Monday, December 1, 2008

updates

A lot has been going on lately. I guess a big part of that has to do with the season and the end of the semester approaching. I've also been on the road a lot with my job. It's been fun to get away from the everyday and to get some time to see my sister while at my last stop.

Last weekend was our first snowstorm. It just so happened that my children were spending the weekend with their auntie. They got quite the surprise when they came home. With money from their great-grandpa, Poppy Don, I was able to paint and decorate their room a little bit.


This is their cozy-corner. They really like to snuggle in there together to watch a movie or to read a while. It used to be fort-like with old pillows collected from every possible area in the house. Now it's much more "spacious".








This is the finished product of their bunk-beds. Emma's up top. She considers this space to be her "room", so I tried to give her some privacy, thus the tie-dye curtain on the front. If you look closely, you will see that her back wall is red and orange flames on a black background. She would have loved to have the entire room painted that way, which could not have happened. At least now her "room" has some of her favorite decor. The bottom bunk belongs to Katie. She now has a fuzzy green pillow that matches her comforter. She is very excited to have a room where most things match and coordinate. She's a decorater and organizer at heart, so she was screaming with delight when she walked into this room.


That's about it for us in the last couple of weeks. I am home today with Emma. She's feeling really under the weather with a nasty, nasty cough. And what better way to spend a sick day at home.......
That's her spending some 45 minutes with Archie and Jughead. Who knew??









Monday, November 10, 2008

ahh, Mondays

So I've taken today off so I can have a four day weekend. What was I thinking???? The grand plan was to simplify the house....declutter, clean, throw stuff out, etc. How much of that has been done? 0 that's how much. It's been a complete wash. I've been tired and lazy and gone to meetings and hospitals and seen family, but no cleaning!!!

It started me to wonder how people who are starving or are in the middle of a war do it. I don't have any of that and I can't get off the couch. Maybe they have motiviation because their lives depend on it, I don't know. But this sitting in the lap of luxury isn't working to motivate me so very well.

Did I mention I'm starting to feel sick again??? Not so happy about that one.

ahh, Mondays

So I've taken today off so I can have a four day weekend. What was I thinking???? The grand plan was to simplify the house....declutter, clean, throw stuff out, etc. How much of that has been done? 0 that's how much. It's been a complete wash. I've been tired and lazy and gone to meetings and hospitals and seen family, but no cleaning!!!

It started me to wonder how people who are starving or are in the middle of a war do it. I don't have any of that and I can't get off the couch. Maybe they have motiviation because their lives depend on it, I don't know. But this sitting in the lap of luxury isn't working to motivate me so very well.

Did I mention I'm starting to feel sick again??? Not so happy about that one.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

testing

trying something new

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

I do love an election!!!

It's November 4th and I am so excited!!!! Today, Americans vote for their next President and I might be more excited than some of them. I'm not sure what's gotten into me, but I can't get enough information. I love hearing the stories of people voting for the first time. I actually cried in my car this morning when I heard about people lined up around city blocks waiting for their chance to vote. It's not even my country!!!!

So, if you see me tomorrow and I'm looking tired, you would be correct. I'm in a hotel room in Saint John tonight and it has cable, which means I get CNN!!! Hurray!!!!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

simplifying isn't so simple

I don't know if it's because it's a new academic year or if it's just because it's time, but I feel an intense need to simplify my living space. We have TOO much stuff. It is constantly underfoot. It feels as if it's crawling out of every nook and cranny like the Blob in an old black and white movie. It's as if it has a life of its own and it is daring me to tame it.

My heart is ready to accept the challenge, but my schedule and pocket book want to thwart my efforts. This is probably the busiest fall season I have experienced. It seems like everyday is filled with one appointment or another and each week is different. There seems to be little consistency in my schedule. Some would find that invigorating. I do not. I like predictability. I find freedom in repetitive scheduling. I have found the fall to be extremely challenging: emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. I have not had a true sense of equilibrium. I LONG for equilibrium. Repetition brings equilibrium!!!

Thus my current desire for a simplified home where all the contents within are functional and useful. I'm tired of having stuff only for the sake of having stuff. I want to go through all my cupboards and closests and the basement (yikes!) and get rid of everything....like cleaning your house for moving, except without the moving.

So stay tuned. There may be some free stuff posted on here. I would love for my clutter to become your functional and useful tool.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

stay tuned

I'm not exactly sure what's happening. I just feel a change happening inside me. It's like.....

  • floating in a river and feeling the water all around you and the sun beaming warm on you and hearing birds and water and stillness all at the same time
  • my mind wants to engage in the discussion but my heart keeps telling it to be still
  • a heaviness in my chest that isn't stress or anxiety and doesn't actually feel that heavy but it's solid, like a firm foundation being built in the core of my being

I really don't know what's going on inside my spirit/heart....I don't think I even want to know. I just want to get out of the way of whatever He is doing and let Him get on with it. I don't know what it's going to look/feel like when He's done.

The only certainty is that it will be beautiful.