un {FINISHED} business!!!

One of my goals for this year was to finish a number of projects before I start some new ones.
By 'n large, I've stuck to this only I've tweaked the projects list a little to include some fun ideas that I've found!! So, I've cheated a little :).

One of the biggies, though, has been completed. In fact, I had vowed not to move ahead on any of the stuff I want to tackle around the house before this one was done :). In fall a few of us worked on freshening up the Prayer Room at our church. It needed a new coat of paint, some new hues, some furniture :), and a few finishing touches here and there. Aside from a few slight details, it has been completed. A labor of love :). Aside from actually PAINTING the room (which took slightly longer than I thought!!!), I wanted these canvases for the walls. What was SUPPOSED to be a project that would be done in a few evenings took FOR.EVER!! By canvas #3, I was ready to freak. right. out :). I am not detailed at the best of times. During pregnancy, my attention span is shortened significantly. I like to blame it on the hormones :). But, finally FINALLY I could tack these up.

First, I had painted two coats of base color, compared it to a mat of a painting that we were matching, only to discover it was ALLLLL WRONG for the paint on the actual walls!! Since I don't go shopping very often, I needed to mix and match paint  until I had a jar full that I could use that looked... about right. Very thankful. That jar  never ran out. I was a bit nervous about that!!

Second, having learned from this project that transferring letters precisely is e.x.t.r.e.m.e.l.y. important, I took my time in making sure my letters and fonts were accurate. Time consuming, but worth it. Oh, and I only had the transfer paper backward once, which I thought was doin' pretty good :).

Third, next time I would use a permanent marker, or at least try it, instead of painting. My good paint brush went wonky about 60% of the way through the project. Not great. It took a while before I could replace it with an el-cheapo, and that was just as much a mistake!!! Note to self. Good paint liners are worth good money :).

Finally, I had some ... issues (there are always issues with my projects, it seems!!) with getting the centre pieces even. I thought I had measured and transferred accurately, but in the end, after a lot of hot glue, they needed some .... tweaking. 

There. The biggest project on the list. Done. Now on to other fun stuff!!

Sometimes I get slightly really :) overwhelmed by all the things I want to tackle around here. Following the Great Paint Project, it seems like there are always shelves to be hung, we STILL don't have blinds up (and that tacky shower curtain functioning as a blind in the girls room is just plain ridiculous!!), corners that need TLC, etc. I forget that the joy is in the journey. Uhhh, and I tackle life in the same way. Frustrated by the ever-going to-do list, overwhelmed by parenting challenges, fatigued by life's little curve balls. It is hard to remember to enjoy every day (especially when those days include one fit of passion after another!!!) and to savor the moments that slip by so quickly. 

I am learning to be okay with the unfinished business. Slowly. :)