hoopdeedoo: personal

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Thursday, April 12, 2012

Making my peace with blogging

So obviously I fell off the #marchphotoaday bandwagon.

I wanted to do it. I had fun taking the pictures. But then spring break came and I forgot to take all of the pictures, and when we got back to the routine, it was all I could do to just make sure the family was fed and clothed and where they were supposed to be at any given moment.

Photo taken at Pops on 3/14/12

I've been pondering blogging and my role in the blogosphere and my lack of motivation for it. Here's what I've come up with:

1. I don't need anything else to do. If blogging feels like a chore, I'm not going to do it, because I have enough chores to do, so I should do one that results in my family having clean dishes or something like that.

2. I can't compete. Reading other people's shiny happy blogs makes me feel like my house isn't clean enough, my blog isn't pretty enough, etc. etc. Let me be clear: NO ONE is making me feel that way but MYSELF. So I removed myself from reading most blogs I follow for a while. It felt really good. And the universe did not explode.

3. I'd rather be sewing. I only have about 5 hours a week to put into my etsy shop, so I'd rather spend all of that making stuff than wrestling with blogger.

4. I've got other non-crafty projects that eat up huge amounts of time and satisfy my creative urges in a way blogging simply can't. Like music. I got to produce and sing in a bluegrass worship service for Easter with Rick Trevino. It required tons of planning and rehearsal and resulted in one of the most joyful Easters of my life! You can't say yes to everything, so when these kinds of projects come along, I just say NO to everything else mediocre so I can say YES to amazing!

5. And, most importantly, the family comes first. Read this amazing post my friend Jen brought to my attention today. (Jen is a spectacular blogger herself, and hers is one of the few that made the cut, because, well, she's Jen.)

So, to sum up, I think I have made my peace with being a sporadically posting, bad photo taking, messy random blogger who can't write html and only occasionally responds to comments.

yay!

(I'm much better at Facebook and Twitter, by the way)

My desk. Scary, eh?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

days 4, 5, 6

day 4: bedside.

it's always a mess, but these are the essentials: meds, clock, lotion to make me sleepy, sudoku to make me sleepy, miscellaneous crap, surprise love notes from the girls.

day 5: smile.

how could I pick just one of these sweet smiles? And this while K was doing her music theory homework. happy happy happy girls.

day 6: 5pm.

on the porch, just got off the phone, with Brisco attached. he's either the sweetest or the clingiest dog i've ever met, can't decide.

#marchphotoaday

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Thursday, August 18, 2011

AWOL - good for what ails ya

yup. I went AWOL over the summer. Sometimes, when life gets overwhelming, I just check out of something without notice. I highly recommend it for every overachiever. Totally reduces the stress-load.

This time blogging won the toss-up. So did my etsy shop (which is still on vacation). The time away gave me a chance to consider with a clearer head what my goals for the coming year are. More on that another time.

So, what was going on, you ask?

1. End of the school year. That's always a busy time, but fun.

2. Not fun. Said goodbye to my sweetheart golden retriever, Baylor. She had cancer and we had to put her to sleep the day after my birthday. I was absolutely heartbroken. I loved this dog so much. She was my first baby. She kissed away my tears after three miscarriages and all of the drama with my dad's illness and so much more. I'll miss her forever.

3. Family trip to Colorado to honor my dad. Stayed at a dude ranch, took a very challenging trail ride with my husband and brother and lived to tell the tale (barely, and I am NOT exaggerating).

4. Helped my mom move out of my childhood home and into a new house and life here in Texas. She is busy, happy, meeting new people, and laughing again like the mom I grew up with. Soooooo good for my heart!

5. We didn't make it long without a dog. Meet Brisco, my 9-week old fuzzy bundle of joy. We've had

him for three days. I'm a little sleep deprived.

6. I also spent loads of fun, special time with my kiddos. Nothing exciting, just being together. I feel like I am finally a whole mom to them. I had half of my brain working the situation with my parents for all of these kids' childhood until the past year. They seemed to have turned out fine, but I am certainly enjoying them more fully now and am so grateful for each little moment.

So ya see, blogging just wasn't that high up on my agenda. I bet you managed just fine without me, blogosphere. ;)

P.S. Still not done with those tops I have been knitting for me and the girls. *sigh*

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Friday, April 8, 2011

I SHINE - a donation challenge!

Hey hoopdeedoodles! It's been a wild week of Ultimate Blog Partyin'! I have visited so many cool blogs, participated in several whirlwind Twitter chats, and met lots of new people. If you haven't seen the full list of participants, brace yourself and click here.

I've also been feeling totally overwhelmed by the amount of clutter in my house. I suspect that it's breeding at night while I am sleeping.

So when I saw The SHINE Project blog's weekly challenge, I was already feeling highly motivated.

Y'all know what a big fan of Goodwill I am.

I had a major Goodwill pile going in the closet already, but it was the hardest kind of stuff to part with.

Stuff I like.

Stuff I just don't fit in anymore (because I lost weight: now don't get all jealous and stuff, I had to break up with sugar to lose that weight. We barely speak anymore. It's too painful.)

Stuff that's really nice (say like Cousin Eddie from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation).

A Talbot's silk dress. Michael Kors blouse. Two Ann Taylor cashmere twinsets. Etc. etc. etc. ad luxuriam.

I could give these things to friends, or consign them, but decided against it.

Some woman out there, looking for a job, or struggling to make ends meet, is going to find these gems amidst the Goodwill racks, and it will give her a much needed thrill. And on Easter Sunday, or at her next job interview, she is going to look radiant and proud.

Now, to be sure, there were also some real stinkers in that pile. Like the sweater on top - one of my first knitted projects - a shrug that made me looked like a frilled lizard. No I will not model it for you.

I also....

...gave away the Christmas quilt.

(That *gasp-thud* sound is the simultanous cross-country reaction of my BFF, mother, and husband, who did not think it was possible for me to let go of this failure.)

This had a less noble motivation. I just needed the storage for fabric so I could clean my office!! :)

I did keep back a few things to refashion, and will share the process with you when I do, of course!

So, head over to The SHINE Project and get motivated to bless someone with your clutter!

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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

ten completely random things about me

{inspired by my new blogger buddy, Skye}

1. I have discovered that my children are twice as willing to eat anything if I call it "a snack" or "snacky lunch" instead of a meal.

2. Yes, I'm allergic to soy, but I can sometimes eat small amounts of soybean oil in certain foods. This is because soybean oil, properly processed, does not contain the soy protein, which is what you react to. This does not mean that my allergy is not real.

3. Ever had the rotavirus? That's what happens to me if I eat soy. Not pretend, people.

4. I compulsively give to Goodwill. I love Goodwill. They teach people who want to work how to work. They help people who aren't looking for a handout, just a hand up.

5. Without Jesus Christ, I would be absolutely nothing. He is my life. He is my prince charming. He is my hero. He is the captain of my soul.

6. I used to be a professional flutist. I loved teaching and performing, but I gave them up willingly when I had my kids. I thought I would miss it more, but I don't.

7. I am blessed beyond words to be part of my church's worship team. The greatest feeling in the whole world is to stand in front of thousands of people with a microphone and really loud speakers and monitors in your ears, but hear the congregation rise with a mighty voice above it all, singing praise to God!! I'll never get over it. {just got chills}

8. I miss my dad more than I can even say.

9. I have had a blast returning to sewing in the last two years!! Some of my favorite memories as a child were sewing with my mom and my greatma. I can't wait to teach my own daughters how to sew.

10. My husband is a saint. He actually VALUES my creative messes and my obsessive behavior. Definitely a keeper!!

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Monday, January 31, 2011

we now return to our regularly scheduled blog entry

Well, I took a little blogging break. Like a couple of months. I had some stuff to do.

Thanksgiving, check!

Christmas, check!

(Like those are small things.)

Somewhere in there I managed to fill about 50 custom orders. I may have lost my mind temporarily.

tissue covers.

kindle covers.

camera strap covers.

baby head covers.

apparently, I like to cover things.

A few cheesy Christmas song covers. Duets with my bro. Good times, y'all. My piano skills are definitely not what they once were, but we had fun.

It's late January now, and I've had a nice little break. Ready to tackle blogging again. So...what better way to start than with a giveaway? Details coming in the next post!!

It's good to be back!

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Thursday, September 16, 2010

soapbox moment: care

Hi, craftosphere. I'm home. From where?

Two funerals in three weeks.

First, my husband's grandmother.

Second, my father.

Both of them had been ill for a long time. Both of them were suffering. Both of them were believers in Christ, as I am, and are now free in heaven, with new bodies, healed and happy.

The rest of us are a little worse for wear. We're happy for them both, peaceful of heart, but very very tired.

I want to say a couple of things about Huntington's disease, from which my dad suffered for almost 10 years. Now that it's all over, I feel like I can talk about it publicly without being disrespectful of his desire for normalcy, his desire to live life to the fullest, to not be characterized by the disease. He was an incredible man, an upright man, a model of Godly character and courage. He was NOT defined by this disease. But since so few know about it, I have a few words to say.

First of all, Huntington's disease is ugly, really really really ugly, and not a novelty.

You see it in the media, like with Thirteen on "House", or in a Harlan Coben novel, or if you've been around a long time, you might know it as Woody Guthrie's disease.

Don't be fooled into thinking it's cool. If you have HD, then people often think you are drunk or mentally handicapped. You fall a lot. You can't drive, or shouldn't. You can hardly work. You possibly passed it on to your kids, and for this, you feel really really guilty. Your personality changes so gradually that people don't always know that you've lost your ability to reason properly. You sometimes are belligerent and cruel to the ones you love, and even when you aren't, your movements are so violent that you bruise and batter them unintentionally. You slowly starve to death. You are at risk for choking. You know that there's no cure.

There's no cure.

There's only care.

But care isn't popular. Care doesn't get big budget benefits and black tie galas. Care doesn't get media attention. Care doesn't get donations.

Care takes commitment from the family. It takes unbelievable financial, physical, and spiritual resources. Care is expensive in every way imaginable. Care suffers quietly, anonymously.

Caring for someone at home is the most exhausting, the most demanding, the most noble and loving thing a person can do for another. Even the most well-equipped nursing home can rarely handle a HD patient, so my mom cared for dad at home. She loved him like nothing I have ever seen before, and she gave of herself every minute of every day, all for him. Sacrificial love. Up until the very last breath.

Why am I telling you all of this? You came here to read about knitting and sewing.

Because you probably know someone quietly suffering, taking care of a loved one at home. Maybe it's your grandma taking care of grandpa. Maybe it's your next door neighbor with her handicapped child. Maybe you actually know someone with Huntington's disease (unlikely, but if you do I'd like to know). If any of the above rings a bell, and someone is now in your mind, then REACH OUT TO THEM. They need your help. They are TOO BUSY TO ASK FOR HELP. You can give them a little bit of courage by a simple meal, card, ride, phone call, email, mow, errand, visit.

Care. Focus on care. Do what the big-budget galas can't do.

For those who reached out to me and my family during this dark turmoil of the last 10 years, thank you. You were ministers of grace. You were Christ in action.

As for the future? I'm at risk for HD. I'm not going to be tested, although I plan to enroll in some medical studies.

But, as my dad said, I'm not going to base my life on an "if." I'm going to LIVE.

Time to sew.

http://www.hdsa.org/

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Thursday, August 19, 2010

this is a test of the emergency broadcast system

Hi to you all, just wanted to let you know what is going on.

First, thanks to everyone for the kind comments and attention regarding my recent Moda Bake Shop project! I've got lots of ideas brimming for the next big thing!

But I have to put my ideas aside for a little while.

You see, my husband's grandmother passed away yesterday. And my oldest starts kindergarten Tuesday. And my dad is close to passing away as well, no one knows for sure, but we're talking days and weeks.

That's a lot to process.

My family needs my full attention for a little while. I've got some Cascade Alpaca Lace Paints to keep me company, too.

Thanks to all my new followers. There will be new content soon.

love, Amy

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Thursday, August 5, 2010

notta lotta craftin'

I'm hiding out at my parents' and in-laws' places this week, letting the kids soak up as much attention as possible before school starts! And I'm soaking up the extra sleep! My big news should pop up next week, though, so stay tuned!

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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

in reference to flexibility and deep thoughts about water

The last few days have required a LOT of flexibility! No sewing for me! We had a hot water heater flooding incident, so I have been completely focused on cleanup and dryout.

This got me thinking: it's amazing how dependent we are upon fresh water, and how we completely take that for granted. I had to shut off the water to the house for a while to stop the flooding, and even for that short time it was a very different way to live. Can you imagine not having drinking water? My former youth pastor, Ken Surritte, heads an organization called Water Is Life. They provide these ingenious water filter straws to kids around the world. The straw hangs around a child's neck, and is good for a year. The child can use the straw to drink from any water source, even raw sewage, and it filters it into clean water. How cool is that? I was freshly reminded of how blessed I am to have cheap, abundant, clean water, and how important it is to help provide that for others. Check out their site to see how you can help.

As for sewing, I'm holding out for next week, when my kids will be at Camp Nana...planning lots of projects!!

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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

flexibility is key

My most important job is Stay At Home Mom. Or, as we like to call it around here, Chief Operational Officer and Executive Vice President of Household Logistics and Management.

Sooo....I was going to blog/sew/tweet/work more this week, but the munchkins in my care required more care and attention than usual. It's summer, we're working out a schedule, and working on a budget, and lots of other things. So I decided to pull back a little this week and just relax and enjoy my kids.

That's the best part of being your own boss.

Next week will probably be entirely different. You never know around here!

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Thursday, April 22, 2010

A very subtle reopening

You know how stores have a Grand Re-Opening, after a renovation or something like that? Well, I'm going for the Very Subtle Re-Opening. Creeping back into doing this Etsy thing, that barely got started before it had to take a break. I took the shop off of vacation mode, relisted a couple of items, and am preparing to list a bunch more one at a time.

Things have stabilized somewhat with my dad, enough that I am not operating in crisis mode. We're finding our family routine again, I've been brimming with ideas, and ready to put them out there! I have also been able to figure out how exactly I want to market my stuff. Weekends are prime family time, so I've decided not to pursue craft fairs. I have some boutique connections in the works, and Facebook is an awesome way to keep things in front of people without having to find a babysitter!!

One last thing...I DO plan to have a Grand Re-Opening Gala Celebration and Big Fussy Hoopla at some point...so keep a look out!

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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Easter outfits for MY girls!

Some time ago, I purchased the Patchwork Twirl skirt pattern by Carla C from youcanmakethis.com. LOVE her patterns, she is very thorough. I probably could have cooked this one up on my own but when I totally rip off someone's idea, I like to give them money for it. Call me old-fashioned. Anyhoo, I had big plans to make Easter outfits for my kids.

Then I abandoned the plans, because my dad got worse, and I was up and down the highway all the time. Put the etsy shop on vacation, put my plans on hold, put life on hold.

And then, plans changed again, because I totaled my husband's car, so I couldn't go anywhere for a while. As you can imagine, I was starting to get a little bit stressed out at this point. What do I do when I get stressed out?

MAKE STUFF.

And suddenly I'm back into crafting, and let me tell you, it is GOOD THERAPY. I've had a lot of extra time around the house lately with my sweet daughters, and they make me smile so much, and they love to twirl and sing. So last week I pulled out this pattern again, and a big pile of scraps, and a couple of Target t-shirts. Voila!

I used the Moda Bake Shop tutorial for the flower. There are lots of great flower tutorials out there, but this one was specifically the look I was going for.

Did my heart good to see their faces for the big "reveal". They immediately put their skirts on and began dancing around!! I was too busy having fun with them to take a picture at that moment!!

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