stay-at-home wife?

if you know me personally you probably know that while i like to work hard & get things accomplished i also like to not be technically "working." yes, a paycheck is currently vital for our little family but sometimes i catch myself drifting into la-la land where i get to stay home for no reason other than "i can." i love to think about all the ways i would fill up my days if all my time was free. i know of friends that are able to stay at home while their hubbies go off to work...i envy that kind of freedom. benny is currently going to school to become a teacher but the more i think about it, even after he starts teaching the youth of america i don't think i'd really stop working until/if we decided to have babies & even then who knows financially what situation we would be in {we're YEARS away so who's to say?}. our money would probably be stretched tighter than ever trying to tend to a little one! ben & i joke sometimes about how badly he wants to start working & how desperately i want to stay at home - we're so stereotypical {please note that the man in the picture also has a pot & a hand towel - he's being a happy homemaker too, no sexism here}. god has a funny sense of humor setting things up this way.

i have a friend who always says she thinks she would get so bored if she stayed at home {versus working her life away}. i say: if i stayed home there are a MILLION things i'd love to do. here is just a fraction of the things i would greatly enjoy:

MINISTRY:
i would have SO much time to be up at lafayette & be in their world. i would have an abundance of opportunities to go up to lunches, offer to tutor, go up after school, volunteer, pick girls up from school. uh. i would LOVE that! it would also give me more time to be involved at southland {our church} or even serve in the community some other way.

PROJECTS!
a. i have such a long list of projects going right now that i would die to do! to name a few of the biggies: paint the entire house {every wall}, landscape the front & back yard, hang blinds in all our windows, install valences, refinish furniture & fixtures & put them in their specified places, and build & hang shelving in the garage just to name a few.
b. i have so many ideas that i'd like to actually try out. i'd like to learn how to sew specifically. i'd like to make some pillows. i'd like to make some wall art, some window treatments & a craft station. i want to hang the items we already have on the walls {after we paint, which comes in step a.}
c. if i was a home i think that would provide me with even MORE time to think up projects. then things would really get crazy!

FREE NIGHTS:
freeing up my days would inadvertently free up my nights. many of the things i hope to get done in the evening currently could be done during the day & therefore...free nights! more time for all the above mentioned awesomeness. and additional awesomeness like: early dinner with friends {like megan & rachel}, more dates with my husband benny, more time with family & MORE TRAVELING! how about those perks!?

ERRANDS & CLEANING:
currently i semi-hate these two chores but if i actually had time to do them & i didn't have to give up valuable time doing something else to work on them i think i would actually enjoy running around town & tiddying up the nest. i actually "cleaned as i went" around the house yesterday. i was encouraged by the ease of it & want to stick with it. it really makes all the big daunting tasks of cleaning seem trivial if they are all broken up with the clean-as-you-go-approach. this post from {young house love} blog about cleaning fed my desire to become an ever-increasing spic & span me.

COOKING SKILLS:
i would also have the chance to cultivate my culinary skills {or lack there of}. which i'm sure my husband would really appreciate. i like to cook but i do feel less than confident while doing it, especially if i'm trying something new. this new schedule would lend itself to more time in the kitchen trying new things, becoming a baker, becoming a chef, wearing my frilly aprons! i love this notion.

LEARN:
i would love to spend more unhurried time before the lord. i know its my job to find that kind of time no matter my situation but i love the thought of spending a good chunk of my morning out of the porch talking with my creator, not rushed, just quality. i would love to be able to read more, learn new things & spend intentional time with the people i learn the most from!

you get the hint: i could fill up my stay-at-home life with some very useful, purposeful, fun & enjoyable time. i suppose that is enough day-dreaming for today. i know i am where i'm at for a specific reason & i have to be content in that.

if i ever become a stay-at-home wife i'll be sure to tell you all about it {& try not to rub it in}.

{flickr pic linked to owner}