I Declared Thursday "Pajama Day"

It had been a rough week. I was feeling blue and flat. Lacking energy to come up with one more meal. Lacking patience for my precious family. Lacking positivity to be able to respond to the emails awaiting me in my inbox. Lacking interest in decorating projects yet to be completed. Bottom line: all the things that normally make me tick, felt about as desirious to me as eating a piece of cardboard. And that scared me.

So I declared Thursday to be "Pajama Day". A day to sleep in and hang out in my pajamas until noon. A day to forget my laundry, and allay any guilt for feeding my son chocolate bombs for breakfast. A day to read as many decorating blogs as I wanted and watch a girly movie. It sounded really good to me.

And the truth is, it FELT really good to let go of all the work and expectations for one day and just enjoy myself. At least along until about 1:00.

I was taking a long, hot shower, congratulating myself on the wisdom of my Pajama Day Declaration. And then, He spoke.

Everything slowed, my heart dropped, and I was rebuked. I was no different than Adam and Eve who sewed clothes out of leaves, or the children of Israel who built the golden calf. I was looking for my own redemption. Trying to figure things out on my own. Trying to fix it in my own strength.

But just as soon as my disappointment started to rise, He spoke again. This time, with familiar comforting grace.

So then and there, I rested. I truly rested. Pajama Day was redeemed. Not by me, by Him. By the One who interrupts my feable attempts to rescue myself with His voice, with His truth, with His rest.

Have you been dreaming of your own "Pajama Day"? Oh, you might call it something different, but are you longing for an escape from the mess of your life? For something to bring you alive again?

I'm here to encourage you to look deeper, to look behind "Pajama Day" and see what you are really longing for. I bet it's redemptive rest and it's only found in Him.

"I suspected that all the yearnings for I knew not what that I had ever felt - were in truth yearnings for him. For God. I yearned towards Him." Sheldon VanAuken, A Severe Mercy

Nuestro Refugio en Paraguay

Welcome to My Place of Peace, now broadcasting from our new HOME in Paraguay! So glad you're here!

My vision for our home here was "Farmhouse Revival" and I repurposed lots of beautiful salvage from this barn. So much, in fact, that my husband was overheard muttering, "You don't have to repurpose everything in the barn, dear".

The view from my kitchen window

Beautiful light filters into our bedroom when the shutters are open. Yes, we actually have functioning shutters!

This project cost less than $1 for supplies but delivers major impact

Quite possibly my favorite piece of art ever

The laundry room was really dark because the ceiling is very low so we lightened it up with a few coats of paint.

I have always really enjoyed laundry, but never so much as now! It's wonderful to have a beautiful space, especially I spend a lot of time in the laundry room! :)

These plates have been from the US, to Venezuela, back to the US and now to Paraguay. So pretty.

The kitchen has very little counter space (or storage for that matter), so we changed this freestanding cabinet into an island. Lots of thanks to honey for going forward with the project even though he was skeptical!

I think she turned out beautiful, don't you? The extra counter space is a life saver and honey wired the island with 110 so I can run my kitchen aid too!

Ode to a math teacher (and all his patience as he painted, fixed and hung pictures!). Love you, honey!

I fell in love with this dining room table, but didn't think we would be able to get it. Honey surprised me on our anniversary with the news we could! It seats 10 easily. Come on down for a home cooked meal!

Special thanks to my friend Jen for coming to the rescue with a fabric that would make my brown and yellow swirl tile look good! :)

Bathroom Before. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. :)

And after. Much better! Guess where the old bicycle basket in the window came from? :)

Thanks so much for coming on a little tour of our new home. Even though it is a one year rental, it's so important to be surrounded by beauty and feel at home! Leave me a comment and let me know what you think! :)