Treading Water

Hello readers I am still here and will continue to post on this wonderful blog. I have been absent due to some medical issues and set backs in my search for a fix to my chronic back pain.

 I feel like I am just treading water, not really moving anywhere at all. My days are filled with ever increasing pain and a lack of care provided by my doctors. I don't want surgery, but it seems that's were I'm headed. I am limited in what my insurance will cover and approve. And now I am not a person in pain but a medical chart / number that is being passed around as each doctor runs out of options.

So I just pray for healing and a solution to this wonderful mess that is my life right now and look to the future.

I hope to be back at my projects and tutorials soon and hope that you will all hang in there with me and continue to read!

Not Enough Hours in The Day

I don't know about you, but summer is always one of the busiest times for me. There are just not enough hours in the day. Today is a perfect example, non stop go since 9 a.m. and here I am at 11 p.m. writing this blog post. And I still have some pictures to take of my sneak peek for my 1st Instagram Sale. The weekends are no better because we are off having fun with family and friends.

The good news is that my family and I are having tons of fun! And next week and weekend we will be camping with more of our family - in-laws and cousins! Pictures to come.

I could really use some tips on how to stay a little more organized and to increase my time management so I can get more done during the day (A.k.a nap time).

 

 

If you want to follow along or see whats for sale in my Instagram sale @ thehouseofdiyshop - find me personally on Instagram @ houseofdiy.

Wordless Wednesday - Camping

Our family is going camping @ Snowflower Campground Ca next week. So here are some camping pictures to get inspired by.

inspiredcamping.com

Country Living Magazine

 

 

6 Steps for Planning Trips

My family loves going away on vacation and we enjoy it even more when others come along. BUT why is it so hard to get two groups (and I only mean two families) to make decisions? I'm the kind of person where if I want to go somewhere I look it up / call around and plan it. I don't like to dilly dally around for 3 weeks and then try to finalize everything the week before we leave.

Here are the tips that I use when planning a vacation:

1. Decide where you want to go. This may need to include the area immediately around your ideal locale just in case you can't find a place to stay.

2. What kind of trip this is going to be? - camping, hotel, vacation rental, etc.

3. Have a budget - How much do you want to spend on where your staying, food, and fun?

4. Make your reservations - check the cancellation policy and make sure you keep your confirmation numbers with you.

5. Meal plan - Plan your meals and leave a little wiggle room for eating out. I also get together with my friend / family members and do a joint meal plan so the cost of meals is shared.

6. Get with the group that's going and plan your activities - we always plan some together and some separate because not every one wants to be with their friends or extended family for 24 hours / 5 days.

Using these 6 steps will help take some of the stress out of planning a vacation, because vacations are for relaxing not stressing about what's to eat or where to stay.

The Loss of a Friendship

I never thought growing up that I would loose as many friends as I did, and now as an adult I have the same thoughts. As a teen when friendships dissolved it was upsetting, but not like it is now as a woman.

In the book Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge - it explains that women are "relational creatures" It goes on to say "Most women define themselves in terms of their relationships, and the quality they deem those relationships to have" If this is so then why do women constantly hurt each other? I underlined "each other" because we ALL do it!

Not to blame Eve, but part of the consequence of Eve's decision to eat the forbidden fruit is "relational heartache". It seems that most friendships go along great and then become infected with "a virus that makes them fundamentally unavailable...even when its good its not enough."

When I read this it struck me straight to the heart, because its soooo true! My best friend and I had a falling out almost a year ago and I am still really struggling with it! She blames me, I blame me, and all I wanted was to be closer to her and re-connected in our friendship and in each others lives again...(I was a little disconnected after having my youngest).

So what now? How do I deal with the heartache, loss, and regret? Oh the regret...that's mostly what I feel now looking back. And since its been so long how do I repair it? Or is it past repair and if so how do I move past it?