Library Corner in Our Family Room

Are you busy getting ready for Thanksgiving this week? Me too. I can't wait to spend time with family. The other day I woke up early and set out to put away all of the fall stuff to get ready for all of the Christmas stuff. Sometimes it feels like I am constantly shuffling boxes of STUFF.  That part of blogging isn't fun.

And to be perfectly candid, sometimes it all feels a bit frivolous, this whole blogging thing. I mean, as I have said time and again, my house doesn't exactly look like most of the pictures on this blog. And there are people out there dealing with BIG stuff. Things like terrible illness, overwhelming grief, unfair circumstances and a country full of political unrest.

And so, I stopped packing away the fall boxes. I re-arranged some of my favorite things and created this cozy library corner in our family room. I pushed Billy's grandmother's cedar chest by the table  and added a bunch of old books to the shelves above it. Raising teenagers, I am always preaching to my boys about finding the thing that makes their heart sing. "Find your passion!" I say. Well, this is mine. When I am creating a warm and inviting home for my family, I am happiest. And it matters. I know it matters.

I snapped these pictures because photography is another thing that makes my heart sing. I am not going to edit them as I usually would. You can see that the floor needs vacuuming and the paint on the wall needs touching up. There is even a regular old light bulb in the lantern chandelier. I usually change the bulb to the prettier bulb you can see on the shelf- those fancy Edison bulbs just don't give off enough light for all of the homework, crafts and games that happens at this table. We ate dinner here that evening with a roaring fire right next to us. It was takeout pizza, not some fancy homemade meal. But it was enough. And the kids asked if we can eat here more often. Yes, we definitely can.

Eventually, the fall stuff got packed away and I am currently up to my ears in Christmas decor. I have been working on some projects to create some personal and meaningful decor this season. Because it makes my heart sing.

I can't wait to share it all with you very soon. Thanks so very much for stopping by today.