Bedroom Decor & More: An Inspired Room Tour

Have you ever read a book that inspired you to make life changes? While I could answer that question with a resounding yes and then share some scriptures, I am actually here to share a book that has found its way onto my reading list. Celebrate with me the launch of this new book with a promising little exercise.

Close your eyes and imagine your bedroom at home, just as it looks right now. Even if you're in there as you read this go ahead and try closing your eyes. No peeking. (note that you might want to finish reading the paragraph before closing your eyes) What is the general condition of your room? What pictures are on the walls? Are there knick-knacks laying around? How about the closet? Open the door. Can you easily find what you need in there? Or, after opening it, do you have to put your shoulder to the door to push it closed?

What does your room say about the person that occupies it? Does it reveal your interests? Do you see things that show you enjoy sports, music, art, dance, etc.? How about reading material? Are there magazines, school books, novels, and scriptures in your room?

Your room is one place that definitely shows your skills in organizing and cleaning. Does your room need a little help? Open your eyes. Do you agree that someone could learn a lot about your outside interests as well as your inner thoughts? The things and feelings you choose to surround yourself with reflect your personal thoughts and feelings.They will have an effect on what you think about and how you feel.

So what does your room say about you? Write down a list on one half of your paper. Or type it out if you prefer. Now on the other half, write down your best and worst qualities and interests. Are they on the first list you made? What can you do to change your home to better reflect who you are?

Due to this exercise I found on a scrap of paper from church ages ago, I decided to cross off some things from my I've-been-meaning-to-do-that list. Normally I'm all about doing things the right way the first time and doing "first things first", but a few months ago I found a better momentum in the emptiness of my schedule by cleaning out and discovering with my toddler. My favorite is the organized computer desk and bedroom closet; her favorite would probably be the pair of child sized scissors we found.

In preparing the house for LDS General Conference weekend and an extended Sabbath we took care of a lot of clutter around the house. It's still not neat as a pin, but it was enough for my OCD self to relax and focus on what's most important about that special weekend! Oh and in addition to several spiritual goals, I made the goal to make my bed daily. I must say that I'm doing pretty well, though I admit to making the beds and pick up some toys just before taking today's photos.

 
 Since her room should grow with her, we recently moved around some toys and bookshelves in Toria's room to make her a reading nook. It's also where she keeps her dolls and rock collection (behind the doll beds.) Can you spot the outgrown clothes I haven't finished boxing up?

The ball pit is a great toy for kids of a wide age range: totally worth the messes for us. We also have a rotational display of artwork on a clothesline. The flower branches are left from a church function.

Bedtime is a family affair that brings us together every night. What I like best about this room is that even though it's my daughter's room I feel like it represents our entire family. Sometimes messy and disorganized, usually fun yet structured, cleans up nicely... So what is your favorite room in your house and why?

You know what I look forward to most about this new book? It supports my life goal of blooming where your planted and "love the house you have." My creativity, generous friends, and modest budget have allowed me to do a lot towards building my dream home.

A New Year is Here!

January 2nd
Victoria likes to pretend. Today she was a royal sunflower that was sad sad and dancing, but not dancing because it was sad. She also sat in her throne and pretended to be a queen and especially Rapunzel. She really enjoys this idea of her hair getting longer. I think she and Greg have talked about it. We've been meaning to make a blanket fort too. She made it 2 whole days before having an accident at bedtime (We didn't realize that she hadn't gone to the bathroom after getting in her pajamas like Daddy asked. But she managed to miss the carpet and her bedding completely.)

Greg went in to work today for almost a whole day (over the Christmas break he would only go to campus in the mornings and that was to work on surprises for our anniversary as much as it was to do research on his computer uninterrupted.) This afternoon he picked up the rug doctor from the Winfield office and cleaned Victoria's room, most of the living room, and the upstairs hallway. He'll finish the leftovers tomorrow, even though the machine leaks some.

My goal today was to focus on deliberately coming to the Lord in all things. That meant spending less time doing things of lesser value and not getting irritated at my family or myself. It went okay, but not as well as I hoped or expected. It wasn't the conscious intention throughout the day that it ought to have been. So I'll try again tomorrow.

Tonight Greg and I talked about parenting by example and how we can better respect Victoria's agency by realizing that in almost all she does, she is mimicking us. If we vocalize our thought patterns we and she will be more conscious of them and together we can ask questions and make
better choices. Also, if we help establish her good character and a healthy relationship between us now, we'll be reaping dividends for years to come. Who says the toddler/preteens/adolescent years have to be awful and trying? Yes, she'll be determining who she is and self-discovery mode is not always fun or tidy but as a good movie line says: "Life is the messy bits." (Letters to Juliet) *My mantra through the highs and lows of this month.

My dad shared and great quote today that will be a beautiful end to today and beginning for tomorrow: “To reach a goal you have never before attained, you must do things you have never before done” (Richard G. Scott).

January 3rd
Today we finished cleaning our house. It took a while but we got it put together again for the Sabbath but we once again have a house of order as the scriptures counsel. I should study the rest of that scripture to see what we need to work on next! Greg even hung Victoria's blackboard in her room.

Victoria's dress is coming along nicely; it's frustrating work in that I need to concentrate and be uninterrupted but it is so gratifying to be creating in new ways. I just love creating beautiful things!

January 7th
Victoria and I are making slow but painful progress toward are goal of getting her to self-regulate (i.e. calm herself down.) I'm doing better at regulating my time online. I hope I keep this trend all month long.

*I feel like by the end of the month I wasn't much better in my goals than when I first began them. I know I made great progress though initially.

January 16th
I am grateful for my regular work out schedule and babysitting jobs but I am also grateful for the presence of the church in my life and other supports given to me by God that I often take for granted.
Dear reader, what are you grateful for?

January 20th through 22nd
Tuesday was a mad, bad day for us all. Victoria was volatile; Toria and the other girls I tend took turns being upset and upsetting each other. I was a mess by the end of the day. There are times when I really worry about losing my temper. Readers: what do you do to keep from losing it?

The next few days were much better and Greg really tried to buoy me up. Babysitting for others has always been a wonderful learning opportunity for me but this week I felt the growing pains. By the end of the week things were much better and I have hope that the little girls I tend will grow to love me as I serve them and their families.

January 29th
I had a lovely visit with Tess Shaw and her less-than-a-month old daughter Julia. Audrey and Toria played well together. We got to do a quick grocery run for forgotten things on the way there and made it back barely in time to babysit. The girls are playing upstairs while I grind food storage grain to make bread from scratch for my family. I'm doing family history while I wait. #feelingrighteous

Cherished Moments: A Day in the Life of Toria Marie

We woke up early today to the sound of construction workers digging a ditch to drain our front and back yard. The good news is that my toddler woke up with wide-eyed wonder to this new distraction. The bad news: it was a distraction from going to the bathroom first thing. So somewhere between putting on my sweater and braiding my hair I hear the plaintively call, "Mom, I peed." Please not in the ball pit, I pray. I think that would be the worst. She confirms my worst fears and asks for a bath. Sure! And we'll just throw all the balls in there with you. I quickly sanitize the giant tub they came from and remember two important things. First, we both still need breakfast. And second, we ran out of wipes yesterday. Here's praying we don't need them today. Who am I kidding? I'm potty training a three year old!

Such is the morning of a neat-freak mom and her adorable 3 year old princess. After breakfast, things settle down some. Sometime during the cleaning of my inbox, I came across the promotion that inspired this blog post. For writing about our lives and trying out Babyganics products I can easily get a couple entries into their sweepstakes for $100 visa gift card. The catch is that I've only got a couple days to do it in. Worth the sudden time investment? Probably not, but at least it motivated me to capture some special moments in a day that's been memorable in more ways than one.

                         

Back to our day....Calculus class for Mom and play date with Dad for the little one. I wonder if she'll 

do another private concert from "Frozen" for Daddy today. Focus! Figure out the volume of this funky shape using advanced math (definite integrals) and then help the person next to you. I picked up Toria from Greg's office along with a free 2 x 4 he has been meaning to grab for weeks as part of Toria's Christmas present.

Lunch may have happened on time for once. Even though she requested as second bath. Nope, it's not even noon yet kid. After eating and throwing dinner in the crock pot, it was finally time for our trip to Midas to get the car's oil changed. To say we got lost getting there would be an understatement--and yes we have been there before. Several times. I nearly gave up and drove home after leaving a message for my husband and calling the store to get directions; through it all Victoria obeyed my plea to be quiet so we could get un-lost and go see Daddy again. Prayers plead and promptings heeded, we arrived tastefully late and the car was quickly taken care of.

We stopped by Hobby Lobby to do a quick price check on the way home and ended up buying what we came to check! And enjoying every single blessed distraction on the way to the back of the store and then to the cashier. It was all so wonderful to me and Toria Marie that the stresses of not more than an hour ago dissolved into nothing. I felt balanced again despite having experienced what I thought was the worst afternoon possible. (I'm to trying to be dramatic. I really was scared and stressed in a rare and raw way.) I've learned that interior decorating and crafting--even if only in my mind--is a surprisingly effective way for me to calm down. But I wasn't prepared for how much going to this store would affect me. And how much my three year old would love it too. She had a hard time telling me her favorite things from the giant flowers to the Christmas trees to the decorative wagon.

Today has been a good day and it's not over yet. But my blogging must come to an end in the name of dinner. And I don't regret it. I leave feeling fulfilled and satisfied that I have recorded the happy roller coaster that is my life, almost without trying. And I'm reminded of just how much the Lord in is the details of our lives if we but notice.

So I leave you with this thought: What distractions do you have in your life? And what things in life have you hastily mislabeled that may actually be blessings worth making more time for? "Even worthwhile endeavors need evaluation in order to determine if they have become distractions from the best goals." I witness to you that loving God first guides other priorities to fall into place.