I realized yesterday that this is exactly what my life feels like, one of those old fashioned operator systems like Erin worked in The Waltons! When I'm plugged into a specific line, my energy runs clear, clean and strong. Once the call is over, however, I disconnect and subsequently reconnet to a new and interesting 'conversation'. I had to laugh at myself when this thought struck me with such vengenance! Phone calls begin and end with joyful abandon in my world! ;)
I seem to have disconnected my 'conversation' with my Etsy shop for the time being. I've invested very little energy, and consequently the sales have slowed. No surprise. I find I'm no longer checking my email expecting to see a sale as I did when the energy was flowing strong and clear. Energy input is definitely relative to energy output on Etsy, at least in my experience. Perhaps, for the time being, that call has ended. Of course, there is always the option of reconnecting on another day, at another time... :)
However, I seem to have several new and exciting conversations taking place right now. A couple of days ago I sat down and gave myself a crash course in learning how to decipher the foreign language of crochet patterns. It took referencing 4 (FOUR!) different books to figure this simple thing out, but make sense of it I did! I confess, I was pretty proud of myself. Pretty darn stinkin' proud. Jordan suggested that instead of learning Spanish in school we learn crochet speak... I'll have to consider that. ;)
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| Named Gepetto by Miss Riley Mae |
As a result of my perseverance I created one of these little buggers, quickly and joyfully adopted by Riley Mae. He's kinda goofy, one arm is a bit bigger than the other and his eyes are a mite crooked... but his new mom is enamored, and who am I to argue with true love. :)
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| Jordan got creative with the photos, as usual! ;) |
I quickly made a second, and as with the first, he was snatched up immediately. Jordan is the proud mama of this little guy. Despite being overstuffed, he came out much better, and I have decided to make them as Christmas gifts for all of my nieces and nephews. Recently I heard a commercial for a furniture company featuring a Christmas carol (Christmas in July sale) and I'll confess that it got me a little bit excited!Follow that up with reading my friend Renee's
blog sporting some fabulous Christmas photos, and now I've got tinsel on the brain! The anticipation of holidays is my most favorite part anyway, and since I usually make most of my gifts, now is an excellent time to get started! This is one very exciting conversation, the connection is crystal clear....
Simultaneously, I'm plugged into another convo that is overwhelmingly fantabulously fun! Have you ever read Behind the Attic Wall? By far one of my most favorite, cherished books from when I was younger. I read it to the girls several years ago and was thrilled when they fell in love too.
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| Here's a brief synopsis |
It probably sparked my interest in dollhouses, imagining little Timothy John and Christabel coming to life... Okay, yes, some would consider it disturbingly creepy, I know. Little, chipped china dolls walking the dog and chatting to each other, wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. I, however,
loved the story. :) So, for as long as I can remember I've wanted to make a dollhouse. You know the kind, millions of tiny details, perfect mini furniture, teeny foods, wood flooring, artwork on the walls, rugs on the floor, electric lights... can't you see it?
Several months ago my sister cleaned her garage and decided to get rid of this very sad, never finished dollhouse, much to my delight! You can bet that I snatched it up immediately ... and began dreaming. I was in the middle of spending all of my free time working on my shop, and so was satisfied with the imagining part for some time. I actually love that it is in such a pathetic state of disrepair, that will make the transformation all that much more amazing! So, several days ago Scott and I hauled it up from the basement and the restoration has begun!!
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| Windows in various states of disrepair, missing shingles. See that bag in front? It contains all of the broken pieces from inside! |
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| Sad, right? |
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| Yup. Mouse poop. Everywhere. |
We're starting with the outside and have decided to do a room per month. Dollhouse accessories are insanely expensive so I thought, "maybe I'll pace myself"... but I'll probably get carried away and have it finished in 3 months instead of about 12, which is what we figured we'd need. Jordan and Riley are just as excited as I am and after prepping it this morning they put the first coat of paint on while I was making lunch. (We're off to do the second as soon as I finish up here.) We salvaged what windows we could but I had to order some today. I thought it'd be fun to chronicle our progress as we move along. I'll keep you posted!
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| This is the green of my dining room! |
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| The back |
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| Mouse poop gloriously gone! |
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| The only problem is... now I have to find a spot in the house for this gigantic thing! |
School is another ongoing convo that is going extremely well with our new plan and approach. Enjoying it immensely and accomplishing much! I'm still joyfully plugged into blogging and I love doing my Gratitude Giveaways. It has reignited my excitement for my green products and I love picking a name each week! We're still working on ideas for the fair, contests we want to enter. I haven't gotten very far with mine yet, still pondering, and besides, I'm busy chatting on the other line. ;)
Since coming back from camping I've continued moving in slow, peaceful and deliberate motion. Each day holds so much promise... I've started stating my intentions daily in my journal each morning, and then letting go of them all. You might want to try this. :) Miraculously most everything gets done on that list, each and every day, with no effort, and yet I still have time to sit and crochet on the couch with Jordan. Or paint a dollhouse with Riley Mae. Or read Tay's most awesome fable that she effortlessly (or so it seems) whipped together. Just begin with "I intend" and fill in the blank. One of mine today was "I intend to write a blog post". Done (almost). "I intend to allow the day to unfold" or "I intend to be peaceful, joyful and patient". Anything can be an intention. Have fun, make a list and see what happens! :)
So many conversations, so much fun. So much creativity and inspiration. So much...
Wait. What is that? Be right back... I hear the phone ringing...
Happy, happy Monday friends! :)
Peace & blessings ~ Melinda
