Wordless Wednesday

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

I am Passionate About

In the midst of everything we do in life it is easy to loose site of what makes up our core being. Our sparks, our passions...that make us who we are today. Though this list may not bring much meaning to you, it is a visual reminder of who I am and aspire to be. It has been a particularly long week and just writing these words gives me HOPE.

I am passionate about my family and the adventures that come with being a family unit. I am passionate about gardening and making my kids feel important by baking each of their birthday cakes. I am passionate about growing my own food. I am passionate about having urban chickens. I am passionate about making a difference in my job. I am passionate about blessing other families with gifts and hand-me downs. I am passionate about taking time to get to know people from all walks of life and share God's love. I am passionate about maintaining skills to restore, repair and make new life out of our home, furniture and furnishings. I am passionate about writing and desire to write my own book someday. I am passionate about genuinely smiling.

We all have passions. What motivates you? What are your passions? What brings you HOPE?

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

Wordless Wednesday

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

Wordless Wednesday

First Day of 2nd Grade...transferring to Maltby Elementary.
From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

On The Hunt: From Trash to Treasure

A few months ago my daughter asked "when I'm I going to be old enough to have a dresser?" Old enough to have your own dresser? Hum. It really hadn't occurred to me that owning a dresser would bring a little girl the satisfaction of feeling older and established in the world.

For the past seven years of Fiona's life I have always hung her clothes in her closet and stuffed the other odd assortment of underwear, socks and pj's into baskets shoved under her bed. It had worked for awhile (OK seven years), but even I could see that Fiona was onto something. She was right. Fiona desired a dresser and desperately needed a make-over in her room.

Looking for a dresser proved to be interesting. At the mention to friends and family it seemed everyone had a dresser they weren't using that they were willing to give. (Thank you all so much.) But yet, each dresser didn't seem to fit her, my amazing daughter. I hunted Goodwill stores, on Craigs List, poked my head at garage sales but always came up empty handed.

I was on "a hunt". A serious hunt...one of those I know what I'm looking for, but not willing to pay what it is worth hunt. (OK, I gotta' be honest here.) Until...

As I was driving to the park one day with Grandma Bonnie and the kids, I spotted it. Seriously, could that beautiful dresser be sitting at the curb next to a random mismatch of furniture? (Well, beautiful in my eyes and it was the University District, so anything goes!) Was it just waiting on the curb for the trash? No way, I'm sure someone is just moving and waiting for the moving van. To make sure, I swung around and asked my mother-in-law if she had just seen that dresser. "What dresser?" she exclaimed as she knew I was on "the hunt". She too, thought it was odd and encouraged me to knock on the door of the house it was in front of.

In high heels and all, I burst out of my car and stormed up to the door. "Ah, excuse me sir? Is that dresser on the curb for free?"

Unbelievably it was FREE. Yes, it needed some minor repair and a lot of refinishing love. But, I could see purpose and a vision behind the old beauty. Best of all, my daughter was elated. As we pulled drawers apart and began stuffing it into the car (after I pulled the 50 lb bag of chicken feed while still in high heels) she couldn't stop telling the man, "This is going to be my dresser!".

After about six days of stain, varnish and sanding (all items we've had on hand from previous projects.) The hunt was over. As we placed the find into Fiona's room she exclaimed, "it was like the dresser was made for me, thank you mommy!" And it was...it looked amazing in her room.

I couldn't help but sigh a sigh of relief knowing I fulfilled a wish of my daughter's and that "the hunt" was over. It was a short sigh of relief of course when Keegan looked longingly at me and exclaimed, "Mommy, when are you going to get me a dresser?"

The hunt continues...

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean

God's Economy

Shopping Saturday afternoon it truly hit me that our economy had gone astray. Why it finally took me Saturday to realize it, I am unsure? From pork to graham crackers to a can of corn, everything was nearly $.10-.80 higher then it had been three months ago. Maybe it was the combination of hearing another friend lose a job, acquaintances losing homes, or another small business throwing in the towel. Whatever it was...I left FEAR creep into my heart on Saturday.

God has always provided for me...clothes, food, water, shelter. I have never gone without. Sure, there are things I've "wanted" in my life that never came to fruition, but my basic needs have always been supplied. Sometimes marketing and social society get the best of us and skew our ideas of "wants" and "needs". We begin to live in today's economy instead of God's economy.

After my shopping experience I came home and chatted with Drew about the higher prices. He, too, was surprised but thankful I am a smart shopper and purchased only the items we needed. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that FEAR was creeping in. We've had always been smart with our money/blessings...saving where we can and buying only the necessities, making or growing our own things. However, Saturday I couldn't stop thinking that maybe it wouldn't be ENOUGH. Fear was turning into WORRY.

As I continued along my Saturday and Sunday I continued to worry about things around me...would our jobs change, would we have unexpected expenses like hospital or car bills, would the market crash. WORRY AND FEAR had settled into my heart. It wasn't until I harvested tomatoes Sunday evening that the FEAR and WORRY went away.

As I begin to pick tomatoes and pick tomatoes and pick tomatoes (get the picture here...), I begin to see that the small basket I had brought to the garden wasn't enough. Not only was it not enough, it was INFERIOR. God had provided an ABUNDANCE, an abundance so big my normal basket was not enough to carry the weight of the produce. Each fruit wasn't fair winning but instead represented a meal, substance to sustain our family through the long rainy months ahead. God had provided ENOUGH.

I can't control what the world is doing around me...inflation, markets crashing, friends loosing jobs. But, I can control the worry and fear in my life. Worry and fear are not necessary in God's economy. He takes care of every need. We need to learn to TRUST him...I was reminded in my garden.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important then food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable then they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Matthew 6:25-27

From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean