“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you.”
― A.A. Milne, Christopher Robin to Pooh
I have been a very, very naughty blogger. I know. I really have. Did you ever have a space of time where you just had to keep telling yourself, breathe? One day at a time. One step. One moment. One breath. That has been my summer. My beloved husband has been gone on an internship since the beginning of May and will not return for another week and a half. I have three small children, my parents are over two hours away, and I have only two close friends in my town. I grew up a Navy brat, as I've confided before, so I am no stranger to life without Daddy for stretches (even long stretches) of time. But I have never had to do without my husband, the father of my children, my best friend, the man who tells me when I'm acting silly, the one who holds me when I cry... never for so long, not since we have been married.
What have I learned? I have learned that I am indeed, as Christopher Robin tells Pooh, stronger than I seem. I am also braver than I believed. Whether I am smarter than I think is still up for grabs ;). I have learned that I can do it on my own, but I am so very grateful that most of the time I do not have to. I have a new appreciation for what my mother, and all other military wives, went through when I was growing up. I do not even know how to put into words how incredible their sacrifice is, how much I admire them, how much I appreciate them. (that goes for single moms and single dads as well, even more so, you are all HEROES).
Where does the odd title of this ramble come from? My struggle this summer. I tried the first week or two to continue as I had, making jewelry at night, photographing, listing, updating my store. But as everything fell upon me, the grocery shopping (with three children ages 6, 4, and 2), the store runs for other necessities, the normal things, the cleaning, the dishes, the playing with the kids, mowing the lawn, weeding my plants, sending packages... on and on. It started to overwhelm me. Until I realized something. This insanity? It is, praise God, temporary. So guess what? I decided to let it go. To breathe. Instead of staying up until 2am (before a 5am wake up call by my son) trying to make jewelry after staying up late to sweep and mop... I went to bed at midnight. I chose to read during some of the time the kids were sleeping, some nights? I was truly naughty and didn't do my chores before bed either. I have gotten some pieces done, but only when I was ready to do them. And honestly, the pieces I have made? I really love. I really felt inspired. I let the blog go too, which I feel a bit guilty about, but I knew, being the wonderful friends you are... that you would understand :).
So, let me share with you some of the pieces I have done. This first is a favorite, I used all of the silks from my palette for Marsha Neal's silk color challenge:
I paired the silks with some gorgeous Fallen Angel Brass, swarovski crystals, and three gemstones out of my stash. I love the way it turned out :)
Here are a few others...
Featuring FAB and a gorgeous boro from Amanda at Seashore Glass
More Fallen Angel Brass with beautiful ceramic tiles from Marsha Neal Studio.
Last, but surely not least, a special order I did for an incredibly special and lovely young lady:
Fallen Angel Brass, gorgeous sari silk, a Vintaj blank, czech glass and swarovski crystals :)
The end is in sight, my husband will be home the middle of this month and hopefully all will be back to normal! ;) Oh! And I'm having a sale in my shop for a limited time! 20% off anything in the shop if you use the coupon code: SUMMER at checkout (you have to make sure to use the coupon code box in Etsy or the code doesn't work).
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SoulsFireDesigns
I hope you are all having an incredible summer! Once I hit 100 sales in my shop I will have a fancy giveaway, any ideas for the giveaway?
~Jenn
Jenn, you are such a strong, brave, and wonderful person with a beautiful soul! Just think, in another week and a half, your husband will be back and things can hopefully return to normal. Just keep breathing unitl then. :)
ReplyDeleteI love your new creations, especially those earrings!
Jenn, I am glad you came out of this experience stronger than you were before- I know that was not easy to achieve. Not only is it hard to meet all the demands of being a wife and mother for a family when you are running it solo, but to have to put your creative ambitions aside for awhile is very hard too. I am so happy for you that your husband is coming home soon, and I hope this hard choice you both have made will reap incredible rewards for your family! Love the bracelets you were able to make- especially the colorful silk one!
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