Mother's Little Helper

Congratulations, Mr. President

Where Am I Going, Where Have I Been?*

Hello, friends.  It's been a while, hasn't it?  Are you wondering why I left you high and dry for over a month?  Well, it's kind of a long story, but I'll see if I can whittle it down into something readable.

To start at the very beginning (which, according to Maria Von Trapp, is a very good place to start), I woke up one morning in late August and decided I didn't feel like stamping.  Actually, that feeling had been growing in me for a while.  But this particular morning, it felt more acute. 

Let me give you a little backstory.  As I've mentioned before, I came to stamping during a critical juncture. It was fall of 2006.  My husband was on the campaign trail, my youngest son had recently been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and I had left my position as an assistant professor at a local university to become a stay-at-home-mom.  In the course of a few months, my life had become unrecognizable to me.  Then, I discovered stamping and threw myself into it.   Stamping and the online stamping community provided me with a creative outlet and a much-needed escape from the stress and worry of everyday life.  I made neat things, 'met' new friends, and felt validated and encouraged by all the kind people who said nice things about my art.  It was all very comfy-cozy, unlike the uncertainty that seemed to be swirling about me in the 'real' world.  And so, I stayed there -- in the stamping world -- as much as I could.

I was lucky enough to have a lot of success in stamping, and was able to achieve many of the goals I set for myself like serving on the Splitcoaststamper's Dirty Dozen and doing design work for my favorite stamp manufacturers.  

But then... There's a problem, I learned, with having two worlds: whenever you're in one, you can't be (or, at least, I can't be) fully there for the other.  And as we know, everything is a trade-off.  I am not a fast stamper.  In fact, I'm not fast at much of anything, and I don't multi-task worth a darn.  While my stamping life thrived, my real life became careworn.  I always felt like I was playing 'catch-up' and many things were left undone. 

On that August morning when I woke up and didn't feel like stamping, I took a little tour of my house and saw it through different eyes.  I remembered how excited I had been to move into our home and realized that as of September, we would have lived here for 10 years.  Also during September, my little guy would be turning 5 and I would be turning 40.  Those are big milestones, and I wanted to give them their due.  I knew I couldn't do that and keep up with my stamping commitments, so I requested and was graciously granted a month-long leave-of-absence from all of my stamping 'bosses'.

September came, and Carter had a great birthday at the lake over Labor Day weekend.  A couple of weeks later, I was treated to an absolutely wonderful trip to San Francisco/Napa Valley for my 40th birthday by my marvelous husband.  And to mark 10 years of keeping my family safe and warm, I intended to honor our home with a thorough cleaning and light re-furbish.

Famous last words.

What started as a little nesting project has turned into a full-blown remodel.  (Yes, I know.  I have issues with moderation...)  New paint downstairs (including all trim and moldings, and resurfacing the ceilings where age/settling have caused cracks), new countertops and appliances in the kitchen, some new furniture and rugs, updating doorknobs, hinges, and bathroom fixtures from brass to chrome/nickel, new carpet on the staircase and upstairs, and tiling the floors of a couple of bathrooms that currently are carpeted.  Phew!

If all goes according to plan -- ha! -- our remodel should be finished before Christmas.  I'm really excited by this project, but as I noted above, everything is a trade-off.  After a lot of soul searching, I've come to the conclusion that there's no way that I can oversee this remodel, meet my my wifely and motherly duties, and resume my design team commitments.  (Just thinking about outside deadlines right now gives me the vapors!  Of course, it could just be paint fumes...)

Thus, I've made the tough decision to 'retire' from the Design Team business.  It wasn't an easy call, believe me.  I've so enjoyed the privilege of working behind the scenes with Alma, Kim, & Emily, and my design team-mates have become some of my closest friends over the past few years.  The Cat's Pajamas, My Favorite Things, Stamping Bella, Flower Soft, and GLUE remain my favorite products, and I leave them in hands vastly more capable than mine as they each are represented by some of the best designers in the industry.  And because any crafting I do these days needs to be schedule-free, I'm also stepping down as a sample maker for Jen's Sketch For You To Try (Jen got the better end of that deal, what with the incomparable Leigh O'Brien taking my spot as an SFYTT Sister).

Even though I'm taking a step back from stamping, I'm not forsaking it altogether.  I'll still play when I can, I'll just be doing so as an enthusiast as opposed to a 'professional.'  Life is good; I've gotten my arms and mind around what it means to be the wife of a politician and the mom of a special needs kiddo, and I'm no longer feeling an identity-void due to the fact that I don't work outside the home.  I'm so, so grateful to the stamping community for being there when I needed it and helping me get through a really tough time.  And most likely, if you're reading this, that means I thank you, personally, for the support and encouragement you've given me over the past few years.  I appreciate you more than you know.

So where does that leave this blog?  Well, in my first post I said, "I think this might be a fun way to entertain myself and hopefully those friends who stumble on to it."  A modest aspiration, and one I still think I might be able to pull off.

* Footnote on the title: Have you ever read the short-story 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?' by Joyce Carol Oates?  It's positively chilling.  You can find it here in full.  Try to remember yourself as a fifteen-year-old girl as you read it.  And if you have teenaged daughters?  You might want to skip it for a few years...