Handmade treasures..

About a year and a half ago, I started a small handmade business with a friend where we created all kinds of things. I loved coming up with new ideas and finding unique inspiration to make hand crafted creations. I would scour the internet looking for ideas of what to make next. I always found things I wanted to make for my children or my home, but never had time when I was keeping up with our small business. Now that I have left the business, I have time to experiment with all the creations I never got to do before! 

The one piece that I always wanted to try was the rag quilt. There are a lot of variations to a rag quilt, but like most projects, I came up with my own unique way of completing this. I will be loosely using "THIS TUTORIAL" to complete the project, although I am using cotton, flannel, and a muslin fabric. 

In April we have family coming in from Indiana, who will be bringing two twin beds for Camille's room. These are beds that they would like to be kept in the family, so I am super excited about the sentiment that comes with them! My goal is to have the quilts finished by the time the beds are delivered, so if I accomplish that feat, I will be pleased!

I will attempt to take pictures as I chronicle my journey into the world of quilting.

Here are the fabrics for the quilt!!

There is freedom in simplicity...

I recently told my husband that by the time I am finished with my "simplify my life" plan, I hope to only have as many belongings as would fit into a trailer. I have no intentions at this point to live in a trailer, but this gives some direction as to how much I would like to slim down my "things".

One area that was very difficult for me to simplify was my children's clothing--- specifically my first born daughter's, for some reason. Every time I would open one of the many plastic bins that houses her last 4 years worth of clothing I become emotional... I would remember everything about what she was doing, the things she was learning, etc. when she wore each outfit.

It hit me tonight that it does not matter if I still have the clothing from her early years, I will always have the memories. I also realized that she is going to continue to grow and continue to accumulate clothing... and her clothing is going to get bigger and more difficult to store :)

So, tonight I began the tedious job of going through hundreds of outfits... parting with many...and keeping some for now! Baby steps, people!!

It was amazing how it felt to begin consigning her clothing to other people who could create there own memories with their children. The clothes were doing me no good in plastic bins! It is amazing how freeing it feels to be decreasing the amount of "things" I have to store.

P.S. All proceeds from the sale of Camille's clothing will be going towards her room overhaul... another post for another day :)

Talk about being transparent...

***UPDATES BELOW*** 

In my quest to be more intentional, I have made it a priority to make my home welcoming and comfortable for both my family and visitors. I have been working very diligently to create functional spaces by de-cluttering and organizing, thus making numerous trips to Goodwill with my trunk filled to overflowing! The rooms in my home are slowly starting to feel cozy and warm, and the simplicity of them are very calming.

I don't know why this happens, but it seems like the master bedroom always gets neglected... nothing on the walls, oldest furniture, oldest curtains, disorganized, and basically, a dumping ground.

I have a desire to create an intimate, stress-free room for my husband and myself. How can I relax and spend intentional time with my husband when there are clothes everywhere, shoes everywhere, and furniture that is screaming out "I need re-finished"! Okay, perhaps the furniture isn't a priority, but you get the point...

In my effort to be completely transparent and real as I can be, I will be shamefully putting pictures of my bedroom as it looks today. This will contribute to my motivation to transform this room into a tranquil space that my hard-working husband deserves to relax in and that creates an environment where we can spend quality time with one another.

So without further ado...

****UPDATE**** Not nearly complete... but wanted to share some progress!! I now have four bags to go to Goodwill and about two bags of things to sell at the consignment store... hurray for simplicity!!

There you have it, folks.... the ugly duckling of my home. I am looking forward to continuing this journey with you as I work to make intentional choices in both my life and home!

Staying at home.

I spent six years of my life preparing for my career as a family therapist. My husband and I had been very deliberate in making sure that we had finished our education before starting a family. I loved what I did and always assumed that after having children, I would enroll my children in daycare, and return to my job.

But within hours of my first child being born, the wave of emotions hit me like a brick wall. I realized I didn't want to ever leave her...I would cry for hours when I thought about taking her to daycare, but was torn between two worlds. I loved my job, I enjoyed the extra income, and I felt a lot of worth from what I was doing. Truthfully, a part of me felt obligated to continue in this career since we had monthly bills coming in to pay off large student loans... all because I wanted to get my graduate degree from Temple University. But my heart was left at the daycare each morning I dropped my precious one in the doors and scurried off to spend my day with other people's families.

Fast forward three and a half years.... now my baby is almost four and her little brother is two, and I feel lucky to be home with them! But, I find myself constantly rushing them out the door to go to this play date, that errand, this church event, or that mom's group. I have been wondering lately, why do they call me a stay-at-home mom?

I read this post on the blog PASSIONATE HOMEMAKING and was so inspired. Essentially it is all about enjoying the simplicity of being at home. It has been a reminder to me that my priorities throughout the day should be investing quality time with and instilling lasting values in my children, ensuring that my husband has clean clothes for work and a welcoming home to relax in, preparing nutritious meals for my family, and taking time to spend with the Lord in thankfulness for all my many blessings.

This will mean making deliberate, intentional choices in what I choose to put on my calendar. Just another step on my journey to leading a purpose driven life...

-Michelle

Where do I start?

I have made my resolution for 2012 fairly vague for a reason... it's hard to fail! I would like to live a more intentional, purpose-driven life. This spills over into every area of my life: relationship with the Lord, being a Godly wife and mother, being a loyal friend, effectively managing my home (including housekeeping and meal preparation), decreasing spending and increasing saving, and taking better care of my body. That seems pretty manageable, right, right?!

I don't boast when I say I usually set myself up for failure. I make to-do lists that an Olympic athlete couldn't achieve and become discouraged when I fail at completing my lofty expectations. A large part of my resolution is to set up reasonable goals for myself, so that I can see minor achievements and feel productive.

I have started reading THIS BOOK by the Money Saving Mom and have already came up with so many ideas on how to simplify my life and invest my time, money, and resources into a more intentional way of living.

I will be recording my journey on this blog in hopes that others will use my experiences to enter into a more purpose driven way of life!

-Michelle