Maintain Focus

skye is a total type-a, list making maniac who has discovered a place to unleash her creativity through blogging and creating. she makes custom upcycled artwork at her dining room table for her shop, thumbprint designs. she shares her stories, inspirational thoughts and love for handmade and connecting on her blog, neathering our fest.   


Every month we are going to have one week dedicated to a certain topic. This week the writers of embrace your life are sharing how we keep focus in life. 

so - i think it is really funny cassie picked my suggestion for the monthly topic.

the reason i suggested it was because i needed some serious help in this department. and here i am now, telling you how you should maintain focus in your life when i can't even stay focused long enough to write more than a couple of sentences of a blog post at a time.

i didn't think, when i suggested it, that i'd have to write a post about it. that though just never floated through my scatterbrain head. but here i am. and i have a few little tips to hopefully help you maintain focus. this is what has semi-worked for me. maybe you can give me some advice or tweak my tips to help me out a little?

1. centralize.

figuring out what is MOST important to me is MOST hardest about maintaining focus. i place so much importance on so many things that it is hard for me to distinguish what must be done versus what should be done. so i centralize. and here is how i do it:



see the big circles? i fill those with the essentials of life.

* God + church
* family + friends
* biological needs (cleanliness, food, home chores, etc)
* work
* blog + shop

these are the things that are important to me. your big circles might include totally different things. that is OKAY.

then fill in the smaller circles with things you want to do but aren't totally essential to your physical and spiritual well-being. for me this is stuff like exercising, traveling, blog reading, talking on the phone, answering emails, etc. things i'd like to do but aren't dire to my existence.

now pretend that all the smaller circles just no longer exist. the things that are in those five large circles, what is most important to you, are what you could focus on the most. all that other stuff doesn't really matter, but the things in those big circles do. right?

2. prioritize

think about all the daily grind things you do. make coffee, bathe the kids, check emails, watch the morning show, grocery shop, baseball games, guest posts, make shop items.. i mean this is only the tip of the iceberg i'd be willing to bet.

about each specific item on your to do list, ask yourself these questions:

1. does it benefit one of the big circles on my list?
2. does it directly hamper my relationship with my husband/spouse/friend if i don't do it?

if the answer is no to either of those questions, then seriously question whether or not it needs to get done. then rewrite your to do list.

3. utilize

ask for help. back out of things.

you. can. not. do. it. all.

so stop trying to.

utilize your friends, your spouse, your parents, your babysitter, your dog.

i mean heck tie your kid to the dog and let them out in the backyard. boom exercise for both!
yeah - SO kidding. clearly i do not have children. (this is a good thing.)

if you ask people to help you they just might surprise you and do it better than you would yourself! so don't be afraid to utilize those around you to get through your mountain of tasks.

okay - so there are my tips. what ideas do you have? i'd love to hear some!

Thoughts on Faith

Every Sunday the writers of embrace your life are going to share their thoughts on a certain topic. This week's topic is Faith.


First we would like to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all you mommas out there!

Cassie


Faith is something that gets me through each day. I am strong in my faith, it is apart of who I am. I have faith that hard times won't last forever and that good times should be celebrated. Having faith makes it to where I can look at a bad situation and find the beauty in it. I know that God is always by my side and with him I can do anything and I can get through anything. Having faith keeps me going. Having faith means I can look at the bumpy roads and know I can make it through them.

He knows the plans he has for me, which makes my faith even stronger. Because I know something good comes out of everything. There is a rainbow after the storm.

Digger

Faith is essential in my life. "Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen" (Ether 12:6) Faith is the hope that good will come from what happens. That there is always a light somewhere to be seen. That hope, that's what grounds me. That's what sees me through the hard times, and what pushes me to help others through the good times. Faith is how I conquer the day and how i make decisions not only for myself, but for my children and my family. 

"Faith is knowing the sun will rise, lighting each new day. Faith is knowing the Lord will hear my prayers each time I pray. Faith is like a little seed; if planted it will grow. Faith is a swelling within my heart. When I do right, I know"

Skye

the cornerstone of my faith is Jesus and i never really knew how strong that faith was until my mom passed away. the days, weeks, and months following her death were a whirlwind of crazy emotions. the only thing that kept me sane and stable was knowing that she is in Heaven with my Jesus and that i know, without a shred of doubt, that i will see her again. i always tell myself that she got there, saw her mom and dad, and will turn around to see us standing there as well. i believe there is no time in Heaven and that she will never truly feel like she has missed any amount of time with us.

i don't know how people without faith in Jesus can cope with the world as it is today. sometimes it just disgusts me how torrential the downpour of sin has become but knowing that if i can fight the daily battle with my Jesus umbrella i have this amazing place awaiting me that makes our world here seem meaningless. that faith is hard to keep up and i definitely struggle with it. i question God and some of the things that happen. i worry sometimes that all my faith and fighting will be worth nothing. but then something happens - God answers a prayer or i see people selflessly helping each other and my faith is restored.

what are things in every day life that restore your faith? where do you turn when your faith is shaken?

Sarah 

Having faith has become an incredibly important part of my life.  I could not do life with a special needs child without it.  I tried for a while - blaming God and saying "why me???" for too long.  Life became this downward spiral for me.  It got to a point in time where my daughter's health deteriorated so much that the only thing I could possibly cling to at that point was what little faith I had.  I turned things over to God and allowed Him to be in control for once.   After all, I'm not really in control at all in this life, now am I?!  I found this passage to be helpful in my faith:
1 Peter 5:6-9 (NLT)
6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.  
When you read this passage, it sure sounds difficult, doesn't it? Humble yourselves. Watch out for the enemy. Tough stuff. But look beyond that. Friends, this scripture is a promise from God. He is asking us to humble ourselves before Him. To submit to Him. Why? Because He desires that we would follow Him because He loves us and cares for us. He cares about us enough to ask us to give up all of our worries. He is offering to take up the burdens for us.  There is also reassurance in this passage because we are being told that we are not alone in our troubles.  No matter how much it feels like we are - we are not.
Take heart and know that God is with you in all your triumphs but also in all your struggles as well.  Have faith that He is there for you.  He has never and will never leave your side.  I know my life improved tremendously when I finally realized this!  This is a hope and a promise in all of this - that God will ease your load.  Have faith!

believing in yourself

skye is a total type-a, list making maniac who has discovered a place to unleash her creativity through blogging and creating. she makes custom upcycled artwork at her dining room table for her shop, thumbprint designs. she shares her stories, inspirational thoughts and love for handmade and connecting on her blog, neathering our fest.  

growing as a blogger and indie biz owner has taught me so many lessons about myself. it takes a very strong, very determined, and very faithful person to take on this lifestyle and run with it. there are so many ups and downs, celebrations and sorrows, and moments of faith to endure that i could never expect anyone to take it on lightly or understand what it has done to me as a person. i see now why so many blogs get started and never see more than five or six posts. or why there are etsy stores and shops that start a vibrant life only to fizzle out quickly when there aren't many sales in the first weeks, months, heck YEARS sometimes.

it is hard. hard i tell you. can i get an amen?


please pin this from the original source

if you have one shred of self doubt, chances are you will have a very hard time making it as an indie biz owner. believing in yourself, or at least believing that YOU WILL believe in yourself or SOMEONE WILL believe in you, is one of THE essential characteristics of successful business owners, handmade or no. think about it - everything you do is a reflection of you. the blog posts you write, the products you produce, the marketing you put into place, and the prices you set are all reflections of YOU. if you don't believe in yourself, you will be cutting yourself seriously short in all of these departments.

i have learned that the first step to success in this world is to believe that you can do it. who cares if other people say you can't? if you start to believe them, you are fulfilling your own prophecy. you, your ideas, your thoughts, YOU are worth more than the world will probably ever tell you. if you feel like you have something to offer, you have to be confident enough in yourself to overcome the world and present yourself! this was a hard hard lesson for me to actually implement. and even though i'm not completely over my fear of ridicule and rejection, i have come a long way because i have nestled myself with others in my shoes, quit comparing myself to others, and started accepting praise.

you can do it. YOU can do it. you can do IT - whatever it is! don't let the world steal your dreams.

getting past the fear of me

skye is a total type-a, list making maniac who has discovered a place to unleash her creativity through blogging and creating. she makes custom upcycled artwork at her dining room table for her shop, thumbprint designs. she shares her stories, inspirational thoughts and love for handmade and connecting on her blog, neathering our fest. 

one of the biggest and scariest obstacles i have overcome in the last few months hasn't been a fear of roaches (actually haven't overcome that one yet) or being petrified of losing my father after the tragic loss of my mom or worrying from month to month how the bills are going to be paid. the hardest wall i have been hitting over and over again is the fear of me. the fear of listening to my heart. the fear of declaring who i am. the fear of recognizing talent within myself.  the fear of being criticized or rejected for that talent. the fear of simply being me. to begin with, i still haven't shared with most "in real life" people that i have a blog or that i am a "blogger". is it just me or does it seem those who don't blog look at you kind of funny when you do tell them you have a blog? and starting a blog is a really scary thing too. when i first started this one i was inspired by layla at the lettered cottage. and i still love her blog and read every post she or her husband kevin writes. but i was gauging my success against her success. um. what the heck was i thinking? blogs are not overnight success stories (for the most part anyway). i thought i would write a post and people would flock to my newborn blog and love it into a bubble of success. i was wrong. after a pretty rocky few months of figuring out that followers do not mean blog happiness i realized that i had a handful of loyal followers and i was, and still am, very happy with that. then i started realizing that i wasn't really happy with my job. i wasn't sure where this realization would take me but i knew i had to find something to make me happy outside of work since i am literally so miserable here. i also knew one of the goals in my three year plan was to open an etsy shop. so i found something that i, praise the Lord, love to do and did it. then i realized that if i wanted to sell anything, i had to actually show them to people and talk about them. i then reverted to my second grade self. what if they laugh at it. what if they call it stupid. what if someone says that they have seen much better ones somewhere else. what if. what if. what if. so i started small and shared my signs with people i was very close to. basically people that i knew wouldn't say "aww that looks awesome!" even if it did look like a monkey's behind but that would be truly honest with me. and by george - they liked them. they wanted one. they told their friends. the first one i made was for my sister-in-law's baby shower. people commented on it even without knowing that i made it. meaning that yes, i listened in and kept my ears perked for any mention of it and yes i am paranoid and was worried that if they knew i made it they would be polite and say it was nice and then roll their eyes when they turned away from me. i started turning my "what if's" into "so what's". i used what little bit of courage i gained from the feedback on that sign to actually make some more and open up a shop. i took a deep breath in front of my computer one night and clicked the "publish" button on etsy to list my first item. and then i checked out for a few days. i published a blog on here telling you guys about the shop and the new items and then i let it go. i didn't tried really hard not to worry about what anyone else said. so what if they laugh at it. so what if they call it stupid. so what if someone says that they have seen much better ones somewhere else. so what. so what. so what. about a week later i logged back in to etsy. i knew from the experience i had with starting my blog that i would not be flooded with purchases immediately. i didn't expect for anyone to have even seen my shop by that time. so you can probably imagine the thrill i got when i saw that someone had added one of my signs to their favorites! someone who did not know me and who really liked what i made enough to add it to their favorites! yes. yes! YES! this was a big exciting deal for me! and then someone else added my shop to their favorites. and then the world stopped when i got an order. an actual order for a sign. someone liked my creations so much that they ordered one as a gift for someone they loved. i was so proud. and yet - i was still not proud enough or confident enough to share this really exciting event with my "in real life" family and friends. or, in 21st century terms: facebook. that little booger called fear continued his dance in the back of my mind. and then it occurred to me... if you can't be proud of your own work how can you expect others to be proud of it? so i stomped on that voice in my head and squashed him. i updated my facbook status with something like "woo hoo! i just got my first etsy order! my inner cheerleader is saying 'go you!'" and then prayed that people wouldn't think i was bragging or showing off and they would know i was genuinely excited and also looking for positive support. God does funny things. i was totally shocked at the reaction i got on facebook! it was exactly what i needed to hear from people that i knew would be supportive if i just gave them a chance. it gave me another little push in the right direction. i'm still nowhere near over the fear that still throws his occasional party in the back of my mind but i have come a long way since i first started. i have to mention that it has also been totally invaluable to have my husband's total support in this as well. he has helped me dig through piles of wood on the side of the road and sweated over a circular saw to help me cut bigger chunks of wood down to a workable size. he tells people about my signs that i would have never thought to mention it to. he even wrote in my anniversary card that he was excited to be helping me in this adventure. he is my biggest supporter. (i think it helps that i have quit trying to paint every piece of furniture we own white and install new flooring on my own.) anyways - all of that was to say this. don't be afraid to get past the fear. if fear is what is keeping you from being the best, most amazing you that you can ever possibly be then you have to find a way to get past it. find a group of close friends you can confide in that will support you and be honest with you. learn, learn, learn as much as possible about what you want to do. don't be afraid to mess up and start over. find what you love to do and don't be afraid to let it make you happy!

Finding Inspiration

Every month we are going to have one week dedicated to a certain topic. This week the writers of embrace your life are sharing things that inspire us.


skye is a total type-a, list making maniac who has discovered a place to unleash her creativity through blogging and creating. she makes custom upcycled artwork at her dining room table for her shop, thumbprint designs. she shares her stories, inspirational thoughts and love for handmade and connecting on her blog, neathering our fest. 

as a handmade artist, or someone striving to be a handmade artist, finding inspiration never proves to be a problem. a color, a phrase, the way the clouds look, a conversation... anything can spark an idea in a truly creative and receptive mind. my problem, i have found, is successfully sorting the inspiration in my brain into the correct place in my brain for future use and learning to filter what is great and useful inspiration and what is good, but not really useful inspiration.

i have found over the past year that i find really great and really useful inspiration in two specific places.



music

seldom will you ever find me working, painting, desiging, sanding, or anything to do with my business without pandora blaring on my computer or headphones in my ears. music soothes my soul, centers my spirit, and realigns my brain into this pattern that sees one thing at a time, instead of the web of chaos in which my brain usually operates.

another aspect of music that inspires me is the way one word might set in motion a train of thought that leads somewhere i had never explored before. an idea, a notion, a self-discovery. the power of music is amazing to me. it allows creative growth but keeps me all aligned all at the same time.

this is where the filtering comes in. sometimes (most of the time when it involves music) the idea is great and something i should really take into consideration for my business or personal growth. i jot it down in my inspiration journal. then after i'm done with what i'm doing, (thanks to cassie for this great bit of advice) i come back to it and reevaluate. does it still sound as good? is it overdone? would i buy it? is it something i'd be proud to claim as my own, be it a product, a behavior, or a blog post - it has to be something i will stand behind 120% or i just can't commit to it.

if it just an errant thought i will let it go. if it is important it will show up again in the future. i'm sure of it.



chatting with friends

the definition of crazy is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. i find great resources and inspiration in the blog world and through some of my best blogging buddies. i cherish this resource and all the information it provides. however, the answers i find on the internet from people who are going through a similar phase in life are exactly the same thing, over and over again. they don't produce the same results for me, so why do i keep trying it that way?

when i reach this point of crazy frustration, i just need an outsider perspective.

sometimes i turn to my husband. he is always grounded and is always good at reminding me where my priorities lie, pushing me to keep my faith first. i very easily let other things slide in front of that. (do you have that problem too?) i'm always thankful for his insight and encouragement because having him on my side of the ring is SO very important to me.

a lot of the time, though, i reach out to my friend rhiann. she is not a blogger and doesn't have a handmade business. i would say she is "just" a friend, but she is definitely more than that to me. she is level-headed, money-minded (she is an accountant! :)), and always helping me to see the best in myself, even if she doesn't realize it. conversations with her usually lead to my brain finally realizing what my heart has been trying to say me all along. (see conversation above.) and boy howdy - she believes in my like no other. she will never know how much i appreciate that.

the point i am making here is that, while it is certainly helpful to be banded together with people who do know what you are going through, it is also helpful for someone to show you what it is like outside the blogger box.

these are just a couple of the many places i find inspiration daily (heck, hourly might be a better description!). but these are always places where i get GREAT inspiration - and that is the best kind to have, isn't it??

Before 30

skye is a total type-a, list making maniac who has discovered a place to unleash her creativity through blogging and creating. she makes custom upcycled artwork at her dining room table for her shop, thumbprint designs. she shares her stories, inspirational thoughts and love for handmade and connecting on her blog, neathering our fest. 

as my impending 30th birthday draws nearer and nearer (yes - i am singing the jaws theme song in my head when i think about it. da-dum. da-dum. DA-DUM. DA-DUM.DA-DUM.DA-DUM. AAAHHHH) i've been thinking a lot about those lists i see everywhere - things i want to do before i turn 20, 21, 25, 30 and other milestone age markers.

i'm not really good at those lists to begin with and seeing as how there are roughly only thirty days until my 30th birthday, i doubt very seriously i'd get many life changing events out of the way between now and then what with my insanely hectic schedule in april. so i though i'd focus on what i in fact have accomplished in my first 29 years on earth. :)

graduated college



might've taken me eight years to do it but i have happily checked this off my list. i have an associate's in journalism, my cosmetology license and a bachelor's in business. i still have no idea what i want to be though.

got married




there was a point in life where i thought it would be 30 before i found anyone worth of marrying! but God blessed me with the perfect husband and i'm so thankful for that.

got a tattoo



sadly this was marked off the list before anything else.. and it was pretty quickly followed by another, then another... and then another. i am up to six now and each time i say it will be my last. but i'm running out of places to hide them so i'm pretty sure i'm done. but maybe one more.

bought my own car

i purchased my first car in 2006. it was a blue honda civic. i nearly had an anxiety attack when i signed the papers. but let me tell you - i loved that car. it was absolutely perfect for me. it got great gas mileage and carried me back and forth to dallas to hang out with my friends, put me through my final years of college and moved me to west monroe. we ended up trading it in for our truck. i tell chris all the time how much i miss that little car!

i cannot for the life of me find a picture of my car! this makes me sad. :(

became an auntie



this sweet baby is probably the closest thing i will have to giving birth to my own child for at least a few years. and yall - he is the coolest baby ever!

reached godparent status



quite possibly the neatest privilege or responsibility that i have been given is the parental rights and full guardianship of these two handsome fellas. their parents are very close friends of ours and they have (for some unknown reason) entrusted us with their kiddos should anything ever happen to them. talk about a humbling dinner conversation.

ate a hot dog (or 2) at the varsity



this is something everyone should have on their bucket list. the environment, the chili, the orange cream slush... and top i t all off with a friend peach pie. yummmmmmm....

took this super cool picture



this is one of my best friend's kiddos playing in the water park for his first birthday. i am in LOVE with this picture

visited spain



there are still a ton of european countries that i'd like to visit but i have got one crossed off the list!

danced with my hubby



this has definitely happened on more than one occasion but this is documentation that my hubs and i look great and dance great together.

bought a house



there for a while i was quite sure this wasn't going to happen either. but we did it!

cooked a chicken on a beer can



without the fancy beer can chicken cooker or a blazing hot gas grill, we actually cooked a chicken with a beer can up her bottom. and it worked. and it was delicious!

seen all of my best friends get married or engaged and thrown showers and bachelorette parties for them





i get to see the last of my best friends get married in michigan later this summer and i'm very excited!

ate a beniet at cafe du' mond



yes, that would be me on the far left, tearing into that beniet like a starving velociraptor.

went to a college bowl game and visited "jerry world" a.k.a cowboy football stadium



we went to the cotton bowl in 2011 and cheered on our beloved cowboys. while they did lose to ole' miss (gag!) we did at least get to watch it on the biggest tv screen i have ever seen.

pin a boutonniere on my father



i don't think i had ever done this before my brother's wedding but it was a pretty neat moment. :)

hosted my first thanksgiving



full thing - start to finish - from the bird to the pie. we had the entire family around one table and let me just say - it was totally worth all the hard work.



looking back over the small handful of years that this covers reminds me that i have done A LOT. why focus on the things i haven't done yet when i have already accomplished so much?

what are some things that you have done in this crazy ride of life you have had so far?

Personal growth

By Skye - Her blog is Neathering Our Fest. You can read more about her here. You can find all posts by Skye here.

i've been blogging for about two years now. i can't believe it has already been that long. it really feels like just yesterday i hit "publish" for the first time.

while having two years under my belt in no way makes me any sort of blogging expert or guru, i do feel like it gives me a little experience. i've had this list of things i have learned about myself since i started blogging in my inspiration journal for a few months now. i've been writing things down as i realized hey! this is a part of me that has grown since i started this - better write it down!

i never thought that blogging would contribute so greatly to my personal growth and i really wanted to document some of the things i have learned over the past year or so of blogging, since that is when i really started to take it seriously. and, i wanted to share a couple of them with you! :) because you know, we are friends and all. ;)

finding friends

when chris and i moved to louisiana, and for the first time in my entire life i lived more than 2 miles away from parents, friends, and most of my family, i had never felt so alone and so "de-friended" in my whole life. we have now lived here almost three years and i have made friends with a couple of people here and there but i still don't feel like i have really made the same sort of relationships as with those i knew from home.

of course, there is a huge lapse in time here - my friends from home i've known since i was in diapers, going through all of my school years, bad boyfriends, marriages, new lives and babies with. i had to learn to be realistic and come to terms with the fact that i probably won't ever have friends like that here because i haven't had 25 years of getting to know them. and that is okay.


friends forever trinket bowl from say your piece

now. blogging has brought me friendships i never thought i would find. i am much closer to many of the friends i have made online in the last year than the friends i have made in west monroe. i'm still trying to adjust to the fact that when i talk about cassie, kelsey, kasey or kelly (hi - could i meet some people whose names DON'T start with a hard k sound? thanks) i have to explain that i met them through blogging. and of course that is when the weird looks and questions come out.

you made friends with someone online? how is that possible? you barely know them. they could be a total farce and try to kill you. you're weird.

okay - so some of this is me projecting my feelings on to them because i still think it is a little weird and unnatural. but i've realized over the past year that friends come from anywhere. God orchestrates these relationships and chance meetings through millions of people online because there is a reason He wants me to know every person i've befriended online.

it might be weird to those that don't do this. but to me it is starting to be more natural. it also helps that, even though my husband might not know where you live or what your blog's name is, when i mention certain names he knows they are a friend i have made online. that helps.

timelines

one thing i have always always struggled with is what kind of timeline i operate on. if you give me a task, it is highly likely that i will get it done as soon as humanly possible. if you send me an email i will probably drop everything else and answer it right then. if you tweet me, you should expect a tweet back from me within 30 seconds to two minutes.


i love you more than twitter card from storey shop

i'm a crazy person. i know this. i've pretty much learned to accept that i don't like to leave things hanging, unanswered, or partially done. it literally KILLS me to leave a post in draft mode. physically ills me people. i have a problem. :) i also have a lot less unread emails in my inbox. but that is just how i operate.

i have had to acknowledge that the rest of the world very unlikely operates on this same timeline. just because someone doesn't immediately respond to me doesn't mean they don't care, are mad at me, read it and forgot about it, or just ignored me altogether. these are seriously all things that run through my head when i don't hear back from someone within a 24-hour period.

i remind myself (repeatedly in some cases) that it is okay if it takes me a day to answer an email, more then twelve seconds to respond to a tweet or a text, more than two weeks to paint a sign or (gasp) if i leave a post in draft until i get all the pictures edited.

it is okay. it is okay. it is okay.
{deep breath}

these are just two of the many things i have on my list but they are the most important two if you ask me. what are some things you have learned about yourself in your blogging journey?

Letting Go

By Skye - Her blog is Neathering Our Fest. You can read more about her here. You can find all posts by Skye here.

what are you holding on to that is keeping you from enjoying life?

i tend to on occasion sometimes... OK. i am a neat freak. i like for the laundry to be folded and put away as soon as the dryer goes off. i like to dry the dishes and put them away. i have to clean off the dining room table every day when get home from work. when we moved to louisiana, it took me approximately four days to unpack the entire house because i cannot stand to live out of boxes.

disorganization and general clutter gives me hives.

but when i decided to give this handmade business stuff a go, i had to learn how to let things go. my dining room table became my studio for painting and putting all the paint away every night just got to be a hassle. so i embraced the fact that this new adventure might mean a messy dining room table.

other things i have embraced in this process: piled up laundry, a few dishes left in the sink for more than twenty-four hours, and the remotes not put back in the remote basket after our nightly ritual of scrubs on netflix.

but when those former big things started to become little things, and when i quit worrying about the little things, i started to see some growth in my business. i started to realize that leaving a bowl in the sink would not be the end of the world. i started to focus more on things like building relationships with friends and people online and less on religiously sweeping up dog hair.

john 15: 1-2 says "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

doing dishes and laundry is necessary, yes, and i still sometimes have a mad frenzy to clean and get all the laundry done, but i have realized that God has helped ease some of my anxiety concerning these things so that i can focus on what His plans are for me.

letting go of these little things has led me to do some things i would have missed out on and meet some people i would have never crossed paths with. He has touched people through me because i sat down long enough to write a letter instead of wiping the counters down. His purpose for me is greater than having the best kept house in the world.

i didn't realize any of this until a few weeks ago when we went to visit some friends and they both commented on how much more relaxed i seemed. these friends understand my obsessive need to clean and organize so for them to notice it was pretty remarkable. i hadn't even seen it yet. but as soon as she said it, all the puzzle pieces came together.

i was more relaxed. i was more approachable. i was a little less anxious skye and a little more cool and awesome skye. i had really let go of things that were holding me back so i could grow in other, more important areas of my life. and even looking back over the few weeks since then, i've noticed changes. once i let go of those things, other things, like writing, designing, and painting, became more enjoyable and less of a burden.

so. what are you holding on to that is keeping you from enjoying life? it doesn't have to be housework. it could be anything from unresolved anger with someone to a constant struggle with making sure your kids are always perfect. let it gooooo. let God take those problems from you and open up a huge spot for Him in your life.



take a deep breath and breathe God in. breathe all that unnecessary stuff you worry about out.

figuring it out

By Skye - Her blog is Neathering Our Fest. You can read more about her here. You can find all posts by Skye here.  

when cassie asked me to write for embrace your
life i was thrilled and honored. immediately a million post ideas ran through my head - too fast
unfortunately for me to catch any of them and write them down. they were good ones too.



i've made several attempts to write this post. the words don't flow like they normally do. it is so
frustrating. and then i read cassie's thoughtful posts and digger's amazing words and wonder how they have it all figured out. how do they know so
much about embracing life? why can't i just embrace life like they do?

i'd love to dance in the rain, have a leisurely cup of coffee with a friend or just be able to sit for ten
minutes and enjoy my back yard. my brain just will not shut off for things like that. dancing in the rain
just makes me worry about having to wash and blow dry my hair afterwards. i can't fathom the idea of
having a cup of coffee without talking business. and in order to enjoy my back yard i would actually have
to go out there. who has time for that?

i suck a embracing life the way that normal people do.

(truly i use the word "normal" loosely here. i consider all these things to be pretty normal and accepted
ways to relax for most people. i'm the abnormal on here.)

this isn't revolutionary news to me. i have always been terrible at relaxing in a bubble bath or tune out
while i am getting a pedicure. i'm constantly thinking of what is next on my to do list or what i could be
doing instead of just sitting there. but i really tried to approach writing here as a way to figure out how i
can embrace life by slowing down and relaxing.

and i just can't. and accepting that is the first part of figuring it out.

for me to truly embrace the life i've been given, i have to participate in it. do something. go somewhere.
make something. cross something off a list. that feeling of accomplishment tells me that i have
embraced life a little more today. exhaustion at the end of the day reminds me that i have done
something worthwhile. that limb-numbing anxiety to get something done makes me feel alive.

so just because you might be reading all of these wonderful posts and wondering, like i was, why you
just don't get it, don't be discouraged. think about what makes you happy. do that.

Blue eyes cryin in the rain

By Skye - Her blog is Neathering Our Fest. You can read more about her here. You can find all posts by Skye here. 


here are some things you need to know.
my mom was a hippie. she loved willie nelson. until the day she died (and it is still there to be honest) she had a poster behind her bedroom door of willie nelson surrounded by stars with the word "dream" painted above it. this is the honest truth. i promise. her favorite song by him was blue eyes crying in the rain.
in a lot of ways i am like my mom. i look just like her. we both have a crooked nose that came from her mom. we were both a little high anxiety. we are both learners and dreamers and doers.
there is one specific way that we are not alike. my mom embraced life in stuff and things. she kept everything. every card we ever gave her. every picture that was ever taken. socks from when i was a baby. my great great aunt's glasses and sugar pills.
i am not a liker of stuff. that isn't where i hold my memories. don't get me wrong there are some things that bring the memories of my grandma and grandpa alive for me, like their antique china cabinet, dining room table and pie safe that i inherited. every time i sit at that table i remember all the family dinners when we ate there.
i prefer to hold my memories in the intangible. things that i can't hold or touch... or that collect dust. ;) i embrace the memories that come flooding back at a smell or a landmark...
or in the case of this story - a song.
i was taking chris to the airport a couple of weeks ago for a flight to washington d.c. a couple of weeks ago. he was a little nervous about traveling alone and having to navigate the city by himself once he got there. i'm not much comfort in a situation like that because i get a little stressed myself! :)
it was a beautiful, sunny day with a few clouds in the sky. there was zero rain in the forecast (trust me - we had checked several times!) and all of the sudden, out of nowhere, it started raining. drops of rain fell from the sunny sky and chris and i looked at each other and kind of laughed.
then it happened.
the xm radio changed songs and the first few chords of the song rang out on the speakers. my mouth fell open and chris said "really??"
it was blue eyes cryin in the rain.
and for the length of the song, chris and i held hands and cried. i sang what words i knew and the rain continued to fall on us from the sunny sky above. when the song was over the rain stopped.

chris and i didn't speak for a few minutes. we just held hands while the tears left paths on our cheeks. it was a moment i will never ever forget. it was a split-second in life that embraced me and told me not to worry - that chris and i had at least one angel watching over us.
one of the hardest things we are asked to do in life is to embrace the painful moments. as humans we are scared. we run away from things that might cause us pain or perhaps make us fear what is coming next. it is in our very nature to avoid things we know will make us hurt, turn our insides to much or reopen a wound that we have been working to repair.
but sometimes those things blindside us. and thank the good Lord they do. because even though for those few moments of sheer pain and anxiety i don't know how to contain myself or hold it all in. i get angry with God all over again for taking my mom from me and leaving me here to go at life alone.
but after the anger and fear has its way with me and i let the pain destroy me for a minute, God is always there to rescue me and pick me back up. even though the wound has been reopened, God brings the sutures to heal me again.
he gently reminds me that i am not alone. he shows me how strong i have been and makes my heart just a little stronger for the next time.
embrace the painful moments in life. let them overwhelm and overtake you. cry. be angry with God. reopen that wound just a little. it makes you stronger and gives you a new sense of purpose. it brings you closer to the God who loves you.

Happy Valentine's Day

From the ladies of EYL.

Here's to hoping you take the time remember all the reasons your fell in love today. or if you are single remember why you love yourself. :)

embrace life starting today

By Skye - Her blog is Neathering Our Fest. You can read more about her here. You can find all posts by Skye here. 



someone should write a manual:

how to embrace living and prosper in the good life.

it would include things like:

don't have a boyfriend/girlfriend until you are out of high school. you will miss out on too much and no one that young really understands relationships.

college just isn't for everyone no matter what they pound into your head in high school. some people go & some people don't and that doesn't make either of them better than the other.

if you do go: have lots of fun but but remember that when your old (i.e. 25+) employers only care about that magical piece of paper and not what social circle you were in or how many beers you could shotgun before passing out.

your 21st birthday isn't an excuse to act like a total idiot. but do it anyways. it is the only time it is socially acceptable to puke on the bartender as you ask for another shot "because it is your BIRTHDAY".



don't believe the myth that you have to "do it all" while you are young.. like travel and see the world and have a fancy car and all that. the doors to europe don't close when you turn 30 and you will have the rest of your life to enjoy that expensive car. live debt free as long as you can.

live with friends. live alone. live with your parents. don't live with your boyfriend if you can help it.

listen to your mom. hug her WAY more often and write down her spaghetti recipe.

these are all things i would go back and tell myself could i travel back in time ten years. okay - more than ten years. but i can't. and i kind of already did all this stuff so i can't change it. i can't go back and start embracing life and living it differently ten years ago.

but i can start today. and today seems as good of a day to start as any, right?

don't live in the past saying that you wish you had done this or that. somethings you can't change. but you can always change where your future takes you.

interview for that dream job even if you think you have a snowball's chance in hell of being considered. it's better to embrace life and go for it, right?

get off the couch and go for a walk today. i know you don't normally walk but today might be the day that you start walking every day, right?

go to that red carpet movie premiere in town just because it will be fun and you know you will regret it if you don't go.



take a deep breath and do the thing that haunts you. the thing you know you really want to do but it just scares the bejeesus out of you. your truest desires reside between you and God so put some faith in Him and yourself and embrace life.

starting today.

Meet Skye

Skye is a beautiful, fun, sweet, quirky & talented woman! She has a heart of gold. Show her tons of love!

hey yall! i'm skye and let me just say that i am beyond stoked to be here with you. and even more than
that - i'm glad you are HERE. i bet this is exactly where you need to be right now.

i write over at neathering our fest and design
upcycled artwork along with notecards and custom invitations in my shop, thumbprint designs. i am still pretty new in the
handmade world (a little over 6 months under my belt) but i have already found it to be so encouraging,
welcoming, inspiring and just overall amazing.

one thing i have found i really enjoy doing is encouraging others like me. handmade artists who are
starting out, trying to perfect their craft, learning how to stay inspired and going through the rough
patches and exciting moments that come with this unique profession.

i also believe that my faith has played the most important role in this adventure and i want to share my
stories with those who are believers and more importantly those who might not see God's purpose for
them.

like i said, i think you are here for a reason today and i hope you find the inspiration and encouragement
God sent you here for! welcome to embrace your life! :)

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