Don't get me wrong, I'm not the kind of person who often complains about the weather but I have written here before that summer isn't my favorite time.
I used to have to run around chasing after two little kids all summer and I didn't have much time for myself. Yes, they were awe-fully cute but still.
It took a huge amount of will on my part to get my own goals accomplished. I often failed and had to put things away because I couldn't find the time. My husband who is always supportive, worked 12 hour days back then and he usually needed a break when he got home in the evenings.
I was the one who shouldered too many of the mundane household tasks . . . wake up, get them dressed, get the food made, take them to summer school when they were a little older - do all the family chores I could fit into 3 hours that I was humanly able - pick them up from summer school, feed them, take them to swimming lessons, laundry, make dinner, fix things, help with everything, deal with the resistance to going to bed, clean up, clean up, clean up . . . so many things that took time but with no thing to show for it.
Well, today I have two grown kids and I think they are smart, funny, capable whole people (who are really hard to take a photo of - I stole this one from them) so now there's something to show for it but during all those years it was me putting in the time during the summer when they were home.
It was a 24 hour job and even my sleep habits suffered and I still only sleep about 4 hours at a time, never through the night, all these years later. So it is.
I have the greatest love for fall. It's because that's when the kids would go back to school and I could have some time to myself. It was for me, like a starving person getting to have their favorite food and that's only because I have always been a very independent person. It's true.
My words make me sound like a bad person. It's our job as mothers to take care of the family and love each one and nurture their little being-ness and I did that. I WANTED to do that. I loved those kids, every inch of them but little kids don't think about your needs and one of mine was time to myself and time to create.
FAST FORWARD to this moment in time . . .
I LOVE FALL, but I really love it, not just as the escape from duty. I don't enjoy the big California style heat of our summers. I love the fall for the cooler temperatures and for the spacious hours alone that I feel I've earned and the new energy boost I get from the cold air.
One of my favorite long sleeved shirts and I percolated it with my iPhone.
I LOVE sleeping under heavy covers!
I ENJOY the feeling of putting on a soft warm sweater because I think I look really good in them and they just feel good.
I WANT to eat stews and soups and casseroles that are comfort food.
I LIKE sitting in the car when it's cold outside and turning on the bun warmer.
I LOVE wearing boots and socks and layers and long pants!
I REVEL in not having to wipe the sweat off my face while I'm trying to put something together in my studio.
I MUST go to Peet's or Starbucks and get one of those hot sweet coffee drinks!
AND
I FIND new energy to tackle my projects and that's always good, isn't it? Here's a dose for you!
I made these three cuffs last month with stones that I cut and polished at the rock club.
variscite and druzy pearls
Lapis
Here's what's on my bench right now. It's a series of earrings.
Here is the first pair completed
sterling silver, 18k gold with 24k gold keum boo on the edge
. . . and from the back side.
I'm proud.
Are you wondering about what this “Blog-o-Sphere” thing is?
Andes Cruz, a metalsmith I met online and whose work I love, formed a group of friends who blog and she called it the "Blog-o-Sphere Think Tank". We all write a blog post once a month about the same topic, and we all post at the same time, on the 20th. I've been writing with them since October 2013 and the group keeps me blogging even when I am busy doing my thing. I hope you’ll visit all the blogs on the list and see what they have to say and if YOU have anything to say, please leave me a comment. I would enjoy hearing about it.
Read on if you're curious!
Andes Cruz: http://andescruz.wordpress.com/2014/10/20/seasonal-shifts/
Pallavi Gandhi: http://studioat605.wordpress.com
Kathleen Krucoff: http://kathleenkrucoff.wordpress.com
Robyn Hawk: http://flyviewsandreviews.blogspot.com/
Tosca Teran: http://nanopod.me/2014/10/20/seasonal-shifts/
Shelagh Blatz: www.designsbyshelagh.com/blog
