Sometimes I make cute stuff

I love to craft.  I love to design and decorate and add pretty to things.  Sadly, I don't have an abundance of time to do so.  But every now and then I do try to carve out bits of time for such activities because it helps to keep my life in the emotionally/mentally/spiritually sane category.  And YES, I include spirituality here because I believe that one of the ways we connect with God is through using our minds and bodies, our gifts and talents, to create things.  Also, I love to use that hands on time to listen to General Conference talks or the Scriptures.  See?  Very spiritual;).  

Unfortunately, in addition to the scarcity of time to thus indulge I have another rather significant problem. 

I was not exactly blessed with the most creative mind in the universe. Or even my corner of the world...or neighborhood.  Okay, not even in my own house.  I essentially do not have a lot of cuteness oozing from my brain.  

My excuse is that I do write music on occasion and that activity saps me of the majority of my right-brain-cell count.  And I'm okay with this.  Because there are others!  Others with ideas and cleverness and design sense.  These types of individuals used to work for Martha Stewart or HGTV, but now they have blogs!  I used to watch Martha Stewart religiously to learn how to properly care for and decorate my home, but now I don't have to sit through segments on wine pairing or homemade pet costumes until finally getting to the seven minute tutorial on how to create the perfect scrapbook page (SO glad I don't scrapbook anymore--that skill was just not coming).  And because of the brilliant emergence of Pinterest onto the home making scene, those of us who lack the natural proclivities toward producing adorable things but who still want our homes to be inviting can now steal borrow inspiration from the talents of these prolific people.  Hurray!  Oh, how I love Pinterest!

However, that magical website is kind of like dark chocolate for me (or dried fruit, or marshmallows, or basically any kind of nut).  Because I know I love it so much, I must limit it's availability and use.  My partaking must consist of tiny little portions, every day.  You see, it must be every day.  Because just as withholding my dark chocolate for more than a day will result in overconsumption the following day, going a whole day without at least glancing through the Pinterest idea den will yield a similar outcome.  But in this case instead of ensuing guilt, a yucky tummy, and damage control exercising it would mean heavier guilt, whiny babies, and messy/sticky/cluttered spaces because mom has been otherwise occupied.  Not good.  So I must use prudence and wisdom as I raid other females' creativity coffers, filling my decorating and crafting needs.

With all this being said, I am pleased to report that I don't typically participate in 100% copy and paste design.  In fact, sometimes--and I mean very rarely, but still on the record--I come up with something entirely on my own! (I'm always amazed when that happens.)  But most of the time my home creations and styling consist of bits and pieces of inspiration to which I have added my own touches.  I can seldom, if ever, recollect the exact origination of an idea or project.  In strict terms I suppose this means I am, more or less, a homemaking plagiarist.  But at least I am contributing a portion of originality, as penurious as it may be.

Lately I've been moderately caught up in satiating my Fall decor cravings.  Since the weather hasn't quite matched my enthusiasm for the upcoming season, no matter how many mornings I force the long pants and cardigan wearing, I've had to compensate with crafting:). 

So here's a quick look at a few little creations I've recently added to our autumn abode...

First up, our new porch decor!  I've never been very motivated when it comes to decorating my porch, but this year I decided to give it a try.  I kind of love it:).

 And a new fall wreath. I love wreaths.  My husband would say maybe a little 

too much.

On to the Entry...

Nothing here is actually new, but somehow this cute little guy is still one of my favorites.

And the front room...

Dollar store pumpkins and gold metallic paint are a great combination.

My own sweet, little "hello Fall" print:).

New groupings around the hearth in the great room...

And finally, my favorite project as of late...these adorable stuffed pumpkins!

I used old clothing fabric, twine, and bark chips for these plump friends:).

So, what have you been creating lately?

"And the children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work...

And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship...

And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 

And the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work...

Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work."

{Exodus 35:29-35}

A few days ago my oldest child had a dental exam after school.  Let me repeat that.  My oldest child had a dental exam after school.  

For anyone unfamiliar with the implications of that statement let me provide a pictorial representation of what afternoons are like at our house after school:

So when I am forced to schedule a pesky dental appointment during this time, it's slightly irritating.  

However, we do the best we can when it comes to appeasing teachers and the dentist, both of whom care very little about the frenetic tempo of my little life as a mom and whether or not my family gets a decent dinner on a Wednesday night.

One of the advantages of having a teenager (i.e. a constant reminder that I am not getting any younger and that the newly emerging lines in my skin will not be going away, no matter how effective that $32 cream purports to be) is that when he does not have other obligations (it is currently the off season for his sport...for a few more weeks at least) he can watch little brothers while I drive other kids to practices, lessons, etc., or run to the grocery store for forgotten items, or he can simply hold down the fort for two minutes so that I can use the bathroom without an audience.  It is quite nice, something I consider a luxury, a life saver at times, even.   On this particular occasion, as my built-in-babysitter was the one needing to be chauffeured, I brought my babies along, leaving my two middle children at home with a list of assignments to be completed during my 90 minute absence.  And it had to be exactly 90 minutes because one minute later than that would mean my footballer would be late for practice, resulting in a forfeiture of his chance to play starting tight end for his game on Saturday. 

The dental office is 25 minutes from our home.  This meant I was required to stick around.  Awesome.  But rather than sitting around in a sterile scented waiting room during my precious afternoon hours, I decided to use up those rare extra minutes a little more judiciously by going to the nearby Rock Canyon Park and letting Emery play while Spencer continued his nap.  It was a gorgeous day and I thought it would be lovely to sit and enjoy it for a while.  And maybe read something!  It was kind of a funny feeling there for a few minutes as I pulled up to the parking lot, having a full 40 minutes of "free time".  That sounds rather pathetic framed in that way, but life has been so completely busy lately and my days so tightly packed that even my snuggle reading and playing time with Emery must be scheduled in.  And since I don't anticipate a slowing down of this pace for a good seven to ten years, to have this sort of superfluous space of time in the middle of the day was just a little bit surreal.  I got the boys out, grabbed my sunglasses, keys, and phone and found a perfect shady spot between a small grove of scrub oak and a play set.  Emery didn't need any prompting with his play, but what would I do with this little nugget of time?  I had already done my scripture study, I had already listened to several good talks...what should I read? The Drudge Report? A blog? No, too indulgent.  Should I catch up on emails and Facebook messages?  Should I start to look for Halloween class party ideas?  Should I call my mother?  I absolutely hate seeing time go to waste and have become especially good lately at using my time efficiently.  This was a critical decision! As I followed my little guy around the play yard, and then over to the grove of trees, I tried to think of the best possible choice.  It was then that I spotted her.

On the other side of the copse of scrub oak, a girl who looked to be no more than 19 was lying on her back basking in the soft sunlight.  Based on her attire, she had apparently just finished a jog.  I couldn't see her face, but I imagine she was darling.  At least her running outfit was cute and she appeared to be in perfect shape.  My initial thoughts at seeing her lying there in her reverie, so calm and restful, whilst I, the older woman in the scene, was grasping at this trickle of time that had just serendipitously fallen my way, were..."Well that's nice,"  and...

sort of this:

But after that brief feeling of envy passed, my mind went back to that very time of life for me, too many year ago than I would like to admit to.  I remembered for just a moment what it used to be like to have the luxury of arranging my time however I wished without being responsible for a single human being other than myself.  

I used to lay out in the sun and listen to U2 and the Cranberries and Alanis Morissette. I used to go on extra long runs by myself in the middle of the day, just for a little thinking time.  I used to practice my violin for hours a day, then sit at our grand piano in the twilight hours of summer and play Chopin to relax my mind.  I used to read novels.  


But now...


This is what I do.

This.

And this.

 And this.

When I was nineteen, I had absolutely no clue what was in store for my life.  I thought then that I was happy.  I thought then that I knew what love and joy and fulfillment felt like.

I had no idea.

All these years later I am indeed terrifically busy with caring for all the many people, and things, and life that I am responsible for.  And time for myself has dwindled dramatically.  

But that is exactly why I am happier now than I have ever been in my life and why I would never trade the joyful chaos that is motherhood for all the youth and tight skin and free time in the world.  

I was so glad I caught a glimpse of that girl through the trees.  Because instead of reading something in those ancillary minutes, I loved on my little boy.

In a few minutes, this moment would be over and I would be back to the rush of things. More diapers, more driving, more dinner preparations.  And who knows what my ten and seven year old boys would be up to when I walked in the door!  

But for now, this was my focus.  All my joy was encapsulated in this very ephemeral moment in time. 

And it was perfect. 

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven."

{Ecclesiastes 3:1}