Give Me Strength...

I should so NOT be blogging right now,
but I deserve a serious break.
For those of you who have sold a house before,
you know what it's like to get things ready,
and stew and fuss over all the details.
It is no party doing it by myself,
especially with a one year old following behind me
undoing every mess I just cleaned up.
--
I have this inner struggle
between being a good person that's meek and humble,
and then just wanting to stick my tongue out
and feel sorry for myself.
It's no secret that the past year
has been hard on the economy,
but with Chris being a homebuilder,
we have felt a particularly painful sting.
--
A couple weeks ago we decided to finally
"do the right thing"
and put our house up for sale.
So while Chris works up in Idaho during the week,
I have been home frantically trying to make things presentable
so we can plant that stupid sign in our front yard.
--
I know that we are being responsible grown ups
and making the right choice,
but there also is a part of me that wants to grumble because...
I'm cleaning, sorting, hauling alone,
this will be our TENTH move,
I love this neighborhood and our friends,
I love this house and now feel comfortable with this city,
and
I'm afraid of the unknown in the future.
--
But,
it is my hope,
that someday we won't have to move anymore,
and Chris will be appreciated and compensated for his talents,
and life will not necessarily become easier,
but will have some stability.
--
Until then,
I'm going to eat the quart of ice cream I got from ColdStone tonight,
in my sparkly clean house,
(yes you may open that closet,
yes you may walk into my craft room,
yes you can see the floor in the laundry room,)
and I'm going to cherish the friendships I've made here,
and be grateful that we have a house, clothes, food,
and above all,
a family that loves us and cares about us.
--

Here are some fantastic things that have accompanied my week

of cleaning toilets, vacuuming 500 times, and dusting light fixtures

that have never felt a human touch.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
While in Idaho over the weekend,
Eliza made our friends "The Ganir's" famous Sweet n' Sour Chicken.
It was SCRUMPTIOUS!!


My friend and neighbor Jennifer has her wonderful Visiting Teaching kits and Christmas gifts in a boutique this weekend. If you're around these parts, stop by and peek at all the cuteness.

Katie is one of those friends that I feel lucky to have. We spent a summer together being counselors for Academy for Girls and the blogging world re-acquainted us again. I look up to her in so many ways- I am in awe of her amazing spirit, sweet heart, and talents for being a fun mom and an all around awesome person. It's good for me but a shame for others that her blog is private, because her talents are mighty inspiring. Katie has always had the most fantastic penmanship and style, and she has been able to turn this gift into a business. Visit ARTICHOKE INK and keep her in mind for a special touch for any paper personalizing or addressing.

Maybe talent comes in this name, but another dear friend by the name of Kate who is an amazing photographer just posted pictures of her daughters birthday party, and they gave me a coronary...or something like that. She seriously has some mad skills, and even dressed up as a tea pot...who does that? Kate, you kill me!

One final note, I stopped by Laurie's house with some banana bread and her yard looked like a pumpkin patch and fancy boutique. I would have left it on her doorstep but with the deer, grasshoppers, turtles, and wild turkey's, I thought it would be better to bring it by another day- but it was worth it stopping by just to see her house. Anyhow, we think a lot alike, and to prove this fact, just look at her fabulous mantle decor that speaks to my soul. We do so many similiar things without even knowing it, and it's fun to have people in my life that "get me".

Thanks for all the inspiration everyone!

life will go on...