Is there even one safe spot in this world?

Name one place where you are safe from the outside world and its worldly thoughts and things and pressures. Name one place you can go where there aren't any social pressures to be beautiful, or to be rich or to be the better housewife. Name one place where ideas are not bombarding you with MSN news articles of "why your husband really wants to cheat" and "the stock market is falling off the face of the Earth." Name one place where you can close your eyes and find peace. Can you? Or do your thoughts still resonate those of the world? There is no escape, is there?

Ah but there is. Through the teachings of Christ, and the words of God, we may be able to slowly peel ourselves away from that which is causing our upset.

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food and clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we wear?" For the gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.
- Matthew 6.25-33 (New International Version)

She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard - Proverbs 31

For the longest time I have wanted to start my own business. For an extra hobby, but mostly to help out with finances. I was going to do custom apparel... but the time was just never found. Then I got to the point where I even had a website set up for my online home-made candle business, but we needed to put the money into my husbands lawn business, so that fizzled out. Now I'm thinking about an online perhaps Ebay jewelry store. Jewelry is extremely cheap to make, especially when you buy wholesale beads... And now without a house to keep up constantly I find myself having spare time I never had before. I'll pray on it. Unless you have any other ideas for me?

Happy with what I have...

Moving this time around has been somewhat of a different thing for me that all the other times. This time, I donated 9 (yes count them nine) black yard sacks of mostly clothes and shoes with little miscellaneous things. It was like giving up smoking! I got so attached to having masses of things (I'm not a hoarder, but I did accumulate quite a bit.) But once I got rid of the first few bags, it got easy! I have enough clothes to wear to work, to church, to dance class and to lounge in, and only 5 pairs of shoes. (black heels, brown heels, tennis shoes, slippers and brown sandals) And I'm still getting rid of things! Its such a good feeling to purge old stuff! My closet is actually clean!!!

The reason I started the purge was my dear husband, who when we took the 9 bags to the D.I., gave me the wide eyed look that plainly said you-are-never-going-shopping-again. (actually it was more like sheer bewilderment as to how I accumulated so much crap) Anyways, he started it because we are going to move to Alaska within the next year or so and are driving up there so we are taking as little as possible. So we said goodbye to our furniture, and our first home, and our decorations, and our comfortable 1500 sqft house, and moved in with some friends in their 19 foot camp trailer where I am forced to only have a small amount of things. Its really really nice to not have so much, and that initial feeling of giving up the stuff we had come to love became only luxuries we realized we could get along without until our Alaska house-goal is reached.

Its definitely harder for me I think because I was extremely spoiled growing up. I'm 22 and my mom is still trying to get rid of the entire Barbie isle from WalMart, and all the stuffed animals and all the junk we accumulated through Christmases and yes, EVERY holiday. Christmas morning would take 4 hours just having us 2 kids open presents at a breakneck pace. My husband on the other hand got a box of cereal for Christmas morning. (That's the way to do it moms... disposable gifts. No clutter!)

So I have made up my mind. Aside from going shopping to re-accommodate my wardrobe for garments after the temple here soon, no more going to Ross on my lunch break... no more eBay shopping... I have and will have plenty of clothes and until they completely fall apart, (which some of them are) I will not go shopping. I am happy that God has blessed me with abundance that I will not freeze. Besides, clothes are a material object, yes necessary, but not in excess. I need to focus more on His word and living for Him and not for the next cutest pair of shoes unless the become a my-old-ones-fell-apart-necessity.

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” - Matthew 6:19-21

Trade me sinuses? Please?

I must have pissed off the sinus gods. I had a great head cold 2 weeks ago, was fine and now last friday decided to hit me with a sinus infection on top of that. No rest for the weary right? Ha! Nyquil here I come!! (this little mouse looks how I probably should be, but cant get...comfy.)