I currently live in my 12th home since getting married 16 years ago. We are a pack of gypsies. However, we purchased this home so I possess high hopes of staying for a while. It worked out last time, we stayed in that home for two and a half years. We only moved because of my husband attaining a new job.

The thing with moving so much is that I got to see a lot of different styles of home and a lot of ways of decorating. I must admit to some laziness. With each move I decorate less. Bad me. I happen to think a well decorated home makes a huge difference in the atmosphere of a home. That said, I know when I first married I thought I really liked that country cottage sort of decor. Now? Not so much.

I can finally paint, yet I have not quite figured out what to do in that realm. Slowly I’m getting things placed in rooms at the very least. What items do I find so important?

Various pictures of the Mormon Temples throughout the United States. Just about all are pictures used are ones that I took at some time.

The benefit of my shutterbug self is that I have so many different pictures of Temples that it is not funny. It also means my decor will differ from most people’s. OK, so in my ward I’m noticing my pictures cropping up more and more in homes I visit and while this touches me, it is definitely not something I am used to. Why do you people like my pictures so much? Do you know how much that means to me? Thank you!

One of my goals this year is to find a way to ensure a Temple picture in every room. Why? First of all, the Temples are gorgeous works of art themselves, inside and out.  Second, the Temple is one of the few places on earth where I can just sit and feel the cares of the world lift from me and truly relax and find illusive peace. Third, the Temple is so very special to me that I sometimes find it hard to express into words.

For those that do not know, Mormons love their Temples. We consider them the House of the Lord and very special. The architecture is beautiful to behold, the decor inside is stunning, and we enjoy worshiping our Lord when attending the Temple. Temple services are done outside of regular Church services on Sunday. My goal this year is to attend at least once a month. I can tell a difference in me when I can attend the Temple service. I feel calmer, more at peace, and I find more joy.  I think it is because I can let go of the worldly matters that drags us all down.

All I need to do is just step out of my car on the Temple grounds to begin feeling that peace settle over me. That’s quite a feat considering the DC Beltway is a bit stressful and nightmarish!  That peace is something that I want to capture in my daily life.  The Temple is an hour and ten minutes in good traffic away from me, and in DC there is rarely “good traffic”.

My thought was simple. If I place a picture of a Temple in a room, I always have somewhere to look to for a quick reminder of not only peaceful feelings, but of my Lord.

It may not seem like a big thing to some, but for me it makes all the difference. I am glad to have so many great pictures of the various Temples. I have this dream of traveling from Temple to Temple and photographing each one. They have their own “theme” in decor and their own look. I am truly blessed to live in a time when Temples dot the earth.

I love to see the Temple…

My candle is burning from my Making Home a Haven post. I look forward to talking about that more on Monday. I’m only lighting the one candle, but I’ve decided to remember to think about peace when I spy my Temple photos. I also have four framed temple photos to hang and I plan to find homes for them as soon as possible.

What do you decorate with to bring peace to your home? What are your goals? Feel free to comment and answer my questions!

–Lady O