Mess
Ugh, I'm feeling overwhelmed. Or just yucky. My house is atrocious. My kitchen table is COVERED in pink paper, glitter and mini paper cupcakes for Emma's 1st birthday invitations. I can't stand it when my kitchen table is cluttered (neither can James).
I have a monstrous load of clean laundry in the bedroom that has been waiting to be put away for ... oh, maybe almost a week now. Yesterday, I started to sort it but that's as far as I got. So when James was getting into bed last night, he just moved all the piles from the top of the bed to the top of the dresser. Another thing I can't stand having cluttered -- the dresser top.
Emma is so whacked out on a crazy sleep schedule from the holidays that it is impossible to plan anything during the day. I rushed out of the house today (after waking her up from a nap, which I really don't like to do) to meet an old co-worker/friend who was selling me her Nikon flash (SB-800, the one I really wanted ... I'm pretty excited to learn how to use it). I was pretty much rushed the whole day, stressing about Emma's lack of sleep, her strange digestive problems that surfaced first thing this morning, and the fact that I was carrying a few jars of baby food in my purse b/c I didn't get to feed her lunch before I left.
Rain. Unbelievable rain. It's been so wet around here and I can't stand it. This disastrous weather we've been having is really getting old. The snow was beautiful and I liked that, but it only added to the terrible flooding we're having right now. I just heard that my sister-in-law's sweet parents and brother were evacuated b/c their home is in the flood zone. I have no idea what areas are evacuated and no idea how we're supposed to be informed if our area is in an evacuation zone or not. Our friends Matt and Sara are really close to an overflowing river and I'm worried about them and their home, too.
I have to let Bailey out to go potty in the front yard because our backyard is so flooded. Luckily, the water hasn't gotten up to our house yet but it's pretty freaky to look back there and see our own personal pond. Standing water some five inches deep in sections. I need to remind myself that we didn't buy this house for the yard. James is outside right now trying to pump some of the water out. It's pouring still so he's getting really wet trying to help our flood situation as best he can.
I need a good dose of the Spirit right now. I feel thankful that since the Holy Spirit lives in me, I know I can enjoy the fruits of it -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. I feel like my peace and patience levels are a little low right now. And James would probably say I need a refill of the gentleness part, too. I haven't been quite so gentle in the evenings when he comes home from work. I think that is stemming from my feeling like everything is out of my control right now. Not that feeling out of control is ever an excuse to not exude gentleness. My cluttered, messy house ... the unstoppable weather ... my inability to plan a day due to Emma's crazy unpredictable sleeping schedule these past few weeks ... our finances wobbling out of our comfort zone ... Bailey needing serious attention and demanding it in annoying ways ... some really annoying 10 pounds of pregnancy weight that still clings to me like they love me way more than I love them ...
Good thing God's graces are new every day. Good thing He will forgive me for all this complaining the second I ask for forgiveness. Good thing I can count on the fact that my yucky mood won't last because when I ask Him to refill my peace and patience levels (and my gentleness levels for James), He'll respond and help me. Good thing I am memorizing Scripture that is helping me when I start to feel myself worrying. ("Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to the Lord. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.")
I have been thinking all day about a post I want to write about all the projects I want to do and things I am looking forward to in 2009. When I think of fresh new starts and of all the possibility ahead of me, I'm so inspired. I'm excited about all the things I want to do. I am going to get really organized and energized. Like, everything in my home is going to have a place and a purpose. Otherwise it will not belong here. I am going to make lists to share with you of all the things I'm going to work on here at home, whether it be a closet that needs cleaning/organizing or a family activity I'm going to organize or a new meal planning system I'm going to put into action. I'll show before and after pictures of my projects and hopefully share my ideas and inspirations as I work on things.
I want to be a productive, patient, organized, GENTLE, creative, healthful mother, wife, daughter and friend this year. I want to shed myself of my worries, of my freak-out moments and of my inability to control my impatience or irritations. I want to inspire my husband and my daughter and I want to be in control of at least a few things (and calm about the things that will always be out of my control).
Tonight, I am going to completely finish Emma's birthday invitations and pray. Maybe I'll get a few other things crossed off the list (like that gigantic pile of clean laundry), and if so, then cool. But my goals are just the invitations and prayer. I'll tackle more of my list tomorrow. In the meantime, thanks for reading and coming back here to see how we're all doing. Yeah, I still have a ton of holiday pictures I want to share too, so don't give up on me just yet.
I have a monstrous load of clean laundry in the bedroom that has been waiting to be put away for ... oh, maybe almost a week now. Yesterday, I started to sort it but that's as far as I got. So when James was getting into bed last night, he just moved all the piles from the top of the bed to the top of the dresser. Another thing I can't stand having cluttered -- the dresser top.
Emma is so whacked out on a crazy sleep schedule from the holidays that it is impossible to plan anything during the day. I rushed out of the house today (after waking her up from a nap, which I really don't like to do) to meet an old co-worker/friend who was selling me her Nikon flash (SB-800, the one I really wanted ... I'm pretty excited to learn how to use it). I was pretty much rushed the whole day, stressing about Emma's lack of sleep, her strange digestive problems that surfaced first thing this morning, and the fact that I was carrying a few jars of baby food in my purse b/c I didn't get to feed her lunch before I left.
Rain. Unbelievable rain. It's been so wet around here and I can't stand it. This disastrous weather we've been having is really getting old. The snow was beautiful and I liked that, but it only added to the terrible flooding we're having right now. I just heard that my sister-in-law's sweet parents and brother were evacuated b/c their home is in the flood zone. I have no idea what areas are evacuated and no idea how we're supposed to be informed if our area is in an evacuation zone or not. Our friends Matt and Sara are really close to an overflowing river and I'm worried about them and their home, too.
I have to let Bailey out to go potty in the front yard because our backyard is so flooded. Luckily, the water hasn't gotten up to our house yet but it's pretty freaky to look back there and see our own personal pond. Standing water some five inches deep in sections. I need to remind myself that we didn't buy this house for the yard. James is outside right now trying to pump some of the water out. It's pouring still so he's getting really wet trying to help our flood situation as best he can.
I need a good dose of the Spirit right now. I feel thankful that since the Holy Spirit lives in me, I know I can enjoy the fruits of it -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. I feel like my peace and patience levels are a little low right now. And James would probably say I need a refill of the gentleness part, too. I haven't been quite so gentle in the evenings when he comes home from work. I think that is stemming from my feeling like everything is out of my control right now. Not that feeling out of control is ever an excuse to not exude gentleness. My cluttered, messy house ... the unstoppable weather ... my inability to plan a day due to Emma's crazy unpredictable sleeping schedule these past few weeks ... our finances wobbling out of our comfort zone ... Bailey needing serious attention and demanding it in annoying ways ... some really annoying 10 pounds of pregnancy weight that still clings to me like they love me way more than I love them ...
Good thing God's graces are new every day. Good thing He will forgive me for all this complaining the second I ask for forgiveness. Good thing I can count on the fact that my yucky mood won't last because when I ask Him to refill my peace and patience levels (and my gentleness levels for James), He'll respond and help me. Good thing I am memorizing Scripture that is helping me when I start to feel myself worrying. ("Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to the Lord. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.")
I have been thinking all day about a post I want to write about all the projects I want to do and things I am looking forward to in 2009. When I think of fresh new starts and of all the possibility ahead of me, I'm so inspired. I'm excited about all the things I want to do. I am going to get really organized and energized. Like, everything in my home is going to have a place and a purpose. Otherwise it will not belong here. I am going to make lists to share with you of all the things I'm going to work on here at home, whether it be a closet that needs cleaning/organizing or a family activity I'm going to organize or a new meal planning system I'm going to put into action. I'll show before and after pictures of my projects and hopefully share my ideas and inspirations as I work on things.
I want to be a productive, patient, organized, GENTLE, creative, healthful mother, wife, daughter and friend this year. I want to shed myself of my worries, of my freak-out moments and of my inability to control my impatience or irritations. I want to inspire my husband and my daughter and I want to be in control of at least a few things (and calm about the things that will always be out of my control).
Tonight, I am going to completely finish Emma's birthday invitations and pray. Maybe I'll get a few other things crossed off the list (like that gigantic pile of clean laundry), and if so, then cool. But my goals are just the invitations and prayer. I'll tackle more of my list tomorrow. In the meantime, thanks for reading and coming back here to see how we're all doing. Yeah, I still have a ton of holiday pictures I want to share too, so don't give up on me just yet.
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"Strength and honor are herclothing; she shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness." Proverbs 31 25-26