Jenna Lou Loves You

Waking Up

I think I've been in denial. Denial of the fact that 10 days ago the year changed. Denial about how much work I have to do both at home and on the job. Denial about how neglected I let this blog get. I've never been really great at keeping my blog up to the minute, but when I visited the site and realized that both a Christmas post and a Halloween post appear on the front page in January it kind of struck me as obvious.

So I'm trying to wake up. To have my hands out, my eyes open, my mind allert. A reminder to live in the moment, take time for myself - yet complete my tasks with joy and vigor. And all I can do is try, try my best.

Happy 2011 everyone. I think it is going to be a good year.

Optimistic

My bowl is looking very full these days. In every way around it.

{ Home Grown }

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday. What a sweet relief that comes in recognizing the abundance of joy in life.

:: I am thankful to my fiance. For loving me. For being my best friend. For his encouraging words and kind heart. For showing me that sharing time with others can be the best gift to yourself.

:: I am thankful for the house I live in. It is not perfect, it is broken often, but it is our home. It is warm and I have always felt safe here. It is where I envision children running and years of growing up and older together. Despite the challenges we face I am happy to have this place of our own.

:: I am thankful that I have once again come to that place where life feels a little more balanced. Where work is work and play is play. It's often a hard place for me to find and it's so easy to loose, but at the moment I am here and I am more than happy to enjoy it.

Waking Up On The Sunny Side

 

Many Mondays are quite awful around here. I wake up too late. I'm too lazy to eat breakfast - then regret it later, followed by hours of stalling on the computer before finally submitting to the sewing machine and lastly feeling guilty for not getting much of anything done.

But today I'm feeling spunky, alive, and happy to get back to work. Happy to spend the majority of my day with the Juki and happy to be surrounded with green. The effect of a new work zone is invigorating.

Today's spirit might have something to do with my weekend too. It was so lovely. We had a funeral on Friday which -yes absolutely was sad- , but also I think a bit of a relief for the family. When someone spends half of their life suffering with physical pain it is a comfort to know that though their body failed, they now are enjoying the kingdom of God. We got to spend the whole day with loved ones which really was a blessing.

The weather was really nice this weekend. It almost reminded me of summer. We spent an evening around a campfire, with friends who bought their first place just around the corner. I love watching them and recalling that feeling of being a first time homeowner. Before the bills really set it. Before anything breaks. It's beautiful. It's bliss. 

And lastly we enjoyed breakfast on Sunday, snuggled on the same side of a booth meant for 6, with a live musician serenading our french toast. It was comforting and for some reason as I sipped orange juice with my future husband's arm around my back I had one of those moments when all the bad feelings dissipate and you realize just exactly how lucky you are. So today I'm seeing life on the sunny side. 

Photo credit minato

Thankful Thursday 10.29.09

Today I am thankful...

1. That Fall finally did show her face.

2. That I'm sitting in my new studio. Even though I'm surrounded by stuff awaiting organization up to my elbows... I'm still IN!! 

3. For a temporary excuse to get a sugar high otherwise known as Halloween.

4. For finding a greater sense of community in a town that used to seem so big and anonymous.

5. And lastly finding last years slippers under the bed, just in time to enjoy them.

Studio Inspirations

We had a really great weekend and spent hours in the new room. The paint is on, new light fixtures are up and the outlets are once again covered. Pretty much the only thing holding me back from an all out moving/reorganizing day is the carpet. We are still waiting on that, but once it's done I'll be sharing some photos. I'm really excited guys.... really excited for this!!

So today I bring you more inspiration I found around the web. Thanks to flickr I've been able to waste away many hours in a dreamy state over the past couple weeks drooling over these really fabulous craft studios.

 

credits patty young

credit pink loves brown

 

credit holdjaneshand

 

credits Lovely Design
 

Craft Room Inspiration

We are finally moving forward to the fun steps of my craft room makeover. The new ceiling is up and the textures are done. Things have taken much longer than I expected or hoped for, but we are doing all the work ourselves so it gets done when there is time and ambition (two things that are hard to come together).

But as I get closer to seeing a final product I've been spending time searching for inspiration and mostly ideas for storage. I think most crafters would all agree that they need more more more storage in their life. It seems that the bits and bobbles are never ending and the search to find the perfect place to put them all is eternal too.

So today I just thought I would share some of my favorite craft rooms from the web. They are all  SO drool worthy!!

Via paulamw

via Mania de ideias

via happysongs3

 

via saidos da concha

 

via pink loves brown

 

via contentedsparrow

 

It's a great day to turn 22!

Photo credit: ginnerobot

Thankful Thursday 9.24.09

(snapshot of my new hair)

I'm still trying to find my voice again on this blog, but as another week passed without much to share I'm pleased to post another Thankful Thursday.

5 things I'm thankful for this Thursday

1. (an explanation and expansion of something I was thankful for last Thursday) I'm so thankful I was selected as one of the winners of this years Women's Show Makeover. It's been a month long process of working out daily, eating right, and making time for myself. This week I got my hair cut and colored for the first time in over a year. I kept telling myself that I didn't need it and that by foregoing cuts was saving money, time and keeping me from being too materialistic. The truth is though that by slowly letting my hair slide made me feel worse and worse and soon I was hiding behind long unruly hair. I'm thankful that this makeover has brought me back. I feel like myself again and my confidence is higher than it's been in years and I feel an energy around me, radiating from me.... it's truly an incredible gift.

2. I'm thankful that fall has opened her doors to us. This is my favorite time of the year and the beauty of the earth slowly retiring from it's burst of summer action is something I treasure each and every year. 

3. I'm thankful that my craft room project is under way again. After a brief break We have the ceiling up and the room is almost ready for texture. Soon colors will be applied and before we know it I'll be moving furniture. 

4. I'm thankful that this week is our towns 'clean up' days. It's refreshing to haul out the old and replace with organization. We've already made a huge dent in the garden shed and hope to do the garage next.

5. I'm thankful that this month the stars finally aligned and we were able to refinance our home. It's been months in the works and a few times we thought it wouldn't happen, but patience prevailed. The change is making it possible for us to be free from a few mistakes made in ignorance. 

AND 6. because I'm ready to talk.

I'm thankful that my eye sight is finally returning after 4 months of confusion, sadness, and 4 Dr.s with 4 different diagnosis. It's been a scary time for me and although I'm not out of the woods yet and may not be for a very long time, there is also a chance (at least in my mind) that I'm healing and will be able to look back on these past months as a fluke or maybe as a reminder to put health first. All I can think is that I'm thankful for the 'good days' I've had this week. They seem to be coming more frequently and I pray that it's going to last.

I hope you each have a moment to think of a few things you are thankful for today. No matter how small or large they all deserve to be recognized and meditated upon.

Have a beautiful Thankful Thursday!

Thankful Thursday

Although it seems like I've been missing from blogland lately I have still been reading and lurking on all my favorite blogs and have found so much inspiration and joy from them. Today I was inspired by Tanya's post called Thankful Thursday.

And so here are 5 things I'm grateful for today.

1. I'm incredibly thankful for my family.They have always been the most amazing support system, and I know where to turn whether we are celebrating or need a shoulder to lean on. There is just nothing that compares to those relationships with no strings attached. 

2. I'm thankful for an amazing opportunity that was handed to me this month to rediscover myself, my health, and to get fresh start on life.

3. I'm thankful to have John in my life. He has been an amazing partner and is so quick to love, forgive, and support. I'm constantly inspired by him to live a better life and to be a kinder person.

4. I'm thankful to my God for leading us to our place of worship. We've found so much comfort and made many friendships there.

5. I'm thankful to have my career and to have found the level of success that I'm at. It has given me the time and space to grow in spirit and to know myself in a deeper way. It has allowed me to make mistakes and learn from them and it has shown me the importance of a balanced life.