COOKIN' MY FISH ( It's not what you think:)

I have this problem I am working out with God. I think it comes with the territory and personality of the average DIY-er, crafter, thrifter, junker, artist, and all other creative brains out there.  My eyes are always peeled for furniture projects left out on the side of the road, garage sale finds I can't live without, a nick-nack or a solid piece of furniture that needs a little TLC from the Good Will, and 100 projects later I end up with a basement that looks like this................

Now, I know I have shared my frustrations about this with you in the past, but I never really uncovered the  the root of why I buy things and just leave them down there for WAY too long without making use of them. I mean, that's what I bought it for in the first place, right? I bought all of it to make it look pretty again and to sell it to help pay the bills around here. Way too much of these "projects" I bring in get pushed aside when I find something better to work on. I'm spending money on more things to re invent when I have plenty of things that may or may not be my favorite, already sitting there waiting on me. I have solid, paid for, inventory in my home that requires nothing more than DILIGENCE, my new word for the year. 

After I felt the Lord speak this word to me while I was talking to Him about my business and asking Him to bless it, I started writing down every verse in the Bible that I could find on this word. The one verse that seemed to leap off of the page and right into my heart was 

Proverbs 12:27

Lazy people don't even cook the game they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they have.

Um....ouch.... that really hurt Lord. But I know that it's TRUE! Thank you Jesus that you care enough about me to discipline me in love. I think about this verse every day. I had to think about it when I got Estate Sale emails from my friends who conduct Estate Sales. The pictures were especially hard to look at, I wanted so many things!  My goal is this;  if it is not absolutely necessary to conduct and run my business in the way that it should run, I am committing to God and to myself that I am not going to buy ANYTHING new until all of these pieces are completed. For those of you who visit my booth, bare with me as I clean house a little bit! You may see an over abundance of dining tables and chairs! Although this may be a difficult task for me, I can do it.  I know that in the end, I will be blessed for being obedient and blessed for making use of everything that I have.

Now that I have all of you depressed about your own "collections" I thought I would share with you my 365 project picture from yesterday so you can have a good laugh..........................................................

Yes, that is me on the far left of both of my sisters. It's an iPhone picture taken in a very dark room so the quality is horrendous, but it was a moment in my life I don't ever want to forget.My eyes look totally creepy from the flash!  Last night we celebrated my Aunt's 60th birthday with a HUGE room full of all of her friends and family, a great band and great food. My Aunt Carleen has always been known for her bright red lips. She won't even walk to the mailbox without it on! My cousins ordered hundreds of those wax lips for all of us, including the band, to flash at her when she walked in the door. Mine of course would be the one that was upside down!

Until next time.....I'm going to cook my fish!