Simplicity... Lifestyle...

French Farmhouse Living is about more than delicious decorating and to die for vintage pieces. It is about a certain kind of lifestyle. It is about simplicity. It is about beauty. It is about bathing yourself in lovely. There are so many facets to surrounding yourself in beauty... And doing it on a budget. I am very in tune with living my life authentically... living for what matters to me... cutting out what does not. I am actually very good at doing that.

But it encompasses so much more. Yes, I strive for balance and beauty in my life. But I want to inspire others {along with myself} to take this journey to a place of happiness, peace, beauty, nature, balance, and tranquility in their lives.

So what I am aiming to do is create different topics to focus on and bring on one or two contributing editors to talk about all kinds of really great topics, all focusing on a healthy, mindful, beautiful, simple lifestyle.

Of course the main focus will still be the French Farmhouse Lifestyle, but some of the topics will be cooking, eating, organic gardening, farm life, personal style, shopping, making your home beautiful, DIY projects, simplicity, health and fitness and organic beauty products. It's about taking the best care of you that you can! On tight budgets {even shoestring budgets!} and not enough hours in the day schedules. It's for real people like you and me. It honestly and truly is about simplicity.

I have studied many years about how the human mind works. What makes people happy. How to overcome obstacles in life. What I have come to understand is the more one has, the more one wants. Instead of being grateful for what one already has and enjoying those things, there is a deep rooted need for more. That puts someone on that hamster wheel that becomes internal chaos and stress. To let it go isn't easy, but it is so worth it for your inner peace.

Here are a few pictures to get started:


Home: making your environment beautiful. I have lots of lavender throughout my home. It's soothing scent is calming and it is pretty to look at. For me, having natural things in my home makes me feel the most relaxed and content. Nature brings in a sense of beauty and peace.

Home: Simplicity. Old vintage bread boards look so pretty in a kitchen. I don't like clutter, just a few well loved pieces on my kitchen counters. Taking the time to clear your counters is a great step in the right direction. I bought the most beautiful apothecary bottles at a flea market this weekend. Embossed and a beautiful shade of soft blue. I got them for such a bargain price too {7 of them!} Just simple and pretty. I LOVE them!

 

 

 Home: Nature again. Flowers bring such an element of beauty into a home. Tulips placed in an old pitcher set on the table. Back to the basics... simplicity. It will give you a sense of balance to feel like your home is not exploding with stuff...

Food: Organic eggs in beautiful colors. I watched a show last night {I tuned in late so I don't even know what the name of it was,} but it was extraordinarily inspiring... about healthy eating to decrease one's chances for developing all kinds of nasty diseases, including cancer. I am going to dive in starting today and commit to eating a healthier lifestyle. I don't eat any red meat or pork and always buy organic fruit and dairy. But this is different. This is being extremely conscious of what I put in my mouth. I am actually going to buy a juicer too. I am not on the juicing bandwagon trend, it's more because I don't eat many veggies, and this is a way to get them in my body. It's not about a diet at all. It's just about trying to eat foods that will give me energy, vitamins and nutrients that the human body craves, with as little pesticides as possible... because I just don't do enough of that in my life right now. I'll keep you posted because this is going to be a toughie for me! I'm not expecting miracles overnight. Just baby steps in the right direction. No internal criticism, just trying my best.

 Gardening: I have always wanted to go into my back yard and pick some lettuce for a salad. Why haven't I done it? I have no reason. No excuse. But I can easily learn about gardening; there are many books that I have just been too lazy to read. It's about being real with my excuses too. There really are no excuses.

Decor: Natural vintage French baskets. Again, bringing in a natural element and texture into my home is ideal for me.

Decor: This is an example of something that is beautiful in your home. And useful. But really it can be something as simple as a lovely mug that you drink your morning tea out of. {I'm going to try to kick my coffee habit and start drinking tea. I just bought organic lavender and chamomile tea.} Beauty does not have to cost a lot of money. Sometimes I gather sticks and greens and put them in little glass jars around my house. Easy. Budget friendly. Simple. Lovely.

I actually own this shower curtain. It is one of those things that as soon as I saw it, I wanted to order it. I love taking showers and this cheerful shower curtain makes me happy every time I step into my tub. It's from Garnet Hill.

Organic beauty: I have a book I love called Gorgeously Green. It is all about finding beauty products that aren't loaded with cancer causing chemicals. I have been slowly easing all of my toxic makeup out of my home. {I never even knew it was toxic!} But when I started reading about it and educating myself on it, I was horrified at some of the chemicals used. Our skin is our largest organ and our bodies soak in whatever we slather on it. Now this is a little tricky. Organic, natural makeup and products can be expensive. But I'm looking at it as an investment in myself, my health. It lasts a long time and I can just skip going out to dinner once in a while. I've even gotten my hubby on board with organic skin products. But I have also made my own organic heavenly scrubs and soaps that hardly cost a thing.

Exercising: like most people, I don't love exercising and I make excuses as to why I don't have enough time to do it. But really, they are just excuses if I am being very, very honest with myself. I am not a gym person... I don't like it. But I do like other kinds of exercising, such as yoga, hiking, paddleboarding, paddleboard yoga {obviously in the summer} and horseback riding. So instead of forcing myself to go to the gym, I am going to do exercise that I enjoy. Yoga is one of the healthiest things I can do for myself. It has so many amazing benefits; I want to be proactive with my health instead of reactive. Keeping limber and flexible is so key, rather than running to the doctor after you've hurt your knee, back, neck, whatever. The one thing I will force myself to do is lift light to moderate weights, but I can do that from the comfort of my own home! It keeps your bones strong!

Horseback riding is amazing for your core strength. It works your stomach and back muscles in ways that you never knew it could. Not to mention your legs. And it gets your heart rate up as well. By the time I'm finished with a ride, I am thoroughly sweaty, tired and sore. Better than the gym any day for me!!

Style: find a style that is you. Don't just wear clothes in your closet because you have them and they fit {even though that does help!} What I really mean by that is to have a few pieces that are really you. A great scarf... a beautiful necklace... tall socks... a soft, cozy sweater. You can shop high end to consignment stores and anywhere in between. Style does not have to cost a lot of money.

 So this is my first attempt at a lifestyle blog. I hope you found one or two little things inspiring. If so, please share on the blog. And please share your own ideas too! This is a place where I would love to hear from you!!!

Be well.


Pics via: pinterest.