To see what pure joy looks like, watch how your pet embraces life! I love watching my anadoodle, Layla. She embraces life to the fullest. It doesn’t matter if her routine gets rearranged, or if it’s raining outside, or if she is suddenly awakened …   she rolls with whatever life hands her. Her joy is contagious and fills our hearts and our home with pure joy. If you have a pet, then you know a pet is more than an animal; it’s a member of the family. But let’s face it: they can be tough on a house. And sometimes their only saving grace is their adorable charm, as you’re cleaning up or repairing the damage caused by their [...]

serenaandlily.com Have you ever walked into a room and instantly exhaled and felt more relaxed—or, on the flip side, more tense or overwhelmed? You're not imagining it. The spaces we occupy deeply influence the way we think, feel, and interact with the world. Changing your decor isn't just about aesthetics; it's a subtle yet powerful way to shift your mindset. Psychologists say that within 7 seconds of entering a space, our mind processes the space and gives us feedback. Is it welcoming? Is it too warm, too cold, too humid, or just right? Is it bright and cheery or dark and dreary? Is it open, inviting, and clean, or stuffed, closed off, and chaotic? How does it smell — [...]

Lately, more and more people are telling me they don't sleep well; they toss and turn or don't fall asleep until it's almost time to get up for another day. Their children are struggling as well. It's sad to hear this because sleep is extremely crucial for our mental and emotional well-being as well as our spiritual health. The lack of quality sleep quickly slows us down, creates brain fog, causes unhealthy food cravings and compulsive eating, slows our metabolism, drains the color from our complexion, etc. We've all seen the signs. It is not discriminating and is so prevalent that there seems to be a sleep deficiency epidemic happening in today's world. Many factors can contribute to sleepless [...]

Have you noticed how quickly being outdoors can lift our spirits (and our dog's spirit)? Even if it's for only 10 minutes our mood improves. This makes perfect sense, because, after all, we are organic beings and we are as natural as nature is. That's why the sun can lift our spirits and the breeze can free our thoughts while nature's colors inspire and invigorate us. We feel whole and at home in nature and it begs us to bring that feeling home. Interestingly, more and more people are doing just that - bringing nature inside. But how can we recreate that expansive freeing energy in our rooms? It's easy and fun when it's done with intention. As a [...]

Every year, the design world introduces new inspirations, and this year is no different, except it seems more people are deciding to adopt some of these inspirations. Some long-standing trends are fading, while new trends are boldly surfacing. I don't buy into all the latest trends. Instead, I focus on the best solutions that reflect the household: their needs, activities, and lifestyle. I also respect the architectural style of the house while adding modern elements. Color schemes, patterns, textures, and lighting should be thoughtfully selected because they greatly affect our psyche, emotions, stress levels, relationships, and health. For that reason, I keep up with the trends but choose them strategically, not because they're the latest craze. It's all about [...]

Hooray! Summer is here! The days are longer and warmer, and my inner voice urges me to open doors, windows, and sunroofs, as well as my arms to bathe my heart and soul in summer's essence.  It seems I'm not the only one feeling this way. I see others waving from their open car windows, neighbors saying 'hello' from their open garage doors, passersby smiling and saying 'what a beautiful day', and so on. It seems June days are perfect for friendly chats, family gatherings, camping excursions, neighborhood potlucks, BBQs, tailgating, gardening, and so much more. Summer invites us to bring friends together and gather on the patio. And whenever friends gather there always seems to be copious amounts [...]

We've all felt it….. as soon as the papers are signed, a strange feeling of excitement and buyer's remorse settles into our souls! It's real. It's natural. The excitement is energizing and filled with a fresh start, yet the buyer's remorse can cause a lot of unnecessary angst. I know, I've felt this many times. It's been eight years since my husband and I bought our current home, and the memory of us passing each other as we frantically tried to establish order and simultaneously asking each other if we just bought the "Money Pit" still makes us smile. At that moment, everything we touched seemed to break, and unexpected problems surfaced faster than we could keep up with, but [...]

Hooray! Summer is here! The days are longer and warmer, and my inner voice urges me to open doors, windows, and sunroofs, as well as my arms to bathe my heart and soul in summer's essence.  It seems I'm not the only one feeling this way. I see others waving from their open car windows, neighbors saying 'hello' from their open garage doors, passersby smiling and saying 'what a beautiful day', and so on. It seems June days are perfect for friendly chats, family gatherings, camping excursions, neighborhood potlucks, BBQs, tailgating, gardening, and so much more. Summer invites us to bring friends together and gather on the patio. And whenever friends gather there always seems to be copious amounts [...]

Lazy warm days, iced tea, and plants dancing in gentle breezes reset my quiet winter thoughts to high-spirited thoughts filled with copious possibilities. The longer days seem to fuel these thoughts, stirring my superpowers for creating a gorgeous outdoor retreat. The fact that my gardening muscles haven’t been used for six months (or more) doesn’t matter; I’m feeling invincible and ready to bring an oasis to my slowly awakening landscape. No sweat…...well, maybe a little a lot of sweat, but sweating is good, right? Springtime is the time of year that tempts me to scurry off to the garden center without a plan. This is not a good idea, trust me. Yes, it’s true that garden centers can lift [...]

I love color. Maybe that is why I love spring; nature is vibrating with color, enlivening everything, including us. Bright green leaves radiate against dark wet bark, flowers sparkle with dew, the sun seems brighter and the blue sky bluer, everything is waking up and vibrant. The whole world seems happy and is inviting us to join in. So just think, if nature can use color to lift our spirits, what could it do for us when we bring it indoors? Even though our spirits feel renewed when spring wakes up from its winter’s nap, many people tell me they don’t trust themselves to use a lot of color in their home or to select paint colors. They understand [...]