I have made two dolls that absolutely make my heart sing... I mean, I love them all. I won't create something I don't love. But then there are dolls that you look at their sweet little faces and it's like seeing one of your own children. The first was Celia. Sigh.... Celia was hard to send away. And now Miss Anouk. Maybe it's because, like my mother pointed out, she resembles my own Zoe.
Anouk got her name while I was watching Chocolat. I didn't actually mean to, just found myself calling her Anouk while I watched and worked on her hair. I think it suits her, though. She is the first made from a new pattern. She has more little details than any doll I've made before. I had resisted the details, preferring to keep them simple and traditional. But I'm feeling more like stretching myself as a doll maker; trying new things. And I like it!
Anouk is a 12" Waldorf doll. Her body is sewn from cotton interlock and filled with wool. Her hair is a crocheted cap of mohair. She comes with a cotton top and pants, cotton panties, and wool shoes with a wooden button. She is available through my Etsy shop.
Dear friends, I want to send a GREAT-BIG-THANK-YOU out there to all of you that stopped by to offer me support and encouragement over the past couple of months. I have been so overwhelmed by the generosity of spirit I've been shown.
And here we are, my little ones and I, in our apartment. We moved in a couple of weeks after I last posted and told you all of the separation. I got unpacked very quickly and we proceeded to feel around around for the best rhythm we could find. We're still working on that. My girls are taking their dad moving out really well, but not as well the time they have to spend away from me.
If you've been following my blog awhile you may remember that my husband and I were separated once before. We had been back together for a year and a half but were separated the 2 previous years. What can I say? I gave it everything I had but in the end he just wanted something else.
Anyway, though I've been a single mom before, it's different this time because I had an enormous amount of help from my parents before and we lived just beside of them. We moved away from there this past September and, though I could have gone back I chose to do it completely independently this time. It's just something I need to do.
But it means I spend a lot of hours working. I'm still working from home, making dolls and toys, but it's not just to bring in a little extra income anymore. My parents do still help me by watching the girls during the day, Monday-Thursday and my mom (who homeschooled my younger siblings and I) has taking over their schooling. I have very mixed feelings about the whole thing. I miss them, they miss me. There have been some behavior issues with the two littlest and Kaiya has let me know very directly that it is not acceptable for me to work when they get home.
But, we do love it here in our apartment very much. There's a ton of light in here (a must for me) lots of closets, a playground right outside our door, and a little balcony for my herb pots and the girls to step out on whenever they want. We're right in town and we like being able to walk to the grocery store, a first for us.
Hello friends! I hope the beginning of a new week finds you all happy and well. I'm sharing another video from my new blog, The Only Journey, to share with you all some big happenings in my life right now. Please hold my little family in your thoughts and prayers this week as we move into a new chapter of our lives.
If you're interested in taking advantage of the 30% off coupon code (applies to your entire order, including customs) it is LETSMOVE.
Hello, friends! I'm very excitedly/nervously here to introduce you to something new I'm starting. I'll let the video (my first vlog!) tell you what it's about and I'll leave you a few new links at the bottom.
March is here.... that means in just a couple of weeks it will be Spring! Here in western North Carolina we had an excessively mild winter. Feels silly even calling it that; more like a little bit of kinda cold days, some measly snow flurries and a whole lotta rain. Very blah, and not at all a satisfactory 'Ahh, that was winter!'.
So I'm over it and ready to move on and feel the creative rush that always hits me the first weeks of spring.
Creatively speaking, I'm not there yet. But my body is feeling a strong urge to lighten up! Remember my last post, about taking care of me? My body is one of those long neglected things I'm finally getting around to giving the proper attention it deserves. Starting with what I'm putting in it. I had gotten into a negative pattern of giving into every craving that crossed my path, and you know how that works... every time you (or at least I ) give into a craving it opens the door to many more. I was also stress eating like crazy.
Something I won't divulge even to my own mother is a number, when it comes to my weight, but let's just say that it crept up slowly while I was pregnant with River and the subsequent PPD got it to a place that I'm really unhappy about. I've had a weight problem ever since I was, ohh.... about 12-13. But I've never been one to beat myself up over that. I never had the poor self esteem that frequently comes with being over-weight. But that doesn't mean it was something I was OK with, either. I wanted to change it,but... well, what is it? What is it that holds everyone with a weight problem back? Lack of drive in that area, maybe? Maybe procrastination? I don't know, really, but it started at 12 and, at 32, I'm just now feeling an 'in earnest' attempt, no, real DRIVE, to do something about it.
So here goes, right?! My number one roadblock is saying 'no' to the foods and the amount of food that I want. Sure, I could choose the pasta with veggies and very light dressing, but what I really want is a plate of the noodles swimming in cream sauce (minus the chicken, please) that my dad ordered sitting right across from me (true story, but I made the better choice anyway). So, what do I do? Say no to that craving, of course, but then there's that feeling of not being fully satisfied and I really dislike that feeling. What I've found that is working really well for me is saying positive affirmations before I go to the restaurant, before and while I am grocery shopping, while I'm preparing meals. Something like this;
I enjoy making healthy food choices. I enjoying choosing foods that support my healthy body weight and fill me with energy. I enjoy eating foods that make me feel light and support the good health of my body. I enjoy foods that are clean and whole and are truly made to support my physical well-being. I enjoy these foods. I enjoy eating proportions that leave me light and full of energy.
....and on and on until I truly connect with the affirmations and have created a strong, positive vibrations in the direction of my health. I tell you, it really is changing my relationship with food and truly easing my cravings and helping me to enjoy making better choices.
To some it may seem hokey to think you can just talk yourself out of wanting something rich and decadent and really talk yourself into wanting good things for your body but just try it. Try it whenever you are around food or going to be around food. If it doesn't work for you,well, what do you have to loose?
Please share with me what you're doing just for you!
