birthday pARTy!

I had the privilege of having five 7 year old little girls over this morning for a birthday pARTy!

A few months ago I donated this basket and along with a 2 hour art class for 5 little girls for the silent auction at my daughters’ school.

The lucky little girl who won the basket used the art class as her birthday pARTy with four of her friends.

I showed them how to create this canvas

and they were AMAZING little artists!

My pictures of their canvases didn’t turn out very well, but I was amazed how quickly they caught on and how creative they were. Each canvas had it’s own personal touch. I think the girls were pretty happy with their creations. I know I was! I had such a fun time with them and am thinking I want to celebrate more birthdays this way. Anyone else want to have their pARTy in my basement “studio” with me? Just tell me when and I’ll be there 🙂

Checking in…

Summer has begun and it’s been….

awesome, lazy, busy, HOT, rainy, cool, late nights, late mornings, happy, frustrating, bug bites, sunburns, and i am loving it so far!!!

I have been trying to be a little more “unplugged” if you will, so I can be with my kiddos. But I am also working on a few new things that I am really excited about….like opening up an etsy shop (a little scary!) where I am hoping to use it to create awareness and help others. I am hoping to offer some little give-aways as well!  I am also working on starting a new blog. Yup, that’s right…this one may be no more in a week or so. I still plan on blogging, but just not here. I’ll let you know when that happens…don’t worry, i won’t leave you behind 🙂

In the meantime, you should really think about signing up for this amazing art class. You won’t regret it one bit!!!! Even if you think you have no talent or creativity, this will prove you wrong. You’ll be so amazed by what YOU create!

Happy Summer my sweet friends!

The “B” Word

Balance.

I despise that word {along with “Focus” but that is a whole other post}.

All my life {and still today} my mother would tell me if I could just get a little balance then things would be better. Well, I don’t think I have EVER been balanced. My emotions are high or they are low. I do things all the way or not at all. Then if I go full force, I end up burnt out. I let the house go and then get overwhelmed.  And all the while I’m trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. But it’s hard when there are a whole lot of other responsibilities {four littles, a man, and a dog} that I must tend to.

How do you create time for yourself but also give your best to your kids and husband? There are so many desires in my heart. But I don’t seem to have time for all of them. I am a dreamer and spend so much time thinking of all that I would love to do instead of actually doing something, doing anything!

I want to serve other women who have lost their way. I want to create a place for retreat for those who are weary. I want to encourage young girls to stay true to themselves. I want to have a creative space for them to use. And my heart is especially heavy for those who cannot speak for themselves…the millions and millions of orphans.  How do I, little old me sitting in a suburb of Nashville, TN covered in laundry and dishes and dirty little hands and feet, do anything to help those causes? I also have a desire to create, to make art and jewelry and learn new artsy things. So how does that fit in with all this other stuff?

I know I am a wife and mother first. I want that. I do. I know how blessed I am to have a loving husband and four beautiful, healthy children. But I also know that these other things have been placed on my heart for a reason. I know that what I went through the last few years and my experiences, my depression, are meant to be able to help and encourage others. It brings me joy whenever I am able to help and serve any of those needs.

So where is the balance? How do I do all those things? And if I’m not supposed to do all those things, what do I give up? How do I know which direction to move?

One day, about 10 years ago, I was standing in line at Barnes and Noble waiting to check out. I started looking at the little displays they have set up. One was filled with bookmarks with sayings and quotes. I picked one up and it read,

“It is never to late to become what you might have been.” – Anonymous

It resonated with me. I just sat there thinking about it. Because I think at the time, I was slowly slipping away, but didn’t fully realize it. I remember feeling very defeated. I didn’t know exactly how to interpret that quote for my life, but it was powerful enough for me to hold onto it.

Then i picked up another one and it said,

“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

That resonated with me as well. Again, I couldn’t quite figure out what it meant for me and my life, but that day I bought those two little bookmarks and have carried them with me for the last decade. Finally last year those little quotes came to life. Out of my fog, they made sense.

Now I am just trying to figure out how to balance it all…my life and responsibilities…and the desires of my heart.

I am ready to leap, but I know it takes baby steps. I am not in a place to start something from scratch. Maybe it means i just step into something already established and serve in that capacity. Maybe it means I just give of the little resources I have. Maybe just a little of my time. It sounds much easier to do, but the dreamer in me wants more. I guess that is where the balance comes in, right?