over at my house all the time. I love being around my friends and I definitely don’t spend enough time with them. I spend too much time at home alone. I have no excuses now and am smiling as I plan party #2.
Another bit of news made me smile this month: my daughter got into every school she applied to, and most importantly, she gets to pursue her dreams of becoming an artist. I am so over-the-top happy for her and all that she’s accomplished. Looks like someone is heading to New York!
Spring has been spectacular this March because of all the rain we received over the winter. The drought appears to be over and the flowers are falling over themselves to produce quite a show. Taking the dog for a walk now is not a dreaded task filled with a never ending sea of brown, but a sea of pink, blue, purple, yellow, red, white, orange, and every color in between.
Smiling because of my girls is what I do on a daily basis. My youngest daughter has a semester long project in which she will need to document her attempt at learning how to sew. I bought her a new sewing machine which was surprisingly inexpensive. Heck, I saw machines for less than what I paid for my Nutribullet! She has been playing around with it, sewing samples of stitches, and the one sample that made me laugh was this one:
What I learned from doing this exercise is it has made me more aware of the good that happens every month. I need to keep that awareness with me through April and beyond. It also forces me to take pictures which was a goal but without a purpose, sometimes goals can be thrown out. Recording what is good is a worthwhile pursuit.
What were 6 things (or 4 or 2) that made you smile in March?
Bloggoneit's Blog 
LOVE this post, and your photos of what made you smile are lovely! I especially like your yard and the bubbling urn – looks wonderful. And that stitched word just made me laugh out loud 😀
Oh, Catherine, you make me want to do the 6-reasons posts again! I figured no one was too interested and stopped at one year after posting 6 pics at the end of each month.
Thank you for also being an inspiration to me, you’ve sparked my imagination quite a few times!