Whew!

Wow, it's been a crazy time around here. I can't believe I spent this long not posting here, but it was necessary. Once things started getting back on track after Gabe's bout with croup, we got hit with another wave of ickyness. We are beginning to get over it now, whatever it was, but it's still affecting me quite a bit. I have been really tired and not feeling myself at all and that part of it is hanging on. I'm thankful though that when we do get sick, which isn't all that often, we bounce back fairly quickly. I attribute that to our diet and basically taking good overall care of ourselves. It does make a difference. I will apologize in advance if any of this post doesn't make much sense. I'm still a little foggy, lol.

Tomorrow marks the end of term 2 in my Bible college class and term 3 begins next week. I'm loving every minute of it. I'm learning so much and making some great friends, and of course strengthening my relationship with God. I can't believe how far I was from Him just a short time ago, and now I'm closer than I've ever been. I've been able to accomplish so many things through Him and with His guidance, it's amazing. Truly amazing. I look back on the last year and I was just a mess, especially after ending the relationship with my ex. I didn't realize how co-dependent I had become on my ex until I left. The first time I had to go to a grocery store alone with the kids was absolutely terrifying for me. I was even scared to drive. I was so far removed from myself during that 7 year relationship that I spent much of my time at home, in solitude with my children. I didn't want to see or talk to anyone in the real world. I became so insanely shy, even talking to a bank teller or cashier was excruciating for me and affected me for days afterward. I would never go places or do things on my own. Ever. I always had to have someone with me, and that was on the rare occasion that I left the house. My life was in shambles. I wouldn't go to church because 1) I had to do it alone, and 2) I was horribly ashamed of my life, so I just didn't go. I look at my life now and I'm such a different person. I'm out, getting a life that I never had but always wanted. I'm meeting people, learning new things, making HUGE changes and stepping out of my comfort zone time and time again. Fear still grips me in almost everything that I do, but I press through it. I lived in fear for far too long and I won't let it have control over me anymore. It still has a voice, true, but not control. I've even started the process of auditioning for the worship team (singing) at my church. I've always wanted to sing but never had the confidence. This is a different girl!! I know none of this would have been possible without the strength of God in me.

I've recently decided to hold off on my studio re-do and I've contacted a homestay organization in the hopes of hosting a foreign student. Not only will this help my finances (things are VERY tight!) but I think it would be a great experience for the kids. I had an interview with one organization in particular and hopefully I will hear something from them soon. I figure since I already do so much of my crafting at my kitchen table, why not use my office for something that will be of a great help. I'm working on making some more changes in the areas of finances, meal/menu planning and smart shopping. So far I've managed to cut my grocery bill from around $500 a month to around $350 a month, but I know I can do better than that so I' m working on it. I will post about these changes soon, as they happen.

A few weeks back I watched the movie Julie & Julia and was completely inspired to do more cooking and baking. I have such a strong desire to make things from scratch, bake treats with the kids and create meals that make those who eat them close their eyes in pure enjoyment. I love how great meals bring people together and represent wonderful family moments and gatherings. I love how home-made baked treats make children eagerly sit in front of the oven licking their lips, and make them silently giggle while they eat them, filling up with the love that the baker put into them. I have a lot of wonderful memories of family meals and I want to experience those with my own children. It may take me awhile to start this "new" tradition here but I will keep you posted on every moment of it.

So that's it for now. I'm tired and should get some much needed rest. The kids and I were up at 5am this morning as I am helping out at my church every Sunday for the month of March. A bunch of us are making breakfast for the early morning service team and then we all sit down and eat together before service begins. It's such a lovely time, but it makes for a very tired Me come Sunday afternoon. I'm not a morning person at all. I'm not a grump, it just affects me a lot physically when I wake up too early.

Goodnight everyone! Bye for now ♥

Change Is Good

I've noticed that when you start to make major changes in one area of your life, it starts to creep into all areas of your life. At times it's almost hard to keep up with it but it's necessary. At least for me. I believe that if you aren't changing you are just standing still, just existing. I think in order to move ahead in life we need to make changes. It's how we grow. I've been working hard at changing my lifestyle, my surroundings, my business, my state of mind, and I'm trying even harder to surround myself with things that best represent me and what make me happy. Including people. The Pastor at my church always says that if you want to see a glimpse of your future, look around you, because what you surround yourself with will determine where you end up. That's good stuff.

Over the weekend I got rid of some of my office furniture, putting me one step closer to setting up my ideal workspace. I haven't had much of a chance in the last couple of weeks to visit any thrift or antique stores to find a new work surface. I've been looking on Craigslist and have seen some really nice, big, old tables which is what I want for my new work surface, but they go so quickly!! They seem to be a sought after item. I know I'll find the right one soon enough.

Last night I spent far too much time working on my blog. As you can see, I made a few changes, but today I am exhausted. I was up late. I just couldn't stop playing around with the HTML. I never seem to put 'sleep' at the top of my priorities. I should look into that.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like....Spring Cleaning??

Today I was a busy gal. Today I cleaned like a mad woman. And not just typical cleaning was happening. I was on an organizing mission. A mission that would rival Martha Stewart's best day. Okay that's a big fat lie. But I did get a lot done today and it felt fabulous. I think what triggered my madness was the packing up of all the Christmas things around the house that we did on New Year's Eve. As much as I love, love, love Christmas, it felt so good to take the tree down, pack up all the trinkets and get my house back to normal. It felt like a really good way to spend New Year's Eve as well. Waking up on January 1st and not seeing any fake snow, or plush Santa's staring at me felt like a fresh start to the year. We did, however, partake in one activity on the 1st that involved a Christmas tree. 

Yes, that would be a Chia Pet. Vaeh has been asking for one for the last couple of Christmases and believe it or not the stores are sold out of them by the time I do my shopping. They only come out at Christmas time here, which doesn't help. This year she finally got one and has been chomping at the bit to start it. It's soaking in water in that picture but we have since spread the seeds and are awaiting sprouts. Exciting stuff, I know.

I'm a tiny bit disappointed as I really had the urge to do some crafting today but I got so caught up in cleaning that it just didn't happen. It was a cold, rainy day and it just made me feel so good to be at home. These kinds of days always seem to put me in the mood to craft. I did manage to get one small step closer to my big studio re-do and cleaned my office out. I did some crazy purging today. What a release that is!! Sometimes I wish there were more hours in a day so I could get more things done, but I'm satisfied with what I accomplished today. I recently read something about purging and things to remember when doing so. It went something like; get rid of everything you don't use, everything that is broken, everything that holds no value and anything that is not beautiful. I'll be keeping those things in mind as I continue to get rid of all the stuff I don't need, and simplify my life.

Inspiration

I've spent the last few days perusing the inner workings of Etsy and I came across their blog called The Storque. Here they give you very detailed glimpses into everything handmade. As if all of the beautiful Etsy storefronts weren't enough, I'm now addicted to The Storque. Specifically, the 'Videos' section. The videos highlight different artists and crafters and show you a snippet of their studios, their art, their craft and their life. After seeing some of the studios that people are working out of, it has inspired me to completely redo my office and turn it into an actual studio. My office feels so... "office-y". It's no wonder to me that I do most of my crafting in my kitchen. I don't have dedicated workspace, it's unorganized and it has NO personality. It's so very blah. Thanks to Etsy I've seen teeny tiny studios, studios that make me drool, studios that are so loud they would give me a headache and studios that are incredibly humble. All in all, they made me feel inspired and that to me is what a studio should invoke. I want to walk into my studio and have it just feel amazing to me. I want it to scream that it's mine and more than anything I want to want to work in it. So I've made up my mind and I'm completely re-doing it. I'm so excited to get started! My first step is going to be to purge. I have too much useless "stuff" in it, doing nothing but taking up space so that is going to go. Once that's done I will be hitting thrift stores, flea markets and antique malls and infusing some life into my space. I'll post pics of my progress. Off I go!!!