Free Room Refresh Planning Guide
While we’re still a few weeks out from crocus and daffodils, spring is definitely in the air at my house. The March sunshine is warm and the wind is boisterous as it weaves in and out of the pines. The air is full of anticipation and joy - winter is over and another summer beckons.
I’ve started putting together my spring cleaning list, and in the spirit of slow living I am determined to keep my expectations reasonable about what I can actually accomplish in the fickle Maine weather. My usual M.O. is to list out every possible thing that needs to be done around the house and yard, and then feel like an utter disappointment when I come nowhere near finishing everything on the list. This year I’m tackling a few key projects that should only take a few hours each, along with the standard raking, pruning, playing-in-the-dirt fun of springtime.
Top on my list of projects is giving my living room a room refresh. What is a room refresh, you ask? A room refresh is when I make over a room with minimal-to-no-spending. And is one of my favorite things to do. I bought paint for the living room last fall, so technically this room refresh isn’t completely free. But I don’t anticipate having to purchase anything else. Along with a general cleaning and a fresh coat of paint, I’m planning to give my sofa and area rug a deep clean, using a carpet cleaner borrowed from a friend; swap out the existing artwork and photos with ones from other rooms in the house; and add in some new houseplants which I propagated from my favorite pothos plant. After two years of being home pretty much all of the time, my goal is to make this space feel light and airy and brand new.
If you’re interested in tackling some spaces in your home, I’ve put together this room refresh planner to help you get started. I hope you like it!
After my book writing declaration of last week, I’ve been digging into research and sorting copious amounts of notes, determined not only to get a working draft of a book finished, but also to have plenty of great content for Mabon House. And while I love doing research, it can quickly become overwhelming because I want to include all the information in whatever I am writing about.
So to get some perspective, I thought why not ask all of you what you’d like to see more of on Mabon House. If you have a couple of minutes I would love to hear from you. I’ve put together this short anonymous questionnaire/poll, to make it easy to share your ideas for Mabon House.
Thursdays are fast becoming my favorite day of the week because it’s when I receive so many kind messages from all of you. I know some of you have been going through rough times and while I’m not able to answer every email, I just want to say that I am thinking of you. And I’m glad you are here in the Mabon House community. And thank you to the folks who take the time to send me kind words and encouragement. It really means a lot!
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Ostara for Self Care and Intentional Living
It’s hard to believe that Ostara and the spring equinox are just a few days away. I’m taking some advice from myself (or rather from the Ostara Self Care Course I wrote up last year) to spend some time planning for future goals. I’ve been thinking a lot about creative projects. I have many printables in the works, as well as a lot of notes and research on the Wheel of the Year and how to live more intentionally within the seasons. And I feel like there is something bigger here than just blog posts and stand alone printables. So, I’ve started sketching out a very rough outline of a book. Which feels scary and super exciting at the same time.
My imposter syndrome reared up slightly when I began thinking about this BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal). I mean, many of you have been around long enough to see the number of typos that I make on a regular basis. I am not the world's best editor. But the thing is…what is life worth if you don’t try scary and exciting things? Yes, you might fail, but you might also fly.
With this book idea, I’m planting seeds of joy, anticipation and excitement for Ostara. And even if it takes a couple Wheel of the Years to see the final results, that’s okay with me. What about you? What seeds are you planting this spring? What joy are you cultivating? Do you have any BHAGS you’re ready to start on?
This week’s printable is also from the free Ostara Course and is one of my personal favorites. You can use it to set intentions, take inspired action and cultivate a life that you love.
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How I Deal With Contrast in Life
Hello Friends,
I hope this finds you well and safe wherever you are. The sun is shining here in Maine and the weather finally feels like it is turning. Stubborn ice is slowly giving way to the warming earth and I can feel the release of some of the tension I’ve been carrying around. Life has been full of contrast the last few weeks and I’ve been trying to approach unexpected hurdles with a better attitude. I tend to be a bit of a control freak about my schedule and plans; when these get interrupted I may look cool on the outside, but on the inside I am spiraling like a toddler who needs a nap.
Over the years I’ve gotten a lot better about being less reactionary to unwanted situations and going with the flow of life, instead of fighting it. This has taken a lot of practice and I am still a work in progress. But I’ve found that life is infinitely better if I can keep my thoughts in check and take a beat to assess what is really going on, versus what the hyper-anxious voice in my head is telling me. Yes, I am a joy and delight to be around when the unexpected happens.
When I start to feel overwhelmed by things happening around me, I try to take some time to refocus on my personal goals and general vision for my life - what I want to be, do and have. And how I want to feel in my life. Some might refer to this as the Law of Attraction, or faith, or being in the vortex. I think of it as giving myself a reminder that even if the present moment isn’t great, that it will pass. Good things happen all the time and I am not obligated to carry on in despair just because one area of my life is out of alignment.
Note - this isn’t about being happy all the time or ignoring glaring problems in life. Toxic positivity is just as bad as constant negativity.
When an unwanted situation comes up and there is an immediate action I can take to feel better, I take it. But if the problem is more in my head, like when I start to ruminate about all the things that could go wrong in life, I gently release the worry as much as I can. I get busy with other things and focus my attention on areas that bring me joy. Does this work every time? Absolutely not. Do I still carry around more anxiety than I want to at times? Heck yeah. But I am definitely able to keep a better perspective about what is happening and acknowledge that whatever the problem is, it’s a passing cloud in life and the sky isn’t actually falling. And, as an additional affirmation, I remind myself even if the sky did fall, I am incredibly resourceful and creative and could put it back together in some fashion. ;)
This Week’s Free Printable
All of this pontification about contrast and flowing with life rather than paddling upstream, as Abraham Hicks likes to say, inspired this week’s printable: A day planner that focuses on what you want in life, rather than all the to-dos, must-dos, should-dos that often weigh us down. In our quest to conquer our schedules we often forget about what really lights us up. So, I hope this printable helps you focus on your spark and light in life.
Along with making printables as a distraction from life, I’ve been enjoying a new channel on YouTube - Roaming Wild Rosie. If you have ever dreamed of escaping to the woods and living in a little cabin by yourself, you might like Rosie’s content. She recently purchased a little red cabin in the woods of Sweden and is fixing it up by herself. I found it was the perfect antidote to life at the moment.
I hope that your corner of the world is safe and you are able to take a moment and enjoy the approaching spring equinox and Ostara celebration. I’ll see you next week!
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