Thoughts and Notions

I took this picture of a flower today and began to play with it in Gimp when I came up with this. Isn't it so cool? I love taking really cool pictures. Some day we have to get a digital SLR.

I have posted a good article regarding what the State of Michigan's Attorney General thinks about cutting Blue Cross some more slack.

And here are the links to the bills as passed by the State House of Representatives in Michigan (doesn't looks like they have been signed into Law yet): House Bill 5282 (2007), House Bill 5283 (2007), House Bill 5284 (2007), House Bill 5285 (2007).

We came to the end of a busy week. Karl had worked long hours and we were looking forward to a relaxing weekend. So, Saturday morning, we woke up and decided to drive over and visit Mom and Dad Haynes. Karl thought I should grab a change of clothes for the kids just in case we could convince them, they needed “Grandparent time.” Once we were over there, Karl asked Mom and Dad if they would take them for a night. Mom was quick to say yes and next thing I knew we were off, by ourselves! Kaden has never spent a night away from us and we've never been totally alone since before he was born! (Don't forget, Kaden is 18 months old.) It felt so great to be alone… just Karl and Denise! We had a great time; going to a movie, chatting over a coffee at a quiet coffee shop, and even browsing/testing mattresses at Art Van Furniture. We had a wonderful time and found it to be a refreshing break. Thanks Mom and Dad!!

Are you the kind of person who gets stressed out when you see a cluttered mess?

I sure do. I find myself shoving it all in drawers, closets, and in the corner of another room (the one I'm not in). The stuff is usually something I'm going to need some time or another, but haven't found a permanent home for it. This is the way I have been dealing with trying to keep my home stress free.

But there is another kind of clutter too. It's the kind that in our family is considered “Denise's stuff”. When I first got married and had the opportunity to decorate our place, I enjoyed imagining just how I wanted it to look. With limited cash and limited supplies I ended up decorating the way I always had; lots of knick knacks. Not that a knick knack is bad, it's just that they can easily take over.

So what now? Well, feeling the need to simplify my life in order to keep my sanity as the mother of two, my style has changed. Just last week I read the article, A Guide to Creating a Minimalist Home. It talked about so many things I have been thinking about lately. I was inspired to take another look around our place with a new understanding and begin to declutter. The bedrooms are still as crazy as ever, but I'm excited to see what a few hours and a change in my thinking has done to the main living space.

Now to see Karl's reaction when he gets home…

Ever wonder where the end of the rainbow is? Well, it's right outside our window! Yesterday we peaked out our window to see if it was raining only to find a giant, vibrant rainbow ending right down in the valley behind our place! It turned into a perfect opportunity to review with Chesley the promise God made when He first put the rainbow in the sky.