Time to Get Organized

I've always dreamed of a swanky, custom-designed closet like the ClosetMaid picture above.  You see them on TV all the time.  And every time someone does a big home makeover, they include fancy closets with neatly spaced clothing on matching hangers.  I keep thinking that someday I'm finally going to make my possessions look as organized in my closet as they do in the picture above.

But let's be real, my closet is never going to look like the "normal person's" closet as pictured above.  For starters, I have shoes.  I mean, lots of shoes.  I own shoes for parties, for church, for working out, for wearing long jeans, for wearing short jeans, for wearing shorts, for wearing skirts, for walking through rain, for living in Texas (like cowboy boots), and for walking through the house in the middle of the night (did you know that Steve Madden makes awesome slippers?)!  Anyway, I need a shoe friendly closet. 

Next, I need lots of hanger space.  I happen to own lots of clothes.  But it's not because I hoard clothes.  I just happen to need appropriate clothing for all kinds of occasions.  I need clothes for my law firm job, for the court room, for church, for working out, for taking the kids on day adventures, for going to sporting events, for going to fancy parties, for going to backyard barbecues, for date night, for play dates, for working at home, and for any other event that might occur.  I also have a collection of maternity clothes that I'm not quite ready to let go of just yet.  (I mean, that collection wasn't cheap!)  So my dream closet also needs to have lots of room for hangers.

And finally, I need space for that man in my life.  Even though he doesn't own as many clothes as I do, my husband is over a foot taller than me and his clothes take up a lot of room.  Plus, we need a co-ed space with special man friendly features--like a tie rack, a place for belts, and special hanger space for his suits.

As I've started considering our needs,  I've come to realize that if I want a fantabulous closet, I'm going to have to add square footage to my already decent sized walk-in closet.  Or I'm going to have to do some serious organizing.  Thankfully, Dear Husband was on board with the latter.  So, we've spent the last week visiting every Lowe's Department store in our local area in order to put together an organized closet.  (FYI--Lowe's is actually much cheaper than Target and has a better selection.) We're not quite finished with our project (I haven't found matching hangers that I'm ready to commit to yet), but I'm already feeling kind of Zen in our newly organized space. 

It actually feels great to start out the New Year with something "new."  And it's good for the psyche to walk into your closet every morning and to be able to find things.  If you haven't organized your closet recently, go for it.  And if you need some plastic drawers like we all used during college to hold all of our "stuff," I have a decade's worth of drawers in my garage that you may have.

I Have a Word...

Sometimes other people have great ideas.  And sometimes I like to adopt their ideas and use them for myself.  I'm very excited to adopt an idea from another mom blogger at http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/ who chooses a Word of the Year every January.  She chooses a word to dwell on and live out all year long.  For example, the word "joyful" gives you the chance to practice joy all  year.  Such a great idea, right?  I think I need a word this year.

Well, as my 3 year old announces every time he has something important to say, "I have a word."  2012 is going to be about the word:

 Family

I feel like the last few years, I've been working really hard to achieve my own, personal goals.  And although I'm "almost there," I've realized that I wouldn't be anywhere without my family.  Thank goodness these people are still with me and still love me after all of my crazy endeavors.  More importantly, they believe in me and are proud of me regardless of what I accomplish.  This year, I want them to know that they are all very special to me.

I want my little family to know that they are my priority this year--not the Bar exam, not work, not all my spontaneous ambitious pursuits--but them!

Sadly, a year ago, I was afraid that being home with my little family full-time would cause me to lose myself.  What would become of the professional that I had worked so hard to be? 

Thankfully, I think I discovered a completely new woman!  I've learned that I'm much more than a boring book nerd who knows how to work a 12 hour hospital shift.  I'm also a great railroad track builder, a decent baker, a good explorer, and a great fantasy football predictor!  Being at home with my family has made me a better person.  I can't wait to see what it will do to me in 2012!

 

This year, I'm going to focus on teaching my little boys everything that they could be learning in preschool.  Only, I'm going to be much more entertaining!  And I will give them lots of hugs!

This year, I'm going to try to cook for my husband for an entire week without going out-to-eat!  (I mean, at least I have 52 chances to get this one right.)  I'll even make him lunch when he comes home every day that week.

This year, I plan to become a part of a new church family.  I'm still not sure where or when, but I know that there's a body of believers out there somewhere waiting to welcome our gang with open arms.

This year, I plan to communicate better with my family members who are spread out across the country.  I'm even going to try to locate all of their addresses so that I can send them cards at Christmas.

This year, I'm going to try to create some amazing memories for my family as we vacation together, visit new places, and try new things.

2012 isn't going to be about me.  It's going to be about me doing things for the important people in my life.  It's about connecting with those who matter to me.  It's about meeting needs for those who have met my needs.  2012 is a year to celebrate those that I love!

The Cozy Home

 
I never realized how much effort it took to make a house feel homey.  But I am learning that a cozy house is no easy feat.  For starters, the house has to be clean.  Then it house to be appealing to the eye.  Then it has to be comfortable.  But most importantly, it has to smell nice.

Getting a house to smell nice isn't as easy as it sounds.  I have pets. I have a child in diapers.  I have a 3 year old who smells like recess because he plays in the backyard a lot.  I have a trash can given to us by the city of Fort Worth in my garage that isn't always able to hold the amount of waste that I try to put in it.  And sometimes I cook things that smell less than wonderful.  (Have you ever noticed that maple glazed anything will make your house smell like maple syrup for days?)

Thus, I am at war with odors in my home--and I am determined to win.  I have even gone so far as to vinegarize some of my carpet (yes, it's a made-up word that is completely appropriate for what I'm describing).  You take some vinegar and dilute it in water.  Then you pour it on the carpet, stomp on it really well and let it dry.  But then your house smells like vinegar.  When that smell knocked my socks off, I tried Febreeze.  I mean, the commercials are really convincing.  Let's just say that Febreeze is a nice temporary fix.  But then the lovely smell is carried away by the real breeze (or ceiling fan) and you're right back where you started.  Sometimes I use candles, but this is a real fire hazard.  I know this, because a neighbor down the street had a fire from a bathroom candle.  They had to move out for 6 months.  And since I don't want to move out for 6 months, I moved on to other methods.  Next, I tried Glade plug-ins with the oil bases.  I really like these.  But you literally have to have one in every room that you want to smell good.  So unless you're willing to let people see your plugged-in air freshener (looks like something from a public bathroom), you're short on luck.  I just knew that here had to be a better solution. Thankfully, my mother introduced me to Scentsy.

I have become a huge Scentsy fan, because Scentsy has changed my life.  Scentsy "candles" are actually little light boxes with ceramic trays where you put a block of wax.  The light bulb then melts the wax and makes it smell like something really, really wonderful.  The miracle of the Scentsy contraption is that it's pretty, and it's completely safe.  If you leave it on all night, it's not going to start a fire.  And if your 3 year old puts his hand in it, he won't get burned.  (My little guy did this once and started screaming when the wax dried to his finger, but he had no burns or any problems as a result--just a waxy finger.)

Anyway, I love Scentsy.  I burn my candle every day.  I bought Scentsy gifts for my family for Christmas.  And I am loyal to this brand.  Don't be fooled, because the look-alikes that you can buy are NOT as good.  Some of them even stink.  Thankfully, I have finally found a way to make my home smell homey and cozy.  So long stinkiness--I'm finally winning!

If you're in the market for a lovely smelling house, contact my consultant Janelle at https://txjanelle.scentsy.us/Home (FYI--she doesn't know that I'm posting this).  And may you start your new year with a cozy home.

Happy New Year!

May your New Year be filled with many shoes, fabulous purses, boxes of chocolate and many coffee dates.  May your heart be filled with singing.  May Scripture be continually on your mouth.  May you share the love of Jesus with others.  And may you be blessed.  Happy 2012!

So Long 2011

If it weren't for the fact that one of my kiddos came down with a 102 temp yesterday, I'd probably be ready to party-it-up tonight.  For the first time since I can remember, I'm actually relieved to have a year behind me.  It's been a "growing" year for our family--a.k.a. it's been rough.

2011 started with my own Jonah experience where I was really struggling with God's calling for my life.  Once I finally submitted to His plan, I thought our lives would get easier.  Of course, that's not how life works.  Instead, we dealt with other struggles and scheduling issues.  Then, when I finally graduated from school, we took a much needed vacation.  After a refreshing few days, we returned to discover that our house was literally under water.  We never imagined we would experience our own personal flood during one of the driest and hottest summers on record.  Once we sorted out all of the issues with contractors, repairmen, and furniture replacements, we thought that life would finally smooth over.  Unfortunately, we had other hiccups along the way. We've had people say bad things about us.  We've had friends stab us in the back.  We've had church leaders decide to uproot our "church" and move it to West Texas.  And I, personally, have been at war with the same 10 lbs for about 6 months now.  Needless to say, I fought the pounds and the pounds have won--so far.  Then to top it all off, the boys have been sick this week--fevers, tummy aches, and the whole shebang. It's definitely been a bummer way to end the year. 

Despite what it may seem, I'm not complaining.  God has taught our family so much this year.  He's softened our hearts to seek His calling.  And He's proven that He is the Great Provider.  When we weren't sure how we were going to make everything work, God came through for us in ways that we never imagined.  

I'm so grateful to be entering 2012 with God's promises in my heart.  

How great is Your goodness,
Which You have stored up for those who fear You,
Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You,
Before the sons of men!  

You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man;
You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.

Blessed be the LORD,
For He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city.

As for me, I said in my alarm,
“I am cut off from before Your eyes”;
Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications
When I cried to You.

 O love the LORD, all you His godly ones!
The LORD preserves the faithful
And fully recompenses the proud doer.

Be strong and let your heart take courage,
All you who hope in the LORD. 

Psalm 31:19-24

Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come For You?

Thanks Dad and Mom for getting the buys their ultimate Christmas present.  I almost think that this car is so high tech that my guys are not going to need driver's ed someday.  I can't believe I'm parking my own Dodge Charger in the driveway while this police car is in my parking space!

Needless to say, the boys had a great Christmas this year. 

Giving Up or Being a Realist

http://www.babyrazzi.com/2011/12/20/

I've had a war going on in my brain for the past week.  Do I finally give in, or do I hold on to my convictions and stay strong?  Well, I finally gave in.  I bought sweats.  Then I wore them out in public.  Even worse--I wore them with my tennis shoes!

My worst nightmare is to wake up some morning and realize that I am one of those desperate women that you see on those makeover shows.  You know, the ones who are moms and only wear sweats during the week and jeans on the weekend.  Oh, these shows make me so sad.  It's like these women have given up the joy of being a stay-at-home mom.  They've lost their identity in a closet of baggy, shapeless sweats.  These women don't have a clue how fun it can be to wear a cute little dress and wedges and to walk into a public place with their little boys who are wearing matching GAP kids' attire.  In my mind, that's the awesomeness of motherhood--showing off your adorable children and being proud to be their mommy.  It's only for a brief time that a woman has the opportunity to enjoy her little ones, so why not make the most of it?

Anyway, it occurred to me this past week that I don't own many practical winter clothes.  I own dresses that I used to wear to law school or fancy heels and cute little shirts and sport coats.  Or I own winter maternity clothes.  (And we all know the rule--if you're not pregnant you are NOT allowed to wear maternity clothes.)  Unfortunately, I don't own many clothes that are practical for this current time in my life.  So as a stay-at-home mommy who needs to sit at my desk and study all day while taking breaks to do laundry and Lysol my house, it kind of makes sense that I need comfy clothes for this new lifestyle.  Thus, I needed sweats.

I did my best this week to purchase some cute matching work-out outfits.  I'm really trying to give off a glamorous vibe in my work-out attire like some of the celebrity moms do (see Nicole Richie above).  I'm hoping that wearing a put together outfit and actually doing my hair and make-up each day will keep me from becoming a faceless mommy in uniform.  But I have to wonder if the work-out clothes are like a gateway drug to the world of being a give-up?  Or is it possible to keep up a stylish look while wearing spandex and cotton?  I certainly hope so. 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Texas sunshine will return soon with a little heat wave behind it.  Then I can break out all the sun dresses and beautiful, comfy clothing of summer.  Until then, I'm going to make sure that my nightmare of becoming Mrs. Give-Up doesn't become a reality.

"I...I Was Just Talking to the Cornfield."

"The righteous detest the dishonest; the wicked detest the upright." Proverbs 29:27

Every time I hear the Iowa polls, my heart sinks.  Are Iowans stupid?  I mean, in light of the fact that North Korea is in a state of political unrest, do they really want an isolationist like Ron Paul to be the Republican nominee?  He's not a Republican.  He's not even tame enough to be considered a Democrat.  He's a dangerous political hybrid.

If Ron Paul wins the Iowa caucuses this year, I think we all need to agree that Iowans have made themselves irrelevant and we need to stop giving a hoot who they want for President.  It's just mind-boggling to consider that Paul is soaring in the polls in a state where a former Baptist minister was able to sweep during the last election cycle.  I don't know if Paul has been distributing pot in that state for the last 4 years or if these people have been building too many baseball diamonds in their corn fields, but something odd has happened if these people are suddenly going vote in a whole new political bracket.

This issue has really been bothering me for the last week.  Why can't Americans make a clear choice as to who the next President is going to be?

Well, for starters, Americans don't all think the same way.  This ability to think for ourselves is what has made this country great for so long.  We don't have to drink the Kool-aid, because our system of government is conducive to differences of opinion. (Although, plenty of people do drink whatever juice they're given and vote without actually considering who their candidate is and what he stands for.)

Secondly, if we're all allowed to vote based on our own opinions, we're not going to agree.  Proverbs makes it pretty clear that righteous people hate dishonest candidates and wicked people hate the upright.  Hence, many good, honest people have a problem with flip-flopping candidates, and many individuals who embrace relativism hate the candidates with moral standards and staunch social views.  This explains why elected candidates are usually those who can portray themselves as decent, church-going people who carry around as little baggage as possible.  Fortunately for many elected officials, images can be deceiving.

 There's really no way to tell or predict what's going to happen next week in Iowa, or even next year in the November election.  It's way to early to allow ourselves to get troubled by the ever-changing mood of the country.  This is America.  And as we learned in 2000, it's not over til it's over.  As one Great American reminds us everyday, "let not your hearts be troubled," because 2012 hasn't even started...

The Color of Rain

Last Friday, I sat on my bed and sobbed.  I wasn't actually sad.  I just made the mistake of watching a horribly sad movie and reading a gut wrenchingly sad book at the same time.  (I was reading during commercial breaks.)  It just so happens that the movie was about a 2 year old who dies of cancer.  And the book was about a father who dies of cancer and a mother who dies of a brain tumor.  Between the three tragedies, I felt like I was at a funeral.

Death is not something that I enjoy.  During nursing school, I had the unfortunate opportunity to watch a man die of a stroke (didn't respond to a code) and to witness another man in the process of dying who said goodbye to his grandchildren.  Right then and there, I made up my mind that I would never work in an environment where I had to deal with dying patients and their families.  Hence, I chose pediatric orthopedics--a practice where the patients typically get fixed and sent home in better condition than when they were admitted to the hospital.  Maybe I was immature, but dealing with grieving people was not something I wanted to do at the age of 22.  I guess I have too much sympathy for other people--if that's even possible. 

For some reason, when I heard Michael and Gina Spehn on the radio talking about the book they had written about the deaths of their former spouses and the resulting combination of their two families (the Spehns are the modern Brady Bunch), I felt compelled to read the book.  The Color of Rain: How Two Families Found Faith, Hope, & Love in the Midst of Tragedy turned out to be a beneficial book for me.  Although I sobbed half way through it, I learned a lot about a godly response to death and the grieving process.  Michael and Gina explain how those around them helped or could have helped during their time of grieving.  And they explain how faith makes death such a different experience for a Christian family than it does for the world.  They actually make death seem like a beautiful experience.

This book taught me how I need to approach death and how I should view it differently.  In addition, this book taught me ways that I can help those dealing with significant losses and who are grieving.  Apart from a nursing class on the appropriate way to handle a dead body, I don't think I've ever really been taught how to help those who grieve.  And I am grateful that Michael and Gina were willing to share their experience with me in this book.  Even though I have no plans to do hospice work anytime soon, as a result of reading this book, I now have a desire to "do something" for people who are grieving.

To learn more about how you can help those who are grieving, please visit Michael and Gina's website at http://www.michaelandgina.com/ or their nonprofit's website The New Day Foundation for Families at http://www.foundationforfamilies.com/ or get a copy of their book.  You'll probably cry.  But you'll be glad you did.

The Day After Christmas...

I hope you had a blessed Christmas!  And I hope you were able to throw Jesus a wonderful birthday party.  I have to confess that our birthday cake never exactly made it in the oven yesterday, so we'll have to have a belated birthday cake.  (Although I did buy Jesus birthday cupcakes as a back-up plan.) Let's just say that 2 days of partying with the family resulted in exhausted little boys who ended up sleeping on Christmas afternoon.  Mommy never factored the sleep into her Christmas activities, so we had to nix a few things.  But trust me, the Christmas nap time was MUCH needed.

We ended up having a wonderful weekend.  And I must say that my sister-in-law by far gave me the greatest gift this year.  She gave birth to cutest little boy this week, making me an aunt for the first time ever!  In my opinion, being an Aunt is pretty awesome.  As an Aunt, I have a special place in a little person's life.  I get to love on him.  I get to spoil him.  I get to dote on him.  But I didn't have to carry him around for 10 months (oh yes--it really is 10 months!), I don't have to get up with him in the middle of the night, and I don't have to potty train him.  Talk about a cool gig!

That said, Dear Husband outdid himself this year--again.  He surprised me with some pretty fantastic jewelry.  And this year he even bought me some beautiful cowboy boots.  I can't wait until our next date night so that I can show off my new treasures.  When I discovered that this man could pick out great jewelry and stylish shoes, I just knew he was a keeper.  I'm so glad he's mine.  I just hope he feels the same way about me by March!

The time has finally come to transform myself from stay-at-home Mommy into crazy Mommy who can spout meaningless legal knowledge.  My Bar review course officially starts tomorrow and the last stretch of my journey towards a Texas law license will then begin.  So if my posts sound a little odd, legal based, or just "different" it's because my head will literally be in my Bar review books for the next 2 months.  Just thought I should warn you.

Anyway, hope you had a wonderful Christmas!  And if you have any advice for what it takes to be the "cool aunt," just let me know!