Ah, Faceland, how deceptive you are!

Envious? Don't be. I know it's easy to look at everyone's lovely pictures and think you don't measure up somehow, but know this: you only get to see what they CHOOSE to show you. For example right now, I am wearing an old white t-shirt of Ethan's because it was the handiest thing to grab after Sofia threw up on me. Also, my hair is pulled into a messy bun because she threw up on my hair as well... and I haven't had a chance to shower yet. Think I'll be sharing a pic of myself this evening? Ummm.... No.

Here's the thing: I choose to show you the things I most want to remember about my life, and they just happen to be Beautiful. The things my children say, the art we create, kind words spoken - this is what I want to remember when I look back. That doesn't mean we don't have problems. For example, in the last few months, our family vehicle died, the window in Ethan's work vehicle decided to slide down permanently (it is covered with plastic and duct tape right now), our refrigerator stopped working and our microwave broke. 

After having Sofia, I came home with a cough that turned into the flu and was sick for two weeks. Right now, Every. Single. Room. in my house is a mess. Add on top of that the fact that we have put our place up for sale and started packing and I'm trying to get things straightened enough to have an open house in a couple days.... well, the recipe's ripe for stress! lol

The truth is, my life isn't really perfect. Mostly because I'm not perfect. I've lost my cool, wasted time on nonessentials, yelled at my children (*Gasp - shocking, right?), complained at circumstances... you get the picture. What you don't see are the times I've apologized to my husband when my attitude has been wrong, the times I've slumped behind a locked bathroom door and cried and prayed for God to PLEASE help me be a better Mom. I show you my lovely creations; I don't show you the dirty dishes I left on the counter to do that creative project.

So, if you've ever looked at this Virtual Reality I've created in Faceland and wished your life was different: Don't. I have problems too. I just choose to find the beauty in the middle of the mess. Like walking in the front room to give you a glimpse of what my house looks like right now and finding Goldfish on the floor next to a blue folder. Put them on top and you have: Art! By the way, this picture shows what happens when I try to clean out a filing cabinet while simultaneously trying to compile stuff for a garage sale.

Feel free to bookmark this post and return to it- we all need a reminder now and again.

Here's to keepin' it real, folks!