More learning each day....

My journey of self discovery... ( that is fancy for clearing/cleaning) out has just begun. I took the liberty yesterday morning for more "self-discovery." With the freezing rain hitting my windows and my eyes wide opened, I ventured into my closet. I decided I would start with all of our towels and sheets and then I moved onto my clothes...With the system in place, I began. If I hadn't used it or had too many, I put it in the goodwill pile. If it was all used up or in bad shape, I tossed it. If I knew I would use it, then it found a place to call home on the shelves or the drawers ( My husband redid our closet with the Container Store--he is so good). Here are a few things I learned about the linens...

1. No one needs 9 sets of sheets for the same bed - even if they were on sale. I don't know about your bed, but my bed can only have 1 set at a time.

2. We had way too many blankets...Except today it is 15 degrees, I might should go back and pull them out....No, resist the urge, I kept plenty (at least one per family member!).

3. Some of my pillowcases and sheets could be considered vintage--Oh My how time flies!!

3. For towels, they look much better if you can fold them and even better if you can find them.

Here is a finished picture....

It was only around 5:00 (am that is) - so I moved onto my clothes. It's funny that we say we have nothing to wear...Last time I checked I did and probably so do you. It's more like...I haven't got the right thing to wear but more on the learning a bit later. My system here was a little different. I decided that the clothes that didn't fit were definitely going but then there were two other categories that I needed to consider. The first one was clothes that held memories - such as a leather vest that Scott gave me and then the second was that some of my clothes weren't "Me." Oh they belonged to me but didn't feel like me. Perhaps I bought them at a great price or at a time when I thought I needed them. It was also clothes that didn't make me feel great when I put them on. Let me explain this concept further....I love to take my girls shopping. When Savannah (my teenager) tries on clothes, I know immediately if she likes them. Her face lights up, she fixes her hair and she envisions what shoes she'll wear. When Presleigh( my 9 year old) gets clothes, she knows her style - and she loves to mix and match clothes. Yes, I love that my girls love clothes. So when I began the clearing out, I wanted that same feeling...that when I put that top, sweater or jeans on, I smile and begin to fix my hair, smile and think of shoes....So the sorting began...

Here's what I learned..

1. I had way too many clothes that weren't me... This was like an episode of "What Not to Wear" except No Stacy and Clinton and no embarrassing video.

2. Memories are not in the clothes..They are in my heart.

3. The clothes that are little too tight or too big...tossed. I don't plan on getting bigger and when I need smaller, it will be fun to go buy them.

4. Even after all that...I still have clothes!!

Now for real self- discovery....

*Just like the urge to get the blankets, we tend to want to go back and pick up that thing that we just gave to God so he could handle it (just as he wants). Or even still, we want to go back and get the bitterness, selfishness, pride or ______(you fill in the blank) that we felt towards someone or a situation, We think we might need that old feeling again.. The Lord tells us to get rid of those things so he can make a better way. You know the beauty of God's wisdom is it is his. He has what we need to make it through the bitter cold , the storms and the joys of life. We don't need to go back into that old box, no matter how tempting.

*My clothes, no matter if they are the latest fashions or something from the past, they do not define who I am. It's fun to look cute, to try new fashions, and it's ok to stick with what is comfortable. But it really isn't important. Paul says this is our wardrobe...

"Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Col 3:12

Those need to be forefront in our fashion, in our lives...then no matter what You or I wear, these will be the best additions to our wardrobe.

* I also realized that I am so blessed. The Lord said he would provide for all my needs. After filling 4 trash sized bags, my closet wasn't bare, my clothes were enough for me. I've made room, I've cleared out the old, the "not me's", the extras and I can share with others who are in need.

I am loving this journey...thanks for sharing it with me. Coming Soon...the office closet and the laundry room....learning never ends!! Until next time,

Blessings,

The things I have learned....

Let me speak from the heart.... I have too much stuff!! I tried to think of ways to say this, an endearing little line about she who dies with the most....wins. But in reality she who has the most is a slave to it and is always finding places to put it! I have so many passions..in art, in creative endeavors, in needlework, in home keeping, in cooking and baking, in gardening, in books, in music, in decorating, my family, my faith, my Lord... the list is endless...but so is what I have accumulated over the past 25 years. Now in saying that, there are treasures I will not part with and there are things needed to pursue those said passions. It is good to have a library of great books, it is good to have those treasures that create special memories in the home or further my artistic inspirations. So please do not read that I am going to the minimalist side....I am a memory-ist (my own word). I love to be surrounded by treasures of times gone by, those gifts from my Mom, my husband, my children, making my home a reflection of those that I love and what brings me joy. I love the sound of buttons as you rustle your hands through them, lace as it shows such a feminine side. I love to read Cookbooks as thought they were novels. So my home is still a reflection of me. But today, I took the inspiration from a wonderful blog by Heather Bullard. She took time to redo her bookcases and found out things about her and what her focus would be. I am going to begin tackling room by room...So here is what I did today...

In my sewing room is a walk-in closet and an attic closet. Neither one of these could I walk in, so moving boxes were purchased and taped together, and the clean out began. If I couldn't remember the last time I used it, it went in the goodwill box. If it was broken or no longer able to be used, it was tossed. If I loved it and knew what I would use it for, I saved it..

The following pictures give a glimpse of what I am donating....

What I discovered about me...

1. I absolutely love baskets..but I became a basket case when trying to keep them all.

2. I had around 25 lamp shades -varying sizes...I guess we were all wearing lampshades to the party...turn out the lights the party is over!

3. I love to organize..but I had so many different styles of organization that nothing was organized.

4. To recycle, repurpose is great..except when you have over 30 pairs of jeans...So, I am going to let others have a pair of wranglers, rustlers, huskys and bootcut. It is good to share.

5. It didn't hurt to let those 5 boxes plus a few bags go like I thought it would. It actually is freeing... and it is wonderful not to trip over all those things just to get a piece of ribbon or fabric.

Here are a few pictures of the closets (sorry some are dark..there are only tap lights in the attic closet)...

You can see that there is still plenty to create and sew. But you can also see the floor!!! It is a great feeling to clear out - not just the physical but the emotional and spiritual as well. We can feel free when we clear out those overflowing closets, but the Lord also tells us that our freedom is in Christ when we clear out the old and let him bring in the new. I know that for my sewing room..only that which is precious or a treasure will be brought back in. And I know that the Lord will only bring in the absolute best he has to offer...Won't you clear out with me....you closets, your cabinets, your heart? Until next time,

Blessings,

A new year....new Joy

After Christmas has been put away, I long for a soft palette of creams, calming wintery whites and a touch of vintage silver. I am not a neutral gal as our home has many colors throughout. We often tease that we have the Red Room, the Blue Room and then the Ocean Room, just too mention a few. I am a lover of many colors as some create energy, drama, or a sense of relaxation. But after the reds, greens, lights, ornaments, Snowmen and Santas- it is good to just have simple, soft and soothing.

I hope you have already found joy in the New Year and that your daily living is enriched by those that you love and love you in return. I hope your New Year's Resolutions include finding joy in the everyday. Sometimes that is harder than the typical resolutions such as weight loss, fitness, spending less money (of course, those are on my list too). Joy can come in so many ways. We tend to think of joy as a life without challenges, sorrows or just inconveniences. Let me turn that around....Presleigh received a Thesaurus for Christmas (She was bored with using the same words), So I thought I would look up Joy - so here are some words we can use to see that there is indeed joy in our lives -- Delight, triumph, great pleasure, jubilation, joyfulness, bliss, exuberant, happiness, gladness, rejoicing, treat....this brings to mind someone I know who has beaten Cancer..She triumphed - She has Joy! my son, had an accident at the Gym on Tuesday and has a compressed vertebrae fracture - I am rejoicing that he does not need surgery, nor a brace - He will heal in time and have no permanent damage, just some inconveniences... We have joy! In these two circumstances, many times we don't see Joy...But if we look harder, Joy lies beneath what is seen. I pray that your journey into 2011 will be filled with wonderful times, wonderful people, realized dreams, exciting endeavors but above all,remember, There is joy in our journey...

Until next time- Blessings,

P.S. I am not sure what happened to my font...It's kind of wierd!!

****Also, check out our new blog at fifty -two cakes *****

Wishing you wonderful times with those you love, bounty at your table, gratitude in your heart, joy for the journey, and a love that is all surpassing in the gift God has given you. Blessings to you this Christmas.

A story to be told

It’s raining. It’s pouring and no I am not snoring. I am actually home – which is rare. Perhaps my errands can wait for a while, my running here and there and seeming always to end up at Walmart. But today is different, perhaps it’s the grayness or the sound of rain that has kept me in or perhaps it’s the need to be where I can look through each room, each pile, each paper, and recall that I am blessed. I have a place to which my children love to be, where my husband comes home to each week after being gone, where I feel safe and loved.

I stopped in the middle of my “cleaning” and thought I would write a bit…it’s been awhile. What really prompted me was Presleigh’s room. Some might see her room as a bit full...full of stuffed animals that have been lovingly chosen, full of trinkets from places we’ve been such as London, Florida, California and of course those wonderful garage sales and treasure stores. They may see an abundance of papers, pictures, notebooks, that they may think to throw away. Believe it or not, I do think that at times but today as I was picking up little bits of paper and such, I read one of the stories that Presleigh had written. A treasure to be kept not a scrap to be tossed.You see, she is a creative soul, always looking, thinking, dreaming, writing, asking, searching, and believing. Believing in her abilities, in her imagination, in the possibilities, the limitless nature of God. Of course, she is only nine. My older children at times, want to shush her or at the very least, just roll their eyes and look at me. My response has and always will be – “You once were like that.” But then I think to myself, “ I once was like that.”

What changes? What happens to us as we leave those wonder years where everything is a wonder, a dream, a possibility. What is it about a child that captures the essence of who we should be?

As I ponder these thoughts and so many others, I can’t help but think that like Presleigh, we have a story that is waiting to be told…A story that encompasses so much more than we realize. Our story is of one who was lost and has been found, a story of limitless possibilities to those that believe in the Mighty One of Jacob, the Lord. “For with God, nothing is impossible." (Luke).A story of pure redemption, where nothing in our past is held against us, for those that have received forgiveness. Our future is bright – for the one who lights our path, lights the day with the sun and the moon and stars by night. Our story can be new each day just as his mercies are new.

Presleigh writes several stories a day. They are inspired by what is happening at school, what she is reading, what she is experiencing, even where she is in her walk with the Lord. Her stories give me a glimpse into her very being. Her writings are so precious to me…she is precious to me. It is almost time to get back to her room but I do have just one question for you, for me........What is your story? Remember, you are precious in his sight....Go ahead dear one and begin writing your story as you live in the daily. Your story is worth reading.

Happy Fall!

Hope this day finds you enjoying your may blessings...I wanted to share with you that I am still here, still grateful, still reflecting, still seeking the direction and purpose that God wants to show me. I am creating, crafting, decorating, cleaning (always because when you create, craft or decorate..cleaning must follow, right?), loving and taking care of my family. We are getting in the spirit of seasons of celebrating. Really shouldn't everyday be a reason to Celebrate?!! Until next time,

Blessings

Taking a break...but first pictures of T&T2

It is time for me to take a little break from the world of blogging (not that I am very faithful at it) but nonetheless, it is always on my to do list and I become anxious over not having posted or forgot to take pictures of certain things....so for now I am going to sign off for awhile - I need a little time of reflection, direction and a dream---But I did want to show you pictures of our wonderful day at my home for Tidbits and Tassels 2. The weather was beautiful, the ladies were wonderful and the weekend was memorable...So here are some pictures of this wonderful time of gathering, creating, laughing and well just having fun!! (these are in no particular order!!)

I'll be back soon....you can find me on facebook--just ask to be my friend and of course I will accept. Until next time....Blessings,