My room is done...for now!

I've got my craft room to a place where I like it.  It'll probably change over the next few years, but that's expected.  My needs and desires might change so I'll change the space with them. But for now!  I'm really happy with how it turned out.  Here's what I've got now.

These two shelves look so much less cluttered I think.  The two black and white boxes with the pink trim I picked up at Dollar General.  They hold miscellaneous craft items like paints, glue, modge podge, embroidery floss - things I use but not every day or even every week.  The two white boxes are from Ikea (REALLY wish we had one closer to us!) and they hold other little seldom used items.  The wicker basket holds a cross stitch project I've been working on for Y-E-A-R-S!  I may never finish it, but I really like to stitch now and then in the evening.  File folders hold paper memorabilia of the boys' that I want to scrap, like special notes from the teacher or copies of programs.  The 3 stacked round boxes are from a dear friend.  Here's a close up:

One of my favorite stamps says, "A friend knows the song in my heart, and sings it when my memory fails."

That sentiment is printed on one of the boxes.  Sweet, huh?  These hold my very tiny supply of sewing notions.  I'm not a sewer.  I'm a mender.  And a mother of scouts.  So I have thread of various colors and needles to sew on patches and merit badges.  And perform surgery on the occasional stuffed animal.  I think I also have some straight pins, a tape measure and a stitch ripper.  Other than that...sewing...pffft.

Here is one of my tables.  Told you I had tables in this room! 

Can you see the sign?  It says, "Mothers of little boys work from son up till son down!"  Gift from my sister-in-law.  She's got it right!  The shoe boxes in the corner hold my ink pads.  The wicker basket has all the photos that need to get put away.  They are contained and not lying around potentially getting lost!  That makes me happy.  Bud's scout scrapbook is lying open.  I have room to work!  YES!  The binder on the left holds my unmounted stamps.  I have plans to cover it with paper and make it prettier.  And behind it are organizers that hold magazines, catalogs and other "hey, I want to make that" kinds of things.  I've promised myself I'm not allowed any more than what these organizers can hold.  So if I come home with a new magazine, something old MUST go.  Good rule to have.

This is the other leg to my L-shaped table.  Love the peg board. I'm always changing what goes here and what goes in little drawers.  The bulletin board I'd like to cover with fabric or paper crisscrossed ribbon (know what I mean?) just to make it prettier.  It holds "love notes" from my boys and family memories.  The small drawers on top hold stamping supplies, chalks, blocks, little pieces of "stuff" I just can't bear to get rid of...yeah, we all have drawers for that.  12x12 drawers underneath for paper.  Still need one more set of those.  And the new wall decor!!

Another gift from my dear friend, Lisa, who sells Uppercase Living.  Another fav quote of mine is "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."  Isn't that beautiful?  So she thought I needed this for my room.  I love it!  It speaks about what I want the room to be.  Not just paper crafting art, but anything beautiful that is made that cleanses the soul.  Whether it's music or writing, coloring, gluing.  Anything. 

So!  There you have it!  Nothing like what Martha might have done, but it suites me just fine. 

Something Old...

I journaled a lot when I was in the midst of one of my serious struggles with depression.  I read through that journal now and then.  Here is something I wrote in January 2010:

My sadness...

I wish it was not mine.

Maybe that is how I must start-

     

 Disown it.

           

      Remove my name from it.

               Disconnect it from my self.

The sadness that hangs around me, that follows me, leads, accompanies me.
It pulls at me-
I cannot lift my arms to hug,
           My hands to write,
                My legs to walk.

It pulls at the corners of my mouth;
                I frown in my sleep.

It occupies every corner of my brain.
           My memories are sad,
                My thoughts are sad,
                    My words are sad.

My body and soul are consumed.

A Few Good Reads

I've been thinking about books lately, the ones I've read in the past that I really enjoyed.  And I thought about how I enjoy the combination of a good cup of coffee with a good book.  So that's today's post - books with coffee! 


The book that is foremost in my memory right now is The Eight by Katherine Neville.  I think that's probably because the copy I've read 2 or 3 times before belongs to my wonderful sister-in-law and I returned it to her at Christmas.  I only had it in my possession for, oh...years.  Sorry Trace!  What I enjoy so much about The Eight is that it's a blend of genres I love.  Mystery, murder, adventure, historical fiction.  And it's a thinker.  It traces the history of a mysterious chess set across centuries and around the world.  So good!


I'm also a fan of Jane Austen.  I enjoy the humor in her books and the use of language.  Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility...all so good.  And Emma, too, although it's a long one.  Quick side note:  Hubby and I were at a restaurant one night and our waitress came by with a fresh loaf of crusty bread, asking us if we wanted "another thing of bread."  Another THING of bread?  Did she not know the word "loaf"?  It just struck us as so strange!  You would never catch a J.A. character requesting a "thing" of bread.

I've read a couple of Willa Cather's books, too.  My Antonia and O Pioneers!  are both very good books.  O Pioneers! was made into a movie and I have yet to see it.  Did you know it was filmed right down the road from us?  Really!  And the farmland and house it was filmed on is owned by a friend, so I've seen the home.  Really!  And further yet, that homestead was first owned and lived on by a church member and her family before her.  Really!  Cool, huh?  So now I must see the movie.  Anyway, the books are about the early days of Nebraska and the midwest, the struggles, the hardships and how we survive it all with family and friends.  Good reads.

Ooo, this is a good one!

Agatha Christie is an author I return to every few years.  I spent a whole summer with her one year.  I was probably middle school age and our family was on vacation.  I found the local library and devoured all of the A.C. books they had.  My grandmother was a great fan of mysteries, so I'm sure I got it from her!  I know I borrowed a few books off of her shelf, too.




There is another book I read years ago.  I checked it out from the local library on a whim.  But once I started reading it, I fell in love with it.  And I knew my mother would enjoy it too, so it was a gift to her that year.  She did enjoy it.  And for the life of me I cannot remember the name of it!  Time to call mom...



One book that has been a timely one for me, and Hubby, is Dakota by Kathleen Norris.  It is a memoir, a series of thoughts, stories, and observations about the authors time living in the midwest.  She inherited her grandparent's place, one where she spent time as a child.  So these observations are ones of an easterner from the "Big City" being made as an outsider.  It's a very thought provoking book.


As I looked through our bookshelves I found so many books that bring back good memories.  The Harry Potter series, The Secret Garden, The Lord of the Rings series, To Kill a Mockingbird, Wuthering Heights, the Little House series.  Not to mention a string of non-fiction. Thanks for letting me share with you today all the reasons there are to pick up a book.  What are some of your favs?

Renewal

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from Thy presence,

And take not thy Holy Spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;

And uphold me with Thy free spirit.  

Amen.

The Snappiness of Me

So I did it.  Again.  I snapped at Mouse who was just wanting a hug. 

The thing is, I was in the middle of writing.  Of composing.  Of putting together adult sentences complete with multisyllabic words.  And I was interrupted for a little thing like a hug.  I couldn't believe it!  Could he not see that I was typing away right next to him?  Could he not tell that my mind, and my hands, were occupied?  Why did he have to choose such a time to ask for a hug?!

Oh the rush of emotions that flooded through me in a matter of seconds.  Anger.  Frustration.  Confusion.  Denial.  Guilt. 

My little Mouse is sick.  Has been for two days.  Just a low grade fever, but enough to keep him down and out.  All he wanted was a hug from his Mommy.  He's so patient to listen to my impatient crys of, "Just give me a minute!  I'm trying to write something down."   This is the same child who told me a few days ago, "You're the best mom, Mommy.  Even when you are grumpy." 

Isn't that how God deals with me?  He waits, patiently, until I have time for Him.  He watches while I busy myself with things that "can't wait".  He remains faithful to the very end.  He knows that His love for me will bring me back around.  He does not give up on me.  He floods me with grace.

Oh, the innocence of children.  Oh, the mightiness of our God.  Oh, the lessons He teaches me while I sit on my couch.  I'm thankful He waits for me with open arms.

Craft room update

Hi!  Got your coffee?  I've got mine.  Let's chat about my room, hmm? 

I'm making progress!  I love being able to say that.  "Progress is being made."  "Things are progressing nicely."  They all sound good.  I can see my tables again.  Woo hoo!  The floor now, that's another story...

Here's what I did.  I grabbed 3 laundry baskets from the basement and, in my queenly fashion, dubbed them:

1. "You don't belong here" = item belongs in another room of the house
2. "You do belong here" = item stays in my room
3. "You are leaving my house, one way or another."  = it's being donated to Goodwill or given to a friend or thrown out!

Then I started pulling everything off the tables and shelves.  EVERYTHING went into one of those 3 baskets.  I really enjoyed tossing things into the baskets.  I really did!  Especially the two on the ends (you don't belong here and you are leaving my house).  I didn't have to think about where the item did belong or what it's fate would be, I just tossed it.  Decisions to be made later.  Love that!  The basket that was the fullest was the You Do Belong Here basket.  In fact, it was spilling out onto the floor. And most of it is still there!  Yep, I've got my work cut out for me.

 Once my tables were cleaned, I started moving things back in.  I thought a lot about how I like to work, what I want the room to look like.  I don't spend that much time thinking about myself and how I like to do things.  So I pushed myself to do that and was able to make some decisions about how to store and display my supplies.   As I went along I realized some more storage type things would be needed.  A power cord for my Cricut, heat tool, glue gun, light and other possible crafting necesseties.  A tension rod for storing ribbons on.  I'm going to try using it vertically by threading the ribbon spools on and installing it between the shelves.  Not sure it'll work but I'll give it a try.  Another 12x12 set of drawers for storing papers and page protectors. 

I have more decisions to make today and I better get to it.  I'll try to get new pics up, too, once there is something good to share.  But first on my list is to empty at least one basket.  I started laundry earlier and I only have one basket to work with right now.  Yikes!

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day has never been a big deal in our home.  I decided to start changing that this year.  Not that it needs to be a "big deal", but I do want to observe it.  I've read about St. Valentine this year, here and there, catching bits and pieces off of blogs and the internet.  And it got me to thinking about the tremendous amount of love that has been shown throughout history.  Sometimes in big ways, sometimes in small ways and sometimes in ways that weren't even known to the receiver.  Love shown in secret, more or less.  I want my boyos to know more about giving love to others.  We receive the love of Christ and they know that.  I want them to know more about sharing that love with others.  There are so many ways to do that.  In big and boisterous ways like wrestling on the living room floor. 

In small ways like homemade cinnamon rolls to share with others, and watching them enjoy!

 In secret ways like praying for a loved one who might be lonely. 

I saw a lot of ideas around Christmas time for "Random Acts of Kindness".  That might be something I incorporate into my new observance of Valentine's Day next year. 

Our Valentine's Day this year saw a few decorations around the house.  Vases filled with conversation hearts and tealight candles on top, a beautiful pink cyclamen in the window, paper doilies on the table to create a last minute runner, the good china at suppertime. 

Who knows if any of this meant anything to the boys.  But I've started something.  Something I hope will continue.  A simple observance of love.  Love that was first shown to us and that we can graciously show to others.
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And here is Mouse's Valentine monster he made for school to hold his valentines.  Do you remember making these boxes and bags?  I sure do.  It was Mouse's idea to make the teeth out of hearts.  We glued them to the inside of the box lid.  Cute huh?  We shared a lot of love working on this box together!

Happy Valentine's Day to you!