Finding My Happy Place (Again)

I've been feeling a little all over the place lately. A little bit like a bird trying to fly in three directions at once.  Or maybe straight into a window.  Repeatedly.  Which completely makes sense given that I'm trying to kick start a multi-faceted business that currently has three website builds in progress, business paperwork to keep up with, and a fairly large-scale software application in design.  Plus the family that needs groceries and hugs and all that good stuff.

Sure, I'm writing twenty-two lists to try to manage it all and get a little more grounded.  And buying a couple more filing cabinets.  But this morning I tried something completely non-job related to spend some of my creative energy.  Painting, of course.

I'm feeling a little bit more pulled together now.  We'll see if I can get some of the stuff on the lists done now.  Hope you all have a great weekend!

Life around here...

Hi there... I've missed you!  How are you doing?

 

Things have been a little all over the place around here (as usual).  I've been making journal books and ornaments.  It makes me happy to see them all lined up!

And I've been working a little on my basement disaster.  Here's a before and after (Ok, not that much change, but I did beat back the piles a little.  I'm hoping to put my craft tables down here.

 I did manage to carve out a play area for Harper too.

Oh my goodness, I got Harper's school photos back today.  That fake smile-for-the-camera smile cracks me up.

And I've been working on a logo and website for my first customer!  So far, so good... hopefully it will be up and running this week or early next week!

And finally, I've worked on my website too.  It's a little slow going, but I can see where I'm headed with it now at least.  I'll let you know when it's posted and what in the world I am doing!

Halloween Preview + Autumn

We have had a fun autumn so far.  We've kept busy, and alternately we've kept warm and cool.  Yesterday was short sleeves weather; today is scarves, umbrellas, and jackets.

 

May I introduce you to Willy Wonka?  Grandma made this awesome coat and vest for Harper's costume. We'll add a cane, ribbon bow, and a treat bag that looks like a Wonka chocolate bar.  And maybe even parents dressed up like giant Oompa Loompas.

We were just in the nick of time with Halloween because a new obsession is rapidly moving in.

And here's some Halloween decor gone crazy.  I have a photo of Doug wearing one too, but I think I'd get in trouble for posting that.

 We went on a hayrack ride with friends.  Really fun!!!

 The guys all hunted the perfect pumpkins with the kids.

 Harper and Daddy did some accounting.

 Harper had breakfast with friends.

 And Harper created a site map for her future website creation.

 Happy Autumn!

Forty

Me at 40 years old with my craft-aster table.

If you had asked me when I was twenty what I thought I would feel like when I was forty, my answer would have something really insightful like, "Old."

Turns out, I would have been wrong.  It's a lot better than "old".  Today is my fortieth birthday, so I thought I'd write a little post about how I'm feeling today.

At forty, I feel...

• Old(er), but it's a good feeling.  I know myself a lot better now.
• More confident.  I still don't have my confidence issues conquered, but they stay in the background more than they used to.
• Like I finally know what my "style" is. It involves a lot of grey and black horizontal stripes in case you were wondering.
• Prettier.  I'm pretty sure this has something to do with the more confident thing above.
• More grateful.
• More creative.
• Loved by a wonderful circle of supportive family and friends.
• Lucky. So very lucky.

Taking the leap

Ok, ok... I left you hanging.  I'm sure you're all out there on pins and needles waiting for me to post again, right?? :)

We made some plans and decisions around here, and it's finally time to tell.

1. I quit my business analyst job.  My last day is Friday!

2. I am starting a new business called Trendline Design.  More details on that soon, but essentially I'll be offering a blend of all my skills (software analysis/design, graphic design, website work) under one business umbrella.  I made a logo and everything. :)  Product offerings and website are next on the list right after I'm done with my current job.

The hope is that working for myself will give me more flexibility to be more present for my family.  YAY!

3. I am working with others to start a children's museum.  We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we think this area could really use some local children's activities.  We're working on our business plan, website, and there's even a logo too.

And in other news...
If you're a facebook friend, you may already have read this, but for the rest of you... We got the results of Harper's CT scan for her ear.  There wasn't anything apparent on the scan like some kind of abnormality, so that was a relief.  What that means is that the cochlear nerve in her right ear probably has some kind of problem with the connection, but there isn't anything they can do about that (at least not with the current medical options).  The good news is that she may benefit from a regular amplification hearing aid, so we are going to look into options for that.

Huge

Well, for those of you who visit, you may have noticed that I've been missing from the blog for a bit.  We had several crazy weeks in a row that threw us off of our game.  And as soon as things settled down, well, we started up something new.  Something huge.  I can't quite share details yet, but I hope you'll send some positive thoughts our way.

On a personal level regarding Harper's hearing - For those of you who sent a note or good thoughts, thank you!  We are still waiting for the CT scan results, but I will give you an update when we have one.

What a week!

Work is crazy, life is semi-crazy, and all the art I have to show you is a somewhat-crazy, completely-unfinished teapot.

There's lots going on, but I wanted to post a question.  Does anyone out there have any experience with single sided deafness?  You see, amongst the craziness of this week, we took Harper to the audiologist and ENT specialist.  When she was at her physical with our family doctor in July, she failed her hearing test.  We had some suspicions about her hearing because if we held a phone up to her ear, she seemed to only be able to hear if we held it up to her left ear.  For a while, we wrote it off thinking that she was too young to talk on the phone.  But lately, when we switched ears, she could use the phone fine.  Anyway, the doctors confirmed that she has severe hearing loss in her right ear.  She has excellent hearing in her left ear, so she compensates just fine.  (Obviously better than just fine, or we would have noticed something more before now!)  We're going to get the CT scan recommended by the doctor so that maybe we can see why she can't hear, and we're going to talk to another audiologist.  The ENT specialist doctor feels fairly certain that there isn't anything that can be done to change the hearing in her deaf ear.  Anyway, I just wondered if anyone had any experience to share?  We'd appreciate it.

Building, Bowling, and Buddies

Harper has been helping her Daddy with his shed project. They're working on finishing the inside.

And we worked on a gigantic marble machine/maze. It still has a long way to go, but we're playing with it as we build it. Lots more levels of fun planned, and then we finally get to decorate it!

And we went bowling with friends.

 Doug must have done something good here.

And there was time for bowling buddies to smile for the camera!

I forget.

I forget until I am sewing that I can't sew.  You see, I bought a small 7" Samsung tablet yesterday, and I tried to buy a case for it.  All of the cases at the store were from $23 to $40 which seemed way too expensive for what you were paying for.  So, I decided to sew a little padded case for it. 

All of this was before I remembered that I can't really sew.  I am a sewing hacker.  I don't use patterns.  I don't plan.  And I regret it the whole time.  You see, I sort of know how to sew because my mom taught me a zillion years ago.  I was a very reluctant sewing student.  She had to bribe me to sew a seam. 

With all that said, putting this together was harder than it should have been, but it's done.  It's a little cuter in person and even has a little pocket for the headphones.  It could use a few more details, but that's enough sewing for one day for me.

Summer-y

Things have been summery and sort of busy around here.  Doug and Harper spent some time cleaning.  I had to be sure to document that.

I spent some time making journal backgrounds.

A building popped up like magic in our side yard yesterday.  Seriously couldn't believe that two guys could build this thing in one day.  We'll be painting it in about a month when the wood is more dried out. 

And just because my husband and I were both actually smiling in a photo at the same time, we'll revisit early summer/June.

Hope you're having a great summer!

Art Party!

Last night was art group night! We all painted canvases this time which was different from our earlier get togethers where we all worked on our projects in progress. I didn't take photos during the party because it's hard to juggle a wine glass, paint brush, AND a camera, so you'll have to take my word for it (again) that it was a fun party. What I worked on is below... It's not done yet, but you get the general idea. It probably needs a flower garden at the bottom (which is nothing like my actual home by the way where the heat withered every living thing in the yard). 

Already looking forward to the next get together!

The View From Here

Hope you had a great 4th of July!  We had fun with friends on the 3rd and then fun with family and friends on the 4th.  We survived our four days without air conditioning.  It really wasn't bad for us because we're lucky enough to have power and an RV with AC to retreat to.

 I spent the daytime hours of the 4th cleaning my studio so I can tackle some unfinished projects.  (Yes, sissy Sarah - I am going to try to work on your son's train!)  AND, hubby put up the blinds, so now I'm not blinded by the sunshine while trying to work.

 Here's the view from my desk.  I get to see artwork by my art friends Michelle Allen, Regina Lord, Pamela Huntington, Roc Nicolas, and Syd McCutcheon. 

 This painting is coming along.  I still have a ways to go with the details, but I'm falling in love with it.  P.S.  If you don't already have some, you need some Dr. Ph. Martin's bombay india inks.  They're very fun for drawing and dripping!

Craft Warriors

Harper has been keeping busy with lots of craft projects.  And somehow a headband and ribbon worked their way into the mix.  So, meet Harper Massey, Craft Warrior.

And  I picked up some unfinished craft projects of my own.  My mom sewed about 50 little stuffies for me to use when I was in the craft fair mode, and I don't think I finished a single one yet.  Determined to get some of these finished this time.  I have a long ways to go though!

In a mood

Oh yes, I was in a mood today.  It wasn't a very good one.  I had to take a break do some journaling.  I promised myself I wasn't going to start another big journal yet (the other one is pretty much full), but I needed to play big and messy, so I cracked open another big journal.  I don't think this page is quite finished, but it was good enough for a mood change.

What's Next?

My friend Heather (of HA! Moments) asked what I'm going to do next.  Good question.  I think I'll ...

...Finish some artwork for my studio.  This is a 30" by 30" canvas I started a while ago.  I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who will want to look at it, but it's my studio, so that's that.

...Maybe even work on this 2012 journal that I only finished about five pages in so far.  It was supposed to be a workshop proposal for teaching, but now it's just for fun.  I'd better hurry up or I'm going to have to squeeze 2013 and maybe 2014 on there.

...Finish the custom artwork orders that still aren't done.  And one of those is for Heather... no wonder she wants to know what I'm doing next!  Kidding. :)

...And try to capture more moments like these.