Remember how I said that my Calm Your Anxious Heart Print was one of my favorite prints? I actually think this one tops it.  It’s another that I’ve put up in the living room (in a beautiful gold spray painted picture frame. I love thrift stores.) and my favorite to look at. {Side Note: I never for a second thought I’d get into this crazy “gold” trend, but I’ve been loving it. Just bought some gold nail polish today in fact} I think the best thing about the Be Gracious Thankful & Happy Print is that it kind of grows with you.  Wherever you are in your walk in life this can mean something to you.

When I first had the idea to make this I had been thinking a lot about appreciation and trying to make a conscience effort to say “Thank You” for things that I appreciated, but didn’t always actively show it.  Whether it was someone buying me lunch, a friendly word I really needed (whether they knew it or not), or my husband doing the dishes by himself for the 3rd time that week because I just had to keep working on…(insert big project here– my website, homework, new print, etc). I realized that even though I was grateful for those things, I didn’t always voice that in so many (or even any) words.  I thought that I probably wasn’t the only one that would like a daily reminder of that. And I wanted to the reminder to be not just about being thankful, but about having a positive and gracious attitude towards life in general.  I may not have gotten 100% better at this, but I have been trying!

And remember how I mentioned earlier that what I really liked about this print was that it grew with you? It’s funny- I created this print about 4 months ago and it already has a different meaning for me.  Last year, Kevin and I set a goal to save for a down payment on a house and to wanted to reach our goal by 2015.  Honestly, we don’t have much money- Kevin’s a teacher and I work part time in retail while building my Ruby and Sass Design business- but we get along, we have what we need (and usually a little more than that) and we’re happy.

With that said, it’s so hard to keep that in mind when you’re “window shopping” for houses (you know, just to get an idea of prices, not because you actually think you can live in that $700,000 house that popped up in your search results. But…oooo..look at that hot tub and all the pretty windows and ALL THAT SPACE in the kitchen and the bathrooms!). Trying to find a balance of what you can afford to live within your means and what your dream house would be is so tricky.  It’s being realistic about things you need, things you want, things it probably wouldn’t kill you to live without and learning to be grateful (and happy) with what you have. It’s so easy to see what someone else has and want it too.  It’s also pretty easy see something you want think you absolutely have to have it (I’m totally guilty of this…hello gold nail polish I mentioned earlier).

And I think that’s the essence of what this print means to me. It’s about remembering to be thankful with everything you already have and not always need more. As we’re trying to more seriously stick to our budget, this constant reminder is there for me on our wall.

I had lunch with an awesome friend last week who are in a similar situation as us- young, renting an apartment, still kind of starting out, saving for the future. We bonded over our mutual messiness, our crazy husbands we love and our struggle for keeping everything organized (from keeping our houses clean to how we spend money). We got to talking about how a majority of what’s in our houses is used furniture and appliances.  We live off of the hand me downs and graciousness of others who have more than us.  The couch I’m sitting on right now, a gift from Kevin’s parents when they were buying new living room furniture. Our refrigerator (that doesn’t leak like the old one, hallelujah!)- from my grandma when she was moving from her house to an apartment that already had one.  Our washer and dryer were gifted to us (nearly brand new!) from a family friend who was moving and no longer needed them. My dear friend, Lauana gave us so many things when her family was making the move cross country to California and she’s the reason we have some very pretty pillows on our couches in the living room too.  They make our living room so colorful! My most favorite stool I keep in the kitchen to use while Kevin cooks was given to me by my mom (who finally let me take it home after I kept mentioning how much I wanted it…I don’t expect that to work again.)  I could go on and on. Our dining room table, the table I use for my makeshift desk, our tv stand, quite a few bookshelves, Kevin’s desk, our coffee table, lamps…let’s just say that hand me downs and thrift stores are my BFF.

In our conversation we talked about how thankful we were for all those people’s generosity and how we wouldn’t have nearly as much if it weren’t for everyone that had offered their old stuff to us.  It may not all match or be brand new but it’s ours and we love it anyway.  They’ll be time for our whole house to match one day, this just isn’t it yet.  And don’t really mind it, for now I think I’ll just enjoy this stage of life until we’re ready for the next one. And when that day comes you better believe I’ll be buying a polka dot patterned couch and a striped chaise lounge to match. :)

If you’re interested in have this pretty reminder up on your wall too, you can purchase this print HERE

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