Randoms from my vantage point today <3
I am trying something different this morning. I have my brand new laptop (which I LOVE) perched on my messy little desk in what we fondly refer to as my office/Emmett’s room. When we moved into this new house almost ten years ago, Emmett claimed this room as his.
During Covid when Russ had to work from home, the office that is also the piano/no television/reading room with a full desk became his office and I moved all my things back to this little white desk that was thrifted, painted and put in Sarah’s room back in our old house.
Since my computer became rather sluggish, I quit coming back here to write even though Russ bought me a pretty blue office chair and I fixed the wall up to make it look like an office. Emmett was kind to let me move my stuff in and I am grateful.
I came back here today with the intention of giving you five randoms about things I find difficult to purge. There are actually more than five, but I try to set boundaries you and I can both live with.
As I glanced around this little desk I found it rather easy to come up with five off the top of my head. They are stacked precariously around me and above me, so let’s go.
Random #1
Postcards, pictures someone I love drew for me, photos of these same people, notes written by them, crafts made by them and knickknacks they purchased because they know I love hearts, butterflies, flowers and macarons.
I tuck mementos in wall hangings and double layer them in frames. They are stuck with magnets to the refrigerator and double taped to the pantry door. I make scrapbooks of the crayon and marker pictures the grands made for us and I have a box in the basement of art our own three drew in their years of schooling.
Everything has meaning and reminds me of the blessings this life has given me and makes our home, home.
Random #2
I find it hard to throw away the lighthouse calendars Russ buys me every year and the funeral bulletins of friends and family who are no longer with us.
Pretty wrapping paper, napkins and boxes that gift items came in are also a snag for me. I have found I can use some of these in art journaling which has been both a blessing and a curse as I need to find time to actually do it.
But when the calendar frees up, I am fully supplied and ready.
Random #3
Quotes from people, songs and books.
Sermon notes.
Ideas that pop in my head as I am walking or driving that are scribbled on receipts, and scraps of paper, napkins and index cards.
They are stacked in piles on either side of my workspace here and staring me down, inviting me into rabbit trails that I do so love to follow.
There are tubs of them in the closet here in Emmett’s room with journals and slips of paper and notebooks filled with thoughts.
People ask me if I struggle with writer’s block.
No…I struggle with not enough hours in the day to write all the thoughts I have gathered.
Random #4
Inspirational items.
The daily perpetual calendar on my desk has been set to September 22 for two years because every time I read the message for that day, I love it so much I don’t want to move on.
It says, “God sees your desire to be His, and has a plan to bless you as you follow His leading.”
That is something that has become the tag line of my existence since I flipped over the page a in 2024 and took hold of that promise. I do desire to be His and my hope is to follow His leading and I believe His plan is to bless me.
So we will hang there a while…and just to press the point home off to the left of it is the white flag we were given one Sunday for a sermon on surrender. It reminds me of two things…
First, I always want to wave the white flag of surrender to my God and Him alone.
And second, cloth gathers dust and it’s a good idea to do that frequently when you live in the midwest.
Random #5
Books.
I love them.
I collect them as fast as I collect dust.
I collect them faster than I can read them.
The covers draw me, colors and fun lettering, titles…all of it.
I have collections of my own, our children, my parents and several aunts.
They are used in our home decor to provide different levels to the treasures on shelves in various rooms. Those are Sarah’s pink ropers we bought her in first grade perched on my old Dick and Jane books that our teacher got rid of one year and I couldn’t resist taking home.
There are two book cases in Russ’s office, one in mine, and a basket of them perched on the old ice cream parlor chair that was my mom’s. We have several baskets of children’s books in the spare room that is not Emmett’s and another book case down in the toy closet with all manner of children’s series.
And no, we are not hoarders.
We just are intentional to have a home filled with the things that we enjoy, reminders of our past and plenty of options for creative efforts.
And dust.
But again…we do live in the midwest so I blame the farmers.
Blessings and have a great day <3