Buying Furniture for My Office Remodel
Last May, my husband and his brother had lots of time on their hands due to the COVID-19 quarantine and went on a painting spree!
My office got painted - along with several other rooms of the house! Yay!
I couldn’t buy the office furniture I wanted at IKEA - due to low inventory, so I searched online for alternate ideas.
Much to my surprise, I found a gold metal desk with matching bookshelves that fit very well in my office - in fact, they added a feeling of sophistication I hadn't expected!
After adding a second black desk with gold metal accents to another wall, I felt my office furniture purchases were complete.
Now, I am loving the delicate look of my gold metal furniture! A very far cry from the clunky black desk and bookshelves I was going to buy from IKEA.
So, things worked out very well for me in the end, again, thanks to the low inventory at IKEA.
Everything seemed to be coming together nicely, but my bookshelves sat bare for a long time...
Until I visited Hobby Lobby!
Does everyone know about Hobby Lobby??! It is an interior decorator’s dream come true.
My tendency in this store is to glance over everything I want to buy at full price, then head to the clearance aisle to find my actual purchases.
So, that is exactly what I did this time, and I ended up finding quite a treasure trove of cute things!
Much to my satisfaction and delight, was an assortment of tropical / coastal pictures, vases and artificial succulents in cute little pots - at affordable prices!
Up until that moment, I wasn't sure of my theme, because of course, every office needs a theme.
Now I had a sense of what I wanted to create - a tropical paradise! Ahhhhh...
Choosing Paint Color for My Office
Anyone would say, I kind of went crazy with my choices of paint color.
On a whim, I went with turquoise and gold chartreuse. Doesn’t that sound lovely?
Well, not to two grown guys who painted my office … they thought it looked kind of like a nursery.
I got creative and had the guys paint two walls turquoise and two walls gold chartreuse.
Now, c’mon! Doesn’t that sound awesome?!
The turquoise came out a little brighter than I was hoping for - but, I told the guys not to paint over it, because I think I could make it work.
Last summer, a relative from Michigan came for a visit. She told me her husband just finished painting her office.
“Oh yeah? What color did you paint your office?”
“White,” she said, “Everything is all white. The walls, the desk, the curtains - all white.”
Wow….. I thought, oh my goodness! I would go nuts.
But, white is her style.
Well, needless to say, she was wowed when walking into my office.
Poor thing. The brightness overwhelmed her, I could tell.
I think there might’ve been a slight moment when she liked it… but I wasn’t sure.
Should I be sorry for my choice of wall color? No, I am certainly not a white person, and she is certainly not a turquoise and gold chartreuse person. We are different people!
I need little bursts of color in my world, and she needs white.
Adding Office Décor to My Bookshelves
As I filled my glass shelves up with knick-knacks and pictures, I realized I hadn’t added my book collection yet!
Then, it dawned on me - I didn’t even know where my books were!
We moved into this home the Fall of 2018, could they really have been packed up all this time? And I never thought to look for them?!
This shocked me.
So off I went, to find my books...
After searching the attic, I headed to the basement, and there they were! Hiding behind a divider curtain my husband had hung up a long time ago.
My heart leaped!
The boxes read, “Mom’s books”.
I called for my husband to help me carry some of the heavy boxes up to my office, then I followed him with boxes I could manage.
He wanted to stay and look through all the boxes with me, but I politely asked him to leave.
This was a precious moment for me 😉
I have fond memories of my book collection and I wanted to be alone while I went through the boxes.
He understood, but he wanted to make sure none of his books were in my boxes.
I opened each box quickly so he could see what was inside, and go figure, he found a book that was his. Geesh.
My How-to Collection of Books
After my husband was appeased, I proceeded to pull each book out with tender care, wiping away tears from my eyes and remembering the many ways these books had touched my heart.
I was amazed at the number of how-to books I had collected!
How to be a great mom
How-to be a great wife
How-to be a great speaker
How-to find peace
How-to forgive and forget
How-to love your husband
How-to love your husband more
How-to find joy in marriage
How-to pray for your marriage
How-to be a great woman
How-to turn forty and be happy about it
How-to stay positive in relationships
How-to get people to like you - LOL
How-to change your brain
How-to change yourself
How-to have manners
How-to be a praying woman
Could I have read all of these how-to books? Really??
The answer is yes! I have read every single one, and some of them I have read more than twice!
I remember gobbling up the nuggets of wisdom these books offered me, and applying every last tip.
A theme began to emerge as I rifled through each box...
This book collection revealed to me that I have been searching for answers, secrets and life tips… my whole adult life!
I was so encouraged.
Why?
Because, obviously, there has been a drive within me to to become good at whatever I am doing in life.
The Moment I Made a Decision
I remember when all of this started to bloom in my heart -
One night, about 25 years ago, I was asleep in bed when my baby daughter started to cry.
I went to the crib and lifted her up, gently rocking, and soothing her.
She was so precious and beautiful to me. I couldn’t believe God had given me such a precious gift to care for.
She continued to cry, and cry.
After awhile, I could sense this would get frustrating if she continued to cry like this in the middle of the night.
In that moment, I made a decision -
I said to myself, “I want to be a good mom to this baby girl."
"Even if it means getting up in the middle of every night."
"Even if it means staying calm when things get frustrating."
"I never wanted to lose my temper, or get frustrated with her crying."
"I wanted to always be kind and loving, and put forth my very best effort to take care of her at all times."
And I made a commitment to myself right then and there, “to have no regrets.”
And I literally gave my all to being a good mom.
This desire to be a good mom spilled over into wanting to be a good homemaker, a good wife, a good person, a good communicator, a good homeschool teacher - a good everything!
There Will Be No Regrets
By applying every Biblical principle I had heard and read, I learned how to love my family and take care of the home the way God intended.
Because my heart's desire was to do well - the Lord breathed upon my Bible reading and prayer time, and gave me grace to be the good mother I had promised to be.
Hebrews 4:16, KJV
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
He also caused me to find materials and resources to aid my desire of doing well.
Now our kids have such wonderful memories of their early years, of our home life, and of our homeschooling days. They speak of those days with great fondness.
I recall a verse I kept before me during those busy days when the kids were young, and it is found in Proverbs 3:17, Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
This verse became my motto, and I was careful to be a pleasant person with my kids at all times; creating an atmosphere of peace in our home.
Then this desire to become good at everything I put my hands too spilled over into other areas of my life. Whether I lacked in cooking, cleaning or loving my husband, I tried to find out why, and how I could fix it.
Most everyday, I searched my Bible. That was my go-to for everything and anything my WHOLE adult life, and there were many portions of Scripture I would refer too for strength and grace.
One portion of Scripture thought brought divine strength is found in Colossians 3:12,
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell with you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
My Search to Become Better at Life
Coming to the conclusion that I have been hunting for tips and tricks of the trade my whole adult life - was astounding.
Here I am, 40 years old, and I'm still searching for methods of becoming better at life.
The search has never ended.
Just because these books were packed away and forgotten for awhile, doesn’t mean my search has ended.
Just because my kids are grown and out of the house, and I am on the brink of grandma-hood, doesn’t mean my search should end - in fact, my search to become better at life should be full-steam ahead!
We should always seek to become better at life.
So, reconnecting myself with these books, I call friends, was like taking a walk back in time...
I have been molded, shaped and reshaped by the things I have read over the years, whether it be Scripture, or my precious book collection, and am a better person because of it.
Becoming an Inspiration to other Christian Women
I want to INSPIRE other Christian women to become their best possible selves.
Starting this blog, was an avenue for me to release decades of tips, insights and testimonies I have gathered on marriage, family, prayer, forgiveness and finding joy.
I Shouldn't Doubt Myself
When I'm in my office, I'm surrounded by the evidence of my goals, aspirations and desires to become my best possible self at whatever I set my heart to do.
If I should ever doubt myself, or think I haven't accomplished anything, I just need to take a look at all of my efforts sitting in pretty little books on my shelves and realize that all of my searches have brought me to this point in my life with success.
A Storehouse of Memories
Now I have a storehouse of cherished memories and victorious moments to share with other women who are searching for the same things in life.
The Lord saw my heart’s desire to become better at whatever was in front of me --and He took notice of my persistence --and was pleased.
I know He was. It was evident in the grace He shed upon me.
HE wanted me to keep doing well - for His glory.
Isn't this our purpose? For which we were created?
In whatever we are doing - whether it is taking care of sick loved ones, scrubbing floors, or making meals - it should all be done for the glory of God, right?
Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
We do our best, not to be seen of men, but to be seen of God.
We want Him to take notice of our efforts.
Colossians 3:23-24
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
Keep Doing All Things Well
The Lord does all things well, so why shouldn’t we seek to do all things well too?
This pleases our Heavenly Father the most.
I know He was pleased with my mother's heart then, and He is pleased with me now.
Because I am still putting forth the effort to be a good mom, even though my kids are grown, and I'm still putting forth efforts to be a good wife, even after 26 years of marriage!
I have no regrets.
I have done all to the best of my ability - with the Lord's grace.
Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
A Work in Progress
My office remodel isn’t finished yet, by all means! I desperately need an area rug to tie things together... and maybe a new office chair... and maybe a picture or two for the walls...
But, in the meantime, I am enjoying my little tropical atmosphere that has been created --thanks to the COVID-19 quarantine, my husband, his brother, and Hobby Lobby of course 😊
3 Inspirational Bible Verses to Aid Your Search in Becoming Your Best Self
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart,
(Psalms 37:4, KJV).
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help in time of need,
(Hebrews 4:16, KJV).
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.
You are serving the Lord Christ,
(Colossians 3:23-24, ESV).
Related Blog Post, 11 Tips for Becoming Your Best Self
Blessings ~
Angie
The Founder
of My Sun & Shade Ministries
