Serenity

Serenity
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Monday, October 17, 2011

Quiet Soltitude with Pro's & Cons

It is well past midnight as I sit in our new apartment browsing the web for ideas on how to organize this small space and keep our home and life from being CHAOS! I realized that, while I don't love this apartment or very much about it, there are a few things I am enjoying. I thought I would share those with you tonight.
I love the fact that this particular apartment is on the backside of the complex facing a wooded area that separates it from the neighboring townhomes (which are breathtakingly beautiful!!). This means that we have no neighbors peeking in and can leave the windows open wide to let in the fresh, crisp, fall air!! I can sit and listen to the sounds of nature all day and night and only very rarely hear anything else. The occasional siren or car horn is about all I ever hear.
I do love that the bathroom vanity has drawers! Drawers are so useful in the bathroom and I wish more house builders would incorporate them!! It makes so much more sense than endless wasted space below the sink that is found in so many bathrooms!! The bathroom also is home to a decent size linen closet, which is another feature I think every home should have. The bigger the home, the bigger the linen closet! The tub is a garden tub with a tile wall surrounding it on three sides. Again, a nice feature. I have a dislike for small, claustrophobic tubs!
I LOVE the "desk" nook that you see as you enter the apartment. It has three shelves and room for a desk chair. It would be better if it were tiled which would accommodate the desk chair more easily but it'll do!
The closet space in the master bedroom and the coat closet when you enter the apartment are wonderful! Until my last apartment I had very little closet space and had never had a coat closet ever! Talk about spoiled now!! The master bedroom itself is a pretty spacious room, too, with three windows to let in gorgeous weather!
What else about this little place do I like?? The porch is big and spacious. Not screened in so that cats can't go outside but it has plenty of room on it for my rockers, the deep freezer, and some plants, too.
Ah, yes, that leads me to say that there is no outlet on the porch. There should be, I think! I haven't plugged in my deep freezer yet because it is on the porch and we haven't figured out the best way to run an extension cord to it. I'm afraid if we ran it through a window, we would either damage the cord because the window would have to stay shut, or we'd risk the cats getting out because the window was partially open. Furthermore, I hate to think of doing any kind of "damage" to the window/screen/wall since that would probably incur extra fees from the apartment.
In the bathroom, the two sink (another plus!) drains and tub drain, do not, well, drain. We stand in ankle deep water to shower and my sink is nearly half full by the time the water is hot enough to wash my face. I plan to run Drain-O down it this week and see if that helps!
The kitchen, while open, does not have hardly enough pantry or cupboard space for us at all. We are making do by only pulling out the most necessary items and keeping the rest in boxes and/or in storage. Talk about living on a minimum amount of stuff!!
One other odd thing about this apartment is that the bedroom door opens outward into the living room. I've never seen such a thing! That and the light switches are in weird places too!! Not a real complaint, just an observation.
Well, I think this post came from learning to be happy and make the best of what I have until I can afford something better. I could sit and complain all day about how tiny this place is or how its not as upgraded as I want, etc., but instead I try to look at the positive side and be thankful that it came open at the right time, the deal didn't fall through, we can afford it and didn't have to sign a whole new lease (just took over one), it is in a great area of town and is close to just about everything.
Hope this encourages you to look at the positive side, the glass half full, the brighter side of life!
JR~

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Moving...What A Chore!

Moving. If you haven't done it, and don't have to...don't!
Since Friday morning, we have spent a total of 4 days moving stuff, 2 days loading the truck, countless trips up and down stairs, and 2 additional trips back home for a total of 3 extra car loads of, well, junk!! Additionally, there were countless hands that helped out from the very beginning when we decided to move to the unloading of the moving truck!
Overall, we were on our own this move. Very few peoples were available to help us load or unload the truck. That made for a very long two days of loading the truck. We are so happy to have the majority of it over with. Still a few things to pick up at my parents house, but that's for another trip!
When you start packing to move, you realize just how much stuff you really have and you find yourself asking questions like, where did this come from? Why do I have this?? Why do I have multiples of the same thing? I think the majority of people start off trying to be super organized at the beginning of a moving process, but quickly that leads to everything being thrown into a box marked "miscellaneous". Um, yeah, that leads to not being able to find a single thing when you start unpacking!!
So all that to say, here are a few tips that might help you on your next move!
*Don't buy boxes! Ask friends & family to hold boxes for you from home, work, and school! Paper boxes are amazing!
*Packing material: newspaper works if that's what you have on hand, but if you can get plain butcher paper that would be better. It won't smear onto your dishes & other fragile items!
*Use small boxes for books. Yes, it makes for more boxes, but they will be easier to handle!
*Depending on how much time you have to pack for a move, go through magazines, catalogs, etc. and tear out out the pages with articles, pictures, products, etc. that you want to save. File them into an accordion file (or bigger if you need it) by catagory (i.e. Gardening, Cleaning, Vacations, Recipes) and donate/trash/pass on the magazines. Saves room!
*You can never have too much packing material around or in fragile items. It is worth buying the bubble wrap to use! Make sure the box isn't too heavy and nothing jingles/moves around when GENTLY shook!!
*Use towels to line your fragile boxes with...makes for a cushion on the bottom and protection on the top.
*Before a move, make a pile/designate a shelf for anything that is open--cleaners, food, soon-to-expire products. Use as much as up as you can before you move. Bless your neighbor with the rest of it or trash it appropiately.
*Make a donate pile and get a receipt to write it off your taxes, espeically if it is a big ticket item! It adds up!
*Take used books to a book store that allows you to trade them in for store credit! Also, google websites that do the same. Any books you cannot get rid of, donate to your local library's "Friends of the Library" program or a donation program for soldiers/veterans.
*Another tip that I was given AFTER I had most of the house packed is to pack the boxes by room. Start in a room that is less used than others (a guest room perhaps) and move into the rooms that are most used (the kitchen, maybe).
*Label boxes on the top and on one side, and stack them all facing the same way (works awesome if all your boxes are like-sized). Reinforce the bottoms of boxes with extra packing tape, especially for heavy items.
*Clothes can be packed into suitcases and tubs. Especially seasonal clothing that could potentially be stored in the tubs in the off-season!

Above all, try to make the best of it and leave yourself enough time to pack efficiently !!! Moving is stressful! If there are other people in your household, make a promise not to take your stress out on each other! Take frequent breaks and get out of the house (even just to the front yard, sweet tea on the porch, walk down the street). Give each person a particular room or group of items to pack/be responsible for (the kids could pack all the toys and the husband could pack the garage!).
I am not looking forward to moving again in 5 months to our permanent address, but I hope to be more organized with less stuff by then!!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Fall Into The World of Writing

Writing.
Words. Paper. Pen. Scattered thoughts and ideas. People, places, and things. Notebook and laptop. Burning the midnight oil. Writer's block. Imagination. Reality. Poetry. Short stories. Fiction. Non-fiction. Submission. Rejection. Accpetance.

Today is breezy fall day in South Charlotte. Today I am surrounded by writer's market books and writing magazines in a well-known bookstore. So much information to absorb, so many places to start. Does one pick a certain topic and focus on just that one, or should a person explore many topics at the same time and see which one develops the best? 

I want to write. Poetry, children's books, columns, and blogs. I want to become a well-known author; to be published. Even if it were just locally to start.  How does one do this? How does one find their niche and increase their knowledge and expertise? Where does one start on their journey to be an aspiring writer? 


This is the start of my journey...my journey to a world where I will unleash the inner writer in me. A world where my imagination can run rampant; where the stories that have lived in the back of my file cabinet labeled "brain" can be brought out into the light. Write, write, write, Rewrite over and over. Add and take away. Submit and find rejection. Submit and find acceptance. 


Join me on this journey to find my niche in the writing world. Join me as I research and rewrite. Ask me questions, offer suggestions. Share your knowledge and I'll share mine. Learn together with me if you dream the same.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Welcome to the Life of Me

**Our introduction assignment for Creative Writing class I am taking was to write a poem (of sorts) instead of just writing an "about me" paragraph. I don't typically write unless it rhymes, and this doesn't flow in every line, but I thought it was pretty accurate.**

Welcome to the Life of Me
Twenty-six years of life this past August
Twelve years spent in school, thought I was done
Here again, year number three, working hard towards my degree.
A daughter, a sister, a niece, a granddaughter, too
Married before but not for too long, found out he wasn’t the one
Reconnected with a high school friend,
Weak-kneed I fell, falling in love,
Now truly happy and engaged to the man of my dreams
Excited for the promises the future brings.
A beauty consultant I am, teaching ladies to care for their skin
Books are my passion, family & friends are my life,
Four-legged critters I call my kids,
And a soon to be a step-mom to two beautiful girls.
A published author am I, with one piece of work
A writer met with years of writers block
Taking this course to open that box
Passionate for poetry and short fiction,
I hope that I find my writing addiction!
Forty-six days left til a big move
Packing my life into boxes and bags
To start a new life in a town miles away.
Fiancée starts new work on Wednesday
While classes have started for me today.
Neighbors are noisy and parking insane!
Pool is green & here comes a hurricane!
Sleep schedule a mess & no job in near sight!
Two pounds gone but sweets call to me at night!
No check in the bank but many bills to pay!
Seems the never-ending list grows longer each day.
Laundry’s  awaiting, oh, and dishes too!
Oh my, what a whirlwind, how about you?

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Change of Seasons....2011

As we move into the latter part of August here in the South, we become a bit more aware of hurricane and tropical storm activity in the Atlantic. Our sunny days quickly disperse into afternoon thunderstorms but if we pay close attention, there is a hint of fall not too far away. Nights are often a bit cooler, the humidity lessens a tiny bit, and the breeze carries a fresh scent on it. Yes, fall is coming, quietly creeping in behind the summer.
Just as the seasons change so does our life. Day by day  the plans we have set into place change. Personally, I am a planner; a listmaker. Sudden or rapid changes do not sit well with me and there was a day where I would fly off the handle if that happened. Now, though, I'm learning to take it in stride instead of getting my feathers ruffled. The last eight months of my life have dramatically impacted my future.....but over the last month or so I have made plans and changed plans almost as often and as quick as the weather changes.
I am learning to enjoy the constant changes, to embrace the surprises that are around each corner. To remember what really is important instead of dwelling on those things that I have no control over. I'm learning to laugh instead of being angry, to smile instead of scorn, and to "stop and smell the roses" instead of fussing because something didn't happen the way I thought it should.
Life has a tendency to throw us for a loop. What we do in that loop is up to us. We can make the best of it or we can stress, fuss, and fume about how things didn't go our way!

"Dance like no one is watching.  Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt before. Live like it’s heaven on earth."

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Dance...Sing...

I don't want to waste my life being unhappy because someone else disappointed me. I can't please everyone and I'm not going to try! I want to do things that make me happy and make my life better, no matter who comes along for the ride. ! I know that I have loved and lost and bounced back. I know that I have been deep in despair and found a way out. Dance, Sing, Live, Laugh, Love! The true friends of your life will never bail and will never leave you. Dancing in the rain can make you feel free and happy in the small things in life. And men, well, when the right one comes along you just know it deep in your heart and you know that it is supposed to be. Not all men are created equal, you just have to keep digging for that diamond in the rough (um, wrong term of rough maybe)....Keep your chin up !! There is a full life ahead of you--reach out and grasp it!!!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Dear Papa

Dear Papa...I can't believe its been 2 years since you left us. I miss you more every day. Life has changed so much since you left & I wish I could share it all with you. Every day I think of you & even today the tears still fall. I'm glad you aren't in pain anymore but missing you doesn't get easier. I still expect to see you roll in from the other room or share your peach cobbler! We're taking care of Nana, so you don't have to worry about her. Your memory will always live on in my heart and you will never be forgotten! I love you so much!

Resting in Peace since July 6, 2009--James O E Moore....I love you Papa!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Praising God for his Work

Beautiful Saturday morning here in the middle of GA!  

Have you ever been called by God to do something that you just feel honored to do? Recently I have felt the tug on my heart to pray for a few specific people in my life. A few to pray for their salvation and a couple to stand in the gap with them and pray for God's specific will in their life right now. It is a blessing and an honor to be able to do that. I am so thankful for what God is doing in my life. I feel considerably blessed to be able to use the challenges, trials, and victories God has given to me in the last couple of years to encourage someone else who may be going through similar situations, or just going through hard times. I know that my God has supplied all my needs and continues to do so everyday. There is a burning desire in my heart to share that with everyone I know, but especially those who are facing tough times. I have to stop myself from practically begging people to know God like I do. To know the awesome feeling of Him making everything right in my life. There are a few specific people in my life that do not know the Lord and do not share the faith that I do. The way I believe has been changed since Catalyst became a part of my life and I now know what it is like to have a real, personal relationship with God. I know what it's like to watch Him work in MY life and to see the things he is doing specifically and every day! I know what it is like to be a part of a family of fellow believers who believe in being REAL every DAY with each other, who truly share each others burdens, praises, needs, and life! We share the valley's that we face every day; we share the climb to the mountaintop; we share the victory when we reach the mountaintop; we carry each other when we're weak; we celebrate when we're strong; we share happy times and sad; we know that we can trust each other no matter what; we don't think anything of reaching out to help not only each other, but also those within our families, friends, and our communities (which includes perfect strangers)!! It is a blessing and a privilege to reach out to someone we've never met and enrich their life simply by being willing and faithful to do what God has called each of his children to do. 
I am so very very blessed to be surrounded by these people who truly care about me in a way that only my fellow sisters and brothers in Christ can care. To know that no matter how far away I go, and no matter what I do, no matter what life throws at me, and no matter what may happen in my life....these people love me enough to encourage me when I'm down, pray for me in everything, give me a "spiritual talking to" when I need it, and love me for who I am!!! 


(to be continued....)

Randomness

1-21-11

Wow I can't believe that January just got here and yet its almost over!  Yet that means only a little over 2 months until camp!! Woot Woot!! I'm so ready for a few nights on the "hill"; well, rather, a few nights in the valley!! Moreso I can't wait to see all my extended/adopted friends and family and spend a week with them!! I never thought I'd like camping but the very first time I went, I was hooked!! I love love love it!! I wouldn't want to do it alone, though. Not too keen about being out alone in the dark!!

So life has taken a million turns for me in just the last few months! Most recently , I have found a few friends from my past that I have always wondered whatever happened to them. Its been nice to catch up on life with them! I've always been that type of person who wanted to stay in touch with everyone I cared about, but sadly with life happening all around me, it never quite seems to work out that way. Perhaps that’s why I'm so addicted to facebook, because I can semi keep up with everyone and see all the going - on's and such.

School started back up this month. I'm taking english and history. Not terribly thrilled with my world history class. I wanted to take american history, but the class was full so I got put into world history. I don’t like it mainly b/c of the fact that it "starts" a few million years ago. I have a major problem with that. Considering christ was born 2000 yrs ago and the world didn’t' start much beyond that (a few thousand years). And then theres always the fact that the world was created from nothing and was made in 6 days. Some people would say that perhaps there were atoms here. But then if there were atoms here, where did the atoms come from? I started  a whole facebook debate about this one day. Sometimes I post status' for that matter. Other times its because I just want to share.

I'm typing this in microsoft note while driving down the interstate to GA. Well, I'm not driving, but you get my point. I worked on my history essay a little bit. I think I have enough info I can get a good start on it. I'm trying to not wait til the last minute on papers or assignments this semester. I have to bring my GPA back up. I really let everything slide last semester and I can't afford to that again ever. I'm hoping that I'm really going to enjoy my english class b/c, although I don’t necessarily get to write these things, its all on short stoires, poetry, and drama. All the things I loved writing in my creative writing class in high school (thanks Mrs Hogg!!).  Plus we get to read one of my nana's favorite poems by robert frost. She's recited that poem to me from as far back as I can remember. "Stopping by the woods on a snowy day" by Robert Frost! After all these years, I'm finally working on memorizing that poem too.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

New Year, New Me, New Blog

It's a brand new year !! I'm starting a new blog !!

Monday, January 17, 2011

New Blog Coming Soon....

I blog with you long enough tonight to announce the coming of a new blog...this one will still be active but I will be moving from this log-in to the one I use all the time! I get tired of having to remember two passwords and I miss out on so much stuff from my fellow blog peeps!!!

Happy Tuesday everyone (it's almost here!)

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy New Year 2011!!!!

(Work in progress....)

Happy New Year 2011!!!

I sit here in GA welcoming in the new year of 2011!! What a whirlwind 2010 has been!! It has been filled with lots of laughs, many tears, testy trials, joyous triumphs, new friends, exciting adventures!! I am thrilled with everything God has done in my life this year alone! What a wonderful thing to watch Him work in my life and KNOW that GOD has taken care of me and never failed, not once!!

I think that this has been a year of learning, caring, serving, and growing. The end of April 2011 will be 2 years since my ex left me and my life started on a crazy roller coaster ride. I cannot believe it has been almost 2 years!!! There are times where it seems like it was just yesterday and other times where it seems as if it were a lifetime ago!  As you know there are many times where I wanted to give up, but thanks to God he never failed me and carried me through every single trial and tribulation I have faced. I can finally say that I am happy where I am in my life. I have an awesome job that does more than pay the bills, a very cute apartment that is all mine and paid for with my own hard-earned money, a wonderful church I call family, a great family who stands behind me, awesome friends who never fail to make me laugh and cry, and just amazed at how the floodgates have opened since my divorce was final.

Yes, I am happy again!! That is not to say that the memories of days gone by don't make me wistful! I was standing on a dock at a lakehouse in GA yesterday on a beautiful mild December day, and all the memories of being on Lake Hartwell were flooding and running through my head. I do miss my "Greenville" family and wish I could see them more often....(and they will always be considered family to me...just because there is one person I don't talk to and don't want anything to do with, doesn't mean the other relationships have to suffer. A lot of people don't understand that, and it's okay.). Sometimes I feel like I'm all alone but that feeling doesn't usually last very long!

This year has definitely been a year of changes. My divorce was final in July, I turned 25 in August, I also accepted a new job the end of August and moved to a very cute 1 bedroom apartment in October. November of course brought family and Thanksgiving, and December has brought more family, Christmas, & New Years. I have been thrilled to serve in various places alongside my church this year in Miracle League and helping needy families and our own people. I have watched my sisters and the younger children in my life grow up, and I was thrilled to be a part of a wedding that was incredibly amazing!! I have thanked God often that He allowed me to go through all the crap that I have in order to help & minister to others who have been in similar situations. I have also in 2 years lost 30lbs and dropped several sizes, which has been pretty awesome!! I have dated a couple guys and become good friends with a few others. I have run into old friends from high school and made new friends along the way.

(and that is all for now....more later!)

 I know I say this all the time, but I am incredibly thankful for Joey Leviner  & Amanda Leviner for leading Catalyst in what REAL church is supposed to be!! My life has been changed because of it!! I am continuously reminded at how blessed I am to be a part of a group of people who truly believe in Christ, who truly believe in going OUT and serving instead of waiting for people to come to the church. Over and over my life has been blessed and changed by the people of Catalyst who are my family; who are people that I share everyday life with, well, everyday. I cannot imagine my life without them and I can't believe we've only been a group for 2 years...it feels like its been forever! I wouldn't trade it for the world!!

On that note, I have to once again praise GOD for all that he has done ...he literally took me through the valley of the shadow of death and led me up the mountain-side to the top, to victory!! Praise God the battle is already ultimately won for me and praise God for the comfort, peace, grace, joy, and love he showers on us if we only cling to him and walk His path during those tough & troubled times!!

As I close out this New Year's post, I leave you with the passage of Scripture that has become a huge part of my life....

 Romans 8:28-39 (NIV)
  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. More Than Conquerors What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.  Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  As it is written:   “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”   No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.