Behind the Scenes: A Sanctuary (and a Superwoman Story, Too…)

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This may come as a shock to some of you, but I’ll let you in on a little secret:Β I’m not really Superwoman.

πŸ˜‰

Especially when it comes to tasks that require assembling…well, pretty much anything.

But I surprised myself last Friday night.

So this past June, a friend and I were walking through Target, and I saw The. Cutest. little table and chairs the world has ever seen…exactly something I’d been wanting to buy for awhile. Unfortunately, the price tag was more than I could pay at the time, but I vowed to keep my eye on it throughout the summer, figuring it would go on saleΒ eventually in the land of red and white.

Well, I was right.

I was really right, apparently. Just a week later, the price had been slashed 50%. I bought it immediately.

And then?

The box sat in our garage for a small forever. (Read: two months.)

I’m not exactly sure why.

I’d been dying for a cute little place to sit and drink coffee with a friend, to do my morning Bible study on our back porch, to kick my feet up in the afternoon and read a book…

But there it sat. And sat. And sat.

Finally last week, I decided it was time to put it together.

Hubby was out of town.

I was faced with attempting the impossible to assemble some big and scary furniture all by myself.

And Friday night was the night.

Mae and I had been out most of the day, got caught in a huge storm, made a late(r) night trip to Target…but by 9 p.m. she was in bed, and I was ready.

Tired, but ready.

I tore open the box.

I made sure I had all the pieces.

I read the directions because I am a woman. πŸ˜‰

And then I found the little allen wrench (totally had to ask hubby what that thing was called…) and started on the first chair.

After (rather painfully) struggling through attaching the first armrest/leg, I decided it would be best to work on both of the chairs at the same time.

It was slow going…I think I finished them around 10:30 p.m. with a quick, I-need-something-to-eat, snack thrown in there.

My muscles were tired from squatting, bending over, and trying to hold pieces in place with one hand and use that little wrench thingy with the other hand.

I actually broke a sweat. (And made a lot of noise when I kept dropping the wrench…)

But I finished.

You can clap here if you so choose. I may or may not have had a little celebration myself. πŸ˜‰

And the table was my redemption. Five minutes.

Aaaahhhh….furniture.

Furniture. That. I. Miraculously. Assembled. By. Myself.

πŸ˜‰

The best part? Is that my sweet friend joined me the next morning, just so we could break it in properly with coffee and a long chat.

And no one broke a chair, either. πŸ˜‰

And since Saturday morning, I’ve managed to sit at that table quite a few times.

Coffee on Saturday morning and Sunday, catching up on a few things today, reading a little…

I love it.

It makes me smile that I finally have a little place…a sanctuary…on my back porch to breathe and just be.

And I’ll gladly reclaim the title of Superwoman if anyone wants to send me a cape. πŸ˜‰

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And, friends? I want to thank all of you who have been stopping by to read my words, leave me some comment love, pray, encourage me…you just bless my flip flops off. Truly.

But for the rest of the week, I’m going to take a break. Just a week…my plan is to be back for Behind the Scenes next week.

I just need a few days to breathe, catch up on some other commitments, and work on a few things that desperately need to move from my brain to paper. Plus, we all need to take a break once in awhile, right? :)

Love you all!

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Happy Tuesday, friends! It’s time for one of my favorite link ups, hosted at my sweet friend, Crystal’s place.

Social media and online relationships can make us feel like everyone else has it all together. We’re edited, proof-read, Pinterest-perfect versions of ourselves (or so some might think!) when – in reality? There is an unfinished pile of laundry around the corner. That cute toddler smiling for the camera just had a massive meltdown seconds ago. That yummy breakfast-for-dinner you just showed us on Instagram? It’s because the cat licked the chicken that was supposed to be for dinner.

“Behind the Scenes” is a fun link up where we show those photos – but tell the real story behind them.Β The sneak peek behind the scenes, a look past the edges of the photo to the real life behind it.

Hop over and check out some sweet and silly, fun and moving stories of the things that go on behind the pictures. Some of my favorite bloggy friends hang out there, and I know their words will bless you. Thanks so much for stopping by! :)

crystalstine.me

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Comments

  1. That really is a cute set. I congratulate you on your assembling of aforementioned set. Now I am thinking of going out to find one of my own.

  2. Way to go!! Those things can be tough…I am proud of you! :) Enjoy your break and I look forward to hearing from you again soon!! :)

    • Thanks, friend! :) I’ll still be around, especially for HM…I just needed a bit of a break to do some “other” writing. πŸ˜‰ Have a great Tuesday!

  3. What a cute little table set. Congrats on taking on the challenge and completing it. See you CAN do whatever you put your mind/heart into. :) I pray your break is both restful and productive.

  4. Look at you go girl!!! Enjoy your break sweetie – it is well deserved. Praying that you will be recharged and rejeuvenated. Love you!

    • Thank you, sweet friend. :) I’m thinking I’ll still hang around #fmfparty to tweet with you all, though. Hugs…have a wonderful Tuesday! :)

  5. I will look forward to seeing it in person soon! Blessings on your week!

  6. Congratulations … clap, clap πŸ˜‰

  7. Love the table!It is super cute and a blessing to have an extra special spot to gather with a friend! Have a great week. Praying your little blogging break brings you refreshing. See you here next week!

    • Thank you, friend! It will be weird to not write my FMF, but I may stop by and tweet with you all for awhile. :) Blessings and happy week to you…I’m so thankful you’re part of my community! Maybe someday we’ll be able to sit down at a table just like this for coffee, too. :)

  8. You go girl! Love it when I surprise myself with things like that! Proud of you :) Love to you sweet friend!

  9. First…HUGE round of applause! I’m the resident “putter-together-er” in our house, so let me tell you. An hour an a half? That is some super woman achievement there! I usually spent the first hour putting it together wrong, then re-doing it 4 times πŸ˜‰ Secondly – good for you. Go enjoy that break. Let your mind relax and your heart feel peace. Praying it’s a beautiful time of rest for you.

    • You make me smile so big, friend…thank you for your clapping and cheering! πŸ˜‰ I’ve never taken a week away from blogging…it’s needed, but a part of my heart hurts a little. Thank you so much for your prayers…blessings and happy week to you! :)

  10. You rock! I remember putting together a computer desk by myself when I was single in my late 20s. I was so proud of myself. And you should be too.

    I am glad you are taking a break. It is good to do that once in a while. Looking forward for when you are back online. :)

    • :) Thanks, friend! I was pretty proud, mostly because I usually just let T take care of those kind of things. Sounds like we both had our Superwoman moments. :) Have a great week…blessings and hugs to you!

  11. Love this story – and I love that you recognize boundaries and limitations while balancing being a strong woman. We have a porch swing in a box awaiting our attention – want to come over?! :)

    • Tempting…how fun would that be?! :) (And I LOVE porch swings…sadly, we don’t have a good place for one, but I’d be thrilled to help put yours together!) πŸ˜‰ Have a great week, friend!

  12. Love you, friend. :) And if you need anything during your break, just let me know!!! And that is a CUTE table and chairs. Lovely sanctuary – wish I lived closer.

  13. Love Target’s outdoor furniture. I do this every year, except every year when it goes on sale I still hesitate. And we still have ugly plastic chairs on our patio. :) Someday … (And I’m totally calling you to come over and help me assemble them if/when I get them!)

    • I’ve done that several summers, too…and then I just decided I was finally going to take the plunge. (It really does help when you’re lucky enough to snag it on 50% off clearance, though. The 30% off never seems like enough of a discount.) πŸ˜‰ And, yep, be sure to call me. We can assemble it late at night and drive the neighbors crazy. πŸ˜‰

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