Sometimes I lay my head on the pillow at night and wonder where on earth the day went....how another day managed to pass with still so many things on my to-do list?
I try to rationalize by reminding myself of the progress I have made ~ the little things I accomplished that day to be present, to be real, to listen, to observe. Things which become more important to me as my children outgrow shoes right before my eyes.
Last night I had great intentions of spending the evening painting since we were blessedly home for the evening; instead, my daughter felt sick so we laid on the couch together reading about Mary and Laura chasing cattle from the haystacks in Little House on the Prairie. Before long, the boys piled around so we sketched out a few games of Hangman on notebook paper. When was the last time I played Hangman, I wonder?
Unintentionally, it turned into a beautiful evening of being Still....being Present.
And I was reminded of something profound about the role of a momma:
"When Mom sits down, children magically appear. "
Not only do children magically appear, they will visit....share ideas....laugh...relax....listen.
They will bask in Mom's undivided attention, those fleeting moments when she doesn't have a phone to her ear, a paintbrush in her hand, a keyboard under her fingers, a pan on the stove, her nose in a book.
So, even though I laid my head on my pillow again last night with the weight of projects still looming, a warmth filled my heart as I recognized perhaps I was a bit closer to being a Mary than a Martha, choosing to spend my time doing a better thing.
And as confirmation that I'm still able to feather this nest a bit in the midst of homeschooling and a small furniture business, I thought I'd show a few updated pictures of our master bedroom.
With my daughter's help, I recently sewed pillow covers for the two Euro pillows and blue bolster out of fabric from my stash. Mr. Mimsy and I love the heft and softness of our faux fur blanket at the foot of the bed; we use it every night. See how the brown tones in the new pillow covers tie in with the blanket and the wooden bed? That was planned :-)
The fabric on the bolster was leftover after upholstering a piano bench awhile back, which we use as an ottoman in our sitting area.
Our bed and armchairs are from Restoration Hardware; the drapes were ordered from JCPenney (Cindy Crawford collection). I found the nightstands for $40 each at Liquidation World in Soldotna, then painted the same color as the wall: Sherwin Williams Realist Beige.
This little table between our two chairs sat damaged at my mom's house for several years before she finally turned it over to me. I think she wants it back now.
The pine armoire in the corner has been revolutionized several times. It currently holds our tv and wii.
And because it's always fun to see, here is a Before picture, back when we were still testing paint colors and drapery.
This room truly is a sanctuary for me. I make sure my bed is made first thing in the morning so throughout the day, in the midst of craziness, I can walk in here and say, "Ahhhhhhhh..."
....and try not to sit down, or lounge for long, because we all know what happens then.
Wait. I'm supposed to be a Mary. I almost forgot.
Last week I found a pair of beautiful eyelet pillow covers at Value Village and have since replaced our spa blue pillow covers with the eyelet. I love the femininity of eyelet against the wood of our bed.
And by the way, all three of the lamps in our bedroom are thrift-store finds that were either painted, fitted with new shades, or embellished in some way. I don't think I could ever spend full-price on a lamp ~ transforming my own is too addicting.
Here's to soothing rooms, being present, and special time sitting down with children ~
Jaimee
Labels: Kids, Master, Reflection
