Fear of Finishing.

Good Morning!  Here it is Wednesday morning and I have nothing to write about, nothing to share.  I have lots of projects "in progress," but nothing completed enough to show.  I'm trying to put together some things (pictures, pillows, etc.) to place in a local shop and I'm so excited, so filled with ideas to try, but...

I'm also filled with fear.
What if the shop owner (my husband's cousin) doesn't like my things?
What if she puts them out in her shop and they don't sell?
What if I spend more on materials than I actually earn? What if I don't earn anything?

What if people laugh?
What if I fail? 

I will admit:  I am not the most adventurous person in the world.  Riding roller coasters will never be my weekend activity of choice.  Skydiving holds no appeal.  But there is something especially scary about putting your handmade dreams out there for others to critique.

And so I begin projects--a pillow here and a picture there--but just as I am nearing the finish line with them, I find one more thing that needs to be tweaked or one element that just isn't quite good enough and I set it aside to be finished later.

But later never seems to come.

A partial list of my excuses:  I have to work on my "real" job.  I need to clean the house.  I should be playing with my child.  The curtains need to be altered.  I should finish painting.  I should be out working in the yard.  I should be starting some type of exercise program.  I need to buy groceries.  I have to take C to school.  I have to take C to soccer.  I really need to clear off the kitchen table before J comes home from work.  It's time to make dinner.  My craft room is too messy to find anything.  I don't have everything I need.  I should write a blog post.  I should finish the book I'm reading.  I should be looking for a full-time job rather than playing with my crafts...

Each night at bedtime, I think about my goals and whether or not I'm moving towards them.  I think I am.  I've taken baby steps in the direction of my dreams, but I think that it's time for a leap.

A leap of faith...

Art with my Boy.

Today, C and I made art together.  He lost interest after about five minutes, but I was pretty excited that he even wanted to give it a whirl.  Crafting is not usually his activity of choice.  So what did we make, you ask?

Cats.
Calico cats.
Collage calico cats.

Collage was my idea.  Cats were C's.

I think I'll do some searching for summer art activities that we can do together.  I feel inspired to find many different activities because I think I'll lose my mind if every day is filled with Star Wars play.  I've just about had my fill of droids and jedi knights and sith lords and bounty hunters...I'm glad that he loves it, but oh my!  Give me a different topic, please!

Old Mizzou.

I was feeling crafty this weekend so I engaged in more patch mania! 

Hmmm...Looks better in real life.  As I worked on this one, I found myself humming this:

"Fight, Tigers, fight for Old Mizzou,

Right behind you, everyone is with you,
Break the line and follow down the field,
And you'll be, on the top, upon the top;
Fight, Tigers, you will always win,
Proudly keep the colors flying skyward,
In the end we'll win the victory,
So Tigers, fight for Old Mizzou!"

I had to memorize that for my sorority a million years ago!

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I made five other "pieces" as well.  One stinks, but I'm really excited about the other four.  I'm still deciding how I want to frame them.
Time to clear the kitchen table (a serious chore!) and make dinner.


Have a great week...

Design Dilemmas.

I have an issue. If you've read any of my other posts, you're probably thinking that I have a lot of issues!   Today's issue is this: I can't decide on my style.

I've been through many style stages. In my teens, I fell in love with Victoria magazine and dreamed of living in a Queen Anne mansion. I could just imagine myself wearing a lacy white dress while serving tea cakes between rounds of croquet on the west lawn.

Source:  http://www.jimwegryn.com/Photos/Photos.htm

In college, I had a preppy stage. I was mad for plaids, paisleys, and tweeds. My dream home would have been designed by Ralph Lauren. I thought that life would be great if I could curl up in my plaid comforter after riding horses all day in a meadow! Never mind that I've only been on one horse in my entire life and he was so old he could barely make it up a small incline without assistance.

Source:  http://www.shelterpop.com/2011/01/05/preppy-home/



Next came graduate school and living alone for the first time. I was definitely in "cottage" mode at this stage of my style development. Lots of pinks and greens, large floral prints, and pine furniture. I still have a soft spot for this type of cottage design, but it doesn't seem to fit my lifestyle now that I live with two boys.

Source:  http://www.bhgrealestate.com/

 When my husband and I "set up housekeeping" together, I did my best to beautify our surroundings. This was made difficult by the fact that we were living in my brother-in-law's house. J and his brother lived together until I came along and then brother moved out and I moved in. J and I continued to rent the place for a couple of years and during that time, I didn't feel comfortable making big changes. I also had a huge desire to buy our own house so our little rental home always felt very temporary to me.

Almost eight years ago, we moved into our current home.  I channeled Rainbow Bright and painted almost every room a different color.  Our living room was yellow.  The kitchen was red.  The guest bath was blue.  Our bedroom was green.  Our guest room was orange (though I was really trying for terra cotta).  What can I say?  After living in off-white rental homes for years, I was ready for color.

Now, I'm ready for a calmer color scheme.  We're painting all of the living areas in Sherwin Williams' Ecru (#6135).  Our furniture is decidedly country in feel and I still really like it, but I'm looking around my freshly painted living room and I'm thinking that I want to add in more traditional and (gasp) even a few contemporary items. 

Am I experiencing another style transition? 
How do I incorporate all of the things I love into one cohesive style?
I wonder how Emily would label my style during a "style diagnostic." 
Unhip-country-antique-mismash with a hint of transitional-traditional-contemporary-cottage. 
Too specific (Ha!)

I think that it is time to pull all of my knick knacks out of the closets and garage.
I think it's time to make some decisions and just get 'er done.
I think it's time...if only I can find the time!

Wish me luck...

Getting Caught Up.

Random prettiness from La Caille, Sandy, UT circa March 2006

Is it just me or is April the busiest month of the year?  With soccer starting up, my semester winding down, Easter activities, yard work, tumbling meets, and more--I feel like I need to keep my calendar with me at all times just to make sure that I'm not forgetting something important.  And all of this with only one child who isn't even in full-time school yet!  I'm not sure how parents with two or more children ever have time to breathe! 

My parents were here for a visit and we got our living room painted!  J described them as our personal "gypsy renovation caravan."  I can't describe how happy I am to have that chore done.  I won't go into the buying-additional-paint-purchase/color-matching crisis on Sunday, but I will say that there was yelling and crying and I was the one doing both.  Not my finest hour(s).  Ah well.  I'm trying to let it go and I'm gearing up to buy even more paint because I still need another gallon or two to finish up our dining area and kitchen.  Hopefully the sun will come out soon so that I can take some pictures of our freshly painted walls!

I can't believe that it's already Thursday.  Where did the week go?  I'm hoping to get in some crafting/decorating time this weekend so I had better wrap this up and get to work on my classes, laundry, housekeeping, dinner making, kid care... You get the idea! 

Painting Peeps.

Well, one baby bird hatched and I missed it (Rats!).
I did catch a glimpse of gray fluff this morning so I guess it's time for me to resume my housekeeping duties.

Gotta get the rest of my house ready for my peeps!
I feel that it is only polite to clean out the bathtub for visitors who are coming to help paint my living room.

Perhaps I should think about serving some type of food to them, too?

Bird Babies.

I should be cleaning my house for "company," but I can't stop waiting & watching for the eagle babies to be born.  I did a search to see what these babies might look like should they decide to hatch and I found some "cute" photos, but then I saw this:

Source:  http://www.eagles.org/about/aef-photo-gallery.php 

I knew that it was the right picture for this post because when I think "American Eagle," I always picture it next to Dolly Parton dressed as Daniel Boone!  (Ha!)

Yes, I should be cleaning, but I would be really disappointed if I missed the big moment because I was busy dusting the living room--or worse--cleaning the bathroom!

No, I'd better stay right here.
Maybe have a snack.
Perhaps a little nap.
The chirps will wake me, right?

Do baby eagles chirp or squawk?

I've had the birds on for over three hours now and I'm getting a little tired of waiting...

Maybe that Mama Eagle needs to get up and walk around a little?
Bounce on an exercise ball for a bit?

How about a dose of Pitocin?

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Note to self:  Get life. 
As soon as bird babies are born.