The spirit of love
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I wanted to share one room in my home that I absolutely love. The dining room.
If there is one room in my home that exudes love, it’s this room. And so much of my mom’s spirit fills this space. She always went above and beyond for any type of holiday. While my approach is a bit more subtle, these little touches fill my soul because it wasn’t so much about the things, it was about the way she made it feel.
There are a few imperfections at the moment, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It brings life to the room — like the fact that we had a loose nail, so the picture frame is sitting on the buffet table for now. A Christmas canister is still out because we haven’t added our annual notes to it (the ones we open up and read on the same day we put up our Christmas tree). And some loose sheets of paper in between a book.
And then there are the little reminders of life with kids. Slime from my daughter’s 10th birthday brightening up that spot in the most precious way. We can’t forget the colored pencils, markers, and crayons — an invitation to create whenever inspiration strikes.
A brochure from my honeymoon in Costa Rica placed in a frame. Moments of love and joy all around.
I also love cocktail napkins — my way of adding a fun, little twist to whatever we’re celebrating without it overwhelming the space.
As far as the banner, I got the idea for that from one of my favorite bloggers/content creators, Megan Runion. I’ve been putting it up for the past 3 to 4 years because I thought it was the most beautiful way to add something simple to our home for Valentine’s Day.
With that said, I’m getting ready to create my own cards for the girls and Will. It’s time to enjoy a cup of coffee, light a candle, and get some pink cardstock paper to make my own heart cutout. I plan to put some balloons up as well. Like I mentioned above, I’m a lot simpler when it comes to decorating, but I’m still my mom’s child.
I hope this inspires you to have fun in life. Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be over-the-top to be beautiful. Bring the joy of love to the day in your own way.
And before you go, I’m sharing a list of the following below:
Books about love. Now these don’t fall under romance. These are about learning more about your inner-self. Your highest self.
Ways we experience love, joy, and togetherness in our dining room
And we can’t forget the music. My theme song for the weekend:
“L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole
BOOKS
Hidden Powers of the Five Hearts by Kimberly Snyder
Chilla Gorilla & Lanky Lemur Journey to the Heart by Kimberly Snyder (Children’s Book and for all ages in my opinion)
The Holy Science (Self-Realization Fellowship) by Swami Sri Yukteswar
FAVORITE DINING ROOM ACTIVITIES
Meals & Conversations
Candlelight
Dance parties around the table
Board games & Card Games
Birthday celebrations
Creativity
Sunday Rhythm: Pancakes for Breakfast
Snack time after school
Occasionally my office for The Lived-In Library (creating my dream life)
Until next time [God willing],
Sandy
