Lent - A Love Affair On "Pause"

Giving up Craigslist. Lord, give me strength.

On any given day, I can decorate an entire house in my head using the fabulous finds on Craigslist. Don't knock it, y'all. The Home and Garden network began with "Flea Market Finds" and will eventually get around to "Craigslist Creations". Mark my words.

Usually, Jason comes home to a "hey, honey" a "how was your day?" and a "here, take the baby" shortly followed by a "ooooo and look what I found on Cragislist". Many of our furnishings come from this magical place of capitalistic reuse and recycling and I don't mind in the least creating a first-rate home out of a second-hand house. This beautiful system, however, has its downside. I've been going a tad bit Craig Crazy lately, and so I have decided to give it up in an attempt to become more thankful and content with what I already have. Why buy and re-paint someone's old lamp when my (not particularly exciting almost painfully boring) one works just fine? Does my entertainment center really need to match the bookcases (yes). Is a new coffee table really necessary? Well, of course it is, but hopefully come Easter my answers to these questions will have changed.

My affair with Craig is now officially on pause. No more browsing which leads to thinking which leads to planning which leads to rationalizing which leads to justifying which leads to my irrational justification of why it is necessary to make a purchase because if it wasn't necessary I would not have been browsing the in first place! Phew. Big steps here, y'all. Do I get a chip or something?

Many blessings to you and yours during this time of sacrifice and reflection. Catholic or not, may you come to find something you didn't know you were searching for, or find that what you were searching for you have had all along (there's no place like home, there's no place like home...). May you discover a strength in you you might not have known you possessed. This is the reason for this season - to strip down the excess and discover the value of simply living (both literally and in regards to the fabulous magazine). Be ready to celebrate these findings come Easter! I'll be there with Peeps!