Five Faves- September 2016

I tend to like things in spurts. A while back I became obsessed with Mumford and Sons… their songs are sadly no longer enjoyable because I played them into the ground. I went through a hat phase and was rarely seen without one… now I feel much like Kathleen Kelly, most hats are a mistake. The point is that at any given time, there are some things I am really into and are current favorites. I thought it would be fun to list 5 of my current favorites! Hopefully I don’t wear any of these things out!

1. Thieves essential oil. I have dipped my toe into the sea of essential oils this summer, and I am glad I did. I ordered a starter kit from Young Living, and have used my oils for cleaning, fighting off colds, healing burns and rashes, and battling anxiety. My current favorite oil is Thieves, because I don’t go a day without using it. I keep getting a sore throat, and after using my Thieves roller, it goes away every time. PLUS it smells super good. 🙂
2. Brie cheese… best if paired with Salami and Red Grapes. Seriously, this is a delicious combination. My love for Brie cheese began in France, so obviously it makes me feel very cultured, but it also brings back such happy memories. (Please note this hilarious and hidden joke referring to cheese cultures. Thank you.)
3. LuLaRoe Carly dresses. Yes, I sell them- but I don’t love them because I sell them, I sell them because I love them. 🙂 This dress is seriously so comfortable that I wear it on days I’m not “doing” anything. I have NEVER been one to wear a dress just because… but the Carly is the exception. (If you want to shop, I have a weekly Popup on Thursdays in my Facebook group!) I cannot wait to layer these dresses with leggings, boots, and long cardigans!!!!
4. Pumpkin French Toast Bake. I made this last weekend for our growth group retreat, and I am a fan. I am someone who struggles to make breakfast happen every morning, so I love making casseroles like this that I can just warm up. Minimal effort, people.
5. Cam’s album Untamed. This ALMOST turned into a Mumford & Sons situation… but I quickly realized my trajectory (and remembered the graveyard of albums I used to love)… and took a break. So, now I’m back to loving the album. Even if you don’t like country, just listen to Burning House… and if you don’t cry, I’m not sure you’re human.

A Big Summer For the Cornelissens

Friends, the last few months have been packed full of crazy changes. I have been meaning to sit down and get back into blogging, but stuff just kept happening! So here’s a whirl-wind update on our summer. 🙂

May was a BIG month.
My parents celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary and went to Ireland for a few weeks, so we visited my brother Andrew in Columbia and celebrated his 18th birthday at Carowinds. What a blast! A week later, Josh graduated with his M-Div from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and started a full-time job at CarMax! He is working as a sales consultant, and frankly crushing it.
Aaron moved out! He is adulting like a boss, working 2-3 jobs, paying his bills, making meals, and we are so excited with him and proud of him.
We bought a car for Josh, because Aaron is using the Explorer. 🙂 We got a Nissan Versa from a motivated seller on Craig’s List, in our price range, and with crazy low miles.
I researched and prayed and decided to sign up with LuLaRoe. At the time, I thought it would be good to have something to keep me busy in the evenings and the weekends, because Josh’s work schedule requires a lot of evening and weekend hours at work. I was working full-time in May, but Josh knew I couldn’t shake the idea of starting my own LuLaRoe business. So the day he graduated, I submitted my on boarding paperwork.
ALSO in May we bought our first brand-spanking-new major appliance, a dryer. This may not sound exciting, but I could not have been MORE excited. Long story short, we have paid ridiculous power bills this year because a bird made a nest in our exterior dryer vent, and our dryer was running for hours without drying the clothes. Once we fixed the bird issue, we realized the dryer was just dead and we could keep paying ridiculous bills or bite the bullet and buy a new dryer. Obviously we bought a new one, and we haven’t doubted the decision once! (Also our power bill is HUNDREDS of dollars lower each month. Isn’t that insane?!)
I think was in June… but it might have been May… we took a short trip to Charlotte and hit Ikea for some LuLaRoe supplies and ended up meeting my parents for dinner! It was a great time away, even though it was short.

June was frankly a month of struggle. Josh and I were both working full-time, and I cried a lot. Our schedules completely collided and my love cup was completely dry. I was gone from 7-5:30 everyday, and Josh was working mostly from 12-9 every night. By the time he got home it was 9:30 or 10, and I had fallen asleep because I had to get up early the next day for work. We agonized over what to do, and finally decided that the best decision was for me to quit my full-time job.
Growing up, my mom would always ask “What’s the goal?” Josh and I had a lot of conversations, serious conversations, over g-chat while we were both at work, because there wasn’t time to actually sit down and have a conversation. I felt so strongly that the goal of this season- just being married without anyone living in our house and before we have kids- is to focus on our marriage and make sure we are the strongest we can be. Secondary goals are to pay off Josh’s student loans and to gain direction for future ministry… but if our marriage isn’t strong, we won’t be able to accomplish much. Ultimately, we decided that both of us working full time may accomplish paying off the loans at a faster rate, but we might accomplish it at the cost of quality time and the ability to strengthen our marriage.

July was a month of endings and beginnings. Josh finished training at CarMax, I concluded my employment at my office job, and I got the call from LuLaRoe to order my initial inventory! We got to spend a long weekend with the Gilmores, and the dream of me spending more time at home because a reality. 

August was a month of excitement. The first week I was home, not working full-time anymore, Andrew came to spend the week with us. We did a lot of fun stuff, but we spent the most time playing Pokemon Go. 🙂 In the middle of his visit, my initial inventory arrived! At the very end of his visit, he bought his first car. Josh was able to find the perfect vehicle, in Andrew’s budget. Isn’t that insane? When did he get old enough to buy a car?!?!?!
A week and a half later, I had my official business launch. It was what I hoped! I had several friends come to my in-home launch and fall in love with the clothes the same way I did. It was such a joy to see the giant smiles on their faces, and you could tell how amazing they felt about themselves.

Right now, I am loving the flexibility of my schedule. I’m establishing new routines and habits to take better care of myself and our home and enjoying the experience of owning my own business. Most of all, I’m thankful for Josh! He has been so supportive of my desire to spend more time at home, to pursue the dream of owning this business, and encouraged me to push outside of my comfort zone. I’m not sure what the next few months hold, but I am sure that we made a great decision putting our marriage first.

I have weekly LuLaRoe sales in my Facebook group (facebook.com/groups/lularoedeborahc) and THIS weekend I have an exciting multi-consultant sale! I’d love to see you there. It’s a great opportunity to try all the clothes on and get your sizes, as well as to see other styles I don’t carry yet. 🙂 Here are the details!

Back To School

We wrapped last week up, as you may remember, with a monumental loan payment. Ironically, we celebrated by spending more money. Haha. I bought a dress I’ve been watching for a while, waiting for it to go on clearance, and we bought curtains. Curtains? This is a big deal, people. Maybe you don’t know this, but I loooove floral prints. However, the wonderful man I am blessed to be married to and get to spend the rest of my life with doesn’t appreciate them quite as much as I do. He’s fine if I wear them, or have my own things in floral print, but he really doesn’t like to decorate with floral prints. Those floral lampshades in our bedroom? That was a win for Deborah, and part of Josh’s soul dying. (Over-dramatic for comedic effect.) Back to curtains….
So, our new house has a study! Josh and I both have desks in there, our bookshelves, I have plenty of craft storage, and we both have our own little corners to decorate. But… I felt I needed to involve him in the curtain decision since it is both of our spaces. You can see the curtains of compromise (as well as the dress I am anxiously tracking) below!

Dress- Curtains of Compromise- Lilly Planner!

Last week, I tried a new recipe: mango salsa! It was my first attempt, sparked by Josh seeing mango and jalapeno salsa at Moe’s and made a comment that it sounded interesting, but can’t handle the “Hot” level salsa. How did it turn out? Honestly, I wasn’t as excited about it as I hoped it would be. Maybe I need to try it today, since the flavors have had a chance to blend… but if you are interested in trying it here’s the link. Even though it wasn’t an instant favorite, it was fun to try a new recipe, especially after the month of take out!

Josh is starting classes TOMORROW. Ahh. Yesterday, we sat down and planned out a new schedule, at least as well as we can. Weekends are filling up, homework time is being scheduled, and I’m trying to get back in the mindset that Josh isn’t as flexible as he has been all summer. He has due dates, more meetings, and our nights of Netflix will have to be spread out a little more.
Along these lines, I have ordered a planner. You may remember me mentioning my Lilly Pulitzer preoccupation. Well, I have stepped into the world of Lilly today! I ordered my first Lilly planner (see above picture) after reading raving reviews, and thinking about how nice it would be to have a physical planner I can write in again. I am such a list-maker, I think it would be good for me to have a central planning center again.

Real-talk, I have had really high expectations for myself recently, and have pretty consistently disappointed myself. So, instead of setting lofty goals and trying to accomplish everything by myself, I’m trying to ask for more help, and to set realistic goals. So, here are a few things I want to do/accomplish this week:
-Bake something.
-Have someone over for dinner.
-Unpack a few boxes.
-Hang some pictures/brainstorm where pictures will go.
-Read for fun. I checked out the second Hunger Games book!
-Family time, maybe a movie night?

 

Dear Josh,

We’ve made it! YOUR LAST YEAR OF SEMINARY HAS BEGUN. It is always a stressful transition for us at the beginning of a semester, but I feel like we have learned so much doing this together. I pray that despite the stress, deadlines, un-met expectations, late nights, and blocked-off weekends, you enjoy it. I pray that you soak up all you can, filling your toolbox with things you can use in the future. I pray that we’re able to learn and grow together, and that the Lord uses our investment in each other and in seminary to glorify Him.
Meanwhile, be patient with me… I struggle with these transitions. Communicate what you need, and communicate your expectations. Most importantly, take your studies seriously. I’m not working full time for you to goof off. 😉

Feeling Free

This weekend was quite liberating.

Friday I worked through lunch, so come 4 pm I was done with all my work and got to leave early. Remember my spring decorating fever? I worked on that. I got some candlesticks from Dollar Tree, and decided I wanted a wreath. Not only did I plan out my spring mantle, I went shopping. Y’all. I don’t go shopping anymore. I don’t have the time, energy (mental or physical), and I usually don’t have the money. This time, I had the money… and the time… and the energy.

I hit Old Navy, and was reminded that their dresses in-store really don’t work for my body. The petite sizes online are great! I found a few options, but nothing that made me go “Wow.” I decided, early on in my hunt, that I wanted a wow dress. I don’t have a one-stop dress that I can put on without a tank top or a sweater… and I don’t have a dress that makes me feel like a hundred bucks. I had already looked at Target’s selection last week, and was not impressed. I remembered I had a Kohls gift-card, so I decided to stop there on the way home. I took 5 dresses into the fitting room, and the first one was ok, but not awesome so I continued and the next three dresses were nos. The last one I tried on… was perfect. I can go without a sweater, I can go without a tank top for modesty, it is flattering, it’s happy, the blues make my eyes stand out, and it is unlike any other dress I have. I looked in the mirror, frankly stunned, and I knew I had to get it.

Thank goodness for that gift-card. I got this dress of dreams for $15…. and it wasn’t a “just to use up this gift-card” purchase. It was a dress I COULD NOT pass up. (If you were wondering, Josh loves it… and I am wearing it on Easter, so pictures will come next week.)

I just have to decide which shoes to wear…

 

When I got home, we had homemade Chinese food. Sweet & Sour Chicken, thank you Josh and trusty crock-pot, and stir fry. It was a pretty quiet Friday night, but that’s how we like them. Saturday, we slept in. Until 7:30, but that’s sleeping in for us. We got ready for the day and hit a yard sale. It wasn’t any yard sale, it was put on by a family from our church that is moving overseas… and, hence, selling all their stuff. We got a game, a necklace, a couple of books, and a couple of picture frames. Then, since it was right next door to our friends, we popped in on the Sylvias. Friends, thank you for inviting us in though you were in the midst of cleaning. We so enjoyed spending time with you and your little girl– being with you always brings us such joy.

We had planned to do breakfast at Chick-fil-a, but it was 10:35… which meant breakfast was over. Instead, we decided to do Tropical Smoothie which is a bit of a trek, but I’ve been wanting to go so bad. I got Josh hooked. We split a breakfast burrito and got our own smoothies.

Next, it was Trader Joes for us. I have been wanting to try their hummus, guacamole, and the tea tree shampoo, and I now declare them all wonderful. But ESPECIALLY THE GUACAMOLE. I’m a little bit addicted. I got a bouquet of fresh flowers, which have brought so much happiness to our dining table. Since we have the Growth Group meal and Aaron’s birthday this week, we did our grocery shopping together (which never happens anymore). We spent the evening enjoying blueberry pancakes, basketball, and The West Wing. Our Sunday was also low-key… more basketball (I got 3/4 final four teams right!), leftovers, and West Wing.

This week is really packed, and I am super stressed. I feel like I can’t make enough food… I’m constantly cooking. We have growth group meal this week, I committed to taking a dessert to Easter, it’s Aaron’s birthday and his requests are not easy to execute (especially after a long week of work)… and I feel like I’m never home. Also, in the one time slot I had to prepare said Easter dessert, I realized my recipe was not sufficient and made the worst cake ever. Needless to say, I’m not feeling the best today.

A terrible picture of our mantle. Also, that empty frame? I have simply not printed a drawing of a bunny. That’s the Easter decoration touch.

Dear Josh,

I feel like life has been so busy, and it shows no sign of slowing down. So, thank you for carving out time for me and protecting it. I am beyond excited that you can no longer live in ignorance of Tropical Smoothie’s awesomeness… and I’m excited about more dates there.
First, though, we have to survive this week… and frazzled doesn’t even begin to cover how I’m feeling.

Floral Shorts

Deborah, it’s snowing. Why is your post called “Floral shorts?” I will tell you: it has been a very strange week. And, since I can’t call it I had an unexpected day off so I literally did nothing but check my work email in bed, eat, try to talk myself out of eating ice cream since it is literally freezing outside and watch Netflix, I am encompassing the weirdness of this week in an unexpected, and strangely timed purchase, of floral shorts. Now you know; let’s carry on.

Like I said… this week has been, well, weird. I had a long day on Monday, but left early because it was snowing. (I left early but I still worked a 9 hr and 15 minute day.) Tuesday, we had a snow day. I got some work in from home, but it was a weird day. I don’t know what to do with myself on a day off in the middle of the week. It was WEIRD. Since I’ve been fighting a cold, I didn’t go out in the snow (for the first time ever). Josh spent most of the day doing homework, which was necessary and I told him to, but it stunk. We watched The West Wing and 24, we had BLTs for lunch and soup for dinner, and I bummed around all day. It was weird.

Let’s clear something up. I work with a lot of people from the North. My family is from the North. I am from the South. I have fought it, but it’s true… I moved to South Carolina when I was 10, and I learned to drive there. I have never driven in the snow (Monday was a first, as it was snowing on my way home). So this morning, I was terrified. I decided to get a late start, but our driveway is covered in snow, which is covered in ice… so Josh drove me to work. I felt ridiculous… the main roads are totally fine. It’s just our driveway, and the driveway/parking lot at work. Oh well. I’m a Southern girl, and now I am admitting it.

The snow isn’t over! They’re calling for more tonight and the temps are staying low low low (as in the negatives!). Good thing my man is coming to get me tonight. 🙂 So, I have been humbled today, having to ask for and accept help from my husband. It’s good to be humbled. We were planning on going to Olive Garden tonight for date night, but since it looks like we have another storm coming, we’re opting to hit the grocery store instead. We’re going to get everything necessary for homemade burrito bowls, have salsa and guac, and have a cozy night in. (I do not even feel cheated as long as I get guac in my mouth STAT.)

Also, I ordered short sleeve shirts and shorts from Old Navy this weekend (in prep for DISNEY!). They shipped this morning. Yes, this contributes to the weirdness of this week. One minute I said to Josh “I need more sweaters, I have nothing to wear in this cold.” The next, I said “I just bought this adorable tank and these floral print shorts!”

Rightfully so, Josh looked at me like an alien. This time I understood that look.

I feel like I have nothing to say. I have been pretty down, tired, not feeling good this week, and it has just been weird. I have worried about getting my hours in. I have worried about the snow. I have worried about whether or not our budget is good enough this month. It is, and we’re fine. But the raw truth is that I have spent the last few days lonely, worrying, and not feeling good. I haven’t said nice things to myself, and I’m working on it.

These shorts are on their way to my house. Think I can wear them next week?

 

Dear Josh,

Thank you for making some time to snuggle with me yesterday. I’m sorry for complaining about the work you had to do, instead of being thankful that you had the extra time, which you needed. I’m looking forward to a cozy date night. Thanks for driving me into work, and for not making fun of me. Even though this week had been a little stressful, trying to figure out how to get our work hours in, etc, I’m glad I don’t have to do it by myself. I’m so thankful that we do our budget together, and plan conservatively. Meanwhile, as long as we have power, I will be making yummy food. Hope you’re ready for some out of this world burrito bowls tonight, and some chicken alfredo pasta tomorrow!

Love, Mrs. Cornelissen

Thanksgiving 2014

Wednesday I left work early to go to the doctor. Thankfully, nothing is seriously wrong. She gave me a prescription just in case, but I didn’t have to use it. When I got home, I wanted to be in Columbia SO bad. Josh and I weighed the pros and cons of leaving early; then we packed up and hit the road. I am soooo glad we left early. It gave us extra time with my family on Wednesday night, and half the day on Thursday.

Thursday, we got to have breakfast with my family, hang out all morning, and enjoy a delicious turkey lunch. My contribution to Thanksgiving was a Pumpkin Cheesecake… I’m telling you- I’m not even interested in Pumpkin Pie after that beauty. No thanks…. Pumpkin Cheesecake for life. Also, we pulled the family member we’re buying gifts for this year.
I worked on my sewing project, of many months, and hung out with my family… we played board games, talked about shopping, and tried to stay up late. We ended up going shopping late– Andrew had been saving for the latest XBox and we went just for fun. My family downsized their Christmas tree… I may have gotten upset.

Friday was filled with sewing, shopping, laughing, coffee, baking rolls, and eating more cheesecake. My mom helped me out a TON with my sewing project, which is a quilt I’ve been working on since June for my godson, Joseph, and best friends, Phil and Elise. I’ll have to post pictures when I’m finished (which will hopefully be soon!), but it’s woodland animal themed, and I have put in massive amounts of time hand-stitching around all the little animals. It is so good to see it wrapping up. I’ve never been into sewing, and took this project on without knowing how it would go… I’m so proud of myself for tackling it, and I’m so proud of the product! Aunt Katie, thanks so much for the sewing machine! It’s been such a blessing, and I’ve had a blast learning to use it. I can’t wait to make more things! Mom, thanks for being such a patient teacher.

Saturday, I worked away on the quilt until our friends, Phil and Elise arrived. I had wanted to surprise them with the finished product, but decided it was better to show it to them so I could continue working on it. So I worked on the quilt while they played board games with Josh and Andrew. We ended up at CIU playing board games at the Alumni Center, where they stayed. Even though we played 7 Wonders like 15 times I’m still not sick of it. Ahhh I love that game. We went out for dinner at Mellow Mushroom, and I was struck with 2 emotions: missing Columbia, and realizing it doesn’t feel where I’m supposed to be anymore. I belong in Wake Forest now…. WAKE FOREST feels like HOME. Yes, Deborah that’s because it IS your home, you may say. I say this took a whole year to feel. After Mellow Mushroom, we returned to Phil & Elise’s room and played games. Most significantly, I beat all three of them (and by beat, I mean massacred) at Ticket to Ride, a game I usually resign to loss before we begin. We got home super late (which means past 10:30), and I went right to sleep.

Sunday, we didn’t go to church… instead we went to breakfast with Phil & Elise, I worked on the quilt while the guys played basketball, and we played more 7 Wonders. My mom helped me finish the front border of the quilt, and pin the back on. We had so many friends over for Sunday lunch- it was so good to catch up and laugh with you all!
We headed out around 4, and picked up a mattress/box spring from some friends that are also moving soon. The box spring didn’t fit in the car, so it was strapped to the roof… enter, the most interesting/slightly stressful trip back to Wake Forest. To add to the chaos, we had decided to stop at Ikea to buy a bed frame. Yes. So with a box spring bungee corded to our luggage rack, we prayed that no one would be dumb enough to steal it and went into Ikea to get my pretty bed frame. (It was still on the roof when we came out.)
That trip was the quietest road trip we have ever had. We couldn’t listen to music, so that we would hear if the box spring slipped on the roof, and we were both exhausted… I think I started singing everything I was thinking to a song, but I don’t even know what song it was. I started singing 99 bottles of beer on the wall– Josh changed the lyrics to “Take one down, pour it on the ground…” and called it the “Seminary Version.” At one point-about 30 minutes from home on a super dark road-Josh just kinda took his foot off the gas and we started coming to a stop… he could give no reason as to why. THANKFULLY we are ok. We stopped at the new house and dropped off all the newly purchased items, and went to the place all our belongings are currently. In bed by 10:45, sleeping by 10:50.

Today, I’m really wondering why I’m even at work. The email server went down at 10:49… and without email, and the other servers that crashed, my job is sitting here waiting for the phone to ring.

Tonight I’m planning on taking some stuff to the new house while Josh spends some time in the library. Moving next Saturday!

 

Dear Josh,

Thanks for being spontaneous and leaving Wednesday instead of Thursday! I enjoyed the extra time with my family, and really appreciated you driving (especially since I was sick). I’m so thankful you’re my husband, and that you get along so well with my family. Also, I am thankful for the great lengths you went to in order to get an extra bed for our new house.
I got some fake greenery for our house and I cannot wait to make it festive and cozy. I’m looking forward to making that empty, beautiful place our home.

Love, Mrs. Cornelissen

Haircut

Wednesday, dontcha know it I didn’t leave work at 5? My boss is going to Pittsburgh next week and needed a flight booked, so I had to do some travel arrangements before I left. I got home 10 minutes later than normal, and my husband whisked me away for a date. We did the Olive Garden unlimited pasta (aka two bowls for these people), grocery shopping, and I investigated some potential “fun money” purchases- including black ankle boots. Deborah’s fun money budget is still in tact, and on hold. (Also, a word to all women everywhere, don’t go clothes shopping after eating unlimited pasta. That is all. Husbands, don’t let wives go clothes shopping after unlimited pasta unless you want her to cry.) Because of the aforementioned late Tuesday night, this one was ready for bed by 8:30. Sleeping by 9:30. I am still sleepy. Pumpkin bread didn’t happen, our shows didn’t happen, just sleeping.

Thursday, I learned how to do more aspects of my bosses job since he’s taking off next week. (Ahh yes, 3 of the most important people in my work life are going to be on vacation or out of the office next week. I will either be crying tears of boredom or tears of exhaustion and frustration.) During my lunch hour I FINALLY GOT A HAIRCUT. It’s been a year. A whole year, people. Not to even mention it got caught everywhere, was pulled constantly, and the shedding was completely out of control. I had plans to take a before and after but I was so nervous I didn’t think about it… I just marched into Great Clips and sat in that chair, described what I wanted, and many times said “No, shorter! I told you BOLD, CRAZY, I mean it!” Regardless, a lunch break well spent. It is good to take care of me. After I chopped my hair (I cut at least a foot of hair off), I put gas in my car because I wanted to get home without breaking down, and headed back to the office.
The afternoon was super slow… I emailed some people about payment statuses, and counted down the minutes to 5. For dinner, Josh and I had leftover Olive Garden pasta (our waitress was awesome and packed up extra pasta for us without us even asking her to), salad, and garlic bread… I baked pumpkin bread, put away a mountain of clothes, and packed for the weekend. Wednesday I was so down in the dumps about myself and Thursday afternoon it really turned around (haircuts= good)… and then back down again (packing= bad). We fell asleep by 9:30 again. What can I say… we’re tired people.

                                                                        

Friday, first I used way too much shampoo…. then I washed my hair with my facial wash. I don’t even know how that happened… one second I was lathering it in my hands and the next I slapped it on my head. Great start to the day. Yup.
I may have found a washer and dryer… but we will see. I’m excited about the prospect… I also have about 8 dining tables I’m watching on Craigslist. Obviously we can’t buy them yet, but if they are still available in a few weeks I should have some options.
My bag is all packed to go see the Corneli-Sims (as I call them), and the pumpkin bread is prepared, as requested, with icing on the side. Hopefully I’m leaving work early today! The biggest thing I’m working on right now is getting insurance forms and Christmas party RSVPs from all the guys at work. Since I’m doing time sheets on Monday I might have to use their paycheck as motivation to turn stuff in…

MOVING IN: 36 DAYS

Dear Josh,
Thanks for helping me get dinner together and for helping me pack last night. I’m excited about our trip, but also wish we had a whole day just for sleeping (I think I’m getting old). Most of all, I’m excited to see how God provides things for our new home, and I’m so excited that we’re getting so close to moving (I know it’s a month away but it feels SO close).
THANK YOU for making date night a priority. I know I’ve been a roller coaster of emotions, especially after being sick for so long and feeling so crummy about myself since I haven’t gotten any exercise, and I’m glad you don’t just tell me I’m being ridiculous.
Also, I’m really glad you like my haircut.
Love you, and hopefully I’ll see you before 5 today!!!

Love, Mrs. Cornelissen

Tomorrow’s Sale and Today’s Boredom

Thursday I got majorly and insanely bored out of my mind at work. Of course that meant I was put on cleaning duty… yippee. (That took me all of 30 minutes.) It was one of those “why am I here and what am I doing with my life” moments. I know I’m getting paid- regardless- but I hate being trapped at my desk with nothing to do.

Our friends brought us dinner, which was a great blessing. Although I am feeling better, life is not back to normal. I feel so behind- between going back to work this week and all the work for the craft sale, I’m pretty wiped. My sweet husband patiently let me create a mock-up of my display for Saturday’s sale… we finished off Alias (I’ll miss you, Sydney Bristow)… and made salsa for the Halloween party tonight (it’s really good you guys… the fact that we didn’t eat it all means we love you).

Tonight we’re going to set up my sale table, eat dinner, get dressed in our costumes, and go hang out with friends. Tomorrow, I’ll be a nervous wreck and be shocked to my socks if/when people want to buy my stuff. After the sale we’re making soup and hanging out. It will be SO nice to have this sale behind us, even though I had fun being creative. I’m looking forward to reclaiming our house (the laundry and such have gotten a little out of hand), making November’s budget, and working on dinner for Growth Group. I’m looking forward to some normal-life this weekend.

It is Halloween, which I am not a huge fan of because I hate all things scary, and a lot of people are into it. There are two separate offices in our work building our office and an insurance agency. The ladies in that office are so sweet- and dressed up for Halloween. One lady dressed up as Mr/Mrs Potato Head and the other lady is the rag doll from The Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s fun to see people having fun.

Well. That’s about it. I feel like it’s too early to start packing up everything, but we’re gone most of the weekends in November… so… I just don’t even know. I might pack up my books, just so I feel like I’m doing SOMETHING- other than making lists of things we need for the new place/things we need to update.

 

Dear Josh,

Thank you for helping me with the craft sale. I’m glad you’re coming with me, and I’m glad you didn’t let me quit. Tonight is going to be fun- basically your costume idea is brilliant. Please let me do a little packing… but don’t let me pack the pots and pans yet (I might try).

Love, Mrs. Cornelissen

Concerning Consistency

Something hit me at work, as I payed bills, answered the phones, caught up on emails, processed the mail, made the deposit, and emailed people about overdue invoices. It is this: my job isn’t exciting. I am not a good employee because I knock the ball out of the park everyday, but because I’m consistent. I’ve been overwhelmed by the sea of things undone because I haven’t been here doing the little things I do every day. (Something that actually happened in my absence: the flowers got watered. I’m not very good at remembering to do that. They call me the flower killer.)

Without me we’d run out of paper, toilet paper, paper towels, stamps, coffee, highlighters, pens. business cards, dividers and folders (to begin the list). Our business and alarm system licenses would be expired. No one would renew their vehicle registration. The water, electricity, phone and internet would be shut off. The garbage wouldn’t get picked up. We would probably never get paid by our customers.

The little things I do matter… and this isn’t to brag about how important I am to the company, but my recognition that my success is directly correlated to my consistency.

Isn’t this true in every area of life? Grocery lists, laundry, telling our family we love them…

What about reading the Bible, hiding it in our hearts, and spending time in prayer?

I realize that I feel like every time spent doing devotions should be full of mechanical layouts, cross references, and epiphanies. But it’s about consistency, isn’t it? This is a place I’d like to grow. It’s so easy to be consistent when you’re getting paid… the other areas require a little more discipline.

Our lease is signed! We met our landlord last night and she is just so sweet. It was good to talk to her— she has confidence in us as tenants, and we have confidence in her as the landlord. We move in less than 45 days. I’m collecting boxes from work, and trying to keep myself from packing all my things right NOW. 🙂 (I already packed my summer clothes- and what do you know, it’s 80 degrees again.)

Things we need for the new house:

• Dining table- we want 6 chairs because we LOVE having people over for dinner!
• Washer and dryer (dryer has to be a 3 prong plug)
• Dresser
• Office chair
• Dashboard pizza oven (for long road trips) and Soft-serve ice cream machine (Josh added these…)

The “It Would Be Nice” List:

• Patio Furniture (we have a big back deck and a small front porch)

We can move them in December 1st, and we’ll be moving into the new home around the 13th. Please pray that God provides the things we need!!

Josh has a Hebrew exam tomorrow, so our date night is being postponed until Thursday night (which I’m sure will be full of last-minute sale prep, breakfast casserole, and Parks and Rec). I’m working hard to finish up my earring holders for the craft sale– and I’m really excited but totally nervous. I told Josh that I’ve never even sold lemonade, so the thought of selling things I’ve made kind of freaks me out! (Although I was pretty good at selling Delia’s jeans… not even gonna lie. They called me the denim diva. That job made me feel like an airhead… especially when I was “promoted” to Fashionista.)

I priced everything the other night, and I’m glad Josh is going to be sticking with me during the whole sale. All that’s left to prepare is making signs with the prices, completing 5 more earring holders, and going to the bank to get change. This Saturday kicks off a crazy busy month, but getting to see so many people we love (Josh’s family, Elise, and my family). Actually it pretty much kicks off insanity through the end of the year, since nothing is calming down in December! (God, please make December 13th a beautiful AND NOT SNOWY day. Amen.)

I’m thankful I’m feeling better. I’m back at work, I’m excited about what’s happening in our life, and I am especially excited about the craft sale- a double blessing since I am getting paid to make things. I was worried that mono would totally mess up my production for the sale, but I believe I was sick for longer than I realized before I got my sore throat. I feel better than I have in WEEKS.

 

Dear Josh,

I’m looking forward to our date night, craft sale, and moving adventure! Mostly, I’m really excited about all the ways we will use our home for hospitality. I can’t wait to have friends over for movie nights, game nights (THAT WE CAN PLAY ON A REAL TABLE), meals (THAT WE CAN EAT ON A REAL TABLE), and weekend visits.

One of my favorite moments this week was when we were watching “Love it or List it” and the guy said he thinks kids need their own bedrooms and we both wrinkled up our faces, shook our heads and looked at each other…. and laughed because we had the exact same expression and reaction. Obviously we’re on the same page.

I’m looking forward to having dinner together and spending a little time before you study.

Love, Mrs. Cornelissen