I have had some serious doubts about the smartness of this blog in the last month. If I already have difficulty with two posts a week on my art blog, how am I going to keep up with a whole other blog? Did I just add another thing onto my to do list? Yes, yes, I did.
I have still been thinking about the whole gratitude and simplify ideas. And while I do have another post about gratitude, this one is all about simplify. I really want less. Less to do, less to want, less to need.
I have a small house with too much stuff. Too much I don't want and don't need. And I have come to believe living with less will give me more peace.
The pantry has been cleaned out. (Pantry sounds really fancy. I have a closet in the dining room.) And the hall closet, too. You know what was in the hall closet? A broken vacuum. And some kids shoes that were probably 8 years old. And a winter jacket that was almost as old. A single cafe curtain rod (brand new, with hardware) One toddler winter boot. Four umbrellas. More. Do I need all these things? I can now see the bottom of the closet floor, and I feel relieved. The coat is being washed and will be donated to charity this week, with the shoes, and some other random things I found, that I have no use for, but someone might. The broken vacuum has been tossed.
I aspire to something like this for this closet, because we don't have an entryway/foyer or a mudroom. And the kids' coats/backpacks/shoes are out of control. But for now I've made a good start.
I've been thinking a lot lately about gratitude and wondering if I'm grateful enough. And I'm just not sure I am grateful and as appreciative as I should be.
I recently made a vision board. I'll be honest, this is really not my thing, but I did it. It's a dream big sort of thing, as if imagining it will make it happen. I put gratitude on my vision board. I also put simplify on my vision board.
The more I think about these things, I wonder if they are at odds. Can you be grateful for what you have and still want more? That doesn't sound bad but doesn't wanting more make you dissatisfied with what you have? And how do you want more and want less(simplify) at the same time?
I've been toying around with this idea for a while. Another blog. What am I doing? Well, I'm just going for it. That's what I'm doing.
Who am I? I'm Dawn. I'm an artist. I'm a mom to two boys. (Three if you count my husband, which I usually sometimes do.) I'm an occasional knitter. I'm a part-time art teacher. I'm a full-time essential oil addict. In my mind, I could be a fantastic home make-over designer/Martha Stewart type. My pinterest boards make me look like I could be that woman. Of course, in my mind, I also could be a super-model, complete with windswept hair. So you might want to take all that with a grain of salt.
I realized a few years ago (why did it take me so long to learn this?) that I really needed to take care of myself. It's So Essential. I need to do things for me, and not just things for my kids. That saying: If Momma ain't happy, ain't no one happy really does hold some water.
So this is me...
...and that is one of my paintings behind me.
This blog will be about me taking care of me, and taking care of my family, and trying to be healthy, and you know, trying to be pinterest worthy. Although, pinterest fails will very certainly be included because they are funny! And too often you have to laugh or cry, so you might as well laugh as much as you can.
See my greatest pinterest success here. It's not my project. I haven't attempted it. I thought it was a good idea, so I pinned it. And apparently a whole lot of other people agreed because it has been repinned close to 900 times. SUCCESS! is where you choose to find it.
