I want to move to Australia ;)

So many amazing crafters live there. And they have great surf. I used to surf a little before I got married and became Land Locked in Upstate NY. Ah I miss the ocean and I long to have a crafting/sewing group again. I want to move back home to Maine, but not sure that's going to happen. So how about Australia?!

Laundry Up To My Eyeballs

Just an honest post, lest you think my house is always neat and perfect.

As you can see in the background my laundry is "outa control", my bedroom is a wreck and I'm still in my PJ's past noon.

Come and join me for some Humble Pie...

I've sure got plenty of it, and it really is quite Delicious once you get past the bitter taste of lost pride.

Where is this going I have no Idea, but I just had to write it all down.

We have been remodelling our house since we moved in, and it will be 4 yrs this August. I really can't wait to be done. In the mean time we have also had 2 lovely little children. We had both been Volunteering @ church weekly and Kevin works overtime off and on. He always works of course. I meant the overtime was off and on throughout the years. I tried out doing childcare, So needless to say we've been busy. And lately things have just been coming to a head and I have learned that we can't do everything and we both need to learn to say no. And need to ask for help myself sometimes. I never ask for help, and this week I got myself in over my head, and I just had to. I was very humbled and I was forced to have my friends see my house @ it's worst and me @ my wits end. And I don't like crying in front of people.

This week has been insane, my house looked like a tornado hit. So I decided it was a dip your candy bar in peanut butter kinda day. I was losing my mind. My house is not typically this chaotic. I am a pretty organized person, and have a routine that works for our family. But I decided to undertake a crazy project of clearing out our bedroom and closet and painting it all. And I thought I could do it all myself and still take care of my munchkins and house and everything would be fine. Just like me to bite off more than I can chew. I was so very wrong. I felt @ first that I shouldn't ask for help, after all, I got myself into this mess, I should be able to get myself out of it.

Like I said, I was trying to mud and paint the closet too. So Alllll and I mean allll of our clean clothes were in the dinning room, along with some furniture. Waiting to be put back in the closet. And of course I think this is the perfect time to sort them and donate what doesn't fit anymore. What a mess. Now they are on my bed.

And on top of all that the Dishes were piled up,

The computer broke and therefore no phone.

The dryer broke and it was -my fault, ugggg! I forgot to put the filter back in after I cleaned it out and it sucked up some socks. I tried to turn it on last night and it revved like an engine and just burned out.

So needless to say the dirty clothes were piling up fast, I was trying to hang what I could but the pollen has been insane and my allergies are so bad my eyes are all swollen and I haven't been able to wear mascara for a month and I was told I look like a reptile or a turtle by more than one person. So I really don't want my clothes pollinated right now. And it's bad enough that I have the windows open so that the paint will dry.

And then my husband calls today and says "I invited my friend from work over and I completely forgot about it, is it OK if he still comes over for dinner tonight."

I said "Sure, just tell him the house is a mess and it might be a leftover smorgasbord tonight."

I am not upset with my hubby @ all I am just overwhelmed with my situation.

It has been crazy. The last time I had taken a Bloggy break, only a few weeks ago, our hot water heater broke and flooded the basement and our plumbing went @ the same time and there was raw sewage all over the laundyroom/bathroom and all over the clothes and the raw sewage was backed up into the shower. So for a week no one could take a shower cause there was no hot water and in the middle of all that it smelled like poopy in our house and then Hailey ran away remember. And every night Kevin was downstairs working on trying to fix everything. I helped with the nasty parts and did all the sanitizing, as I was worried about germs, being that he has a Heart transplant and a lowered immune system. What a nightmare. But we didn't ask for help and a friend told me stuff like this would happen until we learned to humble ourselves and just ask for help. And I didn't even tell church, when they called to ask if I could make a meal for a family in need, I pretended everything was ok and made the meal and "just kept on truckin'." I should have said no. But I have this horrible feeling that I always have to rise to the occasion and "just deal with it" and "do what I've gotta do" "I can handle it" and "be the strong one" and "serve serve serve" "I am the helper" I love being the one to help and come to the rescue. But, I need to learn to receive. I have such a hard time with that. I am prideful and I never thought I was. I really don't think I am better than anyone else. I love helping people and have a heart for the sick and the hurting and the poor. Gosh we have been there for sure. But we never let on. I never thought it was pride, I never wanted anyone to feel bad for us, and never wanted to be a burden. But I realized I don't see people as a burden when I help them, I am truly blessed to help. So why would they see me as a burden when they help me.

So I am ever so thankful for great friends who have come to the rescue this week, I have truly learned God is ever so faithful. And again just because you need help doesn't mean you are a failure or a burden. Thank you Bethany for helping me prime on Tuesday and for the leftover paint. Thank you Michelle for helping me paint on Tuesday & Wednesday and providing direction to my scattered brain. Thank you Jen for helping me tidy up the place today, bringing dinner and snacks and taking my laundry. I don't desrve it.

And God bless you all for listening to me yap and helping me regain my sanity, or whats left of it.

I will post pictures of the finished room very soon.

Anthropologie Summer 2003

For Andrea and Erin
I was going to post this back in march, but it is a bit ridiculous. So I saved it as a draft. I have 37 drafts on here that need to be posted. But I sometimes get worried about sharing too much, or sounding "Over the Top", Well I've decided I don't care. You either like me or you don't. So here is one of my obsessions.

I love Anthropologie. I saved my favorite catalogue from Summer 2003. The setting is @ the beach & on boats. Of course I love it. And the style is bohemian and flea market. I have been doing some spring cleaning and trying to declutter my cottage. I just couldn't part with it, so I decided to take pictures of it and put online, and toss the catalogue in with the recycling. Now I can look @ it whenever I want and it's not taking up any space in my sewing room. I love Anthro, but they are too pricey for me now that I am a stay @ home mommy. So now I use catalogues and magazines for inspiration to either make it myself or find the same style cheaper.
I love every page of this catalogue. Pathetic I know, but I had to share, cause I know there are fellow Anthro Lovers out there.

Lily's little hand pointing to her favorite outfit. She' got good taste. She tells me I should dress up more often. I think she's right. I love the glass lanterns.

I was very proud of myself after cleaning out my craft room, I was able to get rid of over 50 magazines. This is the only one I psychotically took pictures of. I'm currently trying to get my inspiration journal onto the computer too. The less clutter the better.

Getting rid of your magazines- of course you can recycle them, But look around, some libraries like ours, take them and sell them for 10 cents a piece. Or you could donate them to a school, they use them for collages and art projects. I used to love making collages.

Not So Daily Devos

So I know this is terrible, but I am going to share it with you anyway. For the past few weeks I haven't been in the word very much. Our routine has been completely shot. I have been awful with keeping up with my devotionals and not reading my Bible. Shame Shame I know. And my excuse has been oh I have so much to do. How can I possibly fit reading into my hectic and crazy life. So in a sense I am saying I have no time for God, My Savior, My Creator. Yet I will stay up blogging. Wow do I have to get my priorities right. And every time I thought I had so much to do and so little time, I would have this scripture running through my brain.

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Matthew 6:33-34

So on Monday night I decided to get to bed early so that I could get back into my routine of reading my bible and a devotional in the morning before the rest of the family wakes up. Tuesday morning comes and I wake up early, though not as early as I would like. And I think to myself, "Boy have I got a lot to do. Maybe I will skip my bible reading and squeeze in a short Devotional. " I know I know, I'm really bad, but I am being honest! So I go to the bookcase and grab the Christian's Daily Challenge by E. F. & L. Harvey. I read the Chapter for the day, and here is what it said.

April 7th

The Bible our Inheritance

"Seek ye the book of the Lord, and read." (Isa. 34:16)

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." (Matt. 24:35)

I wonder if some of us realize what a legacy and inheritance the Bible really is--God's Word to us.

It is yellow with age, and travel stained. It has come through many ages, many lands. It has come out of the world of Noah and his Ark, of Abraham and his flock, into a world their shepherd races could not dream of; but it has come inspired with such power as our world can hardly understand. It comes to us, in the stress and strain of our life to-day, like music from a far country. It is like cooling waters in a hot and thirsty land. It is like a still small voice that speaks to a troubled soul in the night and says, "be strong and of good courage."

E.F. & L. Harvey

There was more along with another poem. But I just didn't want to copy it all.

So what did you get out of that. lol

Wow. I definitely heard the voice of God telling me to READ.

After that you better believe I grabbed my Bible put aside all worries of house work etc. and started reading.

Thanks for listening :)