Yesterday, I created a small space for myself up in our loft. It's nothing fancy. It's just a folding table with a drop cloth but I added some of my most favorite things. I lost the best quote the other day about work. It went something like, our work is what we put out into the world. It's the thing that we create from a special place inside us. It is meant to be shared. Or something like that. Anyway, it made me think about my work. I homeschool my kids and I'm lucky to be able to stay at home with them. I don't consider this my job, maybe I should. But deep inside, I long to create. To make something beautiful with my hands and my imagination. So that is my work. Why is it so hard to call myself an artist? I suppose it's because I didn't go to school for art, nor am I a great painter. But I believe I have the heart of an artist. I have that desire to make. To make the world a little bit prettier and a little bit better. Maybe no one will ever see what I make, but in the end it will be my great work.
Going Back to my Roots
I did something last night that I didn't think I'd do again. I scrapbooked. Dare I say, it felt so good to get back into my supplies! One of my kids favorite things is to look at old pictures and scrapbooks and my littles kept asking me why I didn't have any scrapbooks of them? So much mom guilt! To be honest though, I have missed it. It felt so good to sit down with paper and pictures and put it all together just because I could.
Life has been crazy. We recently uprooted our family and moved to Arizona where we know no one. The heat can be smothering. We are renting a house. We only have one car as of right now. We're trying to sell a house that is 3,000 miles away while fixing some damages. Yes, we are a bit crazy. But slowly, it has become like home. We've been here for 7 weeks now and we are itching to begin a co-op (I still homeschool) and make new friends.
Until then, I hope to make this a new old habit. Blogging. I'll be back tomorrow with my coffee in hand.
Changes
(Photo is of my freshly made #thmsourdough with Polaner Peach Jam, Laughing Cow Cheese, and an Almond Milk Latte. This snack is an E)
It's April 1st, and the entire world is in a pandemic. We are all scared and trying not to surround ourselves with the news. There is so much of the unknown that lingers all day long. Starting a blog while in the mist of it all sounded like a good idea and it felt a bit comforting to be able to put my thoughts in words. So here goes.
Welcome to my little world, Dainty Kay's. I first thought of the name Dainty Kay's a few years ago when I used to dream of owning a little shop. Think, You've Got Mail, bookshop but more of a gift shop type. I still have dreams of opening that little shop around the corner. A few years ago, I opened up my first Etsy shop called, Dainty Kay Plan's. This was as close to that little shop as I got. I did really well with my business but it soon demanded way too much of my time as a busy homeschooling mom and although I loved making beautiful things for others, it wore me down and I closed the business.
I've been homeschooling for 13 years now and during this time, I don't think I've ever been really good at it. But homeschooling isn't really something that you're good at it. I think it's more of a lifestyle. I love having my kids home with me. I love knowing that we can go where we want to go and do what we want to do. I love the freedom of dashing off the library if we need a new surrounding to study or do our lessons. I love looking at flowers and then deciding to draw them and having it become art class for the day. I enjoy the freedom that homeschooling has brought to our family and this is why I love it so much.
I'm the mother of five kids here on this earth and six in Heaven. I have twin boys who are mostly men now that they are 18 and both attend a community college. I have three little women who are 15, 9 and most recently, 8. Being a mother of adult children is a strange world to navigate through especially when they are still living under your roof. It's a lot of parenting without talking. Listening. Letting them navigate their new adult world and trying not to give your two cents every second. It's knowing the right answer but knowing that they need to find it for themselves. It makes me feel my age and makes me feel proud and sad all at the same time.
I've also struggled with my weight my entire life. Two months ago I climbed on the scale and the number made me so very sad. It was the highest it's every been. Weighing at 322 lbs, I knew that I needed to change. Somehow these 40 years of living had caught up with me and just walking to the car left me winded and tired. A dear friend of mine, mentioned going back on a diet that I swore that I'd never go back on, Trim Healthy Mama. Years ago, I jumped on the THM train and lost about 25 lbs but that was 8 years ago and being 32 and 40 years old are big differences. I was also a very strict vegetarian. I was coming up on my 3rd anniversary of being a vegetarian and I kind of prided myself on making food without meat taste really good. But let's be honest, it was really the butter and cheese all along. Butter and cheese and lots of bread. From the time I was a vegetarian I gained at least 25 lbs and the scales just keep climbing. Dieting and living that lifestyle wasn't doing me any favors. Then one day, I decided to eat chicken and that's it, I became a meat eater again. I honestly think that God was prompting my heart. He is good at that. Giving you just a bit of His plan. So when my friend said, "Hey, let's do this plan together." I honestly thought to myself, "this is not gonna work!" Well, it's been 2 months and I'm down 20lbs. My labs look better and I have so much more energy. Granted, I still have a long way to go but I have hope and Faith that God will help me become a much healthier person.
To be continued.