My week with Pinterest

Last night, after less than a week of enjoying the beautiful, creative ideas I found there, I deleted the Pinterest app from my I-pad.

I had considered the site with skepticism for a couple years.  It sounded like a great idea, but I know I have a habit of getting caught up in things.  For instance, when I first joined Facebook, and subsequently spent a good chunk of my day thinking about what I should post on my wall.  (Yes, I am willing to humiliate myself for the sake of honesty in this blog!)

I am pleased to report I now enjoy closer communications with friends through Facebook, as well as links to some interesting news stories and blogs, without giving much thought to it at all throughout my day.  But, not infrequently, I still find myself begrudging the loss of time that would have been better spent elsewhere!  The balance can be tough to strike.

Here's one of my more Pinterest-worthy projects:
We turned a broken, full-sized bed into a bench. 

Last week, though, I spent a day with an old friend, and she mentioned a few recipes she'd found on Pinterest that all sounded delicious.  My family has been struggling through a dry spell in terms of dinner-time creativity ever since Nicholas was born last Fall. So, with this specific purpose in mind, I decided to give Pinterest a try.

To establish an account, I had to pick five boards from various topics.  I chose meals, some home décor and organization, and clothing.  For some reason -- I think just to get on with it already -- I clicked two clothing pages and then was welcomed to my Pinterest home page.

Oh, the outfits!  So cute, so stylish, so beautiful! So completely unrealistic for me right now!  Just yesterday, I went to put on a dress for church when I had to stop myself and go for the somewhat-dressy shirt and capris instead.  I am nursing.  Right now, as far as fashion is concerned, having a contented, non-hungry baby is my top priority.

I'm sure there are nursing mothers who look fabulous.  (Edited to add: Here I mean magazine-photo-shoot fabulous!  That is what I saw on Pinterest.  I know many moms who are beautiful, both inside and out!)  And I'm not saying I have given up on my appearance!  Just that I have a very specific style need right now.  I also have limited resources of time and money, and I want to use them wisely.

I found this old window at a garage sale, literally on my way
to move things into our new home, six years ago.  It caught my eye
as I drove along with my van full of stuff!  Now it's in our dining room.

Even more important: I want to be content with what I already have.  Like a 10-month-old baby with roly-poly thighs whose sweet cuddles I wouldn't trade for anything in the world.  Why spend time looking at clothes that might make me discontented with either the short time I will have to nurse him, or with my choice to be a stay-at-home mom who really doesn't need, and simply can't have, all the options so beautifully displayed there?

So, while I admired the clothing (really, so pretty!), I moved on to menu planning, and found some delicious-looking baked oatmeal bars I would like to try.  I also found an idea for a dry-erase board menu planner that I initially wanted to copy in its entirety (which could have taken hours). Instead, I scaled it down to a simple dry-erase board on my refrigerator that I made into a monthly calendar for posting my meal plans.  So far, I love it!  With tonight's meal in sight through the day, it encourages me to start thinking about it, and actually getting items defrosted in time!  I hope it continues to work.  Thank you, Pinterest!

Then, I moved onto home décor, with my eye open for organizing ideas.  Every mom needs more of that, right? (Or at least, this mom does!)

Again, I found many creative, practical ideas.  They were all beautifully done, and some are so simple.

But you can't get around the fact that it all still requires time.  And running to the store (which I try to do as little as possible).  And just energy that I should probably be focusing elsewhere at the moment.  As I told my husband, I really think the best decorating I could do for my house right now is to try to keep it cleaner!

Still, I thought implementing some of these ideas might help me get more excited about keeping my house clean!  And that would be a win-win for everyone!

While I was scrolling through Pinterest pages (during Nick's time nursing), I looked into some great ideas for an old steamer trunk I have from my great-grandmother that, for a long time now, I have wanted to use in some practical, beautiful way.  And I learned how to do something else I have been wanting to do for the six years we have been in our home -- put picture-frame molding around our big, builder-grade bathroom mirrors.  I discovered it's very doable, and really transforms the room.

This trunk once belonged to my great-grandmother.
I wish I knew the story behind it!

But then I came across some beautiful kitchens. (Have I mentioned I might like to re-paint mine some day?)  And a master bedroom the color I originally wanted ours, with a bedspread I have actually spent some time dreaming about getting.

Suddenly, everywhere I looked in my home, there was a project begging to be done!  But we haven't even had time to fix the shower that leaked onto the kitchen table three months back!  And what's really been weighing on my heart (pre-Pinterest) is simply to sit down and read more books with my children!

I think I've realized I don't really enjoy daydreaming unless I can follow it up with implementing.  If I get to a time and place where repainting our kitchen/bedroom/entire house is a possibility -- bring it on!  I think, then, I could pin with the best of them!

Right now, though, my energy is needed elsewhere (my husband's too; he's the painter).  And that's OK.  But Pinterest made me feel like maybe it wasn't.  Like I'd rather squeeze out time for redecorating instead of doing things the people in this house need the most right now -- things like reading those books.

I hope I'll have a chance to re-load that Pinterest app one day; and I'm really happy for everyone who has the time to use it a wise manner.  But what my family needs the most right now is for me to slow down a bit; to make time for God, and each other; and to simply be grateful for, and to make the most of, all of the beauty, and warmth, and function that already is our home.