I hope your week is off to a good start. I’m personally feeling the impact of scraping by on 5-6 hours of broken sleep for a number of weeks now. I sleep less well in the summer anyway, but this summer seems especially bad.

I know many people love naps, but I have never been a napper. I don’t sleep if I try and if I happen to doze off, I feel worse afterwards. I remember last fall when the temperatures broke and we got into the good sleeping weather. I slept like a log and remembered, “Oh this is what it feels like to get a good night’s sleep!” I’m not wishing away the summer, but I’m ready for the cooler sleeping weather to return.

We had a family outing to Hobby Lobby last week and I was finally able to purchase five inexpensive frames for my A Quiet Simple Life Floral Art. Since I have the Full Collection, I was able to choose which picture I wanted with each phrase. These are now above my desk to my left. (I have a large corner desk so I have both a left and right wall directly in front of me.)

I tried to get a better picture, but a large window was behind me as I took the picture. It was impossible to do it during the day so I had to take it at night with the overhead lights on. They look much nicer in real life. The frames are darker because my desk is a cherry color. They harmonize well with the entire corner. I’m pleased.

I increased the size of them when I printed to 105% since I wanted them to fill the frame a bit more. That’s the nice thing about the way they are situated on the page. You can increase or decrease the size for your purposes.

I don’t write the things I do here just to fill space on a blog. I actually do believe and value what I write and try to incorporate it into my own life as much as possible. These are both a reminder of what I’m aiming to do in my daily home life as well as what I am trying to do here to encourage other women in their homes.

If you are a new reader and aren’t sure what these are about, you can start by checking out some of these links. I frequently write about creating a life of peace, understanding, joy, beauty, and faith. Those are the themes that run throughout what I do here.

• Creating a Cozy Life – Getting Started
• The Cozy Life In America (and Why I Prefer It To The Danish Hygge)
• A Quiet Simple Life Series
• A Quiet Simple Life Podcast (on hiatus, but some good foundational content)

While we were at Hobby Lobby, Caroline and I purchased a few small cross stitch projects. She wants to try it at least once, so we each have something small to work on. (David also cross stitches. I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned that.) Hopefully we’ll get those out this week.

Thank you to everyone who left shampoo suggestions last week. I realized I read them all, but didn’t respond. This past week has been a blur in a fog of tiredness. I know I’ve said this so many times, but there is a reason why sleep deprivation is a torture device. There is a reason why one of the very best methods of weight loss is sufficient sleep. Sleep is so important. Make sure you and your loved ones are getting enough. Other than drinking enough water, it’s probably one of the most important things you can do for your health that costs virtually nothing.

What’s going on in your home this week? I hope you’ll leave a comment and share!

Artwork: “Summer Afternoon Seine Valley” by  Daniel Ridgway Knight