Can a Book Change Your Life?

       

 Did you ever read a book and have it change your life? I mean I've heard of people getting super dramatic and saying "OMG, THIS BOOK CHANGED MY LIFE"...but how much authenticity is there in that, REALLY?  And when it changes your life does it change all aspects or just one part?

         Clearly I'm going somewhere with this, I have a book that just hit me in the right place of my life that it has impacted several. The book (which on my old blog I believe I wrote a report on) was Grace, not perfection, and it's like this book gave me permission to step back and be okay with the fact that maybe my kitchen table has become a catch all area, except the end we eat at. BUT, my kid is happy, and the mess can wait because I only have so much time with my family in a day, and clutter isn't taking away from that time.

           It sounds so simple right? Like, why the hell did I need a book that was on clearance to give me this permission? Because things like Pinterest took it away. I am a self proclaimed Pinterest addict, and believe me, that's not going to change, how I approach it has. You know last Christmas I was looking at pins of Christmas home tours and thinking I would love to do that...NO I FREAKING WOULDN'T! The people I like to host are people who don't want to come and look at my house, they want to authentically come and visit with my family. Those tour homes are pretty, but I think I would rather have toilet paper roll Angel's made by Jake hanging around.

        The truth is, this book would have been so handy as a new mom, and allowed me to enjoy it more instead of getting overwhelmed...often.

        So can a book change your life? Maybe, if it touches the right part, it can send a ripple effect.

K, Luv Ya, Bye!

Nancy

Living for the moment

         

Yesterday was my day off, where Jake still goes to the sitter. I usually make this day a little shorter for his time away, but he absolutely loves going and playing with the other kids, so I feel guilty when I take him away from that. To be fair, I feel guilty sending him away when I'm home and totally capable of taking him. Mom guilt is real. I typically take this opportunity to get stuff done. Yesterday was beautiful out so I got to the deck.

          Let me start by saying, I typically am a good cook, but there is something about my bbq and chicken I don't do well with. A couple weeks ago (weather has been against me, and you know, procrastination), I actually set fire to supper. Like we're talking flames coming out of my bbq. The good news? My fire extinguisher worked. So yesterday was finally round one of scrubbing with vinegar and hosing down the grill. I also laid out our zero gravity chairs, and mat for the deck. I moved my tomato planter so it gets more light, and of course most important of all, Jake's pool is out. I dunno, there's something about a job like that getting done that gives me a sense of accomplishment. I was also proud of myself. I tend to be a planner, getting ready for the next thing, and it's something I enjoy. But all things in moderation. I find if I get too carried away planning for the next thing, I miss what's happening now. I have made a conscious effort to not get carried away. So yesterday, I sat out in the sun, and enjoyed for a little bit. 

         Fast forward to today, and our Saturday morning outing. It's overcast, and I don't want to watch Paw Patrol all day (I feel like I've seen Mayor Humdinger fix the wind surfing race too many times). So I packed Jake up and took him to Michael's. It's kind of our thing, when he was a baby baby (because apparently my baby is a toddler), and I just needed to get out of the house, we went to Michael's. It's one of my favorite stores, and all the colours caught Jake's attention, and still do. Well after being so good yesterday, didn't they have some of their Fall stock out? Fall is a bad one for me, I love the season, and pumpkin anything. BUT what's more is it means Christmas is coming, my BIG ONE. So this is a new blog, which means you may, or may not be aware of my Christmas planning series, but yes it will be back here, and if you're not aware it starts in the fall ( actually before calendar fall). So on this cool summer morning, I fight the urge to look through my Autumn decor and take stock. Fighting tooth and nail! 

         K, Luv Ya, Bye!

Intro

So not quite sure why the quality is...well crap...but this is my intro for my Vlog...now, let's see if  I can make it look better...

New Blog Same Me...Sort of

       

If you are reading this and have read my blogs before, for starters, let me say thanks. Thanks for taking the time to check up on me, and see how I'm doing and what I've been up to. I started Unclouded Spirit when I was in my early to mid twenties and was seriously looking for direction in my life. Unclouded Spirit was more of a wish than an accomplishment. If I look back on the last three to four years my life, and who I am has changed, drastically, so I decided to start fresh.

          If you have never seen my blog before, welcome to my actual first post under this name. I'm a 32 year old, wife, mom, dog mom, and I work full time in retail, and recently received a promotion onto my store's leadership team. I used to be a radio announcer, and while I must say I love my job, the itch to broadcast appears every so often, as such I plan to make some of my posts vlogs. I love to read, mostly biographies and personal development books. I am a Pinterest addict, I also love to get creative and of course Christmas (which will consume a fair portion of my posts starting in September). I like to make plans and lists, but I've been trying to catch myself to enjoy the moment more. A downside to planning, I feel like the first year of my kids life was a total blur...but then that could be parenthood too I suppose.

          I chose the title "It's Just Mess", because it's something I have been telling myself for a while now. You know that time before baby is born, the "nesting phase"? Yeah, I was taken off work due to being a high risk pregnancy. While it was slow moving, my house, was spotless, and when I spot appeared, I was on it. It was the cleanest my house has ever been, and then...my son was born. And I was killing myself trying to maintain my house, my kid and my sanity. Kid is thriving, house was...meh, sanity went out the window. It wasn't until I accepted that mess is ok that I started to breath again. I type this with my kid's clothes strewn all over the floor, and about 3 baskets of clean laundry to be folded, but it's just mess. Today was Canada day and we spent the day adventuring as a family, and my kid laughed and smiled, and now I'm taking a little time for me, because it's good for me, and that all across the room is just mess.

          Let me tell you what you will not find on my blog. You will not find the mom with the perfect body ( I had a c section, and my stomach is shaped like hopewell rocks now...google them if you don't know what I mean), the perfect house, the perfect decor, the perfect life. At no point will my posts be pin worthy. But they will be honest, and messy, and I will have fun writing them, so maybe you can find some joy in these posts too.

          K, Luv Ya, Bye

          Nancy