It's in the Bag!

Thanks for all your great comments last week in your entries for our giveaway! I loved reading and thinking about every single one of them.

If you'll remember, I couldn't decide last week if I'd choose the winner at random or if I'd choose the comment I liked the best. WELL. When I went to buy the fabric to make the bag, the pattern says it takes 1/2 yard of each; since I wanted to make one for myself too, I bought a full yard of each. Which, actually, made enough for three! Hooray! I got to pick my favorite and one at random! So the winners are:

K, who said:

I'm beginning to think that mothering during the school years is much harder than having lots of toddlers. I'm beginning to think that life takes more faith than I have previously exercised. I'm beginning to think that my kids don't have enough hours in the day, either. I'm beginning to think that joy can be found at every stage of life, if you will only notice it. I'm beginning to think that a good marriage makes everything else possible.

and Britney, who said:

I'm beginning to think that all little girls should have "The Devil in Diguise"
as their theme song. ;o)

Congratulations, ladies! Please email me at: lovelypraiseworthy@gmail.com and let me know how I can get your new bag to you! I only wish I had the time to make one for all of you. But seriously, this bag is really simple to make - even for a Martha pattern (I'm not a huge fan of her instructions sometimes). And here's what it looks like:

One side ...



... and the other!

National Day of Service

It is that time of year again when the campaign, or cam"pain", commercials begin. Hooray! Yeah right! Just what I want to hear, politicians bashing on each other. But that is not what I am here to write about.

How about before we get to all the negativity of the campaign trail to November, we spend our Saturday serving or nation, supporting our troops, and showing some patriotism. It is September 11th after all. What a great way to show our support to the families who were affected by the tragedy, or even those around us. We were all affected, weather we knew someone or not. Our sense of security and safety was shattered. It changed the way we think and go about our lives. So here is my request, spend some time on Saturday serving someone, a city, an organization. If you need some ideas, here is a great link for our National Day of Service. Put your zip code in the search box on the right had side for volunteer opportunities, and choose a cause to support. It will then take you to the service opportunities happening on Saturday for the organization.

I know we will be serving. We are going to be cleaning headstones at the National Cemetery.

What are you going to do?

Friendship beginnings

I've been thinking, especially lately, about how blessed I am to have amazing friends. We all have them. You know the kind...the ones who "get" you.

They know your faults. They help you laugh at yourself rather than be upset or insecure. They're funny as heck. You can tell them anything, and they never think it's silly or ridiculous, even if it is.

You can be each other's critic without taking it personally. There is no judgement of or competition with one another. You are each other's cheerleader and defender. You can call each other even if you don't have anything to say.

My friends are my family away from home. Neither my husband nor I have any immediate family members closer than a day's drive, so I rely on my friends for lots of things.

I also have, in Jane Austen terms, a kindred spirit. We sign emails and birthday cards "Love, K.S." for short. I hope everyone at one point in their life is lucky enough to have one too. Sadly, Jana and I live with two states separating us, and I miss her like mad. We don't get to talk that often, but when we do, it's like we just saw each other yesterday. She's the best travel companion, who has ideas of what to do but is flexible and happy to do whatever. And we laughed our rears off on the phone one night as she read me the introduction to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. OK you had to be there.

I could go on and on, but my point is (and I DO have a point), a good friend is someone who you don't ever remember NOT knowing. You don't remember the getting-to-know-you part of your friendship, the beginnings of sharing your lives with each other. The last line of Casablanca is "Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." I look forward to many more beginnings with new friends and beginnings of new discoveries with old friends.

As part of my 4 Simple Goals, I'm committing myself to send two hand-written cards/letters to my friends. I'm including my family since, well, they're definitely my friends too. Birthday and holiday cards don't count. I want them to be "just because" letters. If I send more than two, great! But two is doable right now.

In the age of emails, facebook, twitter, etc. etc. isn't it nice to receive a fun, non-bill, non-junk piece of actual mail in your mailbox? Maybe write to a friend and remind them of your beginnings together and how much you are thankful that they are in your life.

Love and friendship,

I'm Beginning to Think ...

I'm beginning to think it's time for another giveaway here on Praiseworthy! Also, I've been simply dying for an excuse to make this handbag. So cute, don't you think?

So here's the game: Come up with an ending to the sentence "I'm beginning to think __________________________________" and leave it in the comments to this post. Next Tuesday, I'll choose a winner (either my favorite or at random, I haven't decided yet) to whom the handbag will go!





***** Teaser!***** (Updated 9/13/10)
Here are the fabrics I'm using to make this bag:


They're from the Hunky Dory line by Chez Moi for Moda, in the "Sparrow" colorway. And yes, I'm totally making one for myself, too.

Balanced Beginnings

My husband said to me a week or so ago that I was too busy.  I had too much on my plate and that I realised most of it was put there by me.  At first I was hurt and then maybe a little bit ashamed for making him feel this way and within a few seconds I told him he was right and that I was sorry.  I had been feeling extremely stressed out and making things a bigger deal then they were.  I then apologised and set my mind at work.  I knew I needed to de-clutter my life.  I was getting caught up in all of the projects around my house and the selfish desire to always be doing what I wanted instead of what my family needed me to be doing.  I should have been loving them and serving them.  Even when I was being a descent mom I was forgetting to be a good wife.  I was caught in my own messy web of selfishness and was getting more and more tangled.  I had lost my balance and I desperately needed a fresh new beginning. I'm grateful for my husband and his sweet way of pointing this out. 

 

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I have always loved the feelings that come with a new school year. There is this chance to begin fresh, get new school clothes, have perfectly sharpened pencils in a new clean backpack and a hope to get all As for once. It always seems like when fall comes around I get to start over. Do better. Try harder. Make better choices then I had the year before.  With school starting for my little Payton just last week I knew that this would be the perfect time to clean out, simplify and prioritize my life and my time as a mother and a wife.  He deserves a happy mom, Sadie deserves a mom who can take the place of her playmate brother while he 's away at school and Mark, my cute man, deserves a wife who thinks more about him then herself.

 

So... here is what I have come up with so far as I am physically continuing to remove all of the extra stuff from my home, as I am putting everything in it's own place and as I get rid of the cobwebs from the previous school year.  

 

(Which I realise will never be completely finished.  That is why I love this magnet given to me by Cortney and why I keep it on my fridge to remind me that even women who have enough time to put on lipstick before bed dream about having a clean home).

 

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1. I will continue to get up reasonably early each morning and ignore my computer until after I have fed myself spiritually and physically.  Only then will I take a peek at emails or whatever if I am dressed and ready for the day.
2. When my kids wake up I'm going to cuddle them first and then get them fed and ready for their day.  For Payton this means having everything he needs for school and then maybe we can watch a cartoon together or do some unloading of the dishwasher.
3. Then we get to walk to school, which gives us time to talk, sing and get our exercise in.  Oh and right now the blackberry bushes are full so we give ourselves some extra time to make it there and back.
4. After that I get time with my Sadie until lunch; mandatory play time with some time to work together.  This is becoming one of my favorite parts of our day.
5. Lunch happens after we pick Payton up from school only this time we'll take our time; chatting about our adventures and making fun plans for our afternoon. Usually it's a rush to get them down for naps.
6. Nap time. This is my "me time."  I can keep up on my almost newly organized home, or teach some violin lessons or I can do some sort of project.  This is my time to enjoy my ability to balance.
7. Dinners are making their way to our table homemade and healthy.  Again another time to be together and tell daddy about our adventures, and then listen to his.
8. Clean up, maybe a walk or trip to the gym as a family and then my favorite part of all...
9. Kidlets get a Snack, Jammies, Teeth Brushed, Stories, Prayers Cuddles, Loves and Bed.
10. Now I get to recharge and be with my sweet husband who at the end of the day can stand me because I am happier living my simplified life.

 

I know there will be days when this doesn't go as planned but so far (and there must be a beginning to everything) I am way less stressed, I feel happier in a clean home, I get time for myself without taking it from my family and I am enjoying my role as a mother and wife.  I feel like I am making progress and each day I am hoping to feel fulfilled and see the blessings from trying to live a balanced life.  Hey!  I even enjoyed doing laundry this week.  Everything seems more enjoyable if it has it's own place and when everything has it's own time.  This is my goal. 

 

So check up on me, join me and give it a thought.  What's keeping you from being completely happy? 

 

Here's to a new beginning!