Journey to a Meaningful Thanksgiving: 10 Things I'm Thankful For This Year

Ten Things I'm Thankful For This Year

1. My new friends/honorary family in Maliarette, Haiti.  I visited Haiti with a group from church in August and fell in love with the families and the kids.  We partner with the 410 bridge and send groups regularly to this community, and have spent years building trust and support.  To learn more about this community in Haiti, check out the 410 Bridge page.  You can see what children are available for sponsorship and what the community needs.  When we visited, I got to see the children get personal letters and pictures from the people in my church.  It was really cool to make the connections.
2. My new living room!  About  a year and a half ago, I decided that I was going to re-do the steps to the second floor.  I wanted to take off the carpet and paint it nice and pretty.  For some reason, once I pulled up the carpet, my husband decided we should just re-do the ENTIRE DOWNSTAIRS...  and somehow, I agreed that this would be a great idea.  Now,, almost two years later, one room is done.  I am SO grateful for that one room being done.  You have no idea what it's like to literally live in one room of your house.  Unless you live in Haiti, I guess...
3. My husband.  He really puts up with a lot of crazy from me.  I am in my head a lot, and when it gets full, the ideas in there just come tumbling randomly out of my mouth, and he must wonder about me a lot of the time.  I always say I'm shocked he leaves me alone with our children all day without worrying that I will lose one of them.  He  never complains, and sees to it that I am spoiled as much as possible.
4. My BFF, Julie.  We have been friends for so long (can you say, 35 years?), that it is easier to count the number of years we HAVEN'T known each other than it is to count how long we have been friends! We met in kindergarten, we fought like sisters through high school, we lived together in college, and now we text and Skype from 1400 miles away as we raise our kids and love our husbands.  She is the only one who has stuck by me through the long haul, and she is officially family to me.
5. This blog.  I'm not sure if this one makes me sound self-serving?  I simply say this because it allows me to have a creative outlet and it holds me accountable for the things I want to get done.  If I'm going to blog about them, I better do them right? And with the blog comes thankfulness for YOU, dear reader, for supporting me and reading my drivel...which also keeps me accountable!  Thank you!
6. Project 333.  I am so glad I stumbled upon this group of people!  I have wanted to simplify my life for so long...and there is a plethora of complicated information about simplifying out there.  But this one really got me off my butt and into action.  Anyone who has ever started a project knows that all one needs is the first step.  After that, it's easier to take the next one, and the next...until it snowballs into great progress. So thank you for Project 333 for taking stress out of my life that I didn't even know was there until it wasn't.
7. My children.  Man, do they teach me stuff.  We have forayed into cyber-school at home this year and is it ever an eye-opener.  Being a direct part of my children's education has changed all our lives for the better.  We spend SO MUCH time together, it's ridiculous... but it's okay.  That surprised me, but in a good way.  I am not one of those moms who "Loves being with my children" day in and day out (you must sing that in a sunshiny voice while skipping to and fro to get the full effect. Ahem.) ...I'm kind of a loner and get irritated when people constantly talk to me - and my kids talk!  All. The. Time. But we are good, and I'm thankful for that!
8. Fresh water to drink and plenty of food to eat.  This one goes back to my trip to Haiti.  I had to be careful not to drink the water there.  I had to also be careful not to eat just anything someone handed me to eat.  It was weird for me.  Especially when the people offering me the food and water really needed it for themselves and for their children...but they were only thinking of me. Being mindful of what I eat and drink is my way to be mindful of my new friends in Haiti, and what they are NOT eating and drinking...
9. Cooler weather. I love the crisp autumn weather.  Actually I like autumn everything.  I like the colors, the smells, the tastes...everything.
10. Turkey and stuffing.  There.  I said it.  I'm completely superficial here, but I really love the bird on Thanksgiving.

How about you?  What are your three top reasons to be thankful this year? Leave yours in the comments!

Project 333

Disclaimer: In an effort to be transparent, I want you to know  that I am currently an affiliate of Project 333, but all the comments are mine and I am not being paid to post this.  In fact, I didn't become an affiliate until the post was finished, and this was edited in!
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I am going to do it.  I'm joining an online community that narrows their wardrobe down to only 33 pieces of clothing - including shoes and accessories - for three months at a time.  Undies, sleepwear, loungewear, and exercise clothing is not included, but I can guarantee you that I will be paring those items down as much as possible in the next round.  I only need 7 pairs of undies, maximum, right?  7 days in the week = 7 undies.  The MOST I'm going to work out in one week is 6 times, so I could probably get by with 3 exercise outfits and wash half way through the week...you see where I'm going with this.

I went through my closet and dresser drawers last night and put my decision into action.  I am going to admit right now that I've already broken the rules.  I could not narrow down my earring choices any more, so if I were to consider each pair as an item, I went over the recommended 33...but only by a pair.  Call me a rebel.  Next time, I may just go ahead and consider earrings one item as a whole, but we will see.  I will probably need more clothing options in the colder months because Outerwear is included in the 33!

I am also entering the project halfway through a cycle.  The summer cycle started July 1, and obviously we are a couple weeks into August already.  I thought that would work to my advantage though.  If I hate it, I can always stop after the month and a half.  I haven't tossed the clothes that didn't make the cut (except ones that REALLY didn't make the cut AKA: Those that I knew I would never wear again), but boxed them up for review again later.  I had a lot of t-shirts that I didn't want to toss because of sentimental reasons, so if they go unworn until this time next year...I need to just do it already.  Maybe I will make a t-shirt quilt!!

But I digress...

Here is my official Project 333 Summer of 2014 list of items:

4 dresses
2 tunics
3 tops
5 tank tops
2 pairs of leggings
1 t-shirt (mostly for under one of the tunics but can be worn alone too)
3 pairs of shorts
2 sweaters
6 pairs of earrings
1 necklace
3 pairs of shoes
1 pair black slacks
1 skirt

So far I am not experiencing any anxiety about only having a few things to wear...but I also just came back from a missions trip to Haiti, where I basically wore the same two outfits for a whole week, so...my perspective may be skewed.

I AM experiencing some anxiety when I think about getting rid of the boxed up items, but I can put that action off for now.  Looking at my closet and dresser is nice because its minimalistic nature takes the stress out of dressing...and actually makes me a little more creative in trying different things together/mixing and matching things I wouldn't normally try.

This first purge has already made huge space in my room!  Previously, I had to put all of my exercise clothing in an extra 3-drawer rolling storage container because I didn't have room in my dresser.  Now I have emptied that container and will be taking it to the basement where it is needed to help store TP and paper towels.  SPACE!  Woot!  I should take a picture of my closet for you so you can see how little is hanging on my side.  It's mostly empty hangers!  It's so exciting to see it.  I will be working on the hubby to do the same once I get the hang of it.  I also have a sneaking suspicion that this is going to carry over to many other areas of my life.  Like the book shelves?  We have more books than shelves...so I will probably be working on that once the clothing thing gets routine.

This cycle lasts through September, so my ONLY concern is that I only picked one pair of pants (and they seem pretty dressy, but maybe they will be more versatile than I think) and if it gets chilly in September, I may be suffering...or I may also swap some shorts out mid-month for some jeans.  I can do that.  I am a rebel, remember?

If you would like to learn more about Project 333, or build your own capsule wardrobe, you can take the "Build a Capsule Wardrobe" course.  Just click on this link and off you go!

I will be back next week for an update on how it REALLY feels living with less than 33 items of actual clothing...  Until then... Orevwa!  (that would be Hatian for good bye...not bad French spelling!)

Trash To Treasure Lamp Table # 2

First things first:  If you are visiting from Chic on a Shoestring, thanks so much for stopping by!

I painted the second table.  It looks quite similar to the first one, but I did lightly distress it and seal it.  The only picture I got was of the side where you can really see the distressing...ish.

See in the cracks and crevasses the slight darkness?  I did that mostly using a stain marker.  I thought I would try that first to see how it turned out before I turned to the traditional stain method...and I really liked it.  I maybe didn't wait for the polycrylic to dry long enough because I was in a hurry to get it done....I mean, who wants to wait 24 hours!?  If you compare it to this photo you will see that there IS a difference, however minor:  (don't judge the state of my house behind the picture...can you say constructionlastingforever?)

I feel like the polycrylic did change the color ever so slightly...not enough to cry, but I feel it is somehow richer or something.  Not bad...just different.  Also this picture really shows the difference in the detail.  You can barely see it in the first table, but in the one I distressed, you can see more detail and stuff.

This was my first try at distressing and I am happy with the results.  I will surely be doing it again when I find the next item to revive.

• What I used:  Valspar paint and primer in one, La Fonda Teal
• Minwax Polycrylic in satin finish
• Minwax stain marker in Ebony
• 3M 120 grit sandpaper block - rinse and reuse!

Next up:  See what else I did with this gorgeous teal paint!

Trash to Treasure: Lamp Table Makeover

I will admit proudly right now:

I am a trash picker.

Dumpster diver.

Curbside garbage stalker.

I can't help it.  When I see something perfectly good but extremely ugly sitting on a curb waiting for the garbage men, I need to rescue it like a puppy in a kennel.  Sometimes this habit goes badly.  Lots of times I pick stuff up that is more than ugly...it's broken.  And that stinks.  Sometimes I pick stuff up that needs more work than I have time or energy for.  That stinks too...and results in stuff cluttering up my house waiting for the magical moment I decide to get to it.  But other times  I get a burst of energy and willingness to fail miserably at something....and then magic happens!

My husband (who is inheriting my dumpster-diving habit by osmosis) brought home two matching lamp tables from probably 1970.  They were charming and had these really cute little lion doorknocker looking things on the side.  I vowed to keep those even if the tables didn't work out.  I knew that I wanted to repaint them for sure....and I have been reading about the wonders of DIY chalk paint....and wanted to try it....

Pause for a moment.  I am a self-professed lazy perfectionist.  This means I want stuff perfect...but my standards are so ridiculously high that I don't possess the energy to make it the way I want it.  HOWEVER, the older I get, the better I get.  I'm not sure if this means I'm more talented or if it means that I don't care....and I will not expend valuable energy trying to figure it out.

SO, I figured:  the tables are free.  If I try this paint thing and it goes horribly bad, a)  I have TWO of them, and b) they didn't cost me a thing.  And this is what has happened so far:

To say that I am giddy with excitement is an understatement.  I found my favorite color.  I found my favorite finish.  I found my favorite technique.  See the little lions?  Aren't they darling?  And with the lighter color paint, they get to have their day of admiration.  I'm not too proud to admit that I was sweating hard with the first coat because there were serious brush marks.  But I stuck with it and fell in serious love.

Stay tuned because I am currently painting the second table and plan to distress it.  Again, if it goes poorly, I always have this one to stare at all day...

You Need A Sleep Mask

 Really.  You do.  Sleep is important.  Studies have shown that not enough sleep can cause weight gain and accidents!  Did you know that even that dim light emitted from your alarm clock is enough to keep you from getting the necessary REM sleep you need?

ENTER:  The sleep mask!

I really don't know which one is my favorite...the Amy Butler fabric one or the purple toile?  It doesn't matter.  I love them all equally, but I need to pick one to actually use.  *sigh* decisions, decisions.

Mother's Day is coming up.  Wouldn't this pretty purple eye mask look cute nestled in a basket with some bath/personal care products?  I think it would look darling.  Maybe roll up the blue and green one with a towel and bath scrubber....  I could even find some manly material and you can give Dad one too.  They really are just too cute to hang out alone.

So check out my etsy shop (Lydia's Purple Cloth) for more deets.  See you there!