Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Thirty Days of Lovely

I want candy Lovely chocolates lined up on the side of the tub. I love the colorful foil wrappers.
I’ve been having kind of a hard time lately. Nothing big. Just life, you know? My photo-a-day blog (Jillustrated) that I started last year has kind of been serving as a daily reminder to look for beautiful or interesting things, which is great, but I’ve done that for over a year now and I would kind of like to branch out. That’s where this blog comes in.
“Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.” My sister-in-law started a blog called “See the Good.” It is lovely. She is doing a thirty day challenge right now and it got me to thinking about how I could challenge myself. I also ran across a fun little spot on web called “1,000 Awesome Things”.  The two ideas swirled around in my head and I thought about how I need to be looking for more loveliness in my life so I’ll quit feeling sorry for myself.
So, that’s what I’m a gonna do. For the next thirty days I’m going to share all things lovely with you—could be anything: a photo, a poem, a thought, a project I’m doing, something my kids said or my husband did. You get the idea.
Without further ado, may I present to you today’s lovelies:
As I was cleaning Seth’s and Nate’s room today, Daniel asked me to play with him. He gave me Buzz Lightyear and he had Woody. The first thing he said in his Woody voice was “I love you, friend.” Then he had our toys give each other high fives, knuckles and thumbs up. Pure sweetness.
Tonight, after all the kids were in bed, I took a bubble bath. I lit a candle, lined up some chocolate on the edge of the tub to nibble on and grabbed The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan to read. It was just the relaxation I needed after a long day.
So, to recap: playing with Daniel, bubble bath, candle, chocolate, good book. It was a banner day in the lovely department.
Not all days will be this easy. I’d love your help. If you visit my blog will you please take a quick moment to share something lovely with me in the comments section? We all need more lovely in our lives. 
What loveliness did the day bring to you?

10 comments:

Kitty said...

Dearie,
I am in love with this.
My lovlies for today were...
Daniel brought me a Diet Coke when he came home from work.
I wrote many thank you notes and it made me think of all the good times I had while on vacation.
Dan took me out for dinner, just because.
It's the little things.
I adore you.
Kitty

Mauri said...

This is such a great idea. My lovely for today is 60-degree weather! It's a big deal here. It means spring is really coming.

runningfan said...

This reminds me of my resolution in 2010 (I only had one) to find joy in my daily life. I was in a perpetual funk and it really helped. I had a hard time at first, but after a while, it became a habit, and it has been so helpful the last couple of months!

Heidi

Amy said...

My sister in-law is still pregnant this morning. :) She will be 32 weeks tomorrow. Prayers work! What is more beautiul than that? :)

Addie said...

This is powerful. Thanks, Jill. Even when you are a little down, you are lifting others up. THAT'S lovely. :)

My lovely for today is that the kennel let me bring the dogs earlier than my scheduled drop-off appointment which made my day easier, Jack took a good nap (with teething that hasnt been happening a lot lately) and Kedrick got to be home early from work today so we could have lunch together before he leaves for a business trip. Lovely things = sighs of contentment and tiny pieces of relief.

Danielle said...

As always, you are one of the breaths of fresh air in my blog reader! :)

Yesterday's lovely: Jillian making me laugh so hard I cried (she said my laugh sounds like the whinny of a horse -- does it?! :D ). Kids are pretty awesome.

Ashley said...

Love it Jill! Today I was given a tour of Red Butte gardens in SL-up by the U or U. Those gardens were so beautiful even in the snow. It got me all sorts of excited for spring to come!

Linda said...

Am I the only one who is laughing out loud at the thought of you, naked, juggling a camera in a hot, steamy bathroom while taking photos of pieces of chocolate? Thank you for the first belly laugh of the day!

Heather O said...

I love the chocoaltes on the side of the tub idea. :) My lovely for the day was seeing Jack dip his chip in the salsa and then make a face like he wasn't sure what had just happened, I laughed out loud.

Carole said...

Thirty Days of Lovely, absolutely divine. Reminds me of my gratitude list that I keep close to my computer in case I forget how much wonder there is in my life.

Your list of lovelies is fab and it is always wonderful to come across a site that encourages others to reflect on the things that bring them joyfulness.

Big hugs Jill ... Carole