Finding Balance

I'm enjoying my entry into the work world, and there are many moments in each week that I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity. At times, I can hardly believe my luck - I get to work with plants, and to support others' introduction to growing food. How amazing is that? At this point in my life, I don't think I could find a better fit.

But that doesn't mean I'm finding this transition easy. To put it bluntly - eight hours of manual labor makes me tired. And it makes me miss my kids. I feel torn and unsure about whether this opportunity is the best choice for our family. For the most part, Sarah and Eric are adjusting well, but when they have long days, we all feel their exhaustion. Brian is incredibly supportive - but I know he's tired too.

We're all adjusting, learning about how to find time and space to continue to do what we love, as well as learning to let go, when those things we love don't happen as often. This new life is more demanding, but we're working through it, and I hope that (for the most part) we'll be better for it.

crazy, but true

Guess what? I get to call these girls my co-workers! (They're not nearly as thoughtful or interesting as my new human co-workers, but I'm entertained by the fact that I get to say hi to them everyday.) I finished my first full day as Garden Coordinator at Chestnut Ridge today, and it felt good. While I've had a range of emotions related to this transition - from pure joy and gratitude to indecision and dread - I've landed solidly in a happy place. I realized this morning, while planting carrot seeds, that today is probably the first time I've spent an entire day away from the kids, without feeling guilty that someone else is watching them. It was a passing thought, but it struck me that with this opportunity, I get to be independent, to learn and grow, to do something that I love. Awesome . . .

Handmade Playroom

So I'm finally getting around to posting pictures from the playroom re-do. All of of the decorations, and much of the furniture, are handmade, or painted, or altered. There are also many old things, with lots of collective memory attached. It's my new favorite (old) room in the house.

My dad made the dollhouse, and Sarah and I painted it. The furniture was made by my grandparents' neighbor in Iowa. My sister and I played with it for many years, and I'm grateful that it has been passed down to my kids.

The rag rug comes from my dad's grandma (I think.) I'll have to check on that.

Brian made the bookshelf and the small table next to it, which we all painted. The banner was made by me, the mirror was painted by Sarah and me, and the dress up hook was made by Brian and painted by the rest of the family. The dress up chest comes from my mom, and was made when they moved over to England (when she was three.)

The pillows and blanket on the sofa were made by my dad's mom. I covered the corkboards in fun fabric and they hold artwork by Sarah and Eric.

I think Penny approves, too.

writing practice

Several of Sarah's friends have moved up to kindergarten this year, and she hears from them about the homework they do. One assignment involves writing one's name five times. Sarah decided that she'd like to practice too. For some reason, she decided to make both letter "r's" and the "h" really long. At first glance, it wasn't completely legible, but she did have all the letters in the correct order.

Moving On

Sometimes things don't work out the way you might have hoped. Or maybe they do, and it's just different than you'd anticipated. My business license for Letters & Lullabies expires today, and I've decided not to renew it. Hillsborough doubled the price, and I haven't made enough money at this endeavor to justify another year. I thought I'd be disappointed by the thought of letting it go, but honestly, I'm more relieved than anything else. It's been a very rewarding experience, but it has also taken a lot of time and energy, from me and Brian too. (Thank you Brian, for all of your support!) I had hoped that lots of people would love the idea, and that I could eventually charge more and sell more. No such luck.

Next question - what to do with my free time (all of those two or three hours per day)? Well, I'm going to spend this evening watching my favorite shows on HGTV. And then maybe I'll spend some time writing, or finding new recipes to try, or repainting the playroom, or gardening, or any number of fun things that I've neglected while trying to make an at-home business thrive.

Last Friday

I've made a bunch of new art cards for this week's Last Friday. Here's a sneek peak. I'm really excited about the new designs.

Australian Animals

My friend asked me to make something for two newborn girls, whose mom is from Australia. We talked about animals that could be used and we both decided that it would be more unique to have animals that aren't quite so stereotypically Australian. I did lots of research and here's what I found out about Australian animals. First, there are a lot of rodents indigenous to Australia, and most of them are not that cute. Second, most of the cute ones are carnivorous, and therefore not really that sweet for a girl's nursery. Third, there are a lot of really pretty, colorful birds that look like they belong in the Amazon jungle of South America. Fourth, the cassowary (a bird) can "eviscerate a human" their toe claws. Gross!! Really!? Needless to say, but after learning all of this fascinating stuff, I decided to play it safe and went with koalas and kangaroos.

Two New Plaques

I just finished two new plaques for a customer. I like the colors choices she picked, as well as the dinosaur. Very cute!