I'm a fan of Pinterest. It's a fun way to find new ideas for a wide variety of topics. I recently came across a tutorial for no sew Roman shades (http://involvingcolor.com/involvinghome/no-sew-roman-shade-from-mini-blinds/) and thought I'd give it a try today.
When we moved into our house, it had metal mini blinds in every window. While I'm thankful that I didn't have to run out and buy window coverings right away, I'm not the biggest fan of mini blinds. So this tutorial seemed pretty genius to me. But, of course, I thought I needed to modify it for myself. This is going in my girls' bedroom which faces the street, so I wanted to add a liner to pretty it up on the street side. I decided to use black out fabric for the liner and a pretty Asian inspired pink satin for the front side. Some things I didn't take into account for my version of this project are: the weight of my fabric, the time it would take, and the fact that I have an innately curious two year old that wants to "help". Oh, my.
I was a little overly optimistic that I would be able to whip this out and have it back in place ready for nap time. So, here it is nap time and I have 1/3 of the project done. At first, I was really discouraged because I wasn't going to meet my self-imposed deadline and it's been challenging to get this far with the "help" I have. But, as it stands, (or hangs!) I was able to get the liner attached at the top and the window is fully covered for a nice rest. So, I'm calling it a success for now. I hope the weight of the fabric doesn't ruin the project. I'll find out tomorrow :) Success or failure, I'll post pictures, too.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
If Children were Puppies...
This morning my toddler and I were sitting on the couch watching a little morning television when she piped up, "Ewww, nasty," then she proceeded to wipe poo on the belly of my shirt. Yes, my sweet little girl stuck her finger in her diaper and wiped it on me! So, it started me thinking, if children were puppies, there are days I would seriously consider finding her a "better" home.
If children were puppies, we could try them out for a while and if they weren't a good fit, we could put them in a box in front of the grocery store with a FREE sign scribbled in Magic Marker on the front. When we weary of the extreme volume of self-expression, we could put them outside with a bowl of water and a chew toy. On a REALLY bad streak, they could be dropped off at the animal shelter, and hope someone comes along and thinks they're cute. No kill, of course!
Like many other (I hope) stay at home moms, I sometimes fantasize about what it would be like to have no, or maybe just one, kid. Life seems so much simpler with just one. Or, if none, I could have a nice office (or even lettuce picking) job. I could go to work every day and the house would be just as tidy as I left it, grocery shopping would be faster (and quieter), I'd have a hundred less loads of laundry every week, and the only butt I'd have to wipe would be my own!
But, oh the things I would have missed by not having children. What a privilege it is to watch my three girls grow into lovely young ladies. I know that I know that even the poo smearer is going to be a dynamic force to be reckoned with in her adult years. She has a world to conquer and I'm pretty sure she'll do it with style!
If children were puppies, we could try them out for a while and if they weren't a good fit, we could put them in a box in front of the grocery store with a FREE sign scribbled in Magic Marker on the front. When we weary of the extreme volume of self-expression, we could put them outside with a bowl of water and a chew toy. On a REALLY bad streak, they could be dropped off at the animal shelter, and hope someone comes along and thinks they're cute. No kill, of course!
Like many other (I hope) stay at home moms, I sometimes fantasize about what it would be like to have no, or maybe just one, kid. Life seems so much simpler with just one. Or, if none, I could have a nice office (or even lettuce picking) job. I could go to work every day and the house would be just as tidy as I left it, grocery shopping would be faster (and quieter), I'd have a hundred less loads of laundry every week, and the only butt I'd have to wipe would be my own!
But, oh the things I would have missed by not having children. What a privilege it is to watch my three girls grow into lovely young ladies. I know that I know that even the poo smearer is going to be a dynamic force to be reckoned with in her adult years. She has a world to conquer and I'm pretty sure she'll do it with style!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Back from the Deep End
Have you ever lost your mind temporarily? I sure feel like I have for the last couple months. I've been hesitating to blog about it. While I haven't been fighting an uncommon problem, it is a problem that I'd rather ignore than address. I've been fighting the deepest depression I've ever experienced.
Depression is a preposterous condition to find myself in. We recently moved from Wyoming to California, and while Wyoming was our home for 10 years, CA was our home for all the other years of our lives. It's a wonderful feeling to come "home" after all these years, so the depression I've been in for a few months is all tangled up with guilt. Not a good combination...
On the surface, I have no reason to be sad. It would appear that we've gained what we've been longing for, and we have to a degree, but that doesn't mean life's easy from here on out. There's always an ebb and flow to life, a give and take, so all our gains are tempered by our losses.
The past 3 years of our lives have been pretty frenetic. We found out we were expecting a very unexpected baby, subsequently remodeled and added on to the tiny house that didn't feel big enough for a family of 5, I returned to work with baby in tow after a 6 week maternity leave, juggled work and family for a year before resigning, and then we started our own business last summer. Whew! It was a challenging business, too, physically demanding and time consuming. But, it was the profits from that business that enabled us to move and be near our families again.
Ebb and flow. Sacrifice and reward.
Needless to say, I've been running on an intense adrenaline high for 3 years. I've become a junkie. Bummer. It kind of snuck up on me. Since our move, I've been a full time stay at home mom (which is an adjustment all by itself even outside of the 40% income reduction). I have been (subconsciously) frantically trying to recreate the adrenaline rushes I've become used to by excessive craftiness. It feels so lame, to say "Hi, my name's Mariah, and I'm a psychotic crafter because I can't stand to be alone with my thoughts." It took me a while to realize what I was doing. I started realizing that I had a problem when I noticed how many projects I had started without finishing the previous ones. I was masking the void I was feeling by engulfing myself in busy-ness. The list of creations I've made and baked is pretty extensive, almost shameful.
So, here's the bottom line, I've been fighting the shadow that is depression. I'm giving myself permission to be still and save time for reflection. I'm putting off my return to school until next year. I'm taking care of myself: good food, vitamins, some supplements specific to hormonal balance, exercise, feeding the spiritual side, too. It's okay to have quiet seasons in life. I think I've been needing one. I'm on the verge of kicking this depression in the butt, so I won't be an absent blogger anymore :)
I'm looking forward to finishing the other projects I've started, in a nice orderly manner.
Remember, it's not possible to see the light while looking in the shadows, look up from where you are.
Mariah
Depression is a preposterous condition to find myself in. We recently moved from Wyoming to California, and while Wyoming was our home for 10 years, CA was our home for all the other years of our lives. It's a wonderful feeling to come "home" after all these years, so the depression I've been in for a few months is all tangled up with guilt. Not a good combination...
On the surface, I have no reason to be sad. It would appear that we've gained what we've been longing for, and we have to a degree, but that doesn't mean life's easy from here on out. There's always an ebb and flow to life, a give and take, so all our gains are tempered by our losses.
The past 3 years of our lives have been pretty frenetic. We found out we were expecting a very unexpected baby, subsequently remodeled and added on to the tiny house that didn't feel big enough for a family of 5, I returned to work with baby in tow after a 6 week maternity leave, juggled work and family for a year before resigning, and then we started our own business last summer. Whew! It was a challenging business, too, physically demanding and time consuming. But, it was the profits from that business that enabled us to move and be near our families again.
Ebb and flow. Sacrifice and reward.
Needless to say, I've been running on an intense adrenaline high for 3 years. I've become a junkie. Bummer. It kind of snuck up on me. Since our move, I've been a full time stay at home mom (which is an adjustment all by itself even outside of the 40% income reduction). I have been (subconsciously) frantically trying to recreate the adrenaline rushes I've become used to by excessive craftiness. It feels so lame, to say "Hi, my name's Mariah, and I'm a psychotic crafter because I can't stand to be alone with my thoughts." It took me a while to realize what I was doing. I started realizing that I had a problem when I noticed how many projects I had started without finishing the previous ones. I was masking the void I was feeling by engulfing myself in busy-ness. The list of creations I've made and baked is pretty extensive, almost shameful.
So, here's the bottom line, I've been fighting the shadow that is depression. I'm giving myself permission to be still and save time for reflection. I'm putting off my return to school until next year. I'm taking care of myself: good food, vitamins, some supplements specific to hormonal balance, exercise, feeding the spiritual side, too. It's okay to have quiet seasons in life. I think I've been needing one. I'm on the verge of kicking this depression in the butt, so I won't be an absent blogger anymore :)
I'm looking forward to finishing the other projects I've started, in a nice orderly manner.
Remember, it's not possible to see the light while looking in the shadows, look up from where you are.
Mariah
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