Because I am a stay at home mom/homemaker/housewife – whatever you’d like to call it – I live AND work in our home, which means that the majority of my time is spent within the confines of these walls. Ere go [totally weird that I chose that phrase, I know] making it pretty and homey and happy is a high priority for me.
Because I am a stay at home mom/homemaker/housewife, we are a single income family. Add the fact that we choose to live debt free and within the confines of a budget, home decorating has to be a slow process. Very, very slow. When I save up enough money for that rug or those curtains or the paint or that knock your socks of do it yourself mason jar chandelier that’ll comin’ ’round the bend eventually, then I can make it happen…make the vision come to life.
Because I’m terribly impatient – painfully, actually – and I want things to be fixed and settled as soon as the vision is envisioned, a large portion of my stress is birthed from the union of the first to points. Funnily enough, God is using all of this to teach me about living in the moment and using what He’s already given me.
For example, today when all I really wanted to do was go spend $100 on paint so I could complete Miss M’s big girl room and started feelin’ all frustrated and floopty about it because $100 ain’t in the budget for home decorating and all my savings are going toward my trip to NEW YORK next month [waaahoooooo!!!], I stopped and said, “Okay, Lord…what can I do right now to make this house feel more like our home?”
“Clean the baseboards in the kitchen because they are ga-ross. Or organize the guest bedroom closet so your visitors don’t have to throw their luggage on top of all your junk. Or organize Miss M’s closet so that’s one less thing you have to worry about when you do get to paint and get the furniture in there. Or finish the laundry that’s been sitting in the garage for a week. Or clean the floors that have been filthy for – well we won’t talk about how long.”
That’s what He said to me. And you know what? I did ’em. Not because it was fun or anyone else will really notice and think, “Wow, her house is beautiful!” But cleanliness matters. And so does working hard. And taking care of things that no one really sees but are lurking just under the surface undone. And I feel like a million bucks now that it’s all done. And I’m not nervous about Adelle playing on the kitchen floors because she might get nasty food goop on our hands from the baseboards. And I did things…I took active steps toward making our house more of our home and less of just somewhere to sleep.
[Look at those baseboards shinin’ like the top of the Chrysler building!]
Ask God for advice. He’ll give it to you straight up. He ain’t scurred.
Love y’all!
I can remember those days, oh so well. And BELIEVE ME…you will be very happy that you made the choice to stay at home and raise your child (ren…). The house will come; staying at home and embracing that little girls of yours will never come again. It is SO WORTH IT! You are learning lessons now, that few will ever learn. Happy Living in the Moment…and withing your means! ENJOY!
Great post… And God knew you'd feel like a million bucks after you took his advice 🙂
What to do when circumstances collide and make you feel all frustrated and floopty, bringing you to your knees? Well, you're in a perfect place to pray!