5 Ways to Cultivate Joy in the Mundane

It's a new week and I'm sharing some things I do to make it a cheerful one around our home! I recently read a quote that really got me thinking by the German poet Goethe:

"Cease striving for what you would like to do and learn to love what must be done."

It's true that homemaking has some mundane tasks, but that doesn't mean we have to be miserable while doing them. If it must be done, let us endeavor to make them as pleasant as possible! This requires a mindset shift, but here are some ideas for finding joy, contentment, and even pleasure in the daily tasks:

Plan a special sit down meal.

This is something we try to do at least once a week and the kids will remind me if we haven't! They love the special touches added to a meal like this....the candlesticks, the instrumental music, the nice glassware, fabric napkins and table setting. Their eyes just glimmer with delight on these evenings, and special meals like this often linger on with games or great conversation. Don't worry though, I'm not talking filet mignon here...it can be any meal that your family will enjoy! This is more about intentionality and going the "extra mile" once in a while to create an intimate ambiance for everyone to enjoy. Even if you are empty nesters or live alone, invite a friend over and treat them to a special evening of connection without the distraction of electronics. If there is anything the past two years have taught us all, it's that we need human connection. Life can get very busy, but carving out this quality time for you and your family is so worth it. If you have young children, this is also a great way to teach simple things like setting the table, polite manners and basic meal time etiquette. If you have older children, it is a wonderful opportunity to have meaningful conversation and eye contact without having to compete with technology!

Choose your media wisely.

We are the gatekeepers in our homes, and our hearts too. How do you want your home to feel? Peaceful and joyful? Loud and overwhelming? Most of us are greatly affected by the noise around us. If the T.V. or news is always on, it may be adding an unnecessary stress that you don't even realize you have learned to live with. For me personally, if I have the "blahs", worship music can help pull me out of it. Or if I am dreading a certain task, listening to upbeat music or a podcast can get me moving. When we work toward creating a restful and life giving atmosphere in our homes, we won't be feeling the need to escape it all the time.

Wake up to a clean kitchen.

This is a delayed gratification discipline that always pays off in the morning! Don't you love waking up to a clean kitchen?

You may not have the kitchen of your dreams, but I promise you will enjoy it so much more when it is tidy!

This is a practice that I have come to value more and more over time. It is so easy to plop down on the couch after dinner and leave my kitchen a mess...but I ALWAYS regret it and feel discouraged as soon as I enter the kitchen the next morning. I'm sure you can relate! The first step in the"Fly Lady" cleaning method is "shine your sink". It is amazing how one simple habit can propel you into a smoother day.

Make task this more enjoyable by lighting a candle and listening to music while you work :)

Treat yourself to flowers.

One of my favorite little touches in homemaking is keeping fresh flowers on the dining table. Usually it is something I have clipped from the yard, but if nothing is blooming, I will clip greenery or pick up a $4 bouquet at the grocery store. It brightens my spirits each time I see it, and motivates us all to keep the table "clutter free"!

A load a day keeps the mountain away.

One load of laundry a day. That means...

washed,

dried,

folded

and PUT AWAY!

This is another "Fly Lady" practice. Anyone have a bad habit of leaving clothes in the washer, dryer or in piles all around? I certainly do! But I have been trying to start a load every morning. We are a family of 5 and so occasionally I am doing a second load of linens, but usually just one will keep things manageable. Little by little, the mountain of laundry disappears, and so does the panic of kids looking for baseball socks on Saturday morning and your husband looking for underwear. Haha!

Bonus tip: This is completely unnecessary but if you're into decor and aesthetics, swap out your ugly plastic laundry baskets for thrift store wicker baskets or metal wire hampers from a store. It will inject a little beauty into the mundane ;)

I hope these ideas help to inspire and motivate you this week as you set about your important work in the home. I am cheering you on!

Until next time!

Consider the Lilies.

Take a deep breath....you feel any tightness or is that just me?! Unless you're living under a rock, you've probably noticed or felt an increasing anxiety and fear about the future in this country. Between the rising fuel and grocery prices, shortages and inflation, we're all tightening our belts and buckling up for turbulence ahead. I'll admit I've wrestled with feelings of anxiousness lately. Am I preparing as I should? What kind of world will my children grow up in? Questions like these overwhelm my mind at times, but this past week the Lord lead me to several verses containing the word "consider".

Consider the ravens.

Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!

(Luke 12:24)

Consider the lilies.

And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (Matthew 6:28)

The passage in Matthew goes on to say "....your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

We have a strong, innate tendency is to put our basic needs first. After all, we're natural survivalists and you probably have people depending on you for these things, like we do. But God tells us to seek Him first, and He will take care of the rest.

You can't get second things by putting them first; you can get second things only by putting first things first." ~ C.S. Lewis

So what now? Can we all just retire early and sit around listening to worship music? Ha, no way José! Scripture also tells us to...

Consider the ant.

Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways and be wise. Without having any chief, officer or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.

(Proverbs 6:6-7)

When I consider the ant I am reminded that there are actions that God has for me to do each day. We are created to work and have been given intelligence, ability and wisdom to prepare. I love the Aesop's fable about the ant and the grasshopper. It's a great story that echo's the truth of this lesson wonderfully.

For me personally, some of my anxiety stems from areas that I know I am neglecting.

I firmly believe that God provides each of us with enough strength, time and resources to accomplish the things we are supposed to do.

If I am falling behind, its usually because my priorities are either out of order or out of balance.

Did I scroll social media and now I'm behind on laundry, dishes etc? Did I get carried away in some seemingly worthy task that should have been left for another day and now I'm exhausted and have no idea what's for dinner? I mean, must these people eat EVERY night?! Ha kidding. But in all seriousness, I am completely guilty of doing all of the above at times. These are SELF INFLICTED stresses and problems. These are things we CAN and SHOULD work on.

We can sit back and worry about things, ignore areas that need attention, or we can trust the Lord and begin each day by asking Him for wisdom and direction on what to accomplish now in order to prepare for times ahead.

Do you take time to consider the sovereignty of God and His faithful provision?

I can recall times in my life where a specific amount or item I needed seemingly came out of nowhere in the exact moment of need. What about you? As the saying goes, "Count your blessings. Name them one by one." It will strengthen your faith.

So my challenge for you and I is this:

Whenever you feel the anxiousness or stress building, take hold of those thoughts and feelings right away, and immediately turn your mind to scripture. Consider the ravens, consider the ant, and consider the lilies.

It will result in a soul reviving exchange of our anxieties for His peace in the process.

Until next time, my friends!

XO-Karen

Bonjour, mon ami!

Welcome to my blog!

"La Vie Cultivee"...which is French for "The Cultivated Life".

I hope this space will be a place that encourages and inspires you to cultivate beauty and goodness in your little corner of the world.

This idea has been spinning around in my head for some time, and despite my hesitancy and doubts, God just hasn’t let me off the hook! So here I am, writing from my little office, sharing my inspirations, thoughts, and the struggles and little triumphs that occur in daily life with whomever decides to spend their time reading it!

I have been on a bit of a journey in homemaking, femininity, and faith for the past several years. After emerging from the fog that the challenges of early motherhood, sleep deprivation, and frequent deployments can create, I found myself ready to strive for more.

I was discontent, not neccessarily in life, but in my own personal stagnation.

Can you relate?

It’s that feeling you have when you approach the end of the year and reflect, sometimes eager to turn the page and start fresh with renewed energy. Unfortunately I am the worst with sticking to New Years resolutions, and consistency in general (working on that haha!), so this blog is a bit of accountability for myself as well.

So I’ll get right to it and express my intentions for this blog, and the value I hope to offer readers. You can decide for yourself if you’d like to come along with me and add me to your weekly readings :)

• I desire to cultivate beauty and goodness in order to bless my family and all who enter our home.

• My heart is to encourage women to deepen their faith and understanding of God's Word.

• I am striving to reinvigorate the timeless art and rythyms of homemaking!

• I hope to inspire women to appreciate and enjoy being a woman!

Annnnd....I also promise to add some random things that have nothing to do with any of the above bulletpoints, because #youcantfencemein haha!

So if any of those things are your cup of tea, I invite you to come along with me! A new post will release each Monday. In addition to hearing from me, you can also expect to find recipes, words of wisdom and encouragement from guest writers and women of all ages and phases of life.

If you want to see snippets of my daily life, to include adorable animals, Virginia pastural beauty, thrifting finds and homemaking + homeschooling shenanigans, follow me @laviecultivee on Instagram.

Until Next Time!

XO, Karen