Home Sanctuary

Company Girl Coffee 11.16 and Catching Up

Earlier this week, I designed and painted a vent hood for a client, who was unhappy with the previous homeowner's mural:

Before - it was a Tuscan scene that did not fit the new homeowner's style.

 

 

After - a soft faux finish with a scrolly design

Projects like these seem like they would be simple, but this one was a challenge. To accomplish it, I had to make custom patterns to fit the spaces, then transfer them onto paper at the right scale. I used a projector to do that part. Then came the tedious part of transfering the pattern onto the surface, using transfer paper beneath the pattern and tracing each line. Finally, filling in with paint so that it looked soft and painterly was the last step. It was a two day project, not including time in the studio to prepare everything. Phew!

I love how it turned out and the homeowner was very pleased with the final look! The kitchen's style was transformed from "cute" to "elegant" with this design change, and it was very gratifying. This is why I love my job!

 

Soooo, I've gotten behind on a bunch of things this week. The cold/flu bug that got to me last week has hung around, and although I've functioned through my work days, I've collapsed into bed each night around 8 pm and not gotten anything else done. Emails, art orders, Post Office, Thanksgiving menu, laundry....have all fallen by the wayside. This weekend, I will try to catch up on what I can, so that by Monday I hope to be feeling *ready* for the holidays.

Today's Small Thing is to join me in playing catch up. Don't make a daunting list of everything you've put off all year, but simply get to those few things that are most important. Resist adding NEW things to your To Do list, instead peck away at those items that keep lingering from one list to another....never really going away.

What ONE thing will you catch up on today? What else can you catch up on this weekend? How will it feel to finally cross it off your list?

Now, let's have some Company Girl Coffee. Feel free to link up with a new post or even an old favorite of yours. It's a great way to meet new bloggers and "catch up" with what's happening around the blogosphere.

 

A Sanctuary Mindset

Are you having a hard time reconciling the idea of "housework" with "sanctuary?" I mean, a peaceful, calm environment hardly coincides with the reality of the clash of wills over chores and the resentment over household maintenance responsibilities. I feel ya.

Like you, I want my home to be a peaceful place but I struggle with organization. It helps me to look at the "sanctuaries" in the Bible to gain some perspective and a proper mindset on this concept. Walk with me through this:

1. The garden of Eden - the world's first sanctuary.  Adam and Eve had a gorgeous place to live, beautifully decorated and filled with fabulous foods.  But they were given the task of managing their home and ruling over the beasts that lived there.  Sound familiar?? Yeah, I thought of the beasts that live in my home, too.

2. The Tabernacle - the tent in the wilderness.  It was made with what they had: woven cloth and donated gold, and was moveable.  It was simple, but it worked.  However, it required regular maintenance and a schedule. I guess God didn't see fit to clean it all by Hisself.

3. The Temple - the permanent home made by Solomon.  It was made with the best materials and carefully built by skilled craftsmen. What a wonder it must have been! Every intricate detail was carefully carved, woven, created and placed.  This home required even more tender care by teams of people who looked after it.

All three of these sanctuaries have something in common: God's presence resided there. And that's really the basis for my own home sanctuary.  I want His presence to permeate our lives by being glorified in the daily life that goes on within these walls.  How about you? Is that your desire, too?

And there is something else.  Regular maintenance and teamwork were a part of making these sanctuaries holy places.  No one person did all the work, but everyone had a part.

These places were beautiful, peaceful places where relationships could flourish.  They were places of mercy and grace.  They were the center of the people's lives and were a refuge from the outside world.

Oh, there are literally hundreds more observations to be made, but for your sakes I will stop here.

But do you see why there is a tug on our hearts to capture the feeling of "sanctuary" in our homes? We were made for this.  God designed us to want this kind of life.

Well, you might be looking around at the nightmare at your house and wonder if you can ever get to "sanctuary" from here.

The answer is: Yes, you can.

That's what this blog is all about. It's about the worship and the work that goes into creating a sanctuary for yourself and your family. It doesn't happen overnight, but it DOES happen...when you commit to making small, daily changes in your mindset and actions. Keep on meeting me here each day and just take it one step at a time. You do your part, and let God do His.

Today's Small Thing is to read Genesis 1-3 and make at least 3 observations about that first sanctuary. You can do this in about 15 minutes at the very most.  Then apply what you've read to the sanctuary you want to create at home.

What three things stand out to you? How can you apply them today?

**Note: You might not wanna apply the "nekked" part, at least while the kids are around.

Song of the Day: Wow, Thomas Newman

Shoe Therapy

The other day, I walked into our bedroom and found my husband knee deep in clothes from our closet. He was sorting it into piles on the bed and floor.

OH NO. He's organizing the closet. This means one of two things:

1. He's really mad. Or,

2. He's really happy.

Turns out, this time it was a "happy organization" and he was humming merrily as he went about his task. Phew. With a flourish, he directed my attention to the shoe shelves.

WOWEEE! So neat! So tidy! So amazingly better than it was before, when all the shoes were a huge cattywompus mess.

Impressed, I said, "Wow! You HAVE been working hard!"

"Nah," he said. "Took me two minutes, tops."

Today's Small Thing is to straighten up the shoes in your closet.....in two minutes. That's all the time you can give it. How hard can it possibly be?? Look, your shoes are a disaster and two minutes may not be nearly enough time to fix the mess....OR IS IT??

You tell me: how much can you get done in two minutes of concentrated effort in the shoe department? You may hum merrily as you work.

Song of the Day: Boogie Shoes, KC and the Sunshine Band

I'm Gonna Miss You, I Can't Lie

This has got to be the saddest day of my life

I called you here today for a bit of bad news

I won't be able to see you anymore
Because of my obligations, and the ties that you have
We've been meeting here everyday
And since this is our last day together
I wanna hold you just one more time
When you turn and walk away, don't look back
I wanna remember you just like this
Let's just kiss and say goodbye

~ Kiss and Say Goodbye

When I was a kid, our bathroom was sometimes known as the "Reading Room."  If you knew you were going to be in there awhile, you might say something like, "Well, I'm going to spend a little time in the Reading Room."  It was code for: "you might not want to go in there for an hour after I get out."

If another family member said anything about the length of time you had spent in the bathroom, you could always blame the reading material in there. "I was engrossed in the Reader's Digest 'Drama in Real Life' and I couldn't put it down."

I'm always intrigued by other people's choice of bathroom reading material.  Bon Apetit, Cat Fancy, Southern Living, Fishing World, Model Railroader, Needlecraft, Guideposts....you can discover a lot about a person through their complimentary library-in-a-basket.

The thing is, those magazines and newspapers tend to pile up into unsightly messes.  You INTEND to throw them out, but because you've discovered a fascinating article in one of them, you end up hanging on for far too long.  You know you should end the relationship, but you've grown accustomed to meeting in secrecy and it's hard to let go.

But, let's face it, you don't really need that November 2004 issue of Family Circle.  Yeah, I know it's got some great holiday craft ideas in it, but you know it your heart you'll never actually do them.  The old newspapers from last month are pretty pointless now.  And you know the Pottery Barn Catalog from last spring is outdated, even though it's got cute stuff in it.

Don't you cry.  It's time to kiss and say good-bye.

Today's Small Thing is to weed out your bathroom magazines and books, if you have them.

What's in YOUR "Reading Room?"

Song of the Day: Kiss and Say Goodbye, The Manhattans

Floor It, Baby

Overwhelmed. Inert. Sluggish. Uninspired.

Is this YOU this morning?

Yeah, me too. I rarely jump at the chance to take on Monday mornings with gusto. Lots of times I sorta let Mondays just happen to me.

This is the time to pull out a trick that gets us moving in the right direction and helps us feel better about life.

The trick? Floor it.

Yes, Today's Small Thing is to floor it. Put the pedal to the metal and pick up the things on the floor....in one room.

As quickly as possible, say ONE MINUTE, gather up the stuff that has sunk to the bottom and stash it somewhere, anywhere. Just up off of the floor.

Suddenly, your world will look brighter. You can walk without tripping on toys! You can see your carpet! Your room looks enormous! You feel on top of the world! You can dance, dance, DANCE!

See, Monday's aren't so bad after all.....if you know the right tricks.

What is the strangest artifact you found on the floor today?

Song of the Day: Why Don't We Just Dance, Josh Turner

 

The Gift of Hope

"The end of the world as we know it." ~ every other Facebook status

I've heard a lot of gloom and doom since the election, and today I want to encourage you to, well.... put a lid on it. At least in front of the kids.

Yes, I know. I'm well aware that there are big huge problems facing us, and we have social issues up the wazoo. We must discuss them. But sometimes we get so wrapped up in talking about how bad things are and how much worse they're going to get, that we forget about the little listening ears that are taking it all in. To kids, all this grown-up talk can be scary, frightening and depressing. And it can leave them feeling hopeless about their future.

When you're ten, you should be dreaming of being an astronaut, or a doctor, or a fireman... not worrying about whether your family will survive a future holocaust. A six year-old shouldn't have to overhear talk that our country going to hell in a handbasket. A high schooler shouldn't have to think "why bother?" because the world might end. We need to filter the information we present so that it is age-appropriate and constructive.

Today's Small Thing is to give your children (and everyone around you) the gift of hope.

Refrain from talking about political catastrophes and instead, talk about your child's dreams. What are his gifts? What can she contribute to this world to make it better? How can God help us be lights in our neighborhoods? What can WE do to make a difference?

There is so much we can't fix around us. The economy, immigration, unemployment....but none of that means anything to someone who just wants to color with you, or be pushed in a swing, or have you listen to a new song they found on itunes. Don't rob your children of the joyfulness of life because you are disappointed in the election outcome. Speaking positive and hopeful words will communicate to them that you trust God to watch over you no matter what. Regardless of the political landscape.

God has mighty plans for the next generation of kids, and it will be amazing to see them rise up and take them on. We need future astronauts and doctors and firemen and mommies and daddies who believe in Him, and whose parents gave them the gift of hope in the midst of turbulent times.

Song of the Day: Hope Now, Addison Road

Company Girl Coffee 11.9

Thank you for your comments and emails the past couple of days. I am feeling a little better and it was good to "lay low" for awhile. Boy, night time cold medicine really knocks ya out....I found THAT out. I've been a leetle LOOOOoo-py! (And I almost got kicked out of bed for snoring, no joke.)

Well, today is Company Girl Coffee day......a weekly meme that features YOU! The rules are simple: be nice, be yourself, make friends. Just enter your blog post URL into the linky tool below, and then try and visit some of the blogs that link up! This week, why not start with the blogs listed just before and just after yours? That way, if you are toward the end of the list you can still get some traffic and you can give some to others. Company Girls are just that: girls keeping each other company through life, whatever season they are in. It's fun and easy to be a part, so I hope you'll join in!

 

Stuffy Head

Good morning, Company Girls! I'm sick today so there is no Small Thing post. Time for some more cold meds and heading back to bed. I hope to be feeling better tomorrow...right now I'm a little fuzzy. Love you all, Rachel Anne

Go Vote

Election Day!

I'm one of those old-fashioned people who eschews early voting in favor of standing in line at the polls on Election Day. Call me crazy, but I love the cameraderie and the excitement of my fellow Americans, the campaign signs outside, the hush inside the polling room, and the feeling of pride when I drop my ballot into the box.

We get to choose the people who govern! What an awesome experience. What a tremendous responsibility.

Today's Small Thing is obvious: GO VOTE!

Enjoy the right and privilege that so many have fought and died for...and make your vote count today!

What is YOUR favorite thing about voting? Do you have a special memory to share?

Song of the Day: Proud to Be an American, Lee Greenwood - thanks for the suggestion, Ginny!

Gang Up on Trash

Original picture located at Demotivational Pictures.

Garbage. Yeah, I said it.  

Stinkin Garbage.

I said that while making intimidating signs with my hands because I'm just dang tough. In a white suburban mom kind of way.

I could make rumbling with trash a "Small Thing" every single week, and there'd still be trash left over.

Oh, you wanna take this outside?  Do ya?  Huh?  Do ya?

Yeah, I BET you do.  C'mon MAKE ME!

If my son were reading this he'd tell me to never blog in trash talk again. He's quite clear in letting me know I am an embarrassment to his college sense of "cool."

Today's Small Thing is to gang up on your trash problem.  

Whoop up on all those little wastebaskets in bathrooms and bedrooms that mostly contain old kleenexes and receipts, and don't get emptied regularly.  It's time for a smack down.  They've been riding low under the radar of the trash police, but get ready to smoke 'em out and gather up the trash for a trip to the pen.

Last time we did this, I think I counted 11 wastebaskets in my house.  Baby, that's a lotta trash to crunk. Totally feels great to win this gang warfare. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Song of the Day: Lose My Soul, Toby Mac