Holdin' Down the Homestead

You'd think as an official, married, "grown up" I would realize that things never go as planned. Wrong. I don't know about you, but when I get a 'plan' for something in my head I always picture the outcome. When I first moved into this house, I thought for sure by this time everything would be glittering, pictures on the walls, sparkling, put in place, walls painted, angels singing, etc., etc. However, here we are, just 4 weeks shy of me starting school again. It makes me a little stressed out. You may be thinking "But Andrea, you're a teacher- you have the ENTIRE summer to get things done!" Well, I spent the first 2 weeks of my summer preparing for my wedding and going on my honeymoon. I've been home for 2 weeks and have gotten 3 1/2 rooms unpacked and uncluttered. I've still got 3 1/2 more to go! But that doesn't include all the painting/decorating projects I'd like to complete as well.

So, I guess I shouldn't beat myself up too much for not being finished yet. I, of course, had to learn this the hard way. If you know anything about me, you know how incredibly emotional I can be. Well, maybe you don't; I tend to save that side of me for those I'm super close to. Josh has handled these emotions like a champ. I had to do some soul searching today and realized I'm way too hard on him about being romantic. I wasn't paying attention to the ways he tries to do things for me that he sees as romantic; I was too busy looking at the ways he wasn't being romantic in my eyes. So, I've been praying to see my husband the way God sees him. God loves each and every one of us dearly, and I've found that when I have a problem with someone, praying to see them through God's eyes is a very humbling experience. He shows you how much he cherishes each one of His creations, and none is favored more than another. I have every intention of explaining this to Josh, but this evening he beat me to the punch by surprising me with a Chik-Fil-A peach milkshake (that he knows I LOVE!). So our little conversation will have to wait till bedtime.

So after lots of sobbing, yelling, and discovering more gray hairs, I have deduced a few things:
*I am only making my life shorter and more miserable by stressing over everything
*Praying with my husband before he goes to work starts our day off better than anything else possibly could
*Checklists are awesome!
*Getting my house together is not a half hour HGTV show; and I need to be okay with that
*Home decorating blogs are GREAT for inspiration and cheap design ideas!
*The decision to be a dog owner was the commitment to vacuum more than any human ever should, and I need to be okay with that too.
*Dishes and laundry are never going to end, and I need to embrace them before I have children.

So there you have it. Before I close this post out, though, I want to share a song that has meant A LOT to me. It has really helped get me through the struggle trying to stabilize our new life. Check it out. :)

Until next time,