A Mother’s Journal

My Dear Friends,

Is there a list of horrible bloggers?  Am I at the top of that list?  Oh my!  I say I am going to do better and then I disappear off the face of the earth, or so it would seem.

I am trying to decide which little ‘shroom face will most get me off the hook.  Is it the tired mushroom in the front?  The sleepy one who is worn completely out and has done too much?  Is that me?  Will you forgive me, if I look so tired?

Or is that me in the back, sort of hiding under the beard of Old Man Mushroom, scared that I have totally blown my blog by being absent for TWO WEEKS!?  Which is it?   

Ahh, well, I think we are all still happy members of The Standing and Staring Club.  Are we?  (Please say yes.)

As you can see, I have been busy, busy, busy making mushrooms from clay, with their funny and sweet and sleepy and most serious faces!!

Some were for gifts, some for selling, and some sit sweetly on my kitchen counter, making me smile while I am steaming my vegetables and talking to John and Michaela.

And just to show you how busy I have been, here is me going not slo-mo but fast-mo across Rose Cottage, in my hurry to keep everything done! 

Actually, I wanted to share this picture because you can see the red and white afgan in the back of the room, which I pull out for Christmas only, because it was handmade by my late maternal grandma, Jewel, who I miss so much!  It makes me think of her to see this bright red and white gracing my couch.

Yes, busy time of year it is and busy time of my life it is.  On a sad note, but a note of update (since those things are necessary), I have been gone from the old house for 9 months now.  Does it seems so?  No.  Not to me either.  And my legal separation papers are signed.  And life seems to be moving on for me, and for the carpenter, in different directions.  I won’t discuss the carpenter here.  No.  It would not be fair.  But some things must be so.  I hope my update is not offensive to anyone.  I know many of us have different beliefs and different guidelines…  Friends we all are, and you deserve an update from time to time.

I must say, one of the little material things I miss most from the old house is my rustic spice cabinet which had quite the story of love behind it.  I am sure you remember the old spice cabinet (referenced in linked post as my most favorite thing). 

Yeah, there is is.  Still bolted to the wall.  Not mine anymore.

Alas, I got in the mood to make another rustic sort of space for my spices, and a recent trip to The Scrap Exchange gave me all I needed.

Between a vintage dresser drawer, discarded heavy cardboard boxes, and a wooden box with one drawer missing, I ended up with a spicy storage unit to sit on my kitchen counter.  I love it!

The drawer itself has personality plus!  The decoupaged boxes sit inside, all bright and cheery, holding my ever growing spice collection.

I mean, I had to start from scratch with the spices because the carpenter has the spices that were (are) in the old cabinet as well.  (Well, I did take my large bottle of vanilla extract.)

Every new thing, every new-to-me old thrifted thing, every day — it all becomes a part of Rose Cottage and me and my children and seems to take us one more step from the sadness that was a huge part of my life. 

Paper, paper, paper and more paper.  Love paper!  Yes I do!

I ended up making about 150 gift tags.  It feels so good just to look at them!  I love the sweet Victorian children in their nightgowns holding lanterns or candles, the old homeplaces surrounded by farm and snow, the deer in the woods, and the Victorian couples!  I love it all!

It’s so much fun to hand someone a stack of 10 or 15 gift tags, just because.

Yesterday I gave some to my mom and my aunt.  Today I passed some on to a dear friend. 

As well, the little clay man I made not too long ago, was dressed and given a tray of flowers, and his story came together as it happened.  He is American, but has a Japanese grandfather.  (Can anyone say Grandfather’s Journey? The lovely book by Allen Say.)  Anyway, this little man just made me think of Japan.  He has a lovely Japanese garden and grows the most lovely flowers to place in his simplistic home.  His wife loves them!  The only thing, I want him to have two names: an American name and a Japanese name.  What in the world will they be? 

He’s my new favorite.  At least for now.  Seems every time I make one of these dolls, that’s what happens.

Yeah, the more this little man came together, the more it reminded me of the lovely story, Grandfather’s Journey, and the times I read it to my children.  It was one of our Five In A  Row books we used in homeschooling.

Oh.  I really have to go.  Work calls.  And so does so much else!

Let me say in closing that I am still have way too much fun with clothes!  I go into G.W. Boutique several times a week and usually find a new dress.  It’s a habit I can afford.  Actually, since Michaela and I can share clothes, we have both had so much fun with this!  She wears the new dresses too and we both think it’s just the best thing!

I hope your day is wonderful!  Until next time…

Enjoy this day!  Take joy!