StuffMart

I am a lover of Veggie Tales. You know, the talking tomato, cucumber and various other gourds with no arms or legs that teach our kiddos that God made them special and He loves them very much. My people seem to think that they have outgrown these wonderful high-budget films but I am hear to tell you, I welcome elementary explanation to God's Word at times. Heck, I am contemplating ordering the kid's version of Time magazine, just so I can get current on world events. My husband says I need to get my news from a more reliable source the Yahoo News. Hmpf. Maybe since Time Magazine Plus is geared for children it won't be SO liberal.....

One of my very favorite Veggie Tale movies is Madame Blueberry. She is a single gal that lives in a tree house and is so blue because she has a problem with coveting her neighbors possessions. Yep, this one hits home for all ages. So, to solve her problem, she has some consultants (they are Scallions, if you were wondering) from StuffMart come over and suggest what she needs to make her home complete, all while doing the StuffMart rap. Very funny stuff, bungee, bungee, here we go bungee, come on.

So she heads over to where happiness lives, StuffMart, to get the air compressor, wok, flannel shirts for looking grungy and a nose ring for her poodle. The Scallions convince her to put all this stuff in her basket until finally she says, "But I don't need a toaster oven." To which they reply, "Do you really need any of these things?" And off she goes, getting more stuff.

I have a confession....I have StuffMart moments. Maybe I visit a friends house and she has amazing decorating taste. Or maybe I get the itch to put in a pool because everyone is my neighborhood is putting one in (never mind the pine needles and mosquitos). We all have moments when what we WANT overrides what we HAVE.

Case in point...I went to Stuffmart last week.

I had this brilliant idea to update a few things in my home. A little here, a little there. Yeah, right! What you forget is that once you get started, lots of things need to be tweaked and the next thing you know, you are stressing out your spouse as he watches you walk from room to room mumbling something about wanting your home to look like Better Homes and Gardens not college rental property.

Ikea is one of those places that you go in for one thing and you convince yourself you NEED some other items. It's like it has some kind of hypnotic ability to render any Type A defenseless as you walk from room to room and see just how many ways you can organize your closet, pantry or playroom for such a small amount of money. You'll be happy to know that I did indeed only buy the chair I was seeking out at Ikea. No swedish meatballs or hanging shelves for me. No sir. I was locked on and I stayed strong. But the matching storage ottoman is calling my name. Did I mention they have childcare and a cafeteria? Seriously? They had some smart women on that
design team....nothing speaks to a woman's heart like childcare and food. Can I hear an Amen?

My point is this....none of us live our lives on the pages of a magazine. As women, we desire to reflect some since of style with the clothes we wear and how are home looks when we have guest over. But ultimately, our home is to be a sanctuary for our families, not a model home showroom. Find great comfort in the fact that your man and your kids have no idea what Shabby Chic, Vintage or Faux Finishes are.....they just like clean sheets, their favorite dinner and a mom who'll sit in the floor and play their game of choice. They want US, girls. Isn't that refreshing? Because the world wants so much more and offers nothing to fill us back up again after we have poured ourselves out for something so temporary.

Who knew that a post about kids programming and a home furnishing store would end up like this. HE did. I pray we can all recognize the Madame Blueberry in all of us and move toward being content where He has us. Ugh...growth is so painful at times!