Over a month?!?!

It's hard to believe that my last post was the beginning of June, but then again it's not. I've started my new job, giving me more time at home. 

There has been a lot I've wanted to do without a day off to do it and now it's almost like days off overload. I've been playing catch up - going to farmer's market, taking trips up to the rose garden, beach days, book barn days, making mint oil.... oh the list could go on and on. It's summer and that's exactly what your suppose to do. 

I'm proud to say I read two whole books in 1 week! There are plants outside right now waiting to go in the garden. I have plans to go to open studio day for pottery tomorrow, along with the beach. While there is a part of me that wants to settle down and start crossing things off my list - this part right now is having way too much fun for that. So my posts are still going to be sporadic, art will come when I want to do it, and the new shop plans will have to wait until there is a routine. 

Spring into Changes

It always seems like this time of year. The beginning of June that bring on the most changes. Call it the pollen in the air or maybe a spring itch but it's refreshing. I made a huge decision, one that I didn't even think I would make. It came about with a huge pro and cons list and much personal struggle. 

A couple of posts ago I mentioned how my days off were only Wednesday and Sunday - and that just didn't seem like enough. Enough time with my children, who grow with every blink. Stress was building and sitting on my shoulders every night I came home. I found myself walking in the door frustrated and not being able to leave my day job where it belonged.

An opportunity came to work at a place that would give me 4 days off in a row, less hours, a pay cut for myself (but a large raise for my husband was in the very near future), and a night time shift. I passed it down. It didn't have a title or prestige that my current job had and the atmosphere was one I'm not use to. Plus I didn't want to go backwards in pay. Like everything that is meant to be, it came back to me again - on a day that I cried at work.

For a moment I actually thought about turning it down again. 

Was a title worth more than my happiness? That small difference in pay worth more than my family? Had I really changed that much? 

I woke up and took it! 

Now there are plans for beach days, diving deeper into pottery, more pictures to be taken, and a smile again.

List Making Months

The spring rain has made it's arrival. Sprinkling throughout the day, then full on hazy hot humid sun. This is the kind of weather that makes me forgetful, so much so that it just took me a full minute to think of the word. House plants have been neglected of water and even had to regretfully be thrown out. Paleo eating has been put on the back burner for awhile, and then picked up again. Books have been left half read, a quilt has been started with no pictures, a photography course is half over and not written about. This space has been hit the hardest, along with time for myself. 

I wake up with the thoughts of capturing a minute here and there for sewing or drawing. When I get home at night and the magical golden hour of sun is hitting I try to grab my camera. But it's hard to remember. It starts off slowly, the "I will do it later" or the "I'm not in the mood". Then you find you haven't done anything creative - no finished work to show, only the lists of what you wanted to do. While the inspiration and the thoughts are there, they seem to always be left for the next day.

Every year there seems to be a month or two like this for me. My list making months. 

New Additions

The conversation last night with dear hubby went something like this ~

Me: I wish we were more organized.

Him: I wish we had furniture to get more organized.

Me: Me too!

That is how it stands right now. There are still corners that have boxes we dig through and no actual places to put the things inside. I'm very specific with visions of how I want things to look. Most of the time that means I either have to find something close to what I want or wait wait wait till I find it exactly. 

In fact Rob often has to remind me that it's not settling if I still love it. Like when I was pregnant with Damien we saw the movie Dragonfly, and instantly fell in love with the mobile in the movie. I spent hours scouring over Ebay for the one in the movie, millions of internet searches to find out who made it, and how to get a hold of one. Finally, being close to 36 weeks pregnant, he put a kind hand on my shoulder and said the baby will be 20 by the time you get him a mobile. (Actually more like 6 because yes I did find the exact one from the movie and it was disappointing - just glitter and wood dowels.) Instead of waiting I contacted a woman in Australia who made stain glass dragonflies - the end result was far better than if I waited. 

So with that in mind I set out today to adventure for furniture. There are my places - the ones I always check for vintage items - but today was a day to get out of my comfort zone. Surprisingly I found myself in Rhode Island (it's really not that far away, 1/2 hr) with no specific destination, just driving till Odyn or I saw a shop we wanted to stop at. Sometimes it's like magic. We stopped at a market place full of booths and found an old trunk that will serve as our coffee table/yarn storage, a cute little light wood desk for our downstairs hallway, and inquired about a painted raven hutch. Some much welcomed new additions.

Waiting for me at home was one of my latest etsy finds - a stunning antique blue and white bowl. It's purpose is for another new addition - we have decided to welcome an all black kitten into our home, of course when we find the perfect little guy. The intended purpose of the bowl is to be used for..... cat food! It's going to be the luckiest black cat ever. 

7 Random

We haven't moved just yet but hopefully very soon. I figured there is only so many pictures I can take of boxes, so I've been a bit silent on here.
My darling vintage soul sister Micaela from Dolce Vita tagged me in her 7 random things about her post - these posts are so fun! Although I probably won't follow all the rules:

1. Post a link to the person who awarded you

2. Share seven random things about yourself

3. Award to 10 other deserving bloggers and let them know

I felt inspired to do the first two. So here are my 7 random things:

1 ~ I have two tattoos.  This one, that wraps around my ankle, has 4 leaf clovers, 3 leaf clovers, stars, and a butterfly that looks like stain glass. The other is on my lower back and is a daisy. When I had my children the anesthesiologist said it was the perfect marker for the epidural.

2~ In the summer time you will never find me wearing shorts.  Jeans, pants, dresses, or skirts but never ever shorts. They just don't feel comfortable to me.

3~ For a long time I moved more times than my age. Finally my age has caught up.

4~ The other day I was reminded that I wanted to wear red lipstick everywhere when I was younger. I watched this movie and wanted to look like Madonna. Now my own daughter wants to wear lipstick everywhere. 

5~ I've never lived all by myself somewhere. My first apartment was with my husband and his best friend - it was much like a sitcom on TV (New Girl). We were too cheap to buy a Christmas tree and instead had something called the Christmas table. 

6~ In school I never took a formal art class. I tried but got stuck in Art History...which was interesting and it was my favorite class that year but what I really wanted was a drawing, painting, or some kind of creating class.

7~ I like taking photos but dislike my photo being taken. I won't argue with anyone who wants to take my picture - it's just a blah yuck moment.