A New Coat

The painters are coming today to put a fresh coat of paint on my walls. They are going to be painting all of the gold paint....GRAY!! I am so excited. When we first moved into this house we love love loved the paint colors. But as time has gone on (2 1/2 years) I have realized what a crappy job they did with the painting. It is splochy and thin (needed another coat). The color has lost it's charm for me and if we didn't have super high vaulted ceilings I would have painted it myself by now.

When I started obsessing about the color (an I do mean obsessing...poor Jim) My sweet hubby suggested we take a weekend and paint it ourselves. Sure....except we don't own a ladder tall enough (and he HATES being on any ladder), and I didn't really want to bug him with it (he also HATES to paint!). I asked my friends for some referrals and called a couple. The one we ended up with will do all the prep, buy the paint and paint the whole thing (in about 4 hours) for less than $500!!!

Cue the choir singing and commence the happy dance!! I am pumped!! Best thing to spend our tax return on EVER!! So today will start a whole new look. Now to find some curtains ;) (This feels like a whole new chapter to "If You Give a Pig a Pancake)

Kindness

I found this in a blog I follow. It felt right, right now.
 ( Thanks Glennon)

Excerpt from  Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem..

 Kindness

Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.

…..

Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
it is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.

Diversion

Five years ago I was at my Mom's house. I found a book there that I remembered seeing in a bookstore ad...but hadn't heard much about. It was Twilight. Later that week my Mom passed away and I picked up the book. I couldn't sleep and needed a distraction. I read it all night and finished when my Dad was getting up for the day. It was just what I needed to keep my mind numb. The next day I went out and bought the next book in the series. It helped to take the edge off the pain and the anger and the sadness. 

Flash forward five years. It is my Mom's birthday today. I started another book...Beautiful Creatures. It is a story that revolves around a girl with mysterious powers who will be claimed by either the light or the dark on her birthday....February 11th. What are the odds that I would start this book today, February 11th, when it has been sitting in my house for a month. I had the biggest grin on my face. My Mom was sitting next to me, just for a split second, smiling too. I know I'm not alone in this trial. I have amazing friends who look out for me and of course my sweet sisters, who get it. My beautiful family that loves me through the loss and sadness have been amazing. But this year I have been able to draw closer to my Savior. He gets my grief. He has felt it....the way I am feeling it. That has brought me more comfort than I can say. I am better this year than I have been in the last five. I know the week isn't over yet...but I am stronger. I'll just take it as it comes.

More To Love

You might get the idea that I like Valentines Day. I don't. But I do love the colors associated with it. And I LOVE making things for my family and friends. My sister sent me a text with a photo of a craft kit consisting of 4 chunks of 2x4 and 4 mini candle sticks. The kit cost $22 and came unfinished and without any embellishments at all. What?? Robbery!!

Sister asked if she bought the kit and shipped it to me, could I finish it and mail it back. I figured I could do one better and just get the stuff here and make it up.  Not hard. I did forget to seal the paper with Mod Podge before applying the stain....epic fail. A re-do was needed pronto. (Yes, this is my kitchen table!)

After I got that sorted out, the rest went more smoothly.

I had to look around a bit to find the right paper. But I think I scored with this set. Jo and Steph helped me pick it out.

Set #1....I love the aqua and red in this one. It makes me very happy.

Set #2....Obviously chosen for the owls. I can't get enough of their cuteness!!

And set #3...Probably my favorite. I like the mini tutus they are wearing.

Overall a fun and quick-ish craft. Happy February.

For Miss Cylie

Here it is. A little blanket for Cylie. She loved the table runners I made for her Mama so much that she actually slept with one. I figured I could do better than that for the little stinker.

I grabbed four fat quarters from my stash and a top I already had made of denim and flannel squares. Took me four hours from start to finish. It's nothing fancy...but I am pretty sure it will be well loved!!

Sucker Punch

Yesterday I decided that my family had too much junk. So with that bee in my bonnet I proceeded to drag every box we own into the family room for inventory. Jo had 12 big boxes Kevin had 6 (but I had taken 6 to him already). I had 4 boxes and Jim still has 4 (I can't throw out his stuff). I was able to reduce Jo's pile to 8 totes and Kevin now has 4. In my pile were a couple treasures that I've had FOREVER that I will never have out again....but I couldn't part with. This is one. She was in my room my entire childhood. She is a part of my past that I treasure....but not a part I have room for now. So I am documenting her existence and helping her move on. 

This is another blast from the past. It broke during the last move so helping this little treasure to move on was a little easier. I figured by keeping a photo of them, I could keep the memory of them but not have them taking up valuable shelf space.

Then there were boxes of papers. Papers from my childhood, papers from when my kids were in school, cards from every occasion. This was my birthday card from 2008. How do I know this? Because it is the first one actually signed by my Dad. Also, I boycotted my birthday that year. Didn't love it at all.

I know this (other than from the dreadful memory of it all) because I left my birthday money in it. Yep. $25 in a box in my basement for 5 years. I was angry. Every year, no matter where I was, I knew that my Mom was celebrating the day that I was born...even if it felt like no one else was. So yeah....Some of the boxes were fun to go through. I got to snuggle my babies blankets and tiny toys....but I had to dig through boxes of other memories too. Hard time of year for that. 

Oh well. The boxes fit so much better on my shelves. I feel good about the over-all progress of de-junking....and the progress I have made being less angry. February is coming, my friends. I have a plan in place this year. This year WILL be different. 

Comfort

Happy Sunday my friends. It is rainy and a bit gloomy here today...but I love it. I like to stay inside (once in a while) and snuggle under a blanket on the couch and watch a movie. Because it is Sunday I am trying to read the lesson material for the coming weeks (instead of a movie). I find it very interesting that one of the topics for February is "How can I find comfort when someone I care about dies?" I am a leader of the youth in our church. I am "in charge" (I use that phrase loosely in case someone actually thinks I am responsible enough to be in charge) of the 12 &13 year old girls. We will discuss (at some point next month) what the girls can do to find comfort. HA!! I am so not a good role model for that one. Sure, in the space of 5 years I have become less sad, angry, lonely and hurt....but am I truly qualified to teach these sweet girls anything about finding comfort. I personally have found that there are things that have helped (a little) and I have TRULY felt the love of my Savior, Jesus Christ, while I have mourned the loss of my Mama (and best friend). But I really don't feel like I am a beacon of mental health or that I have enough answers for this subject.  I will probably let someone else teach this one. Not sure I could even get through is without being a sobbing mess. February 14th is fast approaching. This year will be different. Who knows....maybe that will make it easier. I do know that pizza is on the menu...and I don't have to share it (or feel guilty for eating the whole. dang. thing.) How do you find comfort?? How do you spend February 14th?? Do you like rainy days?? Do you like playing 20 questions with me :) Thanks for leaving a comment. I do love them.