signs of life...

well hello little blog.

yes,

i am still alive.

and i swore to myself i would not

let months go by without blogging.

sorry guys, i lied.

let's recap what's been going on

around here before i get into

the topic of the post.

the school year has just ended.

let's just put it mildly and say,

it was the worst school year ever.

yes, that's mild.

i could have added profanities,

however,

a. that's not very christian

and

b. i was being mild.

anyway,

it whooped my butt.

completely whooped my butt.

i am glad it's over.

i'm slowly regaining my sanity

and mental stability.

(im joking, it's not that extreme,

well kinda)

other than the whole school thing,

things are great around here.

i am so so content with life.

and just as a side note to jesus,

please don't take that as your cue to

bring on any chaos.

please.

we are very settled in the house.

my extra time has been spent

with the boo and family and friends.

i am also looking forward to a summer

of reading, coffee, blogging, napping,

and any other peaceful

activities that do not involve

teaching the most difficult class ever.

okay, now that you are up to speed

with my life lately,

let me get to why i am posting.

i just finished reading the nesting place

by Myquillyn Smith 

it is a great read.

i finished it in two afternoons.

while our decorating styles differ

quite a bit,

i enjoyed reading her take on home

and what makes a home.

i've been interested in this a lot lately.

i love finding out about the way other women

view their homes and their

approaches to decorating them.

anyway,

a lot of what she wrote had to do with

surrender. 

(my one little word for 2014)

she wrote about using what you have,

embracing imperfection,

enjoying the journey of the home,

and not just "waiting" for the

"finished" product.

i feel like, surprisingly,

i am learning to do the same.

we have discussed the little OCD man

that lives in my head here before.

i am by no means one of those germ

OCD people, however,

i am one that enjoys everything

just so, and in its place.

i also like a clean house.

i do not like clutter, 

or piles,

or dirty floors,

or dirty bathrooms,

or dirty anything.

however,

lately,

i am learning to leave the little messes

for a while when i am busy

enjoying the moments

of life.

i am learning that the little things

out of place and laying around

prove that there is life in this house.

they prove that there are people around

here living and loving

and resting

and playing.

i am also embracing

shane's little messes.

i have to admit something here.

when shane and i first got married

i was super super rude about our space.

i treated it much more like MY space.

i wouldn't let him just live.

i was overbearing.

i was mean.

i was nagging.

yes, i nag. nagged.

(who am i kidding, i still nag.

isn't that a wife's job.)

anyway,

i would get so mad at any little

thing that was left lying around

that was his.

i would blow up about it.

but now, i love finding little

pieces of him

around here.

it reminds me that this home

is ours.

it's a blend of the two of us.

it also makes me smile

when i find his random things everywhere.

he works a lot so those little artifacts

make me feel like he's still here.

by the way, do not ask me why this

tool is on his bed side table.

he did not do any toolish

activities the day i took these pictures.

i swear the boy is SO random.

as you know, 

we don't have kids of our own

so we just spoil the heck out of 

our godchildren.

and it's funny because their messes

are my favorite.

i'll admit

there was a time,

when they were younger,

that i would pick up almost

as they were playing.

i hated when things got out of order.

now, those messes that they leave

from playing don't bother me one bit.

their big mess of toys is still out upstairs

and yes, it's been there over a week.

but every time i go upstairs i can't help

but smile.

i am also surrendering

to the fact that furnishing and decorating

is never-ending.

and honestly,

i'm kinda loving that aspect.

i am changing things out when i feel like it.

finishing things, when i feel like it.

purchasing things, when i feel like it.

no pressure.

and it's so great.

i love knowing that i always

have the freedom to cultivate our home.

so, with all that said,

i love the signs of life around here.

i love enjoying home.

using it.

living in it.

having fun in it.

i love that i'm free to just be here.

i love that others enjoy it here.

i am looking forward to a summer filled

with time in this house,

our home.

i am looking forward to the constant

process of creating a place that

we love to be in and that we can

call ours for a lifetime.

i know i will always be particular

about how things are kept

and i know this world is not

our permanent home.

however,

it's nice to have a place

that you love to lay your head

for now.

ash...