Flash and Dance

Last night I had a troubling sleep. I dreamt DH was looking for a job again. He went to (for some reason in my dream) a car dealership to get hired to sell... real estate. Don't ask. Didn't make sense to me either. Must be all The Property Shop episodes I've been watching. They wined and dined him. Showed that he would get for joining their firm; his own office with all windows, products to give away such as shampoo, soap, lotion; with his face on it (I laughed at that in my dream.) I remember feeling all excited for him. When he shook hands with the new employers we hopped in the car and went home. Then the reality of what this meant hit us. He has a good (new since September) job with people he loves and who love him. He hates selling stuff, and hates dealing directly with people. We had an overwhelming feeling of dread about what he had committed to. He would have to tell his new employers that he was leaving to take another job. We realized that the flash and dance of the prospective job wasn't worth giving up the comfortable job he had just thankfully gotten in September after years at a place he hated and that drained the life out of him. I don't know what happened next because I woke up; with a migraine. The stressful dreams do that to me all the time.

Because of this dream, I started thinking of all the things I'm thankful for. The top of my list has to be Dh and his new job that makes him very happy. In September life was up in the air. DH's old work had cut his pay drastically and we were scrambling. We cut out everything that cost extra in our lives. Then the Lord dropped this opportunity in DH's lap. A less paying job but with wonderful christian people who he was already comfortable with. A company where people actually work hard and are committed to product/service excellence. Insurance that covers just about everything and we don't have to pay for it. Such a blessing.

I think as humans, we're wont to run to the latest, biggest, greatest flash and dance dangled in front of us. We have to remember what is really important and weigh that against what the new dance has in store. Just because its new, doesn't mean it will be better.

These are my lofty thoughts today. Don't know where they're leading me, I'm just thankful for where we're at, at this time in our lives. I thought I'd list my top 10 things I'm thankful for this year. I challenge you to do the same (I'd love to read your lists, so let me know if you make one.)

1. A God who loves and forgives me despite my many many faults.
2. A family who loves and forgives me despite my many many faults.
3. The opportunity to teach my children at home.
4. The wealth of friends in person and online that bolster my confidence and enrich my life daily.
5. DH's great job that still affords me to stay home with my children.
6. Working cars, working appliances, working water, electricity and non-leaking roofs.
7. A future that still seems bright and attainable.
8. A love of art that inspires me and fills me with joy.
9. The wrinkles that are just starting to appear. I earned every one of them, and don't mind.
10. The ability to start the day all over when we wake up. Clean slate, a day to try again.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends, happy weekend to the rest. May you eat lots of fabulous food this week, may you not get swallowed up in the shopping abyss if you venture out on Black Friday (you couldn't shove me out there with a 10 foot pole. I'm an online Christmas shopper. My kids know its Christmas time when the Amazon and Ebay packages start arriving. :) )

Blessings to all.

Dreaming of Organization

Dd and I spent some time on Saturday morning redesigning the basement. On paper. Granted, its an unfinished basement and will stay that way for now but I moved my art room down there the beginning of this year. Since then, despite it being pretty organized, I find it gets so messy. Mostly because I'm trying to do so many different things in one space (and we've been dragging down all the homeschool stuff I need to sell off, and dropping it in the studio.) I don't know why I made an art room utilizing only a 1/4th of the basement. There is so much more room I could claim! Since it's a wreck right now, I haven't wanted to work in it for the last month. Now armed with a new plan, I have been down there every night doing a little organizing, moving 'walls' (old doors and shelves), going through boxes of discarded stuff from the dds' rooms and throwing neglected laundry in the washer while I'm at it.

(As the basement is now.)

I think I have a constant need to try something new. To change things. But when you see that things are not working one way, I don't see the reasoning of just leaving it that way and 'making do'. If its not the studio of my liking, why not change it. I want a wet area. A place to use that screenprinting set and Shiva Paintstiks I received for Christmas last year and have yet to use. A place to dye fabrics, get messy, etc... We have an old open shower down there that the previous owner must have used in some way. I want to take it out and buy a double stainless steel sink and have it installed. I've already started looking on Craigslist for a used restaurant one.

(The new plan. DD thought a TV and game system should be included.)

I want a sewing area. I want to see my fabrics out in the open, not on shelves in the storage area. I want to be able to pet them daily. I want a permanent place for my sewing machine with all my little bits, bobbles and bobbins lined up in a row as well as my thread racks accessible. I want to be able to lay out quilt pieces if I feel like being quilty, and have the room to do that!

I want a larger collage and painting area. I'm thinking 2 tables, one for working and the other one for projects in progress, where they can dry. I can also clean them off and have friends over to artify with me, as long as they don't mind an unfinished basement. The workbench will be where I can work standing up, work with tools (heatgun, melting wax, etc...) It's an old table that has the holes/makings for a saw, if I ever want to get more into wood play.

Finally, I want to be able to find my shipping supplies without killing myself climbing through the storage area to find them in the semi-dark. The new storage area will have all my ebay, half.com, etsy and homeschool items ready for sale, in labeled rubbermaid boxes. That way I can just grab a box when I have a minute, list the items and then put it back in storage with a note that I've already listed it.

Organization. I can dream, can't I?!

(pics to be posted when complete, local friends to be invited over for art and food soon after.)