Here at our “House of Stain,” we are BLUE!! Okay… Not totally blue but we are taped up with blue painters tape!! Why you might ask?? Because this self-proclaimed diy-er is indeed, doing it herself and actually getting our dining room painted!
We have painted two rooms in our house so far. I know, not a lot for 15 months. But have you ever tried fixing up your fixer upper with a toddler running around??? It’s hard! And I rely on nap time to get things done, because he deserves my full attention when he’s up and at it. And most days, nap time is reserved for my quiet time with God, laundry, dishes, wood projects, mopping, business calls, or just flat out sitting in silence! People have asked why we don’t just pay someone to paint. We looked into it but have since changed our minds. I actually ENJOY seeing the fruit of my labor! There’s a sense of accomplishment in looking at a finished product and knowing I (!!!) did it!!
We have a lot going on at our house. It’s tax season, folks! And when your hubby is self-employed doing what he loves, and you have a side “work from home” business that’s just awesome… Nap time for this week is trying to get that in order. And today, I spent half doing taxes and half taping off the dining room! I feel a bit productive! However, this will take several days because I’ll be painting at night after Griff is in bed. That way he isn’t up touching wet paint or smelling the fumes (his playroom is also right there.) So if you, by chance, are at our home in the next week… Ignore the blue!
I ran across a quote this week that stuck out to me and it is a perfect fit for today’s post:
Don’t you love that?? It’s really saying, if you’re sad or down, take control and find a reason to have joy! Easier said than done right?! At least that’s true for me. Today is case in point. Griff, being his adventurous self, who LOVES cars and trucks (especially Little Blue Truck-coincidence?), enjoys sitting in our cars and pretending to drive. He also loves blowing the horn and putting on the flashers! We had to warn our neighbors when we moved in, that if they heard our car horns going off “randomly” that it is Griff pretending to be a NASCAR driver! So last night he got my keys because he REALLY wanted to go to the car to “drive.” Well we didn’t, but that didn’t stop him from playing with my keys. And around here, he’s infamous for throwing his toys down the basement stairs, or hiding things under the beds or in his toy box. So we were leaving to run errands today and my keys are NOWHERE in sight. I’m looking frantically; frustrated, “maybe” a little mad. I thankfully didn’t take it out on him, but I can’t say the same for my sweet husband. He usually catches the brunt when mama is frantic! I finally gave up and used the spare key. It was on the drive home that I realized that my response and attitude was totally in my power… Well mine and God’s. I could’ve stopped, asked God to paint the color of my heart something joyful like pink or yellow, and handled a set of lost keys with a much better attitude and a little more grace. We have the choice to ask for God’s help in painting us with love, compassion, joy, and excitement. OR, we can sulk, be irritated, and possibly make others feel the blow of OUR frustrations. We can’t always change our situation… But we can ask God to change our perspective and our response. After all, it’s a set of keys. I had a spare. Dang, if I didn’t feel worse when Sam laid them in front of me and told me they were in the guest bathroom floor (where I had already looked). If I had calmed down, asked God for patience and grace, I would’ve seen the keys instead of storming through frantically. So Sam, if you read this… I love you babe! And I’ll be a prettier color when you get home! So here’s to being more mindful of times when I need to stop and ask God to paint my heart a different color!
house of stain 