It's been a long time since I wrote a blog post. So long that I had over 400 Spam comments! And not one tickled my fancy.
I've been away as the pending loss of employment by my partner caused me many worries that wore me down. I felt so tired, blogging just didn't come easy for some time. I also took on some study and have been overwhelmed by life's over busyness of work, study and mothering.
One new uplifting activity Dolly and I have been up to is up-cycling old clothes and vintage fabric scraps into owls to gift and sell. And also creating small Babushkas dolls out of printed scrap fabric. We had big plans of holding a cute little market stall once a month with our goodies, however a 6 year old creating takes quite a number of hours and hence the process has been snail slow. We have many creative up-cycling projects in the pipeline but it has to fit in with school, homework, dance class, parties, play dates, roller derby, gardening and general living. This allows us very little time for creating and completing our beloved items.
I never imagined how busy it is being a working mum when you want live with conscience, frugality and care. I find the stress and tugging at all directions is incredible. Since I'm a poorly organised person living with clutter, I place extra burdens on myself by my chaos. Yes - I'm that person who hunts for her glasses and keys every second morning. But I'm also that person who tries her very best at being a mum that offers a wide sample of life's wonders to experience and enjoy at a tiny price. So busy I will be for some time.
What about you? How have you been? Is 2013 a kind year to you? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Stephanie @ Frugal Down Under.
Hi FDU, good to hear from you. I am on a blogging break also, nothing to talk about and stuff going on. Love the owls, they are great xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Ms Piggy, I noticed you were on a blogging break. Sometimes life is just too busy or overwhelming. Hope you do come back soon as I always enjoy reading you posts and being inspired to keep staying on track.
DeleteGood to see you back posting again.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about trying to do it all, nobody can, something always has to give whether it is the housework,organising,work or whatever. You have your priorities right, Dolly will only be little for such a short time and all the wonderful things you do with her and values you teach her will be the building blocks for her future, forget about the chaos and just enjoy :)
I'm a ex-nanny and all those children I loved are now in their 20s! And yet it feels like it was yesterday that I cuddled them and kissed their bumps and tears away. My daughter is my everything and I need to balance better so I can have even more quality time with her.
DeleteHi Stephanie! Good to hear from you! Your owls are AWESOME! Dolly must be pretty talented to be able to make them at 6 years old!
ReplyDeleteI got rid of 99.9% of my spam comments by making it so that only registered users can post a comment. It does lose the occasional useful Anonymous comment, but it prevents spam and you don't have to use those annoying Captcha things!
I hope everything goes well for you and your partner!
2013 is going pretty well for me I think. I am enjoying my PhD although I miss not living in Cornwall. Today is the first sunny day we've had for a long time, so that put a smile on my face! :)
Good to see you back!
Dolly makes these sitting on my lap. So even though she's a heavy footed girl on the foot pedal they take much longer with her working on them then if I was alone. I remind myself this is our treasured special time and special times will be limited when she's ready to fly the nest.
DeleteWe too are moving into better weather as the balmy nights slowly turn into the cooler dry season. A PhD was a dream to prove to myself I could extend my brain. But that may have to wait many years now. My brain doesn't hold information as well anymore. I don't know if it's age, motherhood or just plain busyness. My current studies are pushing me to my limits. And really I should not be here, I should be working on my next assessment that is due next week. Good luck with your studies and I hope you do find enjoyment in them so that it's a pleasure and not a burden.
Hi nice to see you back.
ReplyDeleteYou sound just like me except I don't go out to paid work I go to my parent to help care for my mum.
I also live in clutter and this year I'm trying to declutter a bit each month but I can't get to it this month too many things happening. Sometimes it's too hard to keep up. Has your husband/partner found new employment yet? What is the employment situation like in your neck of the woods?
Hi Carol,
DeleteLooking after parents is hard. Lots of emotion tied to it. Not having a sick day whenever you want. Having to show a brave face as the tables are turned on the cared for and carer. It's a beautiful thing what you are doing. Something that is not rewarded enough by society. Unpaid silent heroes keeping the fabric of community together.
Much of my clutter is "stuff" of memories or "stuff" of crafty goodness. But the time flies by and the crafty goodness is not created into exquisite items, instead it's a heap of mess on all the flat surfaces making me loose my sanity and my precious time.
My partner has not found anything as yet. He is still in his position until the day they say this is it. We go day by day. However the media took a great interest in the cut position so it has been in the newspapers, radio and quality TV evening news. We have had kind supportive words from unexpected people and strangers.
Nice to see you back on your blog Stephanie, your owls are wonderful, good on you for trying your hand at a little business making upcycled goods. Sorry to hear that your partner lost his job, that is tough on all of you. Sometimes it is necessary to take a blogging break, I've done so a few times, you'll find your groove again when the time is right.
ReplyDeleteHi Erica,
DeleteI popped over to your blog last night and saw that you are still creating beautiful and useful items. I often think of you when people ask me where are the best op shops. If we had a great bus service it would be fun to host a op shop tour here. But the buses are not as frequent as Melbourne and the op shops are not all close to a stops.
On one day I'm upset regarding his job loss and then the next day I feel freedom from it. It's a yoyo situation for me. I think once the mortgage is paid off I will feel relief. So budget budget budget it needs to be.