Sometimes the Sun Does Shine

The last three years have been difficult for our family….and here lately….the tide seems to be turning.

My son was just given a job for next year at his university, that will completely pay for his room and board. It was definitely a huge answer to prayer.

What struck me as odd…or perhaps…suprising…was my shock, that something good really was happening.

I think that many of us get so bogged down with life…so many bad things happen on a daily basis, that when something good happens we doubt we deserve it. There are days that I just know if they were filming my life, that people would just be in shock that what was happening, was really happening. If your like me…I just stuff it. I just keep stuffing it, hoping that indeed someday things will change.

If right now…you were given the opportunity to do what would make you the happiest what would it be? For me…it would be less busy….time to do what I do do, well…and accomplish the goals I have set before me. Sometimes, we feel guilty, because our kids aren’t involved in several activities…and if we are home at night..it feels strange…like we haven’t earned our way in the world for the day.

There are always busy times of life. During major holidays, I am very busy at our store. During the spring and summer my daughter has activities that she’s involved with that take us away from our home each and every day….but those activities are six weeks…and then we are done.

For the new year….I’ve increased what I did the year previous….we can always say…I’m gonna do less…not commit to as much…show more discipline with shopping…all these things are GREAT things…but if we don’t have a plan…we often go right back to where we were.

I now shop and pickup my groceries, my Target, and of course Amazon orders. I got rid of credit cards that I barely shop at…(none of them carry a balance, but I just used them for the extra points). I visit a few select stores…and that is it. I make out my schedule for clowning….and if one month has holidays in it…then I will make the next month with less activity since normally I probably clowned quite a bit for the holiday.

This semester for my daughter for classes, we did ONE coop, and the other group we belong to, we did ONE class…opting for an online class that she is absolutely enjoying.

I have cleared just about as much as I can clear from surfaces….and have allowed puzzles to be worked on for days…out in the open….and painting classes to have a permanent home in my dining room.

I have days where certain cleaning chores are done..clearing up valuable time for study for a class that I want to have done by summer. I have started doing yoga…something that I’m striving so hard to make a routine….and drinking more water.

I truly want to make our home someplace that is comfortable…not museum worthy…but not a pit either….because I can’t function in filth at all! I can’t function in mess!

I’ve taken to make places that I do a lot of work in as cute as possible.

I purchase things that I love…not just a good deal. I’ve become pickier with what comes into my house.

I drop off stuff each month at the thrift store…clothes my daughter outgrows, stuff we aren’t using…it’s amazing what we can accumulate so quickly.

I shop at Grove Collaborative for cleaning supplies which has given me unique ideas on how to save water and use products that are better for our family.

I have taken a space that we didn’t use much and completely purged it and made it my office/guest room and I am loving it!

Most of these projects didn’t cost much or if anything….it was just basically looking at the spaces and seeing how they could better be used. Getting rid of the extra and bringing in what I really wanted…instead of what cost less…and in the end…I found out what makes me happy…especially in the winter…is plants…and lots of them!