It has to be obvious that we are snowed in again. Two blog posts in one day has not been happening around here lately. I am suddenly ready to jump back into the blogosphere. I am currently in the middle of a HUGE overhaul of my house. I have decided that "things" are slowly becoming my demise. Since moving into our new house over a year ago, our space nearly tripled. Being the one that is responsible for cleaning and maintaining the inside of the house...I was nervous about the transition. My instincts were spot on and I have become a slave to my house. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining because I LOVE our house and almost everything about it. I am just drowning in housework. It had gotten to the point where I became physically ill when I started thinking about all of the chores that I were still left at the end of the day. After hours of brainstorming with my momma, I knew what I had to do.
Each thing brought into my house (be it live or inanimate), creates work. I must decide as I walk through the door with anything, "Is this worth the work it will cause me?" I used to be a little bit of a pack rat. No need to call "Hoarders: Buried Alive" just yet. I wasn't THAT bad, but I often kept things that I thought I would use someday. Well, someday is here. If I am not using it TODAY, then it's going out. I'm serious about this. You can't even imagine the pile of garage sale stuff that has piled up in the basement. (Our neighborhood garage sale is the last Saturday in April and I can't wait!) I haven't had a problem getting rid of stuff because I KNOW it will be worth letting go. Hopefully the husband, kids and dog can prove themselves worthy. ;-)
As I chug along, leaving a path of organization in my wake, I am thankful. Thankful that I have a mom who will listen to my frustrations and offer such great ideas. I'm also thankful for a husband who doesn't tell me I'm crazy when I tell him I already want to repaint our bedroom and bathroom. I think he knows that after almost two weeks being snowed in with the kiddos, I am bound to come up with all kinds of "creative" ideas. Now I must go...I have some trash bags to fill!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Artist in Training
Claire loves to draw. She comes straight home from school and picks up her "sketch journal" and gets to work. I LOVE finding her little drawings all over the house because sometimes it allows me a look into her little head. She can be a very private little person!! I wanted to share some of her latest work. I can't keep every piece of artwork so I thought I would start taking pictures of it so I can store it in a folder on my computer. I think it will be a great way to watch her progress!
She is VERY into Sonic the Hedgehog and Pokemon right now. The first drawing is Sonic the Werehog....I guess this is what happens to Sonic after dark....or before his morning coffee.
Next is Pikachu. He is a character on Pokemon.
And this...this is my favorite. A Claire original.
"Me and Drew at the Weting."
She is VERY into Sonic the Hedgehog and Pokemon right now. The first drawing is Sonic the Werehog....I guess this is what happens to Sonic after dark....or before his morning coffee.
Next is Pikachu. He is a character on Pokemon.
And this...this is my favorite. A Claire original.
"Me and Drew at the Weting."
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Grace.
I started this post before Christmas and finally finished my complete thought.
Yesterday didn't start off very well. My Cohen was sick and it was later revealed he had strep throat. My Claire was having tummy troubles. I was feeling like I had been hit by a dump truck for a few reasons. I have tons to do and ZERO motivation to do any of it. This Christmas has been harder than I imagined it could be. BUT I still look for the joy.
One of the THINGS in my home that I love is a crystal candy dish. It was given to me by Brian's grandma when we were newlyweds. I love it. In February, it's filled with conversation hearts. In March and April, pastel M&Ms. During the summer months, I keep it exciting! As soon as fall rolls around, it's a mix of candy corn, M&Ms and peanuts. At Christmas, I LOVE to fill it with Brach's Holiday Mix. It always looks so pretty and I love to sneak a piece whenever I get the chance. I really love this candy dish. Now, to the point...
Cohen was sneaking a piece...when the lid slipped from his cute little hands. I knew when I heard it what had just taken place. Before I even saw it I was sad. I went into the living room and he was flashing me his million dollar smile. I informed him that this was not funny. He instantly broke down into a sobbing mess. I felt horrible but still wanted him to know that this was exactly why I had told him not to get into the dish himself. As he cried, "Momma...I'm so SOOOOWWWWWWEEEEEEE," I told him that I forgave him. And of course I did, wholeheartedly.
I then thought about this for the rest of the day. Am I too attached to THINGS? Was this what God is trying to tell me? This has happened before. The ONLY things that get broken are things I love. But honestly...I don't think so. I really don't get terribly attached to THINGS. Sure I'm sad when they get broken, but it's not the end of the world. So here's what I came up with.....GRACE. He is teaching me GRACE. My instinct was to be mad. However, when I looked in the eyes of my baby boy and saw the sadness, I was reminded of how I must disappoint my Lord on a daily. We are all sinners by nature, but he forgives us. Whether it is living in fear, making snap judgements about people instead of looking at them through Christ-like eyes or not being able to let go of my raging caffeine addiction....I sin. And HE forgives me and grants me another day to do better.
That night, I cuddled my little guy before bed and thanked the Lord for this precious gift....of grace. I still have the dish as well as the piece that broke off. My plan is to super glue it back together and fill it with candies. I pray that each day it serves as a reminder of brokenness, forgiveness, grace and a little sweetness.
Yesterday didn't start off very well. My Cohen was sick and it was later revealed he had strep throat. My Claire was having tummy troubles. I was feeling like I had been hit by a dump truck for a few reasons. I have tons to do and ZERO motivation to do any of it. This Christmas has been harder than I imagined it could be. BUT I still look for the joy.
One of the THINGS in my home that I love is a crystal candy dish. It was given to me by Brian's grandma when we were newlyweds. I love it. In February, it's filled with conversation hearts. In March and April, pastel M&Ms. During the summer months, I keep it exciting! As soon as fall rolls around, it's a mix of candy corn, M&Ms and peanuts. At Christmas, I LOVE to fill it with Brach's Holiday Mix. It always looks so pretty and I love to sneak a piece whenever I get the chance. I really love this candy dish. Now, to the point...
Cohen was sneaking a piece...when the lid slipped from his cute little hands. I knew when I heard it what had just taken place. Before I even saw it I was sad. I went into the living room and he was flashing me his million dollar smile. I informed him that this was not funny. He instantly broke down into a sobbing mess. I felt horrible but still wanted him to know that this was exactly why I had told him not to get into the dish himself. As he cried, "Momma...I'm so SOOOOWWWWWWEEEEEEE," I told him that I forgave him. And of course I did, wholeheartedly.
I then thought about this for the rest of the day. Am I too attached to THINGS? Was this what God is trying to tell me? This has happened before. The ONLY things that get broken are things I love. But honestly...I don't think so. I really don't get terribly attached to THINGS. Sure I'm sad when they get broken, but it's not the end of the world. So here's what I came up with.....GRACE. He is teaching me GRACE. My instinct was to be mad. However, when I looked in the eyes of my baby boy and saw the sadness, I was reminded of how I must disappoint my Lord on a daily. We are all sinners by nature, but he forgives us. Whether it is living in fear, making snap judgements about people instead of looking at them through Christ-like eyes or not being able to let go of my raging caffeine addiction....I sin. And HE forgives me and grants me another day to do better.
That night, I cuddled my little guy before bed and thanked the Lord for this precious gift....of grace. I still have the dish as well as the piece that broke off. My plan is to super glue it back together and fill it with candies. I pray that each day it serves as a reminder of brokenness, forgiveness, grace and a little sweetness.
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