Thursday, September 17, 2015

Special Delivery

After starting my craft business I purchased a machine that allows me to cut vinyl.  I previously used my Cricket for these things but my Silhouette has proven that at times, investing in something new is worth it.

One of those "investments" was a new mailbox.  Our old mailbox was normal sized, which worked just fine for mail, but as I have started shipping more and more packages I got more and more frustrated.  The USPS is amazingly easy to use for small businesses and will even pick packages up on your front porch at no extra charge, but sometimes I don't like having the packages out in the elements. I decided on a nice, large mailbox and ordered it through Amazon Prime (another favorite of mine.)

Two days later I came home to Jay standing in the kitchen, shaking his head at my purchase.  According to him the mailbox I chose was too big.  I disagreed and went ahead with creating vinyl for the address on the sides.  And I have to say, I love how it turned out!


I asked Jay if it was bad to only have address on the side where most cars drive up.  He said, "You really don't need the address on there at all.  Just tell them to look for the biggest mailbox they've ever seen."  I tried to get the girls to stand up for me but they sided with Jay.

I think it's the perfect size.  Bonus: If Samantha gets mouthy I can literally ship her to Grandmas.



A not so brief hiatus

The last 18 months has really been a blur in so many ways.  I started a new job last August, started a craft business last June, and the girls got way more involved in sports.  I completed my first entire sprint triathlon.  The school year flew by and before I knew it we were headed back in August after a much-too-short-but-sometimes-way-too-long summer break.  We've been to Disney, Gulf Shores, and Las Vegas this year.  There have been a million unforgettable moments that are forgotten daily because we are moving so fast.

One of the things I have loved about having a blog has always been looking back at stories and remembering the details.  I'm going to try to get back to it before I forget anything else.

A medium to large size leap

Late last spring the girls were having a playdate with some friends and I was having a date with the mom.  As I pulled out the fourth different craft I had recently completed, she said what I have heard over and over again - "You should open a craft store and sell these things."

I laughed it off as I always did, but that night Jay asked if I ever considered actually selling any of my stuff.  A few weeks later, I applied for my business license and tax papers and later that summer I opened my Etsy store.

Now, over one year later people will ask me how it's going.  And it's going about as well as I think anyone could have expected.  I sell a few things a month, which sometimes is more than I can handle.  I still feel guilty for charging people for my items and definitely do find more joy in giving things away than selling them.

The 2nd degree hot glue gun burns on my fingers haven't tainted my love of crafting, but some of the late night sessions (followed by crabby grumpy days) have made me wonder if this is worth the hassle.  No matter what happens, I am proud of myself for taking a leap on a dream and happy to have the girls and Jay with me.

Monday, April 20, 2015

We tell it like it is

This is about as subtle as my girl can get. 
[image is a story Addi started to write, with the text saying, "One upon a time there lived a girl who needed a new mattress."]

Friday, April 3, 2015

She's Electric

Shopping with Samantha can really be electrifying.  Especially when she entertains herself by running inside the racks of clothes.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

The right princess

If you go on Facebook, People.com, or really any website any day of the week, you can find article after article about the mommy wars.  If you work out of the home full time, you are selfish.  If you stay at home, you are selfish.  You will find just as many articles damning the whole concept of Mommy Wars, but the fact that we still talk about it constantly proves it's a real thing.  The struggle is real, people.

As a mom who works full time out of the house, I generally feel great about the choices I have made.  They are right for me, they are right for our family, and I can own that decision half whole-heartedly.  I know deep down no one leads a charmed life and neither way is right for everyone, and to be totally honest I would stink as a full time at-homer.

But.

Today is one of those days.  We got a note home from school yesterday, after 5 p.m., saying the 3rd graders are putting on a play and we are welcome to come watch.  I told Addi I couldn't come - I'm too busy at work this week and with 12 hours notice I just can't make it work.  She said OK, she understood.  This isn't her first rodeo - I've missed tons of things at school already.  Then she asked again.  And again.  This morning, after reiterating that I couldn't come she acted out the entire play for me, doing every character like a little Cybil.

The small economy car size amount of Mommy Guilt grew to the size of a van.  Just like the vans of the other moms who WILL be at the play.  And let me tell you, we have a lot of GOOD Catholic families at our school - so that guilt isn't even mini-van size.  It's full on Catholic guilt, 12-passenger van style.

After I dropped the girls off at school I headed to the office, then did a u-turn and came back home.  I called my boss and let her know I would be working from home in the morning.  I had to go watch the Princess and the Pea.

Addi's face when she saw me walk in her room made me even more certain that I made the right choice.  There were three short skits, complete with costumes (which I didn't even know Addi had taken out of our house), and a few other moms there.  As a bonus, Samantha's class was there to watch too.

Bonus points if you can correctly guess which blond mine is


 
Addi played the "right" princess and did a great job.  Most people find it hard to believe but at school she's really shy and quiet so this was a big deal for her.
 
And for me.  She's definitely the right princess for me.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Monday, March 2, 2015

Happy Birthday Addi!

It's hard to believe it's been (over) nine years since I fell in love at first sight.  She not only looks like me, she also shares the love of celebrating her birthday with her mother.


Her original party was snowed out, so we celebrated a week late with Addi's friends at Fired Up.  


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