Turn your “Can’ts” into “Cans”

For many of us, our dreams are just that – dreams.  We have a million reasons why they haven’t become our reality. 

I dream, daily, of a beautiful, organized house with character, and built-ins and clever storage solutions.  I have saved pictures for years – ripped them out of magazines, saved them to my computer, and lately, pinned them by the dozens to my pinterest boards.  I spend hours thinking about how to make our home work the best and look the best for us. 

Over the past few years, I have shared these ideas with my husband.  And at first, he was totally on board.  But the physical and mental exhaustion that comes from long hours of manual labor and stress of owning our own farm has kept him from carrying out all of my plans.

So, for awhile, I got frustrated.  And then I got to work.

1. Barn Wood Shelves 2. Landing Zone 3. Pull Out Pantry Tutorial 4.  Clean Laundry Closet 5. Bookshelf Dresser 6. Stuffed Animal Zoo


At this time last year, I had very limited experience with power tools, definitely not enough to be comfortable building something on my own.  I wanted to learn to use our compound miter saw, so I did one of the things I do best  - I googled it.  I watched a video on youtube, read our manual online while sitting next to the unplugged saw, and prepared to make my first cut.  I will admit, it was a little scary, because it was something new (and sharp and noisy) but I had my dad supervise a few cuts, and kept my trusty best friend Karen by my side for the first big project. 

Now when I dream up something new, I KNOW that I can make it a reality.  I may not have the necessary skills right now, but I can learn. 
Lack of knowledge will no longer be one of my limitations! My friend, Kim, is also a great example of this.  A few months ago, she made one of these for her husband, and when I asked if her red frame would “match her décor” she replied that they didn’t really HAVE any décor.  Now, after discovering pinterest, she is hooked on making her house beautiful and functional.
She wanted to cover a basket with fabric, similar to what I did here, so she bought a glue gun, even though she had NEVER used one before.  In fact, when I told her that I plugged it in the kitchen, she asked, “It has to be plugged in?”  Lack of knowledge and experience with DIY was definitely one of her limitations, but she is NOT letting that stop her!

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So what are your dreams?  What are your limitations?  Dreams of a beautiful house may be insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but they are an excellent example of how continual learning and willingness to try something new can help us do things we never thought possible.