It's been a while

So - during my last post I think I stumbled upon what I wanted to do with this blog...and it's been so long since I posted...I'm not really sure I remember what I decided on... ha!

Well - I will say that I am TOTALLY pumped that I got a new purse! I have officially upgraded in size of bag! Brian teases me about how much I could actually fit in my new bag. To make his point last night he stuffed a small blanket inside it and threatened to zip it in! I was actually pretty surprised that the whole blanket fit w/out even folding it! Impressive!

I hope to get a lot of use out of this bad boy!!! It was pretty inexpensive when you consider the other bags I've thought about buying. Thanks Urban Outfitters!

I'm currently working on 2 baby quilts. One is for a boy and the other for a girl. I love making baby quilts because I can finish them super fast! (well super fast meaning a matter of weeks as opposed to months) Why baby quilts? Well - maybe I have baby on the brain right now - just maybe...but don't push it okay? heheeehee

I haven't decided where they are going yet - on etsy? as gifts? who knows really. I just enjoy making them. I think my next mission is to make a quilt from reclaimed fabrics. Sounds like a good challenge, you know? Who knows - it might be cheaper too! lol.

This week I'm going to Omaha to visit my family. Should be fun. I know my husband is probably looking forward to some "me" time however is dreading the fact that his cook and laundry fairy are also going to Omaha. I'm sure he will live haha.

Recently a voice from the past contacted me on facebook - he was the cool kid in high school - well one of them anyway...so above my level in the high school caste system it was ridiculous. Now days...over 15 years since graduation...he's just another guy. Sure he's part of my childhood and I'm interested in how life has treated him and all that, but really...all those anxiety feelings and nerves don't exist anymore when speaking to him. Well - when fb messaging him - I highly doubt we will ever see each other face to face again. My point being...I am so glad high school is in the past! It was mostly a good time and all that - but now that I'm an adult I can really embrace who and what I am. Not be afraid of being made fun of or being ridiculed...I can just be the little crafty maxine that I want to be. So thanks guy from the past for reminding me that high school was a long time ago and I'm just not that little unsure of herself girl anymore! (I bet he has no idea all that was inspired by just a little fb note that says HI) hahaaaaha

So - back to my trip to Omaha. Oh! Maybe I will have a chance to go to the thrift store there - there are SO many thrift stores in Omaha it's ridiculous!

Ok - this post is long enough. Will type more tomorrow!

Focus

Committing to a blog is exhausting. Do I write every day? Every other day? Every week?

What do I write about? Personal life? What if I say too much...what if I don't say enough...? What if my "spiritual insights" aren't exactly spot on?

Am I over thinking this? Probably.

But I want my blog - the words that I share with hopefully more than 1 person (eventually) to make a difference. If it's a personal blog, then it would be ideal if my whole family were 'tuned' to this blog...but is that what I really want? My whole family in tune? I mean...maybe when we have kids and I want to post somewhere other than Facebook... but what about now?

I'm thinking about just focusing on what's going on day to day...week to week...and see where it goes. For instance...

Last night I was reading "Always True" by Pastor James MacDonald. It's a great book. I am just through the first chapter and I find myself thinking that I should go over the 1st chapter again. It's filled to the brim with such encouraging uplifting truths. The truth I read about last night is "God is always with me"

Think about that...always with me. He's not always with everyone...just those that want Him around. How incredible is that?! I want The Lord around me - with me... I think this truth will be KEY this year because I am more determined than ever to shake this whole 'fear' habit of mine. I mean look at how this entry started "What if.....what if...." God is so much bigger than the "what ifs" in life...and I just need to remember that as I live out my life.

Deut. 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them for the Lord your God is with you. He will never leave or forsake you."

That is my memory verse for this week...and really through the whole year. I don't have to be afraid of what's to come...because the Lord is with me. This is not some kind of naive chatter or thought. This is a promise. There are 4 other promises I will be reading about this month and I am eager to explore them!

This is what I want to write about. What I am learning in my walk with the Lord. Obviously in that - personal triumphs and trials will come and go...but this is an excellent way for me to really see how I'm progressing.

Eventually I'm sure it will be a way for me to be accountable...but will probably need more readers for that. haha. Who knows...maybe in February I will take a jump and share on Facebook? Who knows where this could go...

I would like to do more creatively...but not sure how?

I want to be able to present the proverbial 'world' with various products I create/sew whatever, however I am just not sure how to do that. I have a decent grasp of what I need to do...but... I don't want to do everything that I need to do...

For instance - I don't want to think about "what my products say" "why people should buy from me rather than others" "what my BRAND says, does, delivers..." I just want to make things and have people enjoy them. I want fair prices for these products so I can continue making them... I don't want to think about what my website will look like and scheme about what I should write on my blog in order to lure more people to buy my stuff... I just want to create!

I'm sure I'm not the only one with this "problem" or mentality for that matter.

So often in my life I come across things I really like to do. Go out to eat, on vacation, hang out with friends, and shop! There are just some things that I do not want to do - at all...sit down, do chores, clean up the house, grocery shop, make dinner, and clean up after dinner - yuk! Some things in life you must just DO and get over with.

I'm often reminded of "in all things give thanks". I want 2011 to be a year where I bicker about menial duties less and rave about how I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams more. It's so difficult to stay in the thankful mindset when it's 22 degrees and snowing outside and it's only Tuesday...but really...I don't have it bad at all.

In the light of all the disaster going on around the world...I'd say just having to deal with cold weather is doing pretty well.

It's January 13th and I'm still unsure of where this blog is going...but it needs to be going somewhere...I just haven't set aside the time to really think about it...so until I do - I will continue rambling random events and thoughts.

A new year requires new goals!

There is so much focus on resolutions at the beginning of the year. Fitness plans, spiritual plans, relationship promises etc... I love this time of year. New beginnings - new chances - new plans!

This could be my best year yet! It probably will be!

I'm reading the book "Always True" by Pastor James Macdonald now...it's about holding on to the promises of God...especially when going through a rough time. I'm not currently going through a rough time, but I know there are those around me who are...so I want to be an encouragement to them.

In family news - Matt, my younger brother, is engaged - which is super exciting. Brian got a NEW snowboard, so he's out on the slopes today to test it out. He had one all picked out, but when he went to the store to actually buy it - the guy at the store strongly suggested a different one. Game-time decision - he took the store guy's advice. We both think that it was a good decision - we will find out today!! Hopefully he will come back in all one piece.

This weekend I finished a baby-boy quilt top. This week I will pick out the back to it...I really need to get some pictures up. This quilt was a ton easier than my 1st one!! I hope to make many more if it continues to go this smoothly!!

Goals:
- Keep up with the book club's reading plan...I believe by the end of 2011 - I will have read 12 books!!
- Spend 5 out of 7 days in God's Word
- Workout 2 to 3 days a week. (I know kinda weak, but a good start and doable!)
- Save at least $300 more a month than we did last year. This will be a good challenge!
- Finish our kitchen! We're almost 1/2 way there...

Well - that's all for now. I'm sure February will bring to light more goals, where I'm slacking, and new challenges!

Happy New Year!

Yay for fresh starts!!

I predict that this year will be the best yet! 2011 we are ready for you! My brother is getting married, so we will add another member to the family! Grandma's 90th birthday party is in May this year. A wedding and a major birthday - how wonderful!

2010 was full of huge blessings...
- celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary
- went on vacation with very good friends of our
- started another ministry year with Jr. High at our church
- thanksgiving with grandma and christmas with brian's family
- less tummy trouble for rach
- lots of DIY progress for brian and the kitchen project
- continued employment for both brian and rach during the year - what a blessing in this economy!
- brian's dad went back to work at GM - after being laid-off for an extended period of time

That's really enough said for the 1st post of the year! God is good!!

Happy New Year!!

It all happens so quickly!

There's so much build up to Christmas and seeing family and opening presents. What a rush! The excitement of just opening 1 gift for Christmas Eve...leading into Christmas morning that's filled with yummy food, family, and a TON of gift opening.

To truly appreciate Christmas with the Shoebox...you must know that Mom Shoebox is NUTS about Christmas - she loves everything Christmas. Lights, shopping, crowds, family, food...I think she even secretly likes cleaning up the mess of 3 days that we leave with her for some odd reason. Christmas just can't be matched in Michigan. This year's proposal might have threatened the crazy gift pile we are used to seeing when over for Christmas. You see - generally when you enter the house you are greeted by the most beautiful Christmas tree you possibly have ever seen (only rivaled by Brian's sister who has an equally beautiful, yet sophisticated tree). White lights, colorful lights mixed with blinking lights and ribbon cascading from the top of the tree where the watchful angel sits. Yes - of course this angel moves its arms wide open and shut again to welcome you into this joyous occasion that we are about to celebrate.
There are enough presents under the tree to make you smile...but only " the adult presents" as grandma would say. "Santa has not come yet - so all the childrens' present are not there yet"

Christmas morning: CHAOS. You wake up and saunter downstairs to find an endless mountain of presents. Soon the kids arrive and present opening begins! No time for breakfast - we've got presents to open! One by one the presents are handed out and opened...this is a good 2 hour process! No one has ever seen anything like it, I'm sure. Everyone buys everyone else gifts. VERY FUN to open...however difficult to budget for!

Christmas at the Shoebox's is wonderful and will continue to be wonderful no matter what gift-giving alternative scheme we come up with! Next year there's talk of drawing names and having less gifts...we will see how it goes...

Christmas at my family's was exciting as well! We will have a new family member soon! Welcome to Jess! My brother proposed, ever so cleverly, to his girlfriend for Christmas! She said yes and our family is thrilled! She is indeed a wonderful addition to the family!

Brian and I are glad to back in Chicago. Despite a gross run in with a drain that backed up (again) in our house we are happy to be home and almost back to our routine.

Our new year plans are to spend a relaxing evening together with a good beer and a glass of wine along with a delicious steak on the grill. YUM!

Just one thing after another...

Ahhh - home ownership...I love it and I hate it...mostly hate it though. The great side of having a home is just that...having home. Decorating it, throwing parties, calling a place "your own" is wonderful...

However...

There's the other side of it. Backed up drains, DIY project hiccups, and random unforeseen debacles that end up whisking away your hard earned savings! {{sigh}}}

The latest in the saga was this morning. I decided that I was going to work from home today...so I got up to Brian's alarm and chatted with him while he was in the shower...upon getting out he asked if I knew where his red tie was...I began the search for the red tie. As I went from room to room...he did as well...he had gone all the way downstairs to our basement/laundry room where he yelled for me. So I trotted down the stairs to find him moving things quickly around the basement.
"I found the tie. He said, "...it's soaked" As he moved the trunk that was in the corner next to our water heater and furnace it exposed the now greenish colored soaking carpet. "The carpet is soaked...all along the wall" A flood of thoughts raced around competing for attention in my head. MOLD!! YUK! DANGER! GET IT OUT!! It's never going to dry etc....
Before I knew it Brian was running out the door for work.

So there I was. Me VS The Mold. I had to do something...I went upstairs and got the fan - plugged it in and pointed it at the wet carpet. I took a step back and stared...'this is not going to dry' I thought to myself. So - I had to take action! I ran upstairs and grabbed Brian's utility knife and decided that this mold was coming out RIGHT NOW! I stabbed it into the sopping floor and before long I had a 3x3 piece of carpet and carpet padding being thrown out on the front walk. It HAD to go...I walked back and pointed the fan at the newly revealed wet cement slab...and stared again. SCORE: Rachael 1 Mold 0 I win.

But then another thought hit me..."Rachael! you just cut a square out of your carpet!" It was not a tidy square either...I do not have precision surgical hands....and clearly I was NOT made to do carpet. Ya - it looks awful. I have a giant hole that I cut in my carpet...

I told Brian through sniffs and tears what I had "accomplished" and he took it rather well...saying that we should have something else down on the floor anyway. He then went on to let me know that he won't get a lunch today and I won't see him until 8pm this evening...the tears started again. By this time his boss has not only robbed my husband of the Christmas spirit, but now I can't even get a little glimpse of him at lunch during my work from home day. Official meltdown had set in.

After a couple minutes of talking through everything I felt better. I got off the phone with Brian (who was very calm about the giant hole in our carpet) and had a little glass of eggnog and a peach muffin from Mariano's. I love peach muffins from Mariano's...especially warmed in the microwave...it makes me feel like they're just freshly baked.

Now - I really need to pull myself together get out there and go pick up Brian's snow board boots! He's going to be so thrilled! Just in time for Christmas!