This simple phrase seems to have changed my marriage overnight. My husband read a short blurb featuring this somewhat trite rhyme and it has become his mantra, and a saving grace to our relationship. The key is, think about something that you’re not too crazy about at the moment. Maybe it’s your job, your spouse, or even your commute. At one point, you were really excited about getting said job, or marrying said spouse. And while you might not have ever loved your commute, you were probably pretty happy when you bought that car. So think back to those times of joy, and have gratitude again for the things in your life that may have become a little less shiny and bright. They probably haven’t changed much… how have you?
City of brotherly love
A friend of mine asked me the other day what makes Philadelphia special, and why would someone want to live here. The question of where to live is such a personal one, though Philly certainly offers a plethora of features that many would find desirable. Some such features include a thriving and bustling urban scene (5th largest city by population in the US); a strong employer base (Comcast, Vanguard, Toll Brothers, to name just a few); easy access to other major cities (NYC, DC, Boston, Pittsburgh) as well as to the beach AND the mountains; and rich cultural, historical and art institutions.
But probably most overlooked, and most surprising, is Philadelphia’s people. Let’s face it, Philadelphians have gotten our unfair share of bad press and hard knocks, perhaps something to do with long stretches of bitter athletic underdog-dom, or shining examples of notorious bad behavior such as throwing snowballs at Santa Claus… But beneath that gritty we-don’t-give-a-crap exterior are some of the warmest and loyal folks you’ll ever meet. The Philadelphians I know have heart, which means there’s a genuine love of our neighbor that spurs on and goes hand-in-hand with the don’t-mess-with-my-neighbor tough guy routine. We are curious about and welcoming to our visitors, but we’re not going to put on a fake smile to make you feel better about being here. And while there might be no sugar coating, there’s certainly a soft, melting chocolate center that you need to dig a little deeper to find.
After growing up in Northeast Philadelphia for my entire childhood, traveling the world for a few decades and swearing I’d never return, here I am back home and I couldn’t be happier. It has been so easy to make friends and new connections, and to build real relationships. I can’t think of a better place to raise my family and help people find homes.
The platinum rule
My son’s school has embarked on a mission to perform acts of kindness each day between MLK Day and Valentine’s day. Today he couldn’t wait to come home and give hugs to his older sister and me as his daily act of kindness. It amazes me how sweet and pure the heart of a child can be, and it made me consider my own level of “kindness giving” - which probably could use some work.
In our house we try to abide not only by the “golden rule” - do unto others as you would have them do unto you - but also the “platinum rule.” The platinum rule goes a step further and says, do unto others as THEY would have you do unto them. In other words, it is about empathy, and not treating others as you want to be treated but rather treating them as they prefer to be treated.
This approach puts a new spin on “random” acts of kindness. If we are being kind to an unknown or unseen person (ie, leaving extra money in the parking meter), how do we know they even felt the intention of our effort? How can we put ourselves in the shoes of others to really deliver kindness and joy to their day?
Over the next few weeks I’ll be ruminating on this question and working on being more empathetic, as well as kinder. How can I help someone in a way that is really helpful, that considers their true needs over my own need to feel good about being kind, that isn’t inadvertently burdensome? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this too!
Our daily egg
Give us this day…
Photo Credit: @bekastyled
There is nothing like waking up, walking outside and discovering a half-dozen freshly laid eggs that are usually still warm to the touch. One of our Buff Orpingtons is a little broody and likes to sit on the eggs all morning, which keeps them from freezing in these cold winter temps.
My favorite style of eggs is poached and I’ve been playing around with some of these more serious poachers but find these simple cups work great too. If you haven’t tried it before, kimchi is amazing on eggs, especially when atop avocado toast. The spicy tang of the kimchi cuts through the richness of the avocado and egg yolk for a truly memorable breakfast that you’re not going to find at your favorite brunch haunt!
What’s your morning routine? Tell me about it in the comments!
Photo credit: @bekastyled
Stone Home, Smart Home
Stone homes tend to be old homes, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have “smart home” upgrades. My husband is our family’s chief technical officer and has been finding creative ways to smarten up our old stone beauty to bring in some modern conveniences. He has toyed with these smart plugs which controlled our timed Christmas lights (set it and forget it!) as well as our pool cover pump that self-activates when rain is in the forecast. Yes, the pump turns itself on when it rains! This still amazes me. We also use an outdoor smart plug that is temperature activated and automatically turns on our new chicken water heater when the temp drops below freezing. Oh happy day when I don’t have to go out to plug the heater in when it is freezing cold outside!
Our latest foray into the smart home world is this Key Smart Lock Kit by Schlage. Sadly Philadelphia, like other big cities, suffers from its fair share of package theft. Imagine a world where you can remotely let the Amazon delivery person in your house to place your package securely inside, and then lock the door behind them! You can change the access codes as often as needed without having to change the locks. This one is going to be a game changer for sure.
My hubby-CTO links all these doo-hickies up with our Amazon Alexa and controls it all with a free app called If This Then That (IFTTT). It’s all slightly above my pay-grade but he has offered to consult with my readers for free - so hit us up in the comments!
Living your best life
Our Lavendar Orpington (“Lavvy”) foraging in the yard (photo credit: @bekastyled)
To me, a Stone Home is more than just a piece of real estate - it’s a place to build a strong life. Be it a strong marriage, strong parenting, or even just strong investing, your best life requires a safe haven.
Who knew my best life would involve raising chickens?! I love those fluffy feathered friends of mine and they have provided more entertainment and excitement than I ever imagined. I’m lucky to have a group of crazy chicken lady friends who’ve come together to form a “coop co-op.” We all take turns cleaning the coop and tending the chickens and we share in the spoils: fresh organic eggs! With 11 chickens we collect anywhere from 6-10 eggs per day so there are plenty to go around.
Our latest chicken fiasco has been the freezing weather. The ladies (chickens that is) are fine in the cold temps but their water bucket did not fare so well. We had to invest in one of these lovely contraptions to keep the water from freezing. Sure beats going out in the cold every few hours with the tea kettle!
So how about you? What unexpected thing brought joy to your life in a way you never imagined? I’d love to hear your story in the comments!
Welcome to my site!
Hello! Thanks for visiting my new site. Please check back often for the latest stone home inventory and also to hear about various adventures in chicken farming and child rearing.