Wow! For once I OVERestimated the task!

I am very happy to report that I am almost completely on top of all my projects at the moment. The house looks quite in order, I have done all next months birthday and other cards for church and I have cut and scored 130 gift boxes. I am actually ahead at the moment.

I have had fun buying some new bits and pieces; not much, just a sheet of paper that completely inspired me and some little chip board shapes and stuff. I made the following card out of this gorgeous birdie paper by basic grey and a pack of chipboard shapes that I got for $2,50 at big W! I want to get some more, they are really nice quality and cute shapes.

Last Tuesday, I set myself a challenge that turned out to be really fun; I used just basic tools, (adhesives, scissors and cardstock) to turn all my paper scraps into cards, using all the little bits and pieces and stamped things I have accumulated and not been able to part with.

I made 13 cards and I can't tell you how satisfying it was! Because you are starting with the embellishments first, I found that it stretched my creativity and I was coming up with designs that were quite different from my usual style. It was fantastic going through my junk box and actually making a dint in the pile (albeit, a very small one!)

I have made some birthday cards today and I am really happy with them; rather than using chosen products as a starting point, I thought of the person the card was for and what style I think they have, then selected papers accordingly. I am really happy with the outcome; quite a few different styles.

This one is probably my fave; I trimmed around some beautiful flocked paper and used foam dots to mount and silver embossed a greeting. Really simple yet I love the finished effect.

This one uses different colours than I would normally choose, but I thought they would be nice for this particular lady I had in mind and I like the finished look.

Every time I breathe...

So I realised today why I have been avoiding my morning quiet times with God these last few days. It just pinged into my head as I was walking through the laundry; I don't want to spend time with God in case He makes me do something I don't want to do.

And as I thought about this, the absurdity of it became clear. I have had a lousy few days, because I have been missing His presence and His peace on my day, but I was convinced that if I sat down with my Bible, I would end up having Him plan my day in a way that I didn't want and that I wouldn't achieve the things that need doing around here.

So instead, I have been grasping time and trying to squeeze as much into each 24 hours as I can, convinced that I just don't have a spare hour to use on God. Its funny how when you actually see that in print, you realise how dumb it is, yet it can float around in your head for days, making perfect sense.

Its funny how negative thoughts just naturally build the longer I am away from God's presence. I become clouded on what He is really like, convinced that He is a Taskmaster determined to smack me into line, a belief system that kept me running from Him for many years.

And yet over the past year, God has drawn me into the most lovely, intimate knowledge of Him. He has become my safe place, my refuge from the madness of life, and my most Divine organiser of daily affairs. The days I commit to Him always have such a flow and a fruitfulness about them.

In avoiding His presence, I have actually been experiencing the very things I didn't want to; wasted time, little satisfaction and severe de-motivation.

There is such an irony in the way life pans out.
This is not the first time I have learnt this lesson
It probably won't be the last.
But I know I am further along than I was yesterday. And even further than last year.
God keeps revealing His gentleness, His consistency and His grace when I feel I least deserve it and that is what I love most about Him.

The driving, the agitation, the accusations that keep me from His presence are not God.
God lures me with His love,
with His extravagent grace,
with His gentle peace and harmony...

This song really sums up where I am at at this time in my life... God is so good.


Every Time I Breathe by Big Daddy Weave

I am sure all of Heaven's heard me cry
As I tell You all the reasons why
This life is just too hard
But day by day, without fail
I'm finding everything I need
In everything that You are to me

Every time I breathe, You seem a little bit closer
I never want to leave
I want to stay in Your warm embrace
Oh, basking in the glory shining from Your face
And every time I get another glimpse of Your heart
I realize it's true: that You are so marvelous, God...
And I am so in love with You

Yeah, so in love with You

Now how could I after knowing One so great
Respond to You in any way that's less than all I have to give
But by Your grace I want to love You not with what I say
But everyday in the way that my life is lived

Every time I breathe, You seem a little bit closer
I never want to leave
I want to stay in Your warm embrace
Oh, basking in the glory shining from Your face
And every time I get another glimpse of Your heart
I realize it's true: that You are so marvelous, God...
And I am so in love with You

Wrapped in Your mercy, I want to live and never leave
I am held by how humble, yet overwhelmed by Your majesty
Captured by grace and now I'm finding I am free
You are marvelous, God, and knowing You is everything

Every time I breathe, You seem a little bit closer
I never want to leave
I want to stay in Your warm embrace
Oh, basking in the glory shining from Your face
And every time I get another glimpse of Your heart
I realize it's true: that You are so marvelous, God...
And I am so in love with You

Yeah, so in love with You

I am so in love with You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f62y7DHw0w

Christmas is creeping up...

So this is how the house looked last year, but I am trying to work out the semantics of decorating now that I have an inquisitive two year old running around the house. Last year, she could walk but she wasn't really into things yet.

Mum asked me how I was going to decorate the tree this year. I replied that I would be decorating the top 2 feet. I only half joke! If anyone can tell me how to display a deliciously laden tree in such a way that sticky little fingers can't pull off all the decorations and break them, I would be much obliged!

But in all seriousness, I am quite looking forward to Christmas, if not feeling a tad overwhelmed at the current state of our house. But I do hold high hopes that it will be spotless, organised and delightfully decorated by Christmas!

I have been rummaging through my UFO (unfinished object) box and I found a patchwork stocking and the Chrismas quilt squares I started about 5 years ago from a Debbie Mumm pattern. I put so much work in and never did have them ready for Christmas. My perfectionism halted so many projects! Perhaps I will try to get it done this year. It would be so nice to actually see them finished. For the couple of years of patchworking I did, I have very little to actually show for it! All the bits and pieces are in my UFO box under the bed. I think I just need to bite the bullet and get them finished.

Oh, and on the upside, my house does have some semblance of order after the weekends' chaos, although the laundry and spare room are still disaster zones. The paint I used on the piano wall is semi gloss, so unfortunately, it will need repainting! Aghhh! But at least it is better than the foul mustard job I have been staring at for the last 6 months, and I managed to make a little vignette I am reasonably happy with.

I even managed to give Hannah fruit with her breakfast, spend some quality time putting her farm animals to bed and accomplished a trip outside for some slide time, to help make up for the ratty weekend!

Slowly back on track!

Shake, shake the ketchup bottle....

Oh my goodness, I don't understand what is wrong with us. A weekend spent cleaning and the house looks like a disaster zone! The last 48 hours have been complete bedlem; Hannah is refusing to sleep and it feels like she is spending 70% of her time in bed resisting it and the other 30% creating chaos around the house, completely manic and overtired.

For some completely obscure reason, unbeknown to me, I decide to start painting the wall behind the piano. I used the biggest tin of paint that was sitting behind our toilet door, which so happening to be aquaenamel semi gloss in white. I painted everything on or connected to that wall; filling the nail holes with paint and happily brushing over scuff marks. I know, I know. Completely ridiculous. Its like 4 years of procrastinating has surmounted into one reckless frenzy that has made our home feel like a drop zone. I am crazy. I am a crazy, crazy lady.

Meanwhile we have been living off the most ridiculous fast food. Hannah is so fussy with her eating, the fridge is empty and with me and nathan up to our armpits in rubbish, we are pretty much eating crackers, porridge and fast food. I feel evil. Wasn't I the mother her swore that chocolate would never touch the tongue of her child? Who clucked my tongue at toddlers hoeing into happy meals?

And now here I am, willing to serve up anything Hannah will eat, just to get through this flippin' weekend! LOL If I add tomato sauce to it, she will happily devour most anything. This is a wonderful trick for getting her to eat mini corn cobs, and I remind myself that if it has tomatoes, it must be good for you.

Today however, it just adds to the burden of guilt as I dowse her sausage roll with the sticky red goo in an attempt to passify her finicky nibbling.

In all reality, these last 2 days, anarchy has reigned in the form of our bombastic little two-something year old, who has seemed to call the shots all weekend, leaving us as dithering, neurotic idiots, incapable of the most menial tasks. Any time we attempt to be productive it seems we are pulled to a screaming halt by this tiny little bundle of energy. I swear, I don't know why the CIA bothers with torture based forms of interregation; if they really want to break someone down, they just need a band of sleep deprived toddlers to crack even the hardest crim. Or even one!

I keep reminding myself that I am not a bad parent I am just having a bad weekend, but gosh the whole perfect mother syndrome is hard to shake!!

I fully aim to regain the reigns and pick up the mantle of competent, in-control, boundary-based, nutritious-snack-making, quality-timing mothering tomorrow, but for now, I am off to eat whatever I can find that is not moving!

Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air. Ralph Waldo Emerson

The rain is pitter-pattering outside the spare room window and everything is so clean and fresh outside. Too bad the same isn't true for inside... We are getting there though. Today is cleaning day and I really shouldn't be here but I couldn't resist a quick snatch of online time. I was thinking back to my little hidey-hole at Bermagui. I found this beautiful little nook, nestled amongst these huge, spicy pines, overlooking the sea about 3 years ago and I returned there for this last holiday. I think I could live under this tree. I would make a very happy squirrel. There is something so invigorating about the scents and prickle of the earth. They make you feel so alive. Even tucked up inside, there is such a freshness and renewal that takes place just looking out the window at the beautiful greenness around me. God is so amazing.

Ok I better get back to cleaning

:oP

Baby Cards

Just a couple of baby cards for some ladies at church... not my best work ever, but I was happy to have got all the cards I needed done while scrapping at Michelles yesterday: 2 baby cards and 2 farewells. *sigh* it feels so nice to be on top of things...

look at my little precious, asleep in our bed

My art day

After being inspired at poppies, I have been playing around with graphic designs, paint, stamps and recycled cereal boxes to make little gift card sets in paper mache boxes. This is my first set. I have decided there is a great therapeutic benifit in unleashing your creativity when inspired and going the whole hog...by that i mean, expanding and playing with each idea until it has run its course. After 2 sets of boxed cards and a few gift tags, I am a little over this style for today, but I feel a great sense of completion, organsiation and order.

This is the second set, Periwinkle blue... how peaceful is this colour? I even cranked up the sewing machine today... I am quite inspired to get back into some sewing while it is out...

I love this photo! Jaclyn put it on her facebook and bookmarked it for me... it was taken a few weeks ago at club ringwood where we met with a bunch of guys for lunch after church. how cute is my little possum! (and the big one for that matter!)

loving this range of wedding invitations and stationary at poppies for grace... these guys have a fascinating style and mix of old fashioned floral slash contempory style.