Last week, Esther said to me while we were in the car, “Dad was the best person for you to marry.” Today I asked her more about what she meant. She said, “Well… He is the person who is best meant for you.” She said that we almost always agree with each other.
Little does she know. lol. Seriously, though, I’m so glad that this is how she sees our relationship.
I love that movie. Its great to watch when you’re sick (especially that scene when she has a cold, and he brings her daisies, “Don’t you think daisies are the friendliest flower?”) and its a pick-me-up when you’re feeling down.
And its what Tom quoted when we talked a little over a month ago when I was deciding what to do about my “store”.
I have been a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator for seven years. It really has been a blast. And I have learned and grown a lot because of it.
Five years ago, I went on one of my “business trips” (though they were always too much fun to really call that). It was the first time that I was going to fly all alone. I went to St Louis, MO, and had layovers and everything. I would meet my friends I was rooming with at the hotel. I was a little nervous. But I ended up realizing that I love traveling alone. And I was grateful for the chance to find that out.
I have made friends, and have a fantastic collection of rubber stamps and supplies thanks to Stampin’ Up!
But things have changed over the last couple of years. It was once easy to make lots of money, with very little effort. I didn’t have to try hard to schedule workshops. It was a fun hobby that supported my “stamping habit”. Then the economy fell apart. Most of my best customers were state workers or teachers. They simply cannot afford to spend on luxury items the way they used to.
Time is also a luxury. My growing family deserves most of my time. I’m trying to be a better housekeeper. And there are so many other “extras” that I want to do! There just isn’t enought time to do everything!
Tonight I sent out an email to my customers letting them know that this is my last month as a demonstrator.
This pregnancy has been very different than my other two. I didn’t have the violent all-day sickness that I expected. That was nice. But I definitely had food aversions and plenty of nausea. And I was exhausted all the time. I don’t remember that before. There were several days where I literally spent over half of my day asleep. And the rest of the time I couldn’t do anything more than veg on the couch. During this time, I went from being a Food Network junkie to a DIY junkie.
I must comment on how much easier it is to be pregnant with two older kids than it was with one 18 month old. Jared (4) and Esther (6) can understand why Mom was constantly tired and sick. They were so good most of the time! They could turn on their own TV shows, play on their own, and get snacks by themselves. That is how I survived.
Last Thursday is when I realized that I am really past the worst. I was able to take a shower, go grocery shopping, empty the dishwasher, make dinner, put away all the groceries, and even had the energy to go to a Relief Society class in the evening. All that was pretty amazing for me.
…
And yesterday evening, I left my jacket on partly to hide that I was wearing a maternity shirt for the first time. 2nd trimester here we come…
Last month, about a week after I started the blog, Tom reminded me of Chup.
He started cautiously, saying, “I have a suggestion. Maybe, before you post on your blog, each time you should… do a scrapbook page first.”
And here I was thinking he was going to say, “make sure we have clean dishes to eat off of, and clothes to wear the next day, and maybe could we see the floor of the room you’re typing away in?” Ha!
That’s one of the reasons I love my Tom. He doesn’t only support me in the things I like to do, but really encourages me to spend time on them. He also likes seeing photos of our cute kids made into artwork.
But I didn’t agree with his request. As much as I loved that he said it, I’m not committing to it. Sometimes I’ll feel like spending more time blogging, other times I’ll spend more time scrapbooking. And I like to make a lot of things other than scrapbook pages, too.
But soon afterwards, I did make this scrapbook page. It is of the day we brought Jared home from the hospital.
I’ve been creating a lot lately. And it feels so good!
Mostly cards. Some other stuff, too.
Sunday afternoon was so nice. I spent the day stamping. I don’t even remember which project I was working on. I could hear the kids in the other room watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Tom & Esther spent time cleaning and rearranging her bedroom. Then, Tom made dinner. In fact, he created a new recipe with chicken, garlic and bell peppers (which turned out great, btw! his best gravy ever).
I love this video with Dieter Uchtdorf. “The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul… Creation is your opportunity in this life- and in the life to come.” Its just beautiful. It calls to me.
(insert self-portrait here.“Self-portrait” is one of those words that I know I know how to spell, but when I look at too much, it just doesn’t look right. One of those words that sends me to Webster for confirmation. And even has me clicking on the “listen to pronounciation” button to make sure I am reading the same word that is in my head. Does this ever happen to you???)
I have a hard time using photos of myself.
On scrapbook pages, on my walls, on my blog, apparently. I do use them, but I wince a little internally. I have too many problems with the way I look.
I realize that its pretty much a universal issue. I mean, who do you know that is happy with how they look all the time? No one. And I don’t always feel that way. just when I’m looking at photos of myself…
I need to work on it. Work physically on myself to help me to look the way I’d like (or closer to it). And, more importantly, work on myself to let me be more okay with how I do look.
