A Lovely Life: Savoring Simple Joys in Every Season // Book Giveaway

 

One of my all time favorite bloggers, home decorators, and authors, Melissa Michaels, has come out with a new beautiful book and I am so excited about it! It is called A Lovely Live: Savoring Simple Joys in Every Season. I feel like it is a guide book for one of my heart's greatest desires (and the current focus of this blog) - to find beauty in the everyday!

I have been following Melissa for years, back many moons ago when blogging was just beginning. I feel so privileged to have "known" her for so long. I latched on to her quickly because of her beautiful yet homey decorating sense. Everything she styles and each home that she has lived in has a lovely effortlessness about it - inviting you to curl up on one of her cozy throws with one of her famous oat milk lattes! But it has been through the years and often through her books, that she has remained sort of a home and life mentor to me. She isn't just about decorating but instead encourages a sort of soul tending. To create a loveliness around ourselves that brings joy, peace, and warmth in the home no matter life's circumstances.

As Melissa has been preparing for her book release the past few months she has been sharing about seasons. It has been speaking to me a lot in this season of motherhood. As I have transitioned to becoming a mother of three as well as however the pandemic has affected me, I am finding great comfort in being reminded it is just a season.

While I am constantly trying to find the beautiful in the everyday, I admit that some days it has been really hard. While our home is becoming more cozy and feeling like our own, there are still days that it is a challenge to be reminded that we had to drastically downsize. One day I am purging all the things and the next I have a Target cart full of more cute stuff. My attempts at finding contentment collide when I get drawn to all the pretty things. I am still learning how to balance my marriage, relationships, and taking care of myself, with a little one constantly tugging at my maxi dress. I get sucked into social media only to uninstall everything and throw my phone across the room. One moment I am inspired while the next I am defeated. While we are all in our own unique life seasons, I wonder if a lot of you can relate?

So I am reminded that this is a season. A season for less stuff but a season of a full house of little ones. A season of not a lot of relationships but a season of rest and family bonding. Because it is simply that - a season. One day we may live in another home and it will be a different story. And one of these days all too soon, I will have a quiet house when all my babies are off to school. There will be seasons of busy and seasons of rest. And instead of trying to do it all and be it all, I am choosing (and trying my best!) to savor each unique season for simply what it is. There is so much beauty and joy right in front of me if I can simply choose to see it.

Here are some beautiful quotes from A Lovely Life that are tugging on my heart:

I am looking forward to digging into A Lovely Life, savoring the encouraging words and also admiring the beautiful photos of her last home here in Seattle. Melissa shares, "In our fast-paced world, stress and the expectations of ourselves and our homes can be so impossibly high. My hope is that this book will offer timely encouragement to find a soul-filling rhythm for every season of life and to discover beauty in the humblest pleasures of home."

Are you ready to join me in pursuing a lovely life? I am so excited. 

I am giving away one copy of A Lovely Life: Savoring Simple Joys in Every Season! But please don't let that stop you from ordering a book! If you preorder before May 17 you can get free downloadable botanical prints and a helpful seasonal planning guide at lovelylifebook.com.

To enter into the giveaway, leave a comment either here on the blog or this Instagram post for a chance to win (you can comment on both for two entries!).