Let Love Be Louder

I can't stand reading or watching the news anymore. So much of it is scary, depressing, gross, disturbing, etc, etc, etc. And I'm not one of those people who just wants to live in my own, comfortable bubble and not think about people who are suffering. I just feel like our culture jumps on anything drama worthy and anything negative, because it's interesting. For me, I can get caught up in this "the world is going to pot and everyone is messed up" mentality. It feels hopeless sometimes. I feel useless to help. But the truth is, there is hope. Hope in Jesus Christ.

This world IS messed up, and always has been...but there's a light at the end of the tunnel. And oh, also...there are people, many people, trying to make a positive difference. There are people doing good things, selfless things, brave things, compassionate things...and sadly, we hardly ever get to see them on the news or on the front page of a magazine. My point is, there are lots of bad things happening all around us every single day, but we can let love be louder. Louder than evil, louder than corruption, louder than greed. One thing God has really taught me in the past couple of years is that He can use ANYTHING for good. He takes our brokenness and makes good out of it. He uses our creativity, our talent, our mistakes, our passions, our stories for good. Let's let love be louder than hate. Let's live our lives with the knowledge that God can use even the smallest things to touch someones life and to make an impact.

Routine

I've had a lot of people lately ask me how I have the time to craft and make stuff for my Etsy shop, so I decided to write a little about it. When I first got married 7 1/2 years ago, my Mom gave me the best piece of advice. She told me to do a little housework each day so that you didn't have to try and tackle it all in one, tiring, overwhelming sweep. Now, I'm typically not a schedule lover, but I have discovered that I do like a bit of routine in my life to keep me sane. Don't get me wrong- I'm spontaneous and I love trying new things and exploring and being adventurous, but when it comes to day to day things, I like to have an idea of what's going to happen when. That said, I took my Mom's advice and have lived by a little cleaning schedule that has been awesome for our family. It's simple, but it keeps me on track. Here it is:

Monday: Clean downstairs bathroom
Tuesday: Laundry
Wednesday: Dust/Clean glass doors and windows (when needed...this does not happen every week)
Thursday: Clean upstairs bathroom
Friday: Laundry
Saturday: Vacuum/Sweep (mop twice a year...basically =0)
Sunday: Lay on the couch =0)

I stick to the schedule and rarely skip doing the job for the day...BUT, if I do (things come up, I get it), it's not a big deal. I just try and make it up the next day, and if I don't....oh, well...it can go another week without a cleaning. We won't die.

I try and do my daily chore in the morning, but if not in the morning, as soon as Elliot goes down for his nap around 1:00. I've found that if my chore isn't done, it's just sitting in the back of my head, irritating me until I do it. If I just get it done and over with as soon as possible, then when Elliot goes down for his nap, I can rest too. This leads to the other part of my routine- I set aside time everyday to rest, relax, and do things that I want to do, i.e. craft =0) This is the time when Levi gets to play on the computer or watch cartoons or color or whatever, and it's my time to chill. I can't tell you how awesome this works for me. I take care of my responsibilities around the house without getting overwhelmed, things get cleaned regularly, and I set aside me time.

I also plan my meals at the beginning of each week, before I go to the store. This helps me buy only what we need for the week (which keeps us on budget) and keeps me from stressing at 5:00 about what to make for dinner. I wake up, take any meat that needs to thaw out, out of the freezer, and prepare accordingly. 

I realize that this kind of thing doesn't work for everyone, nor do some people thrive off of it, but for me, it works. I've had a lot of friends try the cleaning schedule after hearing about it from me and like it a lot. So, this is how I do it folks! I also work on my Etsy stuff after the kids go to bed and John and I are chllin' in front of the TV. But yeah. That's that! I hope this can help some of you who are feeling overwhelmed and have a lot that you want or need to get done.

A Few of My Favorite Things

It's time to talk about a few of my favorite things again! Like I said in my previous post on this, I am inspired daily by so many creative and crafty ladies and gents who either have an Etsy shop, make handmade items, or express their creativity in other forms, like photography and decorating. Instigram, FB, and Pinterest have opened up so many doors to "meet" some of these people and be exposed to their work.

Recently, I stumbled on these ADORABLE embroidery necklaces by the very talented Rachel Pruett of Poppy and Fern.

 Her necklaces are so whimsical and unique...and those pendant frames! Gahhhh!!!! I saved up for one and was giddy when it came in the mail the other day!

 

 Isn't she adorable? And she also loves Jesus, which makes my heart happy!

 I have my eye on this one for my anniversary gift this year (I pick out my own gifts 93% of the time. I mean, it insures I get what I want, right?) because for our first year anniversary I surprised John and took him on a hot air balloon ride in Vegas. Plus, I just think it's CUTE!

Check out her shop, ya'll and follower her on IG. She has cute style and her house is super cute, too!