Thursday, January 20, 2011

A Word


I recently read a friend's blog who was inspired to choose a word that would reflect the coming year. Her word was "hope".  That word already sums up so much of what she has had to cling to and I'm sure this is just the beginning.  In October she gave birth to a premature baby with Apple Peel Syndrome (a rare intestinal complication). Every day I eagerly await updates of little Josette's progress and see evidences, glimmers of hope in each word sent out, each day that progresses for her and her husband.

This word started my own quest to find a word to sum up what this year will most likely mean for me.  The word that came to my mind was "deny".  It seems that every day I am learning more and more of what it means to deny myself.  Not just in the little things, although they are ever present as my young boys strive constantly for every ounce I have to give, but I have had to learn to deny myself in much bigger ways. I have had to deny the introvert inside of me that starts to cry out and threatens to shut down when I have pushed myself into what it believes is too much social interaction.  I have already been called to deny my own comfort, my own desires, and sometimes even my own appetite. It is not easy. In fact it is probably one of the hardest things I have to do and yet as I read Luke with my boys in the morning and read the part that talks about our duty being to deny ourselves I am rebuked. For even the great efforts I seem to take in order to deny myself pale in comparison and I am led to start again, refocus and remember what I am to be doing.  To deny all my instincts, all my wants, and serve.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Coming to a Close

 
2011 is in its infant stage and I find myself already trying to take in the whole year. What to expect this year and what the unexpected might be.  I can be close to confident that my boys will continue to grow, that we will continue to press on with school, that we will be right here in this house enjoying the newness and forgetting what it was like not to live here.  Then there are the things I hope but am not certain of such as whether this year will bring us another child, whether all the new products floating around in my head will actually be created, and if all the projects that need to be done around here will actually be completed.

One thing I have had to realize is that I have to downsize some things in my life to open up new opportunities for other things to take their place. With this realization in mind I have decided that I need to close my vintage shop on etsy. I do this with bittersweet sentiments. I have enjoyed the vintage treasures I have come across, and I have loved the idea that even if I can't keep all of them for myself someone else might appreciate them just as much. 

It all just ends up being too much though and in the end something has to go. 

So in honor of the new year and the celebration of old things I am running a final 10% off sale on everything in Yesterdays Warehouse. Etsy how offers the option of coupon codes so in order to get this discount just use the code CLOSE11. The doors will be officially closing once and for all January 31, 2011 and that chapter of my business adventures will be closed. 

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Alive in the New Year

I am still out here pressing on even though my fingers have not seen the keyboard much at all. I have taken many photos and have been hesitating to post anything until I can get those photos on my computer but alas it has not happened and it's so hard to find the time.

We have partially settled into our new house. There is always that one project that holds up the final unpacking but other than that it is feeling much more like home. 

Today we are seeing our first day back to school since the move. I have much ground to cover and much more to get organized but it feels good to be getting back into a routine...the first one in the new house.

I will be posting more hopefully very soon. Updates on our visit to my dad's family (all still practicing Amish) and much more but for now I actually have to start the school that has so long been postponed.