Beautiful Mess

I have a confession to make…My house looks lived in. This is a tough realization for me, as I have always prided myself on a fabulous looking home. Our home is no longer fabulous…it is frazzled. My kitchen is no longer tidy…it is turbulent. My bathroom counter is no longer spotless…it is splotchy.

Many of you know that I have an unhealthy addiction to perfumes and I truly love changing my signature scent to the point that I no longer have one signature scent. I have about five, and what I wear depends on what mood I am in. I used to have our bathroom counters arranged just right so that I could admire my perfumes, while finding a classy and clean way to store my q-tips and cotton balls. Today when I left the house, I looked at my counter to see the following: a random spare drawer knob, a toy screwdriver, a sippy cup, two bottles of nail polish and a wrapped up (wet) diaper. I took one look at the clutter…hesitated… and walked out the door. Again, my house looks lived in.


While there are some days it makes me batty, there are others that it brings me great joy. I am really trying to let the Lord work on the condition of me heart, specifically, to be more joyful in everything. This is hard for me, particularly when I am walking through a booby trap of toy cars, stale milk, and hippos (as Pearce says, Pippos). That kid loves his Pippos. I find myself sighing heavily and tensing up as I picture our once clean home. But sometimes, when my heart is right, I am able to see the mess for what it really is... Beauty.
Here are a few of the recent things I have learned to find joy in when looking at our less than perfect house:


CHEESE CRUSTIES
I had to smile as I vacuumed up the crusty shredded cheese in our kitchen. It brought me back to a few days ago when I was making dinner and Pearce was ‘helping’ me on the counter. I looked over to see him up to his elbow in shredded cheese and shoving large helpings into his mouth. I giggle because that is totally something I do when no one is looking. Pearce simply smiled and said, “Yummy.”


GRUBBY FOOTPRINTS
As I mopped chalky foot prints off our wood floors this weekend, I smiled at the thought of him diligently doodling on our driveway with his new pieces of chalk…he was very focused. I am thankful that sweet Pearce is able to run barefoot outside, even if it means tracking his grubby little feet through our house. 

BOARD BOOK BEDLAM
Last week as Jimmy and I put dozens of board books back on the shelf in the playroom, I tried to celebrate the fact that we have a boy who loves his books. Often times, he will unpack the entire book basket just to find his favorite two or three. Then he simply walks in reverse until he finds our laps and plops down. I know these moments won’t last forever. And if that isn’t sweet enough, one of his favorite books will steal your heart: The Bible. He loves his little Bible story book. (For the record, we are still trying to correct his misunderstanding of Jesus as Santa.) Baby steps, people.

I am also trying to accept the fact that boys get dirty. And not just any dirty…but a mud-wrestle, roll in dirt, covered in stickiness kind of dirty. I mean, boys are just magnetically charged to be dirty. And if they aren’t dirty on their own merit, they will find a way to get dirty.

Pearce also likes to get down and dirty and work hard on his little Cozy Coupe. He is very intentional in his efforts to “repair” the coupe. He often marches outside with his screwdriver (scewdriber) and hammer (bang bang) in tow and gets a-crackin’. He will say, “Mommy! Daddy! Outside? Tools? I drive. I drive.” Then he squats his short little legs and works his magic until the coupe is in pristine condition.

Pearce had his first popsicle of the season and oh my, was he in heaven! He thought he was pretty swift with that stick of sugary ice. Don’t mind that he spent much of his time admiring it as juice dripped off his hands onto the pavement. I literally sat in a minor-panic mode as I pictured the ant colonies making their way up our driveway. You will be pleased to know that I got a grip and simmered down.

Either way, I am seriously loving life with Pearce and Jimmy. While I am still getting used to our lived in appeal, at least I am past the stage of following the boys around with a lint roller and broom. (wink, wink.)